PTR Feb 2016: What do you mean we're going to Disneyland? Updated 02/23 5 Days to Go Update!

[mindylee847]

Ah gotcha! Wow.

I know, I know. It sounds crazy.

 

[mindylee847]

Extra Disney Day

No, no... there hasn't been any announcements of a repeat of the 2012 "Extra Disney Day", but after a lot of research I've seem to find that some of the things I wanted to do are only available on the weekends in Disneyland. I didn't know this was a thing?? Two things that I wanted to see were Mickey's Magical Map and the Mad T Party. It looks like that those two things are generally only offered on the weekends in February. The schedule isn't out yet for the week we are going, but it's only $15 more a person to add on Sunday! That means that we cancelled Catal for dinner so that we can maybe get both of these things in or at least check out Mad T Party. I can't pass up themed drinks. We were able to pay for the add on using our Disney Rewards Dollars so it's basically free.

I'll update you all again when I find out the actual schedule for the days we will be there. I'm a little nervous about hitting both on arrival day, but my husband is determined to do it. ​

 

[OregonMomToWDW]

Hi. I am following along. Glad you were able to add the extra day. My last trip to Disneyland, Mickey's Magical Map was one of my must do's, but not my kids. On our last day there they finally let me see it. I thought it was a nice show, but what made it great was to see my 17 year old daughter cry during it and my 18 year old son with a huge smile on his face. They ended up loving it! I hope you get to see it and enjoy it as much as we did. The Mad T party can be hit or miss. Went by there on 2 of our nights. The first night it was super busy and looked like everyone was enjoying themselves. Next night there were maybe half dozen preschoolers and parents dancing around, but DCA closed earlier that night. It was during summer when they have the party more frequently.

 

[texasgingerbread]

Mickey's Magical Map ​

I think MMM is open on Friday, Sat, Sun AND Mon. Closed Tues-Thur. At least for my "mock" dates it is and historically.

 

[mindylee847]

Hi. I am following along. Glad you were able to add the extra day. My last trip to Disneyland, Mickey's Magical Map was one of my must do's, but not my kids. On our last day there they finally let me see it. I thought it was a nice show, but what made it great was to see my 17 year old daughter cry during it and my 18 year old son with a huge smile on his face. They ended up loving it! I hope you get to see it and enjoy it as much as we did. The Mad T party can be hit or miss. Went by there on 2 of our nights. The first night it was super busy and looked like everyone was enjoying themselves. Next night there were maybe half dozen preschoolers and parents dancing around, but DCA closed earlier that night. It was during summer when they have the party more frequently.

Thanks for following along! So it sounds like Mickey's Magical Map cannot be missed!! I'll make sure to get there to see it. I figured the dance party could go either way. I'm not expecting too much... other than the hopes to grab one of the themed adult drinks and just check it out for a while. Thanks though for the warning! My expectations have now been set appropriately.

I think MMM is open on Friday, Sat, Sun AND Mon. Closed Tues-Thur. At least for my "mock" dates it is and historically.

Oh really?? Thanks! I'll keep an eye on the schedule then for sure. If we can't make it on Sunday then hopefully we are able to catch it on Monday during the early afternoon.

 

[mindylee847]

Park Hours & Notes

Below are the parks hours for the days I will be there and also some additional notes. I'm including any extra hours before the parks open since I am staying on site and will be able to get in at that time.

Sunday, February 28th
Disneyland 8AM - 11 PM
Disney California Adventure 8 AM - 10 PM

Monday, February 29th
Disneyland 10 AM - 9 PM
Disney California Adventure 9 AM - 8 PM

Tuesday, March 1st
Disneyland 9 AM - 9 PM
Disney California Adventure 10 AM - 7 PM

Wednesday, March 2nd
Disneyland 10 AM - 8 PM
Disney California Adventure 9 AM - 8 PM

Thursday, March 3rd
Disneyland 9 AM - 8 PM
Disney California Adventure 10 AM - 8 PM

Updates on Refurbishments/Notes:
Indiana Jones closes for refurbishment on Monday.
Jungle Cruise and Splash Mountain are closed for refurbishment.
Must do Mickey's Magical Map on Sunday or Monday.
Soarin' is only open on Sunday, Wednesday, and Thursday - not a priority.
Mad T Party is only available on Sunday.
​

 

[mindylee847]

~~**We go to Disneyland one month from today!!! **~~

​

 

[mindylee847]

Updates to Dining - Again

As with any planning comes a few changes to our plans. I ended up getting rid of our World of Color package on Monday night. I'm just so unsure if it is worth the money and there seems to be so many great dining options at California Adventure that I didn't want to limit myself with a full sit down meal there. I want to be able to hit the Cove Bar and the Tasting Terrace as well as some of the options on the Pier and in Carsland.

I've also added a late lunch reservation for Carnation Cafe on Thursday at 1:30 PM. I was going back and forth about this for quite some time, but someone recently posted a picture of the deep fried pickles and I just decided to do it. I'll go anywhere with deep fried pickles.

Can't believe that tomorrow I can officially say "I'm going to Disneyland THIS month!"

I think that's all I've changed so far... I'll keep you posted though! ​

 

[OregonMomToWDW]

You should still be able to get a great fastpass location for World of Color without the dinner reservation. Carnation Café has deep fried pickles? I will want to know how they are before my trip in June.

 

[mindylee847]

You should still be able to get a great fastpass location for World of Color without the dinner reservation. Carnation Café has deep fried pickles? I will want to know how they are before my trip in June.

Yeah, I'm hoping that since it's not so busy that the WOC fastpasses shouldn't be an issue. Plus we are going to try and see that Monday night so we can always try again another night if it doesn't work out or just book an ADR for a package later in the week if we need to.

And yes! I was so excited about the deep fried pickles. I'm a pickle snob and I've been trying to find out what other pickle enthusiasts have thought... so far I've only gotten some responses from people who like pickles in an appropriate amount. I will definitely post about them after trying them out.

 

[mindylee847]

Emotional Ramblings​

Today has been a hard day for me. I just wanted to write about it to get some of it out and let you all know that I seriously cannot wait for this trip in 24 days.

I went to bed grumpy. I watched Lemonade Mouth on Netflix last night... there's a song that the group sings together **SPOILER ALERT** after Olivia's cat passes about being there for one another. Great song, super touching. But it just made me feel like crap about my dad. How I should have been there more for him. Everyone keeps saying to not blame myself for his actions and choices... that these things would have happened at some point... that he made it as long as he did. Who knows? Maybe he had tried a few times before and I'm actually lucky I had the time with him that I did. I don't know.

Anyways, going to bed with all these thoughts circulating in my mind I obviously woke up still upset. My husband had had a dream about my family. I guess this is why I can't move past things today and I'm still upset. Now, my husband has known my dad for basically half of his life. We were high school sweethearts. I started dating him when we were 15. My dad taught him how to grill and either way, they were pretty close... as close as my dad really let people be. His dream was located at my family home before my mom moved out and divorced my dad. Apparently she had messed up dinner (again.. running joke) but instead of my dad getting angry like he did a lot of the time, he offered to help out and fix the dish. Things were amazing in this dream. The way things should have always been.

Needless to say, it upset both my husband and I. I'm just trying to focus on the reality of the situation. I've had a few more dreams of my dad in the last month or so of things just being normal... him being back.

I don't know. I don't have a lot of people to relate to at my age who have lost parents or with those that have dealt with suicide so I'm just putting my story out there. And really, this Disneyland vacation is going to be amazing.

My dream last night was my husband and I holding hands and entering California Adventure. This huge wave of emotions swept over me and I just started crying. Both good happy feelings and upset sad. Now I'm a little scared to go... but I know I need this trip. We need this trip.

My dad went to Disneyland a lot. With his family a few times but he was also stationed out in California when he was in the air force and he would make sure to go to Disneyland. He never really talked about it... and he actually told me he hated Mickey Mouse when I was younger. He had become a Bugs Bunny guy. It may just have been bad memories. He was dishonorably discharged. My aunt said he couldn't take the job anymore - I won't go into detail too much about that... but to me it's a good reason to leave. Especially with the way his mind worked. I don't know if there's anything I can do to honor him when I go... with the train down, I'm not sure what I want to do. He loved the trains and my plan was to ride it around a few times and really take in all the details...

And I just wish I could talk to my aunt. She's pushed me away again. It's an extremely complicated relationship with her and I just wish we could move pass whatever it is that's holding back our relationship. That's a whole different story though. I just can't seem to let it go, no matter how many bad memories I replay in my head.

Anyways... thanks for letting me just get some of that out there in the world. Sorry it's so negative. But seriously - so looking forward to just escaping to my happy place for that week. It can't get here soon enough.

 

[missangelalexis]

Sorry I haven't chimed into your PTR. And I'm sorry to hear about the difficult time you are having

This trip WILL be amazing for you! Just a few more weeks to go!

 

[TheMaxRebo]

I'm sorry that you have been having a rough time. Seems like a lot to handle and this trip is bringing things to the surface - which can be good and bad, but I really and truly do hope that it bring up more happy feelings than sad

I lost my dad about 10 years ago - before any of my kids were born - and definitely have times when I wish he was around and when I experience things that I wish he was hear for is probably when I most miss him.

I think they are still doing ways that you can be near the trains even though they are not running so maybe just spending time there or even just up on the train station in Main St.

I hope it helped to get some of these thoughts out here and it is great that you have this outlet.

I am sure this trip will be great - and hope the time feels like it goes quick!

 

[Disney9.9.10]

Hi I just thought I'd pop over after seeing you comment on my PTR. Your engagement story is really sweet! I like it when things don't work out exactly the way they were planned and you end up with a really great story from it. So exciting that you are going THIS month!! It will be here before you know it.

I'm really sorry to read about your dad and I hope that you can relax and enjoy yourself on your trip because it sounds like you need it (and you deserve it!)

 

[mindylee847]

Thank you guys! I took a much needed mental health day yesterday snuggling with my two cats and watching bad television. It really helped me to just de-stress and get even more excited for Disneyland. I can't believe how quick it has been approaching! I didn't want to bum anyone out but I'm glad I did put that out there. Seriously, thank you for the support. <3

 

[mindylee847]

I'm sorry that you have been having a rough time. Seems like a lot to handle and this trip is bringing things to the surface - which can be good and bad, but I really and truly do hope that it bring up more happy feelings than sad

I lost my dad about 10 years ago - before any of my kids were born - and definitely have times when I wish he was around and when I experience things that I wish he was hear for is probably when I most miss him.

I think they are still doing ways that you can be near the trains even though they are not running so maybe just spending time there or even just up on the train station in Main St.

I hope it helped to get some of these thoughts out here and it is great that you have this outlet.

I am sure this trip will be great - and hope the time feels like it goes quick!

I'm sorry for your loss. Good idea about the trains though. I think I read something about the conductors still telling stories or something like that. I will absolutely have to check that out.

 

[OregonMomToWDW]

I didn't respond earlier. It is ok to vent and write about all you are dealing with. You have experienced a tremendous loss and this trip is bound to bring up emotions you haven't had to deal with or wanted to. I am glad you took a mental break. Nothing like having to watch court tv shows and talk shows to make you feel better. This trip is going to be wonderful for you.

 

[mindylee847]

Disneyland Mail

These last two days have been filled with sprinkles of Disney magic! Firstly, my boss was at a tax conference at the Grand Floridian last week. I asked her to keep an eye out for the Mickey waffle air freshener - but no luck there. I don't know if they are just gone or what?? Guess I'll check around Disneyland... but anyways, look what she brought back for me!

I am one lucky Donald!! - Duck that is! I've already busted out the lotion to have while I'm at work since it's so dang dry in Wisconsin during the winter. It smells amazing and reminds me of our Disney Cruise!

Also! Disney mail came today!! And I am so impressed with this package. It was way more than I was expecting!

Look at these adorable luggage tags!

I will mention that I did have to go to UPS to pick up this package. I don't know if it's normal or not, but a signature was required for our package. We don't have a UPS near us so we did have to travel about 30 minutes out of the way on the way home to get this - but it was near a Chiptole! Which we've seriously been missing since moving out to Grafton.

So today and yesterday have really lifted my spirits up a bit - I basically started crying when I opened this up. The tickets are perfect too! Mike and I both got our favorite Fab 5 character! Minnie for me and Goofy for him. Meant to be.

​

 

[mindylee847]

Good News/Bad News

So there are two things that I found out today. I'll start with the bad so that I can end with the good.

Haunted Mansion.

This ride will clearly be an issue for me in the elevator room due to recent events. I didn't really start thinking about this until I saw two picture posts for the thing that happens at the beginning and had to block them immediately... then I started wondering what my plan was for one of my husband's favorite rides of all times - scratch that, his absolute favorite ride. Of course I don't mind him going without me, but he'd prefer to stay with me since we're on vacation together and what not. Figured I should ask around to see if anyone knew of a way to get around the room because closing my eyes doesn't work... I can't even listen to the audio for that part of the ride without wanting to cry since I know exactly what happens.

Not only that, I have an issue with claustrophobia which I'm not worried about generally because I just push through it like crazy to get on HM. But I guess this adds in a new kink to that plan.

I ended up reaching out on Disneyland's website through the chat function to ask if there is a way to bypass the room. I guess because it is an actual elevator, there really isn't a way to do that unless the cast members allow me to go backstage - that being a liability issue it really ends up depending on the CM and what they think then and there about the situation.

So needless to say, I don't expect I will get to go on Haunted Mansion this time around. I can ask, but should expect a no. That's fine, just disappointing. Part of me feels like my dad thinks I'm being silly, he's probably right. But I want it in my mind that I have the option to go or not go, whatever I want. My husband is fully supportive of either choice.


So - good news!

I just saw that the Egg hunt thing is happening again and it starts on March 2nd! That gives us two days to run around Disneyland, California Adventure, and Downtown Disney to find eggs!! I think my husband and I will both get a map so we can have more eggs!

I'm not sure if they are blind bag though - so that's something to factor in. Either way, I'm really stoked about this. I was sad that I missed out last year when they started this in WDW so I cannot wait to do this in just a few weeks!

That's it for now. Thanks for following! 16 days!!!!​

 

[OregonMomToWDW]

I think it is totally acceptable to skip HM. Your husband understands why. A ride at Disneyland is a little thing compared to your emotional well being. You aren't being silly.

I have never known anyone that actually got to do the Easter egg hunt so I am excited for you...almost did the pun but decided against it. The egg hunt sounds like it would be fun.