Summer vacation plans, maybe goin to Big Sky country--Yellowstone

[ALAYMAN]

It's been such a yucky (do guys use that word? ) winter, I've been really longing for a break in the weather, which got me to thinkin' about summer vacation plans.  ALAYWIFE and I have always wanted to go out west (never been west of the Mississippi).  I was secretly making plans to wisk her away to that far away land back in the fall of 2004, when much to our great joy and delight ALAYboy came along unexpectedly as a gift from the Lord, and that pretty much shot any chance of going to a rugged place to hike for quite a few years.  Anyhoo....


anybody ever been out to Yellowstone?  Yosemite?  Grand Tetons?  Glacier? 

Recommendations for kid activities? 

Lodging accomodations?

Other?

 

[kaba]

Went with my parents when I was a teenager. Loved it. But I am sure lots has changed. Sounds like a good vacation for you and your family!

 

[ALAYMAN]

Went with my parents when I was a teenager.

Did they have automobiles back then?

Loved it. But I am sure lots has changed. Sounds like a good vacation for you and your family!

We haven't set anything in stone yet, but I'd really love to make it happen.  Not sure if the 8 year old ALAYboy could take that much hiking and stuff, so I'm hopin' some folk might know of some suggested kid activities to fill in between the scenic treks.

 

[kaba]

Oh that was a good one!!

 

[JrChurch]

It has been too long for me to recommend lodging, although we've stayed at the lodges at Yellowstone and Yosemite, but I would choose Yellowstone, Tetons and maybe Glacier because of their proximity.  Save Yosemite for a California trip to see SF and Monterey.

If you are driving, it is far enough to WY and MT without trying to make it to California.  Plus, the falls at Yosemite can be paltry at the end of summer.  The last time we went was the month of May and it was beautiful.

I have really enjoyed Colorado, too.  All around the Rocky Mtns from Denver northwest to Estes Park and then make a wide loop down to Manitou Springs.  Just look at all the things there are to do in Pikes Peak County alone.  http://www.pikes-peak.com

 

[JrChurch]

It's been such a yucky (do guys use that word? ) winter

Yucky winter describes it.  Can't complain, though, because it was 80 degrees today.  Obviously, I am not at home!

 

[ALAYMAN]

It has been too long for me to recommend lodging, although we've stayed at the lodges at Yellowstone and Yosemite, but I would choose Yellowstone, Tetons and maybe Glacier because of their proximity.  Save Yosemite for a California trip to see SF and Monterey.

If you are driving, it is far enough to WY and MT without trying to make it to California.  Plus, the falls at Yosemite can be paltry at the end of summer.  The last time we went was the month of May and it was beautiful.

I have really enjoyed Colorado, too.  All around the Rocky Mtns from Denver northwest to Estes Park and then make a wide loop down to Manitou Springs.  Just look at all the things there are to do in Pikes Peak County alone.  http://www.pikes-peak.com

Very good thoughts, and ones that I had at least partially surmised after some cursory analysis.  Though we want badly to consolidate Yosemite and Yellowstone, to do them proper justice we pretty much have decided to break them up over two different trips.  And last night ALAYboy was lobbying vociferously for a Disney World trip .  I guess tis true that the magical notion for him will soon enough be a thing of the past, so we prolly will relent and head to Florida rather than out west this year, but that absolutely means we're doin' the left coast swing next year, barring something unforeseen.

Yucky winter describes it.  Can't complain, though, because it was 80 degrees today.  Obviously, I am not at home!

Obviously.

Your area was supposed to get hit with 4+ inches of the white wonderful stuff again last night, but go ahead, enjoy your stinkin' balmy 80 degrees while your fellow Eers suffer!

 

[Sherryh]

If you come to Florida which is what I would recommend.........my ideal vacation is no phone, sit on the beach reading a book and no one knows who you are  8)...if you come to Disney they have some of the best shopping outlets but you can also visit Mathew and a few of us 8)

 

[ALAYMAN]

If you come to Florida which is what I would recommend.........my ideal vacation is no phone, sit on the beach reading a book and no one knows who you are  8)...if you come to Disney they have some of the best shopping outlets but you can also visit Mathew and a few of us 8)

Thanks for the invite.  After further consideration, ALAYboy's age and the timing of Disney has made it the more likely choice.  So if we go somewhere, it is looking more likely to be your way, and if time/schedules permits then I'd love to meet up with you and/or Matt.


And as far as the reason that this subject came up, we got 4 more inches of snow last night , after getting a bunch of sleet and ice.  Will this winter ever turn to spring???

 

[JrChurch]

Just returned from a trip to WDW with my daughter and 3 grand kids.  Such a fun place for kids!  Three mornings I received weather alerts from home along with school closing notifications.  Perfect time to be in Florida!

 

[ALAYMAN]

Just returned from a trip to WDW with my daughter and 3 grand kids.  Such a fun place for kids!  Three mornings I received weather alerts from home along with school closing notifications.  Perfect time to be in Florida!

Give me a report, do's and don'ts.

 

[JrChurch]

You've been before? 

 

[kaba]

Do the hopper, Do the fast pass to each ride, Do eat BEFORE going in the park.

 

[ALAYMAN]

You've been before?

Never.  Been to several themeparks, but nothing as humongous as Disney.  We went to LEGOLAND nearby there 2 years ago, and intentionally didn't tell the boy that we drove by Mickey several times while we were in the vicinity.

]Do the hopper, Do the fast pass to each ride, Do eat BEFORE going in the park.

Thanks for the tips.  We had already pretty much decided to do the hopper and fastpass.  Since we most likely will stay on-site we don't know how practical it will be to eat off the compound grounds.  But that begs a different question.  We like to be in control of our itinerary to a large extent, and are heavily leaning towards renting a car even though Disney provides several forms of free transport for their onsite guests.  One of the reasons for that is partly what you suggest about controlling the budget via the food line items.

 

[lnf]

Dining off-site will definitely save you some money.  But you do need to balance that with the daily cost of the rental car.  Using the on-site transportation is convenient and saves parking fees when you are at the park(s).  Might I suggest that you plan to eat at least one meal in your room.  The dinner meal, usually the most expensive, can be done off-site.  If breakfast is not included at your hotel (it's been several years since I have stayed on-site at Disney), you could easily cover this meal by visiting a grocery store (by taxi if necessary) and stocking up with enough prepared items to cover your stay.  You might also cover lunch in this way, by buying lunch meat, bread, chips, etc., storing refrigerated items in the "courtesy bar" refrigerator that will be in your room.  Yes, you will lose some park time while traveling back to your hotel for lunch, but you might also appreciate the break.  Using these strategies, you may save money by forgoing the rental car and relying on taxis for your evening meal.

Just a couple of thoughts for your consideration.
 

 

[JrChurch]

I assume you will be going during some type of school break (Spring or Summer) so it will be quite busy.  It will be crazy hot.  Be ready to enjoy it in spite of crowds and heat.

We stay onsite and ALWAYS get a rental car because waiting for crowded buses is more fun than I can handle.  We've stayed at a variety of their resorts, so ask any questions.

We just fully experienced the new FastPass+ and the use of the magic bands.  I can answer questions about setting it up and getting the best use from it. 

www.easywdw.com is a great place for newbies to get acquainted with WDW.  For more depth, try www.disboards.com

I've been dozens of times with grade school boys (my own) so I know your son will have a blast. 

Just a quick run-through of what we just did so you have an idea of one family's choices.  Before leaving home we put the Magical Express luggage tags on our suitcases, check-in at a/p knowing that because of the tags we would next see our luggage in our room (love that), flew to Orlando, tapped our magic bands at the Magical Express checkin and took the Magical Express Disney bus from the Orlando airport to our resort.  We already did the online check-in at home, so we were given a packet in the lobby with all of our info, and proceeded to our room (oh, yes, a 2 bedroom villa at Old Key West) where our luggage was soon delivered.  I had rented a car from one of the many agencies that are located at WDW or near the Downtown Disney area, so the rental car shuttle picked me up at our resort and took me to the rental car.  At the end of the vacation, I drove back to the rental agency, they shuttled me back to the resort and we used the check-in services at the resort which checked us in for our flight (they check in our luggage and take it straight to the airline -we don't see luggage until the claim area at the destination airport), then we boarded our Magical Express bus to the airport.  All we had to do was proceed through security. 

Other than the rental car, all other services I mentioned are included in your onsite hotel cost.  Easy, right?

 

[kaba]

Often times if you stay onsite, the hotels have special deals for you.

We went the week after Thanksgiving and had a great time, low crowd. You just have to know when to go when the crowd is down.

 

[ALAYMAN]

I've been having crippling internet connectivity issues lately, so I'm keeping this to a brief "thank you" to the great helps so far, but hopefully tomorrow I'll be able to respond more at length.  Many of the suggestions thus far have only confirmed some of the thoughts we've already had.

One quick thought/question for JrChurch about lodging.  We were looking at Wilderness Lodge (since me and ALAYWIFE wanted to go to Yellowstone this year, among other reasons), but normally would lean towards the middle-of-the-road priced lodging.  Any thoughts about Wilderness that might persuade me to spend the nickel more (or quarter, as the case might be )?

 

[JrChurch]

It will be like a trip to Yellowstone, including the geyser.  We've stayed there twice (boys loved it) and at the Villas at Wilderness Lodge.  Great place to stay and worth a trip to see even if you are not staying there.  Very nice pool with a fun slide. There is a boat that sails from their boat dock straight to Magic Kingdom.  If you drive to MK, you actually have to park at a large area and take a ferry or monorail to the entrance of MK.  The Wilderness Lodge boat takes you to the entrance area. 

There is a beach area behind the pool that shows nightly outdoor Disney movies plus you can see the Electrical Water pagent on Bay Lake each night from there.

Food choices are fair if you are not looking for an expensive sit-down restaurant.  There is a quick service area that is more reasonable, http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/dining/diningdetail.cfm?restaurant.id=16#menu

You are probably aware of the different price levels for rooms.  If a view is important to you (sure isn't to me), then you will fork over a lot more.  Otherwise, a standard view is adequate.  The rooms have a great theme, are very comfortable, and the resort is beautiful.

If you are considering a moderate resort, French Quarters is great.  It is the smallest resort, which makes is very easy to navigate by foot.  Nothing like parking the car and being in your room in 2 or 3 minutes.  The rooms are very nice and I really like the way they use the space.  That place has our favorite eating area- Sassagoula- and we go there even when we aren't staying there. It has a fun pool and slide and we LOVE being able to take the ferry to Downtown Disney (hellooooo Ghirardelli Ice Cream).

The Value resorts are like a Motel 6 (basic room with 2 full-size beds) with fabulous theming.  They also have great pools, but I don't think they have slides. 

 

[ALAYMAN]

It will be like a trip to Yellowstone, including the geyser.  We've stayed there twice (boys loved it) and at the Villas at Wilderness Lodge.  Great place to stay and worth a trip to see even if you are not staying there.  Very nice pool with a fun slide. There is a boat that sails from their boat dock straight to Magic Kingdom.  If you drive to MK, you actually have to park at a large area and take a ferry or monorail to the entrance of MK.  The Wilderness Lodge boat takes you to the entrance area.

I'm currently reading "The Unofficial Guide to Disney", which is 800+ pages, and the importance of planning is stressed emphatically.  The Free Transportation is one of those areas that I get the feeling can be a blessing, or a curse.  The fact that the boat goes directly there sounds like one compelling reason to consider the Lodge.  Would you say that generally speaking, that the boat to MK is a faster process than driving a rental to the parking lot and then walking to MK? 

There is a beach area behind the pool that shows nightly outdoor Disney movies plus you can see the Electrical Water pagent on Bay Lake each night from there.

Food choices are fair if you are not looking for an expensive sit-down restaurant.  There is a quick service area that is more reasonable, http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/dining/diningdetail.cfm?restaurant.id=16#menu

You are probably aware of the different price levels for rooms.  If a view is important to you (sure isn't to me), then you will fork over a lot more.  Otherwise, a standard view is adequate.  The rooms have a great theme, are very comfortable, and the resort is beautiful.

Some of this info I've came across, but again you've offered food for thought that I hadn't considered or didn't know.

If you are considering a moderate resort, French Quarters is great.  It is the smallest resort, which makes is very easy to navigate by foot.  Nothing like parking the car and being in your room in 2 or 3 minutes.  The rooms are very nice and I really like the way they use the space.  That place has our favorite eating area- Sassagoula- and we go there even when we aren't staying there. It has a fun pool and slide and we LOVE being able to take the ferry to Downtown Disney (hellooooo Ghirardelli Ice Cream).

Tentatively, we had narrowed the moderates down to a couple, and the Port Orleans Riverside was one of them (but the French Quarter was also in view).  The only slight negative we read about the Cajun themed lodging was that though the outside was well done, the inside theming/appointments weren't that exclusively tied to the well-done outside of the buildings.  In the end of things, that's not that big of a deal though.  We are mainly looking for something clean, convenient to the attractions, reasonably priced (I laugh out loud that I even type that ), and to have something of a decent pool and kid activities nearby in walking distance.

The Value resorts are like a Motel 6 (basic room with 2 full-size beds) with fabulous theming.  They also have great pools, but I don't think they have slides.

I think we'd all but ruled out that category of lodging, partly on the basis that ALAYboy is a fish and the pool is a wonderful fall-back retreat when we want to go back to the room for some slower paced activity.