Cancun

Thanks. One of the lawyers at work said he's not surprised that the insurance company won't cover something like this. But we'll see how this progresses. I mean, if it gets worse, you'd hope they'd change their tunes a bit, but who knows.

Not a HUGE deal if we don't go since we're not out any money, but man, I really had my heart set on Cancun this year.

 

If you are not out any money, what are you looking to have trip insurance cover?

 

Because I exchanged my week for this trip, having it covered would allow me to cancel that trip and book another in place of the Cancun trip. Otherwise, the week is gone.

 

That sucks.

 

Well, I just found out this evening that my time share company is giving everyone who booked in Mexico seven days to make a free re-exchange, so that's good.

Now, it's just a matter of deciding if that's what we wanna do, and where else we'd like to go.

 

Wow. I'm no fan of time shares, but this sounds like a pretty solid deal.

 

It really is. But we're kind of locked into our dates since we already requested off work and such....limits our options. Ideally, we want a beach destination this year. We may have to settle for a nice resort in Orlando or Palm Springs.

Who knows. We may decide to nut up and hit Cancun.

 

Don't forget the Redneck Riviera, Sonner. Beautiful weather and water down here, right now. We're headin' down this weekend for our first trip of the year. Kind-of sad, isn't it? Live an hour from the beach and haven't been, yet.

 

Trust me, TBF. I'd love to beach it up down there for a few days. I'm still a little bitter we didn't get the chance in the two years I lived down there.

Unfortunately, that's not an option this year. The wife and I have a ton of vacation time, though, so who knows.

Can you suggest any good resorts/hotels down there?

 

Well, first I'd advise you to stay well away from Panama City. Either Destin, Fort Walton, Apalachicola or St. George Island.

If you want fancy accommodations, use this order: St. George, Apalachicola (all the oysters you want), Destin, Ft. Walton.

If you go to St. George, just rent a house on the beach. It'll cost you, but you won't regret it.

In Destin, Pelican Beach is pretty nice, as is the the Sandestin Hilton (pricey). But there are some you can afford.

Santa Rosa Beach, a little town just outside Destin that's really quiet and nice, has a ton of houses on the beach. Again, they won't be cheap. None of them are.

If price is an issue, hit Ft. Walton. Lots of run of the mill condos that are nice enough, but no dream vacation. Most are right on the beach -- and the beaches are still beautiful, no matter where you go.

Several touristy bars in Ft. Walton, but you can find great mom-and-pop food and drink there.

Destin is probably the middle-of-the-road place, and the best value with the most attractions, restaurants and nightlife.

 

Yeah. We definitely took that into consideration. I think we've settled on Orlando as our backup. My cousin and his family live down there, so it'll be nice to see them for a day or two. And our resort choices there look pretty damn nice.

My only concern is that we'll get bored. Seven days is a long time to spend at a non-beach resort. I mean, we'll spend a lot of time just doing nothing by the pool, which is the overall point of our trip this year. But you can only do that for so long, I guess.

Anyone have any suggestions as to how we can spend our time in Orlando if we go? No Disney World. That's a lock. But what else?

 

If you do go to Cancun, be mindful of the porters at the airport. They'll approach you with this official air, grab your luggage before you know it, push it about the 50 feet or so to the taxi stand, and want $5 or $10 US.

Also, on the way out, various "tour operators" give you the same official air, try to set you up with things you don't need at costs you needn't pay

I learned this the hard way