Our Monday plan is the same as yours but we’re doing animal kingdom before hopping to Hollywood studios on Tuesday to do Fantasmic that night! We’re also definitely planning on morning and evening park touring with downtime or swimming in the middle of the day, so I’m trying to remember that’s the plan and not go too hard every day as I usually try to do…
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That is definitely the hardest part, always. But, I think we all remember the trips where we just took it easy as some of the best, so just have to keep those in mind!
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Thanks for the tip!
I’ve bought tickets from Undercover Tourist and Boardwalk Ticketing, but I wasn’t aware that DVC Rental Store sold park tickets. Is it just like buying them from Undercover and Boardwalk? Do they have a track record?
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They’re new to me for tix too, but they look like a completely reputable site to me. 
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Savings Success
A few months ago several of our credit cards had a new offer on them - spend $300 at Marriott, get $120 back.
That is a pretty sweet deal!
The Problem
The deal expires on 7/31, but we are staying at the Swan in August.
Solutions
Word on the street is buying Marriott gift cards on site at a hotel will trigger this credit.
But, the problem with this is APPARENTLY 1.25 RESORTS IN THE US OF A SELL MARRIOTT GIFT CARDS.
I tried all of the ones on Long Island as I passed them since this offer dropped.
The Manager at the largest one here was annoyed on my behalf - she said, “It is SO STUPID that we don’t sell Marriott gift cards. Don’t they want your money?”
So, that didn’t work (if it did, I’d probably have used the offers on all of my cards - $120 off $300 is an incredible return on spend.)
Yesterday I tried a new tactic: I called the Swan to see if they would charge $300 to my card now. The automated system (a bot that was VERY lifelike, btw, it fooled me!) told me to send an email off to the accounting@swandolphin.com.
I did that last night asking if I could pre-pay $300 for the stay and explained I was trying to use a credit so that they didn’t just try to charge the $225 resort fees I’m only going to owe because we’re staying on points and certs.
Received an email this morning with a link to fill out a form online, plus another saying she’ll charge the resort fees when I send that in. DONE.
One hiccup I kind of expected was they were going to tell me they can’t charge more than they think I’ll owe.
I’m figuring we’ll be charging food to the room and will easily add the $75 or so we’ll need to hit the $300 that way, so just hoping there isn’t some Marriott policy about charging more than the expected fees.
Good News
A few minutes after I submitted the payment document, the accounting person called me back just to verify with me I wanted to charge immediately. I explained again about trying to use an Amex credit and she didn’t seem to have any concern.
Slight Concern
A little while later I got am Amex charge notification on my watch. When I looked, it was for $37.50.
Say what? my brain said.
Then, bing, bing BING more charges - totaling exactly $300. So looks like I’m good!
In the end the expected $120 credit will bring my actual cash cost to stay at the Swan down to $105 total for the 5 days. #winning 
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Sweet!
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That is crazy awesome! Thank you for sharing ways to save!
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Random Thing Alert
Since we have a few days of hang around resort time at Grand Cypress before we check in to Swan for park days, I’m going to load up our Chipotle (5x points at Staples with Chase Ink Cash card) and Panera accounts (20% off GCs right now on their site!) to use for the in-between meals.
With nut allergies, Chipotle is a big go to in our family, and Panera a huge go-to for my especially health-minded wife. Plus: Panera’s Sips Club is awesome and you can essentially get it free for many months a year if you watch for deals.
Of no particular consequence, but when looking to see if I could save a trip to Staples and just buy Chipotle egift cards online and link them to my account…
Noticed that someone took the time to give every single Chipotle listing a 1-star review. 
#burritohaters
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Someone doesn not like Chipotle or gift cards.
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We are now less than 2 days from heading south!
10 years ago was our first family trip!
My DW shifted into double secret Mom overdrive several days ago for the various things needed.
DD16 has designed outfit and pin combinations for each day of the trip.
DS20 has… I dunno. done nothing? Can’t tell. There’s a LOT of socks strewn about his room though.
I’m trying to tie up my own loose ends, as I said above:
- Racking up points and discounts while loading up on gift cards for places we’ll probably eat.
- Triple checking flight, hotel, car rental info.
- Consolidated all of the random Disney gift cards I had from the convention ticket buying frenzy - in the process creating a gift card for each person to use as their souvenir/spending money.
- Trying to watch the various Genie tip videos and posts and still thinking What the hey? this is overflowing my brain and I’m GOOD at this stuff.
I think I mentioned above, or maybe in another thread(?) - this is the first time my DW has flown since our honeymoon. 25 years ago. Also the first time ever for DD and 2nd time for DS.
We always drove because it was convenient with the usually additional Miami visit on our trip, and I’m pretty sure DW was mostly happy for the non-flying.
So much excitement and nervousness and many things going on, plus getting work things in order.
As you all know, the journey of a WDW day begins with a single step.
Followed by 23,363 more.
per day.
Not including that time when they raised the bridge in EPCOT as we were walking with purpose to an overdue Via Napoli reservation and we had to backtrack around the ENTIRE World Showcase Lagoon at full speed because it apparently was stuck and man were we sweaty.
What’s Annoying Me Today
This weekend I looked up which MagicBands were from our most recent CSR trip in 2021 so everyone could pack them to use in park. (Even if the long range batteries might be defunct.)
As could easily be expected, DS has no idea where his might be.
It’s OK - we have the cards they sent.
But, I started playing with MagicMobile thinking he could add the ticket to his iPhone and watch. (He’s the only iPhone in the house.) While it is probably close even odds, I’m thinking it is slightly less likely he loses his phone vs a plastic card.
But, none of that above annoys me - what does annoy me is when adding my own ticket to Google Wallet from the MDE MagicMobile screen - it seems to keep grabbing the Annual Pass Voucher on my account for me rather than my 4-day PH.
Weirder
It doesn’t even ask which one I want to add to Wallet.
Even more Weirder
I long ago created a dummy MDE profile called “Dad” and have that AP voucher assigned to good old Dad. But, even when I select “John” in MDE it still sends what I think is the AP over to wallet.
Here’s a comparison of what my ticket looks like in Wallet compared to DD’s.
What is up with “Affiliations: ANNUAL”?
Is it actually sending the AP over to Google Wallet for me even if I didn’t pick the “Dad” profile?
or Does it somehow just know there’s a voucher somewhere on my account?
As far as MDE is concerned, Dad and John are different humans.
Inquiring minds want to know before they tap into a park and confetti flies out and a park-wide announcement goes out over the speaker system announcing JOHN TIERNEY, GAWRSH, I MEAN DAD TIERNEY HAS JUST USED HIS AP AND IT WILL SOON BE GONE FOREVER. WaHoohooohooo.
Also, I wish the Disney site made me login more. Every 11 minutes is not enough. I also enjoy the subsequent emails telling me I logged in to the site that just logged me out as I was using it and is making me login again.
Anyway, looking forward to this at the Grand Cypress:
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I like the way it makes you think you’re logged in, with a casual, Hi, Lindsey!..right up until you click on something you want to do…and then it is like ‘woah, woah, woah, who do you think you are?’ That’s my favorite.
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this so much this. I am really feeling the kindred spirit here, lol. As another person who works in tech (and sometimes even in security) this farce is especially welcome.
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Interesting: Looking at the Memberships and Affiliations in MDE, I see the AP attached to my Dad profile - and the expiration is the year 2099. Ha!
I was going to use it in a few years to get the most value out of it when I had more time to go - now I think I need to add it to my will.
At a modest 3% annual increase in prices over 76 years my Platinum Plus Pass equivalent then will cost about $13,000. Using a more realistic 5%, it will cost $54,000.
It will really be more valuable too, because maybe there will be a 5th gate park by then. 
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Holy crap. I think we’re going to have a drop a few digits off our money by then.
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I’m going to start an entire thread entitled this. 
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I should have probably mentioned: AFAIK my actual AP voucher expiration is 2030, not 2099.
Has to be a weird glitch.
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Interesting Southwest Data Point
Set myself up today to check in to Southwest right at the 24hour point for our flight down.
I have 3 of us on one confirmation and my DS is on my companion pass, so he is on his own confirm.
I had 2 browsers open ready to go - hit check in for the 3 of us first and got boarding positions B30 to B32.
Hit it for DS and got position B34.
Hmm, I said, why the skip? Reports are they put the companion right before or after you these days?
(My son’s position info was in a different browser window, so I pasted into this one for easier comparison.)
A few minutes later I opened the SW app just to check things out there, because, you know, obsessive.
Guess what? My boarding position is now B33!
No real difference, of course - but kind of funny that checking in the companion moved my position. I wonder - if I had messed it up and waited awhile to check him in what would have happened?
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Do you think the system automatically leave or secures the next position for the companion pass and that because you checked the companion pass in so quickly it gave you the next “available”, which would be 34. And then corrected itself?
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Maybe? Next time I think I might check the companion in first and see what happens.
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