May 10, 2008 Ship of Thieves! Stealing the Magic..AGAIN!!! Panama Canal FL to CA!!! Part 5

[disneylover5]

Good morning, Blacksburg isw beautiful this morning, but HOT

They just said on the TV (remembr this is in the mountains) that the record high for today is 94 degrees and it will hit 100 degrees today!! They said we will blow the record away today!!

There was one other thing I wanted to say about our upcoming trip. Remember when our airline stopped flying in the US and travelocity cancelled our tickets without much help? Well, I still have not gotten a credit (I think it has been 3 months now) and I am in a battle with Travelocity over this $6,000. I just want to warn you all as you shop for your airfare for this trip.

Have a great day everyone and stay cool!!
Lisa

 

[birkner]

Hey everyone...just popping in to say hi! I have been reading a bit, but am swamped with the new home. For the next month I will probably not be around much...between packing this home and remodeling the new one, most of our free time is swamped, but boy is it fun! Spent a lot of money today at Home Depot and Lowes....no interest for a year!!!

Great pics John, Kim and Guodux. The kids are all adorable. Can't wait to meet them all. John, sounds like Sophia has quite a busy summer planned, I am jealous!

Lisa (disneylover5), glad to hear from you...hope you have an amazing cruise!

Noel...glad to see you posting again too. Did you have the surgery or have it scheduled?

Like someone else said...welcome home to everyone who just got back from vacations and have a great time to all those heading out soon!

Have fun remodeling!! I know moving is always a pain. Surgery is not scheduled yet but will keep everyone posted. I am feeling much better so surgery need not be imminent as long as I keep to fairly bland diet.

 

[birkner]

Hi Noel!

Yes, we had a busy week with our extended hours for the 4th of July holiday!

Tonight we did a Neighborhood Wine-E-Que; we have so much wine leftover on Sunday's that it helps to bring it home to our friends and neighbors for an evening of catching up after a busy week.

The Super cali... is usually a fun mexican themed night after a stop in a mexico port of call, like Acapulco or Cabo San Lucas. It's a lot of fun!!

Karen

Karen:

Sure sound like you guys had a busy week and fun weekend!! We celebrated our anniversary with friends in Reno who brought us a bottle of 1991 Montelena Estate Cabernet Sauvignon and 2005 Peter Michael Chardonnay Cuvee Indigene which we drank with our fabulous dinner. The wine sommelier decanted the Cab while we ate our hors d'oevures and we drank it with dinner.

The super cali sounds like a blast!! Maybe we will have to bring some mexican costumes for dress up!!

Noel

 

[birkner]

Good morning, Blacksburg isw beautiful this morning, but HOT

They just said on the TV (remembr this is in the mountains) that the record high for today is 94 degrees and it will hit 100 degrees today!! They said we will blow the record away today!!

There was one other thing I wanted to say about our upcoming trip. Remember when our airline stopped flying in the US and travelocity cancelled our tickets without much help? Well, I still have not gotten a credit (I think it has been 3 months now) and I am in a battle with Travelocity over this $6,000. I just want to warn you all as you shop for your airfare for this trip.

Have a great day everyone and stay cool!!
Lisa

The hottest it was when I was up in Reno was 109 but that is desert heat without the humidity!!

I am very surprised your credit card company has not given you a credit for this amount. If I were you, I would post the battle you are having with Travelocity on the main board. Have you had a quick chat with an attorney about your rights?

 

[Bobbybear68]

We have already reserved a room in the DisneyLand area for after the cruise. We are staying only a couple of nights. Trying to figure out how to get there after we get off the ship. It appears the only car rental place near the port is closed on Sunday (The day we arrive). Taxi to the Disneyland area estimated cost $84. Don't know if there are any other options. I'm waiting on SouthWest to put out their schedule before we book airfare. Is LAX the best place to leave from? Or is better to leave from one of smaller airports in the area? Thanks.

 

[granmaz]

$84!!!! Not only would we need that taxi, but we would need one from DL to LAX!! I am hoping that because many of the Mexican cruises that follow ours also start or end on a Sunday that Enterprise will reconsider opening. May be a prudent move for the summer. Perhaps another firm will move in.

Where have you booked? We are staying at the Candy Cane Inn for 3/4/5 nights.

 

[lillygator]

wow $84 from the port to DL??

well at least Monday is now half over....!

 

[lillygator]

I can't believe we are already into the second week of July...football season will be here before you know it. We got a nice letter from UF letting us know that they would be raising season ticket prices next year...how sweet of them.

 

[tink too]

Hey everyone! I tried to book DL 2 weeks ago and they said I could not until September of October. Did I get a bad agent? Is this really true?

Kim

I emailed them as I was having trouble booking on their website (or so I thought). I got a reply telling me that 2008 vacations would not be going on sale until late August/early September!

Cruise booked a year in advance, flights from UK booked at 11 months out (the first day they became available), hotel at Cocoa Beach booked as soon as flights were sorted out.

And now I can't finalise my arrangements because I can't book our DL hotel!

 

[Bobbybear68]

I found I could not book Disneyland yet either, so we booked at the Holiday Inn Express just a block or 2 from the entrance.

 

[lillygator]

another Monday winds down...I am whipped today. Not sure why I am sooooo tired!

The Home Run Derby is on tonight....anyone besides us planning on watching?

 

[lillygator]

ok so I really just wanted 20202.

 

[lillygator]

well now I need to save us from going to page 2!

 

[TiggersPal]

Nice pictures, Jan. I really like her dress.

I went to see Ratatouille today. It's a great movie! Visually stunning and funny. Word of warning: don't come hungry! After it was over, one of the group said, "I want to go home and cook something!"

My DH and I saw it yesterday when Transformers was sold out. (His choice this trip!) But we really enjoyed it and laughed out loud several times.

I too, wanted to go home and cook, but I had done that before we left - grilled up a bunch of chicken and even made meatload this past weekend. Cleaned the over too - much needed!

It's really too hot to do much in the kitchen! Ok, back to checking up on all the posts I missed!

Hope everyone had a great FOURTH!

 

[Jhalkias]

We have already reserved a room in the DisneyLand area for after the cruise. We are staying only a couple of nights. Trying to figure out how to get there after we get off the ship. It appears the only car rental place near the port is closed on Sunday (The day we arrive). Taxi to the Disneyland area estimated cost $84. Don't know if there are any other options. I'm waiting on SouthWest to put out their schedule before we book airfare. Is LAX the best place to leave from? Or is better to leave from one of smaller airports in the area? Thanks.

We are flying out of SNA - on the advice of Kim . . . we also don't know about transportation from the port - if any of you listen to the DIS unplugged Podcast, I sent them an email asking their advice on these questions . . . will have to see if they deem my question worthy of answering . . .

another Monday winds down...I am whipped today. Not sure why I am sooooo tired!

The Home Run Derby is on tonight....anyone besides us planning on watching?

I know why I am tired - first day back to work! Yech! Nothing but problems when I came back - had to confront several employees about theft . . . have a harrassment problem to deal with . . . more and more problems.

I am watching the HR Derby - thanks for the reminder V!

 

[Jhalkias]

Hi guys, Molly & I have returned from the trip to the otherside of the world...China.

She says the best part was Hong Kong Disneyland. I'll take a few more days to settle to rethink my best part (but I have to agree off the top of my head with her)

China was an experience. The people on our tour group made the trip great. It was lots of work with mom, but she loved it and was all the stronger at the end of the trip from all the exercise she got.

I have a mere 66 pages to catch up on, but I figured I'd read them over the next week or so and enjoy the daily chats again until I'm current.

So how is everyone? Any mini recaps availble?

Happy belated 4th of July to you all in the US.

Talk with ya soon,

Nan

Nan . . . you wouldn't have any interesting pictures to post, would you?

Hey everyone...just popping in to say hi! I have been reading a bit, but am swamped with the new home. For the next month I will probably not be around much...between packing this home and remodeling the new one, most of our free time is swamped, but boy is it fun! Spent a lot of money today at Home Depot and Lowes....no interest for a year!!!

Great pics John, Kim and Guodux. The kids are all adorable. Can't wait to meet thme all. John, sounds like Sophia has quite a busy summer planned, I am jealous!

Lisa (disneylover5), glad to hear from you...hope you have an amazing cruise!

Noel...glad to see you posting again too. Did you have the surgery or have it scheduled?

Like someone else said...welcome home to everyone who just got back from vacations and have a great time to all those heading out soon!

You need to post some pictures when you have time too Kaylee, that house photo that you posted for us looked awesome - too bad they let the house go so much as you described. The view was priceless!

 

[Jhalkias]

OK, just have to ask . . . I know I am not the only Mac or Apple fanatic here . . .

Anyone here buy an iPhone (I did not - but a friend did, and I am feeling the envy)

Another problem is that we have Sprint - not ATT, so it is not only the cost of the iPhone keeping me away, it is also that I don't want to pay to break a contract. If you are interested . . . neat movie on activating the iPhone.

http://www.apple.com/iphone/usingiphone/activation_medium.html

(Yeah, I am a gadget geek)

 

[woody73]

. . . There was one other thing I wanted to say about our upcoming trip. Remember when our airline stopped flying in the US and travelocity cancelled our tickets without much help? Well, I still have not gotten a credit (I think it has been 3 months now) and I am in a battle with Travelocity over this $6,000. I just want to warn you all as you shop for your airfare for this trip.

I had a similarly BAD experience with Expedia. Buyer beware!

Woody

 

[nskjerven]

Nan . . . you wouldn't have any interesting pictures to post, would you?

sorry too heavy to bring with us....we ended up over weight even before we left and worried the whole trip thru. I did however have a major guilt trip while there...ya never know photoshop may have to come to my rescue...I won't spill the beans anymore until then (give me a week or so)

anymore news on Guitar Center? I drove by one yesterday and thought of you

 

[MrsMork]

I had a similarly BAD experience with Expedia. Buyer beware!

Woody

I like to use Kayak dot com It searches all the discount sites plus the airline sites. You then click on a link to the other site to purchase, usually the airline sites are the lowest fare by a couple of dollars. So, I wind up buying directly from United, American, Delta, Alaska or whatever is the best price.
I did use Expedia last year and they did not book our flights until the morning of our outbound. When we arrived at the airport there were no flights booked for us since there were at that late time no flights available on our return. American Airlines was very helpful and the agent got on the phone with Expedia to straighten it out. (took over 30 min, luckily we got to the airport early!) They went ahead and booked us on the outbound since there were, THANKFULLY, seats on that leg. Expedia then called us 2 days later with our return flight info. Why they waited 2 months to book our seats I will never know. But they did step up and get it taken care of. But, lesson learned for me....use Kayak and book thru the airlines themselves.