9/24/09 3 Day Wonder - Cruise Meets, and FEs, and Goombays oh my!

[karentan]

ok so after deciding to hire a car to get to the port because it was the same price as the DCL transfers, i've just gone on to book the car, and its gone up in price. by quite a lot. i really wanted the car so we could leave some of the cases in the car instead of having to take them in with us.
its now going to cost us (including car hire and parking) about $50 more than the DCL transfers. so i've just emailed my travel agent to get them to add the transfers on.
i didnt want to have to take all the cases in with us, and i kinda wanted to get to the port early so we could be one of the first ones on again, but to be honest i'm not sure those two things are worth the extra $50.

so it looks like we're bussing it.

 

[portsofcall]

Karentan,
I think all accommodations are sold out for DVC for the days we wanted. Maybe, next time.

Thanks for the valuable info.

 

[karentan]

have you got a DVC member to check for you? if you PM one of them with a list of all the resorts you want checked they should be able to help you out.
if they are all booked, sorry to hear that, which option are you going to choose in the end?

here's one more shot at it, this page lists all current resort discounts:
http://www.mousesavers.com/disneyresorts.html#discountmenu

 

[karentan]

yay, i've just booked divequest and MNSSHP.
we're divequesting on the 18th, if anyone is there at that time, keep an eye on the living seas tank!
and MNSSHP on the 15th after our dinner at CRT!

cant wait! managed to get passholder rates on both, and even getting the MNSSHP tickets sent out to me here, and its only costing me $5 shipping!

 

[portsofcall]

have you got a DVC member to check for you? if you PM one of them with a list of all the resorts you want checked they should be able to help you out.
if they are all booked, sorry to hear that, which option are you going to choose in the end?

here's one more shot at it, this page lists all current resort discounts:
http://www.mousesavers.com/disneyresorts.html#discountmenu

The problem is I'm not familiar with all the resorts. I just read that AKL is not as close the parks as other hotels and there's a long wait for the shuttles. Maybe, this was during summer (I hope). If I knew what other resorts were as nice as AKL, then I would take a chance.

 

[jenny105]

Karen, we'll have our car at the port so if you don't want to lug all of your stuff on the ship, you can always leave it in my car.

6 weeks until I'm in Disney World! Hopefully we'll be there at this time, if not maybe 30 to 60 min away! And in 5 weeks, I will be in Universal, already there, lounging around the Hard Rock Hotel! I can't believe it's so close! I remember when I started this thread, how far away it all seemed! Now, I'll have my documents in a week or two! I have to fill out the online check-in for DCL. I forgot all about that! I'll do it at work tomorrow...

I put together my FE goody bags. I hope you guys like them, it's just a bunch of little stuff. I made 9. Karen, what's the count? You're good at keeping this organized!

 

[karentan]

AKL is further out than a lot of the deluxe resorts, but it is no way in the middle of nowhere. we stayed there last year and did not have any problems with the buses. just bear in mind that a lot of people will come on here and moan about problems they had with their stay, but not many people come on to say everything is fine and the buses are great. don't sweat it really.
by the way, did you check availability for both jambo house and kidani village at animal kingdom lodge, they're both DVC resorts?

as for the rest of the DVC resorts:
Saratoga springs - right next to Downtown disney so very convenient to shopping and restaurants, although a lot of people have said it is a VERY large resort. we're staying here after the cruise.
Old key west - a short river boat ride away from DTD, again a VERY large resort.
bay lake tower - the newest DVC resort, its right next to the contemporary, and across the road from the magic kingdom which makes it very cool
beach club villas - located at the yacht and beach club resort, its across the lake from the boardwalk, you can walk from there to epcot and hollywood studios.
boardwalk villas - located at the boardwalk resort, which has nightlife and sideshow games and entertainment on the boardwalk at night. again walkable to epcot and hollywood studios.
wilderness lodge villas - located at the wilderness lodge, can get a boat to the MK.

here's some links to DVC resort info:
http://www.wdwinfo.com/disney-vacation-club/resorts.htm
http://allears.net/acc/faq_hot.htm#home

personally my preferences (in order) are:
animal kingdom,
boardwalk (i love the idea of looking out over the boardwalk and being so close to epcot and hollywood studios)
bay lake tower (love the idea of being within walking distance to the MK)

but they're all great resorts in their own way and i'd pick any DVC over a moderate or value hotel any day. (the swan and dolphin dont really do anything for me personally)

to be honest, now that i've figured out (for this trip) how DVC renting works, i'll probably do this in the future, its just so much cheaper than a room only reservation

 

[karentan]

jenny, the room count so far is 9 rooms, good guessing!

thanks for the kind offer of leaving stuff in your car but i dont think we're likely to get to the port on the buses til 1.3.-2pm ish, and you'll probably be on the ship by then.
we just decided that the convenience of 2 less cases to store in the room isnt worth the extra $50.
it'd be cool if our bus shared with the WL then we'd be on the same coach as lainey!

 

[jenny105]

I thought it was 9!

No problem! I just thought I'd ask since we'd have some space. Would you be able to leave it at SSR prior to the cruise for them to hold since you are staying there post cruise?

 

[karentan]

thank you so much for the kind offer but i presume you'll be on the ship by that point. i did want to be on the cruise as soon as i could because we wanted to go to parrot cay for lunch again but its just not worth the extra cash.
i did think about leaving the luggage but i emailed disney and the official policy is NO. apparently some people have managed to do it but generally its not allowed. i dont think its going to be that much of a problem having the cases in the room, its just going to be a bit snug thats all.

i've heard that people who have booked cat 12 rooms and have linked reservations both get upgraded to the same cat rooms and close to each other, so fingers crossed for me and mary!

 

[portsofcall]

Karentan,
Have you tried all the discount codes here:

http://www.mousesavers.com/rentalcar.html

Dollar seemed to have a good rate at $35.99 per day, etc as long as you don't drop off at a different location. I used all the budget codes I could find and then I found one on one of the threads that dropped it even further without a drop off fee at the port. I just found the same discount on the budget website for a daily rental $40, from the airport to the port was $52 total. If there's no storage locker at the port, you could rent the car for a longer period and just park it the port. Budget had the 4 day rental for $116, leave it there or drop off near Disney World and use magical express back to the airport?

 

[Lilo's Mom]

We finally have our fourth person for our cabin! Kelly invited one of her friends that lives in Orlando. Voni is 22 and is from Trinidad and both girls are beyond excited about the cruise. Kelly was excited before but now that she has Voni to hang out with instead of her parents...she is really happy. `
Kelly and Voni met working at a convention for the television show Supernatural, and have been friends ever since. Did I ever show you our picture with Jared Padalecki (Sam Winchester on Supernatural)?

He is a real cutie and very nice!

Anyway, when the boat docks they are going to rush back to Orlando to go to one day of a Twilight convention that is at the Orlando Hotel and Convention Center. Bob and I are going to leisurely make our way to Old Key West. It's a good thing we got the one bedroom unit because we will probably have Anthony with us a few nights since he couldn't make the cruise, and then possibly a different friend of Kelly's. What can I say? Our home has always had an open door policy that all the kid's friends are welcome at any time...so we have applied that to vacation time as well!

So I spent the day organizing things we are going to take with us on vacation...then since it is 95 degrees here I decided I had to go and get my hair cut short. It's cooler that is for sure, and will probably be mush easier to take care of on the cruise. I know I am going to freak out in the shower when I go to wash my hair and it isn't all there , but I think it was a smart move and will save me so much time getting ready to go out.

 

[karentan]

cristina, i've tried all the different codes, but because i have to put down that i'm a UK resident it always kicks me back to the pound price, and the discount codes wont work plus i was looking at budget because i dont intend to use a full tank of fuel and budget is the only one where you fill it up before you take it back (ie: dont get charged stupid prices for a full tank of gas that i'm not going to use). i did look at one way rentals too but decided it was too much hassle and it again means we have to take all the cases with us.

donna, thats cool that you know who you're cruising with now, and it'll be fun for kelly having a friend to hang around with too!

 

[karentan]

cor i'm so indecisive!
i'm now thinking of hiring a car from budget at DTD on the wednesday, driving to the port on the thursday, dropping the car back off at budget at cape canaveral, then getting the shuttle back to the port. this works out cheaper than the DCL transfers.
we'd still need to take all luggage on the ship with us, but it works out cheaper than the DCL transfers, and it means we can still get to the port early in the morning, so can make it to parrot cay for lunch.

 

[portsofcall]

cor i'm so indecisive!
i'm now thinking of hiring a car from budget at DTD on the wednesday, driving to the port on the thursday, dropping the car back off at budget at cape canaveral, then getting the shuttle back to the port. this works out cheaper than the DCL transfers.
we'd still need to take all luggage on the ship with us, but it works out cheaper than the DCL transfers, and it means we can still get to the port early in the morning, so can make it to parrot cay for lunch.

Karentan, I received an offer for 33 points at the Saratoga for 3 nights post cruise. Should we give up our reservations at AKL? Tough choice. This would save us alot and pay for that dining plan.

 

[karentan]

i'm staying at saratoga post cruise too, its a lovely resort, are you sure there's no availability at all at AKL? i love AKL and would say stay there, but on the flip side having the dining plan is great too.
here's some more saratoga info for you to help you make the decision
http://allears.net/acc/faq_ss.htm

SSR is a lovely resort and i'd definately go for SSR over coronado springs or the dolphin.
but ultimately it depends on how much staying at the AKL means to you?

ETA: i've just noticed from your signature that you're on the land/sea package. have you checked your cancellation policy to see what penalty you are likely to incur?

 

[jenny105]

Donna, that's awesome that Kelly will have a friend with her now! She must be so excited. A Twilight convention huh? I don't think I could talk Joe into that one. He hates Twilight.

The guy from Supernatural is really cute!! Wasn't he on Gilmore Girls too?

Cristina, you sound like me! I changed resorts so many times. I was originally booked at POR and switched that to WL. My post-cruise stay I was at ASMo standard, then preferred, then WL, and then AKV! All the resorts are awesome, it's a tough choice!

Karen, I don't know if you've checked Hertz but I have a TON of codes for them because they are partnered with AAA. Let me know if you want them!

 

[karentan]

just checked hertz, and cheapest rental is $238
unless you've got a really good code, thats way out of my budget!!

 

[jenny105]

Wow! They're a weird company. Sometimes they have really good rates and other times they are SUPER expensive!!

 

[Lilo's Mom]

Donna, that's awesome that Kelly will have a friend with her now! She must be so excited. A Twilight convention huh? I don't think I could talk Joe into that one. He hates Twilight.

The guy from Supernatural is really cute!! Wasn't he on Gilmore Girls too?

Yes he is from Gilmore Girls, Kelly tells me I have to watch that show, she has all of the DVD's. I think he is a cutie too...and boy is he tall about 6'4"!

just checked hertz, and cheapest rental is $238
unless you've got a really good code, thats way out of my budget!!

Karen when do you want to pick up the car? We always rent for EZ Rent a Car they are right in the airport. (http://www.e-zrentacar.com/) which makes it easy to pick it up and bring it back.