November 2009 Grand Gathering Booked

November 2009 Grand Gathering booked today through Disney's CRO. Three rooms @ WL. Still too early to do any serious planning.

Trip Report

Too lazy to type up trip report in two different places. So use the link below to go to the actual "trip report" -

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1594423

On our way!

We're on our way to WDW!

Thirty-two days out and got luggage tags!

Lot's of things happened this week. First of all, it is 32 days out from our next WDW trip. Earlier this week we received our luggage tags from the mothership and it brought the trip so much closer to reality. DW also got a pin lanyard (Disney villains) for me from eBay. I guess I will be the official trader pin keeper while DW and DDs trade away with the CMs. This morning I also made reservations for the DDs at one of the resort's kids club. DW and I will be stashing them there while we enjoy the adults' night out.

ADRs Made

180 days out. This morning, made ADRs for most of the major dining options.

My First Warning

Looks like I got my first warning on DIS last night - for improper language. I said "wet dream". I am going down the road of DIS delinquency.

Received Fully Paid Confirmation Letter

Yesterday, got a letter from the Mothership showing that the balance on the GF vacation package has been paid in full. Again, it showed all the package details, the code, all the room requests, and balance - $0.00! What am I suppose to do now for next 8 months?

Received Confirmation/Invoice

Received confirmation/invoice in the snail mail from WDW Travel Company. Actually, received couple. The first one is for WL. The second one is for GF (after we upgraded from WL to GF) showing the two payments we have made already. Since we paid off the balance couple days ago, I expect to receive another one shortly. Both documents show the infamous ZFZ code and nowhere does it say that a PIN number is required. But, since the CM from CRO stated WDW will honor the discount code as long as I do not make any more changes to the ressie, I will trust their words on it.

Codes Require PIN

Please note the codes listed below most likely require PIN numbers that are sent to targeted individuals. You may not use these codes if that's the case. Disney may require you to pay rack rate or cancel your reservation all together. Please consult with an experienced Disney travel agent for more details.

Some discussion details here -

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1343804

and here -

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1344001

Oh No - Code w/ No PIN

So I found this discount code on an online discussion forum. I called CRO to see if I could use the code. CM said no problem. I called back various other times after the initial booking for changes, room requests, upgrades, payments, etc. No one questioned it. I was never asked for the PIN. But, the discussion on the online forum got me worrying. People were saying Disney may cancel my reservation or force me to pay rack rate if I do not have the PIN. I was never asked for PIN. I thought this may just be one of those general code. But, just to be on the safe side, I paid off my package balance yesterday. Today, I called CRO and told them flat out that I want to check to see if there is PIN attached to my account for me to use this special discount code. After 15 minutes of digging around, the friendly CM came back and said no, I do not have a PIN attached to my account. But, since I have upgraded and have paid the vacation package off completely, they will honor it this time. Slight relief. I am just looking forward to get my snail confirmation now.

DW Pondering Over MNSSHP Costume

DW now pondering over her MNSSHP costume for the upcoming WDW trip. Her blog entry is here -

http://keelyvh.livejournal.com/33610.html

Questions About the Discount Code

This blog is maintained mainly for families and friends (and for me to keep track of my insanity when I am in this Disney planning mode). But, a recent discount code issue on DISBoards has brought many people to these pages looking for the mysterious codes.

Please refer to this informative thread for any questions you may have -

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1339138

And, again, the codes are - ZFZ (package) and BSY (room-only). I am not exactly sure what dates they are for or if you really need a PIN for it. YMMV. Good luck!

Switched from WL to GF

Due to me stumbling across a 40% off deluxe room discount, we upgraded our room from WL Woods View to GF Magic Kingdom View. Going to be an interesting new experience! Basically, we got a room at GF for slightly over the price we budgeted for a WL room at AAA discount. Can't pass that up!

The previous code is for packages only. Thanks to a poster from DIS, the room-only code is BSY.

The Code

The Code we used was ZFZ.

Package Deal From Disney!

After reading various online forums regarding a "mysterious" discount code for WDW package, I decided to give it a try and called up DTC couple days ago. Nothing. But, the CM was nice enough to update some information and "pushed" the information out again. She said that I should be expecting a postcard or email with a special offer sometime soon. As I have no patience when it comes to things like this, I called again last night and tried to use the code. Yes! They accepted it! We booked a comparable package at WL for $500 less than the AAA package (which just means we will figure out some way to spend that money back in the parks).

Tentative Planning Done

Tentative park and dining planning done for now. Waiting until April when I can start calling to make ADRs and special activity reservations. May still tweak the overall plan periodically between now and April (what else can I do!), pending feedbacks from the other families in our travel party. But they all think I am insane for planning so far in advance ....

J&C Are In

Looks like J&C and family are going to WDW with us too. Six adults and six kids. Should be one fun trip!

1900's Park Fare

Looks like the renovation for 1900's Park Fare will be finished by 10/1. We may still get a chance to dine there!

Vacation Package and Flight Booked!

As of today, we have booked our vacation package (lodging, dining, and tickets) through AAA and purchased the plane tickets for our Fall 2007 WDW trip.

This will be DD4's first time on a plane. Should be an interesting experience.

J&J have also booked. J&C are still on the fence.

A possible bad news. Looks like 1900 Park Fare may be going through renovation during the time we'll be there. That is too bad. We really enjoyed that place.