I love credit cards so much! v2.0 (see first page for add'l details)

[vanjust14]

Omg the puppy is adorable!!

Thank you! It was the one thing DD kept asking Santa for, and she came up with Minnie.

 

[calypso726]

Current plans for 2020-

Jan-ring in the New Year on the Dream (somewhere near the Bahamas)
Feb/Mar-Australia/NZ cruise
April-home all month (right now)
May-Boston
June-home
July-Scotland (Isle of Skye, Isle of Mull, Isle of Harris), Slovenia and Croatia
Aug-Baltic cruise
Sept/Oct-home
Nov -WDW and Boston
Dec-home

Merry Christmas and Happy Chanukah everyone!

Awesome places in Scotland you are visiting!

 

[smmco]

2020 travel plans.
What I'm not doing is a Disney cruise. This will be the first time in 10 years not doing a DCL cruise. I was really bored on my last DCL cruise and decided it was time to change it up. Not to mention the cost, but that's a whole nether topic.

FEB- RCCL Allure of the Seas

AUGUST- Maiden Voyage on Carnivals new ship the Mardi Gras. It's a Baltic Cruise with an unusual itinerary. We're Also spending a few days in Copenhagen and Prague. All Hotels booked on points hopefully.

In May or November I'm taking my baby{15 year old LOL} to WDW. I was going to try DL, but there's just nothing like Beaches and Cream and Ample Hills Creamery according to him.

To all you cruisers out there I have a second-hand review. My DH took my 17-year-old on a cruise two weeks ago. He got a great last-minute deal on NCL's new ship the JOY. 500.00 pp for a balcony room. It was a Mexican Riviera cruise. They loved it. The go-carts on the top deck were a blast so was the laser tag. The food was good. The ship was new and clean of course. Entertainment was good they loved the Beatles show. The only downside was balcony rooms are tiny{according to my dh who never notices these things} compared to DCL. It's ok for 2 people, but for a family of four probably not a good idea. I was worried there might not be kids on board, but there were tons of teens. Is everyone homeschooled these days? My son really enjoyed the teen club, and they had a good father-son bonding trip.

I'm taking my youngest son to WDW for a mother-son bonding trip. My oldest son is pretty neutral about WDW, but my youngest loves it. I think WDW is gotten so expensive that if you're not totally into it then stay home. My DH is like me he just likes not being at work.

 

[LB002]

Hey NewbieMom, our chatter this morning reminded me that I didn't get around to replying to your question. (I've been quite busy IRL so haven't been able to keep up on the DIS or reddit.)

I've never stayed at the Hilton Hawaiian Village, but I've visited the property many times and my BIL's parents have a timeshare so their entire family spends a few days every summer there with all the kids and grandkids.

Firstly, I don't think it should be a problem accommodating a family of 5, with 3 young kids. I've found most Waikiki hotels are very happy to accommodate "keiki." Just call the resort's reservations desk to run it by them before booking and just book a room for 2 adults/2 kids if the room occupancy is 4, then notify the reservations desk about the additional child prior to arrival. As a Diamond member, they may even upgrade you to a larger room or suite at check in. Typically if you request rollaway beds or a crib, those incur an extra fee.

The Hilton Hawaiian Village is kind of at the entry to Waikiki, situated at some wide and busy crossroads. It's like a 5 minutes drive to the Ala Moana Shopping Center, which has a lot of high end shops, a Disney Store with some Hawaii exclusives, and a LOT of food court/quick service dining options and a Foodland supermarket that'll probably be cheaper than dining onsite. Waikiki's main drag of Kalakaua Avenue is about a 5-10 minute walk away. The Hilton Hawaiian Village property is massive, and once you're onsite you don't really feel the hustle and bustle outside. The property is lush, with koi ponds, a lagoon, several pools, and is situated on its own stretch of beach. My sister and BIL's kids love all the pools, and I think your kids would enjoy it too. I think there's a kids club for older kids, but your kids may be too young for that. There are also fireworks every Friday night over the beach at the Hilton Hawaiian Village.

I don't think it's a bad way to use a Free Weekend Night Certificate! Just keep in mind that standard rooms don't cost that much in cash during the off seasons -- typically under $300/night, but that $50/night resort fee (ouch) on cash bookings. I know some people like to use their free night at some obscenely expensive hotel, but having young kids makes that a little more challenging. On points, standard rooms go for 60k Hilton points/night with no resort fees, but again as a Diamond member you can hope for a nice upgrade. Booking with Hilton points also gets you a 5th night free. Also keep in mind the Hilton Hawaiian Village is included on Hilton's list of resorts where you can use the Aspire's $250 resort credit. That should help with things like parking and onsite dining.

Thanks for this write up, we are staying there in Feb and planning on maximizing my Aspire benefits. I booked a standard room rather than the higher end tower (doubting that choice, but DH says he's definitely spoiled me if I'm worried about "slumming it" in HI).

 

[platamama]

Wishing joyful celebrations to my friends on the Dis! Enjoy food, family, friends and some well-deserved time off!

 

[smmco]

Merry Christmas, everyone! Here is what our family got for Christmas....her name is Minnie!View attachment 460578

As for 2020 plans, we have 3 trips planned so far:

April: WDW 3 nights, followed by a 4 night DCL cruise, and two WDW nights.
November: weekend in WDW
December: WDW 5 nights for DD's 5th bday

Hoping to add a trip in the middle somewhere!

Way too cute....both of them. When our Golden Retriever died I swore I'd never get another dog and then seven years ago we found this little chihuahua mutt lost in the street. We adopted him. I hate the boarding cost every time we travel, but I can't imagine I'll ever be without a dog. They are the best friend ever.

 

[LB002]

Watched Togo with the kids tonight. It was good! Thanks for mentioning it. All I knew going in was that it's about a dog. Turns out it's a great film to watch in anticipation of our Alaska cruise this summer. DD was upset that Balto got all the credit. I was like I don't think Togo cares, lol.

Thanks for the recomendations for Togo. We are also heading to AK this summer. Definitely putting it on our vacation week list!

 

[WardFam]

2020 plans:
Spending the new year at Aulani
March - 40th birthday trip - have flights to Shanghai and planning on Shanghai DL, but still can’t decide where to go from there - possibly Thailand?
I am sure we will add more!

 

[gottalovepluto]

Continuing to plan my Alaskan cruise for 2021. Now that Alaska Airlines flies non-stop from Columbus to Seattle, I am looking at Alaska Airline miles. I see there is a business card for Alaska Air from BoA. Is that hard to get? I am 4/24. Would that have a bearing on getting approved? No other BoA cards in my wallet (or sock drawer).

TLDR; I suspect you’re fine but a denial is possible

BoA doesn’t have the steady rules of other issuers so it’s hard to know. Applying with a low x/24 count like yours will definitely help, having a banking relationship can help. BoA AS Biz also seems to be one of the easiest BoA cards to get so that’s good...

(Personally I hate them because they asked for 2 years of mine and my business’ taxes and a half a dozen other docs a sole prop doesn’t have. When I contacted them they said send in the taxes, I did, and I was still denied so I’m sour grapes with regards to them.)

 

[WVMomof3]

AUGUST- Maiden Voyage on Carnivals new ship the Mardi Gras. It's a Baltic Cruise with an unusual itinerary. We're Also spending a few days in Copenhagen and Prague. All Hotels booked on points hopefully.

I hate to be bearer of bad news, but didn’t they cancel those first few months voyages?
I only know because I read another diser talk about it. If you were already booked you would think they would have let you know by now.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.miamiherald.com/news/business/tourism-cruises/article238662633.html

 

[wendow]

Merry Christmas, everyone! Here is what our family got for Christmas....her name is Minnie!View attachment 460578

As for 2020 plans, we have 3 trips planned so far:

April: WDW 3 nights, followed by a 4 night DCL cruise, and two WDW nights.
November: weekend in WDW
December: WDW 5 nights for DD's 5th bday

Hoping to add a trip in the middle somewhere!

Your dd and new pupper are adorable!! Congrats!!

 

[wanderlust7]

A late Merry Christmas everyone!

Plans for 2020:
New Year's - Mexico cruise on the brand new Carnival Panorama
March - Ventana Inn Big Sur weekend trip
Spring Break - WDW split stay Boulder Ridge and Yacht Club
Summer - Alaska cruise and central Oregon
Thanksgiving - Possibly Universal Orlando

 

[wendow]

April - NYC with niece and PlanePrincess to see Beetlejuice. This is her Xmas present. She was so happy she was crying this morning LOL - MR points, BonBlah FN certs

I remember when you were first talking about planning this. So happy to hear your niece is excited!! You are the BEST aunt ever!!!

 

[LB002]

My 7 and 13 year olds made chocolate chip cookies yesterday. The 7 year old immediately confiscated them and set up a “Free Cookies” stand outside. The FedEx, UPS, and Amazon guys all jumped out and grabbed some and the neighbors came over. It was a really nice idea he had (but the 13 year old was left wanting cookies).

So sweet!

We leave out a basket of packaged treats for the mail/fedex/UPS, etc. people this time of year (and Prime Day!). I don't have a lot of stores in my area, son90% of shopping is done online. I'm sure my family thinks I'm nuts, but I run a lot of errands when I'm in my hometown (6hr away) because they actually have stores there!

 

[Alexle2007]

TLDR; I suspect you’re fine but a denial is possible

BoA doesn’t have the steady rules of other issuers so it’s hard to know. Applying with a low x/24 count like yours will definitely help, having a banking relationship can help. BoA AS Biz also seems to be one of the easiest BoA cards to get so that’s good...

(Personally I hate them because they asked for 2 years of mine and my business’ taxes and a half a dozen other docs a sole prop doesn’t have. When I contacted them they said send in the taxes, I did, and I was still denied so I’m sour grapes with regards to them.)

I had the same experience @StephPlum. I applied as a sole proprietor and was astounded at what they wanted and just called uncle and did nothing.

 

[calypso726]

I remember when you were first talking about planning this. So happy to hear your niece is excited!! You are the BEST aunt ever!!!

Awww thanks. It was wrapped in black and white striped paper with a green bow. She said she knew it was Beetlejuice tickets. But, she thought the show was coming to Miami. The look on her face and sound of her voice as she realized she was going to New York to see the show was priceless.

 

[ten6mom]

Here is a question I had not considered... perhaps @calypso726 @CaliforniaGirl09 @Haley R would know...

As you all know, I will need to keep checking for a flight to change my return from Japan to (sorry for the terrible sentence).

What if ONLY first class is available to change it to, when I have booked business for the return? Will they let me pay the difference in URs/miles, or do I HAVE to find a business class return?

 

[havaneselover]

I got ds a google nest hub for Christmas. Was only $40 at Target. Now I want one for the kitchen. Works so well as a digital frame and plays YouTube tv. I love my echos but maybe time to switch over.

 

[calypso726]

Here is a question I had not considered... perhaps @calypso726 @CaliforniaGirl09 @Haley R would know...

As you all know, I will need to keep checking for a flight to change my return from Japan to (sorry for the terrible sentence).

What if ONLY first class is available to change it to, when I have booked business for the return? Will they let me pay the difference in URs/miles, or do I HAVE to find a business class return?

If you have first booked on the outbound then you have already paid for a RT first class flight. If memory serves correctly, a mixed cabin is allowed and you should be able to book business if that’s all that is available but you will not get a refund on the miles difference Since they are priced RT. I’d be looking for first of course

 

[disfanforlife]

Awww thanks. It was wrapped in black and white striped paper with a green bow. She said she knew it was Beetlejuice tickets. But, she thought the show was coming to Miami. The look on her face and sound of her voice as she realized she was going to New York to see the show was priceless.

That is a wonderful gift! I am sure you will have a fabulous time together!