Christmas all year long!

[momabaarjo]

Missed the photo again...I can't wait to hear the story...Zoe does not look too thrilled at the moment? Puzzled, Confused or camera snapped at the wrong time.

 

[lfwhipp]

Sorry ive not been around lately, it has been CRAZY with the kids out of school, starting summer camp, work, and all the other stuff that goes with being a mommy. But i did catch up.

I love the photo game, i hope to catch the photo tomorrow.

that pic of Kira and josh is awesome and the ones on fb are fabulous!!!

 

[annmarieda]

Just curious.. how many of you fly Southwest? I am seriously considering booking the flight to mco. I can get it at only $99. This is WAY lower than what I could get at Alaska. I would be flying alone with Zoe.. and there would be a stop (another benefit to flying with Alaska is that it is a direct flight..and thus no stops) I really prefer flying direct... but the fact I could check all our bags for free saves us $100 on that leg. The fact the fare is so much lower makes it tempting too. I just wonder what they are like to fly with.

 

[swwake]

I fly Southwest and I love it. I had to fly United a few weeks ago and HATED the experience. What questions do you have? I'm happy to answer them. I can give you tips to make the experience easier and less stressful too.

 

[KatMark]

We've never flown Southwest. We flew Air Tran last September which has now been purchased by Southwest. We are, however, going back to United (or American) which I am much happier with. I don't like Midway Airport (the smaller airport in Chicago) and although O'Hare is a busier airport, the planes are bigger and I'm much more comfortable on them. And since I hate to fly, I hate not getting a direct flight.

 

[annmarieda]

How are you doing?

Doing well... a bit stressed about the coming week. a bit stressed about airfare.. but mostly all is well.

I see you have a game looks like fun, hopefully I can try to play too.

I hope it is fun for everyone. I hope you can play too.

The wdding picture is awesome, I have one of my daught and son in law kissing under her veil.

I think that is an awesome pose for a pic. One of my favorites so far!

How are you trip plans coming ? Any luck on airfares.yet? We are driving.

As I mention above..it has me a bit stressed. Also, I looked at the list of park hours that is circulating. It is quite a bit different than the touring plans predicted hours. I wonder which one is right?

I be thinking of you on the 8th.

Thank you. I anticipate spending my entire day on dis. I will be the only one at the hospital that day. (no one else can be there. ), so I will need to have a distraction. (ha ha.. I think I have seen Tina put it as "dis" traction. )

Thanks for support on not giving park hoppers it was a big help, and i think it will work great for us too.
grace

I am glad I was of help. I tend to maybe share more than what is needed at times.

Yes, Ann, the store is the last one on the left as you are walking towards the "hat" so it is not by American Idol.

ahhh ok. I think DHS is the park we travel to the least so I am not as familiar with it.

Thank you, Ann!
Again I am too late for the quiz and I even had the day off, but Tom and I had to discuss FE gifts and dining on the DREAM.

Love the photo!!!

That is ok to miss the quiz. Your big trip (and I say big cause WOW 28 nights is big) is probably going to take some planning time.

Missed the photo again...I can't wait to hear the story...Zoe does not look too thrilled at the moment? Puzzled, Confused or camera snapped at the wrong time.

You guess that. She was frustrated. I will share more when I tell the story... but you were right.

Sorry ive not been around lately, it has been CRAZY with the kids out of school, starting summer camp, work, and all the other stuff that goes with being a mommy. But i did catch up.

I love the photo game, i hope to catch the photo tomorrow.

that pic of Kira and josh is awesome and the ones on fb are fabulous!!!

I understand the time being crazy and not having dis time... believe me!

Hopefully you can play the game tomorrow. I have to find a good pic... I think I might have one.

And thank you for the compliments on the wedding photos

I fly Southwest and I love it. I had to fly United a few weeks ago and HATED the experience. What questions do you have? I'm happy to answer them. I can give you tips to make the experience easier and less stressful too.

Is it a hassle when you have a stop? Do you keep your boarding pass priority from the first leg? Is it worth it to pay the extra $10 to have priority boarding or is is just as good to check in at the 24 hour mark?

You said I could ask questions.

We've never flown Southwest. We flew Air Tran last September which has now been purchased by Southwest. We are, however, going back to United (or American) which I am much happier with. I don't like Midway Airport (the smaller airport in Chicago) and although O'Hare is a busier airport, the planes are bigger and I'm much more comfortable on them. And since I hate to fly, I hate not getting a direct flight.

Yeah... I really prefer direct flights too. I just wish that Alaska (the only direct from Seattle to Orlando) was not as high as it is. I don't know that it will come down either. Much of the flights down are almost completely booked. (leaving 10 to 20 seats) The dates I want to fly are up to about $300 for that leg. (and I am sure that soon it will hit the $550 that all the other dates are at) So, at $100...and the lack of bag fees... it is SO tempting. It would still fly out of the larger airport... but I am not certain about the planes and their size.

 

[annmarieda]

This was also on our Feb/March 2010 trip. We had stopped because I wanted to watch the parade. I love them... all of them. I know I am strange cause not everyone (including my family) want to take the time to watch. Zoe was tired which made her a tad fussy, which made the guys want to leave or at least move on. Of course between me wanting to see the parade and Zoe wanting to "play" with the hula hoops, the girls won out. Course, not for long. Zoe was VERY upset that she could not get the hoops to work the way she wanted to. I know she is a lot like me and when I try something...what ever it is... I better do it well. (and usually I do) Maturity has made it so that I can (usually) get past when I do fail. However, Zoe has not has enough experiences to help her to grow in this department. My normally easy going - happy child was quite on edge over it. I tried to help her negotiate the hoop. It wasn't going to happen. To make matters worse, the kids were suppose to be taking turns using them. So when it was time for her to give up.. and hand it to someone else... that was it for her. She was angry and insisted that she master it. Trying to explain to a tired, overheated 5 year old that she will have to practice another time was not an easy task. So the guys won out and we were forced to move on. (distractions still work at age 5) Soon she was fine and happy again. We just had to avoid hula hoops the rest of the trip.

 

[tinacaplan]

Just curious.. how many of you fly Southwest? I am seriously considering booking the flight to mco. I can get it at only $99. This is WAY lower than what I could get at Alaska. I would be flying alone with Zoe.. and there would be a stop (another benefit to flying with Alaska is that it is a direct flight..and thus no stops) I really prefer flying direct... but the fact I could check all our bags for free saves us $100 on that leg. The fact the fare is so much lower makes it tempting too. I just wonder what they are like to fly with.

We flew Southwest last trip and will be doing it again this time. Plain and simple: they had the best deal, by far. Granted, we're on the east coast, so its a pretty short flight and not hard to get direct. I've flown SW several times and I've never had an issue. The $99 fare sounds awesome!

And that is an adorable picture of you and Zoe, too!

 

[annmarieda]

We flew Southwest last trip and will be doing it again this time. Plain and simple: they had the best deal, by far. Granted, we're on the east coast, so its a pretty short flight and not hard to get direct. I've flown SW several times and I've never had an issue. The $99 fare sounds awesome!

And that is an adorable picture of you and Zoe, too!

Thank you.

As for the flight... do you think booking the one way only is a good idea? I would have to then wait on booking the return until I saw a fare I like. I am just not sure I will see a fare that low on the way down anywhere else. I might...but who knows....

 

[ladytink75]

annmarieda.. Sorry I have been off of here for a month or so I have been busy planning two trips this year as you know... my family and I only fly SW and we have never had a bad experience with them.. When we go in August we will fly Continental thats only because my sister bought the airline tickets... As for our trip in Dec we made the decision to drive.. I can't afford to pay $2800 for the six of us.. I would rather do the 30 hour drive... I hope you can find a good price for airfare these prices are scary and I don't see them dropping any time soon

 

[annmarieda]

annmarieda.. Sorry I have been off of here for a month or so I have been busy planning two trips this year as you know... my family and I only fly SW and we have never had a bad experience with them.. When we go in August we will fly Continental thats only because my sister bought the airline tickets... As for our trip in Dec we made the decision to drive.. I can't afford to pay $2800 for the six of us.. I would rather do the 30 hour drive... I hope you can find a good price for airfare these prices are scary and I don't see them dropping any time soon

Thank you for the feedback. I am really starting to lean towards flying us on SW.. at least Zoe and I. So SW has no change fees... what exactly does that mean? What happens if we cancel? Can I change the ticket holder? Change dates? What happens if the airfare drops?

You are right about fares being scary. I have flown Alaska almost exclusively. I carry their visa just so I can use the miles and the companion fare. I am a fair bit irritated that if I use the companion fare right now, I will be paying more for two people than if I would if I just booked two fares with another airline.

What I did realize though is that I will be able to book on Continental for the guys. I will probably be short in points with that airline, but I realized I could buy the needed ones for lower than the cost of one round trip ticket on any airline. The problem with that though is that I will have to cut our vacation short since the reward flight I want is offered on 12/25 or 12/24... not 12/26. Since we don't want to spend our day flying on Christmas... we will most likely fly back on 12/24. (IF we go this route)

So...what it would look like is about $280 on Continental for 2 rt. about $240 for the other two of us one way... and then I would have to hope and pray that return flight for Zoe an I was not outrageous. This is tempting me... even though I would loose two nights ts meals. Days in the park would be minimally cut. Oh.. and by flying SW... Zoe and I could take the boys luggage, right? 2 bags pp free?? That would save $100 each way...and even if we flew a different airline...that is still the $100 for the way down...

Tempting... tempting...

 

[lfwhipp]

Thank you for the feedback. I am really starting to lean towards flying us on SW.. at least Zoe and I. So SW has no change fees... what exactly does that mean? What happens if we cancel? Can I change the ticket holder? Change dates? What happens if the airfare drops?

I am not sure about changing the passenger, but they allow you to change the flight without a fee and if your flight is lower in price than originally stated, you can get a credit towards a future flight in the form of a voucher. we always fly SW when we fly to disney, of course, with 7 of us and only a 10+ hour drive we usually drive to save the moeny.

So...what it would look like is about $280 on Continental for 2 rt. about $240 for the other two of us one way... and then I would have to hope and pray that return flight for Zoe an I was not outrageous. This is tempting me... even though I would loose two nights ts meals. Days in the park would be minimally cut. Oh.. and by flying SW... Zoe and I could take the boys luggage, right? 2 bags pp free?? That would save $100 each way...and even if we flew a different airline...that is still the $100 for the way down...

yep, i LOVE that you get 2 bags pp

 

[momabaarjo]

I love SW...but of course that is basically the best option (cheapest) for me and usually the most direct for where I need to go (Denver or Dallas).

You do not need to purchase the $10 boarding fee...just be online 24 hours before your flight (or as close to it after 24 hours) and print those boarding passes...they will print out for each leg of your flight if you are changing planes somewhere. As long as you get in boarding group A or the mid B group number you will have no problem getting seats together mid to back of the plane...or you maybe able to take advantage of the family boarding which I think happens right after the prepaid early boarders or right before the B group. Just speak to the gate attendant and with Zoe's medicial conditions and needs...not that you want to play the card but you may in case you need to be near a bathroom.

If the flight goes down, you can rebook it at the lower cost and get the difference between the flights as credit towards another flight. I am not sure about transferring tickets...never have done that.

Are you a SW rapid rewards member? If not, go in and sign up and get a few more points that could help you save a few more dollars.

Other than then the 9/11 and the normal airport fares (that all airlines charge) you pay nothing more with SW...and 2 bags are free per person checked...which is so nice because 1 bag on any other airline would cost me atleast $60 roundtrip.

The only think yucky to me about SW is stops...but then again I can't fly out of my airport without atleast 1 stop in Dallas. What are the stops the flight you are looking thinking about? Are they plane changes or just stops? What is the flight time compared to the other airlines? Is the departing and arrival time better on SW and fits in your schedule?

SW is a great airline...like I said I love it! They have always been awesome and fair, and easy to work with.

 

[annmarieda]

One for today...

 

[KatMark]

One for today...

Zoe and Alex resting outside the restroom near Space Mountain in Tomorrowland at the Magic Kingdom.

 

[annmarieda]

Kathy, you get the point for subjects. Not in Mk though...

 

[KatMark]

Epcot near the restrooms by Spaceship Earth in Epcot? Am I allowed go guess again?

 

[annmarieda]

You can guess as many times as you like... but you don't need to cause... you get all the points. This was in fact in Epcot near the restrooms near Spaceship Earth.

 

[dizneeat]

Too late again! I am going to blame it on the time difference!
But at least I wouldn't have been able to guess WHERE this one was taken anyway. Kathy I take my hat off to you!

But I can tell you - I LOVE this game! Those photos are so cute and all really get to know your family well!

 

[annmarieda]

I am breathing quite a sigh of relief. Guess what I did????

Does that give you a clue?

What about this???

sooo I will post details in a bit, but I have been on the computer and phone all morning.