*FinalUpdate, 3/11/11*Back to the 'Land after so many years...my first TR (June 2010)

[jforever52]

I am so excited! Today I booked our upcoming trip to Disneyland and now I am starting my first pre-trip report (or report for that matter).
Here are the characters:

This is me (32) my DH (32) and DS (6) at Disney World in May 2009. Or should I say during our trip during the "Great Rains of 2009." I have always loved Disney. When DH met me in college one of my favorite outfits to sport was these brown courdorouy overalls with pooh bear on them...silly I know. Our wedding topper was mickey and minnie and I've been collecting Disney snow globes for a long time. DH loves Disney just because we get to be together as a family on vacation. He also loves the dining and firework shows.

Also joining us this time will be my DD (6 months) and my mother and father in law. We will be traveling to Disneyland from Northern California. It's about a 7-8 hour drive. So we have scheduled two days for travel and three days in the park starting June 18, 2010 and ending June 22, 2010.

We are staying in a good neighbor resort: The Embassy Suites Anaheim South in a double suite. Which I hope is big enough to drown out the snoring I know my father-in-law is prone to do.

As a child I traveled to Disneyland with my family just about every year until I was a teanager. I have so many great memories of Disneyland! My last trip to Disneyland was in 2000, when all my siblings and myself were adults (or close to it) and I was newly married. DH came along too of course.

In 2006 we had to go to Florida for a wedding and thought we would pop by Disney World for three days just to see what it was like...we did NO pre-planning whatsoever other than book our hotel. Boy were we under prepared!!! Regardless, we have been back to Disney World twice since then. Once in 2007 for a family reunion and in 2009 to celebrate my mother-in-law's 50th birthday. Given the new baby, we thought that we should go back to our local Disney spot this year and I am so excited to go.

Things to Do Prior to Trip:

1. Figure out the dining plan at Disneyland. I understand it is a little different than the plan offered at Disney World, so I have to figure out the ins and outs.
2. Make ADR's.
3. Plan a special surprise for DH and DD in the room one evening.
4. Work out breastfeading issues (really a non-issue since I'm not too shy about breastfeeding in public but I still want to map out some potentially quiter areas to take DD when she needs some down time).
5. Research new attractions/changes since my last trip in 2000. I especially excited about the Color's of the Wind I've been hearing about, but I'm not sure where it is etc.
6. Figure out some non-ride activities for the whole family to enjoy since I am traveling with two people who do not like coasters (DH and DD-in-law) and an infant who will limit some of the rides we can go on all together.
7. Get some pins off of e-bay for trading. I think DS will love this activity!

Well, there are some of my pre-trip issues I hope to resolve using this thread. I'll let you know my progess and hope that you can provide as much (or little) feedback as you want.

 

[jforever52]

Okay, so my mission today was to figure out the Disneyland Dining Plan, which is somewhat different that the plan offered at Disney World.

Our group is getting the Goofy 3-day dining plan which includes (per person) 3 resort dining vouchers, 3 $15 vouchers and 3 snack voucher's per person. For the children the only difference is that the $15 voucher is a $10 voucher.

My biggest concern was where we could use the resort vouchers. After finding no helpful information at all on the Disney Parks website, I called Disneyland dining.

I was told that the resort dining vouchers could be used at restaraunts in the parks and Disney Hotels (not in Downtown Disney). Basically, there are two character meals you can use these voucher's for: Minnie's Character Breakfast at the Plaza Inn or Chip and Dale's Character breakfast at Storyteller's Cafe at the Grand California. Ariel's Grotto is NOT included.

The voucher's have a maximum value. If the meal is over that value you pay the difference. I was also told that we could not use the resort credit's toward a premium dining experience and pay the difference.

The Big Thunder Mountain BBQ is included! This was the one dining experience I was looking forward to!!!

I think I have the dining down. Now I have to wait until 60 days out to make by ADR's. Any suggestions on where to go?

 

[DizNee Luver]

I am so excited! Today I booked our upcoming trip to Disneyland and now I am starting my first pre-trip report (or report for that matter).
Here are the characters:

This is me (32) my DH (32) and DS (6) at Disney World in May 2009. Or should I say during our trip during the "Great Rains of 2009." I have always loved Disney. When DH met me in college one of my favorite outfits to sport was these brown courdorouy overalls with pooh bear on them...silly I know. Our wedding topper was mickey and minnie and I've been collecting Disney snow globes for a long time. DH loves Disney just because we get to be together as a family on vacation. He also loves the dining and firework shows.

Also joining us this time will be my DD (6 months) and my mother and father in law. We will be traveling to Disneyland from Northern California. It's about a 7-8 hour drive. So we have scheduled two days for travel and three days in the park starting June 18, 2010 and ending June 22, 2010.

We are staying in a good neighbor resort: The Embassy Suites Anaheim South in a double suite. Which I hope is big enough to drown out the snoring I know my father-in-law is prone to do.

As a child I traveled to Disneyland with my family just about every year until I was a teanager. I have so many great memories of Disneyland! My last trip to Disneyland was in 2000, when all my siblings and myself were adults (or close to it) and I was newly married. DH came along too of course.

In 2006 we had to go to Florida for a wedding and thought we would pop by Disney World for three days just to see what it was like...we did NO pre-planning whatsoever other than book our hotel. Boy were we under prepared!!! Regardless, we have been back to Disney World twice since then. Once in 2007 for a family reunion and in 2009 to celebrate my mother-in-law's 50th birthday. Given the new baby, we thought that we should go back to our local Disney spot this year and I am so excited to go.

Things to Do Prior to Trip:

1. Figure out the dining plan at Disneyland. I understand it is a little different than the plan offered at Disney World, so I have to figure out the ins and outs.
2. Make ADR's.
3. Plan a special surprise for DH and DD in the room one evening.
4. Work out breastfeading issues (really a non-issue since I'm not too shy about breastfeeding in public but I still want to map out some potentially quiter areas to take DD when she needs some down time).
5. Research new attractions/changes since my last trip in 2000. I especially excited about the Color's of the Wind I've been hearing about, but I'm not sure where it is etc.
6. Figure out some non-ride activities for the whole family to enjoy since I am traveling with two people who do not like coasters (DH and DD-in-law) and an infant who will limit some of the rides we can go on all together.
7. Get some pins off of e-bay for trading. I think DS will love this activity!

Well, there are some of my pre-trip issues I hope to resolve using this thread. I'll let you know my progess and hope that you can provide as much (or little) feedback as you want.

The Disneyland Dining Plan is not worth doing. We did it our first trip in 2005 & it was more bother than it was helpful. You have to be very careful to figure your totals when paying with these, as you won't get change back. You can actually lose money using these. I'd suggest if you want to pre-pay for the meals.....buy Disney Gift Cards. We spent a lot of time, holding up the lines trying to get as close to the total as we could with these vouchers. The plan at WDW actually is a great idea & can save you money...but not this one!!

You can make your Priority Seating 60 days out. I'd suggest making them for ALL the meals that allow you to do so. Summertime can be quite busy & having these reservations will keep you from waiting for long periods of time to get seated.

Disneyland has a baby center right off Main Street. There's a little "alley" right before the Plaza Inn. Turn right at the Camera shop & you will find it on the right side. They have changing tables & rocking chairs for nursing moms. California Adventure has one next to the Mission Tortilla factory.

Lots of changes at DCA. The World of Color is to open June 11th...so the crowds when you are there will be quite large. This is held in the big lagoon by Paradise Pier. It sounds like you will need to obtain a pass for admittance to watch since the crowds are expected to be huge. At this time, Grizzly River Run Fastpass machines will give out these show passes until they run out & then the machine will convert back to GRR FP's. Make sure you get to the machines first thing at opening for the day you want to see it.

The entertainment at Disneyland is awesome!!! Make sure you go see Aladdin, the Musical in DCA. This broadway caliber production will be leaving mid-August & it really is going to be missed. The Golden Horseshoe in Frontierland has a funny musical show that is really good. It features a band called Billy Hill & the Hillbillies. The parades, Fantasmic & the Fireworks are always good. Attractions good for families: Enchanted Tiki Room, Pirates, Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, The Mark Twain Sternwheeler, The train, & Small World.
If you want to take a break from the crowds....walk thru Downtown Disney to the Disneyland Hotel. The lobby area is filled with memorabilia!!! The grounds also have a beautiful waterfall area. A lot of people miss this since they don't stay at the hotel....but we always take a couple hours to wander the grounds. It's a wonderful break!

Hope this helps a little & can't wait to see what else you plan between now & June. We're going in July & are already super excited!!!!

 

[jforever52]

The Disneyland Dining Plan is not worth doing. We did it our first trip in 2005 & it was more bother than it was helpful. You have to be very careful to figure your totals when paying with these, as you won't get change back. You can actually lose money using these. I'd suggest if you want to pre-pay for the meals.....buy Disney Gift Cards. We spent a lot of time, holding up the lines trying to get as close to the total as we could with these vouchers. The plan at WDW actually is a great idea & can save you money...but not this one!!

You can make your Priority Seating 60 days out. I'd suggest making them for ALL the meals that allow you to do so. Summertime can be quite busy & having these reservations will keep you from waiting for long periods of time to get seated.

Disneyland has a baby center right off Main Street. There's a little "alley" right before the Plaza Inn. Turn right at the Camera shop & you will find it on the right side. They have changing tables & rocking chairs for nursing moms. California Adventure has one next to the Mission Tortilla factory.

Lots of changes at DCA. The World of Color is to open June 11th...so the crowds when you are there will be quite large. This is held in the big lagoon by Paradise Pier. It sounds like you will need to obtain a pass for admittance to watch since the crowds are expected to be huge. At this time, Grizzly River Run Fastpass machines will give out these show passes until they run out & then the machine will convert back to GRR FP's. Make sure you get to the machines first thing at opening for the day you want to see it.

Hope this helps a little & can't wait to see what else you plan between now & June. We're going in July & are already super excited!!!!

I wonder why they don't use the same dining plan that they have in Disney World? At this time I'm considering canceling the dining (if I can get out of it that is).

In regards to the chilcare station: I am marking these spots on my map. I think they will come in handy.

Thanks for this tidbit of information about World of Color. DH will be sent for FP's!!!!

You've been so helpful. Hope you guys have a great time in July...hopefully it won't be too hot

 

[DizNee Luver]

I wonder why they don't use the same dining plan that they have in Disney World? At this time I'm considering canceling the dining (if I can get out of it that is).

In regards to the chilcare station: I am marking these spots on my map. I think they will come in handy.

Thanks for this tidbit of information about World of Color. DH will be sent for FP's!!!!

You've been so helpful. Hope you guys have a great time in July...hopefully it won't be too hot

I wish Disneyland offered the same Dining Plan as WDW (we've never been....but I've researched it....just in case & have read quite a bit about it). Hopefully you can cancel it. We just didn't find it convenient or money saving at all.

Another wonderful place to take a break is the lobby of the Grand Californian Hotel. We took advantage of this quiet, darker setting to feed our twins last April. One of our girls is tube-fed, so getting to sit in a comfortable chair to feed her was a blessing!!

We're hoping for nice, warm weather...but not too hot!! With our very large family....we'll take advantage of the HoJo's pool & water play area with the kids. If you get bored you can check out my PTR....link is below!!

 

[mommy2allyandaveri]

I agree, the DL dining plan kind of stinks. I wish it were like DW too, we've never been but it sounds really great! If you like to "pre-pay" for things, you could always but Disney $ at the Disney store or get a gift card.

Other quiet spots might be:

-The walk way behind Thunder Mountain, careful there is a smoking area over there too
-In the Princess FF area, it's not aways in use and when it's not it's pretty vacant up there.
--I've also heard of moms nursing on rides like Pirates and Small World. It's a long ride and kind of dark.

 

[jforever52]

So last night me and my DH sat down and discussed how the Disneyland planning was going. I was in my normal obbessed planning mode; describing in detail all the things I had found out so far: dininng plan, world of color, the martial arts convention occurring the same weekend...

DH didn't seem to be that into my discussion. Finally I asked him what was up? I thought maybe I was putting him in Disney overload and needed to back off on the information. That was NOT it. DH confessed to me the following:

"I'm just not that excited about going to Disneyland. It's just not Disneyworld...its like the older neglected step-sister of Disney World."

WHAT!!!!!! Now, I grew up going to Disneyland every year as a child. I am fiercly loyal to DLR, even though our last three trips to Disney have occurred in Florida instead of Southern California. I am really excited that my kids are going to experience the Disney I experienced as a child. I need to come up with a way to pump my DH up about DLR. Any ideas?

*Update on the dining dilema: My DH has accepted the challenge to make the dining plan at DLR profitable. He is going to be in charge of all dining payments for the entire group (I'll still make the ADR choices) and he is convinced with careful use of the vouchers he can make the dining plan worth it. We'll see won't we!!! The plan is to keep our receipts during the three days to calculate whether or not we should have just used cash instead of the plan. I'll be sure to update the boards on our discovery after the trip.

Only one week or so till I can make my ADR's!

 

[jforever52]

Today I made two of our ADR reservations! Whoopie!

June 19th we are going to Big Thunder Ranch BBQ at 5pm. I am a little worried about the heat since it is outdoor seating. But the CM who made the reservation said that the area stays "pleasant" and would not be a problem.

June 20th we are going to Minnie and Friends Breakfast at the Plaza Inn at 8am. We will have a fully 90 minutes to eat and meet and greet. Should be a blast.

Both reservations note that we are celebrating a b-day in the group (we are celebrating my mom-in-laws b-day and my sons albeit a little early for him).

Tomorrow I'll call and make my last reservation. I am torn between another character meal or Wine Country. I just can't decide what to do. I guess I'll figure it out tomorrow.

 

[jforever52]

Let the countdown continue!!!

Reservations have been confirmed and I think I have a tentative schedule of events for our three days in the land.

Saturday, June 19th-Disneyland-
Most likely we'll start in frontierland and work our way around to tomorrowland (sort of how I remember doing it as a kid...why change what isn't broken?) We will watch Celebrate Parade and the fireworks. Maybe we'll see Billy Hill and the Hillbillys. We have a reservation at Big Thunder Ranch BBQ at 5:00pm. Most likely we'll also watch Fantasmic this night as well (the 10:30pm showing if I can keep DS up that late).

Sunday, June 20th-Plaza Inn Breakfast with Minnie and Friends at 8:00am. We'll then spend most of the day at California Adventure. We'll definitely take in Alladin and the Pixar Parade. Soarin' and Toy Story Mania are high on the priority list as well. If we did not get to Fantasmic on Saturday, we'll see it this night instead.

Monday, June 21st-I'm leaving the day open to hit rides that we didn't get to at either park. We are eating at Cafe Orleans at 12:30pm. We are also going to World of Colors on Monday as well (thought it may be less crowded on a Monday).

I've listed out some quiet areas for me to find when DD needs to take a break, eat etc. (thanks a bunch for the suggestions). They include:

-Baby Care center right before Plaza Inn in Disneyland
-Baby Care center next to Mission tortilla Factory in CA
-Lobby of Grand Californian Hotel
-Walkway behind Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
-Princess FF area
-Or dark slow rides like Small World or Pirates or the Storyland Boats or Train

We are also planning on taking a break mid-day to go back to the hotel and swim, nap etc. I'm concerned mostly about our nine month old DD getting over stimulated and losing it (as she is known to do).

We are driving down early in the morning (think 2am) to allow kids to sleep the majority of the drive. We'll probably drive home later in the day though as I'm sure we won't check out till the last minute.

Lastly, here are some pictures of my darling DD (8 months old) and the whole family on a recent trip to Golden Gate Park in San Francisco.

 

[Somegirl]

Your baby girl is adorable! Have a fun trip.

 

[jforever52]

Your baby girl is adorable! Have a fun trip.

Thanks, we think she's pretty cute too!!

 

[jforever52]

Trading pins have been ordered. Last night DH was given the responsibility to get on e-bay and find a lot of pins so that DS (6 yrs) could try his hand at pin trading. A warning to all: never drink and e-bay!!!!! Just kidding, DH had only had one beer, but in the excitment of it all ended up winning a bid for a lot of 20 pins while at the same time bidding on a second lot. Thankfully he was outbid on the second lot of pins, so we only ended up buying one set.
We are getting 20 pins for $16 with a lanyard...not too shabby. They have already been shipped out to us as of this morning so we should get them ASAP.
The plan is to have them in a care package for DS on the first day we arrive at the hotel. In the past our son has really enjoyed collecting autographs so I think the pin trading thing is going to be a blast for him.

 

[jforever52]

Friday the trading pins arrived. They are supercute!! Here they are:

The quality seems to be very good. We even have a 2010 Mickey. My only complaint is that we only got 2 of the 3 parts to Figment. I am pretty sure DS won't get to complete this pin set with pin trading since I don't believe Figment lives in Disneyland.

Here is a picture of my favorite.

More good news: Tomorrow I am picking up our travel documents and tickets from UPS. Only 2 1/2 weeks to go!!!

 

[jforever52]

Last week I picked up our travel documents from UPS. Here they are:

The packet included our luggage tags (which are too cute...much cuter than the ones we received when we last went to Disneyworld), our coupons for the free pin and laynard, tickets to Toontown Madness, and premium seating coupons for Alladin, Bug's Life, Animation Studio and Muppets 3D. The packet also had the tickets, bus passes and dining vouchers. Looks like we are all set.

World of Color is offering a picnic lunch deal for $14.99 which includes a reserved "seating" area, along with a lunch. They are taking orders online starting June 11th. We plan on booking our picnic lunches for Monday, June 21st. This will save us from having to deal with the fastpasses for the event. Plus the lunches comes with a reusable bag...I'm such a sucker for free souviners.

Last night our family drove to Oakland to see the A's play. It is about a 3 hours drive. DD (9 months) did very well on the trip, but got a little antsy at the end. The drive to LA from our house is about 8 hours. DH wants me to look into flights to LA instead of driving. We'll see if we can find something cheap enough last minute.

 

[DizNee Luver]

I sure hope you hubby has warmed up to the idea of Disneyland. Since I've never been to WDW, I can only tell him to keep in mind that DL is much smaller, more intimate & quaint. It also is the place that Walt walked down Main Street & started it all. If he keeps that in mind, he should fine DL a wonderful place to visit & hopefully not the ugly step-sister!! Hopefully he can go in with out trying to compare the 2 parks......you can't compare because they are so different. We love our little park & I hope he will too!!

You're sooooooo close now!! Your plans look great!! I'm glad you saw the picnic dinner for WofC. We actually went with the dinner package at Ariel's Grotto. I'll be interested in hearing how you liked the picnic & seating area for the show!!!

Your daughter is a cutie pie!!

Hope you ALL have a great time & feel the Disney magic when you enter the gates!!!

 

[jforever52]

I sure hope you hubby has warmed up to the idea of Disneyland. Since I've never been to WDW, I can only tell him to keep in mind that DL is much smaller, more intimate & quaint. It also is the place that Walt walked down Main Street & started it all. If he keeps that in mind, he should fine DL a wonderful place to visit & hopefully not the ugly step-sister!! Hopefully he can go in with out trying to compare the 2 parks......you can't compare because they are so different. We love our little park & I hope he will too!!

You're sooooooo close now!! Your plans look great!! I'm glad you saw the picnic dinner for WofC. We actually went with the dinner package at Ariel's Grotto. I'll be interested in hearing how you liked the picnic & seating area for the show!!!

Your daughter is a cutie pie!!

Hope you ALL have a great time & feel the Disney magic when you enter the gates!!!

Thanks for the good wishes. Good luck on your family trip as well. My hubby is excited about the trip. I think he just has the bug to go BIG and we are trying a scaled down vacation this summer because of the age of our little one. I know I can't wait to revisit your quaint little park down south. I love Disneyland!!!!

Can't wait to hear how Ariel's Grotto works out. I like the idea of paying for a picnic lunch and NOT having to deal with FP at the same time. I hope it works out in practice like it sounds in theory.

 

[DizNee Luver]

Hooray, I'm glad your hubby is excited about going now!!

The whole World of Color thing is going to be interesting until they get it down to a science.......I think the crowds are going to be huge & for them to keep going back & forth on how to deal with them & reserved seating, etc has just added to the problems & confusion. Hopefully it will get figured out before I pay $36 per plate......at that price, I better get a ticket for the reserved area!!

 

[jforever52]

Another item checked off my list!!! On June 10th I decided to just check and see if Disney was allowing orders for the WOC picnics..THEY WERE!!! I immediately ordered 4 all American adult meals and 1 jr all American for DS. At $74.95 with tickets for a reserved viewing area for WOC I think it was absolutely worth it. No waiting FP lines for us!!!! I'm especially excited given the great reviews of the show and the not so great reviews of the standard viewing areas here on the site.

This will also free up use of one our $15.00 vouchers in the dining plan. To compensate we plan on eating a character breakfast on Sunday and then have 2 quick service meals. I think this is going to be more food than we are used to. Usually we only eat two meals a day at Disney parks, along with a snack, given the amount of food they give you at the meals. Sunday may be titled "walk until those calories are burned" day!!!!

Doin' the happy dance as we are in the home stretch!

 

[DizNee Luver]

Woo Hoo on the picnics!!! I watched a youtube of the WoC show & it looks so good....I really can't wait to see it in person!!! We debated about the picnic & still might change our mind but for now we're set for dinner at Ariel's.

 

[jforever52]

DH convinced me not to watch the online video of the show....He wants to experience it first hand for the first time and he knows if I watch I won't be able to stop myself from sharing it with him! He was so cute about it that I'm honoring his wishes (I've been tempted to just watch it anyway and not tell him, Ha, Ha).