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We stayed for a night at hotel l'elysse just down the way! You can see the room tour here: czcams.com/video/6lMIIMZR90U/video.html

Nothing that I saw! Not from D23 at least. I know the company was hiring for Encanto roles and so everyone is kind of under the assumption that an Encanto show is coming. I don't think anything has been officially announced though (apologies if I'm wrong here, I'm not much of a Disneyland person lol)

@@PixieDustPhD ok, thanks, just wanted to make sure I didn’t miss any announcement. If its being cast and planned not sure why they wouldn’t also want to include…

I have no authority on the topic whatsoever but the Muppets area just looks a tad small to me? To build out an entire door coaster? Again, what do I know, and maybe wishful thinking... plus my biased opinion is very much Launch Bay is kind of just sitting there doing almost nothing sooooo The Villains thing is wild lol I feel like, similar to the Door Coaster actually, people have been asking for it for idk 20+ years and rumors have been going on for at least 7-11 years. Its finally happening! ahhh!!!

@@PixieDustPhD yes I hope you’re right! I know right, so exciting about villains and I have just been watching the video info for dark universe and the new Harry Potter area at epic universe and it just looks insane, I cannot wait!!!

Yeah lol that Frontierland news doesn't seem to be going over too well. I really enjoy the Rivers of America, but I get it. I hope the Cars area has some water features to keep the vibes at least. And for sure, anything they do will get an inordinate amount of backlash and support seemingly no matter what these days!

Oh we could look at pretty dang last minute but my gut absolutely says then you're paying cash for a hotel hahah. But it would be neat to look! I'll pass it along to Adam but ya know it was very not easy to get him to do the one even, so no promises. Yessss I'm personally very stoked for Monsters Inc. I think I'll like Villains too but right now it's so vague, so we'll have to wait and see. Thanks as always, Tara :)

Yeah lol they were definitely vague about the location and dang has that stirred up a lot of fears!

Ah wow, thanks this was like genuinely such a kind thing to leave to a relative stranger on the internet. really appreciate it!!

You're welcome! ❤

Cheers, thank you!

<333

Ah we bought 150 points at VDH, so we are direct/qualifying members now. That being said, the couple times I've visited TotWL since then literally no one was checking anything. Not at the elevator downstairs, not at the host stand at the lounge. Sooooo yeah. That's definitely not per the policy, but maybe if it's a slow night they won't care? I wouldn't go out of my way if I were you to try, but if you're in the area anyway you might get lucky.

@@PixieDustPhD oh wow, I didn’t realise you were full members now - or totally forgot lol. So do you still have the BLT one as well? I would try and get into the lounge - but I think I’d be mortified if they did check lol.

That's a good question that DVC does not officially address so just caveats to what I'm saying -- In principle, the short answer is maybe IF the OTUP happened to be assigned to Rivera? But even if yes, in reality, this would probably not work out. Thought process: OTUP are assigned a home resort somehow (idk if this is random or what they do to determine the home resort) when you buy them. I bought OTUP when I was still resale restricted, and they were assigned VGC. I could see VGC when browsing availability (though, obviously that's not resale restricted), but I still could not see Riviera. So if you happened to get OTUP with a Riviera home resort, used those to book say Saratoga or something, canceled that, then yeah in principle they could maybe be available for Riviera. I'm not sure if they are tagged somehow to prevent that, or if they just wouldn't ever assign Riviera OTUP to a white card holder account. But regardless, if your OTUP were assigned any other home resort, I don't think you would be able to see Riviera availability / this would not work if my guess. Note: my example is from 2021, so its also entirely possible they have updated processes since that. That being said, even if you happened to luck into Riviera home resort OTUP, the chances of the tower studio being available at 7 months are slim to none (assuming the OTUP are not tagged somehow to prevent you from booking). So all in all, a hard maybe if you get lucky, but absolutely not something I would bank on.

Yeah some of those treat lines get so long! And like really... for that level of prepackaged treat? No thanks, not for me haha. though obviously if you took children to MNSSHP I can fully understand the need to trick or treat. But yeah, for me my time is way better spent soaking up the atmosphere and doing short lines for rides for sure!

You guys wake up so early for breakfast lol I could never hahaha

I mean Ralph is absolutely not the entity to lay down the law on who counts officially as a Disney Princess or not hahaha. I can't speak for my partner, but they would not crack my top 3. They'd be mid-pack for me for sure. I really love the Frozen franchise and its characters, so easy to slot them above some other official Disney princesses. But maybe because they came out when I was older, they just don't resonate with me quite as strongly as my top picks. What about you?!

@@PixieDustPhD from worst to best Disney Princess film Frozen would be number 9. Hope you don’t mind but Brave is my least favourite Disney Princess film at 13 spot. Number one spot for me is Beauty and the beast love that film it’s my favourite Disney Princess film.

Cheers, thank you so much!

Oh interesting! Thanks so much for sharing your perspective. Lower capacity definitely seems like a huge bonus, but yeah it must be a confluence of the factors you've mentioned driving the wild ticket sales! It's just hard for me to fathom hahah

I think I go infrequently enough to where I kind of am the sucker target audience for these things. Short ride lines is big (especially guaranteeing Tron at night was awesome), I love characters as you know so there's always a couple that pull at my heart strings, and I generally enjoy the amped up ambience / special entertainment offerings. But yeah it's absolutely overpriced and I would not do it year after year for sure. Even just doing this MNSSHP in 2023 after doing the Boo Bash after party in 2021 was a bit like... yep I'm set for a while now haha. Unless they make some major changes! Then I'd definitely check it out again.

Omg yeah weather for Disneyland in general just seems way more pleasant, well at least for me--a person who hates being overly hot hahaha. re: No news about IT, thanks for sharing! Unsurprising but ugh, I am impatient lol!

ooooh that's a good lineup of ADRs! Really glad you were able to string those together!!

@@PixieDustPhD Update-I swapped out Flying Fish for Topolino’s Terrace. There were lots of slots. I’ve never been able to get into Topolino’s. I’m so excited! Two weeks to go! Summer is going fast!

Wow! You are such a WDW pro, to be honest I'm shocked to uncover anything you havent done hahah. Glad I can give you a sneak peek!

Ooohhh I mean I did actually way prefer Frontierland. It was so much darker than Main St, and also idk it feels like you have to wait less long. I have no clue if that's true. But like. its not the most popular spot, so felt easy to get a spot on the rope. And then its the start of the route, so parade comes by, its done, you are free to go. Don't really have to wait for it to come to you. So yes Frontierland for darkness and perceived efficiency!

If you want to private message me over on instagram, twitter, or send me an email I will! I just feel weird about putting peoples full names out in the open like this :)

Ah wouldnt that be nice. I doubt it will happen though. If they're sticking with a G+ model, I'm not holding my breath for any discounts lol

Hahah truly, though not gonna lie the 3:30 am ones around this time of year I could do without!

BLT contracts are a good buy on resale, too

Ahhh hiya neighbor, and I'm glad you loved it! And hooray for the add on!!! So exciting :)

Short answer: yes, that's correct. Explanation: September Use Year 2023 points run from September 2023 - August 2024 If you bank them into the next Use Year, they are then valid from September 2025 - August 2025 You can't bank points further than one Use Year, so they will fully expire starting September 1, 2025. Hope that helps!

@@PixieDustPhD Thank you. I’m watching all your videos like crazy right now.

Agh sorry for the typo above, was replying on my phone and stupid fat thumbs. the banked points are valid Sept 2024***-August 2025, but I assume you figured that out haha. If you have any questions, feel free to drop a comment wherever and I'll do my best to help ya out!

Aw cheers, thank you so much for dropping that kind comment :)

it totally does make sense. I haven't seen anything official from Disney about split stays, so refrained from commenting lol. It's weird because with ADRs you are "punished" for having a split stay, right. But I'm pretty dang certain with old FP+ you did not incur this same penalty. So to me right now it's totally 50/50 on how split stays will integrate with the advance booking window or not. Sorry I can't be more helpful!

Wow, thank you so much for these kinds words - that really means a lot to me!

Yeah that's a good point - with this being paid, I wonder if usage will drop compared to the free FP+. A very real possibility! But definitely we shall see lol. I kind of always remain grateful these days I never have a trip coming up right as changes are happening. I feel so badly for folks who have to go through the first wave of new offerings, but I hope it's smooth sailing for everyone!

@@PixieDustPhD oh 💯 yeh! We aren’t going until next October, so sure there will be tonnes on it by then thankfully. I will definitely try it out though!

Ahhh oh my gosh congrats!!! BoardWalk hold such a special place in my heart and I constantly have to fight off invasive thoughts of buying a small contract there, haha. Crossing my fingers for a speedy situation of your points hitting your account!!!

Ahhh great point! I mean, it's still pretty dang booked though hahah

Wowww, thank you so much for sharing those kind words! I honestly had such a tough day today and grinded this video out the past couple days, so its extremely validating to get feedback like this! Congrats on your Riviera contract!!! Did you like just just purchase it, or do you have your points already and are booking a trip?!

@@PixieDustPhD Thank you! I just submitted the signed closing documents and payment and now waiting. I realize that many folks frown on purchasing Riviera resale due to the restrictions but it is the resort that checked all of the boxes for us! Thanks again for your great content!

Eeee yay!! I hope things go through quickly. I mean I know every day feels agonizingly slow, but hopefully you don't hit any real delays. And yeah, if you love it that's all that matters! Another super good friend of the channel here has a Riv resale contract and he loves it. People will always be spouting their opinions about what's "right", but so much of this is subjective. I'm glad you found your DVC home!!

Um for the most part. There would be a few small differences. So until you hit the 150 points purchased directly (assuming you aren't already an eligible member), then yes you do not qualify for membership extras (so right no points exchange, no discounts at shops, no discounts for hard ticket events, etc). But, since your points would have been purchased directly I believe they should be eligible to book at otherwise restricted locations. So your 120 direct points I'm fairly certain (but not 100% - if this is super important to you, it's worth clarifying with DVC member services or similar) you could use those points to book at Riviera and Cabins at Ft Wilderness, etc. Versus if your 120 points were resale, unless they were for those home resorts, you would not be able to use those resale points to stay at anywhere Riviera or newer. I hope that helps!

​@@PixieDustPhD Thank you for your quick reply! Yes - I value purchasing direct, so I'll double check w a DVC cast member just to be sure.

Depending on what home resort you're thinking about purchasing, also ask about any incentives or Magical Beginnings (this is a promotion sometimes offered where you can effectively give up your first use years' worth of points, but Disney will buy them at some rate - often the same as the one time use points rate so $20/point right now (if that's s till accurate)). TBH the difference between 120 points and 150 points might be minimal in initial / up front cost if there's a good promotion at the 150 point level and if you are able/willing to participate in Magical Beginnings (this is not always offered, and you often have to ask). I hope this doesn't come off as pushy! I am not trying to sway you haha, but if being a "full" member with access to all the perks matters to you, 120 points is just so close to 150 and depending on pricing promotions it might not be toooo different monetarily. Just something to think about!

​@@PixieDustPhD Thanks Jacqueline and no, not pushy advice at all! It's much appreciated!! Well, I get your point and would definitely ask about those incentives - but - from what I found out today, I am *definitely* leaning towards starting at 150 points for a full, no restriction DVC membership... My sales advisor basically said owning 120 points direct would have far less restrictions than a resale owner, although even with 120 direct points, one cannot exchange their points for bookings with the Disney collection Worldwide (ie. Disney Cruiseline, Disney Hotels outside of DVC, etc) !! "That is a benefit currently offered to full direct purchase members with 150 points or more." All in all another bummer!!! So, while I also *thought* I wouldn't be restricted at 120 from booking these extras, I would! So 150 it will be! Thank you again!

Oh that's fantastic! As it should be, really glad to hear the positive stories!!

Yeah so I had the cash on hand, but given that there's no additional fee to use a credit card I saw no reason not to rack up points too. Beyond the points, I even got a free hotel night for hitting a yearly spend goal, woohoo! But yeah, no I don't ever have a balance on my credit card. I would never buy a timeshare with the intent of having credit card debt, nor would I encourage anyone to ever do that lol

Oh wow.... what an interesting question! I don't think I've ever thought about how I feel, just because it's been a policy the entire time I've known about DVC so just accepted it as fact. Ummm... I don't mind it honestly. I think the timeshare aspect is fundamentally different from a hotel in that it does cater to folks who plan ahead, and the idea is your plans are a bit more cemented (compared to the flexibility of a hotel booking). I see it as a way to dissuade people making "just in case" type bookings to then cancel relatively short term, which in my head kind of makes the landscape a little bit more fair for everyone. But I don't know, that's just my gut reaction and not a deeply formed thought. What do you think??

@@PixieDustPhD ya fairness is an issue. I'm in a pretty good situation where i can play with it quite a bit. like the trick where people can slide their start date after booking as long as the points are the same. things like this i am very interested in.

Yeah, "walking" a reservation. I don't have particularly strong feelings about that but a lot of people in the community do haha. TBH I have found if you're able to plan 11 months in advance, with very rare exception (peak holiday time looking at low inventory rooms), walking really is not necessary. But everyone has their own experiences, for sure!