January 2021 -- Will TUG People Be Getting Together Again In Orlando ?

[AwayWeGo]

Toward the end of the TUG-BBS discussion topic about the 2020 Orlando TUG meeting, most of the recent entries actually concern when & if something similar will happen again next January -- January 2021.

Click here for those TUG-BBS entries.

The title of that discussion topic can easily make people think it's just about an event that is over & done, even though attention has shifted to the possibilities for next January.

So the TUG-BBS discussion about a possible January 2021 informal TUG social get-together in Orlando clearly needs its own TUG-BBS thread (although there's nothing wrong with keeping the old thread going too). I got to thinking about that right before I started this thread.

Plenty of TUG people are interested in getting together next January, same as we've enjoyed doing for the past several Januaries. Some people's plans are already set. Others are tentative, owing mainly to safety concerns over travel in the age of coronavirus.

Because the traditional Golden Corral TUG meeting place could iffy next January, other possibilities have been mentioned -- a timeshare resort social room (Magic Tree, for example), or an unused movie theater that rents out auditoriums at nominal cost, etc. The possibilities are still open.

Plans & ideas are still in flux -- no official announcement or invitation has gone out.

Meeting times mentioned so far are Friday evenings -- i.e., Jan. 15 or Jan. 22 or Jan. 23, 2021.

The Chief Of Staff & I are really hoping that plans for the event come together & that we get to enjoy some fun time in Orlando again next January with our TUG friends. Yet our own travel plans are still uncertain.

We have a unit in Kissimmee reserved for January 23-30, 2021. We might show up & check in. We might even snag more timeshare reservations for 1 or 2 of the January weeks right before that. Or we might forgo January travel altogether, scared off by coronavirus.

With luck, the situation will start to clarify by the middle of next month, which by coincidence is when the RCI calendar of available bargain units Last Call (etc.) should start to open up for January 2021.

Meanwhile, we'll keep on checking TUG-BBS & RCI Dot Com.

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​

 

[AwayWeGo]

We're well into December. Last Call & other bargain timeshare units are showing up at RCI Dot Com. We should be firming up our plans to go to Orlando next month. We should be participating with other TUG friends to nail down the time & place for a fun January 2021 informal social gathering. But we aren't. We're still in a fog of uncertainty over whether we'll even go to Florida at all next month. So it goes.

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​

 

[silentg]

I’ll be there if and when there is a get together.

 

[rstolker]

I can't understand what you could be thinking. Have you not heard? There is a PANDEMIC going on and we have been advised by trained scientists not to congregate -- all the more so in Florida, which is a super-spreader state.

 

[AwayWeGo]

Yeh -- that's how come we're getting cold feet even about keeping the timeshare reservation we already have for check-in Jan. 23rd.

To this point, we are keeping our options open & have not ruled out going to Florida for an added week or 2 before Jan. 23rd. Some of the RCI Last Call (etc.) offerings are extremely attractive.

If we go -- & if other TUG people are willing to chance taking their lives in their hands by participating in an informal TUG social event -- chances are we'll be there.

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​

 

[Dbostron]

Yeh -- that's how come we're getting cold feet even about keeping the timeshare reservation we already have for check-in Jan. 23rd.

To this point, we are keeping our options open & have not ruled out going to Florida for an added week or 2 before Jan. 23rd. Some of the RCI Last Call (etc.) offerings are extremely attractive.

If we go -- & if other TUG people are willing to chance taking their lives in their hands by participating in an informal TUG social event -- chances are we'll be there.

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA​

​

We are committed to four weeks at VV in January. We can look at the four walls inside a Florida timeshare unit as well as the walls inside our home. A side benefit, much warmer weather so that we can get outside and walk in parks and other areas away from people.

We will not meet a group indoors. Let us know Alan.

 

[AwayWeGo]

We are committed to four weeks at VV in January. We can look at the four walls inside a Florida timeshare unit as well as the walls inside our home. A side benefit, much warmer weather so that we can get outside and walk in parks and other areas away from people.

We will not meet a group indoors.

That's brilliant -- an outdoor informal TUG social event in January.

Maybe at 1 of the resorts, on the pool deck or nearby. The resort people shouldn't mind, unless we hog all the pool chairs. Maybe TUG people can bring their own folding lawn chairs.

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​

 

[mcnallyj]

We will be in Orlando from January 17-31--looking forward to a get-together!

 

[Sea Six]

I'd be happy to book multiple weeks away, but I would miss my doggy!

 

[rickandcindy23]

We are here from 1/15-1/29. We would love a get-together, but I know a lot of people will be worried about it. I am not. We are here now, staying healthy and enjoying the parks.

 

[sfwilshire]

Yeh -- that's how come we're getting cold feet even about keeping the timeshare reservation we already have for check-in Jan. 23rd.

To this point, we are keeping our options open & have not ruled out going to Florida for an added week or 2 before Jan. 23rd. Some of the RCI Last Call (etc.) offerings are extremely attractive.

If we go -- & if other TUG people are willing to chance taking their lives in their hands by participating in an informal TUG social event -- chances are we'll be there.

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​

We were in Orlando early November. The COVID cases were less there than at home. Probably still are. Sheraton Vistana seems to be doing a good job of extra cleaning. Even the television remotes were in baggies. We went to Disney World since we're annual pass holders, which felt safer than going to the grocery store at home. We brought a lot of groceries with us, didn't eat in any restaurants, and avoided most other public places.

Sheila

 

[frank808]

Will be in Orlando from Jan 4-18. Then returning from Jan 23-29. Would love to participate in a TUG gathering. We have had a few TUG gatherings here at Marriott KoOlina for the past couple months. Hope you guys set a date that I will be able meet everyone. Jan 15 or 23 would work for me.

Until then everyone stay safe.

 

[Dori]

We will have to skip any TUG get-togethers again this year. We are not going to travel to our Florida home this winter, just don't feel comfortable during this time. It's going to be a loooong winter up here in Canada!

Dori

 

[AwayWeGo]

Current thinking is that if there's an informal TUG social get-together next month in Orlando -- & it's still a big if -- then the most likely date will be Jan. 26 (Tuesday) or Jan. 27 (Wednesday), mid-day or in the afternoon.

And if the event does happen, an outdoor location seems safest & most congenial, very likely meaning the pool area or other outdoor space at a timeshare resort where TUG people will be staying that week -- also meaning that people will need to bring their own folding chairs or borrow plastic patio chairs from their timeshare units (otherwise TUG people could be hogging too many pool chairs).

For snacks, maybe it would be best for people to bring their own, I don't know. Sharing pot-luck style is a nice possibility, but who knows what public health measures will be in effect? It sure seems like face masks & social distancing will still be expected next month, but who can say ?

Meanwhile, The Chief Of Staff & I have refined our thinking about our own wintertime travel to Florida. We are currently intent on keeping our Kissimmee timeshare reservation for Jan. 23-30. Not only that, we'll be scouring the RCI website availability lists for bargain reservations in the area during the following 2 weeks (checking in Jan. 30 & Feb. 6). We're no longer thinking about early & mid-January. But all that could change.

Bottom line for us right now is that the whole thing is still a quandary -- not only being iffy about getting together with TUG people in Orlando but also even whether to venture out of the house at all in January.

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​

 

[ronandjoan]

Will be in Orlando from Jan 4-18. Then returning from Jan 23-29. Would love to participate in a TUG gathering. We have had a few TUG gatherings here at Marriott KoOlina for the past couple months. Hope you guys set a date that I will be able meet everyone. Jan 15 or 23 would work for me.

Until then everyone stay safe.

So how did you handle these recent TUG gatherings?

 

[frank808]

So how did you handle these recent TUG gatherings?

We all met at Marriott Koolina since everyone was staying on site. Arranged an amicable date and time for mostly everyone. It was an outdoor meeting and we all kept masks on and social distanced. It worked well and I believe we had 4 or 5 meetings. JanT and myself were able to attened every get together. Various other tuggers attended when onsite.

Sent from my SM-T377P using Tapatalk

 

[Sea Six]

I'm afraid to commit to much. Things are getting worse instead of better. I'm reading more about cancellations than reservations. The time frame of the gathering is only 1 month away. I suppose I will still be stuck in my house. Vaccines may be rolling out by then and I will be anxious to hear about the reactions and deciding if I want one.

 

[ronandjoan]

26th or before would work for us as we drive over from St augustine every year anyway. Then we move closer or in Orlando for the next 3 weeks before returning to Seattle .
Meeting outdoors sounds like the best deal;indoors anywhere in a group is questionable.
WA state governor has us all in lockdown. I’ll just say it is so strict most people are very unhappy, especially those businesses that prepared so many ways to be safe for patrons and then got shut down again.
We’re staying pretty well in anyway (we’re older , haha) but go out to walk everyday, even today at 39 degrees. Doctor’s orders for Ron.) we just need a nice place outdoors to meet at someone’s timeshare

 

[rapmarks]

I always felt so bad that I had a senior moment and missed the one six years ago, sitting doing nothing on the day it was held and shocked at seeing the posts of what fun everyone had. I thought it was the next day

 

[ronandjoan]

I always felt so bad that I had a senior moment and missed the one six years ago, sitting doing nothing on the day it was held and shocked at seeing the posts of what fun everyone had. I thought it was the next day

I remember

 

[AwayWeGo]

I always felt so bad that I had a senior moment and missed the one six years ago, sitting doing nothing on the day it was held and shocked at seeing the posts of what fun everyone had. I thought it was the next day

The Orlando TUG event has been a major January highlight for several years. People have such a good time that afternoon blends into evening & evening becomes nighttime before people reluctantly start saying their goodbyes.

I hate the idea of possibly missing it or not having it next month.

I wish the murky public health situation would clear up.

Will it ?

Who knows ?

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​

 

[rapmarks]

I remember

And we would have brought Jonah. He was two months old that day

 

[ronandjoan]

After all our plans and total reservations for 2 months, Ron’s pulmonary doctor yesterday said “No travel.” He has an underlying lung disease which is not good at all as catching the virus would probably not mean a recovery.
He said he would still go,but pretty soon realized that that probably would not be a good idea. We called our St Augustine timeshare where we have FIXED January weeks but they said “No problem... we can find weeks later for you. “ A very understanding timeshare management!!
We had other different reservations in several places but I had purchased the cancellation insurance for all . Even Alaska Airlines agreed “Don’t go!” And refunded our total cost ( not just a credit but a refund.)
Thus, we will miss you all, as that has become a fun annual January routine for us —- and we can look forward to 2022.

 

[Sugarcubesea]

I am hoping 2022 is the year that I can finally attend a Tug Get Together in January...

 

[Jan M.]

I doubt I can talk DH into driving to Orlando for the get together. We will be staying at the Wyndham Panama City Beach resort from January 8 until February 11 or 12. If anyone else is staying in the Destin/Panama City Beach area we can have our own get together.