Originally Posted By CuriousConstance "I just spent a bunch of money on a 10 day trip with Royal Caribbean " I'm going on a Royal Caribbean cruise Hans this summer. My husband works for them and gets a "free" cruise. Which ship did you go on? We won't be on the same ship cuz we're going on an Alaskan cruise. Hoping it's warm enough to swim in Alaska during the summer.
Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt I was on the Independence of the Seas CC. Very nice ship, nice crew, and incredible amenities (rock climbing, flow rider, nightclubs, shopping mall, ice skating, etc).
Originally Posted By Princessjenn5795 I am so jealous that you are going to Hawaii Tasha! My husband and I are planning a Hawaii trip, but not until next year. I have only ever been to Maui, but I absolutely love it. Actually, my husband and I are thinking about moving to Oahu after the kids graduate from high school (in about 7 years). I still love Disney, and will still go as often as I can, but I am really loving relaxing vacations that involve tropical beaches right now!
Originally Posted By ksargen Tasha - I've been twice. The first trip was land and cruise, the second was just land, with a day trip or two out on the water. All of it was good. I just won't pay to stay at Turtle Bay on Oahu again... If you're going to Oahu, go to the Hawaiian Cultural Center luau thing. It's awesome. Get out there and spend a good chunk of the day, if you're got kids - the various "villages" are very fun and informative. Me - I want to at least see Aulani at some point, but our window for going and staying there as a family is quickly closing... We're more active than I think the resort is geared for, and there are so many other beaches to be on...
Originally Posted By SuperDry <<< Blame Cars Land. >>> I would say: THANK Cars Land! ... and the rest of the DCA upgrades. DCA is finally worthy of a full-price admission ticket. Disney should definitely stop the ticket discounting while they're able to keep things busy at the regular prices. They should reap the rewards of the money invested and a job well done. What's happened with DCA attendance and the ticket prices is just the kind of positive reinforcement that Disney needs to realize that the best way for it to make money is to make the proper investment and do things right, rather than on the cheap.
Originally Posted By ksargen SuperDry - I couldn't agree more! FINALLY, that park is for everyone, with enough things to do to justify a whole day on a one park ticket. My husband and I liked it when it first opened, since it had some more adult oriented fare - a Wolfgang Puck restaurant, wine tasting, etc. It had theming we loved (yep, I'll confess to being a fan of the old music loop), and some great new rides (Screamin', Soarin'). The oddball stuff we just ignored. Once we had our daughter, however, it became clear what was missing over there... One can only sit through Playhouse Disney Live and It's Tough to Be a Bug so many times!
Originally Posted By tashajilek "I am so jealous that you are going to Hawaii Tasha! My husband and I are planning a Hawaii trip, but not until next year. I have only ever been to Maui, but I absolutely love it. Actually, my husband and I are thinking about moving to Oahu after the kids graduate from high school (in about 7 years). " I hope you guys make it next year! "Me - I want to at least see Aulani at some point, but our window for going and staying there as a family is quickly closing... We're more active than I think the resort is geared for, and there are so many other beaches to be on..." We wanted to visit and just see what the big deal with this place is. We probably wont bother visiting though. I made up my mind that ever year i will visit somewhere that i havent been before. I want to do Europe in a year or two also.
Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt I was thinking about going this summer, but flights to Europe are SO expensive right now. Tickets to Rome from SFO are between $1,200 and $1,600. It's horrible.
Originally Posted By tashajilek Hans have you ever been to New Orleans or Florida keys? we cant decide on New Orleans and WDW or the keys and WDW. All we know is we are only spending a few days at WDW this time.
Originally Posted By TP2000 I agree SuperDry. No longer discounting DCA, and thus Disneyland, to try and pad the numbers for DCA is a good move for the Resort and the overall Disneyland brand. They don't need to discount, nor should they, like most other luxury brands. Can't afford a ticket to Disneyland? That means you can't afford a lot of other luxuries in life, let alone a ticket to an NFL Chargers game or a lift ticket at Big Bear or a seat at the Philharmonic. (All tickets that are much more expensive than an 87 dollar Disneyland ticket) Let Knott's Berry Farm be the cheap buy for SoCal theme park fans. A quick check of the Knott's website today shows they are selling one-day adult tickets for $34.99 (?!?) and their annual passes with no blockout dates are $72.00 (?!?) Knott's is only getting about 3.5 Million visitors per year with those rates, and is open 364 days per year. Disneyland/DCA are now getting about 25 Million visitors per year with their vastly higher ticket prices. So obviously Disneyland is doing something very right, while the current status of Knott's Berry Farm's business model would seem to be much shakier. You get what you pay for!
Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt Never been to the Florida Keys, but I've heard nice things. I love New Orleans, well the French Quarter anyway. Bourbon Street is a little nutty, but there's plenty to explore and the history is amazing if you're into that sort of thing (like me). The food is great (alligator sausage - yum!) and there's nothing like taking a real riverboat cruise or visiting a genuine southern plantation. I recommend this place to stay, although there are lots of great quaint old hotels in the Quarter. <a href="http://soniathouse.com/" target="_blank">http://soniathouse.com/</a> Warning: Do you not visit New Orleans in the middle of the summer unless hot suffocating humidity.
Originally Posted By tashajilek "I love New Orleans, well the French Quarter anyway. Bourbon Street is a little nutty, but there's plenty to explore and the history is amazing if you're into that sort of thing (like me). The food is great (alligator sausage - yum!) and there's nothing like taking a real riverboat cruise or visiting a genuine southern plantation" That all sounds awesome! i really want to go to New Orleans, but my husband want to visit the keys. "Warning: Do you not visit New Orleans in the middle of the summer unless hot suffocating humidity. " It would be in December, so i wouldnt have to worry.
Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt Laying on the beach in South Florida would be pretty awesome in December.
Originally Posted By FerretAfros It can definitely get chilly in Florida in December, so be aware of that, though I'm not sure how cold it actually gets on the Keys. For me, the Keys and New Orleans are two very different types of vacations. New Orleans is full of history, and has a lot of neat places to explore. It's almost like being in a different country (note: I realize you're coming from Canada, but you know what I mean), with the unique culture, music, language, and food. It's definitely an 'active' vacation where you'll need to do a little leg work to see things. The Keys, on the other hand, are more of the stereotypical relaxing vacation, without as much of an adventure element. Lots of hanging out on the beach and/or snorkeling, which just seems more generally calm to me. There's definitely a strong mid-century kitschy tourist trap vibe to a lot of what the Keys have to offer, but it's very fun if you embrace it. And I think it's also fair to give a heads up that most of the shoreline in the Keys (like most of Florida) isn't actually sand beaches; it's mangrove trees, which blur the line between the land and the ocean. This can make it tough to find a beach to hang out on, but makes for great places to check out when snorkeling.
Originally Posted By tashajilek Thanks for that info Ferret! since we are going to Hawaii in April i dont know if i feel the need to be on a beach and snorkel. As for the weather anything is better than here with minus temperatures,so im happy to be somewhere warmer. We were in Orlando 2 Decembers ago and during the day it was really nice and a bit chilly at night. I wish i could see it all at once, but it's very hard with limited time.
Originally Posted By TMICHAEL Hey tasha, If you guys are going to be driving around the Oahu, and really want to see Aualni, make it your dinner stop. The Ama Ama restaurant is nice, but pricy like most of Hawaii, and you can tour the grounds before hand. We were there in October and after about an hour of soaking in what little the hotel has to offer, we were done and left after a meal. And sad fact, as a life long Disney person, I feel no need to visit again. On the Big Island, if you like to hike, there is a green sand beach in the southern most part that is gorgeous! ....but waters can be dangerous....always be aware of the currents and weather patterns there. Volcano's National Park is really worth the time. And if the lava is flowing, see it by boat if you can and skip the expensive helicopter. Better viewing at sea level unless there is an actual eruption. And be prepared for a stark contrast.....Kailua/Kona side is dry and very "moon-scape" compared to wet, lush Hilo and most of Oahu. And true tip that the Polynesian Cultural Center is really a great time....a must see for newbies. As for the Keys.....KEY WEST is AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!
Originally Posted By tashajilek "Hey tasha, If you guys are going to be driving around the Oahu, and really want to see Aualni, make it your dinner stop. The Ama Ama restaurant is nice, but pricy like most of Hawaii, and you can tour the grounds before hand. We were there in October and after about an hour of soaking in what little the hotel has to offer, we were done and left after a meal. And sad fact, as a life long Disney person, I feel no need to visit again. " I guess you confirmed my choice to no visit then. "On the Big Island, if you like to hike, there is a green sand beach in the southern most part that is gorgeous! ....but waters can be dangerous....always be aware of the currents and weather patterns there." I really wanted to visit the green sand beach, but read that it was really tough getting your car down there and that it was a pretty long hike. We will do the black sand beach for sure. "And be prepared for a stark contrast.....Kailua/Kona side is dry and very "moon-scape" compared to wet, lush Hilo and most of Oahu." We are staying about 5 minutes from the VNP and going to be in a cabin in a rainforest setting which i am excited for. When we head to the kona side we will be spending most of our time in the Kohala coast area where the nicer beaches are.
Originally Posted By Kidz-n-k9s <<I really wanted to visit the green sand beach, but read that it was really tough getting your car down there and that it was a pretty long hike.>> You won't get your typical rental car there, but if you rent a Jeep you should be fine - just need higher clearance. I did the hike while in my 4th month of pregnancy and not in the best of shape. I think it is about 2.5 miles each way, so most people of decent fitness can easily accomplish it. It is not diffucult, pretty flat and you are just following the road, but it is windy (just like all areas on that south end). If you do decide to go, the path down is from the north end of the beach - that is probably the hardest part as it is steep, but I'm not good with heights and I had no problem with it. Have fun! I loved the Big Island.
