An Educational Morning

Wednesday dawned bright and clear. Another beautiful day. This morning I have the  “owner’s update meeting”. It’s one of the annoying parts of Time Share Ownership.  Every time you go on a vacation using your time share they tell you at check in that you are scheduled for this meeting on a certain day and time. I have refused in the past but over the years I’ve found that you can get some good information and depending on the resort, some really nice premiums/rewards.

In Florida I have received Theme Park Tickets and a cruise to Cozumel.  Here in Gatlinburg the premium was a $75.00 visa card. Not bad for an hour of my time. I’ll save the meeting details for another time when we’re talking about time shares. My reason for mentioning it is that my morning was tied up waiting for the meeting. I used the time to my advantage anyway.

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Since I finally got the computer issues resolved I set up shop on the screened porch and hit my emails, FB and blog posts. I couldn’t edit any pictures so I used them “as is”.  Around 10:30 I made my way to the building where the meetings were being held and spent the next hour being educated on the changes and costs related to same that Diamond resorts is making to their timeshare program. By the time they were done it was time for lunch.

I stopped at the desk to pick up my Visa card and got to chatting with the young lady working there. She was telling me all about the places to go to see wildlife. Like me, she would prefer that to a Theme Park. As I was about to leave she mentioned the elk at the Cataloochee. There’s that name again!

She was much more forthcoming about where it was located and drew me a map to help me find it. She warned me it would be a long drive. She also suggested that I head to Cades Cove no later than 3:30 because that is a longer drive than I’d been led to believe too.

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So armed with this new information it was time to find someplace for lunch and go exploring. I think I’ll see what the Gatlinburg Bypass is all about and then head to Cades Cove.

 

 

Missing All The Modern Inconveniences

I told you I’d be back in time for vacation but now there is a technical snag. I am completely isolated here in Gatlinburg. I am not happy about it. I have no cell service at all. Forget about “spotty”. It is non existent. The resort offers wi-fi but I can only get on a couple of websites. Facebook is not one of them.

I only gave my computer a quick test run after I had it tuned up and it seemed fine but maybe the problem is with my computer and not the wi-fi here.

I can get to both aroundustyroads.com and dustyroadsphotos.com but I can’t log into either of them. I am beyond frustrated. I used my credit card for the rental car and they applied extra charges for deposits etc. I also used it to check in at the resort. I wanted to check my balance after all that activity but I can’t even get on the bank’s web site. And with no cell service I can’t call them.

Maybe if I go into downtown Gatlinburg tomorrow I’ll be able to get some cell service. Good thing no one is looking for me!

I will say that the resort is beautiful. I am in a one bedroom deluxe and it is more like a suite than a one bedroom.

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The bathroom has a shower and a whirlpool tub.

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I have a kitchen , a small dining area and a living room.

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There is a large screen TV in both the living room and the bedroom.

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Speaking of the Bedroom, it boasts a huge king-sized bed. I’ll be lost in it.

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There is a porch and a screened in section with a table and chairs. I may not want to go any place else and just spend my time relaxing on the deck. (Just joking)

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The living room has a gas fireplace too but it was 88 degrees today so I don’t think I’ll be using that. Nice touch though.

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The resort is Bent Creek Golf Village so you know it overlooks a golf course. That’s ok with me. The golf course is on one side of the resort and the Great Smokey Mountains National Park is on the other side.

I’m worn out from today’s travels so I’ll pick this back up in my next post.

A Little Bit of This and That

Happy Snowday everyone. 🙂 (Yes for those of you in warm climates…New England is getting snowed on right now)

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Wow, that was quite the honor yesterday, to be nominated for a blogger award. I truly appreciate it but the required post went way over my daily limit. 🙂 1500+ words instead of my usual limit of 400-500. I hope I haven’t used up all of my brain cells.

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I’ve noticed my most popular posts are travel related or pet related, mostly the antics of my 3 cats, unfortunately I don’t think I’m original enough to post regularly with just those two subjects. It’s not that there isn’t enough material but rather my story telling has limitations. So I’ll just keep muddling along and hope you bear with me.

How’s the Christmas season turning out for all of you? I am so far behind I can’t even begin to describe it. I haven’t gotten my Christmas cards created much less addressed. I mean really, I sell cards. I can’t go to the store for them.

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I have to use my own products. I have one more client photo session that has to be done fast so I can get their cards to them and then I can work on mine. Not sure I’ll make the deadlines but maybe they’ll be New Years cards instead. Whats’ the story about the shoemaker’s children..something about them being shoe-less?

How about resolutions? Anyone started thinking about making any yet? I have 2-3 in mind and that’s probably the most I can handle. Not going to share yet. It’s too soon 🙂

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My 2014 Interval Catalog came yesterday. Yippee! That’s the book of time share exchanges outside the ones that are free exchanges. These have a fee to swap but usually lower points. Maybe I should write a post on how that works. In the meantime I’ll be able to dig in and see what places I can consider for my 2014 vacation. Williamsburgh VA has been high on the list of possibles but I noticed more places near Jackson Hole listed so maybe I can go back to my original plan and go to Wyoming.

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Well Rocky just came over and sat on my keyboard. That’s a pretty good sign that I need to wrap this up before he deletes it.

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G41B..It stands for Building B, 4th floor, room 1 , Suite B. It’s my little 1 bedroom home away from home for this week. I am so glad I bought my time share 8 years ago. It’s just such a step up from a hotel room. I will admit that sometimes over the years I was strapped for money and questioned my decision to saddle myself with the debt especially when the economy went down the tubes. Now people are giving their time shares away. Just go to RedWeek.com to see what I mean but without the time share I wouldn’t have gone to Hawaii or Sedona or New Hampshire or made multiple trips to Florida.

I made the last payment on the Time Share this month! It’s mine now, no bank-note anymore! (mine all mine ..happy dance time!)

On this trip I am in Orlando at the Cypress Point & Grande Villas, A Diamond Resort Property. (more on that in another post). I satyed here in 2010 but had a large 3 bedroom lock off that time. This is just a little 1 bedroom.

Here’s the entrance which opens into the combo Living dining area and kitchen…a bit cramped.

But then there’s the bedroom and the huge bed. There’s a TV in both the living room / Dining room and the Bedroom.

The bathroom is also huge with two sinks and a shower and a tub. At least I know I’ll be really clean. 🙂

There’s even a little deck. It overlooks the parking lot but if I were on the other side of the building the view would be of the pool.

Exterior pictures will follow. I can’t share them here because I haven’t taken any yet!

Adventure 2 of 2012

We’re off to quite a start for this brand new year. First there was that little jaunt up to North Conway for the “Steam in the Snow” train ride and photo shoot. That was an awesome time. Just goes to show an adventure doesn’t have to be far away or for a full week. Sometimes just a day long get-away can make lots of memories.

But this time I am a lot farther away than New Hampshire. I am sitting here in my Timeshare in Sunny Orlando, Florida. It’s a cute little one bedroom this time and I am very anxious to try out that bed. I was up at 5:30 in the  morning to catch an 8:15 flight. The only thing was that I thought the flight was at 8:30. No matter, I planned to be at the parking lot between 7:15 and 7:30 so even though I had the time wrong I should have been at the airport within plenty of time for a domestic flight. I was all checked in online and had my seat assignment. All I had to do was drop off my bags and clear security.

I didn’t count on hitting rush hour traffic in Providence but I did so I arrived at the parking lot at 7:30 on the button. The sign said bring keys to attendant. So I tried the door but it was locked. I walked around to the other side of the building and that time the door opened. A nice man was sitting at the counter and I gave him my credit card and paperwork. Unfortunately his computer wouldn’t boot up. Then once he finally got going by using a lap top, he had problems with his credit card machine. 20 minutes later he finally told me to put my luggage in the van.

I have to confess that I am not used to that. I normally pull in and am greeted by an employee who takes my luggage while I go in and pay. In and out in 5 minutes, onto the shuttle and we’re off. Not this place. I put my own luggage in the van and waited. Another man came in to pay and pick up the shuttle so that delayed us further. Finally with both of us in the van the fellow who processed my paperwork locked up shop and hopped in to drive us to the airport. Looks like a one man operation. Not very efficient.

I don’t wear a watch but I’d guess I arrived at the airport at about 8:00 am. Still time for an 8:30 flight but that’s when I realized that it was an 8:15 flight…when the kiosk flashed the message..you’re too late!

The counter attendant said I could make the flight but that my luggage wouldn’t so without any further discussion she changed all of my arrangements booking me on a later flight.

This flight went through Philadelphia with a 2 hour layover in Washington DC. In Philly I just waited on the plane but in Washington DC it was not only a 2 hour layover but also a change of planes. It gave me time for a nice lunch.

Back in the air the flight to Orlando was pretty uneventful. I was stuck in the middle seat with 2 strangers. Not my favorite arrangement but they were nice. The plane was full. The last passenger on was a large man. He easily made me look thin. He had an aisle seat but the man in the center seat started mouthing off loudly. He made a comment that “I’m stuck sitting next to the biggest man on the plane”. You could have heard a pin drop. Everyone on the plane turned to look and send dirty looks toward the mouthy guy. One of the flight attendants went to that row immediately. I didn’t hear anything but Mr. Mouth shut up after that. I felt so bad for the big guy. My seatmates could have made a comment about me. I’m no frail , little thing, and I would have been devastated. There is no call for that kind of rudeness.

Once on the ground in Orlando I headed to baggage claim. It would have been ironic if after all that my luggage got lost but it didn’t. It was one of the first off the plane. So in no time I was on my way to the rental cars.

I’m renting from Enterprise this time. No more Payless for me after the fiasco in Phoenix. This went off without a hitch. There was no line. The car was ready. The amount due at pick up was the rental + 20%, exactly what I was told when I booked it. Smooth sailing!

I have a little 2011  Kia Rio with about 25,000 miles on it. It proved to be quite “peppy” as I pulled into traffic on RT 4.

Check in at the condo also went smoothly so I think my vacation is back on track.

So to sum up my first day on vacation , a “travel day” , I have to say the parking lot company needs to step up its arrival game a bit. No names yet, I have to get my car back first.

The airline I flew was US Air and I was impressed. They were pleasant and professional. They didn’t charge me to change my flight. The new travel arrangements got me into Orlando by 5:30 instead of 2:30 but with no stress or rush to make connections.

Enterprise rental car. They were absolutely wonderful. They held my car reservation for me, were pleasant and professional and actually charged me what they said they would. No surprises! They walked me through the inspection and answered my questions and even gave me a map and directions to my timeshare. (I’d been to the same one before  but it was in 2010). All in all a very positive experience.