The Mother/Daughter Polynesian Surprise **NEW 5/1 I'm back!

[jenbear123]

Jumping in here! Have already read a few of the links (THANKS! for putting those in!) kathyRN just stayed there. She has a million GREAT pix on her trip report you should check out. I think it's called A Halloween Adventure in Autism.

Anyway will try to get myself up to speed!

Liesa

I try to make it easier to find the "important" posts, cutting out the aimless chatter. I'll have to find kathyRN's TR. Thanks for that info.

Jumping in...and catching up

to the both of you!

 

[All7OfUs]

I try to make it easier to find the "important" posts, cutting out the aimless chatter. I'll have to find kathyRN's TR. Thanks for that info.



to the both of you!

Yeah, I know all about aimless chatter- take a look at mine!! 98% of it is pure, unbridles hilarity!! Makes it so much fun!

 

[mybabesuz]

Might as well, especially if it's your home resort. Any tips for when staying there? Do you know any good threads on here that show room pictures, etc?

Here are some good pictures of Kidani Rooms...
http://s149.photobucket.com/albums/s50/LisaS_myphotos/AKV Model Rooms/1BR - Kidani Village/

Also have you looked into renting DVC points?
A 1BR for a Sunday-Thursday would only be 28 points...
You can definitely find last minute point deals for $7 a point
That would only be $196.00 for a 1BR...
Kidani has a ton of rooms...I'm sure they won't be booked.
You should check out the DVC Boards on DIS.

That's what I'm going to do... I'm going to try to add a night to our Boardwalk so I don't have to switch rooms but I will take a Kidani room if I have to.

 

[jenbear123]

_

Here are some good pictures of Kidani Rooms...
http://s149.photobucket.com/albums/s50/LisaS_myphotos/AKV Model Rooms/1BR - Kidani Village/

Great pictures! Thanks for sharing. I didn't realize they already had old vs. new already!

Also have you looked into renting DVC points?
A 1BR for a Sunday-Thursday would only be 28 points...
You can definitely find last minute point deals for $7 a point
That would only be $196.00 for a 1BR...
Kidani has a ton of rooms...I'm sure they won't be booked.
You should check out the DVC Boards on DIS.

Wow, that's amazing for 4 nights! I'm not really sure how the whole renting DVC points works. But I'll take a peek at the DVC boards and see what I can find out. Thanks for the info!

That's what I'm going to do... I'm going to try to add a night to our Boardwalk so I don't have to switch rooms but I will take a Kidani room if I have to.

Only if you have to, right?

 

[glennbo123]

Hey, how's Pixel doing? I was going through my TR (I'm copying it into Word -- I may print it out into a notebook or something - just the TR installments, not all the banter) anyway, and I saw your post of Pixel. I remembered the picture of the dog and learning the term "bichon blitz" and "perma puppy", but I had forgotten that it was you who posted it. I think it was your first post in my TR.

 

[mybabesuz]

no no no...
The $196 for the 1BR is per night...not for all 4...

AP Rate is $297...$334 after Taxes...

I forgot you might be getting the CM rate though...
I don't know what that is...

 

[jenbear123]

I know, I know. More Feb PTR that I said I wasn't going to write about. But it's so hard to resist talking about what's going on!

For the dates I'll be there in Feb, cast members have been given the offer to add the Dining Plan! Of course, you know what this means...... MORE ADR'S!!!!!! Actually, I haven't decided what we'll do yet. I've already got the following ADRs:

Le Cellier
Crystal Palace
Narcoosee's
Tony's Town Square

If we decide to use the dining plan for Narcoosee's, that's 2 TS credits each right there. Or we save those 2 credits for another place and pay OOP. What to do, what to do. Ugh, this requires far too much brain power right now. I've had way too busy of a day to get into that. Oh! I got Mickey mail too! The ME booklet came last week. It just doesn't have any of the flight information When will they get it right? Honestly, everytime I get the booklet, there is always something wrong. Sigh.... c'est la vie.

Sorry to be MIA lately. Been so busy with trying to arrange a room for myself at my dad's house. There's been too much drama lately at the DBF's house, so I'm finally making the move back home. I think it's for the best (for my mental health anyway....)

Also, I've been horseback riding with my younger step-sister. She practically runs this barn (she's been there for 10 years) so I now join her every Saturday when I'm not working at my other job to go feed the horses, muck out stalls, ride the horses, etc. I have always loved horses and am so happy to finally be getting back to working with them again. I used to take horseback riding lessons but had to take a 6 year hiatus due to other financial obligations, school, and boys. Yeah, that was a great idea.... So anyways, I'm now back in the saddle, happy as happy can be. Except my butt which is KILLING me from all the bouncing around in the saddle. Oh, and did I mention I nearly got trampled on..... twice. I have the bruises to prove it! Oh well. What's life without a bit of adventure (or life flashing before your eyes ) Being in the saddle is probably as close to the feeling of happiness I get when I'm in Disney.

I still have to finish my Feb itinerary. I'll probably post that once it's done. I just have to include my DIS friends in my planning.

Oh! One more thing. Sorry things keep randomly popping into my head as I type. I'm going on a 7-night Western Caribbean cruise free of charge at the beginning of April, through my work. My FIRST cruise ever!!! Am I a little excited?!?! YES!!!! No, it's not a Disney cruise but hey, it's free. Can't complain. It's with Norwegian Cruise Lines. Anyone have any experience with them? I've been reading up on the cruiseline so I know what to expect. Yup, just like I do with Disney. I might freak out my roommate though if I pull out a daily itinerary so I won't go that far.

Thanks for putting up with my random babbling. More updates coming soon

 

[glennbo123]

Didja say a free cruise?! Okay, can I be jealous now? That's awesome. I've only ever been on one cruise and it was fantastic. It was on Royal Caribbean, but I'm sure Norwegian is good too.

 

[All7OfUs]

Oh, I love me a horsey ride!! I rode a lot when I was a kid, we even boarded one for someone once, and I loved it. But alas, it is a pricey habit, and not on my budget. Ah well.



FREE cruise?? ! Boy howdy, too fun!! Free is my favorite kind of price! Do your research and know what you're getting into. Knowing your options is the best way to travel!

I'm bummed to hear about too much drama happening at your BF's place. Maybe a break is a very good thing.

 

[redlight]

Free cruise? I m super jealous.

Sucks that you have to deal with drama. Hope it gets resolved soon.

 

[jenbear123]

Hey, how's Pixel doing? I was going through my TR (I'm copying it into Word -- I may print it out into a notebook or something - just the TR installments, not all the banter) anyway, and I saw your post of Pixel. I remembered the picture of the dog and learning the term "bichon blitz" and "perma puppy", but I had forgotten that it was you who posted it. I think it was your first post in my TR.

Pixel is doing great! Thanks for asking. I think that was the first time I posted on your TR. Probably what made me come out of lurkdom. That's a great idea about copying your TR into Word. You'll always have backup incase the DIS ever disappears (not likely!)

no no no...
The $196 for the 1BR is per night...not for all 4...

AP Rate is $297...$334 after Taxes...

I forgot you might be getting the CM rate though...
I don't know what that is...

Whoops my bad. I'll have to do some comparison and get back to you on that.

Didja say a free cruise?! Okay, can I be jealous now? That's awesome. I've only ever been on one cruise and it was fantastic. It was on Royal Caribbean, but I'm sure Norwegian is good too.

Nah, don't be jealous! It's still work related after all. Oh yes, that's right, your Royal Caribbean cruise. I think we've had this conversation before.... deja vu *insert creepy music here*

Oh, I love me a horsey ride!! I rode a lot when I was a kid, we even boarded one for someone once, and I loved it. But alas, it is a pricey habit, and not on my budget. Ah well.

I wonder how horses became such an expensive habit. Didn't we, at one time, use them as our only form of transportation

FREE cruise?? ! Boy howdy, too fun!! Free is my favorite kind of price! Do your research and know what you're getting into. Knowing your options is the best way to travel!

Free is my kind of price too I've definitely taken a dive into everything this cruising business is all about. There seems to be more surcharges and extras than I originally thought

I'm bummed to hear about too much drama happening at your BF's place. Maybe a break is a very good thing.

The break between his parents is definitely a good thing. The break between me and DBF....not so much Lesson learned: Never live under the same roof as your (or potential) in-laws

Free cruise? I m super jealous.

Sucks that you have to deal with drama. Hope it gets resolved soon.

Maybe I'll do a mini-TR on the cruise when I get back.... if anyone is interested? Then it'll feel like you came with me! And I think removing myself from that household will ease the drama just a bit. Even since I've started going back home on weekends, I've felt less stressed than I have in the year and a half I've lived there. Now that's saying something...

 

[All7OfUs]

I kept wondering why expensive got blocked out, and then looked closely at your typo!!! That is tooooooo funny!!!

 

[glennbo123]

Regarding renting DVC points, I just made this post on another thread a couple of days ago, so I'm just going to copy it in here....

There's a good primer on this thread --> http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1255828

Then, if you go back out to the main listing of all of the DIS forums, and page down to the DVC area, there's a "DVC-Rent/Trade" forum where people post when they have points available. You can contact them and see if you can work out an agreement.

You can figure out how many points you'd need by looking at the point charts. Go into that Rent/Trade forum, and up at the top of the page, under the Timeshare Store (sponsor) banner, you should find a link to "DVC Point Charts". These will show the point requirements, per night, for the various resorts, room categories, and seasons of the year. Most people rent their points for about $10/point.

 

[jenbear123]

I kept wondering why expensive got blocked out, and then looked closely at your typo!!! That is tooooooo funny!!!

I completely missed that one!!!! It's fixed now

Regarding renting DVC points, I just made this post on another thread a couple of days ago, so I'm just going to copy it in here....

There's a good primer on this thread --> http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1255828

Then, if you go back out to the main listing of all of the DIS forums, and page down to the DVC area, there's a "DVC-Rent/Trade" forum where people post when they have points available. You can contact them and see if you can work out an agreement.

You can figure out how many points you'd need by looking at the point charts. Go into that Rent/Trade forum, and up at the top of the page, under the Timeshare Store (sponsor) banner, you should find a link to "DVC Point Charts". These will show the point requirements, per night, for the various resorts, room categories, and seasons of the year. Most people rent their points for about $10/point.

Thanks for the info, Glen. That post kinda scares me though with all the things you have to be wary of. I guess people have had problems in the past I'd hate to get into a legal battle with someone over DVC points!

 

[glennbo123]

I completely missed that one!!!! It's fixed now

Dang, I missed something here. At least tell me what post it was in so I can try to figure out what used to be there.

Thanks for the info, Glen. That post kinda scares me though with all the things you have to be wary of. I guess people have had problems in the past I'd hate to get into a legal battle with someone over DVC points!

It's probably a case of one bad apple spoiling the bunch. When we bought our points in 2008 we got "developer points" that could only be used at SSR, and only for a year. Think of them as an incentive to sweeten the deal, to get people to buy. We had gone on our cruise earlier that year and couldn't use them (those points took care of the room, but not the travel costs, park tickets, meals, $$). So, I posted on the DVC Rent/Trade board and rented them to a guy from....Canada....and we had no trouble whatsoever. Even with money exchange. I did put together a contract, after looking at several examples on the DIS, and I included that I wanted to be paid in US currency. He was able to get US$ cashier's checks from his bank and mailed them to me. (Per the contract there were two occasions that he had to pay me.) We actually corresponded quite a bit via e-mail and have even done so after that initial trip, as they went another time after they rented from me.

 

[jenbear123]

Dang, I missed something here. At least tell me what post it was in so I can try to figure out what used to be there.

Look at post #211 and my response to All7OfUs. The word "expensive" had been starred out (like this: ex*****ve) due to my typo...


It's probably a case of one bad apple spoiling the bunch. When we bought our points in 2008 we got "developer points" that could only be used at SSR, and only for a year. Think of them as an incentive to sweeten the deal, to get people to buy. We had gone on our cruise earlier that year and couldn't use them (those points took care of the room, but not the travel costs, park tickets, meals, $$). So, I posted on the DVC Rent/Trade board and rented them to a guy from....Canada....and we had no trouble whatsoever. Even with money exchange. I did put together a contract, after looking at several examples on the DIS, and I included that I wanted to be paid in US currency. He was able to get US$ cashier's checks from his bank and mailed them to me. (Per the contract there were two occasions that he had to pay me.) We actually corresponded quite a bit via e-mail and have even done so after that initial trip, as they went another time after they rented from me.

So you've clearly had some experience in the process. It seems okay as long as you take the necessary precautions. My only question is: does it really work out to be cheaper than just going through Disney directly? I guess I'd have to compare between my TA discount, regular Disney, and rental DVC points.

 

[glennbo123]

On the typo, so I guess you switched a couple of letters and spelled out some anotomy. I'm surprised the word would get ***'d out if it appears in the middle of a word?

So you've clearly had some experience in the process. It seems okay as long as you take the necessary precautions. My only question is: does it really work out to be cheaper than just going through Disney directly? I guess I'd have to compare between my TA discount, regular Disney, and rental DVC points.

I think it works out to be a little cheaper, like getting a deluxe for the cost of a mod. You'd have to run the numbers and make comparisons.

The biggest risk is you can't change/cancel it as the date approaches, like you could if you went through Disney. This is because DVC is very restrictive to the member if they cancel within 1 month. If you cancel, it is very likely that the member will lose the points and with that short-notice they can't get another renter, and can't make changes because everything's booked-up. So, they'll want their money from you by that point in time, non-refundable, which is understandable.

 

[jenbear123]

On the typo, so I guess you switched a couple of letters and spelled out some anotomy. I'm surprised the word would get ***'d out if it appears in the middle of a word?

I guess the censor picks up any little bad word no matter where it appears.

I think it works out to be a little cheaper, like getting a deluxe for the cost of a mod. You'd have to run the numbers and make comparisons.

The biggest risk is you can't change/cancel it as the date approaches, like you could if you went through Disney. This is because DVC is very restrictive to the member if they cancel within 1 month. If you cancel, it is very likely that the member will lose the points and with that short-notice they can't get another renter, and can't make changes because everything's booked-up. So, they'll want their money from you by that point in time, non-refundable, which is understandable.

Hmmm that non-refundable bit might just turn me off of it completely. Or else be 100% sure that I'd be going if I do decide to do it. Thanks for the info anyways

 

[All7OfUs]

Yes, the censors will pick up ANY bad word, even if it's embedded into other words. Even some words that wouldn't normally BE bad words except on here. Trust me, I know.

I have not a clue how the DVC works AT ALL. so, I'll just sit back and glean all kinds of good stuff from ya'll.

 

[glennbo123]

Yes, the censors will pick up ANY bad word, even if it's embedded into other words. Even some words that wouldn't normally BE bad words except on here. Trust me, I know.

I have not a clue how the DVC works AT ALL. so, I'll just sit back and glean all kinds of good stuff from ya'll.

Now I'm going to have to put on my thinking cap to see if I can think of some of these words (words that contain bad words) and work 'em in, accidental-like.