August 13, 2011 Med - Mickey's Marauding Mates

[Anal Annie]

Glad to hear that the carry-ons will be included. That's a relief to hear.

I figured a couple of euros for tips. Would that be per bag or per person or just in total?? (I sound like I've never been ANYWHERE! I don't get out much!!)

So do you know where you want to stay next summer at WDW?! How long will you get to go for?? Did you go last year too? (Sorry, I'm having a brain freeze!) I think I am going to call DVC back today to start this next vaca plan. It will seem more real if I actually BOOK some dates. I can book Saratoga Springs now then the week after we get back (Aug. 29) I can try to switch out to someplace else. While I am fine with staying at Saratoga we're trying to work our way thru staying at ALL of the DVC resorts & we still haven't tried Bay Lake or Boardwalk Villas so we'll probably try to switch to one of those. Since it's spring break time the ressie at SSR is just a backup plan.

Tip would be in total.

We are planning on going with my parents to their timeshare which is The Fountains resort on South IDrive. Gary, the kids & myself are also planning on staying onsite for a couple of nights. I fancy either the Beach Club (funds permitting) or the Dolphin. Last year we visited the Epcot resort area for the first time and we loved it. I may even consider renting some DVC points if I can. How did you rent yours out LeeAnn? Is there a website you can go to? We will be going for 2 weeks[/QUOTE]

Oh you would love Beach Club! The time we stayed there we spent 1 whole day at the pool (Storm Along Bay or SAB for short) and just went to the park in the evening. There is a back entrance into Epcot & you can walk it in about 10 minutes - it comes out in the World Showcase & there's really no lines at the gate.

I am not the best at explaining this DVC stuff bcuz I ramble but renting points is definitely the cheapest way to get into a DVC villa. I can help you figure out how many points you would need at what resort for what size unit for what dates if you need help figuring that out. Most (but not all) point rentals run about $10 / point and the DVC resorts use more points for weekend nights. So the end result to that is that it would cost you less to stay at a DVC resort from Sun - Thurs. A weekend (Fri & Sat) would cost you more. If you want to stay at Beach Club you'd be best off finding someone who OWNS there so you can get their booking window advantage. It's a very popular resort & after the 7 month window opens it's hard to get.

There is a DVC Rent / Trade Board - I'll drop the link in here. (NOTE: you have to be logged into the DIS to see it.) I would look for someone to rent from who's been posting on the DIS for a long time & for someone who has a high post count. They recently started some new rules for people wishing to rent points out so they don't have people who just come to the DIS to rent. They prefer active members of the DIS community. So now if they don't want to be an active part of the DIS community & participate in the forums they have to buy a rental membership of sorts in order to be able to rent. You need to read thru the stickies on the top of Rent / Trade board to understand.

http://www.disboards.com/forumdisplay.php?f=29

There is also David's Rental - he has an ad on the top of the DVC boards like Dreams Unlimited has here on the cruise boards. He is a 3rd party who people list their points for rent with. He will do the legwork & find you the points you want & I think he charges like $13 / point so that he makes about $3 per point for his services. Still a cheaper way to get into a DVC villa than paying cash direct to Disney.

We ended up lucking into another DVC member who wanted a points transfer. It was someone I "knew" from the DVC boards and a fellow Marylander. She was someone that was easy to work with because we sort of "knew" each other from the DVC boards. I preferred to do a transfer to another owner because that way the points became hers to do with as she wanted once they were in her account & I was out of the mix then. If I had rented them out then I would have to call & make the reservation & make any changes & add DME or whatever. I would also have been on the hook if they used a bad credit card or damaged anything in the unit. And most times a renter only pays a deposit then the balance later. This way I was able to get all the money up front and I was done with it. It sounds more complicated than it IS.

LeAnn, I am reading that Americans tip waaayyyy tooo much. I have a question on the tipping. I paid for Disney transfers. On my departure day back to the airport from my hotel, Disney is giving me a voucher for a taxi. Now this taxi is getting $60.00 for taking both my husband and I to the airport from Disney! Do I really need to tip him?

Yes, I've read that we over tip too. I asked around on Cruise Critic once & it seems that 10% is generous in Europe. So for these taxis & transfers I think we'll just plan on a couple of euros on each one.

 

[luke]

It's not so much that Americans tip too much, it's just that positions such as wait staff at restaurants get a better wage in Europe (generally) and don't rely so heavily on tips

 

[ukwizard]

Thanks for such a great thread!

We will be on this cruise as well, cant wait!

Andy (41) , Hayley (38) and Jen (13 - niece) from Sale, UK!

 

[DoeWDW]

Goodness, I'm offline for the better part of a week and I have PAGES of posts to catch up on! It's a good thing though - means we have a lively crowd!

We just got back from daughter Steph's college graduation in Savannah, Georgia. It truly was the deep south - hot and humid - but we had a wonderful time and are so proud of her!

I've been focused on planning the Savannah trip and have neglected the Med planning! Time to concentrate - can't believe how close the trip is getting!

I still need to book our Barcelona hotel. We SHOULD have enough Hilton Hhonors points to book it any day now so cross your fingers that they still have rooms available at the Hilton Diagonal Mar. I saw on DCL's website that it is one of the hotels they use as well.

LeeAnn, the Mickey head maps are INCREDIBLE!!!! I think I may NEED one if you would be so kind as to help me. Guess I'll have to figure out what to put on the ears, unless you just want to surprise me. I'm thinking I'll print it on magnetic paper and put it on our stateroom door during the cruise. I know I'll need some way to tell our door from all the others. Wouldn't want to end up in someone else's room!!!

 

[Anal Annie]

Thanks for such a great thread!

We will be on this cruise as well, cant wait!

Andy (41) , Hayley (38) and Jen (13 - niece) from Sale, UK!

aboard Andy, Hayley & Jen!! AND welcome to the DISboards!! First post - SWEET! And FINALLY, another TEENAGER on the boat!! We have been sorely lacking in the teen department!! My DS just turned 14 in May...that is nice that you are bringing your neice with you - I think it will be an incredible trip for kids that age (at least I HOPE so!) We have LOTS of UK folks here for you to chat with too. Don't be shy! Come back & chat!! We are setting up a little DIS meet on embarkation day in the Promenade Lounge - around 2:30-3:00 or so and you're welcome to join if you want. The Safety / Lifeboat Drill is at 4:00 so it won't last long - it's just to meet & say hi so we'll maybe see a familiar face around the ship as the week goes on. A few of us have been chatting here for like 18 months so it will be nice to actually meet up. Is this your first Disney cruise? I'll go ahead & add ya'll to the roll call on the first post.


Speaking of adding to the first post....Criscoloo - wanna give me any other info. to add to the roll call on the first post?! Who's sailing with you?!

 

[Anal Annie]

Goodness, I'm offline for the better part of a week and I have PAGES of posts to catch up on! It's a good thing though - means we have a lively crowd!

We just got back from daughter Steph's college graduation in Savannah, Georgia. It truly was the deep south - hot and humid - but we had a wonderful time and are so proud of her!

I've been focused on planning the Savannah trip and have neglected the Med planning! Time to concentrate - can't believe how close the trip is getting!

I still need to book our Barcelona hotel. We SHOULD have enough Hilton Hhonors points to book it any day now so cross your fingers that they still have rooms available at the Hilton Diagonal Mar. I saw on DCL's website that it is one of the hotels they use as well.

LeeAnn, the Mickey head maps are INCREDIBLE!!!! I think I may NEED one if you would be so kind as to help me. Guess I'll have to figure out what to put on the ears, unless you just want to surprise me. I'm thinking I'll print it on magnetic paper and put it on our stateroom door during the cruise. I know I'll need some way to tell our door from all the others. Wouldn't want to end up in someone else's room!!!

Congrats to you and your DD on her graduation! Will she be moving home now or staying in Georgia?! We went to DVC @ HHI last summer & I wanted to go down to Savannah to check it out but we had a few rainy days & we just hung out inside & watched movies - I didn't feel like trudging around in the rain. Then when we DID have nice weather we were ON THE BEACH!! So anyway I never made it down there.

If you book that Hilton you can probably book transfers with DCL to the port too (although they may be cheaper on your own). But it would be convenient for them to bring your luggage etc.

Of COURSE I can make you a Mickey Head map - just let me know what you want me to put on it!! What deck are you on? Several of us are on deck 6 & will be sporting our ears on our doors too!!! They will be sprinkled all around!!

 

[Kaleigh]

Hi all! I just wanted to drop by and let you know that if anyone has questions about doing ports on your own, feel free to ask. I did this cruise last year and compiled all my research onto a website for our roll call which has morphed and grown after another med cruise this year. I just know how hard it is to find info, and I hope it helps someone. Have fun planning!

 

[Kels Sem]

Hi all! I just wanted to drop by and let you know that if anyone has questions about doing ports on your own, feel free to ask. I did this cruise last year and compiled all my research onto a website for our roll call which has morphed and grown after another med cruise this year. I just know how hard it is to find info, and I hope it helps someone. Have fun planning!

Thanks for posting. Lots of great info

 

[ukwizard]

Is this your first Disney cruise? I'll go ahead & add ya'll to the roll call on the first post.!

Yes, its the first Disney cruise we have been on, we have only been on RCI before, and it will be Jennys first cruise ever, she is looking forward to it.

I dont think I could wait 18 months, 2 months is enough for me!!!

 

[jd99]

Sorry i have been absent. Too much going on right now. Tons of work. Clients coming. Clients going (I'm a sole proprietor PR guy). And today is the last day of school. I think I'm even happier than the kids because I don't have to ask "did you do your homework" for more than two months.

DD12 is going to an overnight swim camp all next week to work on upping her game. It should be good experience and it is close to home (but still, it's the first time she's been away for this long - ever). Then after that camp, she starts 7 a.m. practice every day and yes, dear dad gets to take her!

Both she and DD7 have summer swim team with practice and meets at night.

On top of all that, DD12 is dancing with her performance group at WDW later this month. They will be in a parade at the MK and also dance at Downtown Disney. Then we get on the Dream for the first time. Can't wait for that! We weren't really planning a trip for this time of year due to the Med cruise but when the dance group was selected for this event, we had no choice.

So that's our life in a nutshell. Back to work to try to pay for all of this.

Happy Wednesday to all!

 

[Anal Annie]

Hi all! I just wanted to drop by and let you know that if anyone has questions about doing ports on your own, feel free to ask. I did this cruise last year and compiled all my research onto a website for our roll call which has morphed and grown after another med cruise this year. I just know how hard it is to find info, and I hope it helps someone. Have fun planning!

Thanks, Kaleigh - we're still trying to decide what to do in Villefranche (Nice or Monaco) Doing it on our own...want to go to one or the other in the morning then just come back to Villefranche I think in the afternoon to hang out on the beach. Any thoughts?! Nothing is really jumping out at us for that port...

Yes, its the first Disney cruise we have been on, we have only been on RCI before, and it will be Jennys first cruise ever, she is looking forward to it.

I dont think I could wait 18 months, 2 months is enough for me!!!

And we have only cruised with DCL! It will be curious how it will compare to your RCI cruises. TECHNICALLY I booked 22 months out, on opening release day, but then we flip flopped dates a couple of times. So it's been a VERY long wait - now we're down to 2 months & I'M GETTIN' NERVOUS!

Sorry i have been absent. Too much going on right now. Tons of work. Clients coming. Clients going (I'm a sole proprietor PR guy). And today is the last day of school. I think I'm even happier than the kids because I don't have to ask "did you do your homework" for more than two months.

DD12 is going to an overnight swim camp all next week to work on upping her game. It should be good experience and it is close to home (but still, it's the first time she's been away for this long - ever). Then after that camp, she starts 7 a.m. practice every day and yes, dear dad gets to take her!

Both she and DD7 have summer swim team with practice and meets at night.

On top of all that, DD12 is dancing with her performance group at WDW later this month. They will be in a parade at the MK and also dance at Downtown Disney. Then we get on the Dream for the first time. Can't wait for that! We weren't really planning a trip for this time of year due to the Med cruise but when the dance group was selected for this event, we had no choice.

So that's our life in a nutshell. Back to work to try to pay for all of this.

Happy Wednesday to all!

DS has finals this week but they don't get out until the 16th! That is a 1/2 day & his graduation is that morning. Then WE also start AM swim practices and yours truely gets to go. His will be 7:30 - 9:00.

Swim camp will be good for her I'm sure. I am really 2nd guessing not keeping DS with both teams for the duration of the summer. I take it you're sticking to both teams then?? We went to a summer team practice on Monday night & I have to say now that he moved up in practice groups it was pretty lame compared to the workout he's getting with his winter club. I wish his winter team wasn't so darned expensive. And it's almost time to register for their FALL session too! Double $$. I think they probably have lane room for me to add the rest of the summer if I wanted to but the question would be with which group (they have several). He's been splitting between 2 groups now & one of those will have 6 or 7 / week available - some outside in the AM but will also continue to have 3 evening practices at the college indoor pool in Rockville where we're going right now. So we COULD probably do the summer team in the AM then the others 3 nights a week...but I'm not sure if we'd get our money's worth if we only attended 3 evenings - it's a MUCH better value if you go to EVERY practice. The group he really SHOULD swim with will practice in a long course outdoor pool from 5:15 - 7:30 every morning. NOT real fond of that timing but the pool is close to home BUT that would interfere with the summer team practices ! I also wanted him to have the team companionship with the summer team too which is one reason I only registered him the way I did - but I AM concerned the practices will be too easy. The other reason being $$ of course. It's like our money has wings these days!!


OK - need some advice & thoughts from our UK peeps here - see if you can follow me!! I was looking at at the Disneyland Paris website this morning. They still don't have their calendar out for August yet BUT I'm gonna guess the hours will be the same as July probably?! Doncha ya think?! Will they change?! Here's what I'm wondering - which park on which day. I need to tell the rstransport people a TIME to pick us up to move to our other hotel. So I need to make a plan. It looks like Walt Disney Studios will be open only from 10:00-7:00. Disneyland Park will be open reg. hours from 10-11:00 but will have EMH's from 8-10:00. We will be landing around 6:00 am. I think our rstransport shuttle will pick us up around 7:00. So I'm assuming we'll be to our hotel by 8:00. The room won't be ready yet so we'll have to find Bell Services or whatever they call it there and store our luggage so we can head to a park. SOOO should we just say we'll take our time that morning and go to WDS since it opens later or should we try to take advantage of what may be left of EMH's & go to DLP? I was thinking that we're gonna be WIPED OUT by evening so the fact that this park closes early might work to our advantage so we'll go back to our room & crash after dinner. (And since it's early should we make a ressie to eat at the Cheyenne that night for dinner while we're checking in that morning?) Then this way we'd get up on Tues., check out & store our luggage again then go to EMH's at DLP. The PROBLEM then is that we'd be missing out on the evening hours there because we STILL NEED TO LEAVE DLP and go into the city. SOOO...should we flip the days and plan to do WDS on day 2 & just leave after the park closes? I sorta hate to miss out on those EMH's tho - but I suppose we COULD do both parks, right? How hard is it to switch between parks? How is that done? Do you take a bus or walk??

Bottom line - I need a touring plan to take full advantage of our limited time for the parks. Which park will we finish the fastest? Should we stick to 1 park per day or should we park hop? We could do WDS on the 1st morning then switch to DLP later. Then the next morning we could start with DLP and switch to WDS for the afternoon THEN go into the city. I need to come up with a TIME to give to the transport shuttle to pick us up. And where should we plan to eat dinner on day 2? Should we go find something after we get to our new hotel?? Might find a better meal outside of Disney? HELP!! WWYD!?

 

[Kels Sem]

Hi LeeAnn,

The parks are really close together and it will only take 5 mins to walk between them so it is very easy to park hop. I would make use of magic hours if you can as it will be busy in August. It hard to say but you should be able to do the Studios in about half a day If it were me I would probably do DLP the day you arrive and then be at the studios the next day for opening. Once you have finished in the studios then I would head back to DLP until it's time to go. But that just my opinion. Maybe someone else will think differently as it's been a few years since i was a DLP and the Tower of Terror wasn't even opened then!

 

[BWV Dreamin]

FYI...peeps on my cruise (Aug 27) are getting their GTY assignments!! Of course, not me yet. So I will be most obsessive in checking the DCL website!

 

[mikki.young]

Annie - are you sure you don't want that DLP guide book I offered? It's still available! I agree that I would spend more time in MK than studios. Do you have the tickets that you can park hop? Go for emh on second morning, you are right that you probably won't be getting in early enough to take advantage the first morning. Maybe you should take a break in the day once room ready so you could have a 'brief' rest and then enjoy the evening which should be worth seeing.

Eat in Paris on second night - should be far more options.

 

[jd99]

DS has finals this week but they don't get out until the 16th! That is a 1/2 day & his graduation is that morning. Then WE also start AM swim practices and yours truely gets to go. His will be 7:30 - 9:00.

Swim camp will be good for her I'm sure. I am really 2nd guessing not keeping DS with both teams for the duration of the summer. I take it you're sticking to both teams then?? We went to a summer team practice on Monday night & I have to say now that he moved up in practice groups it was pretty lame compared to the workout he's getting with his winter club.

?

Yes we are staying with both teams. Her summer team practices are beyond lame. They are 30 minutes most days, sometimes 45. It's actually not even worth going except to make sure the coaches know her. It's a recreational league so many of the swimmers ONLY swim for these 2 months every year and the kids who swim year round are head and shoulders above them in terms of ability. It's a good thing and a bad thing. Good because the kids who are middle of the road (like my DD) get to feel on top of the world...but the practices are truly just worthless. We are really on summer team for our youngest (DD7) who isn't ready for year round yet but loves being on the summer team. And she's pretty good too!

 

[Kaleigh]

Thanks, Kaleigh - we're still trying to decide what to do in Villefranche (Nice or Monaco) Doing it on our own...want to go to one or the other in the morning then just come back to Villefranche I think in the afternoon to hang out on the beach. Any thoughts?! Nothing is really jumping out at us for that port...


We really enjoyed Nice. It feels very safe, has many restaurants and shopping opportunities as well as a beautiful market. Obviously, the beach is also a huge draw in Nice. It is only 15 minutes away or so and is really easy to get to. (Directions on my website) We went to Eze in the afternoon and really loved it. It is just beautiful and the views are breathtaking. Just walking around the village is an attraction within itself. Any more questions, let me know!

 

[Anal Annie]

Hi LeeAnn,

The parks are really close together and it will only take 5 mins to walk between them so it is very easy to park hop. I would make use of magic hours if you can as it will be busy in August. It hard to say but you should be able to do the Studios in about half a day If it were me I would probably do DLP the day you arrive and then be at the studios the next day for opening. Once you have finished in the studios then I would head back to DLP until it's time to go. But that just my opinion. Maybe someone else will think differently as it's been a few years since i was a DLP and the Tower of Terror wasn't even opened then!

Hummmmmm...maybe we'll take our time getting to the Cheyenne, stow our stuff and just go to WDS if we can do that park that quickly. (BTW do you still tip the bell service people there like at WDW? Here we do $1 / bag - or would this be considered Americans over tipping again!?!) THEN sometime in the late afternoon we can go back to the hotel & see if our room is ready. THEN we can go over to DLP for a little while in the evening - tho probably not until close! I've read that although we'll WANT to go to bed early we should stay up as late as possible to get our sleep cycled. OH, has anyone ever tried changing what time they get up for a few days BEFORE their trip starts? I read somewhere that one thing we can do is change our body clocks BEFORE we go. Anyway, then we can go back to DLP for EMH's the next morning and hopefully finish the park. Maybe we should plan to leave Disney around 6:00. That would hopefully get us to our next hotel around 7:00. We can check in then start exploring Paris for a place to eat dinner before it gets dark.

FYI...peeps on my cruise (Aug 27) are getting their GTY assignments!! Of course, not me yet. So I will be most obsessive in checking the DCL website!

I was WONDERING if you'd gotten your GTY assignment yet. So does your ressie just say "GTY" still? Keep us posted!!

Annie - are you sure you don't want that DLP guide book I offered? It's still available! I agree that I would spend more time in MK than studios. Do you have the tickets that you can park hop? Go for emh on second morning, you are right that you probably won't be getting in early enough to take advantage the first morning. Maybe you should take a break in the day once room ready so you could have a 'brief' rest and then enjoy the evening which should be worth seeing.

Eat in Paris on second night - should be far more options.

I probably should take you up on that book...but I figured it would probably cost as much to mail it as the book cost to buy!? I honestly don't know that our tickets are hoppers but I assumed they WERE. I think the packages come with hoppers. My confirmation only says "Park Tickets for The Disney Parks for 2 Days for 3 Adults". It doesn't really specify one way or the other.

Yes, you're right - I think we should plan to eat in the city that 2nd night since it looks like the food at DLP is iffy and expensive. We are staying in the St. Germain des Pres area which is supposed to full of cafes.

Yes we are staying with both teams. Her summer team practices are beyond lame. They are 30 minutes most days, sometimes 45. It's actually not even worth going except to make sure the coaches know her. It's a recreational league so many of the swimmers ONLY swim for these 2 months every year and the kids who swim year round are head and shoulders above them in terms of ability. It's a good thing and a bad thing. Good because the kids who are middle of the road (like my DD) get to feel on top of the world...but the practices are truly just worthless. We are really on summer team for our youngest (DD7) who isn't ready for year round yet but loves being on the summer team. And she's pretty good too!

30-45 minutes?! Oh NO!! That really would be a joke! That sounds more like lessons! Our summer league is thru the county (MCSL) and it's pretty big and we're in an upper division so they do take it pretty seriously at least our practices are 90 minutes. One of our new assistant coaches is a head coach at a county indoor pool & I've heard that she's actually pretty good at it considering she coaches for RMSC. (People at our winter team knew of her.) WE don't swim winter with the county tho. Since they're subsidized by the county they're a lot cheaper but they're also REALLLLLLY BIG teams - often have 10+ in a lane. And the coaches tend to only pay attention to the reallllly fast kids. In fact, they don't even bother to learn the kids names unless they're GOOD!! I've also heard there's not much stroke instruction. ie if you swim fly wrong in September you will still swim fly wrong in March. We went with a smaller private team that costs a lot more 'cuz we're paying for pool rental & lane time BUT often there's only 2-4 kids per lane. So they get really good lane time. There's also always 2-3 coaches on deck so there's a lot of real coaching going on. DS would not have survived in the big pond. We DO have a lot of RMSC swimmers on our summer team who stay with both all year. That's another reason I'm 2nd guessing myself.

Thanks, Kaleigh - we're still trying to decide what to do in Villefranche (Nice or Monaco) Doing it on our own...want to go to one or the other in the morning then just come back to Villefranche I think in the afternoon to hang out on the beach. Any thoughts?! Nothing is really jumping out at us for that port...[/COLOR

We really enjoyed Nice. It feels very safe, has many restaurants and shopping opportunities as well as a beautiful market. Obviously, the beach is also a huge draw in Nice. It is only 15 minutes away or so and is really easy to get to. (Directions on my website) We went to Eze in the afternoon and really loved it. It is just beautiful and the views are breathtaking. Just walking around the village is an attraction within itself. Any more questions, let me know!

I thought about going to Nice & sightseeing in the morning the hit the beach there & just spending the whole day in Nice...but then I saw pictures of it & couldn't believe all the rocks!! I mean I'd like to SEE it but I don't think that's where we'll want to hang out. I read that the beach in Villefranche is at least a little more sandy and not as crowded maybe. I also thought since we're doing it on our own & it's our first port that we should try to be back near the port at an early time so we don't miss the boat. Not sure how long the tendering process will take. But that way too if we decide we're "done" then we can just go back to the ship & chill by the pool or something. Just have a light day as we're planning a busy do-it-yourself day for La Spezia the next day too. I know Eze would be gorgeous too but DH & DS may not be into the gorgeous thing so much. If we went in the other direction to Monaco we could do Eze too, right? Would that be a 1/2 thing so we could still relax on the Villefranche beach in the afternoon?

 

[Kels Sem]

Hummmmmm...maybe we'll take our time getting to the Cheyenne, stow our stuff and just go to WDS if we can do that park that quickly. (BTW do you still tip the bell service people there like at WDW? Here we do $1 / bag - or would this be considered Americans over tipping again!?!) THEN sometime in the late afternoon we can go back to the hotel & see if our room is ready. THEN we can go over to DLP for a little while in the evening - tho probably not until close! I've read that although we'll WANT to go to bed early we should stay up as late as possible to get our sleep cycled. OH, has anyone ever tried changing what time they get up for a few days BEFORE their trip starts? I read somewhere that one thing we can do is change our body clocks BEFORE we go. Anyway, then we can go back to DLP for EMH's the next morning and hopefully finish the park. Maybe we should plan to leave Disney around 6:00. That would hopefully get us to our next hotel around 7:00. We can check in then start exploring Paris for a place to eat dinner before it gets dark.

TBH it's really quite hard to advise you what order to do things as you really don't know how the jetlag will effect you. I reckon you might struggle to get up early the next morning which is why i suggested the studios on the second day since it doesn't open til 10. What will the time difference be between were you live in the US & Paris 6 or 7 hrs?

 

[Anal Annie]

Hummmmmm...maybe we'll take our time getting to the Cheyenne, stow our stuff and just go to WDS if we can do that park that quickly. (BTW do you still tip the bell service people there like at WDW? Here we do $1 / bag - or would this be considered Americans over tipping again!?!) THEN sometime in the late afternoon we can go back to the hotel & see if our room is ready. THEN we can go over to DLP for a little while in the evening - tho probably not until close! I've read that although we'll WANT to go to bed early we should stay up as late as possible to get our sleep cycled. OH, has anyone ever tried changing what time they get up for a few days BEFORE their trip starts? I read somewhere that one thing we can do is change our body clocks BEFORE we go. Anyway, then we can go back to DLP for EMH's the next morning and hopefully finish the park. Maybe we should plan to leave Disney around 6:00. That would hopefully get us to our next hotel around 7:00. We can check in then start exploring Paris for a place to eat dinner before it gets dark.

TBH it's really quite hard to advise you what order to do things as you really don't know how the jetlag will effect you. I reckon you might struggle to get up early the next morning which is why i suggested the studios on the second day since it doesn't open til 10. What will the time difference be between were you live in the US & Paris 6 or 7 hrs?

Sleeping in is definitely tempting but I want that staying on site perk of EMH's!! I figured since August is supposed to be so busy it would mean a lot...I know how valuable that is at WDW. We can usually fit in about 6 rides or so in that 2 hours in FL so I just assumed it would be equally valuable there. I honestly don't know what the time difference is! You would THINK I would, right?! But yes, I think somewhere around 6 or 7 hours. We're leaving HERE at 4:40 PM and will land in Paris at 6:00 AM the next day. I think it's a 7 hour 20 min. flight.

 

[jd99]

30-45 minutes?! Oh NO!! That really would be a joke! That sounds more like lessons! Our summer league is thru the county (MCSL) and it's pretty big and we're in an upper division so they do take it pretty seriously at least our practices are 90 minutes. One of our new assistant coaches is a head coach at a county indoor pool & I've heard that she's actually pretty good at it considering she coaches for RMSC. (People at our winter team knew of her.) WE don't swim winter with the county tho. Since they're subsidized by the county they're a lot cheaper but they're also REALLLLLLY BIG teams - often have 10+ in a lane. And the coaches tend to only pay attention to the reallllly fast kids. In fact, they don't even bother to learn the kids names unless they're GOOD!! I've also heard there's not much stroke instruction. ie if you swim fly wrong in September you will still swim fly wrong in March. We went with a smaller private team that costs a lot more 'cuz we're paying for pool rental & lane time BUT often there's only 2-4 kids per lane. So they get really good lane time. There's also always 2-3 coaches on deck so there's a lot of real coaching going on. DS would not have survived in the big pond. We DO have a lot of RMSC swimmers on our summer team who stay with both all year. That's another reason I'm 2nd guessing myself.

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Yep and some of the kids complain that it's hard. So it's kind of a joke among the kids that swim year round. My DDs team is also a small private team - rarely with more than 4 kids in a lane. There are times when they are only 2 to a lane especially in summer. So the instruction is great. I was looking at her times this morning and between last year at this time and now she has taken enormous chunks off her LCM times - like 15 seconds in the 100 breast stroke and even up to 7 seconds in some of her 50s. She started out way behind but has really caught up to a lot of kids that used to be so much faster. Fun to watch.