First Christmas time trip PTR Now Trip summary 1st page

[sasywtch]

Good evening all. I'm excited and just counted the days today. 17 more to go.
Little background: We have been going to DL once a year for the last 30 years but mostly in September or July. We transferred to Oklahoma in 1998 so made the trip to WDW in 2000 for 10 nights staying at SOG. On our yearly trips to CA to visit family, we had to go south a little to stop in DL before heading north to Sacramento.
Now I have grandkids, moved back to Sacramento and decided last year we'd make it for the holidays this year.
Cast of Characters:

First Car:
Me: 53 year old government employee that loves most reality shows. Boyfriend is staying home to work. Went to DL once while growing up and began going yearly once I had my kids.

DD1-34 Manager and hasn't been back to DL since she was in Junior High at 12 years old. She opted to go camping with her best friend instead of going with us. She has not seen CA Adventure, DTD, Indy, ToonTown etc. We are looking forward to seeing her face on ToT.

DD2-27 Government worker (higher than me), went to WDW with me and has been going to DL every year. Took her friends from Oklahoma to DL when they came to visit.

DS2-20 College student and pizza maker He's a big maybe if he's going or not. He also went to WDW and yearly trips to DL.

Second car:
DS1-32 6th grade school teacher who just got his Masters. Dad to GS and GD. Has gone to DL every year and even took his wife to WDW for their honeymoon.

DDIL-30 RN She went to DL the first time when my grandson was 3 years old and made the comment "well, now we don't have to come back here for another 5 years". She's been back every year since. I don't think she's as wowed at we are but we have trained the grandson well. She will be only going to DL for one day as she is taking GD to visit relatives in the area the other two days. She is not the commando type whereas, we see no reason to relax at the pool when we bought tickets to ride rides and see the sights. She'd rather take a 2 hours break.

DGS-5 will be 6 in January. Loves Disney, can ride everything this year but he's having a little anxiety over the "monster" in the Matterhorn and ToT. Other than that, he's game for anything and is my partner in crime looking for some coffee for me. Even though he's 5, I want them to bring the umbrellas stroller. His little legs get tired and don't keep up with the adult legs all evening.

DGD-6 months. She is the cutest! I think she'll have a little more fun next year. She will only go the first day.

Plan of attack:

Staying 4 nights at the Anaheim Plaza. We normally stay at the BWPPI but we needed 2 rooms this time and the AP had rooms for $59 a night so off we go to the AP. DD2 stayed here with her Oklahoma friends and said it was fine.

Car 1 is leaving early morning (possbly 6am) Wednesday December 8 and arriving around 2pm. DD2 and I can show DD1 around some through DTD and may eat at RFC or ESPN (knowing DD2, it will be ESPN).

Car 2 is leaving at 2pm as DS1 can't leave his classroom too many days as it's only a week away from his winter break. They will arrive in Anaheim around 9pm.

Day 1 DL with all. We are a counter service family so no reservations anywhere.
Day 2 DCA then DL later. We are probably one of the few who aren't too interested in WOC. Terrible, I know.
Day 3 DL and anything we didn't see in DCA.
Day 4 Breakfast and then heading home. DS1 and DDIL are the type that when heading home, forget lunch or anything, it's 80 up the freeway and home in 6 hours flat.

I am so excited to see the decorations, to see the HM and IASW, the parade,the snow..........everything! Seeing DL during the holidays is a bucket list item.

For those heading out soon, enjoy!

 

[Markie Mouse]

I am going the 8th to the 12th and will be attempting to do my first TR. I think it will be cool to see your TR as it will be like seeing my trip from a different perspective. Can't wait!

 

[specialks]

We will also be there during Dec 8-13 -- I have a TR too! It will be funny to see what we all do on days in the parks.

Hope you have a fun trip!

 

[sasywtch]

I will be there hitting up all the coffee and goodie treat places.

 

[sasywtch]

12 more days and we haven't even bought our tix yet! Buying them from our union on Wednesday. $171 inc tax for 3 day hoppers.
Since I get bored on the ride down there and have 3 others who can drive, I think I will write down the rest stops and gas stations/eating places I see along the way for that I-5 thread. I think I-5 has mile markers now like they have in the midwest/east so that's helpful.

I have nothing ready. I just haven't found myself too excited yet but will be after we get the tickets. We did see this santa hat at Kmart yesterday that plays music and moves around. I may go back and get it to wear into DL. I have no problem wearing this type of hat at DL or at work or I may just go get some of those antler ears.

 

[sasywtch]

2 more sleeps until we are on our way!
Little change in plans: DS2 is not going so staying behind to feed the pets. DIL and GD are going for 2 days instead of 1 as relatives are going out of town. The biggest is, the rain that was forcasted is not there any longer!!!

We went to our union and got the tickets. $171 includes tax for 3 day adult park hopper. I don't know if that's a good price or not but cheaper than the website. Room is paid for except we were notified they raised the taxes so another $10 each.

Since I get totally bored on road trips, I'm taking a pad of paper and writing what I remember about each pit stop area along I-5. I have adult ADHD so I like to keep busy. Definitely not a relaxer person.

I should get back to work since today is my last day for a week. Enjoy everyone! Next stop back, trip report.

 

[Markie Mouse]

I bet you're excited. I have to work the night before I leave and then hit the gym, then finish all the pre-trip stuff. Can't wait to see how different we see our trips. Hope you and your family have a good time!

 

[sasywtch]

Thanks Markie....it doesn't do any good to take the day off before. I got very little done, the time flew by.
I'm packed, my oldest daughter isn't but she gets up at 4:30am anyway. She's waking me up at 5:30, other daughter is coming over at 6am.
It's 11pm and need to get to sleep.
See ya all when I get back Sunday.

 

[sasywtch]

We have been back for about 3 hours now and this is a jumbled trip report as I'm not feeling well. I developed a slight toothache the second night which turned into a major toothache on the drive home today. Nothing like driving for 7 hours with a toothache. $8 Orajell at the truckstop at Anderson's Pea Soup.

Car 1 (2 daughters and myself) got a late start at 7am. It was raining as usual in Sacramento (starting to feel like Seattle here) and just cleared right up around Santa Nella. I did write down the rest stops, gas stations and eateries along I-5 and will do that tomarrow after I visit my dentist. Made it to Anaheim about 3pm. I realized we do alot of stops on the way there but very few on the way home. Daughter #1 forgot a personal bag so had to go find a Target. We went the wrong way of course (past Disneyland from the Anaheim Plaza). It's 0.2 miles from the Anaheim Plaza to the crosswalk on Harbor if anyone is interested. (The things we think of to post on here).

Decided to eat at Coco's in the Target parking lot. So-so. Made it to Downtown Disney to show it to daughter #1 since she'd never seen it. The santa in the Disney hotel had no kids there if anyone wants a short line to see him. Car #2 with son, DDIL, DGD, DGS made it to the hotel at midnight.

Went to DL the first day. A person who had been on a few rides with us earlier in the day told me that night when we ran into them again that he was staying clear of us We get our fast passes for Indy, go on Pirates and for the first time, a load of water comes in and soaks our behinds. I've never had that happen before where that much water came in. So, we are walking around with wet fannies, go on Indy, get up to load and it breaks down. 20 minutes later and we are on. DDIL, gets mad because it took so long (she's not a theme park person). She was waiting for us outside and wanted us to just leave when it broke down and come back later.
Next up, Splash! Imagine jumping into a swimming pool with black jeans on and that was me! I have never gotten so soaked before. The cast member said it was the worst he's ever seen. I went sloashing back to the hotel to change. I had no other shoes but these tennis shoes so blow dried them. My purse is a material type so my cell phone is a gonner. (and nope, we tried blow drying it and it's gone). I spent the next two days using dollar bills that were 1/2 wet. Told the person I was giving them to that they were Splash victims.

Later we go to Autopia where I see the family from earlier in the day that was behind us on the other rides and my daughter's car floods holding everyone up for 10 minutes. This is the point where the guy tells us he's staying clear of us.

We did go to the front of the castle to watch the lighting and the snow. Friday night we stood in the walkway up to IASW to watch the fireworks and the snow (snow is a lot better here then in front of the castle---never saw it on Main Street). Saturday night, fireworks were cancelled but got the snow again in the same area.

Friday we went to DL for an hour and then headed over to DCA. DDIL and DGD was not with us this day as she went visiting relatives. I made the choice not to go on the rapids as I had already had my soaking fun the day before. I tried the chinese food which was pretty good, everyone else had the bread bowls. Back to DL where we saw the fireworks, walked over to the Haunted Mansion where the second showing of Fantasmic was just starting. A cast member showed us a good spot so we got to see it without waiting. We closed the place down at midnight and thought we were going to do the magic morning on Saturday My DS at the age of 32 has found, he isn't as young as he use to be especially with a 5 year old and 6 month old. Needless to say, we didn't get there until 9:30 am.

 

[sasywtch]

Saturday, needless to say we didn't make it for our early entry. I think our days of closing the park down and making it back by 7:30am are gone.

ToonTown in the morning, Alladin at 2:20. I kept falling asleep (terrible, I know). I have never had that happen before where you start to nod off and jerk your head up. It's terrible realizing you are getting a little older and need more than 5 hours of sleep. I went back to the room, slept for an hour and got my wake up call. They were by Thunder Mountain eating turkey legs. Son got me and him some fish and chips. #1, not a big fan of turkey #2, I was already tired so turkey was the last thing I needed. Pretty much spent the rest of the time until midnight going on things a second or third time. Rode Casey's train at 11:30pm.

I did get the chocolate peppermint thing in the souvenir cup and watched the making of the candy canes.

We ended up sleeping in this morning (Sunday) and left Anaheim at 10:30am. If anyone was on I-5 around LA and was almost in a 5 car accident, I'm sorry. It was me! This person in front of me kept tapping on his brakes so when he really did need to stop, I thought it was going to be another tap. My car ended up halfway in the next lane, my son who was behind me was also halfway in the other lane and the truck behind him had to go up into the middle island. It was not good but no one hit anybody, we all just mosied on our way. This was actually the first time we've gone 65-70 from Anaheim to the Grapevine with hardly any traffic.

Weather was good, got hot Friday and Saturday. On our way home, we stopped around Castaic and ate. It was warm, tee shirts, no jackets but yet, 15 miles north there was what we thought smoke. We saw a CA Fire truck pass us by and thought there was a fire but it ended up cloud cover where the temperature immediately dropped 20 degrees and it was cold. Wierd to go from hot to cold in a matter of minutes. This is about where the tooth really started hurting so it was a "let's get home" mode and bombed at 80 back to Sacramento getting home at 6:15.

A few thoughts (oh, I had bought a disposable camera as my DDIL had her digital plus photo pass and that disposable camera is a gonner too from Splash)....thoughts.....

If anyone was near us at DL or DCA and heard the bickering, I apologize. It was not the kids, it was daughter #1 and DDIL. One doesn't want to do rides and doesn't want the others to either and the other one doesn't go with the flow. I have no desire to go with a mixture of people again. Too many moods. I think the days of us going with extended family is gone. I kept telliing them if I was still smiling and enjoying myself while drenched in jeans, they could put a smile on their face.

I love DL, I've been going every year for 30 years but I think (please don't shoot me here), that I was expecting a little something more for Christmas. I don't know what, but it wasn't as great as I thought it was going to be. There were lots of places that I thougtht would be decorated that had nothing. The carolers they had at the hotel, would have been great under one of the lamp posts on Main Street. I did see some men singing Christmas songs but also playing instruments. Maybe they came out but we never saw them. Maybe my expectation was too high? I honestly don't know. IASW was very pretty as was the castle. My DGS thought it was real snow and still thinks that so that was cool. We did get our first corn dog from the red wagon which was good and the free refills on the coffee at the market place. Lots of tips from here made things easier. As the fishing bumper sticker says "Any day at Disneyland is better than a day at work"! I think next year we are going back in July. Very wierd for DL to get dark at 5pm.
Everyone who is going, enjoy! I'm going to put some orajel on,try to get some sleep and show up at my dentist at 8am.