How can I get reservations at Crystal Cove Cottages on the California coast?|183712

All dates show _not available_. I contacted ReserveAmerica and they indicate that rentals come available on the 1st of each month, are not pre-sold, are first-come first-serve, and go fast (and you can only reserve 7 months in advance). I haven_t tried waking up at midnite to make a reservation, but have been online as early as 5:30am. There has got to be a way that people are getting these reservations. Any clues?

They open up the on-line reservations at 8am on the 1st of the month. You can sign in 15 minutes early so you don_t waste time doing that when the reservation system _opens_ for new reservations at 8am.
It does book up as soon as the dates become available on the 1st. Because of their late check in and early check out requirements you have to book at least 2 days to enjoy the place.

they open every 1st of the month at 8:00 AM sharp, but don_t hope too much, because I never get through....Good luck..._ if you can get through and got extra cottage, contact me....

Which is best to visit in Florida during the summer?|181795

Which is the best to visit in Florida during the summer...Miami or Orlando? I was thinking Miami because of the beaches and stuff. But I_m afraid Miami might be too dangerous? Idk?

It depends on what you want to do. If your heart is set on going to the beach, then Orlando is out (unless you want to drive 45 min. to Daytona). Of course, if you love theme parks, then Orlando_s the place for you.

Miami Beach isn_t that dangerous. The dangerous part of Miami is away from the beach. You can have a great time in either place.

How Close Can Visitors Get To The Volcanos in Hawaii?|192119

My uncle is 76 years old on Sunday and is planning a trip to Hawaii from England. Has anybody any experience of an older person making this same trip?

Saw a few elder personal doing the walk to the lava flow. It is a long walk (a few miles back and fro). Night time viewing is maginificant but do not advise for people who are not physically fit. If your uncle is strong _ healthy, be sure to bring strong flash light and follow the crowd.

To make his journey more enjoyable, a helicopter ride might be a better way to view the scenery. Please do check with his doctor to make sure he does not have any health restriction.

By the way, if anyone has astmas, not advise to visit the volcano. My sister has the problem and that made her breathing very difficult.

Also, bring a light jacket. Volcano park is cold at some areas, it is not firey hot.

WHAT SUNNI SAID
LIVE ALOHA!

There is all kinds of tour rides. They will take you as close to the volcano as safety will permit. It is really a awesome experience. I went in the 70s so things have changed since then. Join your uncle if you can. It is a trip you will never forget.

You can walk INSIDE the caldera of all of the Hawaiian volcanoes. The lava usually flows downhill, in underground lava tubes until there is a break in the tube or until it reaches the ocean. The paths within the craters are usually well marked and generally safe, but very l-o-n-g. He should consider renting a wheelchair if he has problems walking.

Does your uncle have asthma, bronchitis or any breathing problem? If so, he should NOT get close to the volcanic fumes. The fumes contain sulfur compounds that will inhibit his breathing.

Remind him to wear sunscreen, sunglasses, a hat, comfortable shoes, long pants, a jacket and to bring some water and a decent camera.

If your uncle is 76 I would suggest you take a bus tour (or just drive your car) around the Volcanoes National Park. You can_t actually see the volcano erupting but will most likely be able to see the lava entering the ocean (depending on viewing conditions that day). I would highly advise that your uncle stay in the car as much as possible though as the walkways are often uneven and hazardous.

Hope he has a great time!

Elderhostel is the best bet and they have a program that includes Hawai_i Volcanoes National Park:


Follow the journey of Pele, Hawaii_s volcano goddess, from Kilauea_s current eruption in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, to Haleakala on Maui for a bird_s-eye view into the volcanic crater, enjoying black sand beaches, stunning waterfalls and fascinating remnants of ancient Hawaii along the way. Then on to Kalaupapa, on Molokai_s peninsula, where Father Damien ministered to Hansen_s Disease patients, and to Kauai where you will see Waimea, the _Grand Canyon of the Pacific,_ and watch seabirds soar over the lighthouse and cliffs. End your stay in bustling Waikiki, including a visit to the USS Arizona, a moving memorial to the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Led by former park rangers and local cultural historians you will gain unique insider perspectives as you experience Hawaii_s flora, fauna, and cultural history while you explore beautiful and fascinating national parks, national historic parks and sites, national wildlife refuges, and state parks on five of the major Hawaiian islands.

Participants must be able to walk 1-2 miles per day on park maintained trails, rainforests, and cooled lava flows. Elevations from sea level to 10,000_. Weather varies greatly from wet to dry. Due to inter-island air travel connections, flights may involve stopovers and waiting time at local airports. Porterage service not available.

Program in association with Volcano Art Center, a nonprofit, educational organization, Molokai Museum _ Cultural Center and Hawaii Pacific University.

Itinerary
Arrivals Hilo (ITO) with included transfer at 1:30 PM to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, 3 nights; coach to Kailua-Kona, 2 nights; fly to Maui, 3 nights; ferry to Molokai, 3 nights; fly to Kauai, 2 nights; fly to Oahu, 2 nights; departures Honolulu (HNL).

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
Established in 1916, the park is the result of 70 million years of volcanism, migration and evolution. Its diverse environments range from sea level to the summit of the Earth��s most massive volcano, Mauna Loa, at 13,677 feet. Half of the park is designated as wilderness.

http://www.elderhostel.org/programs/prog��


Welcome to Elderhostel! We are a not-for-profit organization dedicated to providing extraordinary learning adventures for people 55 and over. Whether you want to stay close to home or venture around the world, you will find programs that meet your interests, activity level, budget, schedule and lifestyle.

Actually, people can go right up to the lava flow-- At various times depending on the direction Pele wishes to take, the flow is a couple miles_ walk (over bumpy lava) from the nearest road--- at other times it is actually flowing over the road. So it all depends.
We_ve walked right up to the streams of lava, melting the bottom of our shoes in the process. Not very safe, or recommended however. But absolutely unforgettable.
An elderly person will only be able to possibly see the flow from quite a distance, BUT there are helicopter tours that go over the lava-- Quite impressive.
Again, Pele is whimsical. Sometimes you see her, sometimes she hides!

Actually, it_s all a myth to get people to spend their money in Hawaii---there is no flowing lava, hell, there aren_t even any volcanoes here! Go away. Go vacation in scenic Iowa or Nebraska. Hawaii sucks, don_t come here.

http://honolulu.craigslist.org/

Hi,
About your uncle at 76, I_m now 62 and I_ve made the hike three times to see the lava (break outs) flow at the end of Chain of Craters road. The hike is over very hard to walk-on lava. The trail might be beaten down some, however, it is up and down and very rocky. If your uncle is in very good shape, just maybe he could walk it. I think his best bet is a Helicopter ride. If he is set on making the trip make it a two day adventure. I suggest spending one night at the Volcano House. It_s right on the rim of the Kilauea Caldera. Within walking distance of my two favorite sites the Steaming Bluffs and the Park visitors center. The views from the Volcano House are spectacular looking into the caldera. There are a lot of places to visit you can pick up a guide at the visitor_s center. Try this site www.nps.gov then find Volcano_s National Park. How ever you make the trip it will be fun.

make shure that your uncle has good lungs u cant get to close to the volcano but theres parks u can go to (dont take the hellacopter ride its not safe)also the gas around the valcano can be deadly u should go with yur uncle to watch over him and make sure hes ok

How do I avoid long lines at Disney World?|173493

We_re going to Disney World for the 4th of July weekend any tips for avoiding long lines? My kids are 4 and 6 so we_ll spending most of the time in the Magic Kingdom but will be visiting all of the parks.

The fourth of July weekend is the second busiest time of the year to visit Disney right behind Christmas, so long lines are inevitable.

http://mouseadvisor.com/travel-planning/when-to-go/

However with a little planning you should be able to see quite a bit. Try to get to the parks early. I know you_re on vacation but if you can be there for the _rope drop_ (when they drop the rope to open the park) you_ll be ahead of the game. Instead of trying for full days at the park try leaving after lunch for a swim in the pool or nap back at the hotel. If the kids will take a nap you_ve got a shot bringing them back and staying later in the park when the lines are less crowded. Learn to use fastpass to your advantage, if you pay attention to the times printed on the tickets you can secure two fastpasses at once. Here_s a link to a guy who shows you how and did every ride in Fantasyland in under 4 hours on Memorial Day weekend!

http://www.mousemanual.com/blog/fantasyland-4-hours/

I see some of the people recomend getting a wheelchair there is a $10 fee for regular wheelchairs and $30 for electric ones. While it may _work_ I don_t think it_s the right thing to do, but as Jimminy Cricket would say _let your conscience be your guide_

My family just got back from Disney World. Some of the rides have the fast pass where you can insert your pass and it will give you a time to come back. Example 4:00-5:00 When you go back to the ride during that time frame you can walk right in and the wait time is cut in half most of the time. I don_t know if you know or not but you can take things like bottled water and snacks into the parks. It saves on money big time! Hope this is helpful info for you and you guys have lots of fun!!

You_re probably going to have long lines because it_s peak season. Try getting speed passes for the rides and attractions. They worked well for me. I still had to wait in line but not as long.

put someone in a wheel chair.. you get in all the rides quicker

You_d be surprised how the crowds at the Magic Kingdom are no greater on a major holiday! There is a new system in place where you get a _ticket_ telling you when to return to the line so that you don_t have to stand in the line the entire time. My son and his family just returned from there and told me about it. It_s called a FASTPASS. Check on it with your travel agent or ask about ASAP after arrival.

dont go

Go with someone Handicapped. They always get free cuts in line!

During the 4th it is pretty much impossible to avoid. You are going during one of the busiest times for Disney. Most of the parks will likely close to capacity. Meaning, no more people can fit it, so lines will be long. I_m going over that time period as well and still considering whether I am going to the parks on the 4th.

But, to give you a few ideas. When you enter the parks, go left instead of right. You may be able to avoid some lines this way. Get a fast past ASAP for the more popular rides, they will likely runout, so you will need to get them as early as you can. Be sure to take advantage of any extra magic hours. Finally, don_t go to the fireworks and/or parades. Everyone is there to see them and if you don_t go, there is pretty much no line.

Most of the rides have this special ticket you can get. It doesn_t cost anything. You just go to the kisosk next to the line and it gives you a time to come back and you come back and give your ticket to the people and they move ya through the line !

Many of the popular attractions have what they call a _FastPass_ system. You go to the attraction and swipe your _entrance ticket_ and in return, a ticket will pop out telling you what time to come back for the ride...it will vary such as: 11AM - 1 PM. That means, come back to the ride between those times - then you_ll get in the FastPass line and bypass about 80% of the line. In the meantime, you can go on other rides instead of waiting in a long line. Have fun!

1. GET THERE EARLY! Don_t get there when the park opens, get there when the employees do ;)

2. Fast Pass. Find the ride everybody wants and as soon as you are close to it get a Fast Pass and then go let the kids play in the water or other climbing parks.

3. If staying on property leave the Park mid afternoon and come back. Check the hours but people start dieing off from the heat and you would be surprised how few stay till closing.

4. Pack umbrellas, rain gear and change of clothes then pray for rain. It will chase folks indoors or out of the park ;)

5. When you get so hot you can_t take it any more do the Bugs Life.

6. Plan! Get a map before you go, find the rides the kids want and hit those ASAP because they are going to be dead by mid afternoon.

7. Hats! Sunscreen! Good shoes! Lots of Rest Before hand! Good Breakfast! WATER WATER WATER!!! Bring in your own bottle, those fanny holders or otherwise to strap water on everyone is a good idea.

8. The 4 year old may not want it but I_d grab a stroller or bring one. They work great for carrying the extra stuff around and like I said he will be dead by mid afternoon.

Try to get a Fast Pass. You use them on the popular rides. they have little machines in front of the ride and you swipe your pass and it gives you a ticket that tells you when to come back and you don_t have to stand in line. It_s been a few years since I_ve been there, but this helped us out alot. The Magic Kingdom was the busiest park when we were there, it always seemed packed. Have FUN!

It_s almost impossible, particularly on July 4th weekend. You can expect large groups, especially from South America, but that also makes it fun.
Here_s some ideas that may help:
Use Fast-Pass whenever possible; Go to the back of the park when you first arrive and work your way back to the beginning (most people start at the front); Go to the left line if possible.

Also, if your staying on WDW property, you can get into the parks earlier and sometimes stay later.

Check out these sites: http://www.wdwinfo.com/ http://disneyworld.disney.go.com and enter tips into the search bar.

Hope this helps.

Fast Passes!
They_re free and all you do is stick in your park ticket and you get a fast pass that says what time you can return and when you do theres hardly a wait in the fastpass return line.

Good Luck. It_s summer, peak season and the lines will be long.
Hard to avoid no matter what. Try getting there early in the morning for Fast Passes.... but if too crowded, they run out before the end of the day. Best times to go is off peak season, March/October/Early November. Good Luck

Use FastPass whenever you can, espesially if you will have children with you. We went in November and this saved us from standing in lines for those hugely popular rides. You use the room key card. Insert it into the FastPass machine and it will give it rght back along with a ticket that has your ride time stated on it. When it is time, you just get into the FastPass line instead of the regular one and they take you right in. The was a few minutes wait when we got to the entrance to some of the rides, but it was mainly because the previous riders had not been unloaded yet. The people that didn_t use FastPass were standing in line for over an hour at the more popular rides.

On a side note, I also recommend using a backpack if you have kids with you. You can carry your camera supplies, your PhotoPass cards, snacks and drinks for the kids and it saves your back and arms because you will do A LOT of walking. Have Fun!!

Many of the more popular rides offer a _FASTPASS_ . You get a ticket that tells you to come back at a certain time, and you can get into a shorter line. Use the time waiting to enjoy the other things close to that ride...shops, restaurant, gardens. Then return to the ride at or around the indicated time, and enjoy.

There_s a couple of options I can suggest. First and easiest is the FASTPASS. Basically you grab a FASTPASS ticket and it says come back during a certain time period and you avoid the lines. Now the FASTPASS isn_t available at every single ride though and the number of passes given out per day are limited.

Second is going to the parks early, the earlier you get there is lower the line. But keep in mind it will get busier and there will be long lines regardless of the time of day. I recommend getting the park hopper option on your tickets so you can check out a different park in the afternoon to get away from the crowds (Magic Kingdom is going to be the busiest park and so you can go there in the morning and check out a different park in the afternoon).

Last but not least, I suggest trying to stay on site and the reason why I say that is when you stay on site you can take advantage of what is called extra magic hours. The extra magic hours are when Disney opens a certain park an hour early and a different one up to 3 hours late. Disney has a schedule of which park will have these extra magic hours. Now which ever park is offering the extra magic hours will be a lot more crowded so just keep that in mind. Disney has about 30 resorts so keep in mind that all those people will be using the extra magic hours too. If you_re going to do take advantage of the extra magic hours though, I would do like I suggested before and only spend half a day at that park and go to another.

Before you go I would also check out some fan sites and maybe some travel books.

Regardless you_re going to have to deal with lines and crowds especially during this time of year and that particular weekend (one of the busiest) but some ways to avoid the lines is too:
1) Arrive at the entrance to the parks at least 30 minutes before park open (people do line up early)
2) Head straight for the _biggest_ attractions and collect there fastpasses (you can hit those attractions up any time after the first time given)
3) Rider Swap Passes, for those that your little one can_t or doesn_t want to go on (It_s only good for the second rider though), go to FastPass entrance and ask the Cast Member for information
4) Pay BIG MONEY for a tour guide during your stay
5) If staying at a WDW Hotel go/stay for the Extra Magic Hours, they are alot less crowded, but only select attractions are open.

Remember not to get stressed out otherwise it will affect your kids enjoyment, then it will be nothing but a HUGE waste of money. Just relax and enjoy your trip, for you will be at the _Most Magical Place on Earth_.

PS The _wheelchair trick_ DOES NOT work, they have to wait in line just like everyone else...

Get there early and do all the really good things first; the ones that get a lot of lines. Then when it starts getting packed, hit other shows and stuff.

cut in line. say your kids have cancer or something if someone tries to stop you

dont go then its always busy

Start by going left-it_s human nature to go to the right when entering. Go left-there_ll be a ton less people at those rides. Works every time!

You_ve got to be joking ? You have a better chance at winning the power ball lottery ! That_s one of the worst weekends to go. Why are you asking a question you already know the answer to ? It_s impossible to avoid long lines there. And with kids 4 and 6 ? LMAO !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!��

Plan plan plan. If you are staying at a Disney resort look into the extra magic hours that_s when the park stays open later or opens earlier for resort guest. Also look into information about the Fast Pass which lets you get into a much faster shorter line in the big attraction. The fact is you are going during a very busy time. My best advice is to save your money, stay home and go to Disney world in August or September. The weather is perfect and there are almost no crowds. Your family will enjoy it MUCH more!
PS: Also look at allearsnet.com the is the best Disney planning site!

Last time I was there, I noticed people in wheel chairs, and all the people with them, got to go to the front of the line. They didn_t all look crippled to me. Pretend to need a wheel chair. Maybe wrong, but you asked.

i live in florida and i go to disney alot the best suggestion is go after the 4th of july like wait a least a week and get the fast passes

Wow, hate to break it to you, but I_ve heard that Fourth of July weekend brings in some heavy crowds. :( Regardless, you can still have fun of course, and here are some tips that have always worked for us:

~Use Fast Passes. If you don_t know how they work, ask a Cast Member as soon as you enter the park. If you don_t know what they are, they are basically free tickets that offer you a time frame to go to a particular ride/attraction and pretty much walk right on/in.
~ Don_t dash inside if it rains- most everyone else will duck into a restaurant or gift shop, and you will find shorter lines as a result.
~ Skip the parades. Since so many people (especially those with children your age) will be sitting, waiting for, and watching the parade, you should get at least a good hour or so to hit some attractions you may have skipped earlier in the day.
~ If you_re staying on property, see if any of the Extra Magic Hours are for the Magic Kingdom either of the days you are there. There is a calendar with updated hours on the official Disney website.
~Eat at _off_ times. Most people stick to eating at traditional times. If you can get your family to eat earlier or later than the crowds, you often find shorter lines for rides (and the restaurants are packed anyway).

Have fun, and as an important side note, don_t get so worried about missing out that you push yourselves too far. I haven_t been to WDW on the Fourth, but I have been during July, and the heat can be brutal! Make sure you make time to relax a bit, too. ;)

you could get a fast pass

well your gunna have long lines lol but ummm....to answer you question definetly plan what rides you really wanna go on and get the fast passes as soon as you get in the park as for the REALLY long line i would say is the peter pan line that ride takes FOREVER