Stupid Guest Tricks

hobie16 wrote:Last December wasn't very wet but ya never know.

October is very quiet as it's the lull between summer vacation and the holiday season. There should be some good deals on hotels, etc.

What should I expect things to be like 4-7 May 2012, SWMBO and I "Wonder".

Zazu wrote:What should I expect things to be like 4-7 May 2012, SWMBO and I "Wonder".

Unless the economy tanks again pretty crowded.

Is Lei Day still celebrated on May 1st? That's my favorite holiday in Hawaii. Everything, including the statue of King Kamehameha, is covered with leis and flowers.
There used to be a parade with floral floats, special programs at the schools, and the whole island smelled of fragrant tropical blossoms. May is a lovely month in Hawaii.

It is on May 1st.

The plumeria, when it's in bloom, always smells good. My wife has a puakenikeni tree in the back yard that really puts out a nice scent.

They used to sell plumeria tree cuttings at the counter near Soarin', and I bought one several years ago and potted it up. It's now a nice tree (still potted) and is getting ready to bloom again. It's tropical so I have to haul it in and out of the back porch during winter, but it's been worth it. I love my little plumeria tree.

Whazzup wrote:They used to sell plumeria tree cuttings at the counter near Soarin', and I bought one several years ago and potted it up. It's now a nice tree (still potted) and is getting ready to bloom again. It's tropical so I have to haul it in and out of the back porch during winter, but it's been worth it. I love my little plumeria tree.

We've got seven. Here in the tropics they grow so fast I have to cut them back eery year. They may produce great smelling flowers but the white milky sap sucks.

Another update with lots of pictures.

I always think it's funny when yesterland.com does articles on future events and puts its little insignia on current pics...

BRWombat wrote:I love the note in the article that Disney isn't having to offer any premiums to get people to listen to their DVC sales pitch! Quality makes a difference.

What do you mean, no premiums? You're forgetting the ice cream! ;)

I think it's more reputation than quality, although I guess I'm defining quality as, in part, good value. It's also way easier to trade into DVC than to use DVC to expand your vacation options -- experienced TimeSharers can go DVC without paying anything like DVC prices. DVC members, OTOH, have this weird RCI membership where you only have access to 10% of RCIs holdings, and can't use Extra Vacations or Last Call, plus DVC points are so expensive that you're paying a ridiculous sum every time you trade out. The reason DVC owners only have access to a limited number of RCI offerings is that these offerings are supposed to be of equal quality, but some of them are real dumps, according to DVC owners, while some nice resorts (and a ton of locations) are just not there. And a lot of TS owners who have stayed in both consider DVC units of lower quality than Marriott, Wyndham or other points systems that cost less.

Unless you're going in prime time every year, what DVC offers is the Disney name, ease of use, and the feeling of being part of the club. Which is fine, for people who've already "sniffed the pixie dust," but seems to me that as they're running out of people in that group who haven't yet signed up, they're switching more and more to classic TS salesperson techniques. The whole "500 Kingdoms" campaign, for example, may not be lies upon lies, but it's definitely presenting a pretty bad deal as a good one. Anyone who buys into DVC expecting to trade more than every few years is going to be disappointed, especially since some salespeople are presenting such trades to be as easy as reserving within the system. :mad:

The one saving grace for DVC is that you can rent out your points at a profit unless you have a loan with high interest on them -- and even then you can recoup a fair percentage of the cost. It amazes me the room prices Disney can charge in an overbuilt market, but as long as that's the case, renting DVC points looks a bargain. :D:

Breathtaking!

I've never been to Hawaii, you know, but this may change that!!! After all, it will be the closest of the 50 States to where I hope to end up...'course Tokyo Disneyland will still be closer...but still. Gorgeous.

~bru