Sept / Oct 2011

[Jade+3]

Well, we have had a complete change of plans! My toddler was in hospital over the weekend as he had an anaphylactic reaction to an ant sting, so the road trip is off as we need to be closer to medical facilities.

So, we are going back to WDW, and also our first visit to New York

I am looking at late September for WDW, to take advantage of free dining. I am sure some of you will be there at the same time.

So, at the moment I am madly trying to decide where to stay. We are a family of 5, but as our youngest will be 2 he is not counted in the room occupancy, so we have our pick of resorts. My head is spinning with all the possibilities.

Thinking of staying on-site for 5 nights the maybe moving to Windsor Hills for a week. My DH is not a big Disney fan and he would go slightly crazy if we stayed on-site for an extended period.

We will be breaking the trip in LA for a couple of nights in each direction.

 

[battymum]

Thats not so good about the allergy, but yay for WDW in September, may see you there!

 

[kylieh]

Well, we have had a complete change of plans! My toddler was in hospital over the weekend as he had an anaphylactic reaction to an ant sting, so the road trip is off as we need to be closer to medical facilities.

I am looking at late September for WDW, to take advantage of free dining. I am sure some of you will be there at the same time.

We will be breaking the trip in LA for a couple of nights in each direction.

Not fun for the allergy.

We'll be there sometime from late September, planning to have a night or two in LA both directions as well. Don't think we could do the 20+ hours in one hit.

 

[QuirkyButterfly]

I thought I would add my name to the list, I think a few of you know already though

Me and Adam are going in September 2011

Actually leaving Australia 29th August, but by the time we get to Florida and Disney it will be September.

I can't wait, I am so excited. I have started a PTR the link is in the sig, if you haven't already come over to say hi please feel free to do so.

 

[Travel Mum]

Gosh, realise I never updated on this tread regarding our QF FF tickets! I did manage to get two FF tickets for the Wellington - Auckland - L.A. - Dallas - Orlando and L.A - Auckland flights. It was going to be much later before the AA Orlando-L.A. or Jetstar Auckland-Wellington flights came online so I took your advice and booked what we could at the time. We got the dates we wanted so that was great and on the return L.A. to Auckland flight, QF hardly loaded any FF seats so they sold out within 2 days of being loaded - 2 of them were ours!

Since then, I've been waiting for the other flights to be loaded so that I can book them and get the tickets re-issued. Now those dates are available for booking but the bummer is that AA have not loaded any FF seats on the 1.15pm Orlando-L.A. direct flight that we want nor have Jetstar loaded FF seats on the connecting flights back to Wellington. So I have a dilemma as to whether to wait and see if any are loaded later on or to just bite the bullet and buy separate tickets for those legs (and buy them now while the fares are lowish because there are plenty of seats on the flights)? That would really stink though because it would go over our airfare budget and we'd be left with FF points that we wanted to use up!

Another update is that, although I'm holding a booking for Universal's Royal Pacific Hotel for the last 3 nights before we leave Orlando for our cruise (in order to get front of line at the Universal parks), I have now just booked a Two-Bedroom/Two-Bathroom Suite at the Staybridge Suites International Drive for our last 7 nights in Orlando (after our 9 nights at POR). This was the week that I wanted to have more spacious accommodation for our family-of-five and I got an amazing rate for US$89.99 plus tax per night which includes breakfast and free parking. So, we think we will just keep one night of our Royal Pacific Hotel (we'd all be cramped into one hotel room there like at POR) and use it to have front-of-line access while we do Universal on check-in day and IOA on check-out day. As we want to do Universal and IOA midweek, we'd likely keep our Staybridge booking and just take light bags and our valuables to the Royal Pacific - meaning we'd be paying for the two hotels for one night but saving packing up and moving for just the one night.

I still have to figure out where we will stay in Port Canaveral for the night before we do our cruise and also to do the rental car - I find rental cars a very boring thing to research!

So, that's my update for now

 

[Jade+3]

Wow, Travel Mum, you have been busy. When we went last year (cant say that now, I mean 2009) I brought our LAX-MCO tickets separately. I got them for $198AUD each way (travel in October). I booked one leg in April and the return in May. A couple of months later they were on sale for just over $100 each way. This was the direct flight with Delta. I really want to book now, but am waiting a bit longer. I have subscribed to the fare watch on kayak.com.

Can't help with the car as we use National or Alamo, and neither have a depot at the Port.

I know what you mean about needing space. Not sure how we will go cramped into 1 room.

 

[HappyFingers]

i heard something on the news about a new airline starting up "Etihad" this year and that is going to bring on a price war for some of the popular O/S Routes

so we are in a holding pattern to see what happens

if we can get return to la from melb for $1000 then im happy
then we will just book the la to florida seperate
unless of course theres a deal that combines them

 

[hellosue]

Hi, I am also planning a trip to WDW we are going in Sept
I am waiting to see what fares do as well.... is it worth going to the Canada/USA Travel Expo... as I am new to all this is there any tips you could pass on.... all welcome! I am going with my 2 daughters 16/14 and plan to spend 12 days at WDW then move onto Universal Island Adventures. Have you heard of the free dining for Sept/Oct yet?

 

[Jade+3]

Hi there, hellosue, and welcome!

I have not been to the Travel Expo, but I do have a friend who went and she thought it was a waste of time.

The free dining promotion for September ended a couple of weeks ago. I have no idea if historically they will offer another. There are currently room only discounts for stays up until end of September.

 

[kylieh]

I have plans set now, going to DisneyWorld, flying Qantas via Dallas, 3A & 2C return $5712. Departing 23 September. Oh dear, the kids will miss a day at school. Really, that doesn't matter.

Booked at Port Orleans French Quarter. I had booked last year when we thought we were going to DW and hadn't cancelled just yet so I have free dining, with DD booked as a 10 year old to get more options. The ticket was only $15 or similar more, so well worth it.

SIL and Niece are booked on the 30% special, with niece booked again as a 10 year old for Quick Service Dining. I spent hours last night doing the maths on what food costs, what they eat, should we keep free dining given we only want three sit-downs. Poor Excel got a workout!

For those going on free dining, it might be worth saying/changing your under 10s are 10 year olds for the more choice, for only a little bit more $$. The accom bit doesn't go up, only the ticket price nominally.

 

[Oz-kateer]

When did you book your tickets?

I'm going at roughly the same time and my quote for 5 tickets, same route, was over $10K!

Also staying at POFQ!!!

 

[kylieh]

When did you book your tickets?

I'm going at roughly the same time and my quote for 5 tickets, same route, was over $10K!

Also staying at POFQ!!!

We booked on Wednesday afternoon, around 4pm Sydney time I think. We were on the Gold Coast having a summer holiday. We were originally going on the Thursday but the flights were on special for the Friday so we held back a day.

Edited - are you flying in on the Thursday or Wednesday. Couldn't tell from the ticker!

 

[Travel Mum]

Last week, on the last day of the special, I started a booking for all 5 of us (we are priced as 3A and 2C) to fly from Sydney to Dallas return so that I could see the price. It was an incredible price and was about the same as it's costing for my revenue booking (1A and 2C) to fly from Wellington to Orlando return. The thought of travelling on one plane non-stop from Sydney to Dallas (missing awful LAX all together) sounds wonderful. We would have got into Orlando at about the exact same time as we are now. I got all excited and worked out that I could cancel our two QF FF tickets and use those points to get us all FF tickets for Wellington-Sydney return. How perfect, it was going to cost us no more and in fact probably less!! However, my excitement dropped when I saw the connections. We'd have had 6 hours on Sydney on the way over and then a whole day in Sydney on the way home. DARN IT!!! Then I noticed that the Dallas - Sydney flight is over 19 hours long and I wondered why. I found out that it stops in Brisbane on the way so I looked at us getting off at Brisbane and flying to Wellington from there. But then I remembered QF doesn't fly Brisbane to Wellington anymore. DOUBLE DARN IT!!! So I had to let the booking go and we are back to doing Wellington-Auckland -L.A. - Dallas - Orlando return

However, very happy for those of you whom it worked out for

 

[Jade+3]

The Dallas flights did not work for me either . I am very interested in flying home Dallas - Brisbane, but there is no way I am going via Sydney on the forward leg. We want the direct flight to LAX, as we are meeting friends at Disneyland. I would love to come home from Dallas so we can explore a city we have not been to before. Hopefully the September discounts will be released soon! I am getting so impatient.

 

[Travel Mum]

Jade, I tried to see if I could get the special on a one-way and just take it SYD-DFW but it was only a return special

 

[battymum]

I hate this airfare gamble.

I have booked SYD - DFW - MCO return, and I am happy with the price we paid $1250 pp. But I did have to rearrange our plans to suit and I now have to find a domestic return to New York from Orlando and pay for 3 extra nights (and all that entails, food, car hire etc). I am not going to do the math on that.

I dont know whether I would have been better off waiting for discounted tix via LAX, . I just have to be happy I have 3 extra holiday days and I should still be under my airfare budget of $1500 pp. I just wont look at airfares anymore.

 

[Jade+3]

battymum, I think you have done well. I would be happy to pay what you have paid, plus you scored an extra few days!!

I have an airfare alert set up on kayak.com for my internal flights. They email me the current cost of the flights each day. I have also 'liked' Delta and American Airlines (the only 2 airlines I am considering) on Facebook so I can see when they release specials.

Travel Mum, I am glad it was not offered one way as I would have been peeved about missing the sale!! We have been away so I have neglected my WDW planning for the last 2 weeks.

 

[hellosue]

Jade,
Thanks for the Kayak idea I registered and now waiting for magic prices to appear....
I love all the banners, where do you get them?

 

[hellosue]

I worked it out .....

What does everyone think of Wet Parks at WDW are they worth going to?

 

[Jade+3]

Jade,
Thanks for the Kayak idea I registered and now waiting for magic prices to appear....

The Kayak alerts are not as good as they used to be, as you have to keep on renewing it. So if the email's stop, you will need to sign in and renew it.