Pre-Trip Report for January Disney Trip Part I

I solemnly swear that this trip report will NOT be as long as last years. Well we will see where that goes!

Every year (well almost) my husband Jeff and I head to WDW for our anniversary, this year 2010 will be no different. Several years ago, actually right after we were married I took over the planning duties, and since then Jeff has pretty much gone along for the ride. I tell him planning is part of the fun! Three years ago Jeff and I joined Disney Vacation Club (DVC) and have added on points twice since then, quadrupling our original “tiny” contract. We have 100 points now. So last year, after returning for our 2009 trip I starting thinking about this year. There were a lot of options we threw around, but Jeff was absolutely sure that he wanted to stay in a 1-bedroom. 1-Bedrooms are huge suites with whirlpool tubes, living rooms, king beds and washer and dryers. Yep guess which one is his favorite? So I began looking at options.

We would have at the time of booking 100 points, (borrowing for the next year included), not a lot of options for that, pretty much two, Old Key West, Boardwalk Villas Standard View. Now OKW is okay, but I had been wanting to stay at BWV for years, its themed after a turn of the century amusement park-boardwalk. Right up our alley! However, as we owned at OKW we would have to call at 7 months out. I also knew that standard views, being so economical on points were VERY hard to get. Atleast that’s what I had heard.

For a check in on Jan 24, 2010 our 7 month window opened on June 24th, 2009. For those that are familiar that we right smack dab in the middle of ACE Coaster Con! Another event we had been looking forward to for years. ACE Coaster Con is the largest conference of the American Coaster Enthusiasts during the year. Its always one week, starting on Father’s Day, and this year it was in Branson and Kansas City! So as you might imagine as regional reps for the area we were quite busy building up to the event and during it. Literally once it was all over I needed a vacation from my “vacation”.

It was a great event, we had a blast, and I think all 350 other ACER’s did too, highlighting it all was the fact that the week of June 24th was the hottest week of the year, with temps hovering around 100 F all week! I promise folks it is NEVER that hot during that time of year. I felt so bad! But it made it very memorable. June 24th actually feel right in the middle of the week, a Wednesday. So in the middle of the hottest week of the year, after several days of going to bed at 1AM – 2AM and getting back up at 7AM, I woke up early for the sole reason to plan a vacation at WDW 7 months later. Yep, nuts.

So out on the deck of the hotel, 8AM in the morning I prepared to call Member Services. I am a pretty pessimistic person so I was pretty sure getting that BWV standard view was not in the cards. I called, got right through (amazing!) and was connected to a great Cast Member. Sadly I don’t remember his name, but I told him my dates, what I wanted and he put me on hold to check availability. You want to talk about 30 seconds seeming like eons? He came back on the line, I held my breath…. BWV standard view, Jan 24 – Jan 29th was available! I snatched it up, was booked, everything was right with the world.

Or so I thought.

You see at this time I had just started my first semester of a hoped for nursing degree from Penn Valley Community College in Kansas City. I was taking an online class, Human Lifespan Development at this time, and having glanced at the previous spring’s schedule felt I was safe with taking an online class at the same time as the January 2010 trip. Yep you know what’s going to happen.

I am just going to leave you hanging though.

Before that bridge came tumbling down I had one more milestone to cover. The room reservations for Friday and Saturday night. At DVC resorts Fridays and Saturdays are higher point nights, so for the last trip, and this trip we had to spend those nights paying cash. Usually we will book these nights under and Annual pass discount rate, so the waiting began… and I waited and I waited and I waited.

I was about to enter the Twilight Zone, Disney Purgatory if you will. The dreaded pin codes. In the past, for the last 10 years mind you, Disney has released AP room-only discounts available to all AP holders. You called, made your reservation and had an AP ready to show at check in. Simple right? For some reason in one of the worst economy’s, Disney instead of released an AP discount for ALL AP holders, they sent out SELECT e-mails, with a PIN for an AP rate. You couldn’t reserve at AP room rate without the code. I was heated, I still AM heated about this situation. I think its abusing their most “valued” customers.

The first e-mails went out Friday night, I spent a few days stressing, calling Disney, and e-mailing Disney complaining about the policy. Finally, on one last attempt, last ditch effort I called Disney to ask if we had a PIN attached to our name, and that maybe, possibly, we hadn’t received the e-mail. I again didn’t have much faith. (remember the glass half empty discussion earlier at BWV?) Luck shinned on me, once again, and we had a pin code! I was beside myself! I even remember the CM’s name, Greenleigh, who even listened to me vent about the whole situation, and didn’t seem to mind. Now mind you I am still upset about the whole handling of the situation, requiring a pin code, when I still firmly believe no pin code should be required. I think maybe they should start requiring check in Cast Members at the resorts to start checking for Annual Passes… Anyway that’s another argument for another day.

I booked our first choice which was at the Carribbean Beach Resort, king bed room, $134 with tax (the only place I would pay so much for basically a motel style room!), and we had a place to sleep for almost the entire trip. (excluding arrival night but I won’t book that until a few weeks out)

So we had rooms, but I hadn’t booked the plane tickets, car, etc yet, (we usually wait until about two months out for those), things are going good, I am planning the dining options, and you know this is always when the floor falls out…. Man did it. October 22nd, schedules are released for the MCCKC (Metropolitan Community College of Kansas City), I was ready to schedule for Anatomy and Physiology for Spring semester, hybrid online class. These had been in the schedule for the last few semesters and I thought this would work great.