single traveller

Going to Orlando in May and now my adult son has found out he can come with us or meet us there.

Price of flights to Orlando much higher at the moment compared to price we paid.

Do you think best bet is to wait till couple of weeks before departure just for one return ticket in the hope we may be able to bag a good deal.

Would prices be likely to come dowm much?

single traveller

Bump

single traveller

Sorry I have no idea (bump)

I would think the prices are pretty much static right now and won%26#39;t really come down. The only other thing that might work is if you wait until like a day or two before, then you might find a deal if the airline has some empty seats. Not sure if you can use Priceline in England, but if you can you might want to try them, you can just put in what you want to pay and see if you can it for that. Good luck.

I fly with Southwest. And I know the longer I wait, the more I will pay. I am flying in June to Orlando. Just purchased my flight tickets this morning. Yesterday when I checked them they were a little more then today, so I saved a few dollars.

Is it standard to have to pay in full upon arrival ?

Is it standard to have to pay in full upon arrival and to have to pay for the entire stay if one cancels?

I recently told by a B and B that payment in full was standard at check in. I never heard of that before .. usually they put a hold on the amount but no charges are made until you check out. The also had a draconian cancellation fee - if you cancel within 24 hours, they charge the full amount which would have been $1,300. Not that I plan on canceling but in the case of bad weather or my spouse%26#39;s mother having complications related to her recent dizzy spell, it could happen. You would think they would be more flexible in a bad economy. I can see paying or a night or two if I cancel at the last minute but no the whole amount. Are these standard practices?

PS I am looking for recommendation for places to stay in/near St Augustine.

Is it standard to have to pay in full upon arrival ?

This is quite a difficult question. I agree that most hotels or B%26amp;Bs charge on departure and I appreciate your situation but think about it from the owner%26#39;s point of view.

I%26#39;m not in the hotel business but I am self employed and cancellations can play havoc with your schedule and mean that other people who would have booked your services look elsewhere.

It%26#39;s not such a huge deal for %26#39;big business%26#39; or for a hotel chain but for an independent B%26amp;B $1300 could be the tip over point between survival or failure in this economic climate.

Many people think nothing of giving a few hours notice of cancellation, so you lose that business and also the business that you have to turn away because you thought you were fully booked.

I%26#39;m sorry, but in the case of holidays/vacations, that%26#39;s why you buy insurance. If you have an emergency, it will cover your costs but obviously if the weather forecast doesn%26#39;t suit you it doesn%26#39;t count.

Is it standard to have to pay in full upon arrival ?

Thanks for the reply. I just don%26#39;t trust this setup. There have been some complaints about the beds being uncomfortable for this place and being charged in full upon arrival seems to be giving up too much leverage. Even if the economy was good, I would be uncomfortable but with it being so bad, this inflexibility on the owners seems unreasonable. After all, when placed take your card, they put a hold on the funds. The funds are there for them, so if someone skips town the B and B would have access to the money. On the other hand if I there is a problem, I have little recourse except through my credit card company and when you sign in, I suspect you must sign away your rights to dispute the charges.

As far as charging for a the entire week, I have seen other places that pro-rate such a penalty and they make it clear that if they rebook, they don%26#39;t stick the consumer. Under the system these folks have, they can be collecting twice for the room. Again, it is very one-sided.

I realized another reason this bothered me - you see this sort of interaction in movies and TV shows when people rent rooms by the hour.

The only two times that I have had to pay in full when I checked in it was all too soon before iI knew why! Once was in Deadwood, S.D. and the other in Islamorada, Fl. Thankfully we were only to be there a few days and we left after the first miserable night and lost our $$$.I will never again pay in full when I check in...look for other acommodations.

How about accommodations??? Sorry....

katesavage2001, I would suggest shopping around a little. There are many fine B%26amp;B%26#39;s in St. Augustine, some might have a more lenient canellation policy.

So far, I am thinking of staying at a regular hotelL

Vilano Beach Hampton Inn %26amp; Suites St. Augustine or

La Quinta Inn %26amp; Suites St. Augustine

As far as B and Bs/Inns:

Our House of St. Augustine B%26amp;B or

St. George Inn

Hi Katesavage thanks for choosing St.Augustine and surrounding beaches area. If u are staying on the beach Hampton Inn and Suites would be a perfect hotel to stay in . In downtown St George Inn would be a perfect choice.

Staying on the beach will make you enjoy best of both worlds like we beach locals do :))) Enjoy visiting the town and its beaches.

Mehmet

My vote .... Hampton .... in Vilano

Aye, I run a small inn and we charge in full at check in mainly because we don%26#39;t have a lot of nickel and dime charges to add to your bill. We don%26#39;t have phones in the room, so you won%26#39;t run up phone bills, we have mini fridges but they%26#39;re not stocked, our internet is free, etc etc. We have a 7 day cancellation, 14 days for holidays whereby if you cancel less than the required notice, we attempt to book the room, but if we can%26#39;t you%26#39;d be responsible for the entire amount. Many small places with good reputations tend to get booked far in advance, so the chances are that we%26#39;ll have turned away bookings to hold a room for you. I hope that sheds some light on cancellation and payment policies.

You mentioned ';You would think they would be more flexible in a bad economy';, actually in a bad economy we need what revenue we can get. Mortgages or rent on downtown commercially zones historic properties is a lot!!

Lodging reservations - plan ahead or do it on the fly?

We are planning on a trip in a couple of weeks and haven%26#39;t made any reservations and usually don%26#39;t travel that way if possible.

Was wondering if we need to plan ahead for finding hotels and making reservations for a couple of nights in the Saint Augustine area. We aren%26#39;t quite certain if this is at the end of the trip or at the beginning.

Thanks

Lodging reservations - plan ahead or do it on the fly?

Do not do it on the fly! Spring breakers will be arriving any time and although you might find a vacant room I certainly would not take the chance this time of year. I was just there a couple of weeks ago and did see vacancy signs around the weather was cold and raining. Don%26#39;t take a chance of ruining your vacation. I also like to travel without reservations but if I know I am going at a peak time I will break down and secure a room for peace of mind. I never take too kindly to having to sleep in the car (-:

Lodging reservations - plan ahead or do it on the fly?

Rothb1,

Thats a great way to travel but... it would seem to me that first by making reservations ahead of time that you are sure to get a room and you most likely will get a better price that way. Seems pretty risky to me I did it one time I went to Louisville Kentucky on a trip to see some sites . There was a big car show in town and had to pay twice the price for a room after checking more than 5 places

Can you spell TENT?I hope you have had good success with this type of travel. I do use this type of traveling in some cases after... I have a place to stay.

If you want to toss the dice then do not complain with how the dice lands I guess . It could be interesting ....counting how many bed bugs you got in just a one nights stay. Spontaneous is a good way to travel though if your not concerned about bugs or how much crack was made in the room.

Enjoy!

Hi Rothb1 thanks for choosing St.Augustine. Yes that would be a great idea planning your vacation ahead of time so book now before your hotel fills up . Please check out things to do in the old city and enjoy your stay in the old town and surrounding areas.

Mehmet

A good rule of thumb for this time of year in this area is to make reservations if you will be staying on Friday or Saturday night.

Sunday through Thursday I would recommend NOT making reservations. With todays economy most hotels are not running 100% occupancy during the week, and you can find some real good deals by just walking in.

Usually I like to make reservations on far trips or going to the big city. We would be there during the week. I was hoping that spring break would not be that large. Maybe we will try to nail down that portion of the trip.

Thanks

Hi, sometimes a few weeks can stretch into a month or two. If you find this happening I would strongly suggest making a reservation ahead of time. I often visit the area in May. May is graduation month for Flagler College. Talk about crowded!!!!!

April is the month many of the schools take the annual field trip. No real hotel problems noted but lots and lots of school kids running every which way on St. George :)

Definitely book ahead...there%26#39;s big concerts coming to the area too...Chicago, James Taylor....etc.

Lake Berkley !

Hi ,

We are going to Orlando on 1st week in Nov 09 , and carn%26#39;t wait .

We will be staying in Lake Berkley for 1 week , can anyone give me any good info on this complex .

Any advise is a help .

Thankyou Tilly T .

Lake Berkley !

we stayed at lake berkley december/january 2003/4 it was a safe gated complex, with a club house and pool, its near medieval times and by a big wall mart, the villa we had was fab, we went with travel city direct in fact i think lake berkley is in their new brochure. you will need a car as its some way out, when we landed at sandford and hit the 192 we couldnt find the place but if you follow the signs for medieval times you will come right upon it.

have a great time, we are going for our 4th visit in august and staying at pop century.

Lake Berkley !

We stayed in Lake Berkley last June and thought it was great. It%26#39;s in a very good location, two minute drive from Walmart and loads of various restaurants on the 192. We had a look round the clubhouse and pool but it always seemed to be deserted. It was sometimes a pain having to wait to get through the gate but after a few days the security guards would recongise us and wave us through. You are given a ticket to display from your rearview mirror when you first arrive. On the whole we found it safe, quiet and very well maintained and would return, even if we never managed to find the actual lake!!!

Hi Tilly,

We stayed here in Oct 2007 and absolutely loved it here. Our villa overlooked the lake which then had a resident alligator. The Fishing and wildlife-birds were wonderful to watch. It is close to the busy 192 and Walmart but set back in a very in a very quiet,safe and peaceful location. It is close to parks,good eating places and shopping. We are coming out again in October of this year and would not hesitate to stay here again.

Are you doing halloween at Universal? We went last time and had a fantastic time, will definitely go again this year, although this would not suit younger children, it%26#39;s really scary!

You have made a great choice,have a great holiday!

Hi,

We stayed in Lake Berkley Drive, Lake Berkley which is just off 192 behind Medeval Times and Wal Mart.

It is a gated community with security at the gate. You are issued with a pass when you arrive and you have to display it every time to get back in. the guards were friendly and always acknowledged you each time you passed.

The area is excellent, clean and tidy. Ground maintenance staff descend on the area twice a week to keep it nice. There is a lake to walk around with a beach and a pier to fish from.

The location is excellent and the travel times to the attractions are great. Downtown Disney is about 15 min and Universal about 25 min. I would strongly recommend it and we would love to go back again.

There is a video on you tube that shows you around the area. See ....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_6TYfmANiA

This video shows 1061 Lake Berkley, watch the video to the end as it also shows in and around the neighbourhood.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TunN9Bz8VTY

Wish we could go back soon.

David

We are staying at Lake Berkley in June so it is good to here positive reviews.

I thought it was closer to Universal Studios 15 minutes drive?

floribabe,

Driving times are all to do with the traffic conditions. I can%26#39;t say I thought I was held up to much by traffic and these were the longest it took us to get to these places.

Hey 10 min is nothing when you are on holiday. Take it easy and enjoy yourselves. Wish we could join you.

David

DLB

So you are exaggerating when you say half an hour?

I hope this is a really nice area because last time I stayed at Formosa gardens loved the area and the time before stayed at Highlands Reserve Davenport did not like it too much thought it was too far out.We prefer the Universal Parks to the Disney that is why I am concerned about being so far away from them!

control panel buttons

Cab Fare

Can someone tell me about how much it would cost to take a cab from the places listed below? I have 7:30 am reservations, and will have to take a cab in order to get there on time. Are there cabs waiting at the resorts, or do you have to call one? Thank you

CBR to Polynesia

CBR to Chief Mickey鈥檚

CBR to Animal Kingdom Lodge

Cab Fare

There is a Fare Estimator at www.mearstransportation.com

There is a Character Breakfast Bus from CBR they start running at 6:30 I believe, I%26#39;ll double check that

Cab Fare

Hi partypa,

Where can I check to make sure they do have this transpertation?

Thanks

We easily headed out by 7:00 at our resort to reach the TTC to get the shuttle to the Richard Petty driving experience. The bus said MK but the driver dropped us off at the TTC and the other family at the polynesian for a breakfast ADR. We were the only two families on the bus.

We did this again for a breakfast reservation at the Polynesian no problem to MK. We just monorailed to the Polynesian.

Ok I called the resort and they do have the Character Bus that starts at 6:40. Thanks for mentioning this.

We used the main bus stop, I do not believe the go to all bus stops that early.

Ok great, I will make sure I keep that in my notes. Thanks for the tip.

min, sorry I didn%26#39;t get back to you :(

Glad it is all sorted out :)

Keep in mind you will have to take the Character Bus to the Animal Kingdom and then take the Bus over to the Animal Kingdom Lodge ( I assume you are going to Boma ? and not Tusker House ? )

Thanks partypa, yes I am going to Boma. I am so glad I checked on here with you, beacuse I am sure I would have just paid the cab fare and went. Thanks for saving me some money.

Just a thought here

When you take the Character Bus to Animal Kingdom, ask the driver if he could drop you off at the Animal Kingdom Lodge, if he isn%26#39;t in a big hurry, he might be able to do that for you. Otherwise, it%26#39;s a quick 5 minute ride on the next bus to the Lodge

hand cream

3 favorite Restaurants in the Collins and 14 ave area?

Will be in South Beach in 2 weeks and looking for your 3 favorites. Advisorgirl among others has given a ton of info and has been very helpful in our search.

Just wondering if the TA%26#39;s have any input. Coming from the landlocked prairie we%26#39;re looking especially for seafood.

Thanks in advance.

3 favorite Restaurants in the Collins and 14 ave area?

If you%26#39;re in South Beach %26amp; into seafood, just go to Joe%26#39;s Stone Crabs at 1st %26amp; Washington.

3 favorite Restaurants in the Collins and 14 ave area?

Thanks MattFL. It is now on the list.

Joe%26#39;s is awesome! but pricey

My fav Big Pink is casual but great, try it for lunch.

Joe%26#39;s and Nemo are great for seafood, others in that area would be Prime 112, Big Pink, Fratelli La Bufala.

Thanks again all. We%26#39;ll be trying all of them.....In 9 days now.

Which town is nicer to stay in? Ft Myers or Naples?Opinions?

I%26#39;d simply like some %26#39;personal opinions%26#39; on which place is nicer to stay in. We plan to visit both in April, but cannot afford to stay on Sanibel or Captiva (which would be ideal). What are the differences and/or advantages of each?? Any thoughts or opinions are welcome!

Which town is nicer to stay in? Ft Myers or Naples?Opinions?

I prefer Naples over Ft. Myers and I haven%26#39;t even stayed in Naples. We have gone to Ft. Myers for the last three years. Every year the traffic is unreal. Maybe not for you, being from CA! It takes forever to get anywhere. On our last trip Ft. Myers seemed more run down. There is a seedy area of town with pawn shops, tattoo parlors, and X-rated stuff. Ft. Myers is very spread out. We went and checked out Naples one day and it is beautiful. You can get to the beach in 10 minutes tops v%26#39;s 45 minutes from Ft. Myers to Ft. Myers Beach. The downtown area of Naples, 5th Ave, is filled with shops, galleries, and restaurants. Naples is just much more upscale. We will be in Naples for two weeks in March/April. One thing I would not miss in Ft. Myers is the Edison Estate. I like the beach at Ft. Myers beach, but the beach at Naples seemed more relaxing with less people. The sunsets are to die for!

Which town is nicer to stay in? Ft Myers or Naples?Opinions?

I agree with hensandchickens...Ft. Myers is OK but not as sophisticated and upscale as Naples. Ft. Myers Beach is really touristy and as stated the traffic is horrible. I would opt for Naples anytime. Captive/Sanibel are nice but again traffic can be horrid. Marco is another great alternative.

We have stayed in Naples on 3 holidays now, and we love it loads of great places to each from cheap and cheerful (as we English say) to fine dining, loads of shops, the beach is great, clean, everyone is so friendly. We will be back... We visitied Fort Myers doesnt seem as smart as Naples, hear the traffic can be bad as well...Give it a go we have certainly never been disappointed and stayed at several hotels but will go back to the Bellasera its excellent.....have a great holiday laura

I would say Naples over Ft. Myers. I go to Naples every year and love it. I have been to Ft. Meyers Beach on day trips and found it to be very run down.

Naples has nice hotels and beautiful beaches.

I much prefer Naples. I%26#39;ve never actually stayed in Ft. Myers but do a couple of day trips up there when we are visiting the area.

Wow, the responses are overwhelmingly in favor of Naples! That has been my impression from my reading materials as well. Thank you to all for the great and informative responses. So very helpful! I have another question if anyone has an answer: we are going during Easter week.....there aren%26#39;t a lot of college spring-breakers there, are there?? (I hope not.) I wouldn%26#39;t think you%26#39;d find that in Naples, but one never knows......ahh....one more question if anybody has a clue: which hotel is nicer (we%26#39;re using Marriott points) The Marriott Courtyard or Marriott Renaissance Inn on Tamiami Road??? THANKS BEAUCOUP for all of your responses!!!

Naples is not a spring break destination per se but there are more young people here than most would think. The Pier and Vanderbilt Beach will have a lot of younger people (High School and College age) but is not wild or anything. The most you%26#39;ll see is a group throwing around a football so I wouldn%26#39;t worry. If you chose Ft. Myers Beach then you see your typical spring break crowd.

As far as the two hotels, I posted on your other thread about the location of these hotels but cannot comment on the hotels since I have never stayed in either.

We have stayed in Naples the past four years and love it. We have stayed at the Doubletree and loved it. We are also trying a home rental through SouthBay Realty-they have been wonderful-for not much more. Hope this helps.

There%26#39;s really no comparison. Naples has it hands down over Fort Myers and Fort Myers Beach. Better beaches, restaurants, shops, etc.

Hi: We just got back from Naples and we had a blast of a time. We only had a week, but we saw a lot.

I would recommend a drive to Marco Island and to eat at Sunset Grille. It is right on the beach with a veranda and the Crab Cakes, steamed Little Necks in a garlicy spicy red sauce are to die for!! We went there three times.

I would recommend Palm Breeze Charters (email: Boating [boating@palmbreezechartersmarco.com] 239-26-0909, for a one, two or three hour trip in Bill Carlson%26#39;s pontoon (complete with head). We went on a full day and into the 10,000 Islands and saw myriad birds, pelicans, etc., and to a remote beack where we got the most georgous shells. He also took us to Stan%26#39;s at Goodland and that was an interesting stop. The Clam Chowder was out of this world.

We rented a house (villa) in Naples in the Moorings. I would highly recommend this it had a pool and the back yard was very private. Three bedrooms and 2 baths and very nicely laid out with large living areas and the master bedroom was lovely. The owners Kristen and Wes Jasinski were more than gracious to us. I would highly recommend them and they have four homes in the area. Not cheap, but with kitchen we saved on eating out and it was a great experience. You may reach them through Office: 847-835-9133

Fax: 847-835-9135

www.naplesfloridavacationhomes.com

For a fabulous thng to do with your kids or family is to go to Earth %26amp; Fire china paintaing and make an original art piece to take home for a memory of your time together. You work at your own table together after choosing a piece that you want to pain and they have everything from wine coolers to little creatures, plates, bowls of all chapes and sizes, cute seasonal items, tiles, everything imaginable and they are so welcoming, laid back and nice. We did this one evening after the sun went down and now each have a solid memory remenberance of our trip -- it was our 50th Anniversary. Their contact is 239-261-6658web: http://earthandfire-naples.com

These are just places I would recommend that our family enjoyed immensely and I firmly believe thay anyone would enjoy any of these activities or the villa to stay in.

Have a wonderful trip. nancy Crichton in Minneapolis, Minnesota.