Sun, Shopping, Sand, Surf, Sweat & Shamu: A Splashin Summertime Sabbatical at SVR!

[dennise]

Gina I had to chuckle about the convertible, here we go on our own every year and this year we rented a MINIVAN, just imagine. On the upside we only paid $166. for 12 days and our daughter, her husband and two children were there for part of our vaca and we were able to do a few things together without taking two cars. I will wait to hear how you make out with the Bonine, my dh gets motion sickness so easy and Gravol makes him sleepy. A few years ago he was excited to go parasailing, he got sick on the boat going out, but did the parasailing and loved it. He was sick all the way back to shore so spent the rest of day in our hotel room.

 

[momof2n2]

Have you been to the Rochester airport before? Do you know if it's small like Syracuse and easy to navigate? Just curious, this trip will be our first time flying from Rochester.

It is super easy to navigate. Oh, boy, yes.
Only a very few places to eat. McDonalds. A sandwich shop. I think a subway.
It's been a few years for me but was a frequent flyer in the past.

 

[momof2n2]

she and jake made a trip to the mall, and she picked up a new bikini for the trip. Its a little....ugh....tinier than i would like (but she flatly refuses to wear the turtleneck i suggested ) however if i had her body, i'd be buying a cute little bikini too . Harhttp://s362.photobucket.com/user/th...na/2012_0926florida10046_zpsf4b90657.jpg.html

lol

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Sorry about your loss.

Thanks. Cancer is an awful disease . It took my own father from me too soon. It pains me to see others lose their loved ones to it, too.

Gina, there was no explanation why they took Bonamine off the market. There also was no recall so I don't think there was anything wrong with it. Just one of those things, something works great then they discontinue it!

Interesting :. Thanks so much for in the insider insight! I may have to dig some up in Syracuse when we arrive, then.

Gina I had to chuckle about the convertible, here we go on our own every year and this year we rented a MINIVAN, just imagine. On the upside we only paid $166. for 12 days and our daughter, her husband and two children were there for part of our vaca and we were able to do a few things together without taking two cars. I will wait to hear how you make out with the Bonine, my dh gets motion sickness so easy and Gravol makes him sleepy. A few years ago he was excited to go parasailing, he got sick on the boat going out, but did the parasailing and loved it. He was sick all the way back to shore so spent the rest of day in our hotel room.

I like the idea that Bonine doesn't make people as groggy as Gravol. On the plane its not so bad (I can tip my head back and relax while we're in the air....one of the nice things about travelling with kids old enough to take care of themselves), but sometimes that foggy brain lingers even after we have landed.

What a great rate you got on a minivan! Its making my $466 for an SUV look expensive in comparsion!!! Who did you book with?

It is super easy to navigate. Oh, boy, yes.
Only a very few places to eat. McDonalds. A sandwich shop. I think a subway.
It's been a few years for me but was a frequent flyer in the past.

Hey, that's better dining options than at the Syracuse airport! They have one little cafe-like place and that's about it.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

I like the Emerald Club better. Unless the rules have changed, you do get a free second driver.

Yep, the free second driver is still listed:

https://www.nationalcar.ca/benefits.do

I have been trying to see where we would add the second driver's information to our online profile, but I'm stumped . I am going to have to call and see if they will do it by phone. If the second driver info is pre-added and our payment information is also on our profile (which it is.....just crossed that off the list on Friday) then I am hoping we can bypass the counter entirely and just go right to the garage for pick up.

So I called National this morning, and was told that as a spouse, I wasn't considered an additional driver but rather an authorized driver. According to a very friendly CSR named Nicole, apparently I don't need to provide my drivers license information nor visit the counter upon arrival, that I am permitted to drive if or when its necessary. I will double check this at the gate, because I'm not 100% sure she's correct (surely I have to provide my drivers license information to someone at some point?) but for the time being, it appears there's little else I need to do as far as our rental goes.

 

[dennise]

Gina we booked with Carrentalsavers.com. It was Enterprise last year and the same for next year. WE got a Town and Country van with all the fixins, leather, etc. Out son booked with them as well and had a full size car for $192 for two weeks, but his was at the end of April and that is getting into the low season. We are picking up in St Petes and dropping off in Orlando. April 8-19th. Still no flights so that could change. I am so backwards!

 

[ArwenMarie]

I would be soooo disappointed if we didn't get what we reserved. Did they offer you a discount off what you paid? We've never rented via Priceline before...and I might not ever so do now!

Yeah, it was a real bummer and that purple car was not doing it for us! They did take off a little off of the price but not much. We always use Priceline for the car rental, it usually works out!

 

[dancin Disney style]

So I called National this morning, and was told that as a spouse, I wasn't considered an additional driver but rather an authorized driver. According to a very friendly CSR named Nicole, apparently I don't need to provide my drivers license information nor visit the counter upon arrival, that I am permitted to drive if or when its necessary. I will double check this at the gate, because I'm not 100% sure she's correct (surely I have to provide my drivers license information to someone at some point?) but for the time being, it appears there's little else I need to do as far as our rental goes.

I know for a fact that you do have to provide your drivers license at the counter when you pick up the car. I 'think' as an Emerald Club member you can skip the counter and give both licenses at the exit booth. Visit the transportation board and post it over there. There is a Dis'er (ghem1) that frequents that board who works for Alamo/National and can give you accurate advice. I might be a little off on that screen name but it's something like that.

Also.....so for your loss. I can understand exactly what it's like. I lost my brother to cancer at the age of 48.

 

[Lynne G]

"She and Jake made a trip to the mall, and she picked up a new bikini for the trip. Its a little....ugh....tinier than I would like (but she flatly refuses to wear the turtleneck I suggested ) however if I had her body, I'd be buying a cute little bikini too ."

Hah! That itty bitty teenie weenie bikini gene starts to kick in when they turn teenagers. Yep, my DD had to get a bikini from that A Kids store. I made sure at least it does cover what needs to be covered. Made her take out the pads too! Yeah, we were teens once.... Two kids later and many years later, umm, no bikini for me.

Back from the Shore. It was mostly overcast and rained. Fine with me. No sweating your butt off, and no burning your feet on the sand. We came back with caramel corn, still warm when bought, fudge and salt water taffies. That's what the shore is known for. DD had fun playing soccer in the sand. Kids were also playing field hockey and lacrosse in the sand too. Busy boardwalk all week-end.

Almost time to start looking for getting out the luggage. Disney mail should be coming soon.

And yes, each time we rented from National, we just went to the Emerald Aisle, picked our car, then went to the gate where I handed them my and DH's license. No fuss, easy exit.

 

[VacaPlanner0425]

Just joining in....we are down there the same time! We go to Discovery Cove the day before you! I think we may be staying in the same resort also. Small world!!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Gina, I just got in from driving home from the cottage (Holy awful traffic through Barrie/Innisfill). I am still catching up on all that you've written but wanted to chime in quickly. Dh gets awful motion sickness (planes/buses/and especially simulator rides) and he swears by Bonine. We get it every time we can and he will choose that over Gravol any day. It's worth a try.

Whoops! Missed your post earlier!

You guys are making an awfully good case for Bonine. I will certainly be hitting up the pharmacy at the Carousel Mall the night before we fly .

I am not surprised to hear about the traffic.....we were on way home via the 401 through Northumberland County yesterday afternoon, and the cars were backed up for miles in the west bound lanes . I can only assume it was people heading back to the city from cottage country. I hope they were rested and relaxed from their weekend by the lake, because that traffic was enough to make a person scream.

I know for a fact that you do have to provide your drivers license at the counter when you pick up the car. I 'think' as an Emerald Club member you can skip the counter and give both licenses at the exit booth. Visit the transportation board and post it over there. There is a Dis'er (ghem1) that frequents that board who works for Alamo/National and can give you accurate advice. I might be a little off on that screen name but it's something like that.

Also.....so for your loss. I can understand exactly what it's like. I lost my brother to cancer at the age of 48.

That's what I thought as well. I figure I'll just have my license ready and be prepared to give it to the exit agent. Is gmeh1 still around on the transporation board? I used to see her posting all the time, but its much less frequent these days. I hope all is well with her, she was so good at giving such detailed rental car advice.

Sorry to hear about your bro . So, so young.

Hah! That itty bitty teenie weenie bikini gene starts to kick in when they turn teenagers. Yep, my DD had to get a bikini from that A Kids store. I made sure at least it does cover what needs to be covered. Made her take out the pads too! Yeah, we were teens once.... Two kids later and many years later, umm, no bikini for me.

lol....who am I kidding? There was NEVER any bikini for me!! Not even before the kiddo!!

Back from the Shore. It was mostly overcast and rained. Fine with me. No sweating your butt off, and no burning your feet on the sand. We came back with caramel corn, still warm when bought, fudge and salt water taffies. That's what the shore is known for. DD had fun playing soccer in the sand. Kids were also playing field hockey and lacrosse in the sand too. Busy boardwalk all week-end.

See....that's why I will never be a bikini girl. That description of caramel corn and salt water taffy just had me salivating over the keyboard. Try as I might, salads and vegetables just don't have the same allure .

Sounds like I need to add the Jersey Shore to my bucket list .

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Just joining in....we are down there the same time! We go to Discovery Cove the day before you! I think we may be staying in the same resort also. Small world!!

Hey there, welcome aboard!

Are you staying at the Sheraton Vistana Resort? If so, you'll have to keep your eyes peeled for me at the pools! My pasty white completion is easy to spot amongst all the southern tans .

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Time marches on.....26 days to go!

Thanks to one of my fellow Canucks (and a fellow SVR owner….he taught me everything I know about the Vistana), we’re doing something a little different this year when it comes to our cell coverage. Fingers crossed it works as seamlessly as it appears it will.

All of our everyday cells are with Telus mobility, which so far we are very pleased with. On past trips, we’ve added their talk and text travel bundle to my phone only (Steve leaves his personal cell and his work Blackberry at home) which runs us about $25 plus tax. It’s a minimal package, limiting us to 50 minutes of calling and 150 text messages, which is good for an emergency contact phone but not near enough minutes for me to check in with my mom on a regular basis. She's pretty adept at reading texts, but replying? Not so much .So, in addition to the Telus travel plan, we always purchase $10 or $15 in calling cards and use those from the phone in our villa for my evening marathon chats with Mother Bear. All together, we are generally out about $50 in phone expenses for one week’s vacation once both components are added together. Over and above our plan, Jake generally adds an unlimited texting plan to his iPhone so he can stay in contact with all the important people in his life. We block data on both phones to avoid any exorbitant roaming fees (and limit our internet usage to the laptop back in our room).

We thought we had the best possible arrangement we could get for out-of-country telephone use. Then, in one of the many posts I read here on the Dis, bankr63 brings up Roam Mobility. And I think hmmmm…..if Munro is recommending it, this is obviously something worth looking into. So I begin researching. And reading. And the more I read, the more marvellous (and cost-saving) it sounded.

Roam provides Canadians with cell plans that allow for unlimited calling and texting to both US and Canadian numbers for one price. Data is also available if desired. The plans are customizable by the day, 3 days, week, 2 weeks, month or 3 months or any combination of those options , so you only have to buy the time you actually need. All that is required to subscribe to one of the plans is the one-time purchase of a Roam Mobility SIM (to use in your own phone) or a dedicated Roam phone with included SIM (about $50).

Telus just happened to upgrade Steve and I to new cells this past January, despite the fact that my old Windows phone was still just like new (albeit 2 years old). Once our new phones were operational, I reboxed the oldie along with all of its parts (including the case) and figured have a spare in the event of an emergency (like if one of the phones took an accidental swim in the toilet, for example). So, when we decided to move forward with a Roam phone for our Florida trip this year, it made sense to employ the old Windows phone for this purpose rather than purchase the hardware from Roam. That meant all we needed to do was unlock the old Telus unit ($20 including tax via the local cell guru in my office building) and then purchase the appropriate SIM ($15). Both one-time charges which will hopefully extend for many vacations to come.

The end result? We have a phone that can be used exclusively for our entire vacation (well, as soon as we cross the border, anyway). No restrictions on calling or texting....we can use it as often as we want, for as long as we want. No need for those dang phone cards, which generally annoy me at the end of a long day when you're trying to key in that dastardly bazillion-digit PIN number in addition to the toll-free calling card number and the number of the person you are dialling . We can check in with my Mom (or Sweetie can call home to HER mother....which I will insist on from time to time, for her momma's sake) from wherever we may happen to be, not just from the resort telephone. The cat-sitter can reach us at any time if Patches is having a crisis. And the cost? $46 for the entire 15 days we’re gone. Not half bad.

So thank you, bankr63 . You . Are. Awesome.

Jake and Sweetie? They are leaving their phones at home ..... don’t fall off your chair. They won’t need to reach each other (obviously!), and our Roam package will allow both of their employers to reach them if necessary, so they’ve opted to save their money and go phone-less for two weeks+ .

This should be interesting. I am guessing they’ll be suffering from Twitter withdrawal by day 3.

 

[Lynne G]

Gina,
That sounds like a great deal for a phone plan. I was wondering what you did for phones in the US, since even my AT&T carrier tried to tell me I was in Canada when I was in Ft. Old Niagra Park and wanted to charge me a foreign fee. I had to tell them, ummm no, I'm still in NY, and then I had no phone coverage while in park.


Haha, with the kids not having their phones. Yeah, they will be on yours and on the internet all the time instead.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Gina,
That sounds like a great deal for a phone plan. I was wondering what you did for phones in the US, since even my AT&T carrier tried to tell me I was in Canada when I was in Ft. Old Niagra Park and wanted to charge me a foreign fee. I had to tell them, ummm no, I'm still in NY, and then I had no phone coverage while in park.

Haha, with the kids not having their phones. Yeah, they will be on yours and on the internet all the time instead.

AT&T is who our Telus coverage switched over to as soon as we crossed the border. We always had good service with them, so hopefully Roam will be just as impressive. I think Roam's US network is T-Mobile.

lol, they are welcome to use the Roam phone as much as they want, but with no data, I'm guessing it won't be too appealing . Maybe with the free wifi at the airport.

This is how they spent the trip to Niagara Falls at the end of June:



Since they won't have their hand-held devices for the 3 hour journey to Syracuse, I might do something really geeky and print off some road trip bingo cards to use on the way . Jake will be mortified, Sweetie will tell him to stop being silly and play along, and I will enjoy every moment of an old-fashioned road trip .

I may even have to have a special prize bag or two for the winners .

 

[got4boys]

My kids would kill me if they did not have their phone. They text/SMS all the time. (I looked at their usage of text messages and it was 4000+ for one and 3000+ for the other)

Have you looked at the Virgin Mobile pay as you go plan? You can buy a texting phone inexpensively on ebay for less than $30 and get a plan for $35. You would just have to buy a phone and get a phone number.

Deactivate it after you go back to Canada. Save it for the next trip.

Or an AT & T Pay as you go flip phone? It is inexpensive and you can pay as little as $25 for three months.

At least you can contact them when you are travelling and if they want alone time. Just in case.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

My kids would kill me if they did not have their phone. They text/SMS all the time. (I looked at their usage of text messages and it was 4000+ for one and 3000+ for the other)

Have you looked at the Virgin Mobile pay as you go plan? You can buy a texting phone inexpensively on ebay for less than $30 and get a plan for $35. You would just have to buy a phone and get a phone number.

Deactivate it after you go back to Canada. Save it for the next trip.

Or an AT & T Pay as you go flip phone? It is inexpensive and you can pay as little as $25 for three months.

At least you can contact them when you are travelling and if they want alone time. Just in case.

Leaving their phones at home was actually their idea, surprisingly. They figure we will be so busy enjoying the pools and visiting the attractions that they really won't have need for them. I think they're right for the most part, but I know they will miss them on the drive to and from the airport if nothing else. Both plan to take their iPods so they can listen to music. They will have their own individual TV's on the plane so they won't be bored there.

Virgin Mobile....oh, don't even get me started. We had Virgin phones years back, as our first family cell phones actually. Never. Again. I vowed to never give that company another dollar of my money, and I meant it.....some experiences just stay with you forever. If we were ever to add another phone for travel purposes, honestly I think I'd add another Roam Mobility phone (assuming everything goes well on this test run). I hesitate to do that now, though, when Jake's opportunities to travel with us are probably becoming limited at best. And technology is still changing so fast....maybe there will be something even better in a year, two or three. This Roam plan sounds like it will give us all we need to stay in touch with life back home. And being gadget-free for a couple of weeks will be a refreshing change for Jake and Sweetie.....kind of like a foray into the good ol' days when people actually talked to each other on road trips .

 

[dancin Disney style]

Since they won't have their hand-held devices for the 3 hour journey to Syracuse, I might do something really geeky and print off some road trip bingo cards to use on the way . Jake will be mortified, Sweetie will tell him to stop being silly and play along, and I will enjoy every moment of an old-fashioned road trip .

I may even have to have a special prize bag or two for the winners .

That's cruel.....I'd do it too

 

[pigletto]

Well Gina, I suppose the kids don't need their phones because they would be spending the entire time texting each other if Sweetie wasn't coming. So problem solved.
DD doesn't get a plan for her iPhone when we go. She uses some free ap to text her sweetie with the free wifi but no actual texting or calling.
Which reminds me.. I was going to ask about the wifi at Vistana.. which I will do in the dedicated thread and not your planning thread.

And finally I am very sorry to hear of the passing of Dh's Uncle. That is so very young, and a terrible shame. I hope your family is comforted by your memories and able to look forward to the trip ahead as a bright spot.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

That's cruel.....I'd do it too

I was actually mentioning my idea to Steve last night, while we were enjoying a swim at the YMCA. His response? "Hey, that sounds like fun! I will have Jake drive part of the way so I can play, too!". We are so weirdly perfect for each other. Poor Jake doesn't have a hope of being normal with genes like ours .

Which reminds me.. I was going to ask about the wifi at Vistana.. which I will do in the dedicated thread and not your planning thread.

And finally I am very sorry to hear of the passing of Dh's Uncle. That is so very young, and a terrible shame. I hope your family is comforted by your memories and able to look forward to the trip ahead as a bright spot.

The basic wifi at SVR is free. That's what we used last time and had no problems whatsoever...despite all the complaining people do on Tripadvisor about their issues (not saying I don't believe their reports....but we had no problems at all). There is also an updated package that I think you can buy, but I remember reading that it was quite pricey. We'll go with the free wifi again this trip, because I'm cheap .

Thanks for your kind comments on Uncle Ted. You know.....he and his wife were farmers. Very hard working, dedicated people. His widow was chatting with family the services on Sunday and Monday and was saying that they worked so hard, for so many years, to get the farm just the way they wanted so they could actually travel and relax a little in their retirement together. And now they'll never reach that milestone. Just a good reminder to find that balance in life, because there are no guarantees on tomorrow.

On a happier note.....25 days to go!