20th Anniversary Trips - A PTR for a first ever Disney Cruise and a trip to California!

[missjackiemcg]

Have the best time!! Your 4th of July sounds perfect!

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Hi Everyone!

We are back from Maine! it was a good trip, different than most our trips. Our drives up and back were thankfully uneventful. Which is what I was worried the most about. We did pretty good with how long the drive was. I will do a trip report, since it will be pretty short. But right now, I have to panic plan for our California trip!!!!

Question for everyone.... How long does it take for everyone to unpack?! I feel like it takes me forever to get everything back where it all belongs. And since we are leaving soon, I feel like some stuff I should just not put away.

We are 13 days away!!! I am trying to finialize the San Diego portion of our trip. I am going to try and do a post a day with my plans since I am running out of time!!!


Travel Day:
We leave on a Wednesday evening. Our flight is at 6:30 PM. So, I will have to work that day again which is always slightly stressful but it gave us a full extra day in San Diego, so totally worth it.

Andy now has a pitch on Wednesday in Boston!!! ....on the day we leave.... So, now he is flying to Boston on Tuesday, doing the pitch and then flying from Boston to San Diego. And the girls and I will have to fly by ourselves. Which is fine. the girls are old enough to help with everything.

The issue... Pitches and Andy's work plans change ALL the time. So we haven't fixed Andy's plane tickets yet, JUST in case. And I am so worried something will go wrong with changing the flight. But he does have his work flight booked, and he "should" arrive in San Diego half an hour before us, so we will be able to meet up there and head to the hotel together.


Tomorrow, I will (hopefully) post about our plans for our first day in San Diego!

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Good Morning Everyone!!!

12 days till out trip!!!!
Your panicking! I'm not panicking!!! Your panicking!!

The more I try to plan the more I am unsure of what I am planning....

Our First Day:
Our hotel is in La Jolla, which seems to be about 15 minute drive from the San Diego Airport. Our flight gets us in at 9-ish at night (California time) So midnight our time. So, I we will probably be tired in the morning. So, I have debated what to do this day. I landed on us staying "local" in La Jolla today. So, this is our "La Jolla Day"
The other piece of info, is as of now, we are not renting a car for the whole trip. So, as of now we are uber / lyfting it everywhere. So one of the questions I need to determine is if we do need a car the whole time or not.
So, I have a few items planned for today. I found a trail called Annie's Canyon Trail just north of our hotel, It looks to be about 15 minute drive from the hotel.

This is the description of the hike on one of the websites I found: Experience this 2.3-mile loop trail near Solana Beach, California. Generally considered a moderately challenging route, it takes an average of 1 h 6 min to complete. Here is a link of a guy walking the trail if anyone is intrested: https://hikingguy.com/hiking-trails/hiking-san-diego/annies-canyon-trail-guide/

It is a slot canyon which Andy was kind of excited to experience
Screenshot 2025-07-11 at 7.27.46 AM by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr

Screenshot 2025-07-11 at 7.28.07 AM by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr

I will probably need to show the family the video from the one website. Not sure how Morgan will feel about the tight quarters. But my thought was we do this hike in the morning, not get up super early but this would be the morning activity. Not sure if we would have time to go back to the hotel and relax for a bit or if we would just go straight to La Jolla.... hoping we could pit stop at the hotel for a bit.
And then in the afternoon we would head into La Jolla. Looks like coast line is about a 10 minute drive from the hotel.

I think the plan would be to get lunch first before we explore La Jolla.
I found a restaurant called Duke’s La Jolla https://www.dukeslajolla.com/menus/

It's a Hawaiian themed food, and Andy and I went to Hawaii for our honeymoon. So it would be fitting to go here on this trip.
My other option is the Taco Stand for lunch. https://www.letstaco.com/
This place came up a few times as best tacos in San Diego. And there is a location here in La Jolla. I will probably poll the family on which to go to. And we might do the other on another night.

I found 3 stops along the coast that I figure we would enjoy.

• Sunny Jim's Sea Cave
• Children's Pool La Jolla
• La Jolla Tide Pools

I mapped it out and it looks like it should be a 24 minute walk, which we would stop at each place.

Sunny Jim's Sea Cave says it's a self guided "tour" and you should plan about 30 minutes to explore the area.
Screenshot 2025-07-11 at 7.42.29 AM by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr

Next stop is Children's Pool. It sounds like this is the place to see sea lions and probably a place to stop for just as long as we want to look at the sea lions.

A description of the area: The Children's Pool in La Jolla, also known as Casa Beach, is a small beach area partially protected by a seawall. Originally intended as a safe swimming area for children, it has become a popular spot for harbor seals and sea lions, especially during pupping season. The beach is known for its picturesque views and is a popular destination for tourists and locals alike

And then the last stop is a Jolla Tide Pools. And as I am typing this up, I am realizing that I will need to see when low tide is. This is best to see at low tide.... Which from a quick google search should be 3:15 PM on this day. So, my order of events still stands!!!
Screenshot 2025-07-11 at 7.50.15 AM by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr

This is another area that we will just explore as much as we want, probably half an hour...

After all of that, I am pretty sure we will be done for the day. Not sure what we would want to do for dinner this night... I have to figure that out.

I did find two places near the hotel that we might be able to doordash to the hotel if we wanted:
Poki One n Half https://onenhalf.com/
Calvins’ Korean Chicken https://calvinskhotchicken.square.site/?location=11eb334b605193bf8648ac1f6bbbd01e#5

Uber / Lyft tally possibly (4) 15 minute rides... or (2) 15 minute rides and (1) 20 - 25 minute ride.

What do you guys think, I am thinking this is a doable plan. Not too much for one day. But it's hard to truely tell.

 

[Mollydolly334]

I found a restaurant called Duke’s La Jolla https://www.dukeslajolla.com/menus/

It's a Hawaiian themed food, and Andy and I went to Hawaii for our honeymoon. So it would be fitting to go here on this trip.

Jake and I have been to the Duke's in Waikiki and love it!! The food is great and it was a super fun atmosphere!

 

[jgl130]

I’ve been to Duke’s in Malibu and it’s fabulous!

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Jake and I have been to the Duke's in Waikiki and love it!! The food is great and it was a super fun atmosphere!

I’ve been to Duke’s in Malibu and it’s fabulous!

I did not realize that it was a "chain" restaurant.

 

[Disney102015]

La Jolla looks beautiful! Looks like a fun day!

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

11 Days till our Trip!!!!

This weekend my plan is to finalize most if not all of our plans. Typing up these updates has helped alot keep me focused on the days.

A few update before I get into the Second day of our trip... Andy's pitch got moved, so Andy is back to flying with us to California. This takes the pressure of work off of him this week which is good. And I was fine flying with out him but one of us could be delayed or something, so I am glad we will be together.

The other item is, after I talked to Andy about our first day, we are looking at getting a car for the whole San Diego portion of our trip. I feel like it will allow us to go to the places we want for dinner and not settle for something close by. So, that is on my list to do today.

Second Day
Today I have planned for us to explore Balboa Park. It looks to be about a 20 minute drive from our hotel to the park. Andy is calling it the nerdy day...
We are going to start our day at the Com-Con Museum. It opens at 10:00 AM, so we might stop at Sunnyboy Bisquit for breakfast if we are feeling like it.
https://sunnyboybiscuitco.com/

Screenshot 2025-07-12 at 3.44.42 PM by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr
We will probably spend an hour to 2 hours at the museum. The featured exhibit is Doctor Strange which is not something we have watched. Which is a little bit of a bummer. But I assume there are other things to see that will still be intersting to see.

After that, we will head to the Cactus Garden. It is a 5 minute walk to it from Com-Con.
Screenshot 2025-07-12 at 3.44.15 PM by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr
The website says about half an hour to see the gardens.

After that, I think we will be ready for lunch.
I have us slotted to go to The Shawarma Guys

It's a food truck serving Shawarma, which we are big fans of. It is about 10 minute drive from the park.

After that, we will probably venture down towards the Convention Center to soak in some Com-Con Convention atmosphere and people watching.

We will obviously won't be going inside. We will just people watch, hopefully we can see folks in there cosplay outfits and just enjoy some of the fun.

Once we have had our fun, we will probably head back to the hotel to relax for a bit.

Dinner will be at Din Tai Fun.
https://dtf.com/en/menu
This is the new restaurant that is in Downtown Disney. I realized there was one near our hotel. So, I made a reservation for us.
Screenshot 2025-07-12 at 3.58.07 PM by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr
They are known for hand made dumplings. And seems like everyone loves this place.

Third Day
Today we will be going to the San Diego Zoo in Balboa Park. The park is open 9:00 AM - 8:00 PM.

We will spend most of the day here, eat lunch in the zoo and head back to the hotel when we are done. Probably sometime after lunch? 3-ish maybe.
Screenshot 2025-07-12 at 4.02.12 PM by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr

I want to try and see Harpier Topiary's Garden on the way back.
Screenshot 2025-07-12 at 4.02.02 PM by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr
Sounds like this is in a random neighborhood and something you look at for 5 - 10 mintues and leave. So, a short little pit stop.

Dinner, I am hoping we can stop at Hawaiian Fresh Seafood
https://www.hawaiianfreshseafood.com/liberty-station

This is basically poke plate lunches and I am already dreaming of this...
Screenshot 2025-07-12 at 4.04.09 PM by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr

We can either eat there or take it to go and eat back at the hotel if we are pooped form the day. If we stay, the issue is whether there will be something for Gwen to eat. Raw Fish is not something she has really ventured into jsut yet.

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Happy Sunday Everyone!!!

I think I turned a corner yesterday with planning. I think I have a good idea for each day in San Diego. (thank godness) Now I can focus on starting to repack!

I started to see what we would need for the trip. I took advantage of amazon prime day and ordered biker shorts for all 3 of us. And Andy and I went and bought new sneakers yesterday.

I also booked a rental car this morning! I went through the American Airlines app and was able to book a car for $77 a day. And we get miles for booking the car through AA app.

Fourth Day
Today we will head back to Balboa Park. There was one more thing I wanted us to do here but I don't think it would fit in our first day Balboa Park...

Japanese Friendship Garden. It opens at 10:00 AM, so again there is a breakfast place that we might want to try.

Morning Glory
https://morningglorybreakfast.com/
It looks like a fun and funky place. But we will see how we are feeling that day.

Morgan and Gwen love all things Japanese, so this should be nice to see. It says to spend 1 - 2 hours here.
Screenshot 2025-07-13 at 9.01.59 AM by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr

If we feel like it after, we can take a 5 minute walk up to see the California Tower and there is a sculpture garden near there as well.

After that we will be ready for lunch, and I have slatted The Crack Shack for lunch.
https://crackshack.com/

It looks like amazing fried chicken and fried chicken sandwiches.

After lunch we will head to Old Town San Diego Historic Park. It sounds like the area / park is kind of like Colonial Williamsburg but Native American San Diego history.

I think we will start at the The Whaley House.
Screenshot 2025-07-13 at 9.07.36 AM by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr

It's to be haunted, which Morgan is going to love and Gwen is going to be totally freaked out by. But the website says there is a self guided tour that should take about 30 minutes.

Once we are done there, we can make our way throught the park with the goal of walking to the Iipay ~ Tipay Kumeyaay Mut Niihepok (Land of the First People)
Screenshot 2025-07-13 at 9.14.54 AM by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr
It's an interpretive garden for the Native Americans in the area.

Once we have had our fill here, we will either head to dinner to go the Belmont Park next. Dependant of how long we spend here.

The last place I wanted to go was Belmont Park to ride the wooden rollercoaster. I figure we will soak in the atmosphere here but I don't see us doing the other carnival type rides or eat here.
Screenshot 2025-07-13 at 9.19.02 AM by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr

And then for dinner this night, I have us slatted to eat at
Mike's Red Tacos
https://www.mikesredtacos.com/
It's known for it's Beef Birria and they have Ramen, which Gwen will want.

If we feel up to oit, I also found a Shave Ice place that makes fun giant versions. Ko-li Shaved Ice Bar.
We will have to also pack up tonight as tomorrow will be our last day in San Diego.

Fifth Day
Today we need to check out of the hotel and head to Anahiem.

The plan is to drive out to the Safari Zoo. It' s about a 30 minute drive from the hotel. The zoo is open 8-4. So, we will need to get up and out early today.
Screenshot 2025-07-13 at 9.24.50 AM by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr

We will spend the day here and have lunch at the zoo. At some point we will need to leave and drive to Anahiem. It looks like it's an hour and a half drive to Anahiem.

We have to drop the car off at the John Wayne Airport. Orginially I was going to do the car place right near Disneyland. But we would of had to be there by 4:00. And this was cheaper per day. It's a short uber ride from the airport to the hotel.

And then if we want dinner, we can grab something a Downtown Disney.

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Disneyland Portion of our Trip!

Disneyland Day One
Park Reservation: Disneyland

You have to start with Disneyland! Overall I am keeping the plans pretty loose for this part of the trip.

Blue Bayou for lunch. I wanted to try this restaurant and I think the lunch menu will be better for us.
We have lunch @ 11:50. For some reason, I couldn't do noon exactly. But hopefully this will get us out of the sun for a bit but we will reserve the right to go back to the hotel each afternoon. Especially since the disneyland is open till midnight each night and California Adventure till 10:00.

I do have us seeing the night show in Galaxy's Edge tonight.

Disneyland Day Two
Park Reservation: California Adventure

I did just alternate which park we start in each day since you do have to make reservations still. We do have Park Hoppers, so we can hop each day if we want.

This day is our actual wedding anniversary, so we have dessert party for this day. .

I booked a Lamplight Lounge - Boardwalk for a light dinner at 5:00. And then we have World of Color dessert package booked for 8:00 PM.

Disneyland Day Three
Park Reservation: Disneyland

Trader Sam's at 4:45 PM. Again I couldn't do 5:00 exactly, but I figure by now we will def go back to the hotel to relax. So, we can head to dinner and then go back into the parks.

Disneyland Day Four
Park Reservation: California Adventure

I made a reservation for Din Tan Fun in Downtown Disney @ 5:15PM. If we loved it in San Diego we can go again or if for some reason we didn't like it, we can cancel. Again, I figure we will go back to the hotel and relax then head out for dinner and evening fun.

Disneyland Day Five
Park Reservation: Disneyland

We have to fly home this day, so we will have to check out of the room but we do have park tickets for the day.

Since we won't have a room to go back to, I figured we would want to find a place to relax for a bit, so I made a second reservation at Trader Sam's @ 1:25.

Our flight isn't till 11:24 PM, so we will probably want to leave Disneyland 6:30-ish? We will get an uber or lyft back to San Diego. It's about an hour and half to two hour drive back. Andy has "a guy" he uses when he flys to LA for work. He was going to see if he would take us back to the airport.

Hopefully, this will be an epic trip. I am sure by now we will be soooo tired and ready to sleep in our own beds.

 

[Stasieki]

Your plans sound great!!! Be sure to get the Lobster Nachos at Lamplight Lounge.

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Your plans sound great!!! Be sure to get the Lobster Nachos at Lamplight Lounge.

We probably will but I have to think we will be underwhelmed with them. We literally just ate SO MUCH lobster in Maine. And it doesn't get fresher than Maine for Lobster!

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

7 Days left!!!

And I can not wait! We hasn't been home from Maine that long and I am already drained from work. It's been a dozy of a week. It' s7:00 AM and Andy is already working this morning, so I know he will be ready for our trip as well.

It's going to be a busy weekend. Gwen's birthday is Saturday, and technically my birthday is Monday. But we are going to celebrate mine on Sunday since we have to work. Gwen is looking to have friends over Friday night and I am having my gest friend over Thursday to swim. So, basically we are booked up till we leave!!

Has anyone seen the Walt Animatronic? I am so excited that we get to see it when we are there.

Disneyland Must-dos:

• Ride Big Thunder Mountain - This was closed in Disney World when we were there last And it's one or our favorites.
• World of Color Happiness Show - World of Color is Gwen's favorite show and the dessert party for it is my favorite!
• Paint the Night - I am soooo excited to see this!
• Galaxy's Edge Night Show
• New Walt Animatronic

I feel like I should be planning more for Disneyland but I also want to be able to wing it. Especially since Disneyland has the LL as you go there. Hopefully that is not a bad idea.

 

[Stasieki]

We probably will but I have to think we will be underwhelmed with them. We literally just ate SO MUCH lobster in Maine. And it doesn't get fresher than Maine for Lobster!

Yeah... you may want to try something else - haha.

 

[missjackiemcg]

How long does it take for everyone to unpack?! I feel like it takes me forever to get everything back where it all belongs. And since we are leaving soon, I feel like some stuff I should just not put awa

We just got back from New Orleans on Friday night, and we leave for our next trip this Wednesday. We're like lunatics emptying bags, doing laundry, trying to repack and sort out what we needed from that trip that we won't need this time and vice versa. Even when our trip turnaround isn't that close, it still takes us forever to unpack LOL.

Your plans sound incredible!!! I have never traveled anywhere west of Iowa, so I'm of no help at all, but everything sounds amazing to me.

PS Loved your pics of the trip from Maine!