Aussie Disneyland Planners come on in and lets plan together :)

[kel77]

Am up to page 23 I got a little side tracked clicking on all the links you guys have posted

I am taking little notes here at my computer desk and will post all of my comments when I have finished completely

 

[kel77]

Alrighty then. I have read through the entire thread - phew!

*I am really looking forward to Denny's, Taco Bell and the like. I like to read novels by Richard Laymon and he mentions Denny's a few times so, it'll be a real treat to eat there

*I am loving the idea of the "fastpass" and "rider switch". This means our 9 year old (and us) won't miss out on the thrill rides.

*We are flying Air Pacific.

*Even though we won the holiday I still did alot of research myself. Our prize came from Flight Centre and our agent is lovely and very helpful but I felt better being able to go in and say - this is what I want

*Thanks for the jetlag tips. I hope the kids adapt well - I hope Hubby and I adapt well too

*Swine flu info has died down a bit so I am really not that fussed. Hopefully it stays that way.

*I can't believe the prices in some of those Anaheim menus!!! $5.49 for beef and blackbean!!!!! It's $9.80 down the road from me!!!!

*As we are going at the end of the US Summer I am stoked to be going shopping My Mum lives in Philly and sends stuff for my kids all the time. She pops the receipt in the package too so I can see the prices I should be able to stock up on new wardrobes for all of us just in time to come back to our warmer weather.

*I watch the news religiously and have never been interested in the finance report until we knew we were headed overseas I do a little happy dance in my living room when I see the rate

*I have been rying to behave and lose a little weight before we go. I just know I am going to put it all back on over there. This holiday will be a "whatever goes". As I said above - I can't wait to try all of the food that I have seen on TV and in movies

My Mum went to a "Aussie" restaurant and asked for Bundy Rum - they didn't serve it (it's on the top of my Duty Free list) They did however have Fosters! MY Mum laughed and said "No-one in Oz drinks Fosters!" The waiter said "Oh, well we are getting quadruple X soon". It took Mum a couple of seconds but she realised he was talking about XXXX (4X)

Brian - As for cheese steak, my Step Father has already planned on taking us to "Jimmy's on South Street" I will make a note of your other recommendations and be sure to try it all

Well, that's it from me at the moment. Will more than likely be back tomorrow

 

[*Nessa*]

Hi guys

An aussie thread! that’s fantastic !

I have a question for you all... we are getting married on the DCL sailing 28th Nov this year. We will be in DL for a few days first, before we fly to WDW & board the cruise.

Just wondered if anyone else will be there at the same time? and are there any other Aussie Disney brides ???

 

[marvel]

hi all. Great tips on photos. I always wanted to be an SLR type of guy but unfortunetly ended up a point and shoot and think it is too late to start now. I am happy with m Panasonic Lumix TZ2, it has a 10x optical which is pretty good for a compact and in my own novice way I am pretty happy with the photos. And most people that see then comment how nice they are. I tend to take as many photos as possible, last trip it was 1500 and then just cull the ones I like. I have been taking food porn photos for ages and always feel that people are looking at that weirdo, but the food is a major highlight of our trips and we often recall everything about a particular day from where we ate!

The tip on taking photos before the rides is good as you often cannot remember when you did what, and the camera helps you remember. The one thing I regret from past trips is being so attached to both the still and video camera that I lost focus on where I was, and probably didn't live the moments as I should. I try to concentrate on that now and don't obess with catching ever single moment on video or photos! It is ok, not to cover everything, well that is what I am trying to tell myself.

I am with you kel on the food and the clothing. On our trips anything goes with the food! That is why we diet before hand. And the price of clothes is also amazing, even at full price most of the stuff is a bargain, but when they have sales it is unbelievable. We haven't had the pleasure of a philly steak yet, but its on our list for our next trip to the East Coast.

 

[aussiemum174]

Im Karen, and its been a year since our families first trip to Disneyland DH, DS 16, DD 14, DD6, I used to haunt the boards researching everything, so I think this thread is great!
I booked everything online and saved around $6000 on the same package through a travel agent. We stayed at the Howard Johnson, which was great - and the best beds ive ever slept on !(although be careful, the rooms right next to the freeway are very noisy - the staff were great and we got a quieter room when we complained. Mimis cafe is excellent, and well priced. Driving was not nearly as bad as I thought, and those huge freeways are pretty easy to navigate (with a navman of course and our roadtrip to Vegas was great. So here i am back on the boards, when Im supposed to be looking at Bali getaways - my kids just suggested if we wait and keep saving maybe we could go back - and of course now the idea is in my head......

 

[becpee]

Hi everybody (again), just wondering if anybody has yet flown V-Australia or heard any reviews?
My mum just got back and flew on the Qantas A380, she said the plane was so big they hardly felt take off or landing but there was less leg room (and she is short).
After hearing this I am even more interested in flying V-Australia just to experience the other international airline that is based in Australia to compare to Qantas, I have found that flying with them before it takes ages for drinks to come around and the seats are not really that comfortable, With 2 adults and a nearly 5 year old I want to be comfortable (well, as comfortable as we can be).

 

[gogo65]

Alrighty then. I have read through the entire thread - phew!



*We are flying Air Pacific.



:

Kel77

We flew airpacific last year to the US
We flew out of SYD and had 3 hours at Nadi airport-with no FJ dollars.

The main complaint they don't have in-seat TV's just the old screen up on the roof for everyone to share, so make sure you take plenty of entertainment.

 

[gogo65]

Im Karen, and its been a year since our families first trip to Disneyland DH, DS 16, DD 14, DD6, I used to haunt the boards researching everything, so I think this thread is great!
I booked everything online and saved around $6000 on the same package through a travel agent. We stayed at the Howard Johnson, which was great - and the best beds ive ever slept on !(although be careful, the rooms right next to the freeway are very noisy - the staff were great and we got a quieter room when we complained. Mimis cafe is excellent, and well priced. Driving was not nearly as bad as I thought, and those huge freeways are pretty easy to navigate (with a navman of course and our roadtrip to Vegas was great. So here i am back on the boards, when Im supposed to be looking at Bali getaways - my kids just suggested if we wait and keep saving maybe we could go back - and of course now the idea is in my head......

With prices at the moment it is probably cheaper to go to the US

 

[gogo65]

Aussie trip planners 2009


May

BecBennett - 18th-22nd - Parkvue Inn
Renderman7-
lovintheland-

June

July

August
Kel77 -17-21/8 - Hojo's
September

Marvel -19-27/9 – Hojo’s
Czardas -9/9-12/9 - Park Vue Inn
Butterflykisses- 21-28/9 - Hojo
rossip
keptwoman 28/9-3/10 Hojo

October

Platypus67 -14-18/10 -Hojo
Ihaveamickeymousekid – 18-26/10 - Carousal Inn
Flea 18/10-1/11 Hojo’s
CinderALLIE - 22/10-2/11 at GCH

November

Aussiemickeys 15-17/11
Aussiedaisy & youngaussienurse - 17-24/11 - Hojo

December

ColB
Gogo65 25-30/12 - Carousal Inn


Aussie trip planners 2009 WDW

Sharkmeister
Dollarmite
ColB 8/12



Aussie trip planners 2010
alyssacameronsdad - 3-6/1 - Hojo
KylieH Oct 2010
Becpee Oct 2010
Ms. Shuttergirl Dec 2010-DLH
Mareeld86

 

[Ms. Shuttergirl]

Ms Shuttergirl,

For those that are seriously camera challenged any recommendations on a good point and shoot camera.
We have an old sony 5mp, but would like to get a new camera before we go away.

Minimum specs:
take good photos with idiot behind camera.
easy to upload on computer

Thats about it

I'm not up with the ins and outs of which point and shoot to buy I'm afraid. Definitely go for something with a 10x optical zoom. As for mega pixels, unless you plan on blowing your images up to poster size, you can get away with 5-7megapixels no problem

 

[PoohBear1988]

Kel77

We flew airpacific last year to the US
We flew out of SYD and had 3 hours at Nadi airport-with no FJ dollars.

The main complaint they don't have in-seat TV's just the old screen up on the roof for everyone to share, so make sure you take plenty of entertainment.

We flew in January with Air Pacific and our plane had in-seat tv's. You must have had an older plane or something?

There is definately not much to do at Nadi airport! lol, but they do accept Australian and US dollars at the registers (have a rough idea of how idea of how much it should work out to be, as they just seem to guess)

We only flew with Air Pacific because it saved us around $2000!! I just thought the service was lacking a bit, and the stop over is annoying! I prob wouldnt fly with them again, especially since my mum now works for V Australia as a flight attendant, so i get cheap flights on staff travel! lol

 

[Ms. Shuttergirl]

Shuttergirl, thanks for the tips about the photos! I actually just bought a Canon 450D last week. I have the twin kit lenses but i really want the 50mm 1.8 lens too. I'll definately be carting my camera around Disneyland but I don't think I'll take it out every day.

What type of camera do you have? Also what camera bag? i'm currently looking for a camera bag to store all my stuff in but there are way many choices. A backpack style bag would be good for DL but I don't think I really want to be carting around a backpack when I'm at home. I really love the Jill-e bags but they are quite expensive. Any recommendations on a bag that would fit my camera body and 3 lenses as well as some accessories?

ButterflyKisses, I use a Crumpler bag. I have the "5 million dollar home" see here:- https://www.crumpler.com.au/flash/flash.aspx#/english/product-details/5-million-dollar-home-md0500b.html

But I think for your 450d and two lens this one would be perfect, the "4 million dollar home". I am considering getting this one for DL myself:-
https://www.crumpler.com.au/flash/f...ct-details/4-million-dollar-home-md0406a.html

I would suggest not buying anything in black. It will look too much like a camera bag then and could be prey to thieves. Choose a colour that makes it look more like a satchel/bag. Hope that helps.

 

[kel77]

Good Morning everyone

We are stopping in Fiji for a couple of days so that is one reason we chose Air Pacific + it was a cheaper option at the time. The plane we are taking does have tv's in the seat backs. They must've updated or something.

Oh and gogo65 can you add me to the planning list for August Thankyou.

Aussiemum174 Bali Vs Disney that's a tough choice Prices being what they are at the moment I would definately be choosing Disney

 

[platypus67]

Great photo tips shuttergirl. Just one thing about photopass. Don't expect that the photos you get from them will always be good. We have bought the DVD of photos from our last two trips and will do so again this coming trip, however many of our photos are pretty ordinary. I think alot of the photo pass photographers may be people who take photos and not photographers. Quite a number of our photos from WDW were out of focus or had tops of characters cut off. However the majority were pretty good and some taken were fantastic. I try to get someone else besides the photopass person to take a group photo with my little camera so we have a back up. This being said I still love photo pass and since you can view your photos online you won't get any surprises when the DVD arrives. One other thing about photo pass remember you must download them into a photo pass account online within 30 days and then edit and purchase them within 30 days. You can view and purchase them while in the park, but then you can't edit them online. I like the edit option because I'm a scrapbooker and can add things like character signatures to the photos.
My plan of attack for photos is generally take the SLR and go around getting those planned photo shots. Things like close ups of flowers and other "disney details" DD is a budding photographer so she does alot of photos as well. We generally carry the big camera around for part of the day and then pop it in a locker. I also had a little 10x optical zoom on the last two trips and this was great for just about everything including shots together when we were on rides.

 

[kylieh]

Great photo tips shuttergirl. Just one thing about photopass. Don't expect that the photos you get from them will always be good.

Completey agree!

I was disappointed too with a lot of the photopass photos, and some were missing. I contacted the photopass people, they found some but not all.

So don't rely on them for all of your photos. Dh had the Darth Vader shot overlay, it's one of his favourite photos, and shows everyone!

ButterflyKisses, I use a Crumpler bag. I have the "5 million dollar home" see here:- https://www.crumpler.com.au/flash/flash.aspx#/english/product-details/5-million-dollar-home-md0500b.html

Ooh, I like that bag. I want one!

I carry a Canon point and shoot, but DH has a bit of a kit, with 3 lenses, filters, etc. He uses the LowePro backpack bag with a laptop compartment. He took it away and we carried our lappy accordingly. Our video camera was also kept in there.

 

[gogo65]

Good Morning everyone

We are stopping in Fiji for a couple of days so that is one reason we chose Air Pacific + it was a cheaper option at the time. The plane we are taking does have tv's in the seat backs. They must've updated or something.

Oh and gogo65 can you add me to the planning list for August Thankyou.

Aussiemum174 Bali Vs Disney that's a tough choice Prices being what they are at the moment I would definately be choosing Disney

We flew air pacific on FF points, so we had no option either, we would definitely fly them again for a $2000 saving. We also contemplated coming home via Fiji but decided on Hawaii instead. Obviously they have upgraded their planes or we just had some bad luck
Will add you to the list

 

[gogo65]

Aussie trip planners 2009


May

BecBennett - 18th-22nd - Parkvue Inn
Renderman7-
lovintheland-16/5-???
snow white09

June

July

August
Kel77 -17-21/8 - Hojo's
September

Marvel -19-27/9 – Hojo’s
Czardas -9/9-12/9 - Park Vue Inn
Butterflykisses- 21-28/9 - Hojo
rossip
keptwoman 28/9-3/10 Hojo

October

Platypus67 -14-18/10 -Hojo
Ihaveamickeymousekid – 18-26/10 - Carousal Inn
Flea 18/10-1/11 Hojo’s
CinderALLIE - 22/10-2/11 at GCH

November

Aussiemickeys 15-17/11
Aussiedaisy & youngaussienurse - 17-24/11 - Hojo
*Nessa* - 28/11 Getting married on DCL

December

ColB
Gogo65 25-30/12 - Carousal Inn


Aussie trip planners 2009 WDW

Sharkmeister
Dollarmite
ColB 8/12



Aussie trip planners 2010
alyssacameronsdad - 3-6/1 - Hojo
KylieH Oct 2010
Becpee Oct 2010
Ms. Shuttergirl Dec 2010-DLH
Mareeld86

 

[marvel]

I think it is cheaper to do Disney than some pacific islands. Flights to FIJI can get up to $900 which is what adult fares to the US are.

welcome Karen, sounds like you had a great trip. A couple of questions. Which room type and building did you have at HOJOs? I am still a bit wary of the noise issue, we have the new Kids Suites and apparently some are closer to the freeway and other closer to the elevator. Where did you stay in Vegas? We are driving to and from Vegas as well, so if you made any good stops on the way let us know.

 

[kel77]

Are the HoJo Kid's Suites up and running? I might have to give them a call and see if I can book one We upgraded to a Disney Premium because we wanted the microwave and we'll be away from the freeway noise. I'd love to have the extra room of a kid's suite though - noise or not

 

[marvel]

yes, you can book them now but don't know when they started being used. we have one booked for sept and they sound huge.