I love credit cards so much!

[AmyAnne]

Anyone have a recommendation for an LAX hotel? It's just for one night; don't need anything super fancy but a shuttle to and from the airport, breakfast, and early checkin and/or late checkout would be welcome. I have an assortment of points that could probably cover one night--Hilton, SPG/Marriott, IHG, plus URs and MRs . . .

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

You guys seriously keep me entertained here.


So nice of you!


Is that what happened? Just now caught up for the day and got confused reading replies for posts I never saw
Thought I was just getting senile.

I did adjust some comments to edit out some things that people (non-DISchurners) who would stumble on would be upset about. If you want details PM me haha!

 

[Disneyonmymind]

Woo hoo! 89k UR points show as pending on DHs CIP! Yay!

On another note, I opened a 5th3rd account online this week for the bonus. Need to have DH do the same though he has to do it in person. I have been coaching him. I may or may not have written hints on a post-it for him
Hey for $250 it’s worth it.

Congrats on the 89K! But I have to ask - what’s a 5th3rd Account?

 

[CyndiLouWho]

Off topic but since most of us credit card chase to travel: Anyone have suggestions for what to do in New Orleans?! (We have 3 full days, Sat-Mon, are 2 young adults and we're not on a strict budget.) I finally got excited about planning the trip today and about 2 mins into googling I'm completely overwhelmed. Excited for great food, great drinks, carriage ride and Cafe Dumonde but gotta find other stuff to do between the food and booze! Any suggestions?

I haven’t been in a long time, but we love the food the most!
The aquarium and zoo used to be nice, not sure after hurricanes in recent years. The streetcar goes on St Charles Ave from French Quarter to Audubon Park and Zoo, past Tulane University thru the Garden District. You will pass some of the largest most beautiful mansions.
http://www.neworleansonline.com/tools/streets/saintcharles.html
There are also riverboat cruises, including some with dinner or brunch. The one we did no longer exists

 

[CyndiLouWho]

Congrats on the 89K! But I have to ask - what’s a 5th3rd Account?

5th 3rd Bank
http://www.hustlermoneyblog.com/fifth-third-bank-promotions/

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

5th 3rd Bank
http://www.hustlermoneyblog.com/fifth-third-bank-promotions/

One of my favorite bank names, LOL! I believe it came about when Third National and Fifth National merged.

 

[amalone1013]

Anyone have a recommendation for an LAX hotel? It's just for one night; don't need anything super fancy but a shuttle to and from the airport, breakfast, and early checkin and/or late checkout would be welcome. I have an assortment of points that could probably cover one night--Hilton, SPG/Marriott, IHG, plus URs and MRs . . .

We stayed at the Four Points LAX in March. No free breakfast but has a shuttle. I wrote about it in the hotel thread here.

 

[Haley R]

For your company softball game!



For your company team-building retreat!

Yeaaaah lol for that.

 

[wendow]

@Lain
Looking at the Sheraton Park near DL. Is that where you stayed recently? What is the walk like to the parks?

I, stupidly, cancelled my UR reservation for two rooms at Tropicana, without having something else booked. The Hyatt House only has king rooms for points, which doesn't fit our fam. So, I booked one of the rooms for six at Hyatt House with UR but it seems $$. The Sheraton is a decent deal but wondering about the walk. Tropicana is no longer on UR.

Feel like I am starting all over trying to find a hotel for less than a month from now!!
@Angrose any thoughts?

 

[bernina]

Found these two offers in the mail today (not targeted, public offers).

What are thoughts on Citi TYP (50k, $4k spend, waived AF) and Citi AA Gold MC (55k/$4k, +10k after another $2k, waived AF)?

We don’t fly AA but I see United can be an option and I love their award chart. Just not feeling either for 1 of my coveted 5/24 slots.

 

[CyndiLouWho]

Found these two offers in the mail today (not targeted, public offers).

What are thoughts on Citi TYP (50k, $4k spend, waived AF) and Citi AA Gold MC (55k/$4k, +10k after another $2k, waived AF)?

We don’t fly AA but I see United can be an option and I love their award chart. Just not feeling either for 1 of my coveted 5/24 slots.

The public offer for Citi AA gold is 25k miles for $750 spend. And the Platinum version is 60k miles for 3 k spend. So I’d pass

DH got an offer for a Black Mastercard today. 2x rewards on travel, 1.5 on something else, Yada yada. What’s the sign up bonus? None? Hard nope

 

[bernina]

The public offer for Citi AA gold is 25k miles for $750 spend. And the Platinum version is 60k miles for 3 k spend. So I’d pass

DH got an offer for s Black Mastercard today. 2x rewards on travel, 1.5 on something else, Yada yada. What’s the sign up bonus? None? Hard nope

Thanks for the feedback. Shredder it is.

Some of the offers we receive in the mail crack me up. But you know somewhere someone is applying for them as we speak!

 

[disneymagicgirl]

DH requested that we go to Marco Island for Thanksgiving. They are renovating (again after the hurricanes ruined the brand new Reno last year) and are supposed to reopen late summer. We stayed there before for like 40k Hilton points/night at thanksgiving. Post-Reno it is showing 80k/nt. Yeah so nope on that. The Marriott is an option but I’m kinda in the mood for something new.
I was considering Clearwater beach. We can get a huge 2 bedroom suite with kitchen (not that I will use it but whatever) for 40k points a night at Hyatt Regency thru UR. The other option is a standard room for 20k, in case I want to be frugal with my points. Has anyone stayed there?
There are a couple other options too...Hilton, Hampton, Marriott, etc. Anyone love or hate any resort on Clearwater?

 

[disneybirds]

Off topic but since most of us credit card chase to travel: Anyone have suggestions for what to do in New Orleans?! (We have 3 full days, Sat-Mon, are 2 young adults and we're not on a strict budget.) I finally got excited about planning the trip today and about 2 mins into googling I'm completely overwhelmed. Excited for great food, great drinks, carriage ride and Cafe Dumonde but gotta find other stuff to do between the food and booze! Any suggestions?

We went last year at Fall Break and had a great time. We had our 15 year old daughter with us, so someone else may give a better perspective for young adults. We really enjoyed just walking around the French Quarter - each street is different and there are some really neat shops. We spent both nights on Frenchmen Street listening to the music. We went to 2 of the cemeteries. Enjoyed The Presbytère exhibit about Hurricane Katrina. Really enjoyed M.S. Rau and the store goes on forever. We spent about 10 minutes on Bourbon Street - it just wasn't for us and was under massive construction. We ubered everywhere after 6 pm. I just didn't feel safe with a 15 year old out walking, but you may feel different. We have traveled to NY city many times and I have never thought twice about walking on the streets, but it was different in New Orleans. It may have been that we were staying in the Homewood Suites on Rampart and it is just on the edge of the French Quarter. It is a really nice hotel, but it is on the edges of the French Quarter. My daughter took hundreds of photos of the architectural details! Have a great trip!

 

[Artygal90]

Off topic but since most of us credit card chase to travel: Anyone have suggestions for what to do in New Orleans?! (We have 3 full days, Sat-Mon, are 2 young adults and we're not on a strict budget.) I finally got excited about planning the trip today and about 2 mins into googling I'm completely overwhelmed. Excited for great food, great drinks, carriage ride and Cafe Dumonde but gotta find other stuff to do between the food and booze! Any suggestions?

Yay! I love New Orleans - it's where my parents had their first unofficial 12-hour-long date, and my husband and I went there for a quick getaway right after we got engaged and had an awesome time! (edited to add that we are also young adults). What time of year will you be there? There are a bunch of different festivals throughout the year, so you could check one out if they're going on while you're in town.

A list of suggestions, in no particular order:
1) The Aquarium was always good, but got even better after the post-Katrina renovation.
2) You can kill a few hours exploring the French Quarter and Jackson Square on foot, enjoy the street buskers, look in art galleries, and going shopping at the French Market.
3) Museums: there's the Louisiana State Museum at the Cabildo, which has a variety of rotating exhibits, the Hermann-Grima House, and the St. Louis Cathedral. There are plenty of historical walking tours or ghost tours if you're into that sort of thing.
4) Food! We tried to go to Antoine's for dessert but they were closed, so we did Brenner's instead and had some delicious drinks!
5) The Garden District has many lovely historical homes, many owned by celebrities and/or used for filming locations for different TV shows and movies. You generally can't go in them, but you can walk past them and take pictures! I can also strongly recommend Coulis for brunch in the Garden District.
6) If you'll have a car and haven't been to Louisiana before, you could take a 1/2 day trip for something like an airboat swamp tour or visiting a plantation home museum. The Whitney Plantation museum in particular looks like a really interesting one.

As for nightlife, my friends and family who live there tell me that Bourbon Street is all played out (although Pat O'Brien's is worth a visit for a hurricane at least) since all the local clubs got bought up by investors after Katrina, and that Frenchman Street is THE place to go now for good live music and bars. There's also a casino near the French Quarter that was good for people watching - can't speak to the quality of the gambling though

Sorry I can't give a more detailed itinerary. Because I grew up visiting extended family in Baton Rouge, New Orleans has always been just an occasional day trip for my family over Christmas vacation. I'd love to have 3 full days to fully explore everything! Have a great time!

 

[bernina]

I posted this in the DVC area but maybe you guys can help.

I bought a few Disney gift cards from Sams Club with the recent Amex promo. I was able to use 3 of the $50 cards to pay $150 towards our dues a few days ago. I logged on yesterday and then again today to do the same, and the "Submit Payment" box isn't clickable and there is no place to select how you want to pay (previously it was a drop down where you selected Gift Card, etc.). I tried multiple browsers and also logging in to DH's account, no luck.

Is anyone else running into this or do you have any suggestions? Do they limit the number of payments you can make via gift card? Should I try unenrolling from Auto Pay and see if that works (just don't want to mess with anything or become past due since we have upcoming reservations).

Thanks!

 

[Lain]

@Lain
Looking at the Sheraton Park near DL. Is that where you stayed recently? What is the walk like to the parks?

I, stupidly, cancelled my UR reservation for two rooms at Tropicana, without having something else booked. The Hyatt House only has king rooms for points, which doesn't fit our fam. So, I booked one of the rooms for six at Hyatt House with UR but it seems $$. The Sheraton is a decent deal but wondering about the walk. Tropicana is no longer on UR.

Feel like I am starting all over trying to find a hotel for less than a month from now!!
@Angrose any thoughts?

We actually found the Sheraton Park Anaheim an easier walk to DLR than from our usual stay at the Hilton.

The Sheraton is right on Harbor and it’s a relatively small property, so when you step out of the hotel, you’re on the sidewalk on Harbor in the next minute. After that, it’s a straight shot along Harbor to DLR’s eastern gateway. I’d still estimate the walk at 10-15 minutes, which depends on your pace, how long the lights take at Katella and at Disney Way, and the crowds sharing the same sidewalk space as you.

Hyatt House is closer than the Sheraton since it’s right at that intersection of Harbor and Katella, but it’s on the other side of Harbor from DLR, so you’ll need to cross the street and the lights at that intersection take a long time to change. I’d say Hyatt House is no more than 5 minutes closer than the Sheraton.

By comparison, the Hilton is located further back from Harbor or Katella and it’s a really big hotel, so it takes a few extra minutes walking through and out of the hotel, out the garage and on Hotel Way, to get to Katella then across the intersection on Harbor.

You’ll be there in late-June/early-July, right? Your SPG Biz should still grant you a free hot breakfast downstairs and access to the Sheraton Lounge upstairs for a continental breakfast in the morning and hor d'oeuvres in the evening, not to mention bottled water, soft drinks, coffee, tea, and wine, which remains a perk until 8/1/18.

Since I know walking can be taxing on your DD, another option is to walk from the Sheraton to the Toy Story parking lot, which is maybe 5-10 minutes away (in the opposite direction of DLR), and catch one of the Disney shuttles headed to DLR’s bus drop off at the eastern gateway and bag check there.

You can also catch the Toy Story shuttles back to the Toy Story parking lot at night. The shuttles headed back to the parking lot are located at a different stop than when they drop you off at DLR. When you’re leaving the parks through the eastern gateway, you should see Toy Story shuttles and people lined up to your right while most pedestrian traffic is walking out to your left.

 

[wendow]

We actually found the Sheraton Park Anaheim an easier walk to DLR than from our usual stay at the Hilton.

The Sheraton is right on Harbor and it’s a relatively small property, so when you step out of the hotel, you’re on the sidewalk on Harbor in the next minute. After that, it’s a straight shot along Harbor to DLR’s eastern gateway. I’d still estimate the walk at 10-15 minutes, which depends on your pace, how long the lights take at Katella and at Disney Way, and the crowds sharing the same sidewalk space as you.

Hyatt House is closer than the Sheraton since it’s right at that intersection of Harbor and Katella, but it’s on the other side of Harbor from DLR, so you’ll need to cross the street and the lights at that intersection take a long time to change. I’d say Hyatt House is no more than 5 minutes closer than the Sheraton.

By comparison, the Hilton is located further back from Harbor or Katella and it’s a really big hotel, so it takes a few extra minutes walking through and out of the hotel, out the garage and on Hotel Way, to get to Katella then across the intersection on Harbor.

You’ll be there in late-June/early-July, right? Your SPG Biz should still grant you a free hot breakfast downstairs and access to the Sheraton Lounge upstairs for a continental breakfast in the morning and hor d'oeuvres in the evening, not to mention bottled water, soft drinks, coffee, tea, and wine, which remains a perk until 8/1/18.

Since I know walking can be taxing on your DD, another option is to walk from the Sheraton to the Toy Story parking lot, which is maybe 5-10 minutes away (in the opposite direction of DLR), and catch one of the Disney shuttles headed to DLR’s bus drop off at the eastern gateway and bag check there.

You can also catch the Toy Story shuttles back to the Toy Story parking lot at night. The shuttles headed back to the parking lot are located at a different stop than when they drop you off at DLR. When you’re leaving the parks through the eastern gateway, you should see Toy Story shuttles and people lined up to your right while most pedestrian traffic is walking out to your left.

Thanks! I do think this could be a good option for us. What is the difference between the free hot breakfast downstairs and the Lounge access? I assume, as a fam of 6, the lounge access won't really be available to us. I don't know how you keep up with everyone, and remember that my oldest dd will find walking too far to be taxing, but I find it amazing. Yes, I have to keep her needs in mind. She has been doing better lately but I expect to still need to use her wheelchair.

I wish I could wrap my brain around all this shuttle stuff. I know it will all make sense once we are there but seems so crazy now compared to WDW.

Our dates there would be June 19-24.

 

[Angrose]

@Lain
Looking at the Sheraton Park near DL. Is that where you stayed recently? What is the walk like to the parks?

I, stupidly, cancelled my UR reservation for two rooms at Tropicana, without having something else booked. The Hyatt House only has king rooms for points, which doesn't fit our fam. So, I booked one of the rooms for six at Hyatt House with UR but it seems $$. The Sheraton is a decent deal but wondering about the walk. Tropicana is no longer on UR.

Feel like I am starting all over trying to find a hotel for less than a month from now!!
@Angrose any thoughts?

Oh no! I’ve been meaning to ask you if your DLR trip is still on. Have you looked into the Marriott properties? Springhill Suites, on the corner of Katella and Harbor, might be a good option. I plugged in your dates and they have a 2 queen + sofabed room, includes breakfast, for total 200,000pts. Location is a bit better than Hyatt House since it’s on the same side as DLR, so only one big street to cross, 10min walk to security gates.
It’s late so I can give it some more thought tomorrow. Good luck, and keep us posted!

 

[Alexle2007]

DH requested that we go to Marco Island for Thanksgiving. They are renovating (again after the hurricanes ruined the brand new Reno last year) and are supposed to reopen late summer. We stayed there before for like 40k Hilton points/night at thanksgiving. Post-Reno it is showing 80k/nt. Yeah so nope on that. The Marriott is an option but I’m kinda in the mood for something new.
I was considering Clearwater beach. We can get a huge 2 bedroom suite with kitchen (not that I will use it but whatever) for 40k points a night at Hyatt Regency thru UR. The other option is a standard room for 20k, in case I want to be frugal with my points. Has anyone stayed there?
There are a couple other options too...Hilton, Hampton, Marriott, etc. Anyone love or hate any resort on Clearwater?

We stayed at the SandPearl Resort when we went last June. We received an upgrade to a beautiful one bedroom suite which a kitchen with top of the line appliances, a dining room, a living and washer/dryer. We had a corner unit with views of the ocean and inter coastal. The Resort was a lot of fun with chess, cornhole, ping pong, a nice pool. The beach was nice but they do charge for lounge chairs and umbrellas. We had breakfast included with our package which was really good. I don’t think it is part of any of the chains but we loved the Resort and would probably just OOP again. DH and DS went jet skiing on our final day and LOVED and then we hit the aquarium and actually saw Winter while we were there. Then we headed over to Portofino Bay and Universal for the rest of our trip. We loved that area and would consider moving there when DS graduates in 6 years.