.........................

[C.Ann]

Thanks!

 

[DVC Sadie]

C.Ann, Sorry to hear about your water issues. It's always something, huh? I don't have a lot of suggestions except maybe book offsite in a condo or a pool home.

 

[rlovew]

Staying in either a value resort or off property will be cheaper. If you stay in a value resort and don't plan to leave Disney you can take the Magical Express from the airport and not use a rental car. Bringing breakfast food and eating in the room can help alot. Also my DH and I rarely eat at TS instead we plan out CS that provide different foods so we don't eat the same thing every meal. We can eat for $25 a day unless we do a TS, we do carry a bag with water and some snacks into the park.

 

[crjack]

I don't know what you have budgeted for accomodations right now but I also think renting a 2 or 3-bedroom condo is a great idea. Three developments very close to WDW are Windsor Palms, Windsor Hills and Emerald Island. Over on the off-site Orlando board you will find many referrals for nice units that are very reasonably priced.

I have stayed in Windsor Palms and this summer we are renting in Windsor Hills. I believe DisneySteve has stayed in WP as well so he may also have a good idea of a typical price range. Under $100 a night is absolutely possible and you will have lots of room, several t.v's and a kitchen which will make breakfast and snacks easy and affordable.

All three developments are very nice and have a community pool and other resort style ammenities.

Two websites to check out if interested are www.vrbo.com and also www.windsorhillsrent.com. If you dont mind getting lots of responses, plug in your dates to the WH rents site and you will get loads of offers to compare. There are no timeshare presentations involved....these are privately owned condos, townhouses and pool villas. Many will offer you deals or discounts so it's worth it to compare the choices.

Good luck with your well and trip planning.

 

[A Mickeyfan]

You can also try Skyauction for one of their condo auctions. They work out cheaper than renting one. Just read all of the fine print when doing it.
I hear you about well water. I live in SW Fl and I am on a sulfer pocket with well water YUK is about all I can say, even with my water system & filters. Two years ago this May my well ran dry too. I had to only dig deeper & get a new underground pump. Lucky for me it only ran $1500. At first they weren't sure if they would have to drill an entire new one but I lucked out. Have you gotten more than one estimate? I know the first place I called said $8,000 & didn't even come out. The other place I called (which happens to be who services my system when in need of repair) said that they would take a look at it & if they could just dig deeper they would do it for me, if not I would have to go to a well driller. Turns out, I didn't need the driller, they only went 45 foot more & installed the new pump & pipes. Everything has been fine since (knock on wood)!

 

[C.Ann]

..

 

[A Mickeyfan]

Good Luck with it. That is strange that it is not in your yard.. I know here they are saying that we should have public utilites by 2007. I am dreading having to shell out the $20,000 (estimate) that it will run me.. water/sewer/dual water, then cap my septic & well. I am praying that nothing else goes wrong this year. I would hate to shell out more money on my system only to have it shut down next year. I will still use my softer & filter, but will not need my underground & aboveground pumps... I was told a few months back that my above ground pump is on it's way out. it was 2 years old in Jan!!! They only come with a 1 year warranty If it needs to be replaced before we go onto public utilites, it will run me in the range of $700!!!!

 

[englishteacha]

Sorry about the well problem! Perhaps this seems like an odd question, but could you pump in lake water instead of drilling a new well? Many camps/cottages in my area (rural Maine) do this, and bring/buy drinking water. (I'm assuming this is a lakefront property.)

As for saving money on the trip, I'd stay off site. That's one of the biggest cost savers, in my opinion. We're renting a 3 bedroom condo for $515, including all taxes, fees, etc. We'll have lots of space, and will be able to cook if we want to. We're sharing the condo with another couple, so we're saving considerably over any on site hotel. Check often on the various rental car websites, too. I ended up saving almost $100 with a coupon code from the Alamo thread on the transportation board, and am getting a much bigger vehicle than I had originally planned on getting from Enterprise. I'm a very frugal person by nature, and finding ways to save money and make my money stretch farther is fun for me!

 

[DMRick]

Bad news about the well, but if it works out you can then drink the water, that would be great. Especially since you will be living there full time. It would be hard to drag water from home, if that is your home .

As far as staying in a home off site, I would be sure to check the cancellation policy, especially with your daughters injury. Disney (if you don't get a package) is very generous with their policy. That's a long stay and with her injury, I would imagine it would be better staying on site..have you thought of the cabins in the campground so you can cook some of your meals to save money, and yet, if your daughter needs to go lay down, or just rest, she is a bus ride away. I know you plan on getting an AP, so you might want to check and see if they traditionally have had discounts for the cabins. If you do plan on a home offsite and are going at Christmas time, you prob want to put that in the works soon. We have friends who have already had to go to a different home than they usually stay in, because theirs was booked.

If you want to save on the car you can get groceries delivered, and use Disney transport, but of course, if you plan on going outside of Disney, to visit your sister, or non Disney parks, they car would be worth it. Or even, God forbid a doctors visit for your DD. We always like having a car, but it is a big savings using ME.

Good luck with everything..seems your live just doesn't know how to run smooth. I sure hope you get your wish of a trip this year!! You've planned this trip so many times, you can prob give the rest of us money saving ideas!

 

[C.Ann]

..

 

[Disneycrazymom]

I am sorry about your well. Glad to hear your back at the lake though! (We made our first trip down this weekend.) I think you would be wise to drill now and to be sure it is on your property. Unfortunitly things are not the way they were in the 50's.

If your sister is a FL resident she could get a resident rate. Of course she would have to stay with you but that could be nice too. From what I understand the condos are really very nice and some don't take much more time to return to than the on site hotels. A car ride can be easier than the busses too. Whatever happens you will have a great family vacation! I know you know very well that it is not about the hotel but the time together.

 

[C.Ann]

Well (no pun intended again ) I got up first thing this morning and started calling all of the well drillers that service this area.. One is coming at 5 today and another is coming at 9 tomorrow morning.. Another quoted me prices per foot and per casing - and the estimated depth that they would have to go in this particular area to hit that wonderful SULFUR water - and after I picked myself up off of the floor, I came out in the kitchen and had my breakfast - coffee and a Valium on the side...

The longer I sat here, the more aggravated I got thinking that I could end up in the $10,000+ range for the drilling, pump, filtering system, etc., and if I'm lucky, I'll live long enough to use that stinky water for 20 years or so - providing I don't get attacked by a bear; fall over the side of my son-in-law's boat; fall off the step ladder when I start painting here this year and break my neck; get bit by a deer tick and die from Lyme Disease; have one of these huge trees in my yard fall on the place while I'm sleeping and crush me to death - and - well (there's that word again ) I'm just not so sure I want to do that..

So then I started to revert to my "Little House On The Prairie" days - couldn't keep that Ma Ingalls down.. No matter what, Caroline and Charles always "found a way".. Granted, I don't have a "Charles", but do any of you remember the episode where Charles was away and Caroline got a severe injury to her leg and was sitting in front of the fire, sterilizing that big old knife and was about to cut her own leg off? Well , not that I need to be cutting my leg off or anything - BUT - just like Caroline, a "quitter" I'm not! So - I bundled up warm (pretty nippy up here this morning) - grabbed some tools - and wandered across the street to the junction box.. I undid the connection again (thought I was going to dislocate my shoulder doing it); pulled the piping away from each other (a smaller one goes inside a bigger one and then is tightly clamped together) and great gobs of goose grease, I had me a water fountain shootin' 5 feet in the air!!! Yeee ha!!! 'Course the next problem was getting the two pipes back together (while in the process of being drowned) and then tighting that clamp with both hands (which came darn close to breaking both of my wrists), but the moral of the story is...I have water!!! And PLENTY of it!!!!!!!

So - I'll still meet with the drillers - and listen to what they have to say - but I'm thinking I could buy an awful lot of drinking water (if need be) for $10,000+ !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


"Life ain't always beautiful...but it's a beautiful ride...."

Hmmmm...now back to planning that trip....................

 

[Debbie]

Yeah, C.Ann! You ARE woman! You ARE strong! You're INVINCIBLE! That's the song!

 

[englishteacha]

How wonderful!!! I'm so glad!

 

[DVC Sadie]

C.Ann, You are quite the fixer upper!

 

[DMRick]

I don't get it. So if your well was dry..who's water do you have? Or aren't we telling?

 

[DVC Sadie]

I don't get it. So if your well was dry..who's water do you have? Or aren't we telling?

WOW! Am I missing something here? I just don't understand the whole nasty attitude.

 

[C.Ann]

....

 

[DMRick]

WOW! Am I missing something here? I just don't understand the whole nasty attitude.

There is no nasty attitude. C.Ann and I are friends, and I'm teasing her. Since the message was to C.Ann..I'm betting she knew it wasn't a nasty attitude. She then explained it, cause I sure didn't understand..and that's why I asked.

She said her well was dry, so I'm asking where the water is from, and now I know..geesh!! Maybe before being so "nasty" to me, you should have just asked what I meant.

 

[DMRick]

Thanks..now I understand (although I had to read it twice).

As long as it's not from that neighbor..you know which one ..cause I'm betting she has spies LOL!

(in case I'm accused of anything else nasty, the above is another tease)

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So - long story short - I have water - and it's my own water, from my own well..