The New Lizard Lounge

[TammiMcMan]

TammiMcMan & ead - Don't look now but those AP rates are calling your name

Nope, Nope, Nope. I'm not even looking and I haven't been tempted to look up airfares (yet). That's what ultimately got me for our December trip. $99 roundtrip from Boston to Orlando, was definitely too good to pass up. And no laughing at me either Mr. Goofy . You are soon to be in the same boat. I don't know about your DD's new school, but DS's starts taking out tuition payments for next year starting in July, ouch. I don't even want to think about how many Disney trips we could take a year if it wasn't for college, Catholic school, cheerleading and skating expenses . Keeping my fingers crossed that DS and his partner will make it to Colorado this year for skating junior nationals. I've got to keep that money set aside just in case.

Minniesota, I love hearing all the details. Sounds like you and your DD had a very special trip.

Tess, I never trust the long range forecasts, especially in Florida. It could be pouring at MGM, but be sunny and bright at the MK. Very weird. I hope you luck out and enjoy some fabulous weather.

I don't have a vacation countdown, but we are on the school countdown. It runs in phases at our house. Oldest DD is home from college, DS has 4 days of finals left, youngest DD has her last day on June 17th and I think my school finally finishes up on the 23rd. There were just too many snow days this year and now we don't even get a spring season.

TGIF,
Tammi

Tammi

 

[#1hockeymom]

Nope, Nope, Nope. I'm not even looking and I haven't been tempted to look up airfares (yet). .....
but DS's starts taking out tuition payments for next year starting in July, ouch. I don't even want to think about how many Disney trips we could take a year if it wasn't for college, Catholic school, cheerleading and skating expenses .
Tammi

I was just thinking the same thing! An ice bill is like a long weekend at DISNEY... tuition payments are the week and then some... WE must be doing something wrong if we want to live at DISNEY! LOL

Have a great weekend!
Debbie

 

[Goofy's Muse]

... And no laughing at me either Mr. Goofy . You are soon to be in the same boat. I don't know about your DD's new school, but DS's starts taking out tuition payments for next year starting in July, ouch...

You mean we're NOT going to win the free tuition raffle! I was SO sure of that one!

Actually, Tammi, I had to laugh because it was those ultra low fares that pushed us over the edge to booking our December trip... like it was meant to be or something! I am actively avoiding airline web sites, but strangely enough, we took the kids to see Madagascar last weekend and I somehow became very nostalgic for AKL! Figure I'm just about losing it is all ...

Definitely need a vacation! We're still talking about Lake George and Niagara but haven't booked anything yet What am I waiting for?? Had thought we might hook up with my brother's family this summer but due to crazy schedules that is not in the cards...

Tess... Here's sending lots of your way... I have a feeling your weather will be super...

... and minniesota... Thanks for not skimping on the details. Don't censor! I'm loving every drop (speaking of drops, I'm convinced that no one fair-warned me about TOT... that one definitely got to me in the motion sickness category, so I'm impressed that you could survive it for even one go-round)!

 

[Tess]

Tess... Here's sending lots of your way... I have a feeling your weather will be super...

From your mouth to God's ear. . .I hope you're right! To all of you who are facing those tuition payments. . .Good Luck! BTDT, now it's a whole new world--our son's college payments are going to be $33,000 p/year, IF he's accepted. . .he's our first (daughter will be following behind in another couple of years)! When he was little he told me he was going to grow up and be "smart enough" that I could live on an island somewhere and he would take care of me. . .guess Dad is out of luck! Have a or a good I'm not sure which to do--BUT HEY, I'm goin' to DISNEY in 6 days!

 

[sfbank]

Hello everyone! Minniesota-loved hearing about your trip. I would like to do that exact same thing in about 10 years with my dd-dh can head to canada to fish!! Tess--have a great trip!! I keep thinking I would like to try the Polynesian but I can't get away from the Boardwalk!!

 

[sfbank]

Need some prayers and pixie dust!! I love that I have a place to come to get my mind off things-thanks everyone. DH and I just found out last week that his Dad has lung cancer. He went for a test Wed to see how far it has spread. It was contained in his lung. He was told that they could not operate due to his lung capacity so they were going to start Chemo next week. Well, last night his wife called in a panic because he went and saw another doctor and they said they could operate but if it didn't go well, he would be on a respirator the rest of his life and that chemo would just prolong the inevitible. So today DH and his brothers are driving down to Missouri to talk to their Dad face to face to find ot what is going on. I don't deal with these things well as I am very emotional and softheated. Anyway, thanks for listening!

 

[ead79]

sfbank, I am so sorry to hear about your father-in-law's lung cancer. It can be a good idea to get a second opinion, but sometimes they can lead to so much confusion about the best course of action. I think it is a good thing that it is contained to his lung. I will pray for you and your entire family, as well as for the doctors that they will have wisdom in recommending a course of treatment. May the Lord comfort and strengthen you all and give you a peace and calm.

 

[Goofy's Muse]

for you sfbank and your family...

 

[sfbank]

ead79--thanks for the thoughts and prayers. The boys are going down tomorrow now and may stay over to go to the doctor with him Monday. I will keep everyone posted!!

 

[#1hockeymom]

P and PD to you and your family. Hugs also going out to everyone else who needs it through the next few days.

Debbie

 

[MinnieSummer]

Lots of prayer to everyone who is suffering through parent illnesses right now. My father was rushed to emergency this weekend and they admitted him as they have no idea what is wrong. The really bad thing is they left my mother at home alone and she really can't be alone (82, diabetic, arthritic, and has a tumor on her kidney the size of a baseball and noone can agree on what to do about it so they are letting her sit and wait but they have told her that if it bursts it could be fatal). She's in PA and I'm in FL and trying to make arrangements with other family to check on her and get her to the hospital to see my dad and get groceries (she doesn't drive anymore) etc. Make arrangements for a visiting nurse until I can get up there. It's definitely stressful.

I did laugh when I read the posts about ice time and tuition etc. We're faced with the same thing right now. Tuition is due in July and my daughter does the figure skating thing. Between competitions, a coach, and Ice Time I've spent almost $5,000 since the beginning of the year. That's why I work. So she can ice skate. But think what a great trip to WDW that could pay for. Wouldn't it be nice? Oh well. They are our kids and we love them so we do this stuff and hopefully when I'm in a position like my mom above, my daughter will make arrangements so I'm taken care of as well.

Everyone is in my prayers.

 

[spectrum-turbo]

O.K. Lounge Lizards I need some help:

My MIL is taking us on a Land/Sea vacation this fall and is being pretty tight lipped about the accomodations (I think she spent more that my FIL would approve of) I do know that we are staying at GF so, that leads me to believe that we must be in a Cat 1,2 or 3 onboard. After going through a few more rounds of deductive reasoning ( I won't bore you with the details) I am pretty sure that we are in a Cat 2 suite on The Wonder.
Now, here is the question: Are we going to be in a standard room at the GF or could I possibly dream about that oh so lovely conciergre level?
I called DCL and got a couple of differnt non-commital answers and the suspense is drining me crazy

 

[Angel16]

Angel16 - Oh you lucky girl! We LOVE the GF and RPC (we were there in OCt. and Dec.) The lounge is located on on the 4th floor and is very spacious. The offerings were plentiful and there seemed to be quite a variety, especially in the evenings from 5-7. And their desserts are to die for. We have always found the CMs to be very professional and courteous - and once you approach them with friendly conversation, they are as warm and friendly as can be. TammiMcMan has lots of info if you do a search on her. She has some trip reports linked in her sig line.

When are you going? And what rate did you get? (You can PM me if you want!) My sister and I are going Oct. 1 - 5 or 6 and are staying at the Grand but I opted for a lagoon view AP rate this morning. Now I'm wondering if RPC should be a consideration!!! You will love it there!

Minniesota & EAD79 - I am sorry, I have not answered your question. I have been working 12-13 hour days and trying to get ready for our trip. In addition, you know how when you going away you always have some thing go wrong either with your home or car or family. Well, our spa (which is a year old) has started to heat up to 112 degrees. Not good, could cause a fire, we have bees in our mater bedroom and I am tryining to figure out how they are getting in!

To anwer your questions. We got $70.00 off the rate. Not bad, and less than it would have been without AP discount for the Polynesian. But, as you said EAD79 not a very often price for us. This will probably be our one and only visit. But we are really looking forward to it.

To all you GF experts - What area should we request for our room? We have requested a King bed - remember DH is 6'4" and 270. and we have requeted non-smoking. We would like a view of the water if possible. I have heard that rooms right by the lobby opening are noisy. If so where would you suggest we request?

Tammi McMan I have started to read all your reports on the GF. I am looking forward to learn as much as I can. Thank you for sharing all the information. Hey, has anyone else had trouble getting on the boards the last 4-6 days? I could not get on at all Friday afternoon or evening, or Sunday. Today it was sooo slow. What is going on?

I had better get going here, I am home today and have bills to pay, packing and bees to investigate.

Sending everyone best wishes, I will try and catch up on the board before I leave.

Angel

 

[Tess]

we have bees in our mater bedroom and I am tryining to figure out how they are getting in!

Check your bathroom vent fan. . .we have had this problem in the past and that's where they were coming in. . .Ours tend to show up later in the year, but they've been known to get in through the summer. Someone told me that bees can't get through the vent fan chute, but I had a bee expert here and he said that was nonsense, they can and do! An old pair of stockings over the vent should do the trick! Good luck.

Also, the other place the bee guy mentioned was attic doors--I know our master bedroom has an attic door in my husband's closet. . .odd place for it, I know, but we have cathedral ceilings and one in the garage as well.

I know exactly what you mean--why do things always start to go south just when we would like to head there?

 

[TammiMcMan]

To all you GF experts - What area should we request for our room? We have requested a King bed - remember DH is 6'4" and 270. and we have requeted non-smoking. We would like a view of the water if possible. I have heard that rooms right by the lobby opening are noisy. If so where would you suggest we request?

Tammi McMan I have started to read all your reports on the GF. I am looking forward to learn as much as I can. Thank you for sharing all the information.

Angel

Angel, I'm not sure if there are any standard rooms on the 5th floor, but that would be my first request. You can get a nice lagoon view from there and it's above any noise that you might hear from the lobby. Second choice would be 4th floor any room number from 01-09. These rooms are located down the side wing and even though it's a bit further to the lounge and main elevators, there's no one above you, a beautiful castle view and very little hallway noise. There's also an elevator there that brings you out right next door to Gasparillas Grill and it's nice if you don't want to walk through the lobby with your pool stuff. The only way that they can guarantee a king bed is if you book a honeymoon room. I think most of the other concierge standard rooms have 2 queen beds.

If you have any questions, ask away.

Prayers and hugs for everyone in need.

Tammi

 

[Angel16]

Tess - Thank you. I will check just as soon as I can. Great suggestion! You have given me some peace of mind, as I was thinking we were the only ones with bees in their home. I was seeing in my mind kind a Steven King thing. , My DH is very, very allergic to bee venom. We had a hospital run the last time he was stung while he was mowing the lawn.

Have a wonderful trip Tess I am sending wishes for not too hot weather. With a few handfuls of pixie dust to make it extra special.

Tammi - Thank you for your suggestions. Have you ever stayed in one of their honeymoon rooms? Would you suggest that? I really want us both to be comfortable and have a little space and if possible a view of the water. Magic Kingdom would be super, but......

Angel

 

[ead79]

Angel, I’ve actually stayed in both of the two types of honeymoon rooms at the GF main building. Here’s some info about the 2 types from another thread I posted to:

There are 2 types of honeymoon rooms at the GF main building. There are turret honeymoon rooms and (for lack of a better word) regular honeymoon rooms.

Turret honeymoon rooms--these rooms are in the large turrets located on the corners of the main building. They are octagonal in shape and do not have balconies. There are large windows all around, and they have a really neat shape. The views from these rooms vary, but I know that at least some of these do have MK views. Ours had a view of the monorail, main pool, Wedding Pavilion, and a lot of the roof of the resort. These rooms have regular tubs and have HUGE walk in closets with drawers and shelves. It's really just personal preference, but we liked this room a bit better.

Regular honeymoon rooms--these rooms are located in a secluded area of the 2nd floor (not accessible by day guests). These rooms are located just above Gasparilla's Grill and look out over the GF Marina towards the castle. They all face the Magic Kingdom. It is possible that the tall palm trees could somewhat obstruct your view however. These rooms have small jacuzzi tubs (definitely no more than 1 person could fit, as the tub is small) and regular closets. They do have balconies.

All the honeymoon rooms have a king bed and a sitting area with a loveseat, coffee table, and chair. I know that our turret room had a wet bar, and I'm relatively sure that the other room did as well (but I'm not 100% sure on that). The turret room seemed larger overall, but I think that had a lot to do with the layout. The regular rooms might be a little more quiet, but we didn't have any noise problems at all from either room. You really can't go wrong either way.

 

[TammiMcMan]

Angel, we were so lucky last January. I had booked a standard concierge room, but when DH and I arrived, we were escorted to a honeymoon turret suite. It was absolutely beautiful. Much bigger than the regular rooms and we were up on the 5th floor with a panoramic view from the wedding chapel over to the castle. Unfortunately, there are only 6 of these rooms and they are by request only. If you book a honeymoon suite, you would get either this one or the other style that EAD described. I'm not sure if the pre-planning department could confirm if the turret room is available during your stay. It's a beautiful room though and worth checking out.

Tammi

 

[lovesdumbo]

sfbank & MinnieSummer-P & PD for both of you!

Good news to report here-after 6 weeks my Mom is finally out of intensive care! She'll probably stay about a week in a "regular" room at Beth Isreal before going to rehab. She's eating a bit and is strong enough to argue with us-she wants to go home-so would I but she needs professional help to get walking again.

And I'm also happy to report the potty training of DD(28 months) is complete. I'm still in shock. She had only really used 1 time before declaring "NO DIAPIES!". She had just 1 wet accident and 3 messy ones but has been clean and dry for days now. AND...my DS(4) who was wetting his pants several times a day (for attention) has been dry for days also.

I'm not sure what to do about my October trip. I just learned that Poly CL may be under renovation. It is scheduled for late September and I arrive 10/14. I could just keep my reservation as is and hope for the best-renovation is complete and we get nice new room. I could keep reservation and not worry about where they put us. I could change to Poly non CL, I could try to get AP for GF CL main building-DH would LOVE GF! I don't know if I could like SL (does SL have evening service-we don't really care about the beer & wine). I could try an Epcot resort (like pool at BC/YC but from I hear BWI has better CL). How is pool at BWI? DH said he wasn't crazy about Epcot area when we walked by on our last trip (too busy) but I bet he'd stay at the Dolphin if I asked because we've been there and he liked it. I think he'd like BWI if he tried it. I think we'd need 2 rooms at Swan/Dolphin but they do have good discounts. I could try renting DVD points. I feel like I need to know what I want to do so that when AP rates come out I know what to try to get. I do currently have AAA on a GV CL at Poly.

 

[GoofyJoofy]

sfbank & MinnieSummer - Prayers and PD to you and your families.

lovesdumbo - That is great news! Continued Prayers and PD for a swift recovery in rehab for your mom.

Oh all this talk about the GF makes me want to go back now. We loved this resort when we were there in Dec '04.

spectrum-turbo - I'm not sure if anyone else has a better understanding of this, but I would think you are looking at GF regular rooms in one of the lodge buildings. But I am no expert. Maybe someone who has done a Land & Sea can comment?