We have used this website once. http://www.orlandovacation.com/
We have stayed off busy Hwy 192 at Encantada. Terre Verde was our first pick but booked. They are homes that people buy as vacation homes and then for 2 years rent out to the management company that builds the homes. We rented in April 2007, a 4 bedroom with a private pool when we stayed with my two best friends and their families. It gave us plenty of space for all and we could come back from the parks and swim anytime. It was clean and the people were friendly. Great community pool and playground area! Dining was all up and down Hwy 192 for plenty of options if you choose not to cook in the full kitchen they have. We did dinners in the house for 3 nights. Now when they say "only 2 miles from WDW" they mean 2 miles from the exit off Hwy 192 for the WDW exit. It is still a couple of miles to the parks and the parking lot. Do not be fooled! Even some Disney resorts "on property" are a few miles away from the parks. The price per night $110.00-135.00 for a 4 bedroom with pool (Sept 08) is good but you have to pay for parking each day (5 days x $11) and you have to have a car (no shuttle buses) to get to the parks and pay for that gas too. Another problem we ran into was Hwy 192...it is under construction all the time and can get backed up at peak hours. Hubby took 35 min to go 3 miles on a Saturday morning!
My tip would be to map the resort you are planning to book. Find out where it is located in the Buena Vista area and how far WDW is from it.
So when deciding on a resort to stay at, here are some things to keep in mind:
1. Number of guests (need a larger room...look at family suites)
2. Room size comparison ( need two beds or a pull out couch)
3. Price ( what is your budget )
4. Transportation options (shuttle to parks or driving yourself)
5. Other services you may desire or require (continental breakfast, dining, spa, etc)
6. Location ( distance to parks)
Have a magical day!
Cindy
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Disney Tip Thursday
So today I am covering that you can stay "off Property" as well and get that Disney magic and save on your budget! There are several options for "off property" resorts.
The recommended are: All Star Vacation Homes, Gaylord Palms Resort, Radisson Resort Orlando-Celebration, DoubleTree Guest Suites, the Sheraton's Vistana Resort Villas and the Sheraton Vistana Villages. Check out Allears.net for some specials they get on booking at these resorts. This is a listing of all hotels in the WDW area. http://www.kayak.com/h/destinations/info/US/FL/Orlando?ai=linkshare&p=VHkiEPRvL8Y-WJvLzplT3MZ7A6a.BeZK7g
We have used this website once. http://www.orlandovacation.com/
We have stayed off busy Hwy 192 at Encantada. Terre Verde was our first pick but booked. They are homes that people buy as vacation homes and then for 2 years rent out to the management company that builds the homes. We rented in April 2007, a 4 bedroom with a private pool when we stayed with my two best friends and their families. It gave us plenty of space for all and we could come back from the parks and swim anytime. It was clean and the people were friendly. Great community pool and playground area! Dining was all up and down Hwy 192 for plenty of options if you choose not to cook in the full kitchen they have. We did dinners in the house for 3 nights. Now when they say "only 2 miles from WDW" they mean 2 miles from the exit off Hwy 192 for the WDW exit. It is still a couple of miles to the parks and the parking lot. Do not be fooled! Even some Disney resorts "on property" are a few miles away from the parks. The price per night $110.00-135.00 for a 4 bedroom with pool (Sept 08) is good but you have to pay for parking each day (5 days x $11) and you have to have a car (no shuttle buses) to get to the parks and pay for that gas too. Another problem we ran into was Hwy 192...it is under construction all the time and can get backed up at peak hours. Hubby took 35 min to go 3 miles on a Saturday morning!
My tip would be to map the resort you are planning to book. Find out where it is located in the Buena Vista area and how far WDW is from it.
So when deciding on a resort to stay at, here are some things to keep in mind:
1. Number of guests (need a larger room...look at family suites)
2. Room size comparison ( need two beds or a pull out couch)
3. Price ( what is your budget )
4. Transportation options (shuttle to parks or driving yourself)
5. Other services you may desire or require (continental breakfast, dining, spa, etc)
6. Location ( distance to parks)
Have a magical day!
Cindy
We have used this website once. http://www.orlandovacation.com/
We have stayed off busy Hwy 192 at Encantada. Terre Verde was our first pick but booked. They are homes that people buy as vacation homes and then for 2 years rent out to the management company that builds the homes. We rented in April 2007, a 4 bedroom with a private pool when we stayed with my two best friends and their families. It gave us plenty of space for all and we could come back from the parks and swim anytime. It was clean and the people were friendly. Great community pool and playground area! Dining was all up and down Hwy 192 for plenty of options if you choose not to cook in the full kitchen they have. We did dinners in the house for 3 nights. Now when they say "only 2 miles from WDW" they mean 2 miles from the exit off Hwy 192 for the WDW exit. It is still a couple of miles to the parks and the parking lot. Do not be fooled! Even some Disney resorts "on property" are a few miles away from the parks. The price per night $110.00-135.00 for a 4 bedroom with pool (Sept 08) is good but you have to pay for parking each day (5 days x $11) and you have to have a car (no shuttle buses) to get to the parks and pay for that gas too. Another problem we ran into was Hwy 192...it is under construction all the time and can get backed up at peak hours. Hubby took 35 min to go 3 miles on a Saturday morning!
My tip would be to map the resort you are planning to book. Find out where it is located in the Buena Vista area and how far WDW is from it.
So when deciding on a resort to stay at, here are some things to keep in mind:
1. Number of guests (need a larger room...look at family suites)
2. Room size comparison ( need two beds or a pull out couch)
3. Price ( what is your budget )
4. Transportation options (shuttle to parks or driving yourself)
5. Other services you may desire or require (continental breakfast, dining, spa, etc)
6. Location ( distance to parks)
Have a magical day!
Cindy
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Wacky Wednesday
It should have been Wacky Tuesday! It was a long day with work, dance lessons, dinner, homework, shower and then I had to watch Michael Phelps get his 10th and 11th record Gold medal, so no NEW card made with my new goodies (which I did get and opened just to see them). But I did want to post a card that I did as a challenge to try something new to me - mosaic tiling in a card. I used Old Olive, Rose Red, So Saffron, Pumpkin Pie and Chocolate Chip cardstock. I used my square punch to make the "tiles" and stamped in chocolate chip/old olive classic ink pad on top of them once they were glued down. Stamp sets used are Embrace Life and Hugs & Wishes. I got this great color combo from my Stampin Success magazine that I receive as a demo.
I hope to post something for Festive Friday from my new goodies!
Have a magical day!
Cindy
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Disney Tip Tuesday
Where in the "WORLD" to stay at Disney? You have several options and so I will be covering this in both tips this week.
Today covers "On Property" or Disney resorts on the Disneyworld grounds. Staying on property does give you some benefits but it does cost more depending on where you want to stay. Benefits include FREE parking pass ($11 a day savings), FREE shuttle all over the Disney property, FREE shuttle to and from airport and Extra Magic hours in the parks (1 extra hr in AM and 3 extra hrs in PM). Click on any of the resorts below for more info from Allears.net.
They offer DELUXE: Animal Kingdom Lodge, BoardWalk Inn, Contemporary, Grand Floridian, Polynesian, Wilderness Lodge, Yacht Club and Beach Club, and the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin.
We have stayed at Wilderness Lodge, Beach Club, and Animal Kingdom Lodge. These resorts are the top of the line in accommodations. They will cost you at least $250-300 a night in the low value season. Favorite pool is at the Beach Club, it has a sand bottom pool! Animal Kindgom Lodge is amazing! You can see the animals right outside your window! All have great restaurants as well. Grand Floridian's Narcoosee is by far one of the best! More on that another time!
They offer MODERATE: Caribbean Beach, Coronado Springs, Port Orleans Riverside, Port Orleans French Quarter and Ft. Wilderness Cabins
We have stayed at Caribbean Beach in July 2005 and we enjoyed this resort. Now it just has gone thru major rehab in the rooms and it will have a Pirate themed and a Nemo themed resort area. The pool is like a fort/castle but I thought it was quite a small pool. Prices range from $149-200 a night.
We have stayed at the All Star Movies and Pop Century. I liked the style of Pop Century. The price is right on these to stay if you are on a budget but want that Disney "magic". The prices range form $99 - 140 a night. The food court can be crazy at peak times and long waits for getting something to eat.
They do offer for public use to the Disney Vacation Club: Old Key West, BoardWalk Villas, Villas at Wilderness Lodge, Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa, Beach Club Villas, and Animal Kingdom Villas.
We have stayed at all of them expect the Boardwalk Villas. I love Old Key West for their room sizes. Their studio room is the largest and has two double beds where all other studios have a queen bed and pull out couch. Saratoga is our home resort and we love it so much! It is close to Downtown Disney shopping area and really good restaurants like Fulton's Crab House. Prices run higher because these are bigger rooms with a kitchenette. $300-600 a night for a studio. More for a 1 or 2 bedroom. But if you plan to eat in the room for early breakfast or snacks, it is nice to have that kitchenette.
We will cover "off Property" places to stay on Thursday.
Have a magical day!
Cindy
Monday, August 11, 2008
Made for Monday
http://www.stampinup.com/us/enu/543.asp
Today is the day that Stampin Up releases their new Fall/Winter 2008-2009 Idea book & Catalog! I will be back to update later with a link directly to it. I got to pick up a catalog at my wonderful upline Wendy's open house. She is so SWEET! I have been ooing and awing over it this past weekend. So many new items and new ideas! My new stamps and new colors are due via UPS on Tuesday! So I will try my best to make something new and post it on Wacky Wednesday.
In honor of my terrific upline Wendy and the new catalog launch, I wanted to post something brand NEW! Here is a card we made at Wendy's house. This is so darn cute and additive to open and close to see the saying. We used new Pink Pirouette , new Pacific Point and Whisper White cardstock, Happiness Always hostess stamp set, Kiwi Kiss, Pacific Point and Pink Pirouette classic ink pads with White taffeta ribbon.
See the saying is gone! Very CUTE!
Have a magical day!
Friday, August 8, 2008
Festive Friday
Can you believe we have LESS than 5 months til Christmas? CRAZY! It will go by so fast. So I will be sharing my Christmas cards and decor ideas each Friday. Sorry the picture is little blurry, I am just getting use to my camera/lighting with taking pictures of cards. This card is cased from the Stampin Up Sale-a-bration Mini on Page 6. Love the simple layout.
I used Blue Bayou and Whisper White cardstock, White craft ink and Blue Bayou classic ink pad, Brown 5/8"grosgrain ribbon and glitter (on the snowflake). Stamp sets used were Lots of Thoughts and So Many Scallops. I used the scallop punch and word window punch as well.
Well, the new Stampin Up Fall/Winter 2008-2009 catalog goes live on Monday! I will be linking the website on Monday's post for you to view if you are interested.
Have a magical day!
Cindy
pfn: The girls' first week of school went well. Both love their teachers. We start dance lessons next week. I have workout dance class on Mondays, Megan's dance on Tuesdays, and Allison's dance on Wednesdays. Should be fun!
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Disney Tip Thursday
Do you ever look at the DisneyWorld Magic Your Way ticket purchasing and feel totally lost and confused?
Another secret of mine and a money saver in the long run if you choose to do so, is another favorite website.
http://www.undercovertourist.com/
If you have young children who love Disney, plan on going to WDW several times is the near future, love WDW and go all the time, then I highly recommend you buy the 10 day pass (park hopper optional add on) with NO EXPIRATION. Big budget crunch now, but long run savings. Yes, it is $453.95 for adults, but when you divide by 10, that's $45.40 per day. A 3 day expiring pass from the same website is $74.65 a day! You save almost $30 a day! Another thing with no expiration is that when Disney raises their prices every year, it will not effect you because you bought them at the cheaper price! You could use your passes in ten years from now and still at the lower price. They never expire!
Update: OUCH! Disney just announced on August 3rd a ticket pass price increase! They do it every first of August since 2006.
Now if that is not an option in your budget at this time, this website is still the best for ticket pricing. Check out what fits your needs for the trip (how many days in the parks) and budget. They ship out next day and are trustworthy ticket dealers. Their prices are slightly discounted and NO tax and FREE shipping. Unless you need to have them at last minute but you can pay extra for shipping next day. We have used them several times.
Best ticket tip ever! Take a photo of the back of your pass with the pass numbers. Or write the number down and put in a safe place. Then if you lose the pass, at the parks or resorts can print you a new one with the remaining days on it. DH forgot/lost his pass at the Fast Pass Gate machine in Magic Kingdom. He went to the Services Desk in the park. They could see on their computer that he did the fast pass on his ticket and renewed his pass for him. Another way to trace it. I also take photo of my photopass card with the numbers in case the photographer or I forget to get it/give it back. I will tell you more about Photopass another time.
That's it for today! More Disney tips next week!
Have a magical day!
Cindy
Leave a comment if you have a Disney question or would like me to cover a certain Disney topic in the near future.
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Wacky Wednesday
So for Wacky Wednesday, I made some of these popular "beach bags" that we did at my upline Wendy's meeting. We got to use the NEW Bella Rose Designer paper. Oohhh, love it! I decided to use my favorite In Color Soft Sky Designer paper which retires in 4 days. Booooo! These are super easy to make and no stamping at all. I think they would be cute as a small gift for someone like a neighbor who takes care of the dog while you are on vacation, someone who did you a big favor, someone at church who has been ill, someone like a super teacher, a baby shower treat bag...I could go on and on. It measures 2.5"x 6" and just enough room for a hand cream and some yummy dark chocolates. Perhaps I should have a little workshop to make some of these adorable "beach bags" for the holidays! What do you think?
BTW, I can not wait to get that new scallop punch after making the scallop edge at the bottom with the slit punch. It took forever to do it! I used scallop edge scissors on the other one.
Have a magical day!
Cindy
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