The Prize for the most Indecisive Traveller

[zanzibar138]

I have to agree that your new plans look amazing too! And so lucky getting the availability for the ensuite room Definitely no need to be sad about the road closures

 

[WanderlustNZ]

Thanks ladies. I am feeling pretty happy with the way things have turned out.

My next hurdle could be access to gas stations. Most stations within Yellowstone change to self-service credit card only around that time of the year, and we don't have a US zip code which apparently is needed to get the machines to work. I emailed the NPS over a week ago to ask if there was a way international visitors could pump their own gas and have yet to receive an answer.

At this stage it looks like at least 1 station within Yellowstone will still be manned and so should the ones in the surrounding towns of Gardiner and West Yellowstone. If we drive conservatively and top up whenever we find a place open (regardless of whether or not the tank is getting low), I'm hoping we should be okay. Still, I can't get over how many hurdles one needs to be prepared for when planning a Yellowstone trip. Luckily I enjoy both planning and problem solving, but for those who prefer to just bowl up to a travel agent and book something, I can only image that Yellowstone would end up being one big headache.

My advice to anyone considering a trip to Yellowstone - book everything well in advance and be prepared to change it all.

 

[zanzibar138]

Thanks ladies. I am feeling pretty happy with the way things have turned out.

My next hurdle could be access to gas stations. Most stations within Yellowstone change to self-service credit card only around that time of the year, and we don't have a US zip code which apparently is needed to get the machines to work. I emailed the NPS over a week ago to ask if there was a way international visitors could pump their own gas and have yet to receive an answer.

At this stage it looks like at least 1 station within Yellowstone will still be manned and so should the ones in the surrounding towns of Gardiner and West Yellowstone. If we drive conservatively and top up whenever we find a place open (regardless of whether or not the tank is getting low), I'm hoping we should be okay. Still, I can't get over how many hurdles one needs to be prepared for when planning a Yellowstone trip. Luckily I enjoy both planning and problem solving, but for those who prefer to just bowl up to a travel agent and book something, I can only image that Yellowstone would end up being one big headache.

My advice to anyone considering a trip to Yellowstone - book everything well in advance and be prepared to change it all.

It certainly does sound like a lot of effort! It will all be worth it though

 

[WanderlustNZ]

Time for another update.

About a week ago, I booked and paid for one of our tours. It is a private 8 hour tour with the Yellowstone Association - a tour company/school that channel all their profit into educating people about the wild. They will pick us up from our Gardiner accommodation at the early hour of 6am to give us a better chance of spotting wildlife, including wolves. I'm so excited that I don't think getting up that early is going to be difficult.

www.yellowstoneassociation.org/program/wildlife-watching-northern-range

We are also still planning on doing a wildlife tour in Grand Teton National Park, but will need to save up for a while before I book that one.

I have also spent many weeks looking at accommodation for our two nights near Disneyland, and I must admit it hasn't been an easy task. It's been a bit of a battle between heart vs head, with my heart saying how much I would like to stay in a Disney hotel, but my head saying how ridiculous that would be given that we literally will only be in our hotel to sleep.
Probably the only benefit we would get would be early entry on Monday morning, but that is one expensive benefit. I was going to wait for Paradise Pier to be on super special, but even then we would be paying about a hundred dollars more per night than most places on Harbour Boulevard.

So this morning, I gave into my head and booked 2 nights at Park Vue Inn. I didn't find making this decision very exciting, as there really isn't any hotel within walking distance of Disney that particularly excites me. But in the end, it came down to what I thought offered the best option for our needs and budget. Park Vue Inn is literally across the road from the main Disney gates and gets good online reviews. Compared to other places in the area, the price off $200 p/n for a 2-room suite seemed fair. Particularly since that includes a hot breakfast, wifi, and taxes.
The downside is that whoever sleeps in the lounge (either my MIL or DH and I) has to sleep on a sofa bed.
The hotel has just begun a major update of all rooms, so I'm not sure these pics will still be valid by the time we get there. But here's some to give you an idea anyway.

Pics are not my own. They are from the Park Vue Inn website
http://www.parkvueinn.com/

The living space with pull out sofa bed. Given our short stay, I don't think we will have much use for the kitchen other than to store luggage. Plus I think it might be a bit hot for the fireplace. But it's charming none-the-less.



The bedroom with 2 queens



The breakfast room has make your own waffles



There is a ice cream shop at the front of the hotel. It might be a nice way to end our days

 

[zanzibar138]

Just remember that the main point of DLR is to enjoy the parks FWIW I think your room looks great! We thought about staying there for the RunDisney weekend, but ended up going with the Desert Inn & Suites because they had suites with 2 bathrooms (definitely a necessity when the 4 of us get back to our room after having run for 10k!).

 

[Aussie Wendy]

I think it looks good
and have I mentioned how jealous I am of your Yellowstone adventures - really looking forward to seeing pics and reading all about it on your blog when the time comes.

 

[WanderlustNZ]

Just remember that the main point of DLR is to enjoy the parks FWIW I think your room looks great! We thought about staying there for the RunDisney weekend, but ended up going with the Desert Inn & Suites because they had suites with 2 bathrooms (definitely a necessity when the 4 of us get back to our room after having run for 10k!).

You're right, that's what my head kept telling me. We pretty much only have 1 1/2 days to see Disneyland, so will be wanting to spend as much time as we can in the parks. I don't even care whether or not the hotel has a pool as we're unlikely to have the time to use it. We will be getting pretty tired by that part of our trip, so I figured that being across the road for Disneyland means that any one of us (my MIL in particular) can pop back easily for a short nap if a 12 hour stretch in the park becomes too much.

I kept looking at the rooms you have in the Desert Inn as I must admit, the extra bathroom would be good. As would an actual bed rather than a sofa bed. At present their 2 bed suites are almost NZ$100 more p/n than the one I have booked, but I'm going to keep an eye out for specials. The place I have booked has a generous cancellation policy, so I'm not beyond changing my booking if I find something better. I must admit, I'm actually surprised by the cost of accommodation in the area. For some reason I had it in my head that it was really cheap, but I guess, given the location, there is a tourist premium.

 

[WanderlustNZ]

I think it looks good and have I mentioned how jealous I am of your Yellowstone adventures - really looking forward to seeing pics and reading all about it on your blog when the time comes.

No need to be jealous. You have an exciting trip ahead of you also. Plus you're at the fun stage, where you get to pick exactly where you want to go.

 

[zanzibar138]

You're right, that's what my head kept telling me. We pretty much only have 1 1/2 days to see Disneyland, so will be wanting to spend as much time as we can in the parks. I don't even care whether or not the hotel has a pool as we're unlikely to have the time to use it. We will be getting pretty tired by that part of our trip, so I figured that being across the road for Disneyland means that any one of us (my MIL in particular) can pop back easily for a short nap if a 12 hour stretch in the park becomes too much.

I kept looking at the rooms you have in the Desert Inn as I must admit, the extra bathroom would be good. As would an actual bed rather than a sofa bed. At present their 2 bed suites are almost NZ$100 more p/n than the one I have booked, but I'm going to keep an eye out for specials. The place I have booked has a generous cancellation policy, so I'm not beyond changing my booking if I find something better. I must admit, I'm actually surprised by the cost of accommodation in the area. For some reason I had it in my head that it was really cheap, but I guess, given the location, there is a tourist premium.

Yeah the Desert Inn really hikes its prices up for weekends (I forget whether you'll be there on a weekend, but assuming so). For us it was worth it for having the extra bathroom, and our own bedrooms. And since we won't be spending any time in the parks for those first 4 nights I *required* a viewing deck for the fireworks.

 

[PrincessInOz]

I hope an accommodation special comes up for you, Wanderlust. Your plans look great.

Out of curiosity, did you look at the Ramada? It's supposed to be building new suites and I was curious to know how the pricing compares.

 

[WanderlustNZ]

I hope an accommodation special comes up for you, Wanderlust. Your plans look great. Out of curiosity, did you look at the Ramada? It's supposed to be building new suites and I was curious to know how the pricing compares.

Thanks for the suggestion. I just double checked the Ramada incase I had missed a good deal, but at present it is over double the price of the place I have booked. Their 2 bed suites are over $500 p/n

If my family of 4 were prepared to share a room, there are quite a few affordable hotels to pick between. But because we want a little bit of space, the prices are more costly. We are sharing a room for our two nights in Yellowstone and quite possibly our 3 nights in Hawaii (if my Aulani points request comes through). I'm thinking that that's probably enough.

 

[WanderlustNZ]

Yeah the Desert Inn really hikes its prices up for weekends (I forget whether you'll be there on a weekend, but assuming so). For us it was worth it for having the extra bathroom, and our own bedrooms. And since we won't be spending any time in the parks for those first 4 nights I *required* a viewing deck for the fireworks.

Desert Inn is pretty reasonably priced compared to many other places in the area. I've seen shocking prices being asked for some quite poorly rated hotels. It makes me realise what a bargain those VRBO places are.

We are there on a Sunday night and Monday night. The Sunday is the last night of Gay Days, so that might explain the cost of hotels in the area.

 

[PrincessInOz]

Thanks for the suggestion. I just double checked the Ramada incase I had missed a good deal, but at present it is over double the price of the place I have booked. Their 2 bed suites are over $500 p/n

If my family of 4 were prepared to share a room, there are quite a few affordable hotels to pick between. But because we want a little bit of space, the prices are more costly. We are sharing a room for our two nights in Yellowstone and quite possibly our 3 nights in Hawaii (if my Aulani points request comes through). I'm thinking that that's probably enough.

WOW! That's almost daylight robbery. For those prices, I'd stay on Disney property.

 

[WanderlustNZ]

WOW! That's almost daylight robbery. For those prices, I'd stay on Disney property.

Me too.

One room at Paradise Pier is roughly the same cost per night as many of the cheaper 2 bedroom suites on Harbour Boulevard. Dollar for dollar, I would probably prefer to squish us all into one room and enjoy the Disney experience. However at about $350 p/n even that is hard to justify. My accommodation in Jackson Wyoming is costing that much, and that is a millionaires playground well known for it's expensive hotels.
It seems I am visiting at a costly time. Either that, or I'm just too early for the specials. I will continue to keep an eye out.

 

[zanzibar138]

Me too.

One room at Paradise Pier is roughly the same cost per night as many of the cheaper 2 bedroom suites on Harbour Boulevard. Dollar for dollar, I would probably prefer to squish us all into one room and enjoy the Disney experience. However at about $350 p/n even that is hard to justify. My accommodation in Jackson Wyoming is costing that much, and that is a millionaires playground well known for it's expensive hotels.
It seems I am visiting at a costly time. Either that, or I'm just too early for the specials. I will continue to keep an eye out.

It does seem like you're staying at an expensive time When I said Desert Inn & Suites put their rates up for the weekend, it's still only USD $209, and that is for their most expensive room. On weeknights, that room (2 bed 2 bath suite with separate living area) is only USD $169. Still definitely much cheaper than PPH!

 

[WanderlustNZ]

It does seem like you're staying at an expensive time When I said Desert Inn & Suites put their rates up for the weekend, it's still only USD $209, and that is for their most expensive room. On weeknights, that room (2 bed 2 bath suite with separate living area) is only USD $169. Still definitely much cheaper than PPH!

Bother, I would be happy with those prices.

After taxes and fees, the Desert Inn is coming out an average of US$560 for the 2 nights while the one I have booked is $400. For that difference in price we could have a really nice dinner in Disney, and that thought swayed it for me.

The irony is that if I pretended we were part of Gay Days, I could get a REALLY cheap deal on any of the Disney hotels. But because that doesn't sit well with any of us, particularly DH (for honesty reasons, not any kind of prejudice), we seem to be stuck paying the highly inflated Gay Day prices across the road.

Not to worry. I secretly think there is a deal to be found, I just need to keep an eye out. If not, the place we have booked does seem pretty nice and I'm sure it will serve our needs perfectly adequately.

 

[zanzibar138]

Bother, I would be happy with those prices.

After taxes and fees, the Desert Inn is coming out an average of US$560 for the 2 nights while the one I have booked is $400. For that difference in price we could have a really nice dinner in Disney, and that thought swayed it for me.

The irony is that if I pretended we were part of Gay Days, I could get a REALLY cheap deal on any of the Disney hotels. But because that doesn't sit well with any of us, particularly DH (for honesty reasons, not any kind of prejudice), we seem to be stuck paying the highly inflated Gay Day prices across the road.

Not to worry. I secretly think there is a deal to be found, I just need to keep an eye out. If not, the place we have booked does seem pretty nice and I'm sure it will serve our needs perfectly adequately.

Boo! That's heaps expensive! I think the place you've booked looks pleasant enough for a couple of nights anyway, and definitely worth the savings

 

[WanderlustNZ]

This morning I booked our flights from Salt Lake City to Los Angeles. We are giving JetBlue a try and I have been pleasantly surprised by all that is included in what was a very cheap airfare (one piece of luggage, snacks, non-alcoholic drinks, and individual screens with a selection of TV shows). It was considerably cheaper than all the competition, so I decided to splash out the $20 extra p/p for more legroom, priority boarding and priority security.

The flight flies into Long Beach Airport, which I think is slightly closer to Anaheim than LAX and shouldn't have the same hustle and bustle. I'm yet to book the LAX to SLC leg as JetBlue don't fly between LAX and Salt Lake City. I'm waiting for Southwest to release their flights before I book that one.

The great news is that the JetBlue flight we're on leaves SLC about 6:30pm on 4th October meaning we will now have 2 full days in Anaheim. The 4th October will be a tiring day as it will begin with a 5-6 hour drive from West yellowstone, followed by a 2 hour flight. But by doing the drive and flight all on one day, we claw back another half day at Disneyland.

I now need 3 nights in Anaheim instead of the two I've booked, and at this stage I'm not sure whether I'll extend our stay at the Park Vue Inn or cancel it and book somewhere else.

 

[WanderlustNZ]

To get through the recession a few years back, the Reserve Bank of NZ dropped the official cash rate to a very low 2.5%

However, now that kiwis are spending more and our dollar is strong, there is a push by kiwi exporters to increase the cash rate for the first time in years. It seems very likely that this will happen in just a few weeks time which is potentially bad news for not just people with mortgages, but travellers like myself who have been enjoying a strong NZ dollar.

I feel under so much pressure to book things now, but unfortunately the money just isn't there to book much more than the airfare I booked this morning. I have my fingers crossed that the dollar isn't affected too much when the Reserve Governor makes his announcement in a few weeks.

 

[PrincessInOz]

This morning I booked our flights from Salt Lake City to Los Angeles. We are giving JetBlue a try and I have been pleasantly surprised by all that is included in what was a very cheap airfare (one piece of luggage, snacks, non-alcoholic drinks, and individual screens with a selection of TV shows). It was considerably cheaper than all the competition, so I decided to splash out the $20 extra p/p for more legroom, priority boarding and priority security.

The flight flies into Long Beach Airport, which I think is slightly closer to Anaheim than LAX and shouldn't have the same hustle and bustle. I'm yet to book the LAX to SLC leg as JetBlue don't fly between LAX and Salt Lake City. I'm waiting for Southwest to release their flights before I book that one.

The great news is that the JetBlue flight we're on leaves SLC about 6:30pm on 4th October meaning we will now have 2 full days in Anaheim. The 4th October will be a tiring day as it will begin with a 5-6 hour drive from West yellowstone, followed by a 2 hour flight. But by doing the drive and flight all on one day, we claw back another half day at Disneyland.

I now need 3 nights in Anaheim instead of the two I've booked, and at this stage I'm not sure whether I'll extend our stay at the Park Vue Inn or cancel it and book somewhere else.

YAY for booking the flight from SLC to Long Beach and gaining more time for DLR. Yes, it is closer than LAX. Isn't the parent company for JetBlue American Airlines? Should be a decent service.

Is there a reason for changing the accommodation if you staying 2 or 3 nights?