People often email asking me what I dislike about TTNLTMOW

I know many people are taking advantage of the great new Thousand Trials contracts with Outdoor World and Mid Atlantic. Who wouldn’t it’s a great deal? People often email asking me what I dislike about TTNLTMOW. Well there are few minor issues like when one try’s to use the 29 dollar extended week one is often forced to teach thousand trails staff how to do the deal. This can be a problem. We have asked the same lady twice in Orlando to extend out stay using this $29.00 dollars per week deal that’s included in our Elite Connection contract and she likes to say “ Oh I can’t do that I will get fired”. When some of you encounter this resistance just ask when a more senior member will be in the office and come back and speak with them. The problem is that Thousand Trails has so many contracts that some of the employees have difficulty keeping up and memos don’t appear to be used to update them therefore by default it becomes the members jobs to teach. This is not a big deal to me but it can be challenge. You know with all the little complaints I find myself always reflecting on the real value of the system and very excited about the opportunity for more multi location resort merging. Amanda and I are ready and willing to upgrade our membership again when more resorts are purchased. There are a few more large resort RV parks that thousand trails could buy that would offer great synergy. Just a suggestion , Western Horizons http://www.outdooradventuresinc.com http://www.sunriseresorts.com/ http://www.coloradoriveradventures.com/cra/resorts.html These would really increase the size of the system and be a great upgrade. See what you can do Encore!!!

Thanks to the work of Craig the reservation system changed to accommodate the 21 days park to park

You may have found the reservation system changed to accommodate the 21 days park to park at Outdoor World. Before the online reservation system would not allow this to be booked when a 7 day stay was in front of this. Well Craig and I worked to fix this. it took a few weeks but with his help we got the entire system fixed. Again I can’t say enough good things about Craig and the fact that he worked so hard to fix this issue that no other TTNLT sales person even tried to fix is a testament to the level of service he provides his customers. As always if you want his contact information to ask a question or do an upgrade just email me and ask norcar303@gmail.com

Happy Birthday Maverick!

Happy Birthday Maverick!, originally uploaded by Amanda Perez-Carroll.

Today my little furbaby is 8 years old! We adopted Maverick from the Longmont Humane Society when he was 3 years old and over the years he has been an absolutely wonderful dog. Happy Birthday Mavie!

By the way the face he is making is the "Yes I want a cookie" face. :)

Evergreen in a swamp

Evergreen in a swamp, originally uploaded by Amanda Perez-Carroll.

It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are. ~e.e. cummings

Picture found and taken March 22, 2010 in Thousand Trails Orlando (the swamp between the F and G sections... best place to view it and take photos is from the main road in the G section).

One of those March days...

One of those March days..., originally uploaded by Amanda Perez-Carroll.

It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold: when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade. ~Charles Dickens

David Cassidy at Epcot March 19 thru 21

David Cassidy (66), originally uploaded by Amanda Perez-Carroll.

Last year David Cassidy played the Eat to the Beat concert series and this year he will be playing the Flower Power concert series at Epcot. If you are in the Disney World area this is a must to see this weekend. Although I did not grow up on the Partridge Family I did watch them on Nick at Night as a kid and it was really cool last year to see him in person and hear him sing the songs that he sang on the show.

For those Thousand Trails members the best place to stay is at the Orlando Thousand Trails (take Hwy 27 to Hwy 192 and follow the signs to Disney). If you have access to the Encore parks there are two parks on 192 which are close to Disney World; Lake Magic and Sherwood Forest (closer of the two). If you are using RPI member Deer Creek is the best one for a quick trip to Disney, just hop on I-4 and get off on the exit for Disney World.

This post featured David Cassidy:

Chesapeake Bay Thousand Trails

Chesapeake Bay Country Store, originally uploaded by Amanda Perez-Carroll.

Where is Chesapeake Bay Thousand Trails ?
Chesapeake Bay Thousand Trails is located in Gloucester Virginia.

The address is…
12014 Trails Ln
Gloucester, VA 23061
(800) 693-6924 (Ranger Station)

We recommend that you put the GPS coordinates in instead of the address (with Tom Tom it was close but not correct). The GPS coordinates are:

N 37.324279 and W 76.31289 elevation is 17 feet

How many campsites does Chesapeake Bay Thousand Trails have?
Chesapeake Bay Thousand Trails has 355 full hookups, and 18 power and water only campsites. They also have a few rental cabins available (3 Getaway cabins and 16 rental cabins (they have them listed as Deluxe and 2 Premium Cabins, 2 Vacation cabins and 2 Thousand Trails Cabin… to be honest they all look the same, except for the Getaway cabins so to find out the difference you may want to call Chesapeake Bay Thousand Trails).


What amenities does Chesapeake Bay Thousand Trails offer?
Chesapeake Bay Thousand Trails offers the following:
• Adult center
• Family Center
• Basketball court
• Boat dock
• Boat launch
• Camp store
• Canoes
• Paddleboats
• playground
• Chapel
• Family pool
• Mini-golf
• Wi-Fi (and plug in internet in the adult lodge)
• Shuffleboard
• Volleyball court
• River campsites (not too many most of the cabins take up the river spots)


Things to do near Chesapeake Bay Thousand Trails :
There are some interesting things nearby there are the historic towns nearby for shopping and site seeing (Williamsburg, Jamestown, Yorktown and Fredericksburg), Virginia Beach, Chesapeake Bay (the park is not actually on Chesapeake Bay as the brochures tend to read, but it is on a river that flows into the Bay).

Photos of Chesapeake Bay Thousand Trails and surrounding area :
Flickr Photos of Chesapeake Bay Thousand Trails

Flickr photos of Yorktown Virginia

Flickr photos of Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel

A Few Words on Chesapeake Bay Thousand Trails:
Chesapeake Bay Thousand Trails is a busy park. Be sure to book your reservations in advance to your visit. Some of the roads are small and one way only, be sure to pay attention the signs so you do not go the wrong way down a road. When we were there last summer some of the sites (near the river and the small lake) were rough (it looked like they were working on underground lines).

The photo at the top of this post is of the Country Store at the front of the Chesapeake Bay Thousand Trails.

New Thousand Trails Cards for Upgrades in 2010

TTN, originally uploaded by Amanda Perez-Carroll.

For those Thousand Trails members who have upgraded in 2010 you may be wondering where your new permanent member cards are… I know we were. Well after talking to member services it turns out that they are aware of the permanent cards not coming they are working on changing the logo so the cards will be easier to read. We were told by Betty at members services that if you have your old card (or the temporary card) with a photo ID you should be fine until the new cards make their way to our mailboxes. I cannot wait to see the new logo, sounds like it will be pretty neat looking.

The photo above is from the walkway to the laundry room at the Lynchburg Thousand Trails which is also a Naco park in Virginia.

New Pier at Thousand Trails Orlando

Norwood and Maverick at Orlando TT (6), originally uploaded by Amanda Perez-Carroll.

One of the best things about most Thousand Trails resorts is to see the improvements to things that members really use. Late last year Thousand Trails Orlando took a couple of days to replace the rickety pier on the private lake that is a favorite of many of the members who stay at Thousand Trails Orlando. The old pier (which had been there when we visited in 2003) was shaky, paint peeling and small (just a few people at a time could stand and look out at the lake. Now there is a long walking pier that leads to a floating dock from which people fish, read or just enjoy the view.

Picture taken at Thousand Trails Orlando. The old pier at Thousand Trails Orlando can be found here

Paul Revere and the Raiders at Epcot

Paul Revere and the Raiders (3), originally uploaded by Amanda Perez-Carroll.

The Epcot Flower and Garden Festival has begun again which means that they popular Flower Power Concert Series have started! Some of my favorites will be there again, Paul Revere and the Raiders (March 12-14) David Cassidy (March 19- 21) and Herman’s Hermits (April 9-11). I am so excited that I will be in town for these three bands. I really enjoyed them all last year and look forward to them again this year.

Full schedule can be found onDisney’s Flower Power Concert Schedule page.

Thousand Trails members the best place to stay so you can head to Disney's Epcot is Thousand Trails Orlando. Take 27 to 192 and folllow the signs to Disney World.

Nook at Cocoa Beach

Thousand Trails members will know that the Orlando Thousand Trails is the best location for all sorts of fun Florida activities. Not only is it just 10 minutes from Disney World (which the Flower and Garden Festival is now in full swing at Epcot) but it is also just an hour (on great toll roads) to Cocoa Beach. If you are the type of person who likes to sit on the beach with a good book and watch the waves or your husband surf, next time you stay at Orlando Thousand Trails make sure to take a drive to Cocoa Beach. Tom Tom can find it just by putting in Cocoa Beach into City Center search. Great drive, beautiful beach, plenty of sunshine.

Disney World Princess Half Marathon Expo

March 5, 2010 thru March 7, 2010 was my first experience at the Disney Fit for a Princess Weekend. I was told that the picked of race packets would be a big hassle, but I found that Friday late afternoon I walked right up to the pickup without a problem. Oh and by the way for those who will be running next year… I forgot my waiver (which you have to have) and stopped at a Pak Mail on the way to print it out only to find out when I arrived that if you forgot your waiver they had printing stations at the Expo so you could print out your forms.

As far as the shopping went… there was a lot of it. Advice for those who will be doing it next year. If you want a crown buy one early they do sell out. I ended up with no crown (which they have really cute ones for $10) also it does not look like they have merchandise after the race so if you want one of those “I Did It!” shirts be sure to get one at the Expo before hand. It was a blast I will do it all again next year.

Disney Princess Half Marathon Medal

I did it! I finished my first half marathon today at Disney World. And I actually did pretty good. I finished in 3 hours and 7 minutes 13.1 miles. I kept a pace of 14 minute mile. Next year I am aiming for a 10 minute mile. The Disney Princess Half Marathon was awesome. Now to rest…

Day 47 of 365

Disney Princess Half Marathon Goody Bag 2010

Disney Princess Half Marathon Goody Bag, originally uploaded by Amanda Perez-Carroll.

Well the big day is almost here! Tonight after a day at the Cocoa Beach we headed over to the Expo and I got my bib (Corral C) and goody bag (click on the picture to view the notes that details what is inside the bag). Very cool stuff. Cannot wait to run the race! If you want to spectate check out the Disney Princess Half Marathon website for details on how to do so and where are the best places.

UPDATED 2/12/2011: If you are new to the Disney Princess Half Marathon this year and want to know what to expect and what to bring check out my post What to Expect from the Disney Princess Half Marathon. 

Updated 2/26/2011:  The 2011 Disney Princess Half Marathon Goody Bag.

Thousand Trails Elite Connection Membership Upgrade We can no longer recommend buying any products Thousand Trails sells. Save yourself time and trouble and over priced dues and just buy what you need.

We can no longer recommend buying any products Thousand Trails sells. Save yourself time and trouble and over priced dues and just buy what you need.

Like many of our readers we will be spending the summer at the beach near Lake and Shore and Sea Pines both Outdoor World resorts on the NJ coast thanks to our Elite Connection membership upgrade. The cool thing is we get to take the RV on a ferry that crosses from Delaware to Cape May NJ. I can’t wait only a month to go!!!

Well, Amanda and I have been getting some questions on our recent Thousand Trails Elite Connection membership we recently upgraded to. So let me explain the new benefits. With the Thousand Trails Elite Connection membership your able to go park to park and stay 21 days at all resorts including Outdoor World and Mid Atlantic (save for the rented lots at encore parks in FL). This works really well if you plan to spend any time on the East Coast. Also there are RPI benefits and getaway cabin benefits that can be used to rent condos. This is a nice bonus when you don’t want to take the RV or don’t have enough time to take the RV, motor home or camper.

I say this a lot, but Craig our sales guy at Thousand Trails goes above and beyond for us and Amanda and I can’t recommend him enough. For instance this last upgrade had a few bugs we needed to workout and Craig went out of his way to straighten out the problems. It is uncommon to find a sales guy at Thousand Trails who will spend hours making calls on your behalf to fix a problem. So keep this in mind when determining who you upgrade with.

Since the blog is not the best place to post question If you have questions or need the contact info for our sales guy Craig please email me at norcar303@gmail.com

Happy Trails and If any of you want to go surfing with me let me know I will bring an extra board for you. Norwood

Straight Talk, Pay as You Go Unlimited minutes

Amanda and I have used pay as you go cell phones for years and I am sure many of you have seen me write about out great experience with Net 10. Well, now there is an amazing offer form Straight talk a division of Tracfone and Net 10. Unlimited minutes and texts for $45.00 a month this includes domestic long distance. Wow!!! No contract you can buy it just when you need it. Now this is great deal for RVers who use their cell phones a lot. Click the link above to take a look at the Straight Talk Site. Straight Talk