I 
understand.
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You sound like someone that has new information and so now needs to make a new decision. Write out the reasons why going is the right choice (don’t share with us - it’s none of our business). Write out the reasons why not going is the right choice. To be clear, this is not a pro/con list. It’s reasons. Include the aspect of timing, with Calvin in mind. Decide. Once you decide, and like your reasons why, nothing else matters.
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All good reasons to pause. I would create my actual budget and see if I can do it stress free. Then decide. Just a thought!
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My only question is, how is Calvin doing? 
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I think the pause and write it out seems like a good plan for where you (Matt) are.
I am very stressed out about a couple of life things right now. I am stalking and mathing buying more DVC points, I almost booked a trip in November and another in September (when flights got super cheap).
But in the back of my mind, I know it is just me trying to avoid something else. So no add-on points (yet). I did the math and I am better off just booking value when needed. And I split the difference and booked 1 trip in October.
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I haven’t read all the responses (how often do I say that? Pretty much every thread…) but I think that your reasons are logical. But you can also consider other trips besides WDW. The miles and the gold status with Virgin can take you many places. That leaves the AP, and how much that matters to you.
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Receiving a travel voucher is a completely legitimate reason to rethink your travel habits. I hope you can figure out a way to use the credit for something that will increase your fulfillment without counteracting the reasons you swore off Orlando in the first place, but I’m sure you can find a balance.
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Oh dear you sound just like me! I’ve been agonizing all. day. long. b/c someone I’ve never met (but who is important b/c they are a neighbor of a house we own) said something unkind, and unfair, in an email about business. I know that I should put this in a box and on the shelf in my mind but it keeps coming back. Sigh. I know it is in the end only business and that will end.
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The travel vouchers sound like they are doing what Virgin hopes…that you will spend more than the points cover so that they still make something off you.
Any destinations that are closer where you could spend less?
I can see this “free” voucher quickly leading to a rather expensive endeavor!
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Nah. We all have the same affliction. If nothing was stopping me I wouldve gone this weekend and have been unsuccessfully pitching spring break 24, despite Cancelling All Future Family Vacations on our April trip.
VA does have some nice redemptions if your dates are flexible. I like the CA idea. I’m also really wanting to go to Tokyo Disney.
Is there anything else you want to see with the AP? Or are you just using it to feel like you got the value out of it?
I do support using the VA miles while you’ve got status!
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I’ve sketched out a possible plan for a trip in June. It’s just a plan. Nothing more.
20th Arrive MCO 8pm — check in ASMu
21st HS After Hours (7pm – 1am)
22nd EP After Hours (7pm – 1am)
23rd MK (one day ticket, closes at 10pm)
24th AK (one day ticket, closes at 7pm) + H20 After Hours (6-11pm), then transfer to UOR ES
25th UOR (AP ticket)
26th UOR (AP ticket) — depart 8.30pm flight
Costs:
Transportation to / from Heathrow
ASMu 4 nights
ES 2 nights
WDW — two After Hours tickets, two-day base ticket (no hopping)
Already purchased:
H20 ticket (from original, cancelled June trip)
UOR AP
Reasons why this plan is genius:
Doing After Hours is so clever of me. June is crazy hot and the sun is brutal, but not so much after hours. And lines are much shorter. MK rides I care about much less, so it would just be a chilled out day there. I might not even rope drop. Just show up late and stay till close. During the day I could tour hotels / visit Disney Springs. AK closes early, but I have the H20 ticket already in hand — and, again, much nicer to do the waterparks at night.
Thoughts?
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So Virgin have screwed me over a little.
When I complained to them, the resolution was to return my points and give me vouchers. Together these would halve the cost of a flight.
But it turns out that they won’t let me use both at the same time.
Now on one level this is good. I can use the points for Air France flights and this is a much better value use of them.
The vouchers can only be used on Virgin flights.
Hmm.
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My thoughts – you’ve sketched out a nice trip, but is it one you want to take? Would you be excited to take it? It needs to fill your soul more than it empties your bank account. Past trips have done that for you – would this?
(I’m mostly asking these questions because the flight is not the bargain you hoped it would be.)
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What would you use the Air France points for? Your flight to Paris?
Since you’re running into this trouble with booking, I’d sit on it and choose a different destination for the virgin flights in the future. One that perhaps doesn’t cost you much extra?
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I just want you to do what you really want and need. I know that isn’t a helpful answer.
I do know that grief will do weird things to your brain. I had a great relationship with my mom and while my relationship with my dad was complicated, it was not nearly at the level that you had (based on what you have shared). Since they passed (15 years ago) my brain has done/latched onto things that never would have been an issue to me before. An example, before I was really good at remembering when things needed to be done etc. without writing them down. After, particularly for about 5 years, I was terrible at remembering things, it’s better now but still not what it was. All of this is to say that your eBay issue (have not read daily thread) may be related to your grief so be kind to yourself about that. I don’t claim to know more than what happened to me and I don’t know if the type of relationship with parents plays a role which is why I included that, but I wanted you to be aware of the possibility that this could be a thing. Sorry for the run on sentence, my headspace hasn’t been the best recently 
. I just really admire and respect you, not many mathematics educators on here 
, and hope this might help you navigate this challenging time.
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sons of bitches
Your plan looks pretty perfect. Touring at night in summer is sheer genius
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Booked
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Fun!
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This was clearly something I wanted to do. I did say in the past I have unfinished business in Orlando. I’m feeling really good about my decision.
I’ve booked the trip as detailed above. Thanks to @juliamc for making all the reservations for me. She’s a TA. Highly recommended.
This will be a very different trip to those I’ve taken in the last 18 months. For a start, it really will be a solo trip: @juliamc will not be there. (Well, she might slightly overlap by a day or so. We’ll see.) With the exception of Tron, I’ve ridden every ride I want to at both WDW and UOR many times, so there’s no pressure on getting rides done: that’s not what this trip will mostly be about.
With the HS and EP After Hours, I will have six hours in those parks, three exclusively, which should enable me to do everything I want to do. My memory of After Hours events from Before COVID is that they are genuinely very uncrowded — also Mickey Bars so, you know. EP After Hours includes Guardians (woot!) and Epcot Forever (woot?).
During the day before those After Hours events, I’ll tour the hotels and Disney Springs. There are lots of (cheap) places at DS I’ve always wanted to try but never have. I can do Gideon’s. My budget might even stretch to the Aerophile. Maybe I’ll go to the movies. As for the hotels, I can chill in the GF lobby, take some boat rides, ride the Skyliner (woot!) and the monorail. And take all the photos.
I’ll have a full park day at MK and I will obviously be hoping to get a BG or ILL for Tron. I need to read up on this. Other than that, I’m really not bothered. I don’t imagine I will bother with G+, though it might be fun grabbing whatever’s next up if it’s not crazy expensive. And I’ll get to see HEA 
And then a full park day at AK, followed by an evening at TL, which I’ve never been to.
I’ll have one full day at UOR and one almost full day — my flight leaves at 8.30pm, so I’ll have eight hours on the second day.
Honestly, I’m feeling really good about this. I get my last hurrah as a Virgin Gold member — and I still keep my points to spend on free European flights. And I get even more value from my UOR AP.
I’m not planning on making any TS reservations. Part of the fun will be finding cheap places to eat. There may be merch.
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Awesome! I’m happy you found your answer.
You will have a lot of good QS choices. We used to do more ADR but I hated being tied to a time. I’ve had many good meals at WDW, but I’m happier with the flexibility of fewer plans.
I have a long list of things at WDW I’ve never made time for because I haven’t been to DS in years. Whether my next trip is solo or with DD19, I have a punch list of places to try.
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