From WDW to DL With Love - January 06, 2011 part 2

[emum]

Welcome LimoFan5 - we're in Sydney, flying to the US on Christmas Day, 4 nights at DL, then 8 nights at BWI, then a flight home straight after the cruise. We'll be gone for 4 weeks.

My youngest turns 6yo on the cruise (Ds turns 10yo at DL).

Looks like this group will be a great, diverse bunch to travel with - they've certainly been a wealth of information thus far.

Short post from me - early shift tomorrow again, then I'm taking the kids to TS3.

Have a great day.
Cheers,
SALLY

 

[shushh]

Hello all! Haven't been on for a while and struggling to keep up!!! Hope you've all been well. Been busy playing with my new toy (my DSLR) practising for all the WDW and DCL shots. I am determined to get a fabulous one of the castle!

Hi emum, glad to see another Aussie onboard! There are 5 Aussie families in our group going. We too are flying straight home after the cruise with Delta. Which airlines are you flying with?

 

[LindaBabe]

Hello all! Haven't been on for a while and struggling to keep up!!! Hope you've all been well. Been busy playing with my new toy (my DSLR) practising for all the WDW and DCL shots. I am determined to get a fabulous one of the castle!

Hi emum, glad to see another Aussie onboard! There are 5 Aussie families in our group going. We too are flying straight home after the cruise with Delta. Which airlines are you flying with?

I was just wondering about you! Hoping everything is ok in Australia! Glad to see you back.

The news from here since you've been missing is - I acquired two room mates who don't know each other, and one of whom I've never met in person (won't that be interesting?)

Happy day, all!

 

[shushh]

Woohoo! How did you do that? That is quite a feat...

All is well. Things have been busy since our return from Europe. Putting the travel insurance through for the ash cloud was a pain. Then we had birthdays galore and soon a trip to Melbourne. The planning for our trip to the States is moving along really well. The info pack that you sent me was invaluable! We managed to get rooms that fit 5 in DC at the Holiday Inn for $109 per night tax inclusive. It looks quite close to the National Mall so we're happy about that! We also bought our train tickets from NY to DC for $171.50 for all 5 of us, so we're really happy about that too! Best of all, I managed to get the price of our hotel in NY down from $346 per night to $277 per night. Sorry about the rant, but I'm very excited about all the savings!!!

 

[JenKatt]

Woohoo! How did you do that? That is quite a feat...

All is well. Things have been busy since our return from Europe. Putting the travel insurance through for the ash cloud was a pain. Then we had birthdays galore and soon a trip to Melbourne. The planning for our trip to the States is moving along really well. The info pack that you sent me was invaluable! We managed to get rooms that fit 5 in DC at the Holiday Inn for $109 per night tax inclusive. It looks quite close to the National Mall so we're happy about that! We also bought our train tickets from NY to DC for $171.50 for all 5 of us, so we're really happy about that too! Best of all, I managed to get the price of our hotel in NY down from $346 per night to $277 per night. Sorry about the rant, but I'm very excited about all the savings!!!

The train ride between NYC and DC is wonderful (MUCH better than driving!!!). Have a great time in NYC. There's nothing else like it. If you haven't been there before, I don't think I could describe it. It's a merge between Sydney and Melbourne shoved onto a tiny island (well the Manhatten part anyway, which I'm guessing is where you are going)... If you have questions about NYC, just holler, there's a bunch of us from that area that can help out

(and if you're looking for Aussie food by then, a little Australia has popped up in NYC - kinda like a little Italy - one of the few places in the states I know you can get real Aussie beer - not Fosters, but not VB or Crown Lager either)

 

[shushh]

The train ride between NYC and DC is wonderful (MUCH better than driving!!!). Have a great time in NYC. There's nothing else like it. If you haven't been there before, I don't think I could describe it. It's a merge between Sydney and Melbourne shoved onto a tiny island (well the Manhatten part anyway, which I'm guessing is where you are going)... If you have questions about NYC, just holler, there's a bunch of us from that area that can help out

(and if you're looking for Aussie food by then, a little Australia has popped up in NYC - kinda like a little Italy - one of the few places in the states I know you can get real Aussie beer - not Fosters, but not VB or Crown Lager either)

Hi Jen!
I can't wait to see New York. In fact, I can't wait to go the States full stop! Not sure which part of our trip we're most looking forward to. I still remember your recommendation of an Aussie restaurant, 8 mile creek? At the moment, I don't really know where things are in relation to each other, but its on our list of restaurants to go. We're trying to nut down our Christmas day meal at the moment before things get booked out. Not so easy to squeeze 14 people with short notice. Someone suggested Balthazar so have to check that out too.

I was actually going to ask whether or not its better to buy tickets for broadway show in advance or get last minute tickets as some people are suggesting?

 

[JenKatt]

Yeah 8 mile creek, great place. it's tiny, but I do believe they are open for Christmas. The owner is from Australia. It's where I fell in love with Turkey Creek wine, which I have never been able to find again (I sound like such a lush!). There's also a pub with the restaurant, under it, which is also quite nice (for a basement pub).
Since you will be there for Christmas I would get my tickets now. The holidays in NYC are crazy, it's a sea of humanity. WDW will seem empty in comparison. But there is such life and energy, and it's all decorated - makes me miss it!
here's a link about 'Little Australia" so at least you know where to get decent beer!

 

[DCLtravler]

Kinda new to this thread as I have not really been following. Whats going on. I noticed there is a link to the cruise website but how do I sign on so that I can add my family to the mix?
What is everyones plans? Are you staying at Disneyworld or will you be spending some time at Disneyland when we arrive in LA.

We live in Southern California, Los Alamitos so we will be spending one night prior to the cruise at Bay Lake Towers at Disneyworld....one of our homes away from home.

Does anyone have any idea what the dining schedule will be? When is pirate night, formal night and semi-formal night?

Look foward to getting to know all of you......

L
Cruising will be ME, My husband and our two daughters 5 & 6

Welcome LimoFam5~ Glad to have you aboard!! I (Melissa) will be traveling with my DD (Mikayla-12) and our family (mom, dad, sis, bro-in-law and bro-in-law's parents). We are all from Napa, but currently living in different parts of the state (I'm in So. Cal. now). We are flying into FL late on the 5th and then heading directly to the ship on the 6th. No plans for the return (yet), but we have Premium Passes, so we may just stay at DLR for a day or two--we will probably decide that when we dock.

Been away to the world for the weekend, it was Jeff's birthday. We met up with WeLuvDCL and family. Jack (DS) and Emily (DD to WeLuvDCL) had a great time at Blizzard Beach.
Just found out on the main cruise board that Barb and Tony (yes that Barb and Tony) are going on our cruise. I invited them to come on over and say hi on the thread.
Back to writing papers for school....

Happy Birthday Jeff !! Glad you enjoyed BB--I love it there!! Good luck on the paper writing!

Happy Monday to all--Part I of our training is done and now we spend the week writing, writing, writing...I plan to have a direct line of coffee pumped into my system continuously for the next five days

~Melissa

 

[RRBB]

 

[danfromca]

Hi Jen!
I can't wait to see New York. In fact, I can't wait to go the States full stop! Not sure which part of our trip we're most looking forward to. I still remember your recommendation of an Aussie restaurant, 8 mile creek? At the moment, I don't really know where things are in relation to each other, but its on our list of restaurants to go. We're trying to nut down our Christmas day meal at the moment before things get booked out. Not so easy to squeeze 14 people with short notice. Someone suggested Balthazar so have to check that out too.

I was actually going to ask whether or not its better to buy tickets for broadway show in advance or get last minute tickets as some people are suggesting?

Sounds like an amazing trip. We did Xmas in New York once, but I have no recollection of what we did Xmas evening. Daytime I know - airport food - turns out it's a great day to travel (low air fares and no crowds).

As for tickets, you can save a lot with last minute tickets if you aren't too picky as to what you want to see or where you'll be sitting. You never know what's going to be available. But it's a safe bet that something will be available.

But if there is a show you really want to see, or if you want good seats, buy the tickets ahead of time to be safe.

Sometimes you can get great seats at the last minute by going to the box office and seeing if there are any cancellations - but that's a matter of luck and involves a lot of walking around.

Of course, you can always pay a fortune at one of the ticket agencies that specialize in last minute tickets.

 

[sak0526]

Jeff, I missed it - Happy Birthday! (did someone know or is it posted somewhere??)

Lynne, is that your water slide pic - i cant tell on my little computer here. Very cute whosever it is!

Bookwood - What's your name? I'm pushing to get people to sign their names tho with my situation i'm not actually learning them so we will be behind the 8 ball when we get there. Anyway, we're close in age, staying on the same floor of the boat and eating late! :-D . But also I see you are from texas. my boss's daughter is doing a softball tourney in somwhere texas (i think near college station) and he sees it's only about 3 hours to corpus christi. he's looking for a place, preferably with a beach, to do a few days vacation. are you familiar (or is anyone else reading this) enough to offer advice for me to pass on?thanks!

Sherri (and Alan)

 

[orlandothebeagle]

Jeff, I missed it - Happy Birthday! (did someone know or is it posted somewhere??)

Lynne, is that your water slide pic - i cant tell on my little computer here. Very cute whosever it is!



Sherri (and Alan)

Yes Sherri, it was aquatica.

 

[carmie3377]

But also I see you are from texas. my boss's daughter is doing a softball tourney in somwhere texas (i think near college station) and he sees it's only about 3 hours to corpus christi. he's looking for a place, preferably with a beach, to do a few days vacation. are you familiar (or is anyone else reading this) enough to offer advice for me to pass on?thanks!

Sherri (and Alan)

Hi Sherri,
If they want a nice beach vacation in Texas, I would recommend Corpus, Padre Island, or South Padre Island. According to the google maps search I just did, Corpus and Padre Island are close to 5 hours from College Station. South Padre Island - about 7.5 hours. They'd be a lot closer to Galveston (about 2.5 hours) but I really don't care for the beaches of Galveston. I've lived in Texas most of my life and currently living south of Houston. Galveston is about 45-60 mins from me but we just don't go that often. We did go to another beach last week and it was okay, but I definitely wouldn't make a beach vacation out of it or Galveston. The water is just not that nice (looks like muddy lake water to me).

Something else that might interest them is San Antonio and Austin (around 3 hours from College Station). In San Antonio there is Sea World and Fiesta Texas (a Six Flags Park). Never been to Fiesta Texas but have been to Sea World a few times. They have a few rides and a small water park attached (included in the daily admission). There is also the River Walk in downtown San Antonio that has a lot of shopping and dining. If they are interested in Texas History, the Alamo is also located in San Antonio. As far as Austin, that is our State Capital so there are a few things to do there. In between the two cities is San Marcos, one of the best places for outlet shopping!

Hope this helps!

Carmen

 

[JenKatt]

Hey how many pages do we have to get to before the shut this thread down and we have to open another one?

For those sending Jeff updates, he is umpiring little league tournaments all week (every.stinking.day). So updates will take a bit.

 

[emum]

Hi shushh - Good to see you post - I'd noticed your posts on EB on the travel board. I don't visit there too much though now that the kids are all at school.

Oops - forgot to reply about flights - we're going QF - we're racking up FF points for our 20th anniversary in 2012 - we'll be doing NY, Alaska, and Canada, hopefully.

Well, shift is over, so we're off to TS3. ADRs all done, too - got all that I wanted in the end

Have a great day / afternoon / evening.

Cheers,
Sally

 

[KayR]

Just missing the drink of the day, apart from that - perfect!

-Kay

 

[LimoFam5]

So I am a super freak planner. I like to plan, organize, and get all my duckies in a row. The sooner I start my research and planning the longer I have to obsess and think about all the possibilities. I have started to look into some port adventures but would love to know.......AM I ALONE???? Has anyone started to plan and look into what to do at PORT? If so what are your thoughts?

 

[danfromca]

So I am a super freak planner. I like to plan, organize, and get all my duckies in a row. The sooner I start my research and planning the longer I have to obsess and think about all the possibilities. I have started to look into some port adventures but would love to know.......AM I ALONE???? Has anyone started to plan and look into what to do at PORT? If so what are your thoughts?

I would if they were up - but I do tend to book the DCL excursions, and until they announce them, it's hard to worry about it. I know I could look at what other cruise lines offer, but then I might get excited over something DCL doesn't offer.

 

[shushh]

Yeah 8 mile creek, great place. it's tiny, but I do believe they are open for Christmas. The owner is from Australia. It's where I fell in love with Turkey Creek wine, which I have never been able to find again (I sound like such a lush!). There's also a pub with the restaurant, under it, which is also quite nice (for a basement pub).
Since you will be there for Christmas I would get my tickets now. The holidays in NYC are crazy, it's a sea of humanity. WDW will seem empty in comparison. But there is such life and energy, and it's all decorated - makes me miss it!
here's a link about 'Little Australia" so at least you know where to get decent beer!

Thanks for the link. We do wonder if we will miss food from home. And happy belated birthday to Jeff!

Sigh...I would love to be there too. It was so cold today I had to scrape ice off my car in the morning which is quite unusual for Sydney.

As for tickets, you can save a lot with last minute tickets if you aren't too picky as to what you want to see or where you'll be sitting. You never know what's going to be available. But it's a safe bet that something will be available.

But if there is a show you really want to see, or if you want good seats, buy the tickets ahead of time to be safe.

Sometimes you can get great seats at the last minute by going to the box office and seeing if there are any cancellations - but that's a matter of luck and involves a lot of walking around.

Of course, you can always pay a fortune at one of the ticket agencies that specialize in last minute tickets.

Thanks for the tips. Is it really that much cheaper buying last minute tickets? Just wondering what sort of figures we're talking about here...

Hi shushh - Good to see you post - I'd noticed your posts on EB on the travel board. I don't visit there too much though now that the kids are all at school.

Oops - forgot to reply about flights - we're going QF - we're racking up FF points for our 20th anniversary in 2012 - we'll be doing NY, Alaska, and Canada, hopefully.

Well, shift is over, so we're off to TS3. ADRs all done, too - got all that I wanted in the end

Have a great day / afternoon / evening.

Cheers,
Sally

Your trip sounds like a great way to celebrate your birthdays!

We too managed to get our adr's done for our WDW bit. Thank goodness for travel agents! She got most of our preferences.

For the WDW veterans...do you think the fantasmic lunch or dinner package is worth the 2TS credits? We're doing the dining plan and the only times we could get a reservation with the fantasmic package is either 2pm for lunch or 3:40pm for dinner! I wonder if we might be better off having a separate meal and then lining up for the show?

 

[LindaBabe]

You really don't save that much time getting the fantasmic package. I'd line up for the show - or if there are two the day you are planning, go to the second one.