Patricia & Family - February 2008

Cast: Myself - Disney crazy (celebrating 44th b-day –though a week late); DH – Jay, not so Disney crazy (but coming along) (43); DS–Dan, too cool for Disney "wink-wink" (15); DD –Tiffany, only here for the fast rides (11); DS – Joe, a Disney convert (7); DS – Andy, another convert (4) (started early with the little ones)

When: Feb 11 – 13, 2008

Where stayed: All-Star Music Resort!

Backstory: Due to a strange, unexplained illness that I contracted (too long to explain all details), we found we had to move to Florida. (It is the only state I don't cough in on the east coast.) We got our house in Pennsylvania ready to sell & put it on the market. As the weather began to turn & we knew I would not make it through winter, Jay & I made a drastic decision. The end of Oct Jay packed up the kids & me & moved us down to Florida. Since we still had a house to sell, (and needed his steady income) he had to return to PA.

Now, last Feb I came down to get out of the cold for a week & since we were planning to take the kids to Disney in Sept, we got me an AP. When we decided to move I said I was going for my birthday, since the Sept trip was scrapped & I had the pass & had always wanted to go on my birthday. In Dec, Joe was having a bit of sadness missing his dad. (He is a "mini-me" of his father & took it the hardest.) So, Jay & I talked & decided we would surprise the kids.

Then began the fun part. We both sat in front of our computers & on our cell phones & began planning the trip. I had seen the AP room discounts & called to book rooms. I couldn't get rooms on my birthday –Pop Warner was there. So we tried again for another date as close as possible. We got 2 rooms at ASMu for 2 nights for the great rate of $49 a night per room. I called Jay (he had been looking for flights at the same time). He booked a flight to get in the day we arrived. We decided to have him use ME to get from the airport, so it could remain a surprise. It was all booked – I just had to call & set up the ME pick-up for him.

When I called, they took his flight info & gave me a different number to call to have the packet sent to him. I was told to wait a couple of days for it to get into the system. Of course I hid the number so the kids didn't see it, & lost it. I called back in a few days & they said they can only send the info to the primary person on the reservation – me. This would completely spoil it because the envelope is VERY obvious. I asked if there was any way possible they could change it & they gave me a number for guest relations & said I could try, but there probably wasn't anything they could do.

I was transferred & explained the situation to the wonderful CM & asked if there was anything she could do. She laughed & said she was going to break the rules. She took his address & made a note that they could not spoil the surprise & had the packet sent to PA. I was so grateful. I though if nothing else happened we just were awarded a "Dream Come True". We were all set & started to count down the days. The kids knew we were going for my birthday (a week late), so they weren't suspicious about how excited I was. They had no idea, though of the surprise awaiting them when we arrived.

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