July 2010 Big Bdays Family Reunion (Update 9/28 Final Thoughts)

[Marshay]

Steve had to work or we would have went to National Train day at station in Philly

Glad you got to see where you would be staying and sitting during your stay. That is cool

Yay on cheaper price and saving some money

Bigger yay on 2 months!!!!!!!!!!!!

If Trent likes trains, it is a fun day. However, we waited about 45 min to an hour to get on the trains and it took another hour or so to go through all the trains. So Rachel was getting a bit fidgety when we were just waiting in the lines. I told her it was practice for disney!

What a deal on Amtrak!

I heard a tip on the Clark Howard show. I think he said to try Hotwire for a hotel, get the price and number of stars, then go over to Priceline and bid 10% lower than the Hotwire price. Now that I think if it, that may have been for rental cars, but I'd still try it and see if it works.

Yeah, I'm just being super cheap. The hotels are going for $60 (2*) to $120 ($3*) on expedia/orbitz/hotels.com/aaa and I'm only bidding $35 for the 2* and up to $50 for the 3*. I like to start super low and then just add $1/day until I get a room. It's sort of like a game for me. We really don't care what we get since we'll only be there for about 9-10 hours.

I hadn't tried hotwire but I just think I'm still in the "playing around bidding" mode.

My best Priceline deal was a 2.5* for $38 in Orlando ... but of course we know Orlando is super competitive...It was one of those Comfort/Clarion/La Quinta ones...I can't remember since they are all about the same to me.

 

[disneydreamingdebby]

Getting closer...

We are going to need a place to stay on our way home. I was looking at the bidding of 3stars but I am nervous to not see the place. I am not much of a gambler. I think playing bus roulette one day might be the closest I come to not having a detailed plan.

After you bid and its accepted, do they tell you the place right away? Can you cancel or are you locked in?

 

[mousescrapper]

I did book two hotels for the night before we check into BWV. One just north of Jacksonville and one in St. Augustine. We're hoping to get to the St. Augustine one -- it's nicer, with both an indoor and outdoor pool, a lake and trails and an expanded continental breakfast! I figure if we get in around 5 or 6pm, we can still make use of the facilities and blow off some steam. But if driving is slow for some reason, then we'll just do the J-ville one.

good plan...hope you make it to St. Aug! that would be a great break before the final spurt

But the best part was they had the cars from the Autotrain!! We got to see each of the rooms, the lounge car, the dining car and the regular coach car (which we are doing). We spent time adjusting the coach seats and talking to Jean and Julie (who said they'd look out for us b/c they'll be working when go). They had the sleeping cars set up for both day and night travel.

what luck how nice to get a pre-idea how that will look and work.

WOO HOO!!!!!

I just checked on Amtrak's web page to see if prices went up or down and guess what? They now are allowing the promotional $19/kid fee for the date of my travel!!!

So I immediately changed my ressie to the new price. Instead of $614, we are only paying $490!!! That is now cheaper than driving our gas hog SUV, getting hotels and food + tolls!!

that is great news...always nice to hear prices going down

hope some of that spreads to your priceline bids!


J~

PS looking forward to your projects!

 

[Marshay]

Getting closer...

We are going to need a place to stay on our way home. I was looking at the bidding of 3stars but I am nervous to not see the place. I am not much of a gambler. I think playing bus roulette one day might be the closest I come to not having a detailed plan.

After you bid and its accepted, do they tell you the place right away? Can you cancel or are you locked in?

My best advice for Priceline is that you really have to value "saving money" over location and specific resort. Once your bid is accepted, you are charged immediately and cannot cancel. I've used Priceline for years and have never had a bad experience. I've stayed on Irlo Bronson highway outside of Disney for like $38/night with breakfast and I've also stayed at Downtown Disney Hotel (I forget which one, Hilton? Hyatt? or something like that) for $80 in peak season, with EMH availability! Outside of Disney, we've done a Hampton Inn for $65 in western Pennsylvania and $75 for a place less than 10 minutes from Hersheypark in the middle of summer.

However, if you are specific about where you want to be or something else, then you won't like Priceline. I use it when I'm only staying 3 nights or less and really don't plan to be in the hotel much at all. It's just a room and for 1 or 2 nights, it can't really be that bad. Or if you are concerned, then choose a better star (like 3*) and bid higher. Do your research on tripwire, hotels.com or aaa to see comparable prices.

good plan...hope you make it to St. Aug! that would be a great break before the final spurt

what luck how nice to get a pre-idea how that will look and work.

that is great news...always nice to hear prices going down

hope some of that spreads to your priceline bids!

J~

PS looking forward to your projects!

Thanks! Yeah, I can't believe I only got a single project done for this trip (state fun facts for VA - FL, but it's just a word doc ...) Unbelieveable!! I leave next week for 5-7 days to spend with my parents in Pennsylvania, so in my spare time, I'm still finalizing our WDW trip and trying to pack for PA.

But I definitely will make some more homemade LGMH for the trip and laminate them. Also I'll make some more blank Disney cards to put on our hotel room door. Those are simple enough to do.

Oh, I'm also working on the Mickey Tickets to hand out during the trip. I did the cricut and just need to write out the info. And I'm working on the goodie bags, too. I'll post pics of those this week.

OK, now I feel a bit better -- I actually have 3 projects underway!

 

[Marshay]

Ok, I decided to forgo Priceline and just booked a cheap room myself. I noticed that some of the cheap motels are only 2 stories and do not have an elevator. Normally that is ok, but by the time we arrive (around 11:30pm), the girls will both be asleep and we'd be carrying dead weight up the steps and down a long hall.

So I booked us in an Econolodge in Kenly, NC (about 13 minutes further south which is good so we hopefully can get into our hotel the next day even sooner to go swimming, etc). It still has a free continental breakfast but it has queen size beds (we are tall people). The other hotels were only offering double/full beds. And I also could reserve a bed on the 1st floor! Oh, and it also has a Microwave and Refrigerator -- so we can keep our drinks cold. All this for only $60.87 total.

With Priceline, I was already way past $60 and then we wouldn't be able to guarantee queen beds, 1st floor, free breakfast or MW/Fridge!

So, I think this is going to work out just fine. We won't be there long at all, in case it is bad. I looked on-line and the pictures seem decent enough.

 

[Trentmom]

Great deal on the rooms

 

[cherbear]

the coach doesn't sound bad at all! Those rooms sound scary the way you described them. LOL I don't think I could hack it. The 4 person room sounds alright though.

Now you've got me very curious and I think I'm going to google later to see if there are any pictures floating around online.

Sounds like a good deal on the hotel. Glad y'all got a 1st floor room and it's a tad closer to Disney!

 

[cherbear]

Marsha, I did just find this article. It shows a picture of an Autotrain ad from 1977. It was advertised for Disney goers. Pretty cool!


http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl...images?q=autotrain&um=1&hl=en&sa=N&tbs=isch:1

 

[Marshay]

Marsha, I did just find this article. It shows a picture of an Autotrain ad from 1977. It was advertised for Disney goers. Pretty cool!


http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl...images?q=autotrain&um=1&hl=en&sa=N&tbs=isch:1

Wow! So it's been around for a long time.

The employees I met at the Train Day event said that they thought it was going to shut down several years ago but now they are busier than ever. With the cost of flights increasing and adding new baggage fees, more people want to use the train.

 

[Marshay]

Ok, as promised, here are the crafts/projects I've been working on for this trip. Not as glamourous as past projects but ....

In the back are the Disney bags I decorated -- just simple stickers to make them fun.

In the front (and sides), you'll see the Mickey Mouse tickets I'll hand out when we pass a major city. It shows how far we traveled and how far (miles and time) we have to go. Rachel will get to choose a snack, CD or game to play for each one.

And the rest of the "stuff" will go in the Disney bags -- mostly it's stickers, happy meal toys, markers, pencils, activity pads, Disney postcards, Toy Story Figurines. I also made the State Trivia papers and printed off some Travel Bingo and Travel Scavenger Hunt pages. Oh, and of course the map of the US for Rachel to color along with the list of States for the License plate game. Then for some bigger items I got her Princess and the Frog Color Wonder book, an invisible ink book (pets) and a My Princess Essentials book. We'll have the DVD player with Disney movies and she'll get her birthday present early -- Leapster 2 game system, with a few cartridges.

I also have a few small things for Elizabeth -- boards books, larger figurines, stuffed animals.

Whew!!

It all fits in one box so we can keep everything together. Now that better be enough to occupy them for 13 days!

 

[Marshay]

Ok, as a joke, my DH got me a chocolate bacon candy bar for Mom's day (along with some other real choc and a gc for a massage!!).

Well, we finally tried it.

Here is Elizabeth eating, um, I mean displaying the candy bar ...

It was called "Mo's Bacon Bar". I mean, c'mon, how in the world can you go wrong with a chocolate bar called Mo's!!!

Here is the pretty design on the pieces

Well, after tasting it, DH and I decided that we don't need to have anymore. It's not that it was gross or anything, it just tasted like a salty, chewy chocoalate bar.

The bits of Bacon were not crisp, they were on the chewy side. The "applewood hearth" taste gave it a deeper, richer, smokier taste -- once again, not something I look for in a candy bar.

The milk chocolate itself was alright -- in my mind, comparable to a Hershey's bar.

Rachel said --YUM!! Bacon! Now she wants to try bacon ice cream!

 

[cherbear]

LOL @ Rachel!!

Did Elizabeth get a taste too? hehe

Very cute pic of her btw, she's getting so big! She's starting to look more like Rachel too.

Thank you very much for the report on Mo's Bacon bar!! I am not sure I'd want to eat it, but I may buy one and take a taste just to say I tried it!

 

[kaoden39]

Umm, okay. You know Kacy wants to try some too. Ice cream does sound like a better idea. Not really.

Kacy's senior quote for the yearbook is going to be "Everything tastes better with bacon." 'nuf said!!

 

[Marshay]

LOL @ Rachel!!

Did Elizabeth get a taste too? hehe

Very cute pic of her btw, she's getting so big! She's starting to look more like Rachel too.

Thank you very much for the report on Mo's Bacon bar!! I am not sure I'd want to eat it, but I may buy one and take a taste just to say I tried it!

Nope, we deprived Elie of the bacon bar -- or rather she got it later that night after I nursed her!

yeah, I think they look both alike and unlike. Elie has a rounder face and Rachel's is more pointed but both are blond, blue-eyed and big!

Would I recommend the bar? No. Is it cool to say you've tried it? Maybe.

Umm, okay. You know Kacy wants to try some too. Ice cream does sound like a better idea. Not really.

Kacy's senior quote for the yearbook is going to be "Everything tastes better with bacon." 'nuf said!!

From the description on the package, they make it sound heavenly -- just the right bit of sweet and salty together, etc... but for some reason it didn't work for me. All I tasted was salt...I didn't even really get a good bacon taste.

 

[Trentmom]

Wow, that is a lot of great stuff the girl. I am sure they will have a blast. Leapster looks like fun. I am sure Rachel will love that

Elie looks so cute. Getting so big

I think I want to buy one of those candy bars to taste, just for fun of it

 

[Marshay]

Wow, that is a lot of great stuff the girl. I am sure they will have a blast. Leapster looks like fun. I am sure Rachel will love that

Elie looks so cute. Getting so big

I think I want to buy one of those candy bars to taste, just for fun of it

yeah, they'll have some good toys ... the best part is that most of the toys were leftover birthday or christmas gifts from the past 2 years, or free stuff I got in the mail, happy meals, etc.

Elizabeth is walking now so much. She still falls down and then resorts back to crawling, but now she can make laps around our kitchen island and chase the cats.

re: bacon bar -- Go for it ... just dont' say I didn't warn ya!!

 

[swwake]

Wow! You HAVE been busy Marsha! Lots of fun stuff for the girls to do. I love the ticket idea.

I'm not so sure I'd like that candy bar.

 

[Marshay]

So this morning we go out to breakfast with some friends of mine visiting from California. I bring a maze book along for Rachel to keep her occupied and she finishes the entire book before the food even comes!

She loved it and was really good at it.

but my first thought was ... DRAT, if she can finish a 25 page maze book in about 15 minutes, then I'm going to need a LOT more stuff to keep her occupied for our PA/Memorial Weekend trip and of course our WDW trip!

AC Moore has 50% off coupons, so I think I'll go there this afternoon and see what they have...

=============
Oh, and chele -- I thought of Kacy today ... my friend Matt said he went to a restaurant that served a 6 course meal once a month -- and everything from appetizers to dessert to wine was made with bacon!!

 

[kaoden39]

So this morning we go out to breakfast with some friends of mine visiting from California. I bring a maze book along for Rachel to keep her occupied and she finishes the entire book before the food even comes!

She loved it and was really good at it.

but my first thought was ... DRAT, if she can finish a 25 page maze book in about 15 minutes, then I'm going to need a LOT more stuff to keep her occupied for our PA/Memorial Weekend trip and of course our WDW trip!

AC Moore has 50% off coupons, so I think I'll go there this afternoon and see what they have...

=============
Oh, and chele -- I thought of Kacy today ... my friend Matt said he went to a restaurant that served a 6 course meal once a month -- and everything from appetizers to dessert to wine was made with bacon!!

OH wow Rachel went through the maze book so quick. It is so much easier when they get older and you can bring one book for the trip.

I will have to tell Kacy about that. She is our bacon queen.

 

[disneydreamingdebby]

Your gifts and gift bags look wonderful!!! Maybe you could get dry erase boards and/or magna doodles.

I probably need to continue my pursuit of goodies...it is so much harder and so much less fun for eight year olds.