Roll Out Those Lazy, Hazy, Crazy Days of Summer: an August Trip Report (Complete!)

[Mrs Doubtfire]

What can I say, "Merry (early) Christmas

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Congratulations Gina ! Fabulous Christmas gifts ! That's the ongoing joke around here when someone asks my husband what he got me for Christmas, he always tells them a trip to Florida (he hates shopping). So now people know the answer they're going to get when they ask.
Hope you have fun planning you're next trip. Just think: you don't have to wonder where you're going to stay.

Love the trip report! Steak and Shake has now been added to our list for November.

Congrats on the timeshare purchase!!

What can I say, "Merry (early) Christmas

Thanks all!

 

[BearcatsFan]

Hey Gina! I finally made it over here! 15 pages?!? Holy moly I've got some reading to do!

 

[dancin Disney style]

Thank you, dancin!!!

You have to PROMISE me that if you decide to go next summer in late August, we will meet up at some point...even if its just for an afternoon poolside. Or you can join Lynne & I for that Ghirardelli sundae .

And now, my latest update on our timeshare purchase......



...as of this afternoon, it has become "purchases".

Yes, we have bought a second Vistana week!

We secured the second week under the same fabulous deal through the same real estate agent from the same sellers. Our first week was deeded week 30 with a week 5-35, 40-47 and 50-52 float. This second week is the same except its week 29 w/the float. No closing costs in either case. The total out of pocket cost for BOTH units together was $198 ($99 each....the fee, I assume, was for the RE broker). We knew the two units were both for sale when we went for the first one, and DH had been at me from the start to get both. Today, I caved . We are hoping to do our very first two week trip this summer (which has always been a dream of ours!!) but if that doesn't work, we know we will be able to rent the second with no problems.

We have decided these two units will be our Christmas gifts this year. One for me from him, and one for him from me . I can think of no better present. Even if we will be waiting until August to enjoy it .

Ok....I promise. Raising my right hand as I promise. It's very difficult to type with only one hand you know.

A.... second week????? Way to go!!!! You will absolutely love the added time. I would actually rather not vacation that to go for any less than 12-13 days.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Ok....I promise. Raising my right hand as I promise. It's very difficult to type with only one hand you know.

A.... second week????? Way to go!!!! You will absolutely love the added time. I would actually rather not vacation that to go for any less than 12-13 days.

That's awesome! I'm going to hold you to it .

We're still up in the air as to whether we'll have two one-week vacations or one two-week vacations.....getting two weeks off in one chunk may be hard for the fellows. In that case, we'll plan two trips rather than one (probably a summer week and around Christmas, assuming there's availability). But a two-weeker is sooooo appealing. So I have my fingers crossed for that .

 

[pigletto]

That's awesome! I'm going to hold you to it .

We're still up in the air as to whether we'll have two one-week vacations or one two-week vacations.....getting two weeks off in one chunk may be hard for the fellows. In that case, we'll plan two trips rather than one (probably a summer week and around Christmas, assuming there's availability). But a two-weeker is sooooo appealing. So I have my fingers crossed for that .

I think I would be all for the two one week vacations. We've gone on one summer trip and one winter trip the last few years and it's wonderful having something to look forward to every 6 months. Plus I think at 2 weeks I'd be ready to come home, where one week leaves me wanting more and excited to come back.
We've actually found 10 days to be just about perfect for us.

 

[dancin Disney style]

I think I would be all for the two one week vacations. We've gone on one summer trip and one winter trip the last few years and it's wonderful having something to look forward to every 6 months. Plus I think at 2 weeks I'd be ready to come home, where one week leaves me wanting more and excited to come back.
We've actually found 10 days to be just about perfect for us.

even after 2 weeks I'm not ready to come home. I'm trying to figure out how to convince DH that I should go ahead of him for a week and then he will join us for the 2nd and 3rd week. He can't a take 3 weeks....but I can.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

I think I would be all for the two one week vacations. We've gone on one summer trip and one winter trip the last few years and it's wonderful having something to look forward to every 6 months. Plus I think at 2 weeks I'd be ready to come home, where one week leaves me wanting more and excited to come back.
We've actually found 10 days to be just about perfect for us.

even after 2 weeks I'm not ready to come home. I'm trying to figure out how to convince DH that I should go ahead of him for a week and then he will join us for the 2nd and 3rd week. He can't a take 3 weeks....but I can.

lol, I am easy to please . I could happily go either way. Two one weeks, one two week......both are dang appealing.

And might I say....I am SUPER jealous that you two will be spending the Christmas season in Orlando this year while I am suffering through the holidays with my extended family in the cold and the snow. You are two lucky ladies!!!!

 

[sk8jdgca]

Hello I just got gator golf on living social. But the trip advisor reviews are bad . What are your thoughts?

 

[dancin Disney style]

lol, I am easy to please . I could happily go either way. Two one weeks, one two week......both are dang appealing.

And might I say....I am SUPER jealous that you two will be spending the Christmas season in Orlando this year while I am suffering through the holidays with my extended family in the cold and the snow. You are two lucky ladies!!!!

Sad to say that we are no longer able to go at Christmas. I just can't bear to take down the ticker....it has always been my favourite one.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Sad to say that we are no longer able to go at Christmas. I just can't bear to take down the ticker....it has always been my favourite one.

Noooooooo............say it isn't so!!!!!!

I am so sorry to hear of your change of plans. When did things change?

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Hello I just got gator golf on living social. But the trip advisor reviews are bad . What are your thoughts?

We enjoyed it there. It lacks the finesse of some of the other golf courses (its much more "rustic" and quite a bit smaller than Congo River, Pirates Cove, etc.) but we had a good time nonetheless. The staff were friendly and there were tons of gators there, both around the golf course and out front by the entrance off I-Drive (where you can buy a baggie of cut up hot dogs and feed them). You can also hold one and get your picture taken for a small fee.

Here are some pics:









One word of caution....if you lose your ball in the water, don't go after it!!!



Here's the gator feeding:





They also offer some shows throughout the day, if you time your visit right.

Oh yeah, and there are definitely lots of good gator photo ops .



OMG....Jake looks so YOUNG!

 

[dancin Disney style]

Noooooooo............say it isn't so!!!!!!

I am so sorry to hear of your change of plans. When did things change?

In late June my business partner told me that she was going to cut back at work (semi retire) and that she would be going away for the winter starting in November. With Christmas being very busy for us there isn't much hope of taking days off then. I'm already in a bind to find someone to replace her.

So this info was the basis for taking the August trip. If we didn't go then we would be able to go until next summer. My partner will be back to work, assuming she doesn't like all the time off, in April and that's when my DD's competition season starts. We are then tied up until mid June.

 

[Sparkly]

I really enjoyed this trip report! It seemed like you guys got a lot done whilst still relaxing.

I really love the look of the Sheraton Vistana Resort. We drove past the villages every day on our way to Disney from our condo. The resort looks so pretty. I think it might fit the bill for our second week in March 2015. What's the best way to book it and how much approximately was it?

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

I really enjoyed this trip report! It seemed like you guys got a lot done whilst still relaxing.

I really love the look of the Sheraton Vistana Resort. We drove past the villages every day on our way to Disney from our condo. The resort looks so pretty. I think it might fit the bill for our second week in March 2015. What's the best way to book it and how much approximately was it?

Just so you are aware, the Sheraton Vistana Resort and the Sheraton Vistana Villages are two different properties (the names are so close, sometimes people think they are the same resort). The Resort is closer to the Disney parks and the Villages is closer to the SeaWorld parks, but really they are not very far apart from each other (maybe a couple of miles). The Resort, where we stayed, is very close to Downtown Disney.

We paid $120 per night, taxes included, for our two bed, two bath villa which was a steal IMHO. Our accommodations were booked as a package along with our flight through JetBlue Getaways, and the rate included daily housekeeping. You can also rent:

- direct from Sheraton http://www.starwoodhotels.com/sheraton/property/overview/index.html?propertyID=5608

- through a third party like Expedia

- directly from an owner via a site like Ebay http://www.ebay.com/sch/sis.html?_kw=SHERATON+VISTANA+RESORT+2BR+DISNEY+VACATION+TIMESHARE

- direct from an owner via the Timeshare Users Group, or TUG as it is better known http://tug2.com/rnr/TabResortClassi...sortGUID=943c564c-e9f4-4acd-9880-3894626cf481 ).

I believe that the sponsor of this board, Dreams Unlimited, also offers a discount at the Vistana, which you can access by clicking here: http://www.dreamsunlimitedtravel.com/sheraton/vistana/svr-res.cfm .

bankr63 has a great thread running that is all about the Sheraton Vistana Resort. You might want to pop over and check it out! Here is the link to take you directly there:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3148502

Hope that helps!!! Have fun planning your trip!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

In late June my business partner told me that she was going to cut back at work (semi retire) and that she would be going away for the winter starting in November. With Christmas being very busy for us there isn't much hope of taking days off then. I'm already in a bind to find someone to replace her.

So this info was the basis for taking the August trip. If we didn't go then we would be able to go until next summer. My partner will be back to work, assuming she doesn't like all the time off, in April and that's when my DD's competition season starts. We are then tied up until mid June.

Well, that stinks .

Glad to see you have a summer ticker up to give you something to look forward to!

 

[papertraveller]

Wow! Not one week but two! Congratulations! Funny how easy it is to scratch that Orlando itch! Now with a home base you'll discover that your vacation patterns will change yet again.

We are DVC members, and also belong to the Marriott Vacation Club. We find now that we take our time and don't rush, since we always know we'll be back. We tend to eat in the villa for a couple of meals so that we can have lazy evenings. We've discovered favourite restaurants and back road routes to avoid the more congested thoroughfares.

You'll also discover that you're constantly planning -- I'm trying to figure out some weeks all the way through to 2016, if you can believe it. But we're booked for Christmas, for March break (when we're going to do a bit of hopping around to ballparks for spring training), and last week I booked for next August.

Count me in if you have that Downtown Disney meet!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Wow! Not one week but two! Congratulations! Funny how easy it is to scratch that Orlando itch! Now with a home base you'll discover that your vacation patterns will change yet again.

Count me in if you have that Downtown Disney meet!

Thanks, papertraveller!

And I will definitely let you know if we get that Dismeet scheduled. The more, the merrier!

 

[shalom]

I think taking two weeks at once is more relaxing, but of course if you want to try to do "everything", two weeks still isn't long enough. But since we like to take two vacations a year, and hubby only gets three weeks vacation time, the years we visit family for Christmas we don't visit Orlando. You're not looking at quite the same set up, but one way or another, two week trips generally mean you go less often.

Try two weeks together and see what you think, I guess. Although I think it makes a bigger difference for people doing the WDW parks. If you're taking a one-week park and doing WDW, the way the tickets are priced really push you to go-go-go the whole time; kick it up to two weeks and you can relax a bit. But if you're doing Universal or SeaWorld or other Orlando stuff, shorter trips can be a lot more flexible.

At this point you could probably plan a one week versus a two week vacation and get a good feel for the difference!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

I think taking two weeks at once is more relaxing, but of course if you want to try to do "everything", two weeks still isn't long enough. But since we like to take two vacations a year, and hubby only gets three weeks vacation time, the years we visit family for Christmas we don't visit Orlando. You're not looking at quite the same set up, but one way or another, two week trips generally mean you go less often.

Try two weeks together and see what you think, I guess. Although I think it makes a bigger difference for people doing the WDW parks. If you're taking a one-week park and doing WDW, the way the tickets are priced really push you to go-go-go the whole time; kick it up to two weeks and you can relax a bit. But if you're doing Universal or SeaWorld or other Orlando stuff, shorter trips can be a lot more flexible.

At this point you could probably plan a one week versus a two week vacation and get a good feel for the difference!

The two week vs. two one-weeks debate will be solved this year by whether or not the guys can get two weeks off at one time, or not. If yes, then we'll do a two week stint and see how we like it. If not, then we'll break it up. I am hoping they will find out soon so I can start formulating "the plan" in my mind .

We will definitely save on a two week vacation vs. two one week trips, just based on the airfare cost alone (which will be about an extra $1000 for week number 2). And we would eat in more on a two week trip than on two one-week vacations, netting another savings. Our tickets would probably end up being cheaper too....for two one week trips, we will likely purchase AP's of some sort (maybe SeaWorld platinum passes...we're not sure). For a two week trip, we'd most likely buy admission to DC which would include 14 days at SW and Aquatica (plus we have our Disney waterpark AP's to use until August 26/14).

If the two week trip doesn't pan out for 2014, we should have no problem scheduling it in for 2015, God willing. Jake will be in college by then and won't have such a long academic year as he does in high school. Have I mentioned lately how much I am looking forward to our increased flexibility????

Jetblue just opened up their flight schedule yesterday to the middle of June. I am hoping it won't be too long before they release the next block of dates....history says it should be mid December. I just want to get that first block of dates narrowed down for next August. What can I say? I'm not much of a patient soul.