The Prize for the most Indecisive Traveller

[WanderlustNZ]

Good work That's the type of car I think we've decided on. We were a bit the same wondering about cargo and fuel efficiency. Dad isn't too worried because he says fuel isn't as expensive in the US - he even kind of laughed when I brought it up as a concern! So if it does turn out to be expensive, he can cover our costs I haven't managed to find a great deal yet though. Might have to check out your website. Although I don't really use apps, so I wouldn't get the extra 10% discount. We have rental car excess etc as part of our travel insurance, so won't have to worry about that at least.

My advice is to read your travel insurance T&Cs very carefully and check you're covered for Supplementary Liability Insurance (third party insurance). This is the big one that many travel insurance companies don't cover. Many cover you if you hurt someone else, but not if you do it while operating a vehicle. In the States you could potentially get stung with a bill in the hundreds of thousands if you crash into someone and injure them.

Also read the CDW (Collision Damage Waver) conditions from your car rental company very carefully. All the jargon is very confusing, but at least in some states of the USA it seems that there is no capped excess on car hire. I could have been reading things wrong, but it seemed that in some cases, if you crash a car, you are liable for the full cost of damages. Most travel insurance companies will only cover you up to a certain amount e.g. $5000. I have excess cover with my Insurance also, but it's just not enough to make me feel as secure as I would renting a car in many other countries of the world.

 

[WanderlustNZ]

This might explain it a bit better than me

http://www.vroomvroomvroom.com/insurance/

 

[zanzibar138]

Thanks for the heads up I'll have another look at the Ts and Cs.

 

[WanderlustNZ]

I was curious, so I just had a skim through the T&Cs of 3 travel insurance companies that are well known in both NZ and Australia.

None of them cover personal liability when driving in a vehicle. I thought the wording of 1 Cover was particularly amusing. Basically you are not covered if your claim is at all related to "ownership, custody or use of any aerial device, watercraft or mechanically propelled vehicle;". How's that for jargon?

Also none of the companies I looked at cover car insurance, just car excess. In places like NZ and Australia the car companies have their own insurance, so you as the hirer only have to worry about excess. USA car companies generally aren't insured in the same way, so your travel insurance needs to cover the full cost of the car. If you aren't covered properly and you write-off a $30,000 car in the USA, you could essentially be stung with a bill for $30,000.

Not meaning to scare anyone. I just think that there is a lot of confusion out there about US car hire insurance (I'm still feeling pretty confused myself) and many think they are covered when they are not.

 

[zanzibar138]

I think you're doing a community service Insurance companies are sneaky and the way they describe things is so confusing Plus, if you don't know what the differences are in the way things work, you don't know what to look out for. I'll have another read of our policy, and if I can't work things out, I'll give them a call to clarify. Although I often find when I ring insurance companies the staff have absolutely no idea and just repeat what's on the policy

 

[WanderlustNZ]

Although I often find when I ring insurance companies the staff have absolutely no idea and just repeat what's on the policy

Lol, I feel like that's the case with so many businesses these days. You can call 3 different people and get 3 completely different responses.

I have pretty much got to the point where I trust very little that I'm told on the phone and try for email responses instead. At least that way I have documented evidence of their response if they end up sending me down the wrong path.

 

[Caroline NZ]

Wanderlust is right about most NZ/AU travel insurance policies only covering the excess (ie$3-$5K). I have known about this since our first trip in 2009 so we always rent from companies that have full LDW, SLI etc. We have rented from Alamo, National and Enterprise and had good experiences with all of them. Next Jan we have gone through uscarhire.com ( provider is Alamo) We have an SUV ( Escape or equivalent) for around US$35/day, which is much cheaper than all the rentals we have had on the West Coast . We don't need luggage space this time as it is not a road trip, but last Oct and also our trip in 2011 we got a premium full size car (Ford Taurus) as we knew it had a large boot, plus we wanted all our belongings fully out of sight while we were enroute

 

[WanderlustNZ]

Wanderlust is right about most NZ/AU travel insurance policies only covering the excess (ie$3-$5K). I have known about this since our first trip in 2009 so we always rent from companies that have full LDW, SLI etc. We have rented from Alamo, National and Enterprise and had good experiences with all of them. Next Jan we have gone through uscarhire.com ( provider is Alamo) We have an SUV ( Escape or equivalent) for around US$35/day, which is much cheaper than all the rentals we have had on the West Coast . We don't need luggage space this time as it is not a road trip, but last Oct and also our trip in 2011 we got a premium full size car (Ford Taurus) as we knew it had a large boot, plus we wanted all our belongings fully out of sight while we were enroute

US$35 is a great price. Well done. One of those smaller SUVs is great for a four people when you don't have a huge amount of luggage. It's the type of car we usually hire when we travel down to Wanaka for the Warbirds. I'm not sure what it is, but there is something nice about touring and being that bit higher off the ground.

Ebookers had a mid size SUV (Rav4, Ford Escape or similar) for around $35 also, but I decided to go one size up purely for cargo space. We will start the trip with 4 suitcases, but will potentially finish with 6 suitcases and a chilly bin/eskie depending on how much shopping we do. I nearly booked a people mover/minivan type car to guarantee we'd have enough luggage space, but opted for the SUV instead. Fingers crossed I made the right choice.

In other news, I just booked my hotel for my one night in Sydney. I booked a superior room at Harbour Rocks Hotel for US$200 on cheaptickets.com Cheap tickets is another relative of Orbitz (can you tell I like the Orbitz family of third party booking sites?) and they have 20% off at present. While it's a bit more than I was hoping to spend for one night, it's still good value for that area of Sydney. I have my heart set on The Rocks area for it's location as well as the charming-looking style and history of the area. Yay, can't wait!

 

[PrincessInOz]

Congrats on the Sydney accommodation. That's a great price.

 

[zanzibar138]

In other news, I just booked my hotel for my one night in Sydney. I booked a superior room at Harbour Rocks Hotel for US$200 on cheaptickets.com Cheap tickets is another relative of Orbitz (can you tell I like the Orbitz family of third party booking sites?) and they have 20% off at present. While it's a bit more than I was hoping to spend for one night, it's still good value for that area of Sydney. I have my heart set on The Rocks area for it's location as well as the charming-looking style and history of the area. Yay, can't wait!

That's a great price for The Rocks

I have exactly the same dilemma about the car size. I don't like the idea of passers by being able to see our car packed full of luggage, but I just don't see it all fitting into the boot of a sedan We're the same, will have 4 largish suitcases to start with (plus hand luggage) to possibly be added to as we go. And 4 adults, so no room in the passenger part of the car for luggage. I am also hoping a standard SUV will be big enough

I'm loving the freedom of my few solo days! Not only do I get to do exactly what I want to do, I can also save bucket loads by being able to book an economy car

 

[Caroline NZ]

That's a great price for The Rocks

I have exactly the same dilemma about the car size. I don't like the idea of passers by being able to see our car packed full of luggage, but I just don't see it all fitting into the boot of a sedan We're the same, will have 4 largish suitcases to start with (plus hand luggage) to possibly be added to as we go. And 4 adults, so no room in the passenger part of the car for luggage. I am also hoping a standard SUV will be big enough

I'm loving the freedom of my few solo days! Not only do I get to do exactly what I want to do, I can also save bucket loads by being able to book an economy car

The boot of a Taurus (large sedan) was larger than most of the SUVs. We have a Murano (SUV) and a Falcon at home, and the Taurus luggage capacity was much much bigger than either of those. We had 2 hardsided suitcases, 5 large duffles, a large chilly bin, clothes airer and 4 backpacks and they all fit in . We were road touring for over a month and we had a lot of luggage!

 

[WanderlustNZ]

Having your luggage where passers by can see it is certainly not ideal. However, we usually put our darker suitcases on the top of the pile, so paired with the dark windows in the back of most SUVs, our luggage is not usually immediately obvious. We carry most valuables with us (phones, cameras, passports etc) when we leave the car, so if a thief was to break in and take what is mostly old clothes, at least it's not the end of the world.

I did look at sedans, but unfortunately I'm feeling fairly certain my family would struggle to fit all of our luggage into a car. Especially given the way my MIL packs Even if we could be guaranteed to get the exact make of car we wanted, about the biggest trunk space you get with a rental sedan is around 20 cubic feet, compared to around 35+ with a SUV. It's not ideal to have luggage popping up above window level, but I'd prefer this to having bags on our laps.

 

[WanderlustNZ]

I haven't made any extra bookings this weekend, but I have been thinking about quite a few aspects of my holiday and would appreciate people's thoughts of experiences.

1. I want to have some very organised plans for the Sunday of Gay Days, so we don't become stressed and overwhelmed by the crowds. So I am looking at the 'Discover the Magic' tour in the morning and/or the Fantasmic Dessert Package in the evening. I really would love to do both, but I'm not sure if we could stretch the budget that far. If you had to choose one or the other, which one would you pick and why?

2. I've also been looking at Photopass + and trying to decide if it will be worth it for just 2 days. I loved the Photopass + at WDW, but we had 11 nights there and plenty of time to get use out of it. Thoughts?

3. Trying to decide what to do about a GPS for our road trip. My options are:
- hire one from Alamo (expensive)
- buy a second hand GPS online (maps could be outdated or it might not work properly)
- buy a cheap one from Walmart on the first day of our trip (worried it will need to be hooked straight up to a computer for updates and we won't have a laptop with us)
- add a USA map to my current GPS (not sure I have the memory space for a map so large and I have no external SD slot)
- Buy a new GPS from the States (any idea of a company that will ship one internationally?)
- A sixth option that I haven't yet thought of and one of you wise people are going to enlighten me.

Cheers everyone

 

[PrincessInOz]

I haven't made any extra bookings this weekend, but I have been thinking about quite a few aspects of my holiday and would appreciate people's thoughts of experiences.

1. I want to have some very organised plans for the Sunday of Gay Days, so we don't become stressed and overwhelmed by the crowds. So I am looking at the 'Discover the Magic' tour in the morning and/or the Fantasmic Dessert Package in the evening. I really would love to do both, but I'm not sure if we could stretch the budget that far. If you had to choose one or the other, which one would you pick and why?

I would do the Discover the Magic tour. You get to hunt for stuff and I think you get to go on rides as well. It could be fun for your DS and the family.

The Fantasmic Dessert Package seating area is a bit hit and miss. You need to go stake out your seats in advance so that you get a good view.

2. I've also been looking at Photopass + and trying to decide if it will be worth it for just 2 days. I loved the Photopass + at WDW, but we had 11 nights there and plenty of time to get use out of it. Thoughts?

I've never looked into the DLR PP+ package; but I think it is cheaper than the one at WDW. If the price is right, it might be worth it for the 2 days IF you are planning on doing a few character M&G.

Personally, I've never used it at DLR. We always have our cameras and hand them over to the photographer or handler. They are happy to take one or two pictures for us with them.

The thing to consider is that you will have your MiL with you. It may be more expedient to get it the PP+ as a just in case.

3. Trying to decide what to do about a GPS for our road trip. My options are:
- hire one from Alamo (expensive)
- buy a second hand GPS online (maps could be outdated or it might not work properly)
- buy a cheap one from Walmart on the first day of our trip (worried it will need to be hooked straight up to a computer for updates and we won't have a laptop with us)
- add a USA map to my current GPS (not sure I have the memory space for a map so large and I have no external SD slot)
- Buy a new GPS from the States (any idea of a company that will ship one internationally?)
- A sixth option that I haven't yet thought of and one of you wise people are going to enlighten me.

Cheers everyone

I'm all for shopping when you get there. LOL.

I can't remember if you have a smart phone or not. I used the Map option on my phone. Seemed to work fine until we got to Pagosa Springs and the route it picked told us to get out of the car, walk across the paddock for 100 yards and then get back in the car to continue with our journey.


Is it expensive to add the US map to your existing GPS? Might be worth checking if you do have sufficient space or not. This one sounds like it could be the best option.

 

[WanderlustNZ]

Cheers PIO. I think I am leaning towards the Discover the Magic tour. It does look delightful and I'm sure DS will love it.

The PP+ for Disneyland is only $70. Not heaps, but I'm just not sure how much we'll use it.

DS has a smart phone, so getting maps on that could be an option. I get a bit confused though how GPS on smartphones work. Do you need a data plan?

That is so funny about the 'walk through the paddock' instructions.

 

[PrincessInOz]

If you are going to use the smartphone, you will need a data plan. I bought the AT&T GoPhone monthly prepaid option. It was $60 for 30 days unlimited talk and text; and it included 2 GB of data. They threw in the Sim card for free.

 

[zanzibar138]

1. I want to have some very organised plans for the Sunday of Gay Days, so we don't become stressed and overwhelmed by the crowds. So I am looking at the 'Discover the Magic' tour in the morning and/or the Fantasmic Dessert Package in the evening. I really would love to do both, but I'm not sure if we could stretch the budget that far. If you had to choose one or the other, which one would you pick and why?

I am having a similar dilemma for my trip. My birthday falls on a Sunday, and I was going to do the F! dessert package. But now I'm leaning towards doing the Walk in Walt's Footsteps tour instead. Why? First of all, we will probably have already seen F! on this trip. If we want to see it again, we'll aim for the second show and grab a good spot as everyone leaves the first one (this worked brilliantly for us on our last trip, and means we'll only have to wait 40 minutes-ish). With the dessert package, they recommend lining up for your tickets 2 hours before the show. So in my eyes, it doesn't really achieve much. And especially when you have such a limited time there anyway.

So long story short, I would do the tour

2. I've also been looking at Photopass + and trying to decide if it will be worth it for just 2 days. I loved the Photopass + at WDW, but we had 11 nights there and plenty of time to get use out of it. Thoughts?

I'm also having a similar dilemma with this one I know we will get it for our week long visit to DLR with my parents. But I'm wondering if it's worth getting another one for the few days I'll have with DH over the half marathon weekend. I would mainly want it for the ride photos, since I know that we can get the PP photographers to use my camera anyway. But wondering if it might work out better to just buy a ride photo separately? $69 is a lot of money, especially when you have to pay it twice But I'll want a digital copy of the ride photo and not sure if that's an option without PP.

So long story short, I'm no help

3. Trying to decide what to do about a GPS for our road trip. My options are:
- hire one from Alamo (expensive)
- buy a second hand GPS online (maps could be outdated or it might not work properly)
- buy a cheap one from Walmart on the first day of our trip (worried it will need to be hooked straight up to a computer for updates and we won't have a laptop with us)
- add a USA map to my current GPS (not sure I have the memory space for a map so large and I have no external SD slot)
- Buy a new GPS from the States (any idea of a company that will ship one internationally?)
- A sixth option that I haven't yet thought of and one of you wise people are going to enlighten me.

We added US maps to ours for our last trip, and plan to use it again for this one. We are aware that they will be a little out of date, but hoping that won't affect us too much. The maps weren't cheap to upload, but getting two trips out of them makes it seem better value

I'm not sure how it all worked - DH took care of that side of things. But we have a pretty old Tomtom (I think it was at least a year old back in 2011) and it held the US maps fine.

Seemed to work fine until we got to Pagosa Springs and the route it picked told us to get out of the car, walk across the paddock for 100 yards and then get back in the car to continue with our journey.

 

[Caroline NZ]

We got Photopass + last Oct at DL and it was well worth it, but we were there for over a week. For just a few days I think we would have struggled to get good value out of it ( as photos wouldn't be our priority for a short trip)

We purchased US maps onto our NZ bought Tomtom GPS back in 2009. And then purchase an update for theme very time we go back.

In Australia back in April we used Google maps on the iphone, which worked fine. DH said you can preload the specific maps you are after ( as opposed to the whole of the US) while you are on wifi, which is obviously cheaper than using data enroute.

Not sure who your provider/plan is but we are with Vodafone who now offer $5/day international roaming to access your normal on account data and calls.

We have done the Fantasmic dessert package before, which was nice, but not sure we would do it again as it is a lot of money for a family ( we didn't get through hardly any of the desserts)

 

[WanderlustNZ]

Thanks everyone! Very helpful.

Your advice has helped me listen better to my gut and I have decided to go with the Discover the Magic Tour. I will only book Fantasmic as well if I can somehow manage to clear all other expenses over the next few months.

I've put DH in charge of trying to find out the memory space on our GPS. Adding another map definitely sounds like the best solution. I thought briefly about a phone, but stopped considering it last night when I remembered that cellphone coverage in Yellowstone is very patchy and weak. Although to be honest, I don't really need to be using maps when we're inside the National Parks anyway. The routes appear to be pretty self-explanatory.

I have hired a 'GaperGuide' for four of the days we're touring the parks. It's a cool little device, designed specifically for Grand Teton and Yellowstone, that behaves like a tour guide in the car. It uses GPS to know exactly where you are and tells you stories about the history of the area and the sights you are passing. E.g. "If you look to the left right now you will see....."

I figure it will save me having to have my head buried in a guide book. Plus I hate being in control of the radio on our trips. DH, MIL, and I have such different tastes in music, I find myself constantly scanning through stations trying to keep everyone happy until eventually I give up and turn the radio off or leave it on some news station. At least this trip we'll be able to listen to our electronic tour guide instead.

Still can't decide about photopass. I'm swaying towards 'yes', but not enough of a 'yes' to take the leap and book.

Zanzibar, you should so do the Walking in Walt tour. I have heard such great things about it and would definitely be considering it myself if I wasn't with DS.

 

[zanzibar138]

I have hired a 'GaperGuide' for four of the days we're touring the parks. It's a cool little device, designed specifically for Grand Teton and Yellowstone, that behaves like a tour guide in the car. It uses GPS to know exactly where you are and tells you stories about the history of the area and the sights you are passing. E.g. "If you look to the left right now you will see....."

That sounds awesome!

Zanzibar, you should so do the Walking in Walt tour. I have heard such great things about it and would definitely be considering it myself if I wasn't with DS.

I'm pretty sure I'm gonna do it. It will be my birthday that day too, so extra special I think Dad would enjoy it as he enjoys Disney history, even if he's not a huge Disney fan (he was quizzing me about the origins of Mickey the other day ). Mum, on the other hand, just likes the novelty factor of Disney, and isn't really interested in much of the 'back story', so not sure how much she would get out of it.