aussiedreamer

This is it, the almost finished plan. Would love comments.
Family of 4 - Mum n Dad, daughters 17 & 19.
Depart Brisbane 20 Dec. fly to LA via Auckland (3hrs..yawn). Arrive LA 10.25am and have decided to stay at the Holiday Inn at the airport. We fly out the next day to NYC. Not sure what to do for this day. It will depend on how we survive the 15+hours flight. On our last trip (7yrs ago) we were pretty 'wired' so may just 'explore'. The girls will want to shop!!!
Depart 11.20am nxt day to NYC (JFK)our travel agent (my cousin )has booked a transfer ($208AUD!!) for us. Not sure whether to go with this or not..suggestions? Remembering it will be 4 adults and 4 large suitcases.
Staying 7 nights at Southgate Tower Hotel. Stayed there last trip, great location. This is the most exciting part of the trip for me. Obsessed with all things NY. I just love it. We were only there 4 days last time and the kids were a lot younger. This time we really want to make the most of it. Theatre, restaurants etc. I think I have decided to just 'wing' it as far as theatre goes? Any thing we see will be fun. Going to just turn up to TKTS and try my luck. Also thinking of booking a Big Apple Greeter tour? We have seen a lot about them on local travel shows and it looks like a great idea.
Can't wait for a 'cold' xmas. Brisbane usually 35deg+ on xmas day. Looking for suggestion for xmas eve and xmas day. Re: nice place for xmas lunch and best place to soak up the 'cold' xmas atmosphere.
Would like to visit 'ground zero'. And of course the 'girls will want to shop'!!!
Depart NYC for Orlando via W/ton (2hours) thinking I should change this to give us at least the full day in W/ton. We did go last time and loved it. But would still like to spend the day, revisiting the major sites. Flying into Dulles, any suggestions?
Next stop Orlando.

aussiedreamer

Arrive Orlando Int. Ap. 4.45pm. Not sure what to do about transfers? I guess it will depend on where we stay. I think last time our hotel (a Holiday Inn) had a mini bus transfer.
Orlando is probably where I need the most help. Last time we stayed 7 days and had a 5 day WDW pass. I lost a day due to illness. But we only had time to do WDW and one outlet mall. This time we are staying 10 days with a 5 day pass. Also want to go to Kennedy space cnt. And of course, 'the girls will want to shop'.
My problem here is where to stay??? There is so much to chose from, I am dizzy. We would like to stay in the $200-$230AUD range, but would like a self catering style hotel or apartment with a shuttle service to WDW. Am I asking too much?
We will be in Orlando for New Years Eve. I am guessing the possibilities will be endless. Any suggestions: Remembering that eldest daughter will be 19. (In Aus. she has been eligable to 'drink' for a year.)
Next stop Chicago.

aussiedreamer

Arrive Chicago Ohare, 1.29pm. We had to choose between Dallas and Chicago to be able to fly to London on our RTW ticket. I must admit that I chose Chicago purely based on 2 tv shows.......sorry.........but I didn't know much about either and the little I knew was from Oprah and ER. We are staying 3 nights again at a Holiday Inn. I guess we were viewing this leg as a bit of 'a rest' before heading to Europe. But after months of research on this board, I am really looking forward to it. Just how cold will we be? I have given up any thoughts of getting tickets to a taping of Oprah, it all just seems too hard. And of course 'the girls will want to shop'! This will be there last chance really as the Aussie dollar to the pound and the Euro is frightning.
I will continue this pretrip report in the Europe thread.
Next stop London

Gardyloo

Interesting post, but a request...

If you're going to post more on this forum, can you repost with some spaces in your title? On many computers your long string of dashed-destinations makes the left frame too wide to fit without scrolling, thus truncating other thread titles.

navgator

I've travelled from Brisbane to New York before with Qantas(Domestic flight Brisbane to Sydney that morning prior to international flight). They fly direct to NYC via Sydney 3 times a week, arriving in NYC around 5:30pm on the same day(ideal time to arrive, check into hotel and hit the sack for a heavy nights sleep). May I ask why you are having a stopover for one day in L.A. with arrival at 10:25am? I know I was like a zombie upon arrival in L.A. and couldn't imagine touring around the city on that day. For me personally doing this and then using the next day to travel from L.A. to NYC would be waste of a day. Was cost or the day of your flight the reason for your current flight schedule?

Intrepid1

I'm afraid it isn't necessarily all that helpful to quote prices in Australian dollars since most people reading these posts have NO idea what the exchange rate is (they're having enough trouble keeping up with the Euro and the Pound Sterling as it is...)

As to Orlando..as outrageous as it might seem, have you even CONSIDERED doing something ON the Disney property or is that just too expensive for you....I mean even in the cheapest of hotels such as the Caribbean Beach or the Sports...or even one of the self-catering places.

The transportation back and forth to the property from OUTSIDE seems pretty wearying to me.

I do hope you have a wonderful trip.

tuckerdc

Auddiedreamer: This sounds like a fabulous trip! And you won't be sorry you chose Chicago - it is a terrific city, even though you'll already be getting your city-fix in New York. Yes - it's very likely you will be COLD! Don't know how cold an Oz winter gets, but do be prepared with warm gloves, a toasty muffler or scarf and layers and layers!

Given your circumstances, and the distance you'll be traveling, I think you should e-m the Oprah folk. Maybe they'll make an exception and see to it you get tickets!

flamingomonkey

Chicago will probably be pretty cold in January, especially if you get hit with a sharp wind off the lake. Temperatures could drop below zero (fahrenheit) at night. But look at the bright side, it's not something you'll ever experience in Brisbane.

Maybe you can come back in the fall to spend a week or two in our beautiful city. That's when we have the best weather of the year.

rkkwan

Well, I hate to bump this thread up, because the long-title is screwing things up, but I do want to respond...

1 AUD = 0.778 USD
1 USD = 1.286 AUD

A car service from JFK to Manhattan should be about US$44 + fees/tips. Someone's ripping you off if they're charging 208 AUD. Even a limousine is about US$110.

nytraveler

I'm not quite sure why you're doing Chicago on this trip. The middle of winter is not exactly the time to go there - and there are often airport shutdowns/huge waits (days) due to bad weather/flight cancellations.

Unlike NYC - which is cold in the winter - but not in the snow belt (although we did get 10" a couple of Christmases ago) Chicago can get really bad weather then. (NYC often gets a little snow - 3-5" - but frequently goes for several years without a lot of snow - 20" plus. And most is in Jan/Feb - not Dec.) (For the real snow belt you need to go several hours further north - where it starts snowing in Nov and you don;t see the ground again until spring.)

Also - Chicago is a complete backtrack if you;re heading NYC to Orlando to London.

(Don;t know what options you have - but - if I had to cover all these cities I would do LA to Chicago to Orlando to NYC - then London).

obxgirl

This is why they're flying from Chicago to London:

>We had to choose between Dallas and Chicago to be able to fly to London on our RTW ticket.<

Chicago, even in January, is a better choice than Dallas for overseas visitors. Although there is someone on these boards who appears to work for the Dallas Chamber of Commerice who will undoubtedly pop in to say I'm incorrect.

aussiedreamer

first let me say "Sorry" for the long title....live and learn. The reason we have to go to LA first is Qantas is not a Star Alliance member. And as we have already purchased our RTW tickets this is the only way to do it. Same goes for Chicago. As for being cold in Chicago with a possible bonus of 'snow' WOH. Its winter here at the moment and Brisbane rarely falls below 20c. So its all about new experiences. Sorry also for quoting AUD. I guess because we all keep up with the USD, the pound and the Euro we expect that others keep up with the Aussie $. Wont do it again.
rkkwan: thanks for the advice on transfers, I will look into it further.
Thanks so much, all the advice is greatfully taken on board. Even the negative stuff!

mclaurie

Will comment only on the NY portion. The transfer from the airport sounds ridiculously expensive. If you want to go in luxury, you can get a stretch limousine for much less than that.

But your hotel is very near Penn Station so if you wanted to take the AirTrain, you could do AirTrain/LIRR for about $48 for all 4 or a cab (it would be tight fit) for ~$60 including toll and tip.

At Xmas time you may have limited choices at the TKTS booth, especially for 4 seats together. You'll also waste precious time standing in line. Get tickets ahead with discount codes from broadwaybox.com You'll have to wait til closer to your trip for codes that will be usable in Dec. (probably).

Big Apple greeeter is a good idea. Request early as they're volunteers and many aren't available/around at holiday time.

For Xmas eve you might want to write NOW for tickets to St Patrick's. I know they "sell out" fast. Can't remember if it's too early . Go to their website. A choral evensong at St. Thomas church is another option.

Here's a link to NY Magazine's guide to holiday events etc. from last year. Most of this is annual.
http://nymetro.com/urban/guides/holi...rformances.htm

You should consider the Radio City Spectacular. There will be discounts available closer to the date.

Best place for "soaking up the cold xmas atmosphere" is the Wollman ice rink in Central Park.

nytraveler

I cana;t imagine Chicao is a beter coice than Dallas in the winter. I've been stuck in Chicago twice overnight in winter (once two of us had to share a rooom in an airport hotel) - and had numerous long delays there.

I can;t imagine Dallas is nearly as bad as this.

annahead

aussiedreamer, it's sounds like quite an adventure. Chicago winters are fairly unpredictable, though usually during the time you'll be here it will either be cold or bitterly cold. The good news if it's bitterly cold it will be too cold to snow. How's that for a bright side?! The past 6 winters have been mild by Chicago standards so maybe you'll get lucky. The city can be gorgeous that time of year with the lights and decorations. If the weather permits don't miss the Water Tower and Marshall Fields.

flamingomonkey

If the weather permits? Even if it is brutally cold, you can still go out and enjoy the sights. I've done it, along with plenty of other Chicagoans. It's certainly better than staying in your hotel all day. Just think of how you'll be admired for your bravery back home.

aussiedreamer

Thank you all so much. The time and thought you all put into your answers is awsome. I will absolutely take your advice on transfers, (I think we will get 'brave' and go for the airtrain. We left from Penn last time and yes its very close to our hotel) tickets(now to pick a show) and excuse my ignorance but what happens at St Patricks? I googled and found its a church. Do they do something extra special? We would never let the weather stop us and snow would be a huge bonus, don't get to see that in Sunny Queensland. Thanks again one and all.

AAFrequentFlyer

I believe nytraveler is still living in the 70s and 80s. Air travel is very important to our economy. Airports, especially O'Hare do not shut down for days anymore. Sure there may be delays due to snowstorms, but at most the delays do not last for more than a day, and it's only delays. And finally, the chances of that happening during your trip are very slim. So I wouldn't worry too much about nytravels posts.

On rare occasion Chicago may experience the snow storm of the decade, or something close to it, in which case it should add to you vacation experience. You would have stories to tell for months.

IMHO, Chicago is the most beautiful and friendly large US city. It won't be as pretty in January, but still a step above NY or any other city, as long as wintery cold conditions don't bother you too much. Beautiful modern architecture, great museums, wonderful restaurants and nightlife, interesting ethnic neighborhoods, outstanding shopping. You won't be sorry that you picked the city.

Have a wonderful trip!

tuckerdc

Au contraire! Chicago in a snowstorm...(if you're not sleeping on the floor at O'Hare, and if you are stepping out on Michigan Avenue and not sitting for hours on the Kennedy)- can be described as: "How unbelievably gorgeous!" Not to mention, memorable. Sounds like Aussiedreamer has the right attitude about mucking through whatever is thrown.

And true enough, a major storm (like a major heatwave) makes a trip pretty damned memorable!

hausdad

If you are still checking this link and do not have Orlando hotel plans locked up, I may have an inexpensive alternative via my timeshares. I just booked a nice 2-br/ 2-bath condo in Orlando for later in January for a fraction of the normal costs, and happened across your posting. If interested, contact me at: [email protected]