ª"˜˜ª¤.¸Official Team August 2013 Thread!¸.¤ª˜˜"ª&#9733

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Last year (with the help of Gina Bo-Bina (thanks again!)) I got an AMAZING rental deal with Alamo.

Fingers crossed that we can find you another awesome deal again in 2013. Have you subcribed to the August 2013 car rental thread over on the transportation board yet?

How do people get these great car rental prices?? Everything I have priced out has been about $400 for a week!! Gross!

I try to check out all the suggestions on the transportation board. There's a thread right now for those seeking rentals for August 2013. When people find a good deal, they post it so others can benefit. Last August, we paid about $150 for a full size car for the week (including all taxes and fees and unlimited mileage). The lowest I paid for a rental was in January 2012 when a Chevy HHR was under $70 for the entire 7 days . This year, we have opted for a larger vehicle (love the space for my larger fellows) so the price is higher as a result.

 

[pigletto]

My husband has been commuting 3 hours a day for work, and works in roads/traffic and spends a large part of his day on the road. I am sure he won't be too broken up if we decide to not get a car
However, what he is studying is transportation engineering.. so lord help me as I listen to a lengthy analysis, cost rundown, and route planning lecture on every stinking ferry, bus, boat, and monorail ride

ETA) When we were trying to plan an Alaskan cruise (didn't work out) and I showed him books and photos of wildlife and the boat and scenery he completely perked up when he found out we'd be using the LRT (light rail transit) system out of the Seattle airport. I kid you not. He's a nerd. My nerd.. but a nerd nonetheless.

 

[cinnderly]

Fingers crossed that we can find you another awesome deal again in 2013. Have you subcribed to the August 2013 car rental thread over on the transportation board yet?

Not yet, but I will now! :

 

[electrocutie]

QUESTION OF THE DAY??
If staying on site and flying in, Are you using Magic Express?
Are you as afraid as I am that you will not get your luggage until 10pm at night and will miss out on swimming your arrival afternoon, and then will have weepy kids who don't have their 'jammies to sleep in??
Why have I only read horror stories about ME?

We are using ME and love it! We've never had any issues and plan ahead anyway. For the last two trips, we packed our bathing suits and towels in a small carry on bag- so that whether our luggage is there or not- we can hop right in the pool! Both trips our rooms were ready- so by the time we finished in the pools- our luggage was there. Our time line is typically that after checking in- we eat lunch at the food court and then go for a swim. I'd say that's about at least 3 hours after our arrival which isn't so bad if you're staying busy.

We also very much love the welcome and good bye videos they play- keeps my mind occupied while I'm wishing we could just teleport everywhere. My only gripe would be that sometimes the bus isn't there to pick you up from the airport right away and you have to wait until the bus gets somewhat filled before departing. But what is most likely 15-20 mins- feels like forever when you just want to get the fun started.

 

[squirrel4569]

How do people get these great car rental prices?? Everything I have priced out has been about $400 for a week!! Gross!

When I was pricing our trip this year and debating staying onsite vs offsite the rental car was the tipping point every time. The cheapest thing I found was a company that I had never heard of that had nothing but horrible reviews. Everything else was nearly double and running close to that $400-500/week price. I've also done a lot of driving for work and travel and if I can avoid driving I'm all for it. Plus my kids love the buses so that's a bonus too.

When we drive we mix it up a little and use some Disney transportation and our own car. I think that going to DHS & DTD it's much nicer but going to MK it's much better using the Disney transportation.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

When I was pricing our trip this year and debating staying onsite vs offsite the rental car was the tipping point every time. The cheapest thing I found was a company that I had never heard of that had nothing but horrible reviews. Everything else was nearly double and running close to that $400-500/week price. I've also done a lot of driving for work and travel and if I can avoid driving I'm all for it. Plus my kids love the buses so that's a bonus too.

LOL, I remember those days when the bus was something special. When Jake was small, we use to ride the bus around our city as "entertainment" ... at the time, it was $1.50 for me and he was free as an under-5. He chatted up the bus driver and any other friendly soul while we toured around. We never actually got off anywhere......the way our bus system works, the same bus went back to our home stop exactly one hour later.....so the bus drivers thought we were nuts for a little while, then grew accustomed to the presence of the talkative toddler and his weary mother . We would go "on tour" once or twice a week and he thought he'd died and gone to heaven.

The buses have since lost some of their appeal . I think its a teenage thing .

Just for fun, I checked the Disney site for the rate with the late summer discount for a two bedroom, two bathroom villa. It would be $3680.64 with tax . Our villa for the same date at the Vistana is $960 taxes in. That is a difference of $2720.64. Less the $251 for our SUV rental (with National, so a reputable company ), we are still saving almost $2500. So I guess we will stay put!!!

 

[YukiPhnx]

LOL, I remember those days when the bus was something special. When Jake was small, we use to ride the bus around our city as "entertainment" ... at the time, it was $1.50 for me and he was free as an under-5. He chatted up the bus driver and any other friendly soul while we toured around. We never actually got off anywhere......the way our bus system works, the same bus went back to our home stop exactly one hour later.....so the bus drivers thought we were nuts for a little while, then grew accustomed to the presence of the talkative toddler and his weary mother . We would go "on tour" once or twice a week and he thought he'd died and gone to heaven.

The buses have since lost some of their appeal . I think its a teenage thing .

Just for fun, I checked the Disney site for the rate with the late summer discount for a two bedroom, two bathroom villa. It would be $3680.64 with tax . Our villa for the same date at the Vistana is $960 taxes in. That is a difference of $2720.64. Less the $251 for our SUV rental (with National, so a reputable company ), we are still saving almost $2500. So I guess we will stay put!!!

That is such a cute story! Those are some great deals you got. How did you get such a good car rental deal?

 

[kristenm514]

Just for fun, I checked the Disney site for the rate with the late summer discount for a two bedroom, two bathroom villa. It would be $3680.64 with tax . Our villa for the same date at the Vistana is $960 taxes in. That is a difference of $2720.64. Less the $251 for our SUV rental (with National, so a reputable company ), we are still saving almost $2500. So I guess we will stay put!!!

Holy moly! I stayed at Vistana with my bff in 06, as her parents are Sheraton timeshare owners. The condo was really nice, and the grounds and pools were great. I loved it! I actually wouldn't mind staying there instead of onsite, but I think DD needs to experience the Disney theming for her first WDW visit.

 

[squirrel4569]

LOL, I remember those days when the bus was something special. When Jake was small, we use to ride the bus around our city as "entertainment" ... at the time, it was $1.50 for me and he was free as an under-5. He chatted up the bus driver and any other friendly soul while we toured around. We never actually got off anywhere......the way our bus system works, the same bus went back to our home stop exactly one hour later.....so the bus drivers thought we were nuts for a little while, then grew accustomed to the presence of the talkative toddler and his weary mother . We would go "on tour" once or twice a week and he thought he'd died and gone to heaven.

The buses have since lost some of their appeal . I think its a teenage thing .

Just for fun, I checked the Disney site for the rate with the late summer discount for a two bedroom, two bathroom villa. It would be $3680.64 with tax . Our villa for the same date at the Vistana is $960 taxes in. That is a difference of $2720.64. Less the $251 for our SUV rental (with National, so a reputable company ), we are still saving almost $2500. So I guess we will stay put!!!

Nice deal! I've certainly gotten deals like that in the past but not at Disney. Since we originally planned on staying at AoA LM we were only paying $730 for the room. Now that we've moved to a suite we could probably find a deal offsite that was comparable but we enjoy being immersed in the World. It is getting close to not being worth the cost though. We'll probably stay onsite next year because we're thinking of doing a half WDW/half cruise trip, but I do predict that once the kids get a little older we'll need more space and the decor won't be enough to justify the price.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

That is such a cute story! Those are some great deals you got. How did you get such a good car rental deal?

I can thank the kind souls on the transportation board for all their help. Here is the link to the specific thread which gave me the discount code (then I applied a coupon from the Entertainment Book to lower the cost down even further):

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2878667

Holy moly! I stayed at Vistana with my bff in 06, as her parents are Sheraton timeshare owners. The condo was really nice, and the grounds and pools were great. I loved it! I actually wouldn't mind staying there instead of onsite, but I think DD needs to experience the Disney theming for her first WDW visit.

I think the entire resort has been through a refurbishment since your stay as well. The photos of the villas are gorgeous (and the resort itself has so much to offer.....we have a couple of "resort days" scheduled in to the plans for that very reason). And 1200+ square feet for our private enjoyment plus a screened in balcony is very appealing.

Nice deal! I've certainly gotten deals like that in the past but not at Disney. Since we originally planned on staying at AoA LM we were only paying $730 for the room. Now that we've moved to a suite we could probably find a deal offsite that was comparable but we enjoy being immersed in the World. It is getting close to not being worth the cost though. We'll probably stay onsite next year because we're thinking of doing a half WDW/half cruise trip, but I do predict that once the kids get a little older we'll need more space and the decor won't be enough to justify the price.

I think it makes a huge difference with the ages of the people you are travelling with. Teenagers (even an awesome one like my boy) and little kids have very different needs and it puts a whole different spin on vacationing. He couldn't give a hoot about the Disney icons or the monorail running through the lobby, but desperately wants a resort with multiple pools and recreational pursuits (beach volleyball, basketball, mini golf, etc.). And he sure doesn't want to sleep in the same room with his mom and snoring dad . We enjoyed our POR stay in 2009, but we've just outgrown that small space.

I betcha I'll take my grandbabies some day to AoA. 'Cause I'm gonna be a cool Nana like that .

 

[joshsmom]

My DS17 still wants to stay on Disney grounds. He has never stayed anywhere else (well, except GKTW). The only thing he wants is his own bed. Grandma and I share a bed and he gets his own. After that, he's good.

 

[pigletto]

I'm one of those who can see the benefits to offsite and to onsite. It's a personal decision and maybe even a different decision every time
We still do ok in one room. DD and I share a bed and ds and dh share a bed. We're a bunch of Disney nuts too so that helps
However I can't say more space wouldn't be nice. I wish I could have the space of offsite with the feel of onsite for the price of offsite.. then I would move there

 

[momto3gr8boys]

Hi everyone! You guys have been chatty while I was away! I am going to try to catch up here a bit.

When we went to MK on our last day of our trip last year they had halloween decor up and merchandise! (August 28th 2012)

I know others have chimed in, but I do remember seeing the decorations being put up the end of August in 2008. I don't recall seeing them that early before, but I have pictures of us in front of those light post pumpkin things from that time.

It's DALMATIAN DAY!!!!
101 days left in our count down!!
(this morning I forgot it was Wednesday)

Love this!!!

We always go to Disney the last week of August (the last 4 years anyway) and the Halloween Merchandise is always out. Sometimes the decorations go up towards the end of our trip but I am sure I always see the merchandise. I only know this because every single year I think "Hmmm.. should I buy the glow in the dark treat bags?" and every year I don't, and every year at Halloween I wish that I had.

I haven't posted in here in a few days. I've been having a pouty "I don't want to stay off site" few days.
The budget is what the budget is though and I would have to either A) Not get Annual Passes which would hurt me down the road or B) stay at a value with a discount which would be fine but would drive my food cost up because I would no longer have a full kitchen and C) I would lose all the space of the two bedroom at Bonnet Creek to cram us into one room for pretty much the same price.

None of these options appeal to me so I'll suck it up. It's not even that I think Bonnet Creek will be awful. It's just that I *know* we enjoy onsite, so trying something new worries me a little.

I see your plans have changed , but I do know how you feel. I have stayed off site twice. Once I was 11 and there was only the MK and I didn't know any better (although I set it in my heart on that trip to stay in the Contemporary someday - and realized that dream 25 years later!) and once was in 2002 when my whole family went and my parents wanted to stay at the Hyatt Grand Cypress. It was lovely, and they were treating the family to a Disney trip, so I certainly wasn't going to complain, but it was different.

I am TOTALLY Disney Dreamin' tonight!! DS17 is back in the hospital--AGAIN--and I am trying to keep myself occupied. I have been obsessively checking for the Wishes Dessert Party--which is NOT going to open tonight, but its something to do. I have been reading lots of different threads on a variety of topics, even if I don't plan on commenting LOL. I guess I'm lurking. I sure wish DS could get through all his issues and get better. 12 weeks from today we will be on Disney property if all goes well!!!

Prayers for Josh....I can't imagine how hard this must be on you all. But I do think focussing on a positive, like Disney, is a great way to get through!

We are back from our trip and we had a fantastic time - I'll give you guys a little mini report after I catch up on all these posts that I've missed!

 

[joshsmom]

WOW, you covered a lot of ground in that post!! Looks like you might be caught up!! Its AMAZING how fast this thread moves!! Welcome back and thanks for the prayers for Josh. He has a biopsy today so we should know more after that!!

 

[momto3gr8boys]

QOTD: Now that final August offers have been released this morning, are you adding onto or changing your reservation?


Answer: We did! We added one night at Port Orleans Riverside. We've stayed at French Quarter before, but are excited to try Riverside. I'm happy we'll actually have time to explore both Port Orleans resorts during this vacation!!

We kept the same itinerary, but saved almost $800 at the Poly!! I was so happy to get that email when we got off the ship! We sailed on May 9, (figures, what are the chances of that happening!), but I told my TA to go ahead and do whatever she needed to do to save me some money

 

[jdd]

We kept the same itinerary, but saved almost $800 at the Poly!! I was so happy to get that email when we got off the ship! We sailed on May 9, (figures, what are the chances of that happening!), but I told my TA to go ahead and do whatever she needed to do to save me some money

Congrats - that's awesome! We got a great deal too, and now even more excited for our trip

 

[ThereYouSeeHer]

We kept the same itinerary, but saved almost $800 at the Poly!! I was so happy to get that email when we got off the ship! We sailed on May 9, (figures, what are the chances of that happening!), but I told my TA to go ahead and do whatever she needed to do to save me some money

Good! I'm glad you were able to take advantage of the offer, even when you were away. Can't wait to hear how it went!

 

[Disneyforus]

We are in for 8/22-8/29 hopefully at AoA, and it will be a SURPRISE for our kids. We have stayed offsite at Bonnet Creek love the last two times because it just suites our family of 6. But, with the RO discount and Cheap airfare ($800 for all of us from GrandRapids, MI using SW LUV vouchers) we thought this might be the time to take advantage of a posssible onsite stay. We LOVE being immersed in Disney and our kids will be soooo shocked when we get off the plane and head out to ME instead of a rental car. I can't wait!!!

 

[Disneyforus]

My DS17 still wants to stay on Disney grounds. He has never stayed anywhere else (well, except GKTW). The only thing he wants is his own bed. Grandma and I share a bed and he gets his own. After that, he's good.

Hey there Lady!!! So happy to "see" you!! We just bought airfare for an August trip! Can you believe it was a year ago we were watching illuminations form the boat??? That was so much fun!!! The kids already asked if we could do that again. We are ready for another Disney trip and hoping to stay onsite at AoA.

 

[joshsmom]

We kept the same itinerary, but saved almost $800 at the Poly!! I was so happy to get that email when we got off the ship! We sailed on May 9, (figures, what are the chances of that happening!), but I told my TA to go ahead and do whatever she needed to do to save me some money

That is AWESOME!!! Congratulations!!!!