~Snowbird Chat 2~

[MAGGIED]

Booked our airfare for Dec 15-21st at Disney... can't wait (I know I have another trip before that)... Disney at Christmas is extra magical!!!!

 

[Disney Mommy 3]

Wendy! I haven't booked for my Nov trip yet!! I am giving it this next two weeks on a price watch!! I am having a hard time believing how crazy it jumped up this year....

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

9 days to go here!!! It's coming up quick.

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

Wendy! I haven't booked for my Nov trip yet!! I am giving it this next two weeks on a price watch!! I am having a hard time believing how crazy it jumped up this year....

I know, we have a tentative short January trip planned, but if airfare doesn't come down we are not going. I'm not paying $157 per person each way.

 

[Mndisneygirl]

Well, we just booked a room at the Grand Californian for March and are watching airfares. Ugh. We may fly to Vegas and rent a car and drive - better deals, better flight times.... We can say we've been to Nevada and not have to spend much time exposed to well, the Vegas "stuff"!

right now we're looking at $373 RT and I think that's high, but it's too soon for us to book. We don't have our whole schedule figured out yet, we have to add some days on and decide if we'll go to San Diego or San Francisco.

Plus I want to wait to book any airfare until after we get back and see our CC bill from this trip!! HA!

 

[Mndisneygirl]

Okay - due to a slow response (by me and others), I'm restarting my online fundraiser for Give Kids the World.

I'm having an online Pampered Chef show and at least 10% of the sales will be donated to GKTW! We all love WDW and this charity brings those children with life-threatening illnesses to WDW!

Here's a link to order - MODS - if this is not allowed, please feel free to remove this and people - you can PM me for info.

www.pamperedchef.biz/shereemazz


Thanks everyone! Let's raise lots of $$$ for GKTW!

 

[Disney Mommy 3]

I want to go to Canada, or Alaska, or Newfoundland...the temp was 103* today and that was without adding in the real feel for humidity and such.... Pathetic


I would be happy with airfare being $157 each way...that would till be cheaper than what we are looking at!!!!!! It's reading $419 RT right now.....

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

We are used to $99 each way. So looking at paying over $1200 is not making me very happy!!

 

[MAGGIED]

We are used to $99 each way. So looking at paying over $1200 is not making me very happy!!

I agree on the airfares... they jumped $100 each when I didn't book so I figured I better just get on it.... it is around the holidays and I don't expect them to come down... I was most worried about the flight on the 21st... as that is the Saturday before Christmas.... I think that one will jump even higher... we could have flown for about $100 cheaper on another airline... but it wasn't direct flights and we would have had to pay for luggage. Both my boys are bringing golf clubs.... so when I weigh all that out ... our time is worth something ( a 2 1/2 hour flight instead of 6 hours) and free luggage with Jetblue... I am okay with it

 

[Disney Mommy 3]

We are pretty much dominated by United~and after the buy out (Merge) of Continental, our fares are through the roof...its so stupid...we have American, but they don't do direct flights...we have to leave from our local airport which is fine...we have free parking, but then we either go to Dallas and connect or fly to Miama and then connect for Orlanda...and it is usually about $50 more per ticket...so by the time we do all that, it's cheaper to just pay for the gas to drive to Houston and pay for parking over there...last trip we did the Parking Spot and it was a good deal...much much cheaper than parking at the Houston airport!!

Well...yesterday we were hovering aroung 103 and at 6.30 we were still at 99 degrees...I don't thing it ever cooled off...weather people said it did, but I don't believe it...it's hot again already!

We are at double digits today!!!! finally!! I always just try to forget about my trip after our ADR day until this point...then we are shopping airfare, so that gives me something to focus on. I managed to get a ressie at BOG for our Nov trip but am on the fence about it... I am waiting for Shelly to go first and tell me all about it! LOL!!!

And I was going to take DD to look at Toms shoes today....she has been wanting another pair for a while now. The last (& only other time she had any) pair she outgrew so fast you couldn't even tell they had been worn...so I told her we may go today~but today started Tax Free Weekend and I doubt it would be worth it to even try to go find any. The people go totally crazy and none of the store people act like they know what is going on...it's a zoo!! I have had friends tell me how they went and it took hours to dig through what people threw on the floor, jostle through people/crowds, and put up with crazy people who were so rude~and they saved a whopping $40 on tax for the day. For me, I will forfeit something else and not worry about $40 for all the hassle and headache you go through!! Now..if it were hundreds of dollars that would be different! LOL!! but less than $50? I would rather not arm wrestle another woman for clothes!

I hope you all have a great weekend!! It's been kinda quiet here so hopefully you are all enjoying some and slow days this summer!!

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

I think our problem is that SW and AT used to compete to have the lower rates. Now with them merging (or SW buying up AT I should say) they know that they are lower than United or American or Delta and anyone else who flies out of Pittsburgh, so their rates just keep creeping up and up. It really stinks. But what are we going to do - either keep paying it or drive. Which is a possibility for us, we have family in Charlotte which is exactly half way to Orlando from here... But don't really want to make that drive in January. So we'll see.... As of right now the flights to Orlando are only $18 less than flights to LAX. Perhaps DisneyLAND is in my future!!

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

I always hear of these other states having Tax Free Weekend. I can't imagine ever paying tax on clothes!!!

 

[Disney Mommy 3]

Well, I am sure that for some places it is a fun thing to go do...but here, we have security issues and it gets pretty hairy!! Plus this is never my idea of a good time! The local Wal Mart behind our closest mall is staffed with Police all the time~it has become a joke to shop at some of the places in that area....my BF was at that wal mart a few months back and saw a girl steal on old lady's wallet from her at the store then go strutting to her boyfriend in their 'get away' car with a smile on her face and she was holding the wallet up in her hand and waving it because she was so proud of herself...that stuff happens there on a daily basis...pretty crummy.

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

Well, I am sure that for some places it is a fun thing to go do...but here, we have security issues and it gets pretty hairy!! Plus this is never my idea of a good time! The local Wal Mart behind our closest mall is staffed with Police all the time~it has become a joke to shop at some of the places in that area....my BF was at that wal mart a few months back and saw a girl steal on old lady's wallet from her at the store then go strutting to her boyfriend in their 'get away' car with a smile on her face and she was holding the wallet up in her hand and waving it because she was so proud of herself...that stuff happens there on a daily basis...pretty crummy.

Is that just on tax free weekends or all the time???

We don't have tax on clothes or groceries here, ever!

 

[Disney Mommy 3]

Okay girls...back by popular demand (really!!! I had two PMs asking if I started yet!! )...the 6th annual Christmas thread!!!!!
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3155198


We are just under the 5 month mark...so you early shoppers come over and chat with my shopping ladies!! i won't be on there probably as much this year...when I started, the kids were 11,7, and 3!!! So, little toys and gadgets aren't as prevalent as in years past makes me sad... I miss buying baby toys and little kid stuff...
oh well, I will live through my shoppers! LOL!

 

[Disney Mommy 3]

Is that just on tax free weekends or all the time???

We don't have tax on clothes or groceries here, ever!

Nope...they are nuts like that all the time! It's gotten crazy over there... we pay tax on everything!!! I can't believe y'all don't pay taxes on all that!!!! I am moving! LOL!!

 

[Mndisneygirl]

We don't pay taxes on clothes or shoes either, but we have fairly high taxes on lots of other stuff (property, income, gas). That's why lots of people come to shop at Mall of America!

Here Delta is the main airline, but we do have Sun Country that offers a little better pricing, just not good flight times and options. It just stinks.

 

[Dancegrl624]

We have tax on everything and anything. I'm surprised that NY state doesn't charge us to breathe our own air. I would love to move to a different school disctrict (ours is probably going to close a bunch of schools over the next few years), but the taxes where I want to live are through the roof! I think where my sister lives (which is my ideal location) they pay over $5000 in taxes per year. No thanks!

I was so bummed that NY didn't join in the tax free weekend. Maybe not this year, but next year I plan on going down to Grove City in PA to shop at the outlet mall there. LOVE the no tax on clothing there! It's funny to me because Canadians come to Buffalo all the time to go shopping. We think our taxes are bad here, but I know in Canada they are far worse. Whenever we go there I'm always like "what are all these taxes??".

Airfare from Buffalo is still pretty good. The Southwest/AirTran merger was the best thing to ever happen. We have at least 4-5 nonstop flights to and from Orlando every single day. For my Sept trip coming up, I ended up paying $200 roundtrip! Plus, when you're flying on a flight operated by AirTran, you still don't have to pay bag fees. Love it!

 

[MAGGIED]

In nice weather we drive over and fly out of Buffalo.... the fares there are always lower than Syracuse.... and we have family who can drop us off and pick us up so we don't have to leave our car there. But December can be iffy here in central New York.... so I feel better flying out of here...

I know what you mean about taxes Meghan... ours are just about $7000 a year on our house... and we have a well and septic, pay for trash, have no street lights or sidewalks... makes you wonder what the heck we are paying for....

 

[snykymom]

I always hear of these other states having Tax Free Weekend. I can't imagine ever paying tax on clothes!!!

We don't pay tax on clothing here, either. Nor on food (except "prepared" foods like in a restaurant or salad bars at grocery stores). My d went to school in NY state and still lives there, so we go clothes shopping for her when she comes to visit!

I just bought my SW tickets for my October trip - just under $300, which isn't too bad. I can't believe that SW doesn't have a direct flight from LaGuardia or Newark to Orlando - they're all change planes and the shortest one takes more than 6 hours. So she'll be heading down on American, for about the same price. It'll do.