Sun, Shopping, Sand, Surf, Sweat & Shamu: A Splashin Summertime Sabbatical at SVR!

[Lynne G]

Rental car update: Costco price $284, so booked it, and looked it up on Alamo website - Standard car. So, I think I may cancel my National rental. For over $100 more, that's a lot for insurance, and I should be covered with my own. So, I almost don't want to cancel, but saving over $100 and Alamo and National are fine, are both weighing heavily on my decision. I've used the KLM code in the past, but once I cancel, no more use. It was a great code when I did use it. Thoughts?

 

[trudyt623]

Hello all, I stumbled across Gina's Christmas in SW thread yesterday and was intrigued by the photos because this year we are going to Orlando 12/18-25 and I have been curious about what to do at the resort without the outdoor pools.
Sorry Gina but I doubt we will do any water activities due to the temperature. Your family is brave (and Jake is so handsome) and I loved reading about your adventures.

So when I saw this thread this morning with Gina's name I thought, ooh, more great photos. I enjoyed reading about the teenager whose mom could think of a lot more names to call her (I have 17 year old daughter. Oh My!) it really hit my funny bone. I am flying Southwest for the first time and I have reserved my rental car with Costco (Enterprise) at $351 for a premium car, which is only $1 more than a compact car and us $18 less than a standard car. But I did seriously consider bidding my own price through Priceline for a car but chickened out.

So, I must have a similar personality to most of you.

Trudy.

 

[bankr63]

Rental car update: Costco price $284, so booked it, and looked it up on Alamo website - Standard car. So, I think I may cancel my National rental. For over $100 more, that's a lot for insurance, and I should be covered with my own. So, I almost don't want to cancel, but saving over $100 and Alamo and National are fine, are both weighing heavily on my decision. I've used the KLM code in the past, but once I cancel, no more use. It was a great code when I did use it. Thoughts?

Go for it, especially if you don't need the extra benefits included in KLM. I used the code last time for the rate, already have insurance coverage through my Visa and a rental car rider on my home policy, and National club members get the extra driver for free anyway.

$100 saved is a lot of Disney souvenirs!

BTW - I am also a National/Alamo fan having used both Hertz and Budget at MCO in the past as well. No BAD experiences with the other two aside from dreadfully long lines at the counters. Much better experience walking straight to aisle.

I also use Enterprise locally for business, it is the budget end of the National/Alamo chain, but the service is still up to par around here. Your car may have more dents and dings and higher mileage - I have heard that the chain rotates cars down to Enterprise from the top tier, but they are still far from a clunker.

My lost item story with National couldn't be further from ZehnJahren's. Didn't realize a (small) item was missing until we got home. Called them and they took my information. The car was already out again, but they checked when it returned and contacted me back to say couldn't find it. But the next renter found it tucked away in a cubby, turned it in, and National sent it back to me no charge. Was really impressed that they cared that much!

I'm going through a different kind of packing angst right now. We're heading off for a week of camping on Sunday; lots of last minute errands too, and need to have a weeks worth of food planned and packed. The camper is pretty much ready to go, and I am sooooo looking forward a week of early morning kayaking on the lake! Glassy waters and the loons about. No motor boats allowed inside the park boundaries.

Our older cat seems to have enjoyed her week at the "spa" last year, we'll see how our newest addition handles the ordeal; she's a pretty outgoing kitty and the kennel gives them lots of attention, so I think she'll be fine too. We have them reserved in a luxury suite near reception, that I think may actually be costing us more than our campsite for the week.

 

[Lynne G]

Thanks Bankr. That's my latest thoughts too. I belong to both National and Alamo, so I like to go right to the aisle. I haven't used Alamo in Orlando for some years, but I assume it's just like National. Have never tried Enterprise. Have a great camping trip. Glad to hear your kitties like their luxury home away from home. I'm lucky, never had to kennel my pets.

Gina, hope all is well with you. I hope your headache went away with the storm hitting today. We have had a nice amount of rain with high winds so far. No thunder yet, but coming later tonight. Just getting us ready for the usual summer FL weather.

Time to start finding those Marvel and Disney T shirts. 6 more nights for us.

 

[dancin Disney style]

Lynne G....for sure I would take the $100 savings on the rental. That is a significant amount of money.

I'm still on the hunt for something. I like the price I have but grabbed a back up ressie last night as I'm a little concerned about having a problem with Costco. I need to find a better priced back up.

 

[Lynne G]

Lynne G....for sure I would take the $100 savings on the rental. That is a significant amount of money.

I'm still on the hunt for something. I like the price I have but grabbed a back up ressie last night as I'm a little concerned about having a problem with Costco. I need to find a better priced back up.

Thanks Dancin Disney. I hope you do find something else, but even with my Alamo insider, Costco was a few dollars cheaper. I hope you have no issues with the Costco ressie. I'd think Alamo would want your business.

 

[momof2n2]

Have a great trip, Gina!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Went over my lists yesterday. A few more days for us too.

I am thanking the Lord for my lists these days!!! I made 'em a week or so ago, when I still had all my wits about me. They have been a lifesaver this week, making it so I don't have to "think". I just need to do whatever happens to be on the list.

Rental car update: Costco price $284, so booked it, and looked it up on Alamo website - Standard car. So, I think I may cancel my National rental. For over $100 more, that's a lot for insurance, and I should be covered with my own. So, I almost don't want to cancel, but saving over $100 and Alamo and National are fine, are both weighing heavily on my decision. I've used the KLM code in the past, but once I cancel, no more use. It was a great code when I did use it. Thoughts?

I'd take the $100 savings and run with it. Our Visa and our personal auto insurance both have coverage that extends to rental vehicles....check yours out as well. That's why I had no qualms dumping the National reservation with the KLM code for the Alamo minivan.

$100 can buy a lot of sundaes at Ghirardelli's!

Hello all, I stumbled across Gina's Christmas in SW thread yesterday and was intrigued by the photos because this year we are going to Orlando 12/18-25 and I have been curious about what to do at the resort without the outdoor pools.
Sorry Gina but I doubt we will do any water activities due to the temperature. Your family is brave (and Jake is so handsome) and I loved reading about your adventures.

So when I saw this thread this morning with Gina's name I thought, ooh, more great photos. I enjoyed reading about the teenager whose mom could think of a lot more names to call her (I have 17 year old daughter. Oh My!) it really hit my funny bone. I am flying Southwest for the first time and I have reserved my rental car with Costco (Enterprise) at $351 for a premium car, which is only $1 more than a compact car and us $18 less than a standard car. But I did seriously consider bidding my own price through Priceline for a car but chickened out.

So, I must have a similar personality to most of you.

Trudy.

Welcome, Trudy!! I think you'll fit right in with our little group of regulars (and the 'irregulars' too....of which I am one )

Our older cat seems to have enjoyed her week at the "spa" last year, we'll see how our newest addition handles the ordeal; she's a pretty outgoing kitty and the kennel gives them lots of attention, so I think she'll be fine too. We have them reserved in a luxury suite near reception, that I think may actually be costing us more than our campsite for the week.

There is a special place in heaven for guys who love their feline family members as much as their wives do. God love ya, Munro .

Gina, hope all is well with you. I hope your headache went away with the storm hitting today.

The storm finally arriving has done WONDERS for my head.....I haven't felt this good in days! Not even the inkling of a headache today, and the first day I haven't needed something for the lingering throbbing that just never seemed to completely go away. Got lots of rain, too. I definitely won't need to water the flower gardens before bed tonight.

I hear we're in for another few days of rainy weather before the sun shines. I just hope we get the lawn mowed before we leave on Saturday or we may return to a jungle.

I'm still on the hunt for something. I like the price I have but grabbed a back up ressie last night as I'm a little concerned about having a problem with Costco. I need to find a better priced back up.

Have you checked Hotwire for your dates? Might be worth a look if you're not finicky about which agency you get.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Have a great trip, Gina!

Thanks, my friend! I can't believe its almost here!

Such a freakishly busy day today.

Work was crazy. Had so much to do. The final 'push' is on, and we're trying to clear up all the loose ends.

I called Mastercard and let them know we'd be travelling out of the country, so they don't put a hold on any purchases we try to make. My MC doesn't charge a foreign transaction fee so its my card of choice when we're in the USA.

I went to the college and purchased all Jake's books for his first semester and his parking pass for the year. The bookstore has limited hours so Jake could never make it there when they were open. I almost fell over when they told me the total . Good grief, textbooks are expensive.

I sold his uniform and it was picked up tonight (last night's prospect was a no-show, so I contacted the next person to inquire and they just left with bags in hand). I now have a gorgeously empty closet that's just begging for some Florida purchases .

I made contact with the cat-sitter (our neighbour across the street) and she's dropping by on Thursday to get final instructions, pick up the house key, and a hug from the most grateful pet owner in Ontario. I will give her and her daughter (who helps her care for Patches) the little gifts we have picked up for them ($100 in gift cards so she can dine out a few times during her two weeks of cat care....as a nurse, I thought she'd appreciate some time off from the kitchen). We will also bring them home something special from our travels.

A little progress every day....that's what I am aiming for .

 

[tristyp]

I was wondering if anyone can tell me if I can get my wife for free as a second driver if I rent with Alamo?

 

[momof2n2]

I LOVE getting gift cards to eat out!
I bet she'll love them.


Weather here in Rochester is hideous all week. Yours can't be much better. Will make Florida that much more fabulous. If I don't get back on - have a blast. . Can't wait for trip report!!!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

I was wondering if anyone can tell me if I can get my wife for free as a second driver if I rent with Alamo?

You used to get a free additional driver if you were a member of their Insiders program, but that was discontinued in June of this year. I don't know of any other Alamo promos that offer the 2nd driver for free. It was a real bummer when they announced that change!!!

I LOVE getting gift cards to eat out!
I bet she'll love them.

Weather here in Rochester is hideous all week. Yours can't be much better. Will make Florida that much more fabulous. If I don't get back on - have a blast. . Can't wait for trip report!!!

We got soaked with rain today, and the temperatures have plummeted. The next couple of days are going to be way below seasonal normals......right before we head to 44 degrees with the humidex . We'll be wearing flannel jammies to bed one night, and sweating to death the next .

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

It really is criminal to make people work during the last few days before vacation. I have zero motivation this morning.

 

[dennise]

Gina I am getting excited for you and the reports you will have from your vacation. Makes me feel like I am really getting close although April is stil a long way off.

For anyone questioning Enterprise, we got a Town and Country mini van with all the bells and whistles this year. Leather, doors that opened and closed with the push of a button and only 800 miles on it. I think most of the rental companies will have a few undesirables in their fleet.

 

[pigletto]

So close now Gina!!! I agree with you, there should be pre-vacation vacation days.

I'm excited for you guys! Such a long time planning, and now you are right on the cusp of your two week vacation!

 

[dancin Disney style]

I did check Hotwire and it was more than what I currently have booked. I managed to find a back up for $103 which might now end up being my primary. It's still with Budget but just not through Costco. Hopefully, the two bookings don't cancel each other out. I discovered that Budget allows for a free second driver under certain circumstances and a spouse is one of them. So as long as that turns out to be true I'll go with them. We don't NEED a second driver but it would be really nice. I also found a good price with Dollar at $119.


In future Gina, don't buy Jake's books at the school book store. You will save approx 35-45% buying them on Amazon or at Chapters. Sometimes there are books that you just can't find anyplace other than at school but most can be purchased elsewhere. There are also lots of sources for used books after school starts.

 

[ZehnJahren]

You used to get a free additional driver if you were a member of their Insiders program, but that was discontinued in June of this year. I don't know of any other Alamo promos that offer the 2nd driver for free. It was a real bummer when they announced that change!!!

We got soaked with rain today, and the temperatures have plummeted. The next couple of days are going to be way below seasonal normals......right before we head to 44 degrees with the humidex . We'll be wearing flannel jammies to bed one night, and sweating to death the next .

Alamo offers a second driver free if you purchase through Costco! That's what we're doing!

Man, 44 degrees! I'm freezing at 60!

It really is criminal to make people work during the last few days before vacation. I have zero motivation this morning.

Wow, 3 days. Where did the time go? It seems like we were just talking about you being a few weeks out. Everyone take note - this is how fast your trip comes up!!

How exciting!

 

[Lynne G]

It is getting close. DH is already barking that I have to make sure things get done before we leave. Um yeah, I will be a crazy cleaning and errand running woman this week-end.

DD is ready to drag the bags out. OK, we will soon. I have a new one, as the old one I had, that really wasn't that old, was broke when I got it out of baggage claim during our Christmas trip. I was sad, but I guess I will start to like this new bag.

I still have 3 more work days, so I am getting excited too.

Here's sending you some nice weather. We had rain earlier today, but now the sun is out. Cool for us, only in the 70's right now.

 

[Inhislove]

Good luck with all your packing and last minute things. I think the week before vacation is just crazy making sure you have everything. We like you guys like to leave with a clean house so we can return to a clean house. However, with 3 small kids trying to do a deep clean and it staying like that a week before is not going to happen. My wife is a clean freak so the house is always pretty tidy. This year we plan to do all our packing and that stuff Thursday night. We are both taking Friday off so when the kids go to school we can give everything a good clean and pack everything in van. As soon as they come home from school I will entertain them for 15 minutes while dw gets there school bags cleaned up and taken care of and we will be off. We may not even let them use the washroom before we leave

With four littles (ages 7, 5, 3, 1), I almost despair of ever seeing my house clean, and they can make more mess than I can clean in the time it takes to pack. I look forwArd to the day I can send them somewhere while we finish cleaning...or when they can help us more efficiently! My seven and five year old can accomplish a lot, but the other too are crazy!

 

[Inhislove]

Yes, that is the one in the same, they recently opened several in Florida, there is one close to SVR on 535 and Poincana Blvd, right next to the Walmart. Wawa's are great, we have one every few miles in New Jersey. They stock tastykakes if you've never tried them you must.

There is a nice new WaWa almost adjacent to the discovery cove entrance. They usually have the cheapest gas prices in the area and great food specials. Lots of different coffees and fresh pastries and made-to-order screens for food. Enjoy!