FAMILIES FLY FREE Private Podcast

Wondering what Hawaii's Big Island has to offer compared to the other Hawaiian Islands? Families Fly Free team member George Toops and member Jerry Quinn tell you about their recent excursions to this Hawaiian Island known for Volcanoes National Park and share their tips for where to stay, what to do and how to save. Aloha! 

In this fourth lesson on How to Do Disney Free, Lyn shows you how to save, and even get for free, Disney park tickets, a costly part of your Disney vacation. She looks at third-party sites that offer savings, annual passes and how you can even use "miles" to cover your park tickets.

Links:

• Buy Disney Park Tickets Direct
• Getaway Today
• Undercover Tourist
• BJ’s Disney Gift Cards (remember to start at Rapid Rewards Shopping)
• BJ’s Free One-Day Pass
• BJ’s $25 Membership Link
• Working Advantage
• Best of Orlando Tickets (Visit Orlando site) 
• Manage Disney Gift Cards (combine all into 1 gift card)

In the December Q&A, Lyn answers multiple members' questions live. Questions she addresses include...

• The simplest way to book flights, hotels and car rentals
• Can a Companion add a Companion?
• Can I hop off at my connection instead of my final stop?
• What if my father, who holds a Companion Pass, can’t go on our trip? Can his Companion still go? If not, what’s the best way to handle this?
• With A-List, does the Companion automatically get the same boarding order?
• How do I use my A1-15 boarding orders?
• When should I consider getting Capital One Venture X?
• I have a lot of points. Should I try to book flights to see if I can get the Hack to work?

If you're trying to get the Southwest Companion Pass for 2023-2024 and have made a mistake (or fear you're going to make a mistake) 😳, please join us at this newly added emergency webinar.

We're seeing a lot of mistakes concerning the timing of meeting the minimum spend and want to address those and answer ALL your questions so you don't make the same mistakes we're seeing.

So bring your situation and your concerns and we'll help you map out the best plan. We promise all is not lost! In most cases, there is a fix, though it may be slightly more complicated than the original plan. Join Lyn and Lisa for this "Families Fly Free to the rescue" webinar 😉. 

Here at Families Fly Free, we like the Capital One Venture X card both for its fantastic travel perks, for booking flexible flights to Europe and to cover costs for things you can't purchase with points. In this webinar, we'll review this card from top to bottom, including its features, how it works and how we recommend using it.

After her recent fall couples' trip to Maine, Lisa reviews her trip and offers her top tips for what to see and do from Acadia National Park to the best restaurants for lobster to how to fly there and where to stay.

Where to stay - Portland:

• AC Hotel Portland Downtown/Waterfront

Things to do - Portland:

• Portland Observatory
• Lucky Catch Cruises - lobster boat tour 
• Stroll around historic Old Port district
• Victoria Mansion

Breweries:

• Allagash Brewing Company
• Foulmouthed Brewing 
• Shipyard

Portland Restaurants: 

• Eventide Oyster Co 
• Scales - Upscale - oysters straight from the ocean
• Becky’s Diner 
• Gilbert’s Chowder House 
• Highroller Lobster 
• Lobster Shack at Two Lights - Cape Elizabeth 
• J’s Oyster

Towns along US1:

• Freeport (L.L.Bean) 
• Boothbay
• Stop in Wiscasset - Red’s Eats for lunch
• Rockport 
• Camden 
• Searsport 

Where to stay - Bar Harbor:

• Holiday Inn Resort

Bar Harbor Restaurants: 

• Thirsty Whale 
• Finback Ale House
• Side Street Cafe (call ahead seating)
• Charlotte’s Legendary Lobster (Tremont, Maine)
• Stewman’s

Acadia National Park:

• REI - National Park Pass
• Acadia National Park Trail Map
• Thunder Hole 
• Ocean Path Trail
• Gorham Mountain Trail (Take Cadillac Cliffs going - but not coming) 
• Jordan Pond House 
• Hike the Jordan Pond loop to Bubble Rock
• Cadillac Mountain - Reservations required during the summer
• Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse 
• Ship Harbor Trail 
• Wonderland Trail - out and back 

Exploring Bar Harbor:

• The Maine Store - The Rebel Lobster Speakeasy - everything in the store is from Maine
• Bar Island - Check Tide  - low tide only

In November's Q&A, Lyn answers questions including:

• How do I get points back on my Southwest flight that has decreased in price?
• Is the Chase Shopping Portal or Southwest Shopping Portal better?
• Should I buy points or wait until I have points to book my flight?
• How do I book a flight using my spouse’s points?
• How crowded was Disney World at Thanksgiving?
• Do I earn miles when booking a flight in points?
• Should everyone in my family have their own Rapid Rewards account?
• Can I book suites with Marriott points?
• When will my points credit to my account from credit card spending?
• Will I earn my Southwest Companion Pass in time for an upcoming flight?
• How do I find my card close date?

Links:

• Book Southwest Flights Like a Pro
• Why to Buy Southwest Points
• Also see the Families Fly Free Members Podcast Episode #55: Choosing the Right Shopping Portal

Are you interested in learning more about Disney Vacation Club and how it might make financial sense for your family to become members? Or are you already a DVC member and want to stay up to date on what's changing with DVC - perks, properties and updates? Come to the DVC call where Lyn and other Families Fly Free members who are also DVC members answer any questions you have about DVC and share the latest DVC news.

In this webinar Lyn is joined by Families Fly Free member Beth Silsdorf. Lyn recaps her recent experience as a first time DVC member on her recent trip to Disney World for the Thanksgiving holiday. They also discuss various topics including:

• Use Year
• The booking process
• Top of the World lounge, and
• Some DVC hacks

Lyn and Beth then answered questions about DVC.

Links:

• WEBINAR: How to DVC for Free
• DVC Bonuses
• DVC News
• Current Direct-From-Disney DVC Discount
• Lyn's $500 Discount Link
• Top of the World Lounge
• Disney After Hours
• Points Swap with DVCRentalStore
• New lounge at Disneyland
• How to Buy One-Time Use Points