I love credit cards so much! v4.0 - 2021 (see first page for add'l details)

[FreeDiningFanatic]

Anyone been to Panama City Beach, FL? We have kind of abandoned our Wilmington, NC trip for now... rentals are insanely priced. We're now thinking of heading to PCB/Destin area in mid May. Our goals: 1) beat summer tourism season/crowds, 2) relax on the beach and do outdoor activities. We've found some pretty affordable rentals in the area that accept dogs also, so we wouldn't have to leave them behind. Interested to hear anyone's opinions of the area. I've heard from spring breakers before that they loved it (pre-covid), but not really the opinion I'm looking for, lol.

I'm from the Destin area, and still think it's one of the most beautiful beaches ever! We love the 30A area, you can do bike riding, paddle boarding, arrange for a bonfire on the beach (you can "rent" the service where they'll come set it up/take it down for you).... mid-May would be a perfect time since it's before the busy summer season starts and the weather is typically beautiful. So many places have outdoor seating at the restaurants. Baytowne Wharf (on the bay side) has a lot of activities for the kiddos as well.

ETA: I know you asked specifically about PCB, which has it's fair share of outdoor touristy activities also Our preference just has always been Destin/Sandestin/30A.

We just stayed in the 30a area for the first time ever in January, and enjoyed our trip. PCB and Destin seemed large and touristy, while we really liked the varying feel of the small communities along the 30a.
Here’s my list of things to do from that trip:
◦ Rent bicycles and explore miles of paved, flat trails winding the coast and 30a communities
◦ Group sandcastle making
◦ Farmers markets
◦ Live music Sunday nights
◦ Pottery painting
◦ Cooking competition
◦ ice skating rink (Jan)
◦ Baytowne Adventure Zone
◦ Ship in a bottle
◦ Board games and puzzles

I have restaurant recommendations if you decide to go, lmk.

 

[CyndiLouWho]

For those recently at WDW, I have a few questions.
I just booked 9 nights in August in Orlando. I'm thinking 5 park days, haven't bought tickets yet. I know I need a park res.
Questions
Do I need to buy park tix now and make park reservations ASAP?
Are hoppers back and how do they work?
If I have 8 days there and 5 day tix, how do I make park reservations, do I have to pick the days for sure now?

 

[Crazed4DisneyinSC]

I'm from the Destin area, and still think it's one of the most beautiful beaches ever! We love the 30A area, you can do bike riding, paddle boarding, arrange for a bonfire on the beach (you can "rent" the service where they'll come set it up/take it down for you).... mid-May would be a perfect time since it's before the busy summer season starts and the weather is typically beautiful. So many places have outdoor seating at the restaurants. Baytowne Wharf (on the bay side) has a lot of activities for the kiddos as well.

ETA: I know you asked specifically about PCB, which has it's fair share of outdoor touristy activities also Our preference just has always been Destin/Sandestin/30A.

This is exactly what I'm looking for!! I know I said PCB, but I'm mainly asking about both since we're undecided about which to go to. I've heard much about PCB like I said from spring breakers, but not so much about Destin, so I thought maybe it wasn't as great/nice. But from the sounds of it, it's much better! I figured May would be a nice time, lower crowds, but good weather. You just confirmed it for me! Thanks!! I'm off to check rentals in the 30A area...

We just stayed in the 30a area for the first time ever in January, and enjoyed our trip. PCB and Destin seemed large and touristy, while we really liked the varying feel of the small communities along the 30a.
Here’s my list of things to do from that trip:
◦ Rent bicycles and explore miles of paved, flat trails winding the coast and 30a communities
◦ Group sandcastle making
◦ Farmers markets
◦ Live music Sunday nights
◦ Pottery painting
◦ Cooking competition
◦ ice skating rink (Jan)
◦ Baytowne Adventure Zone
◦ Ship in a bottle
◦ Board games and puzzles

I have restaurant recommendations if you decide to go, lmk.

Thanks so much! This is a great list. We LOVE biking and will probably take our bikes with us since we're driving, and will be in a rental house with a place to store them. Nice to know there are good trails!

 

[Alexle2007]

We went to Oahu in 2015 for our anniversary, and my favorite things we did were the pillbox hike to watch the sunrise, Waimea Bay to jump off the "cliff", swimming in Waimea Falls nearby, and visiting the North Shore. We also visited Pearl Harbor which was an incredible experience.

Fun story from our pillbox hike - it was our first morning there (worked out since we were up super early anyway as we are from the East Coast), and when we got to the top, there was a group of acapella singers there (for a competition). A guy had a ukulele out and they were singing "Hawai'i Aloha" - as the sun was rising over the Pacific. To say it was a magical start to our trip is a huge understatement!

Did you drive or take the bus? When I was reading online, it said there is very limited parking and lots of ticketing.

 

[FloridaNative8]

Did you drive or take the bus? When I was reading online, it said there is very limited parking and lots of ticketing.

We drove, and got there very early - I vaguely remember parking near/in a neighborhood and being mindful of where we were.

 

[trstno1]

I realize this is old news, but one of my Motley Fool URs just went to pending for next statement. I purchased on 1/29 and did it 3 times. Only the first one got an email from Chase, it showed up in store visits with the total. The other 2 just showed the visit but didn't have the total. So I'll cancel the other 2 accounts. I am pleasantly surprised, I had given up on getting the 7500UR since others had theirs post more quickly.

Y'all keep giving me hope. I received emails for 4 signups, but I haven't been credited with any UR's yet. I'll keep on being patient.

 

[mmmears]

For all of you who have been to and are planning Hawaii... we're looking to go this year or next. I currently have Grand Wailea booked for Aug but afraid we will have to reschedule because of DS's summer internship. I've been reading a lot of reports here of other places to stay that also sound really great. Any thoughts on GW vs Hyatt Regency or any other resort in Maui? We are limited to 7-8 days total and plan to spend enough time in Oahu to see Pearl Harbor, so maybe 2 nights, and the rest of the time in Maui. We have so many Hilton points that GW seems great and the obvious choice, but are there other properties that may be better where we can use UR/Hyatt points? I'm stingy with our URs but this will probably be the only trip my family of 4 gets to take to Hawaii together as DS graduates college next spring and will likely be getting married and on his own, so I want to pick a resort that's really great, even if a bit of a splurge.

I've visited the Hyatt but haven't stayed there, but we've stayed at the GW too many times to count. I love it there. It's great if you just want a beach/pool vacation. Wailea doesn't have much going on compared to Lahaina, though, so if you want a closer town with shops and restaurants you might prefer the Hyatt. As resorts go, GW is pretty amazing - great pools, great beach, lovely spa, etc. As for Hyatts, I prefer the one on Kauai. Hope this helps.

 

[Alexle2007]

For those recently at WDW, I have a few questions.
I just booked 9 nights in August in Orlando. I'm thinking 5 park days, haven't bought tickets yet. I know I need a park res.
Questions
Do I need to buy park tix now and make park reservations ASAP?
Are hoppers back and how do they work?
If I have 8 days there and 5 day tix, how do I make park reservations, do I have to pick the days for sure now?

So my recent experience with PH, and obviously this may change in 5-6 months, but:
The PH does not start until 2 pm (AL let us in at 1:55 pm). I tried at 1 pm when we got there but we were made to wait around.

I purchased our tickets a week before we went and it was the Fri of Valentine’s/President’s Day weekend so I think it is totally up to you whether you wait or not.

Can’t answer the last question since we only had one day tickets.

 

[Alexle2007]

We drove, and got there very early - I vaguely remember parking near/in a neighborhood and being mindful of where we were.

Thanks. We are East Coasters too so I am sure we will be early birds.

 

[snugglebug]

The Hale koa.

I knew someone would know it. My brain is just fried lately. I'm only getting work done by taking a lot of small breaks lol

More Oahu tips:
Our trip was 2.5 years ago.
We're a family of 6 so renting a car to get around is usually easier and less stress for me. My kids did Uber one evening for a Ghost tour (two of them are adults), so that is also an option for getting around.
I bought Go Oahu cards from Costco and booked a few group tours through that, then a few things we did via our own transportation. The luau we did was almost the same price as the card so we definitely got good use of it.
Parking at Pearl Harbor was not easy. Given the timed entrance, give yourself plenty of time for that, they weren't very pleased that we were a few minutes late. Maybe that's been improved, but something to consider.

I look forward to seeing everyone's pics from your trips. I fell in love with Hawaii and it's on the radar for a return trip.

 

[bbsearchlight]

Quick credit card question: Has anyone used a visa gift card to pay their taxes to the IRS? If you did, do you know if they charge it as debit or credit? (Since the 3 companies that accept payments for the IRS charge lower fees for debit).

 

[fofinia]

For those recently at WDW, I have a few questions.
I just booked 9 nights in August in Orlando. I'm thinking 5 park days, haven't bought tickets yet. I know I need a park res.
Questions
Do I need to buy park tix now and make park reservations ASAP?
Are hoppers back and how do they work?
If I have 8 days there and 5 day tix, how do I make park reservations, do I have to pick the days for sure now?

You need to have tickets to make park reservations. I'm not sure how strict they are on this. I have AP

We were able to change our park reservations a week ahead. And we made many changes a week out. But on the Saturday of our trip all park pass reservations were full two days ahead. So if we had wanted to make changes we couldn't. We could've made day before changes any of the other days.

Hopping starts at 2 pm based on availability in that park. First you must go to the park you have a reservation for. And then at 2pm there is a phone number you can call to see if park hopping is available there. We just showed up to our second park every day with no problems. Even on the Saturday that I mentioned, we hopped to Epcot at 5pm and had no problems. My daughter did call at 2pm but it didn't really say anything. So we just went there later.

 

[*WDW*Groupie*]

If I book a Marriott property with URs will I be able to get Bonvoy points, nights credited and free plat breakfast (I will be very close to titanium this year)? I know it's a longshot since Chase uses Expedia, but thought I'd ask.

 

[hsmamato2]

Anyone ever buy something using s giftcardmall visa gc,then need to return? how does that work?

 

[havaneselover]

Quick credit card question: Has anyone used a visa gift card to pay their taxes to the IRS? If you did, do you know if they charge it as debit or credit? (Since the 3 companies that accept payments for the IRS charge lower fees for debit).

Between three companies and only two payments per company, $500 gift cards are sort of a pain. So I haven’t bothered.

 

[platamama]

Quick credit card question: Has anyone used a visa gift card to pay their taxes to the IRS? If you did, do you know if they charge it as debit or credit? (Since the 3 companies that accept payments for the IRS charge lower fees for debit).

I believe it runs as a credit (I'm wrong). You could always do a dummy run and see what fee gets charged, and just not hit submit.

ETA: Looks like I'm wrong! Per FM, it should count as a debit but there's some YMMV there. See the complete writeup HERE.

 

[CyndiLouWho]

So my recent experience with PH, and obviously this may change in 5-6 months, but:
The PH does not start until 2 pm (AL let us in at 1:55 pm). I tried at 1 pm when we got there but we were made to wait around.

I purchased our tickets a week before we went and it was the Fri of Valentine’s/President’s Day weekend so I think it is totally up to you whether you wait or not.

Can’t answer the last question since we only had one day tickets.

You need to have tickets to make park reservations. I'm not sure how strict they are on this. I have AP

We were able to change our park reservations a week ahead. And we made many changes a week out. But on the Saturday of our trip all park pass reservations were full two days ahead. So if we had wanted to make changes we couldn't. We could've made day before changes any of the other days.

Hopping starts at 2 pm based on availability in that park. First you must go to the park you have a reservation for. And then at 2pm there is a phone number you can call to see if park hopping is available there. We just showed up to our second park every day with no problems. Even on the Saturday that I mentioned, we hopped to Epcot at 5pm and had no problems. My daughter did call at 2pm but it didn't really say anything. So we just went there later.

Thanks for this. I'll wait to get tix for a bit. Right now I need about 5,000 more TYP, which should post with next statement, to get three 5 day PH.

 

[mickey squared]

This is exactly what I'm looking for!! I know I said PCB, but I'm mainly asking about both since we're undecided about which to go to. I've heard much about PCB like I said from spring breakers, but not so much about Destin, so I thought maybe it wasn't as great/nice. But from the sounds of it, it's much better! I figured May would be a nice time, lower crowds, but good weather. You just confirmed it for me! Thanks!! I'm off to check rentals in the 30A area...


Thanks so much! This is a great list. We LOVE biking and will probably take our bikes with us since we're driving, and will be in a rental house with a place to store them. Nice to know there are good trails!

We are currently building a house in the 30A area. We have been going for 5 years now and finally the timing is right. Due to Covid, the area has seen a tremendous uptick in visitors and there really is no down time anymore. There are great restaurants with outside dining and of course, the beautiful beaches. The growth is great for businesses, and of course realtors. The prices have risen dramatically, just like everywhere else! The trails are awesome. have fun!

 

[Alexle2007]

If I book a Marriott property with URs will I be able to get Bonvoy points, nights credited and free plat breakfast (I will be very close to titanium this year)? I know it's a longshot since Chase uses Expedia, but thought I'd ask.

When I booked using AA points, I was able to add my Marriott reward info (I called the Swan in advance) and got my onsite perks (free breakfast, room upgrade) but it did not earn Marriott points or nights unless of course you pay any onsite bill with your Marriott CC.

 

[miztressuz]

Anyone ever buy something using s giftcardmall visa gc,then need to return? how does that work?

I haven't done it in a while since I try to only spend them on stuff I wouldn't return, but it works just like a CC. Refunds go back on the card and you can then re-spend.