Seth's First Adventure to Disneyland! TR starts on page 5! Completed 5/3/12

DisneyStitch626

DIS Veteran
Joined
Feb 24, 2010
Ok, I wasn't originally going to do one of these, but I need something to keep me busy the next couple days. Plus I would really like to complete a TR this time. We will see how it goes.

So this trip came up kind of unexpectedly. My Mom has a friend down in California and he needed someone to house sit one of his investment properties in LA while it's up for sale. Of course, loving CA, she took him up on his offer. So she gets to live in a nice big house for weeks or even a month until it sells.

When she told me about this deal she gets to do, I jokingly said I wanted to come and take advantage of the free accommodations and visit Disneyland. She said "why not?".

At first I didn't take her comment too seriously. Of course I wanted to say "YES!!", but for many reasons, I didn't want to get any sort of hope up.

One: We can't afford to get funds together for tickets, food, gas, etc in just over a month.
Two: We have a brand new son who we would have to take with us
Three: Dillon only has one week of vacation left for the year that he wants to use at Christmas time.

So not thinking much more of it, one day my Mom suggests putting our Airmiles points together and getting the park tickets that way. This is her ploy in getting to see her Grandson because she can't go over a month without seeing him. Of course this starts me thinking that this trip might actually be a little bit possible. That's over $400 in savings! So with getting to stay nights for free and our tickets being covered, all we would have to pay for is food and gas to get down there.

Now it was time to talk to Dillon. I know he likes to have his time off at Christmas, so do you think he would be ok with a Disney Vacation in August instead? Once I told him what the deal was, he was all for it! :woohoo:

So the only other small obstacle is our son Seth. He will be two months old just before we leave. It will take some planning and major organization to take him on such a long trip, but we can manage. He is a good little boy!

So here is the scoop:


Who is going:

SurfsUpBreakfastStitchandMickey-1.jpg

Myself (Andrea) and my boyfriend Dillon

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Our son Seth

When:
August 12th-22nd.

We will be starting the trek down as soon as Dillon gets off work at 4:30 on Friday. We will be spending our first night in Butte, MT at a Motel 6. From there on Saturday we will be heading as far as Las Vegas. We will be staying at another Motel 6 there, but it is right on Fremont Street, so I am really looking forward to checking that out! Dillon wants to check out the Pinball Hall of Fame, so we will be doing that on Sunday before we finish the rest of the trip to the house in LA.

Our plan is to spend Monday-Friday in the parks. We are thinking Wednesday will be a good day to bring Seth in. My Mom is planning on coming in that day as well. I am really looking forward to being in the parks with most of my family that day. :)

On Tuesday we made a reservation to eat at Blue Bayou for dinner. This is really the only set plans we have made this trip. Being that we have a young child and it was a spur of the moment trip, we didn't want to make too many plans in case we can't afford it or we have to rush back to the house to a fussy boy. I would also like to attempt to see Fantasmic! this day. It would be a nice special evening with just Dillon and I. I am looking forward to it.

Then Saturday we are planning on hitting up a beach or two and checking out the Grammy Museum. One day a few weeks ago, there was a post on Facebook about a Michael Jackson exhibit there, so being a HUGE MJ fan, I decided I needed to check that out!

Then on Sunday we will begin our trip home with a stop over night and finish up on Monday.

It will be a long and interesting drive with a young baby, but I have confidence that we can do it as well as have a great time.

So that is the itinerary so far. I know it's only 2 days until we leave, so I am not sure how much more of a PTR I can do, but I am sure there will be a couple things to add here and there. Also depending on Wifi, I will try and update as we go along.
 


Way to go Andrea!!! Glad to see you brave the trip reports & put one up!!!! Now you'll have to share all the great details & pictures from the trip!!! :cool1:

The 2 days will fly by as you make sure you have everything packed (and believe me I know how much needs to be packed for babies & road trips).

I guess I missed the part that you were staying for FREE while in LA!!! How awesome is that?? Getting to spend some time at the parks without the baby is a great plan....I'm glad you were able to arrange that. I hope you get a picture of him with a character or two...that will be sooooooo sweet!!!

I'm interested in seeing pics & reviews of the museums your going to as well. Sounds like a super fun trip!!! :banana:
 
So here is my to do list for the next couple days:

-Finish Seth's laundry - done
-Pack Seth's bag - done
-Finish packing our bags
-Buy some drinks and snacks for the road - done
-Charge camera batteries - done
-Dr Appointment tomorrow at 9:50 - skipped
-Get an oil change done on my car and possibly a wash - done
-Nail and pedicure appointment tomorrow night at 7:00 - done
-Rest of Seth's photos to be done at 10:00am on Friday
-Get Mya's food for the week/Give feeding instructions to Kyle (roommate)
-Go to the bank to get some US funds - done
-Put passports/birth certificate in purse

There is probably more, but we are going to Dillon's Mom's for dinner, so will update later!
 
:cool1: Unplanned Disney trips are the best kind!

They are, aren't they? And welcome! :goodvibes

Way to go Andrea!!! Glad to see you brave the trip reports & put one up!!!! Now you'll have to share all the great details & pictures from the trip!!! :cool1:

The 2 days will fly by as you make sure you have everything packed (and believe me I know how much needs to be packed for babies & road trips).

I guess I missed the part that you were staying for FREE while in LA!!! How awesome is that?? Getting to spend some time at the parks without the baby is a great plan....I'm glad you were able to arrange that. I hope you get a picture of him with a character or two...that will be sooooooo sweet!!!

I'm interested in seeing pics & reviews of the museums your going to as well. Sounds like a super fun trip!!! :banana:

Thanks for joining Laurie! I am super excited! And I hope to keep up on the TR when we get back. With a bit of pushing I should be able to do it! ;)
 


I am here Andrea!!!
Can't believe your trip is already almost here!
 
:cool1: Unplanned Disney trips are the best kind!
They totally are! in fact on my way back from a work trip, we decided at the last minute to pack our bags and drive down to California for 2 weeks. I ended up lying to work :rolleyes1 and we disappeared. Best trip EVER :rotfl:

So here is my to do list for the next couple days:

-Nail and pedicure appointment tomorrow night at 7:00
I like that you are getting your toes done! that's the most important part of a trip :cheer2: show us what you do, make sure to add some Disney somewhere in there!
 
I actually bought some Mickey nail stickers recently so if I can't get them to incorporate Disney, I will add my touches after!
 
Hey Andrea! I'm sure you guys will have a wonderful time. I'm so excited for you guys. The route you guys are taking is the same one we took last summer coming back To Alaska from Anaheim. It is a nice trip.

I just back from getting my pedicure a little bit ago.:goodvibes I love them.
 
So after a yummy dinner at Dillon's Mom's house tonight, we made a quick trip to Walmart to get some milk and decided to get our drinks and snacks for the road while we were there. That way we aren't spending too much money on food other than meals on the way down.

We didn't get the healthiest stuff. I got some Handi-Snacks (crackers and cheese) and Gatorade. And Dillon got gummy worms and apple juice. His Mom also gave us a big tub of hand picked raspberries from her yard, so at least there's something healthy to balance it out a bit! Lol.

Also we went to Bentley, a bag store, in the mall and to look for small shoulder backpacks to carry water and things in while in the parks. They were only $10 each so we got one for each of us.

backpacks.jpg


Tomorrow I will be running around like crazy. Got a Dr. App in the morning, then going to take my car in for an oil change right after. Then I have to go to the bank and take out some cash and change it to US funds. Hopefully Seth is a good boy through all that running!
 
Hey Andrea! I'm sure you guys will have a wonderful time. I'm so excited for you guys. The route you guys are taking is the same one we took last summer coming back To Alaska from Anaheim. It is a nice trip.

I just back from getting my pedicure a little bit ago.:goodvibes I love them.

Hey Chrissie! It is a very nice drive. It is the one we did last October as well. Dillon is not a fan of Utah though, lol. He found that area very boring. Not sure why. Just too brown and dry looking, but maybe it was the time of year. :confused3

I have only gotten a pedicure done once before, and I really enjoyed it. For a baby shower gift, someone gave me a gift card to get a Spa Pedicure done. Not sure what that entitles, but it sure sounds nice! I am looking forward to it for sure! Did you get anything fancy done to yours?
 
Yeah, I have to agree with Dillon. Utah is not very pretty. I'm sure it has it's pretty areas, we just probably didn't see them.:confused3

I didn't get anything to fancy on my feet. Just some pretty polish and a flower painted on my big toes. I'm sure you will LOVE getting yours tomorrow night.

Sounds like you have everything pretty organized for your trip. Seems like things take alot more planning with a little one, doesn't it? I remember when mine were little, just going to the grocery store could turn into a major event. But, enjoy it while you can, they outgrow it quickly.

That is wonderful that your Mom will be there to watch Seth so you and Dillon can have grown up time in the park together. We ate at Blue Bayou last summer, it was delicious and so pretty. You forget your not actually in a Bayou. The food was excellent, we both had the Fliet Mignon and lobster tail. So, if you guys are beef eaters, that would be a good choice. The only thing missing for me was a glass of wine. Oh, and be sure to wait for a waterside table, you won't regret it.:)
 
Yeah, I have to agree with Dillon. Utah is not very pretty. I'm sure it has it's pretty areas, we just probably didn't see them.:confused3

I didn't get anything to fancy on my feet. Just some pretty polish and a flower painted on my big toes. I'm sure you will LOVE getting yours tomorrow night.

Sounds like you have everything pretty organized for your trip. Seems like things take alot more planning with a little one, doesn't it? I remember when mine were little, just going to the grocery store could turn into a major event. But, enjoy it while you can, they outgrow it quickly.

That is wonderful that your Mom will be there to watch Seth so you and Dillon can have grown up time in the park together. We ate at Blue Bayou last summer, it was delicious and so pretty. You forget your not actually in a Bayou. The food was excellent, we both had the Fliet Mignon and lobster tail. So, if you guys are beef eaters, that would be a good choice. The only thing missing for me was a glass of wine. Oh, and be sure to wait for a waterside table, you won't regret it.:)

Oh I am willing to wait for a waterside table, that's for sure. This will be our first time eating there, so I'd like to try and get a good spot! And the Filet Mignon is what I was thinking about trying. Not sure about the lobster part though.

It is kind of a pain to run errands now, just because taking the car seat in and out is kind of heavy, and it's just a lot of work! Plus feeding and stuff has to be timed properly. But I will manage. While I am waiting for my cars oil change at Walmart, I can probably feed him in McDonald's. I just hope tomorrow isn't one of his fussy days!
 
Dillon is not a fan of Utah though, lol. He found that area very boring. Not sure why. Just too brown and dry looking,
I agree we said the same thing. The drive was interesting into the canyon, but didn't particularly like Utah itself. Made a 4 long hours.

It is kind of a pain to run errands now, just because taking the car seat in and out is kind of heavy, and it's just a lot of work! Plus feeding and stuff has to be timed properly. But I will manage. While I am waiting for my cars oil change at Walmart
Busy busy! you make me really excited about our trip! going to be a blast!
 

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