100, well 99 Days to Go... PTR

[kylieh]

100 Days to Go PTR

Correction - 99 days to go. I started writing this at work last week and left it there! I was at home for the 100 days to go mark, back at work today with 99 days to go. Well, double figures sounds better. The days to go are from when we leave Australia and arrive in LA. Though we're staying in LA and LV before we hit DL.

Cast

Me, 37 My last trip was October 2008. Then an 18 year gap. My Mum and Dad took me quite a few times.

DH, 42 2nd trip to DL, 4th to the USA.

DD7, aka Princess E . This her 2nd trip to DL, 2nd to the USA. Is thrilled she will be able to meet with the real princesses again. Princess E is accompaynied by Alice the Bear. A well travelelled bear with her own "Bear Passport."

MIL: 1st trip out of Australia. Her first ever passport arrived a couple of weeks ago.

I think this trip we're far more relaxed. I don't have an plan of what to do. Well, I have a rough plan as mapped out following, but not too much set in concrete other than where we've needed to book flights/tickets/etc.

How this trip came about

We promised we would come back after our October 2008 trip. I remember holding back tears as we left DL on the last day. We spent some time debating going back for October 2009, but decided to wait until October 2010. Then in September this year Qantas dropped their airfares SYD -> LAX to around AU$1400 return each for April, which is also our Easter school Holidays. That's around 25-30% cheaper

So a quick check for both DH and I at our respective workplaces to be sure we could have holidays at that time and we were booked. MIL is a stay-at-home-Nan so she didn't have to organise time-off. Princess E will miss a week of school (in addition to the school hols.) We leave Sydney the Wednesday after Easter and be home for Anzac Day (25 April.)

This plan will probably change, change again, and change again. This is already our third DL area hotel!!!

Here's the Plan...

Wed 7 April: Fly Sydney to LA, roughly 13 1/2 hours. Allowing time for customs and Qantas being on time, , we should be checked into our LA hotel around 1 to 1.30pm. No real plans for the afternoon. Depends on how we're feeling.

Thurs 8 April: Booked lunch at American Girl in The Grove. Princess E will be buying a new AG doll. A walk around The Grove and Farmer's Market. Probably a trip down to Rodeo Drive. There is a neclace from Tiffany's I'd like to buy Princess E, it's around US$100 cheaper in the US. If we don't get to Tiffany's we'll wait for one in LV.

Friday 9 April: Warner Brothers Studio Tour. Maybe a trip to Santa Monica seeing how we're going for time.

Saturday 10 April: Fly Burbank to Las Vegas on Southwest. That evening MIL and DH are going to Cirque Viva Elvis. Princess E and I are having "Girl Time" and painting our nails or something So maybe a trip to Sephora beforehand.

Sunday 11 April: Las Vegas

Monday 12 April: Las Vegas

Tuesday 13 April: Las Vegas. We're all off to Phantom, and surprising Princess E with the Behind The Scenes Tour. Princess E loves Phantom, it's one of her favourite musicals ever. We saw it in Sydney a couple of years ago, and she's watched the video a zillion times. It's her ambition to be Christine in the show when she grows up.

Wednesday 14 April: Fly to Disneyland. We've booked Southwest into SNA arriving lunch time. Probably Super Shuttle or get a private shuttle/car to the hotel. Staying at Sheraton Garden Grove (the new-ish one.) I've booked two rooms, internal connecting requested. Got a good rate from GAT. Will get to DL in the afternoon. We're purchasing the 14-day pass for Aussies & Kiwis before we leave home.

Thursday 15 to Tuesday 20 April: We're expecting the Thursday to Sunday to be busier days as it's the 2nd week past Easter, and my understanding is that some schools are on Spring Break though fewer than the preceeding week. Princess E will be visiting BBB. My MIL is making a Belle dress for Princess E, as she did for last trip. We'll have lunch at Ariel's. We also have a voucher for character breakfast and dinner. Haven't decided which ones yet, or days. Over the next 39 days we'll decide on which when.

Wednesday 21 April: We fly home late that night. I've booked an extra day's accom as we won't need to leave til around 6.30pm I'm guessing. We will be able to go to the parks for some last minute shopping, and a ride or two.

There are lots of things that we didn't get to do on the last trip. A lot because of the heat. Neither Princess E or I can handle the heat. And there were record highs for that time of year, from memory 37-40C which I believe is around 98-104F? The temps according to Wunderground.com historically for the period we are there in April are tops around 20-26C/68-78F which is comfortable. There have been a couple of days into the 30s. But they are few and far between.

So on our list for this trip that we missed last time, with notes.

Princess E to drive in Francis' Lady Bug Boogie. The plan was that she was going to drive, but then changed her mind at the last minute.
Autopia - we just didn't get there.
Aladin, it was closed for referb
Small World - was closed for referb
Fireworks - was scheduled for three nights, cancelled due to winds and Miley Cyrus Birthday
Princess E wants to try Jedi Training Academy.
Meet Cinderella. She wasn't at Ariel's for lunch, and not at PFF on the time we visited.
Meet Tinkerbell and friends. We missed the opening of Pixie Hollow by a week or two!
Screamin - Princess E was just tall enough last time. She is now 130cm, but DH and I thought it best she wait a little longer. She wasn't quite ready for it last time.
Indy - I did it Single Rider last time. Princess E wants to join me this time.
Monorail lap. We didn't need to use it.


I like to have my PTR up. It serves as a diary of my thoughts. My last PTR changed so much. I think I overplanned last trip and with the heat and DD getting sick for a couple of days it really threw me. So I'm hoping that apart from booking some lunch dates, BBB, etc that I won't do any more overplanning....

But we'll see.

 

[knewton64]

SUBSCRIBING! Can't wait to hear about your trip .

 

[chickyann]

wow, April, the time will just fly I'm sure

 

[Dizneydaz]

Sounds like you are going to have a wonderful trip! And it will be a lot cooler in April than in Oct. We get some of our hottest days in Sept. and Oct.

Can't wait to read more.....

 

[kylieh]

49 Day Update. ... 7 weeks. Oh My Goodness....

How time flys. I can't believe that it's a whole 50 days since I wrote the initial PTR. So that duration is what we need to wait again before we fly out. I tend to get a bit philosopical, yet analytical on the whole time thing.

We've had some changes since my last update....

Hotel: We've changed our DL area hotel to Homewood Suites, or the "Duck" hotel as Princess E calls it! We stayed there last time and was very happy.

Transport: Between LA, LV, and Anaheim: We're hiring a car!!! Yep, we're going to drive on the other side of the road. We can do this, we can do this. Because I have a tendancy to overthink things I am a bit concerned, but friends who have done this have said that even we can do it! We're picking up the car on the Friday after Warner Bros Tour. This will give us a couple of days to adjust to time zones, etc. We'll park the car at the LA hotel overnight and try to get away around 7.30am on Saturday morning to head out to Las Vegas. With rest breaks I'm hoping that we arrive around 1 - 1.30pm. DH and I are used to driving long distances so that doesn't bother us.

Likewise on the way from LV to Anaheim. We're hoping to leave LV around 7.30am to arrive in Anaheim late lunch. We'll check in or drop our bags then go up to DL and exchange our vouchers for tickets. Even if we only get an hour or so in the park and do a lap or two in the train we'll be happy.

Yesterday was the opening for Reservations as they are called now for our first Character Breakfast. I've booked Minnie's for 9.10am on Thursday morning. The official park opening time according to Reservations is 9am. So I'm leaving our options open here. If we want we can get up and get to the park at 7.30 for an 8am Magic Morning, then wander to Minnie's for breakfast at 9.10am. Highly unlikely. The chances of getting all of us up and to the parks at that time for MM is almost nil.

So that being the case we'll use our Magic Morning the following Tuesday when the parks - according to reservations - is back to opening at 10am, therefore 8.30 for 9am at the park. Easy.

I also got up this morning at 3am Sydney time to ring for reservations to Ariel's Grotto for lunch and BBB for Princess E. She is having the package with hair, makeup and nails. She told me the name of the package but I really can't remember, it was 3am!!! MIL is making Princess E her Belle dress. After lunch and a ride in the Ferris Wheel and maybe something else we'll head back to the hotel for some rest, and Princess E may want to change into her normal clothes for the evening session. The Electrical Parade is on!! Yes. High Priority so we'll plan to do it the first night.

The only other PS to make is for dinner at Goofy's. I'm thinking of the Saturday night, then to stay for fireworks. I'm sure we'll get a late start to the Saturday. We take the car back on Saturday morning and perhaps some shopping. MIL wants to go to some fabric/sewing shops.

I think it's more a waiting game now. 49 days until we take off and 43 days until I start my leave from work. We have Public Holidays for Good Friday and Easter Monday, we fly out on the Wednesday so I decided to take the Tuesday as leave as well. That gives me 6 days beforehand to pack and to de-stress from work.

 

[Dizneydaz]

Welcome Back! Glad you got the reservations you wanted.

I'm also glad you are going to be able to see the EP. My DNephew is going to be one of Pinocchio's donkey boys so you know our whole family will be ther eon 3-19 to watch his premiere. You're lucky it will be showing during your trip since it's only running 4-5 weeks until WOC opens. Then it's gone.