Airmiles Armchair Chatter

[Pumpkin1172]

The resort was Dreams Riviera Cancun. We paid just short of $5000 for the two of us and it was the worst vacation I think I have ever had. There were two to three weddings a day which often shut down places that were for general client use. For example there were two hot tubs, one on each side of the resort for rooms on each side. They would turn the heat off in the morning to discourage use and set up an cocktail and bar around it for the weddings to use. This happened on at least two days (the days we wanted to utilize it). They would hold weddings down the main stair case of the resort which blocked the entrance. Don't even get me started on the rooms. They were obviously meant for pleasure, if you get my drift. They had a whirlpool tub, the actual bath tub, right beside the entrance door. Not in its own room, right beside the door. If house keeping would open the door you were right there in their view. Not the best place for a tub. Door to the shower or restroom was frosted glass.....except for a two inch space going all around the door and through the middle which was clear and you could see through. You always knew what was going on in those rooms.
The whole week was a nightmare

Ugh,,,that sucks. It sounds like your whole trip was not a great time. Its discouraging when you pay so much to get there, and then all the other things start to happen. We can always over look one or two things, but when you continually have things that are going wrong, it just deflates your whole experience. For that reason, we will NOT EVER travel with air transat again...EVER!!!! Just not worth it to save the few dollars we were able to save. I would go through another carrier.

 

[ilovetotravel1977]

While on the topic of Mexico, I HIGHLY recommend The Grand at Moon Palace. Kids 17 and under only pay like $700 with two paying adults. It isn't cheap, but a family of 4 for around $6000 is pretty good! I'm drooling just remembering all of the amazing food offerings...*sigh*

 

[bababear_50]

I am on a self imposed NO spend until Mega Miles starts.
Hugs
Mel

 

[alohamom]

I cannot get over how much money all-inclusives are.
For that price a family of four can spend 10 days in Hawaii, three or four nights at Aulani if you rent DVC points!

 

[hdrolfe]

I cannot get over how much money all-inclusives are.
For that price a family of four can spend 10 days in Hawaii, three or four nights at Aulani if you rent DVC points!

I've always wanted to go to Hawaii. The flight prices are what would keep me away at this point, and I understood it was expensive for somethings there, food is maybe more? But if it's about the same as an AI then I could see doing that instead...

 

[alohamom]

I've always wanted to go to Hawaii. The flight prices are what would keep me away at this point, and I understood it was expensive for somethings there, food is maybe more? But if it's about the same as an AI then I could see doing that instead...

It truly depends on where you want to stay and what you want to do. If you are eating in five star restaurants and staying for $800/USD/night on Maui then sure, it gets pricey LOL
We will sometimes get a condo but lots of times we approach Hawaii like WDW-breakfast in the room, fast food lunch at the beach like Subway or whatever and dinner out.

Right now you can grab a flight from Toronto flying direct to Honolulu April 19 to 29 for $550 Canadian (round trip/CDN dollars/all taxes in)
If you want to go to other islands it is about the same for Maui and a little more for Big Island and Kauai
For the past 5-6 years we have not paid more than $600 a seat and we like to go in the summer
We rent DVC points to stay at Aulani but Disney also runs length of stay specials that are almost as good
Lots of people split a stay with Aulani and the North Shore or Waikiki

If anyone is interested in a trip pm me, I have been countless times to all the islands and can tell you where to stay, what is not to be missed etc

 

[marchingstar]

I would love to hear more about Hawaii!!

It’s on my list, and getting higher every year. I feel like one big factor keeping me from going is that I don’t love driving on vacation and it seems like you need to have a car. But I imagine it’s also not like trying to drive in big tourist centres either.

Do you have tips for visiting with young kid(s)? How long would you suggest staying at Aulani, and how much is there to do there?

 

[alohamom]

I would love to hear more about Hawaii!!

It’s on my list, and getting higher every year. I feel like one big factor keeping me from going is that I don’t love driving on vacation and it seems like you need to have a car. But I imagine it’s also not like trying to drive in big tourist centres either.

Do you have tips for visiting with young kid(s)? How long would you suggest staying at Aulani, and how much is there to do there?

We sometimes stay over at the Marriott Ko Olina beach club down the road from Aulani for the first part of our stay, usually a week and then wrap up at Aulani for 3-4 nights and we rent DVC points from Davids to do it. Both resorts are very very family friendly.

Aulani is fantastic for little kids. The lagoons that this resort area sit along are man made so they are fed with ocean water and have sandy beaches but are protected from big waves and are great for little ones. There is a fun interactive water section, a huge water play fort, the best lazy river ever (including the Disney water parks) waterslides and a couple of pool options.
It is kind of remote and Oahu is an amazing island with lots of great beaches and fun things to do for families so having a car is my preference and what I highly suggest to others. Having said that, most of the island outside of Honolulu it is not a hard place to drive

 

[alohamom]

Check out the Aulani section of the DisBoards-there is a ton of info there

 

[marchingstar]

We sometimes stay over at the Marriott Ko Olina beach club down the road from Aulani for the first part of our stay, usually a week and then wrap up at Aulani for 3-4 nights and we rent DVC points from Davids to do it. Both resorts are very very family friendly.

Aulani is fantastic for little kids. The lagoons that this resort area sit along are man made so they are fed with ocean water and have sandy beaches but are protected from big waves and are great for little ones. There is a fun interactive water section, a huge water play fort, the best lazy river ever (including the Disney water parks) waterslides and a couple of pool options.
It is kind of remote and Oahu is an amazing island with lots of great beaches and fun things to do for families so having a car is my preference and what I highly suggest to others. Having said that, most of the island outside of Honolulu it is not a hard place to drive

this is really helpful thanks!

once Hawaii moves from “someday” to a specific future vacation plan, I’m sure I’ll have a whole list of things to ask around the dis

 

[hdrolfe]

I did my groceries at Metro today, I had a spend $100 get 100 AM offer and wasn't planning to spend that much but it was rather easy to do. I did pretty well actually, for Metro. Not Blue Friday or Rexall double dip good but 162 AM I think. Now I will wait for Mega Miles. Well for the majority of spending any way. I am almost half way to Onyx so far this year, hopefully Mega Miles will have some good offers and get me much closer. I should be able to do 5 stores fairly easily, but we'll see!!

 

[mort1331]

It truly depends on where you want to stay and what you want to do. If you are eating in five star restaurants and staying for $800/USD/night on Maui then sure, it gets pricey LOL
We will sometimes get a condo but lots of times we approach Hawaii like WDW-breakfast in the room, fast food lunch at the beach like Subway or whatever and dinner out.

Right now you can grab a flight from Toronto flying direct to Honolulu April 19 to 29 for $550 Canadian (round trip/CDN dollars/all taxes in)
If you want to go to other islands it is about the same for Maui and a little more for Big Island and Kauai
For the past 5-6 years we have not paid more than $600 a seat and we like to go in the summer
We rent DVC points to stay at Aulani but Disney also runs length of stay specials that are almost as good
Lots of people split a stay with Aulani and the North Shore or Waikiki

If anyone is interested in a trip pm me, I have been countless times to all the islands and can tell you where to stay, what is not to be missed etc

Count us in .. thats one place we plan to go in the next 2 years. Stay on points but not sure what else..will pm you in a few months

 

[Disney Addicted]

I am so sorry I haven't been online much much sooner and replied to everyone. I've been trying to use the computer less often and get a bunch of need-to-do items crossed off my list. I hadn't realized just how much time has gone by until I couldn't resist the urge of DIS again. I miss checking in here every day.

Thank you for your good wishes. Surprisingly Marbles is still with us. It's been 3 months since my initial Vet visit where I was convinced she was going to die within a matter of weeks. We get her weighed every week and she's been around the 8 lb mark for a month and a bit. While she is a bit too skinny, she's not skin & bones and she is still active. Now that it's March I'm thinking Marbles will get to enjoy sleeping on the porch chair in the summer heat she craves.

It's the worst when our fur babies are trying to tell us something and we just can't figure it out. I'm so sorry your cat is having to go through this. Enjoy the time you have left with her. I have PM'd you a poem that has helped me at a time like this.

Thank you. I will read it tonight.

sending hugs and thinking of your kitty.

Thank you.

I hope your kitty is able to recover, and I am glad you were able to figure out what she wanted! Hopefully if you space the meals out a bit she'll fill up, sometimes they don't like the food if it is cold from the fridge, it loses it's smell. I had a sweet cat who lost a lot of weight and was just not herself, vet said it could be bone cancer or she was just old (I adopted her and had no idea how old she really was). She was on some pills which helped, but then stopped helping. It is so hard, poor little thing just lost so much weight so fast Now I am super paranoid about all my kitties eating enough, but not too much, and if one won't eat a meal I follow them around until I can get them to eat something. Canned food is actually much better for cats than the dry stuff but of course you have to watch which you are feeding them as many have fillers, and some have way more calories than others. The ones with gravies (as opposed to pate) are lower in calories but generally have more starches added. I have a very fat cat who has been slowly loosing weight (4 pounds since September, he's still 18lbs though) and feed him the lower calorie stuff, and yes I have done a lot of research into how many calories are in which types of food.

Marbles has become quite pampered when it comes to food... (wry grin) Just a few days ago I realized the wet cans I'm buying from the Vet's cost almost $5 a can! She's eating a can almost every 24 hours, as long we manage to get her appetite stimulator pill in her twice a week. I tried to see if I can get those cans elsewhere but all the pet stores say they are not allowed to sell the special vet ones... Besides her expensive food, I found we can get her to eat a can a day when we put a large spoonful or two on a plate and BRING IT TO HER! Seriously... she has a heated blanket on the couch and a spot where I can stick the plate of food under her nose on the couch. Spoiled right? But most of the time she won't go to her food dish and eat. When we stick the food under her nose, it's like it triggers something and she thinks "oh yeah, I'm hungry - I could eat".

@Disney Addicted When my 2yo half-siamese cat started loosing weight (he was 16 pounds and lost 5 pounds pretty quickly) he had some blood tests done and he was in renal failure. He survived 4 more years with a special diet, lots of water (we bought a fountain) and some pills. He was one of the rare cat that didn't like wet food so he only got dry food. Hopefully, the vets can find your cat problem soon and that it can be controlled easily with food.

Wow 4 years? I'm amazed. I originally thought Marbles was not going to live past a few weeks but now, after 3 months, I wonder. As long as she remains active and we/the Vet does not believe she's in pain.

Best wishes and pixie dust to your cat. I have lost 3 cats and one dog in the past. I understand what you are going through.

Sending you hugs Disney Addicted
I lost my (Luna) calico cat a couple of years ago,,I still miss him.
Enjoy your time with him.
Hugs
Mel

Thank AngelDisney, Mel. Losing a pet is hard.

 

[alohamom]

Count us in .. thats one place we plan to go in the next 2 years. Stay on points but not sure what else..will pm you in a few months

FYI @mort1331 start looking a year out if you are renting points

To the best of my understanding, Aulani home resort DVC owners can book at 11 months and non home DVC owners can book at 7 months
The information below is based on that...

SO...if you are planning on more than a few days at Aulani (ie-straight week or more) make sure you rent those points by at least 7 months out. We try to rent between the 11 to 9 month mark so that we get what we want. Lets say you wanted a standard view studio for March Break 2021 (assuming that would run March 14th to 20th) you would be looking at $2640 USD for the week through Davids if you booked at the 11 month mark and they had the space. If you waited till the 7 month mark you might end up paying more because the lower category rooms may be filled forcing you into a high priced category

I think you and your family will love Hawaii

 

[alohamom]

Marbles has become quite pampered when it comes to food... (wry grin) Just a few days ago I realized the wet cans I'm buying from the Vet's cost almost $5 a can! She's eating a can almost every 24 hours, as long we manage to get her appetite stimulator pill in her twice a week. I tried to see if I can get those cans elsewhere but all the pet stores say they are not allowed to sell the special vet ones... Besides her expensive food, I found we can get her to eat a can a day when we put a large spoonful or two on a plate and BRING IT TO HER! Seriously... she has a heated blanket on the couch and a spot where I can stick the plate of food under her nose on the couch. Spoiled right? But most of the time she won't go to her food dish and eat. When we stick the food under her nose, it's like it triggers something and she thinks "oh yeah, I'm hungry - I could eat".

We had a touch and go issue with our elderly cat at Christmas and had him on vet canned food so I know your pain, especially when they decide they are not eating it.
I found that Global (AMs ), Pet Valu and Pets Smart all carry two varieties of calorie dense Royal Canin (Mother and Baby and Digestive) which is less than the vet.
It might not be exactly what Marbles needs but it is close. A couple of people have told me that Royal Canin is junk food for cats but my cat was really not wanted to eat anything else for quite a while and is so fussy on top of being sick I just bought it for him

 

[mort1331]

FYI @mort1331 start looking a year out if you are renting points

To the best of my understanding, Aulani home resort DVC owners can book at 11 months and non home DVC owners can book at 7 months
The information below is based on that...

SO...if you are planning on more than a few days at Aulani (ie-straight week or more) make sure you rent those points by at least 7 months out. We try to rent between the 11 to 9 month mark so that we get what we want. Lets say you wanted a standard view studio for March Break 2021 (assuming that would run March 14th to 20th) you would be looking at $2640 USD for the week through Davids if you booked at the 11 month mark and they had the space. If you waited till the 7 month mark you might end up paying more because the lower category rooms may be filled forcing you into a high priced category

I think you and your family will love Hawaii

Thanks, we are DVC members so using our own points. But will for sure touch base on the ins and outs of the island.

 

[bababear_50]

I picked up a few things at Rexall today,,mostly meds but for anyone looking for hand sanitizer they had some at the cash register,,,two per customer,,and no highway robbery prices .

Hugs
Mel

 

[spiffgirl101]

Well, Sobeys looks like a bust this week - I do plan on buying my usual small staples from there (I usually get incentive through MyOffers) but Superstore usually gets more of our business when the deals aren't great at Sobeys.

I just got an offer through Shell Go+ that htey are having a bonus day again next Wednesday. It works out well for me. I don't plan on traveling to Winnipeg this month so it would have been hard to fill up 4 times at Shell. If I wait to fill up until next Wednesday, my minivan should be down to 1/4 tank, so I should hopefully get more than 50 air miles.

I get my bonus from work on march 11 too (and a free lunch at work, and Casual day at work), so it will really feel like a bonus day

Now that my trip is over I have to focus on rebuilding my air miles so I can keep traveling. I have my eye on an Eastbound Trans Atlantic cruise from Miami to Barcelona in 2022 (as long as the price doesn't skyrocket) and need a whole bunch of air miles before I can even consider booking it when it opens up next February or March. I am only 1/3 of the way to Onyx this year, but at least it's early in the year.
@bababear_50 there was article in our local news about Shoppers Drug mart in our town being low on surgical masks and hand sanitizer. Apparently all the suppliers are having trouble keeping up with the demand all over the country.

 

[bababear_50]

Ignore post I found answer under Terms & Conditions:

* Eligible Collector must opt in between March 6, 2020 and March 8, 2020 to activate this offer. Offer valid Wednesday, March 11, 2020, only, at participating Shell locations (excluding Shell Flying J locations). Get 1 AIR MILES® Bonus Mile for each litre of fuel purchased. Maximum of 100 Bonus Miles per Collector Number for this offer. Plus, get 1 AIR MILES Bonus Mile for each dollar ($1.00) spent in-store (excludes tobacco products, lottery tickets, gift cards, phone cards, stamps, transit passes, licences and any other service-type product). Maximum of 100 Bonus Miles per Collector Number for this offer. This is an exclusive offer and is non-transferable. A valid AIR MILES Card must be swiped/Collector Number entered at time of transaction. Offer may be combined with other Bonus Offers. Shell reserves the right to make changes to this offer and to terminate the offer at any time, for any reason and without notice. Please allow up to 4 weeks for your Bonus Miles to be loaded to your Collector Account.

®™ Trademarks of AM Royalties Limited Partnership used under license by LoyaltyOne, Co. and Shell Canada Products.



Shell purchases,,Wednesday March 11th
Spend $1.00 get 1 Airmiles
Does this count for gift cards?
Thanks
Hugs
Mel

 

[mort1331]

(excludes tobacco products, lottery tickets, gift cards, phone cards, stamps, transit passes, licences and any other service-type product