September/October 2014 Roll Call

[LizfromOz]

Ok, so now I've sorted our accommodation ( why is it so hard?)


3/9 Marriott LAX
4-14/9 Beach Club
14-21/9 FOS Western Caribbean
21-23/9 Royal Pacific (Universal)
23/-28/9 Palazzo Las Vegas
28/9-1/10 Hollywood Orchid Suites

 

[WanderlustNZ]

Sounds great dollarmite.

LizfromOz, that's exciting that you're staying at the Beach Club. Did you rent DVC points?

 

[LizfromOz]

No, just booked thru UK travel agent. Got a good price for OKW, but really wanted BC which wasn't available for a discount at the time. A couple of weeks ago I emailed and asked what the extra cost would be, and it wasn't as much as I thought. Happy Happy Happy!

 

[WanderlustNZ]

No, just booked thru UK travel agent. Got a good price for OKW, but really wanted BC which wasn't available for a discount at the time. A couple of weeks ago I emailed and asked what the extra cost would be, and it wasn't as much as I thought. Happy Happy Happy!

Awesome! I'm pleased it's all working out for you.

Plus I'm jealous about the Palazzo. I would love to stay at the Palazzo or Venetian one day.

 

[WanderlustNZ]

For those who are interested, here's an update to my plans.

25/9. Fly Hawaiian Airlines to LAX. No hotel booked yet.
26/9. Fly to SLC (no flights booked yet). Hire car (also not booked). Drive to Logan, Utah (2 suites booked at Best Western Weston Inn).
27/9: Drive to Jackson, Wyoming (2 nights in an apartment at Grand View Lodge)
28/9: Wildlife tour of Grand Teton National Park (not booked)
29/9: Drive through GTNP to Yellowstone NP (Lake Hotel Cabin)
30/9: Overnight in Old Faithful Inn (Old House Ensuite room)
1/10: Drive to Gardiner, Montana (2 nights in a 2-bedroom apartment at Yellowstone Gateway Inn)
2/10: Wildlife tour starting at 6am with the Yellowstone Association
3/10: Drive to West Yellowstone ( overnight in a 2-bedroom themed room at 3 Bears Lodge)
4/10: Drive back to SLC. Evening flight booked with Jet Blue to Long Beach Airport. Transfer to Park Vue Inn Anaheim (3 nights)
5/10 & 6/10: Disneyland resort (tickets not yet booked)
7 - 10/10: Hawaii. Hopefully getting Aulani points next weekend.
10/10: Back to NZ

15 nights, 9 different hotels. We are going to be kept busy.

 

[LizfromOz]

That looks wonderful Wanderlust. You'll sleep well on the plane home!

 

[LizfromOz]

Awesome! I'm pleased it's all working out for you. Plus I'm jealous about the Palazzo. I would love to stay at the Palazzo or Venetian one day.

I had originally planned on staying somewhere a bit less $$, but I had a bit of a health scare recently and thought what the heck! That's my justification anyway, along with LMT Club discounts.

 

[WanderlustNZ]

That looks wonderful Wanderlust. You'll sleep well on the plane home!

Sure will. I'm so grateful for our 3 nights in Hawaii at the end to do pretty much nothing. The only agenda item will be a trip to Pearl Harbour as it's the one and only request DH has made of the whole trip.

Also, the great thing about Hawaii is that the time zone between there and here doesn't really allow for any jet lag. So we should hopefully return home after the 8-9 hour flight not feeling too exhausted. At least that's what I'm banking on since we only have one full day at home before returning to work.

Can I ask how much experience you've had with LastMinuteTravel? I keep looking at their deals on LAX hotels and are very tempted to book. Using LMT I could pretty much book 2 rooms at the Marriott, Hilton or Renaissance for the price of one room on any other website. However, with these prices, it makes me nervous that LMT doesn't have the same following that other third party websites do. It would be great to hear someone vouch for them.

I'm always blown away by the good deals you can get on LV hotels. It's so much easier to justify a 5-star there, than almost anywhere else in the world. I've seen the likes of the Palazzo and Bellagio cheaper per night than 3 star places in the likes of London and Singapore.

I hope your health is all okay now. It's nothing like a major life moment to make you realise how precious life is and how important it is to make memories while you have the good fortune to do so.

 

[LizfromOz]

Sure will. I'm so grateful for our 3 nights in Hawaii at the end to do pretty much nothing. The only agenda item will be a trip to Pearl Harbour as it's the one and only request DH has made of the whole trip. Also, the great thing about Hawaii is that the time zone between there and here doesn't really allow for any jet lag. So we should hopefully return home after the 8-9 hour flight not feeling too exhausted. At least that's what I'm banking on since we only have one full day at home before returning to work. Can I ask how much experience you've had with LastMinuteTravel? I keep looking at their deals on LAX hotels and are very tempted to book. Using LMT I could pretty much book 2 rooms at the Marriott, Hilton or Renaissance for the price of one room on any other website. However, with these prices, it makes me nervous that LMT doesn't have the same following that other third party websites do. It would be great to hear someone vouch for them. I'm always blown away by the good deals you can get on LV hotels. It's so much easier to justify a 5-star there, than almost anywhere else in the world. I've seen the likes of the Palazzo and Bellagio cheaper per night than 3 star places in the likes of London and Singapore. I hope your health is all okay now. It's nothing like a major life moment to make you realise how precious life is and how important it is to make memories while you have the good fortune to do so.

Hawaii is definitely on our list. My DD turns 21 a couple of weeks before I turn 50(!!!! Not for a few years yet, lol) and we are thinking New York with Hawaii on the way home.
I hope by then she still wants to holiday with us. Who knows?

I have booked our LAX airport hotel, Royal Pacific and Palazzo thru LMT club. A couple of days after each booking I emailed their reservations depts to make sure we were in their systems, and we were. The savings are awesome. There is apparently a charge ($50?) to join but I just used the code that comes up when you google LMT Club to join for free.

Downside with using them is you have to pay upfront, but they are refundable is you cancel 72 hrs prior to your stay.

On the health side, I do need to have an op, but nothing life threatening, and all will be fixed before our trip

 

[WanderlustNZ]

Oh that's fantastic!

So, just to be clear, you emailed the actual hotels (not LMT) to check you were all booked up? If that's the case, that's all the assurance I need.

I'm going to google the club code now.
Did being a member of the club mean you got even bigger discounts than what is shown on the website?

Good luck with the op. I hope all goes according to routine.

 

[WanderlustNZ]

By the way, I don't mind paying upfront. In fact, I actually prefer it. It's nice to know I've locked in the dollar while it's strong.

 

[LizfromOz]

Yes, the discount was better. For example, the Palazzo ended up at AUD $1900 for 5 night Prestige level, whereas on the Palazzo/Venetian website is worked out at $2800. I emailed the hotels directly.

 

[WanderlustNZ]

Yes, the discount was better. For example, the Palazzo ended up at AUD $1900 for 5 night Prestige level, whereas on the Palazzo/Venetian website is worked out at $2800. I emailed the hotels directly.

Prestige Level! Sounds fantastic.

I did a quick travel survey and got free LMT membership. Now to decide which LAX hotel to book and whether to get 2 rooms or one.

 

[WanderlustNZ]

Have tried to update the first post, but have no doubt missed someone or got someone's details incorrect.

Please summarise your itinerary in two lines or less if you want me to make a change/addition

 

[WAMUMOF4]

For those who are interested, here's an update to my plans.

25/9. Fly Hawaiian Airlines to LAX. No hotel booked yet.
26/9. Fly to SLC (no flights booked yet). Hire car (also not booked). Drive to Logan, Utah (2 suites booked at Best Western Weston Inn).
27/9: Drive to Jackson, Wyoming (2 nights in an apartment at Grand View Lodge)
28/9: Wildlife tour of Grand Teton National Park (not booked)
29/9: Drive through GTNP to Yellowstone NP (Lake Hotel Cabin)
30/9: Overnight in Old Faithful Inn (Old House Ensuite room)
1/10: Drive to Gardiner, Montana (2 nights in a 2-bedroom apartment at Yellowstone Gateway Inn)
2/10: Wildlife tour starting at 6am with the Yellowstone Association
3/10: Drive to West Yellowstone ( overnight in a 2-bedroom themed room at 3 Bears Lodge)
4/10: Drive back to SLC. Evening flight booked with Jet Blue to Long Beach Airport. Transfer to Park Vue Inn Anaheim (3 nights)
5/10 & 6/10: Disneyland resort (tickets not yet booked)
7 - 10/10: Hawaii. Hopefully getting Aulani points next weekend.
10/10: Back to NZ

15 nights, 9 different hotels. We are going to be kept busy.

Looks great I don't find changing hotels to bad it's just making sure the kids don't completely unpack every night

 

[WanderlustNZ]

Looks great I don't find changing hotels to bad it's just making sure the kids don't completely unpack every night

Cheers WAMUMOf4. To see what we want to see of the National Parks, moving hotels was pretty much unavoidable. And you're right - it's not that bad. It is after all what happens when you go on a road trip.
We do road trips around NZ every few years or so and change hotels almost every night. Packing up the car each morning is a bit of a pain, but it's all part of the experience of hitting the road and getting to explore. To be honest, I find it all quite invigorating. Can't wait!

 

[Pumpkin meme]

can you change my details to BLT 2-9 please

 

[WanderlustNZ]

can you change my details to BLT 2-9 please

Cool. An extra day added to your trip is always a good thing.

Will update the next time I'm on the PC. The App seems to muck up the formatting and turns the whole post into one block paragraph.

 

[Pumpkin meme]

Cool. An extra day added to your trip is always a good thing.

Will update the next time I'm on the PC. The App seems to muck up the formatting and turns the whole post into one block paragraph.

 

[Pumpkin meme]

still playing with dates.....

seriously meme, let it GO!!!