August 27, 2006 4 night Wonder

[S.S.Oceanlover]

Bill, where did you find Grand Cypress for $100? That's the kind of deal I am waiting for!

I got it on Priceline on March 5th. I just bid $90.00 for Resort and it was rejected but said if i raised my bid $22.00 it would be accepted. From reading www.biddingfortravel.com I learned that you should just bid about half that. So I bumped it up another $10.00 and i got it.

Bill

 

[bellelinus]

That is in the WDW bidding zone, right? I think I will try Priceline closer to time and see if I can get a good deal on a resort. You are about 6 weeks away from the days you bid on, I think, so I will probably start trying around the beginning of June to get something for August. Wait - I just saw that you bid on it March 5th . . . so I guess it doesn't hurt to start trying off and on now.

 

[S.S.Oceanlover]

That is in the WDW bidding zone, right? I think I will try Priceline closer to time and see if I can get a good deal on a resort. You are about 6 weeks away from the days you bid on, I think, so I will probably start trying around the beginning of June to get something for August. Wait - I just saw that you bid on it March 5th . . . so I guess it doesn't hurt to start trying off and on now.

Yes it is the WDW resort zone. If your bid is accepted in the resort zone you can't go wrong no matter what you get. That was my way of thinking anyway.
I wouldn't say it's too early to bid. Just don't get carried away overbidding. lol
Since it's a resort zone there are a lot of free bids available if the first one isn't accepted.
Good luck and let me know how you make out. I love bargain.

Bill

 

[emmabelle]

I got it on Priceline on March 5th. I just bid $90.00 for Resort and it was rejected but said if i raised my bid $22.00 it would be accepted. From reading www.biddingfortravel.com I learned that you should just bid about half that. So I bumped it up another $10.00 and i got it.

Bill

I love to dabble with Priceline, that was a low bid to be accepted by the Cypress, you did really well! I love biddingfortravel also.

 

[victoryblu]

we are going on hour first cruise just dad and the girls hope top meet up with some fun friends

 

[S.S.Oceanlover]

Welcome Victoryblu. Nice to hear you'll be joining us for this cruise.
What are the ages of the kids?? Did you book a hotel for the day before in Port canaveral?

Bill

 

[victoryblu]

hi everyone the girls are 9&12 and we are flying in two days early hope two stay at wdw until the cruise anybody have suggestions on where to stay at wdw?

 

[S.S.Oceanlover]

hi everyone the girls are 9&12 and we are flying in two days early hope two stay at wdw until the cruise anybody have suggestions on where to stay at wdw?

Disney has cheap hotels all the way up to high end hotels. It depends on what you want to spend.

Bill

 

[bellelinus]

The dates right before our cruise are included in the new deal where you can get free dining if you stay a minimum number of days at Disney and buy the passes . . . I'm not sure how many days you have to stay, though. If you are not already familiar with the resorts, you might want to try one of the Disney specialists in the travel agency industry and see what they can offer you.

 

[MrsScooby]

Hi Victoryblu !
My DS is 12 and my DD will be 9 in a few weeks so they will probably see your two in the kids clubs (unless your 12 yr old is 13 by then). We've stayed at the All Star resorts when we did the parks (Sport and Movie). The rooms aren't fancy, but since we were only in them to sleep that was fine with us. They fill up fast though, so you want to decide where you'll stay soon.
Of course I'm still procrastinating and haven't booked my hotel room yet before the cruise. I'm leaning toward the Residence Inn (Port Canaveral).

Laurie

 

[MrsScooby]

Hi All !!
Made my on-line reservations It went pretty smoothly except for one thing. I was trying to book the Eco Tour for my family of four and it kept giving me an error message. It took me a few minutes to realize what I had done which was to book a double tour for each member instead of each driver. Once I fixed it, everything was fine.
I have Palo dinner for the second night (Nassau) at 6:30 and brunch at 11:00 on the day at sea. If anyone else is planning on those times maybe I'll see you then (Wound up being seated next to a fellow DISer on my first cruise and didn't realize until her trip report.)

Laurie

 

[bellelinus]

Hi Laurie;

Lucky you, being a Castaway Cay member and booking at 90 days! I can't wait to go online at 75 days and book. Just a question for you -- what browser do you use? I generally use Firefox but heard that some people have problems booking online using Firefox. I might want to install Internet Explorer before my date to be sure I can book online.

 

[MrsScooby]

I used Internet Explorer. I actually got up at 3 AM to do this, which probably wasn't necessary, but since it fell on a holiday not too painful. I had trouble going back to sleep, hence my posting here to let off some of the excitement
Was a bit nervous about the online reservations because I had heard of some problems others have had, but aside from my temporary problem with the Eco Tour everything went fine. If you get a red message that says something about unable to make your reservation and to call Disney during business hours, try again and make sure you didn't make a mistake with your choices- it took me a few trys before I realized the problem was ME

Laurie

 

[bellelinus]

Thanks, Laurie! I'll let you know my luck once the 75 day mark rolls around (very soon, now . . .).

 

[MrsScooby]

I picked up some of those Mickey Mouse paint chips at Home Depot today. The plan is to decorate the door with a magnetic sign
Anyone else doing the same ? I've heard that the signs disappear if they aren't personalized, but I'm not sure if it is safer to stick to just last name or just first names. Any ideas ?
(I'm sure my kids would want their first names on the door, but I'm not sure how safe that is )

Laurie

 

[bellelinus]

I picked up some of those Mickey Mouse paint chips at Home Depot today. The plan is to decorate the door with a magnetic sign
Anyone else doing the same ? I've heard that the signs disappear if they aren't personalized, but I'm not sure if it is safer to stick to just last name or just first names. Any ideas ?
(I'm sure my kids would want their first names on the door, but I'm not sure how safe that is )

Laurie

Honestly, maybe I'm paranoid (I do live in Manhattan!) but I feel nervous about putting either first or last names on a magnetic door sign . . . I did want to do something like that, though. It's tough -- don't personalize and your sign gets stolen -- personalize and you have your names associated with that stateroom for anyone to see. Let me know what you decide.

 

[MrsScooby]

I've been warned for years not to put my kids first names on their clothing (outside) where others could see. I'm originally from New York (Huntington LI) so maybe we're both paranoid
I'm definitely putting my DIS name on and maybe I'll get the kids to pick nicknames instead. I'm hoping putting the cabin number/date on will keep the sign from walking away as well .
Either way I'll make a couple of copies and try to treat it as a compliment if someone decides to steal it. Refuse to let it ruin my cruise

Laurie

 

[MrsScooby]

I generally use Firefox but heard that some people have problems booking online using Firefox. I might want to install Internet Explorer before my date to be sure I can book online.

FYI
I just read on the cruise boards that you probably want to install Internet Explorer before you try to book online. Several others with Firefox had problems.
Are you going to try for 3 am or wait for normal hours ? I'm curious how necessary (or not) it is to get up at 3 am. If you do decide to do it at 3 am make sure you have all the info you need written down prior (confirmation number, password etc.) Brain doesn't work well at 3 am

Laurie

 

[bellelinus]

I will definitely install Internet Explorer before June 13th to be sure I can get online . . I like Firefox a lot better because I don't get popups or viruses like I did when I used Internet Explorer, but for that one day, I'll risk it!

I am thinking of just going online when I get up normally that day (around 6 AM), since I don't plan to try for Palo reservations. I want to book an excursion for my oldest daughter, register the kids in the clubs, and look for available appointment times in the spa -- but since I'm flexible, I don't think there will be a problem waiting until 6. If I'm wrong, you'll hear about it! However, I could get no reservations and still have a great cruise, so I'm not going to worry about it.

I'll have to think about what to do for the magnetic door sign . . .

 

[MrsScooby]

If you have problems, Bellelinus, just remember you will be able to try again when you board the ship.
I'm planning on changing our Palo reservation if Pirate Night happens to fall on the second night. (They didn't have Pirate Night when we first cruised and I don't want to miss it )
DD was a pirate for Halloween so she has a cute costume to wear. DH and DS are too cool to dress up .
I'm just going in a white blouse and skirt (kinda pirate like)
Anyone else planning on looking like a pirate on Pirate Night ?

Laurie