Halloween Quest PTR~~THE TRIP IS OFFICIALLY OFF!

[DizNee Luver]

We Finally Have Our Dates!!!!!!

We will be leaving September 30 & returning October 10th!!!!!

We're going to be driving down this time, so 2 days down & 2 days coming back. Now hoping that the Trick or Treat Party starts up at the end of September, so we'll have the option of attending it twice.....there's some speculation that the 1st party of the year will be October 7th....we're hoping that's not the case.....otherwise it will be crazy busy!!! (this is already Colombus Day Weekend)

Now onto canceling our ressie at the HoJo's & trying to rebook for our new dates!!!

Halloween time here we come!!!!!!!!

 

[smile4stamps]

Woo-hoo!!!! So excited you must be!! I should be there somewhere in that time as my AP expires the 13th!

 

[DizNee Luver]

Woo-hoo!!!! So excited you must be!! I should be there somewhere in that time as my AP expires the 13th!

Yay!!!! I hope so!! That would be awesome to meet up!!

 

[TheColtonsMom]

We Finally Have Our Dates!!!!!!

We will be leaving September 30 & returning October 10th!!!!!

We're going to be driving down this time, so 2 days down & 2 days coming back. Now hoping that the Trick or Treat Party starts up at the end of September, so we'll have the option of attending it twice.....there's some speculation that the 1st party of the year will be October 7th....we're hoping that's not the case.....otherwise it will be crazy busy!!! (this is already Colombus Day Weekend)

Now onto canceling our ressie at the HoJo's & trying to rebook for our new dates!!!

Halloween time here we come!!!!!!!!

So happy you finally got your dates! So sad they don not overlap with mine

 

[DizNee Luver]

So happy you finally got your dates! So sad they don not overlap with mine

I know....I wasn't happy when I found out we couldn't go in the middle of October as I wanted....now I'm missing both divas mini meets!!! At least we finally got approved for his vacation.......hopefully we'll run in to some of the DIS people while we're there........just disappointed we're not going to hang out as planned!!

 

[WDWJonasGirl]

That's awesome!! I'm so happy for you guys!!

 

[DizNee Luver]

Thank you very much!!!! We're pretty excited to be going during one of the holiday seasons at the park!!

 

[DizNee Luver]

So now that I have dates, here's a look at what we're thinking:

Friday, Sept 30~~Leave Salem & head south. Stop for the night in Sacramento.....hoping to find a place for dinner where some of my Diva friends from the area can join us!!

Saturday, Oct 1~~Leave Sacramento & head to Anaheim. Check in to the Residence Inn-Maingate. We're looking at getting a 1 bdrm suite (2 queens, 1 sofa bed). The suites come with fully equipped kitchens, separate living & dining areas, free parking, free internet, outdoor pool & kiddie pool, BBQ area, free breakfast, free dinners on Monday & Wednesday, etc. The only downside is possibly the walk.....not for Mike & I but for Anthony & Addy after a long day at the parks. We do have the option of using ART, but I'd prefer not to have to go that route!

Sunday, Oct 2~~DISNEYLAND!!
Monday, Oct 3~~DISNEYLAND!!
Tuesday, Oct 4~~DISNEYLAND!! (hopefully there will be a Halloween Party offered this night)
Wednesday, Oct 5~~DISNEYLAND!!
Thursday, Oct 6~~DISNEYLAND!!
Friday, Oct 7~~DISNEYLAND!! (probably a Halloween Party this night....hoping it's not the first one)

Now we will arrive on the weekend of Gay Days.....doesn't bug me & hopefully Sunday afternoon, things will start slowing down a bit.

I figure the Friday will be super busy too.....especially since this is the start of Columbus Day weekend.

Saturday, Oct 8~~Check out of our motel & drive to Torrance. We're going to visit my brother who is a minister in Torrance. We'll spend the night here.

Sunday, Oct 9~~Possibly go to my brothers church before heading back North to Redding. This is where we'll stop for the night.

Monday, Oct 10~~Leave Redding & head north to Salem.

We're planning on doing all 5 character breakfasts, Carnation Cafe & the new restaurant opening at the Disneyland Hotel: Tangaroa Terrace for breakfast.

Dinners will be at Taste Pilot's Grill, Hungry Bear Restaurant, Tangaroa Terrace, Celebration BBQ, PCH Grill, Cafe Orleans & Johnny Rockets (which is in the Gardenwalk).

We only do 2 meals a day & that is plenty!!

I haven't decided if we're going to try to do the Fantasmic Dessert Seating, but we've decided not to do the WoC (always have the FP option if we decide to go). We'll do the Halloween Party twice if it's offered. I know we'll only trick or treat the one time, but we want the other perks of smaller crowds, Halloween Calvacade & special Halloween fireworks.

Next on my agenda is to find our motel for the trip down, our night in Torrance & the one night on the way home. I of course need to book our Disneyland portion as well.....but after reading reviews, seeing pics & researching on the DIS......we feel the Residence Inn would be a great fit for my family.

(Image found on Google Images)

 

[smile4stamps]

I'm so excited for you that you are able to start planning!!! I know it must have been awful not knowing if you could go!

Now all we need are Halloween Party dates!

I hope that hotel works out for you! I take it the HoJo was not available?

 

[DizNee Luver]

I'm so excited for you that you are able to start planning!!! I know it must have been awful not knowing if you could go!

Now all we need are Halloween Party dates!

I hope that hotel works out for you! I take it the HoJo was not available?

Unfortunately it wasn't.........the mgr was going to put us in the queen suite (kinda an exception...because technically the rooms are all a limit of 5) but anyways.......they only have one of those suites & it was already booked. So we had to find a new place......we looked at the Desert Palms but the reviews were all over the place, the Portofino seemed to be more negative than good & finding a place for 6 of us proved to be a bit hard.

So trying a new place that seems to get high reviews on here as well as Trip Advisor. The last BAD review was from 2009......not bad odds!!

 

[TheColtonsMom]

Unfortunately it wasn't.........the mgr was going to put us in the queen suite (kinda an exception...because technically the rooms are all a limit of 5) but anyways.......they only have one of those suites & it was already booked. So we had to find a new place......we looked at the Desert Palms but the reviews were all over the place, the Portofino seemed to be more negative than good & finding a place for 6 of us proved to be a bit hard.

So trying a new place that seems to get high reviews on here as well as Trip Advisor. The last BAD review was from 2009......not bad odds!!

We stay at a residence inn in Texas when we visit my step-daughter down there. It is so much more like a home away from home than a regular motel room and when she was little the full kitchen made it so we didn't eat out all the time and we got to bake cookies and things like that you normally cannot do in a hotel room. We used to rent a really big one that had the kitchen, a living room and an upstairs master suite with a balcony so we could watch the kids... in the living room there were 2 pull out sofas and a murphy bed. Now there aren't so many of us we get one like what you are getting but we love that hotel.

 

[TheColtonsMom]

I know you read it in my TR but we had a great experience with ART...but we didn't have a stroller and you do so maybe one of you could ride ART with Anthony & Addy and the other could push the twins home in the stroller? I don't know but as happy as Colton was to walk TO the parks in the morning he was more than glad for ART at night.

 

[DizNee Luver]

We stay at a residence inn in Texas when we visit my step-daughter down there. It is so much more like a home away from home than a regular motel room and when she was little the full kitchen made it so we didn't eat out all the time and we got to bake cookies and things like that you normally cannot do in a hotel room. We used to rent a really big one that had the kitchen, a living room and an upstairs master suite with a balcony so we could watch the kids... in the living room there were 2 pull out sofas and a murphy bed. Now there aren't so many of us we get one like what you are getting but we love that hotel.

I know you read it in my TR but we had a great experience with ART...but we didn't have a stroller and you do so maybe one of you could ride ART with Anthony & Addy and the other could push the twins home in the stroller? I don't know but as happy as Colton was to walk TO the parks in the morning he was more than glad for ART at night.

I like the idea of the kitchen....eventhough I don't see us actually cooking in there.....but you never know!

We HATED the ART!! We used it on our trip in 09. We had Addy's stroller & people crowded in front of us, we had to stand on the trip back every single time. So we'd be holding Addy, holding the stroller, holding our bags & trying not to fall over. We also had issues of them picking us up at the Motel 6. We were the last stop & if they were full, they skipped us.

The morning we had our ToonTown early entry (and the only day on the trip we could do it).....we got out to the curb before 6:30am. We were the 2nd group there. We waited & waited & waited, of course more people showed up. We went in & complained to the motel that the bus hadn't come yet. Pick up time was at 7am & it was now 7:30. They called & at 8:15 a bus showed up but could only take 6 people.......people pushed forward & people that had just got out there jumped on. We waited & waited again & finally an empty bus showed up at 8:45. They then proceeded to go to the next motel & the bus driver actually had the nerve to tell us we'd better make room for the dozen people standing there or he wasn't going to move the bus! I was shocked!!

After that trip we made sure we were close enough to walk......I won't use them again!!

PS: the twins each have their own stroller, so it would take both Mike & I to push them back to the motel. The kids will be tired, but I think they'll do ok (I hope.....lol)

 

[Teki]

YOUR LAST DISNEYLAND DAY IS ON MY BIRTHDAY! If i cant be in the parks im glad someone will be lol

I'm so excited for you guys and I cant wait to see the picks of the new restaurant it sounds pretty awesome!

also totally agree about the Art its the pits, we had crummy experiences both times we tried to use it, our hotel is kind of a walk also but Im hopeing well make it with out getting on the dreaded Art lol

 

[DizNee Luver]

YOUR LAST DISNEYLAND DAY IS ON MY BIRTHDAY! If i cant be in the parks im glad someone will be lol

I'm so excited for you guys and I cant wait to see the picks of the new restaurant it sounds pretty awesome!

You should come for your birthday......just saying.....

I'm really excited to try the new restaurant, I saw the write up on it & it sounds delicious. For breakfast they have french toast with caramel/bananas....yummy!! Lunch & Dinner has island burgers & pulled pork.....scrumptous sounding.....can't wait!!!

 

[GoofySon'sMom]

Yay!

I've been a way for a bit ... so glad to see that you have your dates! Looking forward to your PTR. That will be about the time we start planning next years trip to Cali!

 

[DizNee Luver]

Yay!

I've been a way for a bit ... so glad to see that you have your dates! Looking forward to your PTR. That will be about the time we start planning next years trip to Cali!

Welcome Back Vicki!!!

Woo Hoo another trip to Cali!!!!!!!

 

[GoofySon'sMom]

Welcome Back Vicki!!!

Woo Hoo another trip to Cali!!!!!!!

Yep. I really thought our trip last year would be a one and done but I was wrong. My heart definitely belongs to Disney World but I loved DLR as well. So the plan will be to take two weeks ... fly into San Diego to spend a few days with family & definitely go to Sea World, then drive up and spend about a week in Disney and then drive up to San Fran for the rest of the trip and fly out there. Course I have to figure out how to pay for all that!

 

[DizNee Luver]

Yep. I really thought our trip last year would be a one and done but I was wrong. My heart definitely belongs to Disney World but I loved DLR as well. So the plan will be to take two weeks ... fly into San Diego to spend a few days with family & definitely go to Sea World, then drive up and spend about a week in Disney and then drive up to San Fran for the rest of the trip and fly out there. Course I have to figure out how to pay for all that!

Vicki that sounds like an awesome trip!!! We've tried to plan in San Diego & San Francisco....but it just hasn't worked out for us........YET!!! Not giving up on doing this at some point.

Ahhhh, yessssssss......the money part.......hitting the lottery would be great!!

 

[DizNee Luver]

Here's the plan for the motels we'll be staying at for our trip.

Sept 30, we'll stop in Sacramento/Roseville & stay at the Homewood Suites:

Oct 1 to 8, we'll stay at the Residence Inn-Maingate:

We'll spend one night in Torrance, staying at the Staybridge Suites:

Then our last night on the road will be in Red Bluff at the Hampton Inn & Suites:

Pics are different sizes, but they were "borrowed" from the motel's websites & google images.