Grand Gatherings No More

Walt Disney World will cease to offer "Grand Gathering" experiences beginning January 28, 2012. These unique dining and entertainment events designed especially for parties of 8 or more include the Good Morning Gathering, Safari Celebration Dinner, International Dinner, and the IllumiNations Dessert Party.

Anybody out there ever done a "Grand Gathering" event? Will you miss these experiences?

New Phineas & Ferb Movie Premieres Tonight

My girls have been anticipating this night for weeks! (Yes, thank you, Disney Channel, for promoting new shows MONTHS in advance so that my kids can ask me every day, "When is ___________ coming on?") Now, the time has finally come for the premiere of Phineas & Ferb: Across the 2nd Dimension, the original Disney Channel movie. It airs tonight at 8 p.m. Eastern/7 p.m. Central (obviously, on the Disney Channel). We'll be watching with our popcorn on our laps, I'm sure.

But don't worry if you have big Friday night plans--Disney has a history of airing these things until you're quite sick of them! (Did I say that?) Seriously, there should be several other opportunities to catch the boys in action. Happy weekend, everyone!

Friday Photo

It's coming down. Well, actually, most of it is already down. Disney is in the process of turning this former Skyway Station (and most recently a stroller parking area) into new bathrooms for Fantasyland. These will replace the rather small bathrooms near Peter Pan, and the walkway will be extended there as well. While to tower to the right still remains, the structure you see in the back of this photo is now gone. This is what the Skyway Station looked like in October of 2010.

Thursday's Tip

We've never been big on budgets around our house--at least not in the formal sense. We do track our spending and keep a tight rein on what's coming in and going out financially. We don't have any debt except for the mortgage on our home, and we intend to keep it that way. And so, when vacation time rolls around, we typically pay for it as it comes.

But this year, we decided to do something a little different. For one thing, we were presented with the possibility that there might be more than one Disney vacation in our near future--nothing definite, but a possibility. So we started thinking about where we might get the extra money. Unwilling to delve into our savings, we decided to begin a designated Disney fund. To make it more fun, I decorated a glass vase for our savings. Here's what it looks like:





What is going into our fund? For starters, loose change. You can see that we've already rolled a LOT of coins, all found loose in the bottom of my husband's nightstand. (He hasn't been saving them, per se; he just hates carrying around coins.) We also add any gift cards we receive--American Express, gas cards, or Disney gift cards. Just before our trip, I'll also gather up any unused restaurant gift cards that I've earned through survey companies, and we'll use those to help pay for food as we travel. And although these don't fit into our vase, we are also accruing dollars from our Disney Rewards Visa, and those will be added to the final fund. (We typically use the Disney Rewards gift card to pay for our food inside the Parks--less keeping up with cash and/or credit card receipts.)

We have about 6 weeks left to save. I know we won't save the full cost of the trip by then, but even if we only have to pay half of it from our bank account (we've already paid for tickets and a portion of our resort stay), that will be great! (And that will put us that much closer to saving for our next trip--whenever it will be.) I'm hoping to share with my readers our full cost for this trip, along with the money we saved. Remember, this is my 40th birthday trip, so we're splurging a little. This won't be my signature "Disney on the Cheap" trip, but I think you'll still see how frugal I can be--even when I'm treating myself!

BTW, here's what we have in our vase so far:

• $66.65 from loose change


• $50 American Express gift card


• $55 in Disney gift cards


• $20 in gas gift cards


• approximately $176 in Disney Reward dollars

for a grand total of $367.56--not too shabby considering we just started a few weeks ago. Hoping to hit the $500 mark by our trip.

Free Dining for Select Dates Through March

As expected, Disney announced free dining today for select dates this fall. What we weren't expecting was to also have some dates through spring on the list! Here are the eligible dates:

• October 2–8, 2011


• October 23–November 5, 2011


• November 13–19, 2011


• November 27–December 3, 2011


• December 11–17, 2011


• January 8–14, 2012


• January 22–February 4, 2012


• February 12–18, 2012


• March 4–10, 2012


• March 25–31, 2012

As always, availability is limited, and you'll need to book a minimum of 3 nights in a Disney Resort (maximum of 14), as well as purchasing a minimum 2-day Park ticket. You'll get the Quick Service Dining Plan for stays at Value Resorts, and the regular Disney Dining Plan for stays at Moderate or Deluxe Resorts. You can upgrade to a better dining plan by paying the difference in cost. All packages must be booked by October 29, 2011.

Learn About DVC and Get Free Stuff

Yesterday, I was surprised when FedEx stopped by our home to deliver a letter. (I didn't remember ordering anything that small recently...what could it be?) I went from surprised to excited when I saw that the letter was from Disney...and then I remembered! It was my $25 Disney gift card from the Disney Vacation Club.



For years, I have been considering...planning...even hoping to tour one of the DVC properties while on vacation at Walt Disney World. But when it comes down to it, the lure of the Parks is too strong--I'm just not willing to give up my precious touring time to see what it's all about. But a couple of weeks ago, I got an email inviting me to learn more about the DVC from the comfort of my very own home. For my time, I would be rewarded with a $25 Disney gift card. Of course I called the number right away!

No matter how you dress it up, the DVC is a timeshare. So, honestly, I was expecting a hard sell. Not so. In fact, I probably asked a few questions that made my presentation last a bit longer than average. (I actually did want to know more about the program!) And while I wasn't keeping an eye on the clock, my best estimate is that I was on the phone with the DVC representative about 10 minutes. Really. He offered to send me more information on the actual price breakdown of everything--which I accepted--but there was absolutely no pressure to make any sort of decision or move forward in any way. This was probably the most low-key sales presentation I've ever experienced.

All that to say, while you may not have the opportunity to do a DVC presentation over the phone like I did, you might consider popping over to one of the many DVC kiosks on Disney property the next time you visit. In the past, I have been offered everything from Disney gift cards to special FastPasses to tour one of the DVC properties. Most of the time, the actual tours take a couple of hours--but the rewards tend to be greater (I was offered a $75 gift card on one occasion--sadly, our schedule was packed).

If you want to maximize your chances of being offered a phone tour of the DVC, consider requesting information about it. Also, it helps if they know you are a regular visitor to Walt Disney World. To learn more about DVC and order your informational DVD, click here.

Tink & Fairy Friends Get Permanent Home

Since Toontown closed, our poor Fairy friends have been shuffled around a bit. But it seems that has come to an end as "Tinker Bell's Magical Nook" opened in Adventureland in the Magic Kingdom. The decor and experience is nearly identical to what guests might remember from  Tink's Toontown hangout, except that the area only accommodates two fairies at a time, rather than three. Most recently, Tink has been hanging out with Vidia, but I believe we'll see all our Fairy friends in the Nook from time to time.

The entrance to this somewhat hidden character meet-n-greet is between the Adventureland bridge and Aloha Isle (home of the ever-popular Dole Whip). While I'm still lamenting the loss of what would have been an elaborate Pixie Hollow section of the new Fantasyland expansion, I must admit that the Magical Nook is a decent alternative. I love seeing Disney spread their characters out a bit more--eventually having Princesses in Fantasyland and Fairies in Adventureland will help with crowding and wait times. And maybe Adventureland is where Tink belongs, considering her true origins (and, no, I don't mean her origins in the Fairy movies...I'm talking Peter Pan).