faline
12-21-2013, 08:34 PM
This trip has been a difficult one to get ready for. When we made our reservations back in May, my brother was saying he would not going to Disney this year due to house projects he had invested in instead. We made our plans for a trip for two.
Early in the summer, my brother began to say he was considering whether or not they could get to Disney soon but was considering going over Thanksgiving, or possibly, February vacation. At the end of the summer, he told us he had made reservations that mostly overlap with the time we will be there in December. He would be arriving two days before we do and leaving two days earlier than we are in order to minimize the amount of time his 1st grader will miss from school.
Because Gene and I had booked for just the two of us, we had made reservations to do the dinner combo for the Candlelight Processional and had booked Victoria and Albert's for another evening - both reservations that would not work with an active 6 year old as part of our party. When I learned they would be there, I cancelled the Candlelight Processional reservations and moved Victoria and Alberts to our last evening - after my brother's family has departed.
After some trial and error, we were able to connect as traveling together on the My Disney Experience site and we did agree on a couple of mutual dining reservations - Hoop de Doo Review and California Grill. Beyond that, no dining reservations were made though my sister-in-law had several places she would like to revisit. As it was, I was still feeling my way through the new systems and was concerned we would not get to ride some of our favorites with those advance "reservations" so, when I logged in one day and the system allowed me to make fastpass+ reservations, I did. I was unable to include my brother's family in the fastpass+ reservations I made because he had not yet purchased his park passes. For the most part, I tried to group our fastpass+ times in the morning in the hopes that we could catch up with my brother's family in the afternoons should they select a different park for the day. I gave my brother a list of the fastpass+ reservations I made, the park they are in and the times. We'll have to see how it goes.
At the same time my brother informed us he was going to Florida, my sister in law was excited to learn she was being considered for a position she really wanted. She was able to start her new position in November. She was told they were not happy about her trip but understood people had plans. Up until that point, my brother had been considering driving to Florida but said he had found decent airfare so went ahead and booked the flights. Just after that, my sister in law was informed she would be terminated if she took the time off for the trip. Of course, she and my brother were very upset. They were trying to figure out if they should cancel outright or if my brother and nephew would go without her. In the interim, another new hire with a trip planned had gone to the union. She was allowed to take her scheduled trip when she produced both hotel and airline reservations made prior to hire. My sister in law was told having only room reservations prior to hire would not be good enough. She spoke with her union representative but had to wait another several days before she got word that she would be allowed to take her trip without losing her position. Whew!
Also, after I had customized our magic bands and made our fastpass + reservations, I received a letter from Disney saying we had been selected to participate in testing and had until November 30 to complete our customization even though we are scheduled for a December 9 arrival date. We received our bands prior to Thanksgiving. Shortly before we left, I received an e-mail from Disney reminding me I could still customize our bracelets and choose fastpasses even though we had already done both. A couple of days prior to departure, I received another e- mail from Disney saying our magic bands would be waiting for us upon check-in even though we had already received them in the mail.
Early in the summer, my brother began to say he was considering whether or not they could get to Disney soon but was considering going over Thanksgiving, or possibly, February vacation. At the end of the summer, he told us he had made reservations that mostly overlap with the time we will be there in December. He would be arriving two days before we do and leaving two days earlier than we are in order to minimize the amount of time his 1st grader will miss from school.
Because Gene and I had booked for just the two of us, we had made reservations to do the dinner combo for the Candlelight Processional and had booked Victoria and Albert's for another evening - both reservations that would not work with an active 6 year old as part of our party. When I learned they would be there, I cancelled the Candlelight Processional reservations and moved Victoria and Alberts to our last evening - after my brother's family has departed.
After some trial and error, we were able to connect as traveling together on the My Disney Experience site and we did agree on a couple of mutual dining reservations - Hoop de Doo Review and California Grill. Beyond that, no dining reservations were made though my sister-in-law had several places she would like to revisit. As it was, I was still feeling my way through the new systems and was concerned we would not get to ride some of our favorites with those advance "reservations" so, when I logged in one day and the system allowed me to make fastpass+ reservations, I did. I was unable to include my brother's family in the fastpass+ reservations I made because he had not yet purchased his park passes. For the most part, I tried to group our fastpass+ times in the morning in the hopes that we could catch up with my brother's family in the afternoons should they select a different park for the day. I gave my brother a list of the fastpass+ reservations I made, the park they are in and the times. We'll have to see how it goes.
At the same time my brother informed us he was going to Florida, my sister in law was excited to learn she was being considered for a position she really wanted. She was able to start her new position in November. She was told they were not happy about her trip but understood people had plans. Up until that point, my brother had been considering driving to Florida but said he had found decent airfare so went ahead and booked the flights. Just after that, my sister in law was informed she would be terminated if she took the time off for the trip. Of course, she and my brother were very upset. They were trying to figure out if they should cancel outright or if my brother and nephew would go without her. In the interim, another new hire with a trip planned had gone to the union. She was allowed to take her scheduled trip when she produced both hotel and airline reservations made prior to hire. My sister in law was told having only room reservations prior to hire would not be good enough. She spoke with her union representative but had to wait another several days before she got word that she would be allowed to take her trip without losing her position. Whew!
Also, after I had customized our magic bands and made our fastpass + reservations, I received a letter from Disney saying we had been selected to participate in testing and had until November 30 to complete our customization even though we are scheduled for a December 9 arrival date. We received our bands prior to Thanksgiving. Shortly before we left, I received an e-mail from Disney reminding me I could still customize our bracelets and choose fastpasses even though we had already done both. A couple of days prior to departure, I received another e- mail from Disney saying our magic bands would be waiting for us upon check-in even though we had already received them in the mail.