Prelude: Best Laid Plans
This jaunt to WDW in November was our second trip in the calendar year of 2014. Yes, we are monsters. Our first trip was in January. It went a little something like this: http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/the-trip-that-nearly-wasnt.889111/
The first time around, I went with my BF (his first time!) and our Disney-obsessed friend. It was the very, very best time ever. We had ADRs one day for Boma, and the second we hit the lobby of Jambo House, it. Was. Over. I knew we'd be returning before I even heard BF whisper "I want to go to there." When we got home, we went through a serious post-Disney depression a shrink could write a book about. In the middle of the night, BF would whisper "I want to go back to Disney World." I knew what I had to do. So I saved like a maniac and surprised him with the greatest birthday present of all: a trip to WDW, staying at Animal Kingdom Lodge. Start engraving my name on that "Greatest Boyfriend Ever" award!
At 11:59pm, at the dawn of my 180-day window, I sat at my laptop with my finger ready to click. Be Our Guest. BOOM. Cinderella's Royal table. BOOM. Ditto my 60-day window. Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. BOOM. I was a planning pimp, son. While watching Escape From Tomorrow (have we seen this hot mess?), BF was taken with the Biergarten scene. "Ooh, we have to go there." BOOM. It was done. BF loved Living With the Land, so I booked the Behind the Seeds tour. One pair of surprise tickets to Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party later, and you'd better start engraving "No, Seriously...Ever" on that aforementioned award!
And then came October 15th.
"Hello?"
"Hey. Good news! You're doing a big network showcase in Los Angeles on November 14th."
"Uh...no I'm not. I'm going to be at Disney World on November 14th."
Obviously, I was in a little bit of denial. This trip had been planned for five months, so where did this amazing career opportunity get off getting in the way of it? The more details I heard, the more I realized I had to go to Los Angeles. In addition to the opportunity itself, they were flying me out, putting me up, and paying me. But what was I going to do? Cancel my trip? I'd rather cancel my heartbeat and/or metabolism! I had some phone calls to make.
BF was understandably disappointed, as nothing gets in the way of our relationship quite as handily as my ambition. But he also was very excited for me and agreed there was no question: I had to go to LA and move the trip. Next call? My amazing travel agent (Kelly Moore, a Magic Creator for AAA WCNY; cannot recommend her more highly). She got us a great deal and worked her butt off for us, and now I was about to bring her world crumbling to the ground. She said she'd call Disney right away and see if I could move the trip back a week. Then she called right back and said they could do it for NO CHARGE. No charge?!? What is this, Birthday Christmas?!? I promised I'd call her back to seal the deal as soon as I received a contract with my name on it. This LA gig was too good to be true, so I didn't want to change our travel plans until the contract was signed, sealed, and delivered.
The contract arrived the next day. I called my TA and told her to pull the trigger! She called back nearly immediately.
"Um...hi."
"That was not an encouraging 'hi'."
"Yeah, I don't have great news. They no longer have any rooms available for the package you purchased."
"Are there any rooms available at all?"
"Yes...but they're...more expensive."
"How much more expensive?"
"Well...look at it this way, you'd have an amazing view-"
"-HOW MUCH MORE EXPENSIVE?!?"
"...nearly twelve hundred dollars."
What followed was a torrent of unbridled vulgarity that would make a dockside hooker blush. Once I was done with my Lenny Bruce tribute, I thought about it: BF shouldn't have to suffer because I screwed up our travel plans. It was bad enough that postponing the trip meant we'd be missing Food & Wine. Twelve hundred ADDITIONAL dollars was a lot of money, but I promised him a birthday trip to Animal Kingdom Lodge and dammit, he was going to get it.
"Go ahead. Book it."
Kelly switched my reservation. She also managed to change my MVMCP and Behind the Seeds reservations for no charge. I changed our flights for yet another hefty fee. Then it hit me: all of my ADRs and FP+'s were useless. So I cancelled them all and tried to rebook for our new week. Be Our Guest. Nothing. Cinderella's Royal Table. Nothing. Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. Nada. Man, booking at 180 days is way easier than 30 days. Of course, if you think I'd let a little thing like NO ADRS AVAILABLE ANYWHERE stop me, you don't know me so well.
Here's a tip for anyone who thinks you can't book any restaurant you want with little notice: you aren't trying hard enough. With the specter of a potentially disappointed BF looming over my head, I refreshed and refreshed and relentlessly checked availability until I got every single ADR back. Every. Single. One. With just a couple weeks notice. They should make a Disney movie about my determination and perseverance. They could call it Rescheduled and I'll sing the smash hit number "Let It Go (All of Your ADRs, That Is)" from a crystalline castle made of my tears.
Two 2014 trips, two rocky starts. But I flew back home from LA, slapped a Mickey tag on my suitcase, and threw in my mouse ears for good measure. We were Orlando-bound, baby!
Game on.
Next: Day One: "DISNEY!!!"
This jaunt to WDW in November was our second trip in the calendar year of 2014. Yes, we are monsters. Our first trip was in January. It went a little something like this: http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/the-trip-that-nearly-wasnt.889111/
The first time around, I went with my BF (his first time!) and our Disney-obsessed friend. It was the very, very best time ever. We had ADRs one day for Boma, and the second we hit the lobby of Jambo House, it. Was. Over. I knew we'd be returning before I even heard BF whisper "I want to go to there." When we got home, we went through a serious post-Disney depression a shrink could write a book about. In the middle of the night, BF would whisper "I want to go back to Disney World." I knew what I had to do. So I saved like a maniac and surprised him with the greatest birthday present of all: a trip to WDW, staying at Animal Kingdom Lodge. Start engraving my name on that "Greatest Boyfriend Ever" award!
At 11:59pm, at the dawn of my 180-day window, I sat at my laptop with my finger ready to click. Be Our Guest. BOOM. Cinderella's Royal table. BOOM. Ditto my 60-day window. Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. BOOM. I was a planning pimp, son. While watching Escape From Tomorrow (have we seen this hot mess?), BF was taken with the Biergarten scene. "Ooh, we have to go there." BOOM. It was done. BF loved Living With the Land, so I booked the Behind the Seeds tour. One pair of surprise tickets to Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party later, and you'd better start engraving "No, Seriously...Ever" on that aforementioned award!
And then came October 15th.
"Hello?"
"Hey. Good news! You're doing a big network showcase in Los Angeles on November 14th."
"Uh...no I'm not. I'm going to be at Disney World on November 14th."
Obviously, I was in a little bit of denial. This trip had been planned for five months, so where did this amazing career opportunity get off getting in the way of it? The more details I heard, the more I realized I had to go to Los Angeles. In addition to the opportunity itself, they were flying me out, putting me up, and paying me. But what was I going to do? Cancel my trip? I'd rather cancel my heartbeat and/or metabolism! I had some phone calls to make.
BF was understandably disappointed, as nothing gets in the way of our relationship quite as handily as my ambition. But he also was very excited for me and agreed there was no question: I had to go to LA and move the trip. Next call? My amazing travel agent (Kelly Moore, a Magic Creator for AAA WCNY; cannot recommend her more highly). She got us a great deal and worked her butt off for us, and now I was about to bring her world crumbling to the ground. She said she'd call Disney right away and see if I could move the trip back a week. Then she called right back and said they could do it for NO CHARGE. No charge?!? What is this, Birthday Christmas?!? I promised I'd call her back to seal the deal as soon as I received a contract with my name on it. This LA gig was too good to be true, so I didn't want to change our travel plans until the contract was signed, sealed, and delivered.
The contract arrived the next day. I called my TA and told her to pull the trigger! She called back nearly immediately.
"Um...hi."
"That was not an encouraging 'hi'."
"Yeah, I don't have great news. They no longer have any rooms available for the package you purchased."
"Are there any rooms available at all?"
"Yes...but they're...more expensive."
"How much more expensive?"
"Well...look at it this way, you'd have an amazing view-"
"-HOW MUCH MORE EXPENSIVE?!?"
"...nearly twelve hundred dollars."
What followed was a torrent of unbridled vulgarity that would make a dockside hooker blush. Once I was done with my Lenny Bruce tribute, I thought about it: BF shouldn't have to suffer because I screwed up our travel plans. It was bad enough that postponing the trip meant we'd be missing Food & Wine. Twelve hundred ADDITIONAL dollars was a lot of money, but I promised him a birthday trip to Animal Kingdom Lodge and dammit, he was going to get it.
"Go ahead. Book it."
Kelly switched my reservation. She also managed to change my MVMCP and Behind the Seeds reservations for no charge. I changed our flights for yet another hefty fee. Then it hit me: all of my ADRs and FP+'s were useless. So I cancelled them all and tried to rebook for our new week. Be Our Guest. Nothing. Cinderella's Royal Table. Nothing. Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. Nada. Man, booking at 180 days is way easier than 30 days. Of course, if you think I'd let a little thing like NO ADRS AVAILABLE ANYWHERE stop me, you don't know me so well.
Here's a tip for anyone who thinks you can't book any restaurant you want with little notice: you aren't trying hard enough. With the specter of a potentially disappointed BF looming over my head, I refreshed and refreshed and relentlessly checked availability until I got every single ADR back. Every. Single. One. With just a couple weeks notice. They should make a Disney movie about my determination and perseverance. They could call it Rescheduled and I'll sing the smash hit number "Let It Go (All of Your ADRs, That Is)" from a crystalline castle made of my tears.
Two 2014 trips, two rocky starts. But I flew back home from LA, slapped a Mickey tag on my suitcase, and threw in my mouse ears for good measure. We were Orlando-bound, baby!
Game on.
Next: Day One: "DISNEY!!!"
