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Post by 10goldbees on Mar 22, 2021 10:59:29 GMT -5
Definitely check out the Interrail pass if you want to hit multiple counties within Europe. Train travel is more comfortable to me than hoping on some trash Ryan Air flight and if you're going to take the train more than, like, twice it's probably a good value www.interrail.eu/en/interrail-passes/global-pass
I have never once had any luck with changing my domestic phone plan to be international. It's easier to just rent a wifi hotspot and use that while you're abroad. Something like this is convenient, especially if you're splitting it with two people www.travelerswifi.com/#global
You can also look on the travel subreddits for trip recaps and see what other people have done.
And if y'all are trying to go to multiple museums in Paris then ABSOLUTELY get the Museum Pass. It covers admission to all the museums AND you get to skip the line. It was the best thing I bought when over there en.parisinfo.com/discovering-paris/info/guides/paris-museum-pass
Don't sleep on Versailles either. It's incredible and it provides a LOT of context for the French Revolution.
Definitely check out the Interrail pass if you want to hit multiple counties within Europe. Train travel is more comfortable to me than hoping on some trash Ryan Air flight and if you're going to take the train more than, like, twice it's probably a good value www.interrail.eu/en/interrail-passes/global-pass
I have never once had any luck with changing my domestic phone plan to be international. It's easier to just rent a wifi hotspot and use that while you're abroad. Something like this is convenient, especially if you're splitting it with two people www.travelerswifi.com/#global
You can also look on the travel subreddits for trip recaps and see what other people have done.
And if y'all are trying to go to multiple museums in Paris then ABSOLUTELY get the Museum Pass. It covers admission to all the museums AND you get to skip the line. It was the best thing I bought when over there en.parisinfo.com/discovering-paris/info/guides/paris-museum-pass
Don't sleep on Versailles either. It's incredible and it provides a LOT of context for the French Revolution.
I think we're only gonna do the train twice? London > Amsterdam > Paris is the current idea. Great call on the museum pass though, will definitely be buying
just got back from disney world. we had a wonderful time, but the cons of going to disney during a pandemic outweigh the pros.
pros:
-relatively small crowd size! biggest pro. if you'd never been to disney and went this past week you'd think it was crowded. but trust me, i've been multiple times during the busiest time of year (christmas), and the crowds were nothing compared to that.
-no fast passes. to some this is a con, and i thought it would be for me to, but the result of no fast passes means (a) no stressing about booking fast passes 60 days in advance of your trip, and (b) the standby lines moved much, much faster. actual wait times were almost always less than posted wait times.
-the lines are SUPER spaced out for physical distancing. they spill way outside the "offical" lines way into the park. cast members did a good job of policing lines, and guests did a good job of self-policing others as well. the spacing was great because you didn't have a bunch of children with no concept of personal space bumping up against you in line.
-bus service was fantastic because all buses went straight from point A to point B, no stopping to pickup other people.
-mobile food ordering on the app was super easy and worked great. way better than being crammed into a line and ordering at the counter in a loud restaurant. and since only people who have ordered food could sit at a table, the quick service restaurants were an oasis of peace of quiet.
-cast members were super duper vigilant about mask enforcement. masks must cover from nose to chin, no eating or drinking unless you were stationary and physically distanced from others.
cons:
-cast members were super duper vigilant about mask enforcement. masks must cover from nose to chin, no eating or drinking unless you were stationary and physically distanced from others.
-seriously wearing a mask all day on your vacation sucks sucks SUCKS. some people say it's not that bad but they are wrong. you have to wear a mask everywhere on disney property, inside and outside, park or hotel, except your own room, sitting down and eating/drinking, or standing away from others and eating/drinking. this will sound weird but i never realized how important it was on vacation to be able to take a deep breath, and how important the sense of smell was, whether that be food, or flowers, or artificial scents, or the unique smell of disney ride machinery. instead you are constantly smelling your own breath and the inside of your mask. it made it impossible for me to mentally detach and let myself feel carefree on vacation.
-building on the above, one of my favorite things to do at disney is just casually walk around. get an ice cream or a coffee and wander around hotel grounds, or shops at the park, looking at stuff and goofing around with my family. the mask mandate takes this away from you. everything becomes very goal based instead, i.e. let's go ride this ride, eat here, ride this ride, then get the hell out of the park back to the hotel so i can take my mask off.
-extremely limited ADRs available, and many of my favorite restaurants are currently closed.
-many hotels are closed. we couldn't stay at our favorite or second favorite hotels.
-no fireworks or parades.
-and beyond masks, the #1 con is less interaction with cast members. disney has the best customer service in the world, but right now cast members are encouraged to keep guest interaction to a minimum. so less greeting, less conversation, less joking around with kids. it really takes away from the trip.
-i won't get into all the changes due to covid. i'll say generally disney does a great job, see mask enforcement notes above, but some service cuts don't make any sense. like housekeeping doesn't change your sheets or makeup your beds anymore, which they claim is for covid safety reasons but that doesn't make any sense. disney is definitely taking advantage of the situation to make cuts like that which i imagine will become permanent post-pandy once guests get used to it.
----
i have zero regrets about going. keeping the bummer part at the end of this post but my mom is dying of pancreatic cancer and this was likely our last chance to go as a family. we had not been in several years but have been a big disney world family our whole life. my mom had an awesome time, and my dad did too, he needed to get out of the house and have a break. everyone in the family except my two teenage nieces are fully vaccinated (well and except me, i've only had my first shot a couple weeks ago, getting second shot today).
but if you are planning a disney trip, i highly recommend you wait until you are fully vaccinated and masks are no longer required. it's too expensive a vacation to not enjoy fully.
this trip also solidified that i won't be attending a music festival that is mask required. a stand alone concert for a few hours, fine, but not a multi-day festival. it also makes clear that at a festival like say bonnaroo, enforcement of a mask requirement would be IMPOSSIBLE. disney has cast members all over whose sole job appeared to be reminding people to pull up their masks. the amount of manpower required to enforce the policy is massive, and this from the best trained customer service people in the world. a handful of volunteers working for free tickets is nothing next to that.
ah one other non-covid disney thing: Star Wars Rise of the Resistance is the best attraction of all time. The hype was enormous going in and it exceeded my expectations. Avoid spoilers, just experience it. The sheer joy I experienced in a single moment of this ride was akin to hearing your favorite band playing a song you've been chasing for years. And i'm just a casual Star Wars fan.
you have to get a "boarding party" reservation at 7am the day of your park visit via the app. the reservations fill up in seconds. we had three people in our party trying to get a reservation and no surprise that the one with decades of experience getting high demand concert tickets got us boarding party #5.
we also rode avatar flight of passage for the first time and it is a breathtaking experience. i wish i had that ride in my house so i could start everyday with it.
We're planning a July trip to Disney World and plopped down deposits on everything and starting to make reservations. I'm skeptical about how smooth it will go but it's about kiddos more than me. We're also staying off-site and only doing three outta six days.
I fully endorse mask wearing for anything but spending 8 to 10 hours a day wearing one is gonna be bullshit. Its probably gonna make me wanna spend less time (i.e. less money) in the park and dine out elsewhere. I'm hoping they relax a we bit before we go. They just updated to include stationary photos, so there's hope.
We're planning a July trip to Disney World and plopped down deposits on everything and starting to make reservations. I'm skeptical about how smooth it will go but it's about kiddos more than me. We're also staying off-site and only doing three outta six days.
I fully endorse mask wearing for anything but spending 8 to 10 hours a day wearing one is gonna be bullshit. Its probably gonna make me wanna spend less time (i.e. less money) in the park and dine out elsewhere. I'm hoping they relax a we bit before we go. They just updated to include stationary photos, so there's hope.
you'll have a great time. make sure you make your park reservations if you haven't already, i'm sure you're on top of that but it's a new thing that has been confusing for some people.
that's another thing i forgot that's both a pro/con. having to choose what park you are going to what day ahead of time is good because it helps disney limit crowds at parks, but bad because once you make your decision you are locked in (trying to switch is unadvisable because you have to cancel your current res in one transactions and add one in another. a scary few moments that might screw you if the park you are trying to book fills up in that time). and if you don't book the park you want you are SOL.
and yes they announced the new maskless picture policy the last day we were there. would be great if by your trip they allow masks off in outdoor areas but still required in indoor areas. i know that will be harder for disney to enforce but would make a huge difference. wearing masks on rides or even in lines wasn't that bad, it's when you are just wandering around the park or hotel that it's a bummer.
let me know if you have any questions i can help with.
We're planning a July trip to Disney World and plopped down deposits on everything and starting to make reservations. I'm skeptical about how smooth it will go but it's about kiddos more than me. We're also staying off-site and only doing three outta six days.
I fully endorse mask wearing for anything but spending 8 to 10 hours a day wearing one is gonna be bullshit. Its probably gonna make me wanna spend less time (i.e. less money) in the park and dine out elsewhere. I'm hoping they relax a we bit before we go. They just updated to include stationary photos, so there's hope.
you'll have a great time. make sure you make your park reservations if you haven't already, i'm sure you're on top of that but it's a new thing that has been confusing for some people.
that's another thing i forgot that's both a pro/con. having to choose what park you are going to what day ahead of time is good because it helps disney limit crowds at parks, but bad because once you make your decision you are locked in (trying to switch is unadvisable because you have to cancel your current res in one transactions and add one in another. a scary few moments that might screw you if the park you are trying to book fills up in that time). and if you don't book the park you want you are SOL.
and yes they announced the new maskless picture policy the last day we were there. would be great if by your trip they allow masks off in outdoor areas but still required in indoor areas. i know that will be harder for disney to enforce but would make a huge difference. wearing masks on rides or even in lines wasn't that bad, it's when you are just wandering around the park or hotel that it's a bummer.
let me know if you have any questions i can help with.
Dollywood was mask on but if you were at a table to eat or drink, it could come off. Obviously those were distanced and worked out well. I just feel like there should more opportunities to pull the mask off for a bit in a safe way.
It's Disney though and I'll gladly trade for reduced capacity.
We've been making reservations and Galaxy's Edge tops the list. Stoked you had fun.
-i won't get into all the changes due to covid. i'll say generally disney does a great job, see mask enforcement notes above, but some service cuts don't make any sense. like housekeeping doesn't change your sheets or makeup your beds anymore, which they claim is for covid safety reasons but that doesn't make any sense. disney is definitely taking advantage of the situation to make cuts like that which i imagine will become permanent post-pandy once guests get used to it.
Let me speak a bit from my professional experience.
After staying flat at 30-35% occupancy for a year, we instantly doubled at the start of March as things lurched into motion. Hotels are currently facing challenges in safety, staffing, and supplies. As someone who gets his ass chewed off about this multiple times a day I'm definitely sensitive to the pushback. I can even empathize, to an extent. It should be noted that in a lot of markets (though I can't speak to Orlando specifically), rates are also significantly lower these days so hotels are not suddenly more profitable due to cutting in some areas. (Expenses have also been added in other areas - I can go into depth on that if there's interest.)
Many (most) hotels are still not doing in-room housekeeping service. Initially one of the fears was because of surface contact issues in picking up the virus. We've learned as this went on that that's not really much of a concern.
The biggest danger is that a lot of guests frankly do not care about the safety of others. It's hard enough to get some of them to wear masks in the hallways. Once guests are in their rooms it's virtually impossible to get them to behave responsibly. This leads to regular confrontations getting guests to leave their room while they are serviced and telling them they can't come in their rooms while they are serviced. You're now requiring your minimum wage employees to wear masks while servicing occupied guest rooms (because you don't know when they left so there is a possibility of airborne stuff). We've had guests who'd been with us for months end up with Covid. We've had healthcare workers staying with us end up dying from the virus. The literal and legal risks are real.
Oh, and it's ridiculously difficult to staff up at the moment. The financial incentive for returning to work for hourly associates is low with expanded unemployment and stimulus payments. The gas station down the street is starting people $7.50 over minimum. And that's before you factor in trying to hire people to clean up and disinfect after strangers on a daily basis, a difficult and undesirable job before a global pandemic hit.
Also, supply chains are backed up. For example we ordered the properly upgraded MERV filters to reopen our fitness center to meet revised Dept of Health standards two months ago. They were supposed to arrive 3/15. Then 4/7. I haven't called yet today to get another update. Linen and terry is back ordered by weeks as well. I ordered individual anticeptic wipes to be placed in guest rooms in August and they arrived in March.
So it's not that hotels are making cuts to take advantage. Hotels saw their business drop off a cliff over the course of a week in March 2020. For both safety and financial reasons, services were cut sharply with virtually no notice. Hotels (and the industries that depended on hotels purchasing products from them) have been trying to recover ever since. In-room housekeeping will return as Covid fades more into the background. Pools and fitness centers will reopen/expand capacity on a similar trajectory. Traditional hot breakfast buffets & hospitality receptions probably won't return for a few years but adaptations will. Mask wearing in public areas will be required in public areas probably until similar restrictions are lifted in federal buildings and the like.
I hope that this helps to make a bit more sense out of it. I'm happy to take questions.
That's super interesting, cdev. I hope things get a bit easier for y'all very soon.
Thanks. Sorry that kind of turned into a rant. Stuff kind of snowballed a bit there!
don't apologize, it was enlightening, appreciate you sharing.
and FWIW i am certainly sympathetic to non-disney hotels like yours. when talking about this with my family i specifically noted that i totally get making cuts at a Hampton Inn (which is where i stay for 90% of my travel) that is showing a huge drop off in bookings and is still priced very competitively, but less sympathetic to a Disney resort hotel that is filled to capacity and is very expensive.
and i totally get it sounds whiney to complain about my bed not being made, but a nice moment in any disney day is when you get back to your hotel after 12 hours in the park and your bed is made and clean and they do the towels in those little mickey ears on your bed.
Thanks. Sorry that kind of turned into a rant. Stuff kind of snowballed a bit there!
don't apologize, it was enlightening, appreciate you sharing.
and FWIW i am certainly sympathetic to non-disney hotels like yours. when talking about this with my family i specifically noted that i totally get making cuts at a Hampton Inn (which is where i stay for 90% of my travel) that is showing a huge drop off in bookings and is still priced very competitively, but less sympathetic to a Disney resort hotel that is filled to capacity and is very expensive.
and i totally get it sounds whiney to complain about my bed not being made, but a nice moment in any disney day is when you get back to your hotel after 12 hours in the park and your bed is made and clean and they do the towels in those little mickey ears on your bed.
I totally get that. It's an important part of the hotel experience. You need a respite when you're on an intense vacation like Disney.
Post by 3post1jack1 on Apr 8, 2021 12:25:51 GMT -5
keep forgetting disney tidbits, sorry for all the posts, but shout out to the new Gran Destino tower at Coronado Springs. We stayed there our last night and it was really nice! nicer than deluxe resorts which cost almost twice as much. Gran Destino costs a bit more than a moderate resort but i think it's worth it. big rooms, non carpeted floor made everything feel cleaner. comfy beds and the bathroom/shower was as nice as some high end hotels i've stayed at in Vegas.
edit: posted this in the coronavirus thread in error.
Any recommendations for Mexico City? I'll be staying in the Condesa neighborhood. Not sure how things are over there with Covid-19 and its effects on restaurants/bars, museums, etc., but any input from your prior experiences in Mexico City is welcome.
Post by stlallison on Apr 15, 2021 14:59:54 GMT -5
Does anyone have an all inclusive resort in the Cancun area they recommend? Preferably a little further south from Cancun like in Playa Del Carmen or even in Tulum. Usually our vacations are always go go go, but I need a relaxing sit on my ass and drink a fruity drink in the sun kind of vacation soon.
I have never once had any luck with changing my domestic phone plan to be international. It's easier to just rent a wifi hotspot and use that while you're abroad. Something like this is convenient, especially if you're splitting it with two people www.travelerswifi.com/#global
You can just get a pre-paid sim card in the country you're going to and put it in your phone. As long as your phone is unlocked (which you can just ask your provider to do, assuming your phone is not leased) then it'll work exactly as it would if you lived there. Pretty sure the European ones work country to country without roaming too.
Does anyone have an all inclusive resort in the Cancun area they recommend? Preferably a little further south from Cancun like in Playa Del Carmen or even in Tulum. Usually our vacations are always go go go, but I need a relaxing sit on my ass and drink a fruity drink in the sun kind of vacation soon.
I've heard that recently Cartel violence in Tulum has been really, really bad. So I wouldn't stay in Tulum. Apparently it's not quite as bad in Playa, but I'd be very careful in those areas. And if you're going to go to the ruins maybe do it on a tour as well, just for the added layer of protection of not driving yourself.
But either way, go to Chichén Itzá and the ruins in Tulum. They're absolutely amazing. And if you go to Chichén Itzá on the solstice (June 21) then you can see the snake shadow on the side of the pyramid.
I have family who goes to Cancún every year. I asked where they stay, will let you know what she says.
Does anyone have an all inclusive resort in the Cancun area they recommend? Preferably a little further south from Cancun like in Playa Del Carmen or even in Tulum. Usually our vacations are always go go go, but I need a relaxing sit on my ass and drink a fruity drink in the sun kind of vacation soon.
I've heard that recently Cartel violence in Tulum has been really, really bad. So I wouldn't stay in Tulum. Apparently it's not quite as bad in Playa, but I'd be very careful in those areas. And if you're going to go to the ruins maybe do it on a tour as well, just for the added layer of protection of not driving yourself.
But either way, go to Chichén Itzá and the ruins in Tulum. They're absolutely amazing. And if you go to Chichén Itzá on the solstice (June 21) then you can see the snake shadow on the side of the pyramid.
I have family who goes to Cancún every year. I asked where they stay, will let you know what she says.
I did not realize it was that bad in the Tulum area. That's a bummer. I have been to the ruins at Tulum once, but want to take my bf this time. I'll put Chichen Itza on the list too. Thanks!
I've heard that recently Cartel violence in Tulum has been really, really bad. So I wouldn't stay in Tulum. Apparently it's not quite as bad in Playa, but I'd be very careful in those areas. And if you're going to go to the ruins maybe do it on a tour as well, just for the added layer of protection of not driving yourself.
But either way, go to Chichén Itzá and the ruins in Tulum. They're absolutely amazing. And if you go to Chichén Itzá on the solstice (June 21) then you can see the snake shadow on the side of the pyramid.
I have family who goes to Cancún every year. I asked where they stay, will let you know what she says.
I did not realize it was that bad in the Tulum area. That's a bummer. I have been to the ruins at Tulum once, but want to take my bf this time. I'll put Chichen Itza on the list too. Thanks!
I asked about where she stays. They apparently have a time share at a resort called Krystal. She said it's at the tip of the hotel zone near all the clubs and shopping. No idea if it's all inclusive or not tho since it's a timeshare deal for them.
Does anyone have an all inclusive resort in the Cancun area they recommend? Preferably a little further south from Cancun like in Playa Del Carmen or even in Tulum. Usually our vacations are always go go go, but I need a relaxing sit on my ass and drink a fruity drink in the sun kind of vacation soon.
Royal sands is dope if you wind up staying on the cancun strip
Yes and no. We were headed to NYC after Rough Trade opens back up so I'm stoked to have this on the way. We'll stay in Atlantic City Friday and Saturday and record store it on Sunday.
AC is one of those that I've been to but never more than a few hours.
Borgata is the nicest but it's off boardwalk. Ocean went in where Revel lived for like a year and Revel was pretty palatial (but also has the stink of the Ray Rice incident). I still kinda prefer the Trop. Cuba Libre is decent cuban food in there and Carmine's I think is a branch of the NYC restaurant (but I might be talking out my ass on that).
