PTR: And now for something completely different - a WDW Family does DLR *(new October 9th)*

[khertz]

I'm glad you were able to get the ADRs you wanted! I know how stressful it can be planning for DL, when in theory it should actually be LESS stressful. lol As WDW vets we are so used to planning things at 180 days and 60 days, etc. Less than that seems like barely enough time!!

 

[Dugette]

Glad that you finally have those ADRs booked for your trip! What a relief to not have to worry about that.

Your kitchen is looking great!

I can't wait to hear the day-by-day plans. And I'm excited at how soon your trip is. Originally, our tentative trip was November (after Dug's work retreat), but that got pushed back to February, so now that is our tentative plan - meaning I should have plenty of time to read about your trip and take notes!

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Wow... our schools started a month ago. Ridiculously early, IMO.

Looks good! I'm glad that you're back in your kitchen now!

Cool idea!

I know! It's a totally different monster out there.

I love it... 1st brunch, 2nd brunch. That's my kind of meal planning.

The plans, as a whole, look good. Should be a fun trip!

It is kinda funny how different the school years can be. We must be the latest as even some towns near us went back this week but we aren't until after Labor Day

Hoping things work out with the GoPro - definitely enjoyed others Disney videos done using a GoPro - but with this being my first try, who knows

I love brunch as I really love breakfast foods but generally am not hungry when I first wake up - so having those types of food by later (and perhaps adding in an adult beverage) make it a pretty perfect meal for me

Yum, those nachos look delicious!
And I love the Star Wars meme

I love how your kitchen turned out. I love a farm sink and hopefully will have one when we re-do our kitchen.... someday.....

Your plans look great! I want to come along just for all the dining options, they sound delish. And lots of beer options...

I have read the Cove bar can be crowded but hopefully we will fit that in - seems like something we would like and would make for a good snack!

Definitely have to tie in some beer options

I'm glad you were able to get the ADRs you wanted! I know how stressful it can be planning for DL, when in theory it should actually be LESS stressful. lol As WDW vets we are so used to planning things at 180 days and 60 days, etc. Less than that seems like barely enough time!!

Exactly! I assume a lot of the stress for me is that this is my first time and if this was something I was more used to it wouldn't be a big deal. Oh well, one thing that is nice is now that it is set the trip is only like 6 weeks out so starting to ramp up the excitement!

Glad that you finally have those ADRs booked for your trip! What a relief to not have to worry about that.

Your kitchen is looking great!

I can't wait to hear the day-by-day plans. And I'm excited at how soon your trip is. Originally, our tentative trip was November (after Dug's work retreat), but that got pushed back to February, so now that is our tentative plan - meaning I should have plenty of time to read about your trip and take notes!

I know - it just feels better not having to worry about things!

Ooh, February should be nice - I assume they would still have the 60th Anniversary stuff going on then. I guess first lesson is to figure out hotel and stuff early but after that you are on hold a bit for detailed plans ... and to try and not stress, etc. about it .... easier said than done of course

 

[Leshaface]

social calendar for the year

Woah she has a social calendar?! I feel like a loser now, I get excited when I have drinks scheduled a month in advance with friends

Looks great, like the color of the cabinets!

Mother Shucker which included all you could drink beer (plus highly boozy pina coladas) and all you could each oysters and pork products

Oh my gosh, yes.

As a WDW veteran/uber planner it was driving me a little bonkers that they still haven't fully released October hours for Disneyland Resort. Finally this morning at least I was able to book the last few ADRs I wanted as that opened up so that is making me feel a bit more at ease. I know getting ADRs at DLR isn't as tough as at WDW, but a few I was hoping to get at specific times, and just feel better having those confirmation numbers in my spreadsheets

Yep it is really annoying that they put the park hours out super late.

- Travel day. We don't land until ~8pm so will likely just grab something at the San Diego Airport or on the way or at the hotel or something. Any suggestions are appreciated

In-n-Out?!?

- Lobster Nachos for afternoon snack @ Cove Bar

YES! Lobster nachos definitely needs its own time slot for sure. They are divine!

- Lunch at Blue Bayou (got an 11:00 ADR so hoping that helps with getting a waterside table)

I'd definitely wait for a waterside table if they ask if you want to wait. The other tables are very meh compared to those.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Woah she has a social calendar?! I feel like a loser now, I get excited when I have drinks scheduled a month in advance with friends

Looks great, like the color of the cabinets!

Oh my gosh, yes.

I know - we are trying to keep it to just one thing a day and weekends free ... she seems to do better when she has activities though vs just lounging in the house

Thanks! We are quite happy with how the kitchen is turning out

It was a fun event - could have used more food stations as the lines were long at the beginning though

Yep it is really annoying that they put the park hours out super late.

In-n-Out?!?

YES! Lobster nachos definitely needs its own time slot for sure. They are divine!

I'd definitely wait for a waterside table if they ask if you want to wait. The other tables are very meh compared to those.

In-n-Out is a great idea as I would like to try that at some point and I just checked google maps and there is one just north of the airport. Only issue is Judi doesn't eat beef and doesn't look like much else on the menu - but perhaps she can live with fries and shakes? Do see on the "no so secret menu" they do a grilled cheese

Hoping with having the earliest ADR will help get the waterside table and we plan to go check in a bit early too ... but will definitely wait as that view is a huge reason I want to eat there!

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Part 17 - One Month From Today: October 10th - travel day!​

First, since I don't think there will be a lot of pictures in this update I will post a picture of the kids from the first day of school which we had this past Tuesday:




So as we are getting close I thought it would be good to write out "one month from today" posts as I enjoy them when @Dugette does them and hopefully it will help me plan any outstanding details - or at least identify holes.

One month from today is when we fly out to San Diego but travel will really start the day before as after Olivia gets home from school we will drive out to Judi's parents house in central PA as we will be leaving our dogs with them while we are gone.

We will spend the night there and probably right after lunch head down to Dulles International Airport - it's the easiest big airport to get to from their house and we've done pretty good in the past finding flights from there

Our flight is scheduled to leave at 5:45 and if you recall my last TR where we wound up cutting it close to departure time by the time we got to the airport, I want to leave plenty of time for this trip. It takes about 2.5 hours to drive there so if we leave by 1 I think we will be good. I will drop Judi, the kids, and our bags off at the airport and go drop the car off at a hotel we have used in the past for leaving the car parked and then they have a shuttle to the airport.

After getting through security we will look for food. If we are running short on time we will probably just pick up something at like Potbelly. If we have some more time I'd like to check our Bar Symon - Micheal Symon's new restaurant that just opened there. Looks like a good menu, and you can get beer flights

mmmmm, Porky Fries: (picture from yelp)

As mentioned, our flight is scheduled to leave at 5:45pm EST and scheduled to land in San Diego at 8:06pm PST - which will feel like 11:06pm to us.

We will pick up our car which we are renting through Budget via USAA discounts. I believe one has to take a shuttle to the Budget location so I suspect that we will do the reverse of departure and I will go get the car and come back to pick Judi and the Kids and all our stuff up.

We will see how we are doing hunger wise - either get something quick at the airport or, as @Leshaface suggested, try In-N-Out Burger as we have never been there and I saw via google maps that there is one right north of the airport.

We will then head to our hotel, which is the Embassy Suites San Diego - La Jolla. It project it will take about 1/2 hour to get there.

(photo of lobby from the embassy suite website)

I fully expect the kids to have fallen asleep in the car so probably Judi will stay in the car while I go check in and then we can try to transfer the kids into the room. Hopefully Judi and I can stay awake a little while just to try and adjust but suspect we will be tired out and go to bed shortly after.

And, hey, we need our rest as we have double brunch the next day

 

[Dugette]

Sounds like a good start! Given that it's second dinner, Judi may well get by fine with a shake or something from In-n-Out. I wonder if any of the kids will even stay awake long enough to try something there. Hope it goes well adjusting to the new time zone with the late arrival. At least you have two brunches to help you adjust to the time in the morning!

 

[MarbleBob]

One month from today (yesterday), how exciting!!!!!

Those porky fries look tasty!

I second the suggestion about trying In-n-Out. So good!

 

[NJlauren]

In and out! I can't wait to try this either!

I love that you also plan your possible airport food!

Also I am assuming your bringing a stroller? And all your luggage? What size car do you rent? (Sorry I like to pick your brain for all the good tips!)

 

[missangelalexis]

One more month! That is very exciting

Sounds like a good start to the trip! Hope you get to try In-n-Out!

 

[Leshaface]

In-n-Out is a great idea as I would like to try that at some point and I just checked google maps and there is one just north of the airport. Only issue is Judi doesn't eat beef and doesn't look like much else on the menu - but perhaps she can live with fries and shakes? Do see on the "no so secret menu" they do a grilled cheese

DH LOVES the grilled cheese! Is Judi a fan of grilled onions? She could do the animal style fries with grilled onions and cheese. SO SO GOOD! And you can do animal style to the burgers too

Seriously, you made the best plan for a double brunch day! Who does that?! Phil does.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Sounds like a good start! Given that it's second dinner, Judi may well get by fine with a shake or something from In-n-Out. I wonder if any of the kids will even stay awake long enough to try something there. Hope it goes well adjusting to the new time zone with the late arrival. At least you have two brunches to help you adjust to the time in the morning!

yeah, I am sure they will be pretty out of it - hopefully they are just sleepy and not cranky

One month from today (yesterday), how exciting!!!!!

Those porky fries look tasty!

I second the suggestion about trying In-n-Out. So good!

Definitely getting excited - though it is funny in that in some ways it feels so close and other ways still feels a long way away

Definitely want to give In-n-Out a go and compare it to other burgers ... we have Shake Shack a lot with them having a stand at Citi Field

In and out! I can't wait to try this either!

I love that you also plan your possible airport food!

Also I am assuming your bringing a stroller? And all your luggage? What size car do you rent? (Sorry I like to pick your brain for all the good tips!)

Hey, gotta fully prepare when it comes to food - don't want to get to the airport and not know what my options are

Our plan is to bring this collapsible double-stroller - don't recall the make but we used it last trip to WDW and it worked out well. We have a mini-van rented. Only way really to fit three kids, three car seats, and all the stuff.

One more month! That is very exciting

Sounds like a good start to the trip! Hope you get to try In-n-Out!

Thanks! Hope we (or at least "I" if everyone else is asleep) get to try it!

DH LOVES the grilled cheese! Is Judi a fan of grilled onions? She could do the animal style fries with grilled onions and cheese. SO SO GOOD! And you can do animal style to the burgers too

Seriously, you made the best plan for a double brunch day! Who does that?! Phil does.

Judi love grilled onions so that definitely sounds like a plan! Might need to make a shirt that says: "Who eats two brunches and has two thumbs? This guy!"

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Part 18 - One Month From Today: October 11th - Double Brunch Day!​

This will be our first day out there and I figure we will be up fairly early due to the time change.

We will be heading up the coast a bit first traveling about 15 minutes to Snooze an AM Easter on Del Mar Heights Rd. probably looking to get there by 8am. Definitely will be looking to get a pancake flight here - though their breakfast sammies and different eggs Benedict options look good too:

We will then continue north and look to spend time the rest of the morning at one of the Del Mar beaches - probably checking out the 15th street beach (just gotta figure out where to park)

After a bit of fun there we will go about another 15 minutes north to the Pacific Coast Grill in Cardiff where we ahve a 12:30 reservation for Brunch #2. Here we will definitely want to check out a Churro Waffle, though the Lobster Huevos Rancheros sounds good too. But yeah, Churro Waffle

oh, and also going for the view:

After 2nd bunch we will head back toward La Jolla and check out the cove and just walk around the town and take it easy.

Probably stop back at the hotel and clean up for dinner (since we obviously haven't eaten enough) and head down toward the Gas Lamp District - we have a 6:30 reservation at the Double Standard Kitchenetta. Looks like a good menu with pizzas and lots of small plates (which I love) and other good stuff ... plus beer, wine, and cocktails ... and bone marrow:

After dinner if we have energy will explore the Gas Lamp District more, otherwise just back to the hotel and to bed.

This is roughly our travel for the day - should be a fun day ... probably a bit long and cramming a bit too much in, but we can sleep in a bit the next day.



As always - any and all suggestions are welcome and encouraged!!!!

TTFN

 

[annie170]

I've got to tell you, Phil, one of the things I love about your trip reports (or PTRs) is the food. There are people in this world that food is not really important to them. I just don't understand those kinds of people. I can relate to food being an important part of a vacation.

Cute back to school pics! They grow up so fast.

Pancake flight?! Yes, please! The view from Pacific Coast Grill?! Double yes!!!

 

[SimplyGoofy]

Your new kitchen is gorgeous! I'm sure the remaining "to-do" list should wrap up soon - having a working kitchen again is a huge accomplishment!

I love all of your plans (especially the food!) and can't wait to read all about them! I'm a big fan of Dugette's "A Month from Today" posts - I'd love to be on top of it to be able to do similar posts, but my last PTR included a rush of what we'd be doing on which days as we were so close to our departure dates!

I must comment on that pancake flight - whoever invented a PANCAKE flight is a total genius. Not that I'm not a fan of other flights (namely wine, beer, etc.), but a pancake flight is a freaking awesome idea. It looks delicious!

 

[amazingact21]

The kids look so much older in that first day of school pic. My frame of reference is still your August TR so they look so grown up now.


Those pancakes look so good! And a churro waffle? No wonder you have 2 brunches booked. (Although, that view does look like a great perk to eating there.)

 

[Bebella]

I'm so glad I found your trip report!! We're going to San Diego and DLR next May...our first time to DLR too! We were planning on doing our big first trip (for our kids and my husband) to WDW in 2017, but when we found out we'd be visiting San Diego again (this will be our 3rd trip there), I knew we had to add DLR in there! Our DS will be turning 3 while we're there and our DD will be 17 months...I can't wait! Looking forward to all the tips and tricks you guys will have, and seeing your trip report after Oct!

 

[TheMaxRebo]

I've got to tell you, Phil, one of the things I love about your trip reports (or PTRs) is the food. There are people in this world that food is not really important to them. I just don't understand those kinds of people. I can relate to food being an important part of a vacation.

Cute back to school pics! They grow up so fast.

Pancake flight?! Yes, please! The view from Pacific Coast Grill?! Double yes!!!

haha, well, we are definitely people for whom food is important. We like eating out and also you have to eat so using meals as things to plan around helps with the planning process. Plus I always hate to get to meal time, not have a plan, and wind up with some less than stellar fast food

Definitely excited for the double brunch day!

Your new kitchen is gorgeous! I'm sure the remaining "to-do" list should wrap up soon - having a working kitchen again is a huge accomplishment!

I love all of your plans (especially the food!) and can't wait to read all about them! I'm a big fan of Dugette's "A Month from Today" posts - I'd love to be on top of it to be able to do similar posts, but my last PTR included a rush of what we'd be doing on which days as we were so close to our departure dates!

I must comment on that pancake flight - whoever invented a PANCAKE flight is a total genius. Not that I'm not a fan of other flights (namely wine, beer, etc.), but a pancake flight is a freaking awesome idea. It looks delicious!

Thank you! We are getting there - actually the remaining floor tile got put down over the weekend and hopefully the backsplash goes up this week. Always nice to make progress. Big think now is to get a dumpster as between the kitchen and cleaning out the garage our lawn looks like all that is missing is an old pick-up truck on cinder blocks

as you can see I have already fallen behind on the posts being actually "1 month from today" - but still, I think they help with organize details for each day .... no matter when you get them done!

Now we just need someone to pair the pancake flight with a mimosa flight

The kids look so much older in that first day of school pic. My frame of reference is still your August TR so they look so grown up now.

Those pancakes look so good! And a churro waffle? No wonder you have 2 brunches booked. (Although, that view does look like a great perk to eating there.)

They definitely age quite a bit in one year ... now we just need Peter to actually grow over the next month so he can ride Radiator Springs!

Yeah, between the food and the view options it was tough to pick just one place ... and figured, hey, it's vacation and it is kinda like having breakfast and lunch anyway, right?

I'm so glad I found your trip report!! We're going to San Diego and DLR next May...our first time to DLR too! We were planning on doing our big first trip (for our kids and my husband) to WDW in 2017, but when we found out we'd be visiting San Diego again (this will be our 3rd trip there), I knew we had to add DLR in there! Our DS will be turning 3 while we're there and our DD will be 17 months...I can't wait! Looking forward to all the tips and tricks you guys will have, and seeing your trip report after Oct!

thanks for joining!

You might have tips for us for San Diego then! But hopefully this PTR and the subsequent TR does provide a few tips for you - even with just getting from place to place and what the kids close to your kids ages like doing.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Part 19 - One Month From Today: October 12th - San Diego Zoo Safari Park day​

Well, clearly I am not great at keeping up with this "one month from today" thing. Though I like to think I have a good excuse as Judi and I worked at the Hudson Valley Wine Festival over the weekend pouring for one of our favorite wineries. It's a good gig as we get in for free, get industry discount many places we buy wine from, and then get paid in wine credit.

​

As always it was a lot of fun and a lot of work - but more fun - and is a good tradition Judi and I do. Also always get some good food: this year's included buffalo chicken blue cheese mac-n-cheese stuffed egg rolls, tator tots with sriaccha lime sauce, bann mi hot dogs, and buttermilk fried chicken sandwiches

Ok, so back to the report .....

So one moth from today, er, two days ago, we will again wake up in San Diego. The main thing we have on the schedule for today is to go to the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. They are open 9am to 5pm that day and we are pretty open with what we want to see. I would like to see the Cheetah Run attraction which is at 3:30pm every day, but beyond that, just seems like a bunch of cool stuff to see. I don't think we will pay for any of the extra safari's, but will look to do the Africa tram safari and other than that just hit up the trails.

Will probably have lunch there - seems like a few different options, several with nice views. Kinda not over-planning this one but if anyone has thoughts on what to do/what to skip, definitely would welcome it!

Prior to dinner I am hoping we have time to hit up Offbeat Brewing or something similar, and then we are heading to Stone Brewing World Bistro in Escondido with a reservation for 6pm. Just looks like a cool place with a cool menu and, you know, good beer.

​

Plus I love that they have this warning at the bottom of the kids menu:

​

After dinner, back to the hotel to rest-up ... we leave for Disneyland the next morning!!!!

Travel for the day will roughly look like:

​

TTFN

​

 

[missangelalexis]

October 11th sounds like a busy but fun day! Can't wait to hear about all the food you guys eat that day!

Your Safari Park day sounds great! I'm sure after the day before, it will be nice to not be travelling to too many places on this day!