January 2011
The Disney Vacation Club (DVC), Disney’s version of a timeshare program, recently announced a change that almost went unnoticed by me. In fact, if I hadn’t seen an article by Jason Garcia of the Orlando Sentinel, it probably would have gone unnoticed. Currently, there is no distinction between DVC contracts purchased directly from Disney versus contracts purchased on the re-sale market. Members receive the same benefits and perks. As of March 21, 2011, that is about to change. Under the Disney Vacation Club’s new policy, DVC contracts that are purchased as re-sales will no longer be able to use points to book Adventures by Disney vacations, Disney Cruise Line vacations, or stays at Disney’s non-DVC properties such as Walt Disney World’s Deluxe and Moderate resorts. Re-sales purchased after March 20, 2011 will still be eligible to stay at any of the Disney DVC properties and to use points to book a timeshare exchange.
It Doesn’t Affect Me, Does It?
My husband and I are DVC members and purchased both our original contract and our add-on as re-sales. We are grandfathered under this policy so we shouldn’t care about this change, or should we? I think we should and we do.
The primary reason we purchased our contracts as re-sales is that the resort we wanted as our “Home Resort” was closed, meaning that it was not being actively sold. It is a very popular resort and there is typically a waitlist for inventory to become available. We were also very specific about the number of points we wanted and the “Use Year.” We felt it was easier and quicker for us to purchase the contract we wanted as a re-sale. Secondly, our re-sale contracts were significantly less expensive than if we had purchased directly from Disney.
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Walt Disney World is so magical for little ones because they BELIEVE. Their joy is pure and simple; they have no doubt they are hugging Mickey or curtseying to a Disney princess. This very innocence that suspends reality and makes Winnie-the-Pooh real to children means that the proverbial monster-under-the bed is real also. In a place where Imagineers bring fantasy worlds to life, there are bound to be some attractions that spook small children.
There are some obvious attractions that should be avoided but there are also less obvious ones. Here’s my list of Walt Disney World attractions that upset some small children.
Magic Kingdom
The Haunted Mansion. The Haunted Mansion’s 999 haunts may be happy but little kids may instead see ghosts, ghouls, skeletons, and special effects that cause a shiver to run up their spines on this dark ride.
Pirates of the Caribbean. Part of this boat ride takes place in the dark and there are some special effects that may unsettle sensitive children such as a wavy image of Davy Jones appearing on a waterfall and the cannon fire.
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We started to take down our Christmas tree yesterday and I carefully packed away our ornaments. I am probably more sentimental about these ornaments than most anything else in our house. The thing I love about our Christmas tree is that I can see my life in ornaments. There is the ornament of the baseball player that I received the year I dated my first “real” boyfriend, the chalkboard ornament that represents my time as a teacher, the delicate angel ornament I received from one of my religious education students, the Disney ornament we purchased on our honeymoon, and different personalized ornaments that show the progression from a family of three, to four, to five.
As I wrapped up our Disney ornaments, most of which are souvenirs from our trips, it got me thinking. Souvenirs are not my thing. They just aren’t. The fact is we rarely return from Walt Disney World with souvenirs tucked safely in our suitcases. Why? Well that’s a good question and I’ve been trying to get to the root of it. First, I’m really not a shopper and I definitely like to stick to a budget. Then there is the clutter issue. I like everything in its place and to me anything that could qualify as a knick-knack or display item is really a dust-collector in disguise.
I realized that all our Disney souvenirs have a purpose and were all planned with the exception of one – my impulse buy. There isn’t anything very interesting about our planned souvenirs – a couple of t-shirts, Disney notepads that I use for my weekly grocery list, and Christmas ornaments.
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My husband and I have a long-standing New Year’s tradition that began during our college years. After a holiday week filled with shopping, family, and birthday celebrations, we’re ready to spend a quiet night in on New Year’s Eve. But really, if a quiet night in is good, two are better. Let me introduce you to the “Days.” The year-end “Days” are an embarrassing display of sloth and gluttony filled with movie-watching and junk food. A theme must first be chosen. It can be a movie genre, an actor, or a made-for-television movie series; the more creative the better. Next, actual days must be selected. Once the movies have been procured (ideally twenty hours or so of play time) and the days have been blocked out on the calendar, a trip to the grocery store is in order. Hot h'orderves are a favorite of ours along with cheese, crackers, and anything else that falls into the category of snack food. Lastly, the furniture must be rearranged for optimal lounging. Pajamas are encouraged, email is discouraged, and the phone must not be answered.
So to get your started on your own Disney “Days”, I thought I would offer up Disney film suggestions for a few different themes.
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