I find that when I’m trying to convince my DH of something I have to plant the seed, then quietly wait a couple of days. Most times the idea becomes his own and then everyone is happy. 
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Thank you again for taking us along. I so enjoyed reading through your trip report each day. The lesson you taught me over these 10 days is that the magic we experience comes from within. Sure, sometimes we get pixie dust from CM, and also, being open and full of gratitude gives it that much more impact.
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Thank you!!! 
I have always kind of cocked my head at people who ask how they can get (insert magic - room upgrades, extra FPP, you name it). If you’re making it happen, is it magic?? The magic happens - if you let it. Don’t hold on too tightly to one particular outcome. Wish, sure (when you wish upon a star and all that jazz). Plan, definitely.
But then… just let it unfold.
(I’m learning to let this apply to the rest of my life, incidentally…)
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I favor this approach as well.
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Exactly!! The most “that is not pixie dust” thing I have read was someone who paid his kids to come running up to him at the front desk of the Grand Floridian and be all “Daddy? Are we really staying here in this building???” knowing full well he had paid for an outer building garden view but hoping his kids would be adorable enough for the CM to bump them into the main building at no charge.
I was so disgusted that someone would pimp their kids out like that, I did not even read on to see if his scheme worked.
I’m not above giving them honest information - yes, my room request stated that I am celebrating my 50th birthday, and yes I will wear a birthday button and ears - but I am not going to whine and complain if I get exactly what I paid for.
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Awesome!! It took me a long time to embrace that outlook, many years ago; but it sure makes life more enjoyable. 
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It’s not easy! Especially when you don’t know how to - or whether you’re meant to - get from point A to point B. So eventually you just hand it over and say, “OK universe, do your thing and let’s see where this takes me!”
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I’m probably the only one who sees Mickey in the clouds of that post. 
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You, sir, appear to be on a trip, not a journey. 
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Then why am I seeing Princess Leia!?!? 
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If I was drinking coffee, it would have been all over my keyboard with that response.
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True. Always fun to discover that point D is where you end up. 
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I’ll be here all week, or at least 'til we get to 2000 posts.
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damn, the pace has fallen. i will work on sparks to 2000
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Looks like a lot of the hangers-on have jumped trip.
Good thing we don’t have a time limit.
As long as @OBNurseNH doesn’t decide she’s had enough fun.
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So for those of us that are not that savvy on all the tips and tricks, can you give as a brief outline of anything you did before your trip that helped save $$$ or trips outside the bubble?
examples:
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- Did you use a food delivery service?
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- Did you put in any special requests for your room?
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- Were all your nights on DVC points?
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- Do you own the points or did you rent?
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- etc…
Looking for a way to extend the thread…
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I feel that we are falling down on the job of getting this thread to the 2000 it deserves (for the badge, at minimum)
So, time to start a controversy. I mean discussion…
Assignment: Is Animal Kingdom really, truly, the Best Park? Not just because our leader here claims it to be. Please reference facts, photos, comparative analysis. Field research is highly valued and counts for more than mere opinion. Data important, but qualitative (aka anecdata ) valued as well as quantitative.
And whoever posts #2000 gets the A+, regardless of the quality of your final exam 
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We did not have a food delivery service. We had a rental car and I did shopping on Tuesday morning while everyone else was sleeping. I went to the Publix at Water Tower shops in Celebration which was only about 10-15 minutes away. That store was WONDERFUL. Every single solitary employee there offered a friendly greeting and to help me to find anything if I looked the least bit lost. It was supremely clean and well stocked. I will share my grocery list in a separate post (already planned).
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I did request a room in building 46, which was about halfway to the back of the resort, and an upper level room. We landed in 5112 (building 51 almost all the way in the back) on the first floor. It was noisy on the patio because it backed right up to East Buena Vista Blvd (across the golf course, but close) and because there was a family above us who let their children run around until the wee hours of the morning (after midnight, that is). It wasn’t my ideal preference but it was within the booking that we had “paid for”.
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It was all on points; we had two years worth of points to use and so we got a nice big 2BR unit. It will be hard to go backward from that! 2 BIG bedrooms, 2 full baths, plus a jetted soaker tub in the master bath, a large living room, a comfortable dining area, and an enormous patio. Square footage-wise, this unit is larger than my house (except the basement)! We had stayed in the 2BR during our Welcome Home stay in 2018 and were very excited to do it again. We LOVE OKW and are so happy it is our home resort!
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We own the points. And now we own more since we bought a second contract while we were there!
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