Go into the mind of an over-planner: First-timer's pre/post-trip report for 12/2007

[CardinalsFan]

I love reading trip reports to hear what people loved and loathed about their trip, so I can learn from them. And pre-trip reports seem like a good idea, so people can lay out their plans, and have others offer advice, or simply offer well wishes. I'm pretty-much done with my planning (I think), so my pre-trip report is offered more as an educational opportunity for those who are planning a trip, as I'll include details on what led me to make certain decisions. But if you're reading this and you do have some advice for us, feel free to share! I plan on turning this thread into a post-trip report after we return. So, let's get started!

 

[CardinalsFan]

Background

First, a little background. My family consists of me, 38, DW32, DD7 and DD4. We live in a suburb of the Kansas City area, on the Kansas side. My kids are Disney fanatics through exposure to the Disney Channel(s) and just about every Disney movie released on DVD.

I'm slightly obsessive when it comes to hobbies, and planning this trip has become my latest obsession. I love digging for a deal, and hate to find out later that I could have had/done something for cheaper than what I paid. It's like a game to me. And I want to get my money's worth, so I don't want to miss out on anything, which is why I research so much.

My DW likes to relax while on vacation, and I nearly ruined our honeymoon in Hawaii several years ago with my obsessively-planned let's-try-and-do-EVERYTHING approach. My DD7 has asthma, and needs to take it easy so she doesn't become too taxed. And DD4 isn't past taking the occasional afternoon nap yet. So, I'm challenged with trying to keep a relaxed pace, while still wanting to go-go-go!

Deciding to Go!

I have never been to Disneyland before (none of us have). Heck, I’ve never been to Southern California before! So how did we decide to visit DL this year? Well, my wife signed up for a Disney Chase Visa Rewards credit card when she started in a home-based sales business last year, with the intention of building up Disney Rewards points so we could better afford a Disney vacation someday. With our kids the ages they are this year, we really didn’t plan on visiting a Disney park for another couple of years, with WDW more the focus than DL.

Chase sent her an insert in a billing statement this past summer, advertising MHT. We thought it might be a neat idea to visit DL in October for this, so we started talking about it. We talked to friends who have gone to DL before, and learned how much smaller DLR is than WDW, and how it is a nice fit for our kids’ ages right now. For kicks, I looked for some flights to see what was available at what prices, and the ball got rolling. I used the Disneyland website to price a trip, as well as the Costco web site, but with airfare, the prices were a bit out of our reach. I was determined to have at least four days in the parks, plus five nights in a hotel, roundtrip airfare, and ground transportation for under $1700. Game on!

Coming soon... Change in Plans!

 

[trekkie2]

love this idea, if you get tired of planning yours you can work on mine, I am about to drive myself crazy with the planning! I am planning 7 days for myself and DD (16) we are doing 1 day Universal Studios with transport, 1 day Sea world with transport, Medieval times, and 4 days Disneyland, 7 nights @ CCI and airfare. Looks like about 2400.00 not including food misc. My flights are running about $800.00 as we have no major airport close ( ABQ is 5 hours away) I would love to get the cost down, but I think I have it about as low as I am going to get. Oh well, its going to be great!

 

[CardinalsFan]

Change in Plans

While researching Disneyland in general, I found the DIS. I soaked up information, and began to wish we were going for Christmas instead of Halloween, based on what I read. My wife and I talked about it, and she was open to the change. We planned on making it the girls’ Christmas present from us, and we would make it a ***surprise***. And the thing that really did it was a breakthrough in flight costs. When I used the Southwest Airlines website to price out flights way out in December and January, I learned we could save a few hundred dollars over costs in October! Through trial and error, I learned to avoid Sunday and Friday flights, and I learned that the Ontario airport was much cheaper than the other Disney area airports, at least from KC. I even found flights where we only have one stop, but don’t have to change planes! So, with a shot at getting the flights at just over $650 for the four of us, I started really researching the hotel-and-ticket options on the Costco travel website.

Surprise!

For the surprise element, we are planning on sending our DD7 to school on that Monday morning, under the premise that she has a doctor's appointment around lunchtime (she has a ton of doctor's appointments these days, so this will be nothing new). When we pick her up at lunchtime, the van will be loaded with the suitcases, and she'll be surprised to see me there ("Daddy, aren't you supposed to be at work?"). We plan on only telling the girls that we're going on a trip, but we can't tell them where. Their babysitter gave us this idea, as she says her parents did a Disneyland trip this way, and it was one of her fondest childhood memories.

OK, so we're going around Christmas-time (either before, or after)... coming soon: Where to Stay, and When Exactly to Go

 

[BecBennett]

It sounds good so far and you really haven't told us anything!

I don't know how people manage to pull off suprise trips, I have enough trouble not telling people what I've gotten them for Christmas!

I'm like you, I love to read how people are doing things, and the ways that are different to me.

 

[CardinalsFan]

Where to Stay

Overplanner that I am, I made a spreadsheet with the results of all of my Costco research; I had to select each hotel individually, and record the cost of the package in the spreadsheet. I also researched (via TripAdvisor, etc.) those hotels that looked to be near our price range. Through the DIS, I also learned about the HoJo and the Candy Cane Inn, and the proximity of the hotels on Harbor. Hydroguy’s tips about staying within walking distance were great input, as I suspected we would go back for naps on some of our park days. I went back and forth between several hotel choices, especially when my wife expressed an interest in getting a hotel suite (not do-able with our budget, but I had to research it). At about that time, some threads here on the DIS were educating me on the Entertainment Book rate at the HoJo, and since we get that book every year, I loved the idea of getting a hotel most people recommend, at the best price (by far) for any hotel on my list.

When Exactly to Go

Knowing that we had some options that would put the trip in-budget, I started a thread on the DIS to ask about a couple of options for dates in December and January, and based on the input I received (including very valuable information about last year’s hours and schedules for those timeframes), we finalized our dates (12/10 to 12/15), and I booked the flights in early August, using the Southwest Airlines web site. The price for four round-trip tickets from KC to Ontario and back came to $656. Shortly after, I called the HoJo (you must call the hotel directly, and make sure you are speaking to in-house reservations, not the national HoJo reservation line, which sometimes they transfer you to) to ask about the availability of the Entertainment Rate for those dates, and lucky us, we could have a two-queen-bed Deluxe room in building two, with a balcony overlooking the garden pool, away from the freeway noise, at the Entertainment Book rate ($54/night, before tax) for five nights. I booked it. Assuming a 15% tax rate, the total for 5 nights should be around $310.50.

Using last year’s schedule on Laughingplace.com was a key to selecting our dates. We figured we could either go before Christmas, or after New Year’s. Input from nice folks here on the DIS helped convince me that crowds would be better in early-to-mid December than early-to-mid January. I’d rather go in Janurary when it’s super-cold in KC, to escape that cold for a week, but other factors such as likely mid-January ride refurbishments helped sway me. After hearing when the SoCal-area schools get out (~12/14) for Christmas, we knew we had to go prior to that if we wanted to avoid large crowds. And we wanted to avoid weekends in the parks, but did want to include a Friday, when more entertainment (like Fantasmic) is offered. So, it was going to be the week of 12/3 or the week of 12/10 for us. It became apparent that the week of 12/3 was going to have Cast Member parties on Monday and Tuesday (and DL would be closed by 6pm), so that was a strike against that week. And it looked like the Electrical Parade would debut on Friday 12/14, so that was a plus for that week. Finally, my wife said she would need to be in-town for as many early December days as possible for sales parties so she could make her December sales quota, so we had our decision. It would be the week of December 10.

Up next: Good News, Bad News...

 

[CardinalsFan]

we are doing 1 day Universal Studios with transport, 1 day Sea world with transport, Medieval times, and 4 days Disneyland

You've got quite a bit more to research than I did, since we're only doing Disneyland and DCA... no Legoland, Sea World, Medieval Times, Magic Mountain, Universal Studios, etc.

Sounds like you've done your homework with your hotel selection. It came down to HoJo vs. CCI for me, and getting the Entertainment Rate at the HoJo sealed the deal.

Have fun!

 

[CardinalsFan]

I don't know how people manage to pull off suprise trips, I have enough trouble not telling people what I've gotten them for Christmas!

The surprise element is a tough-ee... I wanted to tell the kids that we're tagging along to Mommy's next AtHome America conference for work, and that there's a "park" next to the hotel that we can play in (they'll be thinking swingsets and slides, not rides and shows). But hearing our babysitter recall her experience with her surprise trip to Disneyland was enough to convince us to try it that way. Later, I'll tell you about all of the pre-trip souvenirs I've been covertly gathering - it's been tough not letting the kids in on any of it.

 

[Hound 109]

I'm in.

Cardinal's Fan, you work a trip just like me. Other's see it as work....we see it as a game. Best time, with the best stuff... at the least price. (with the least crowds of course)

Kind of like during the movie Apollo 13 when the engineers had to figure out how to put the square box into the round tube....using nothing but toothpaste, empty tang containers & duct tape.

hound <---just booked 2 nights/3 days - two days prior to your arrival for the exact reasons that you gave.

 

[CardinalsFan]

Great reference, Hound!

You had actually replied to the aforementioned thread I started to inquire about dates - you reminded me that doing early entry on our first morning would be advantageous since we're coming from an "earlier" time zone, so it will be easier to get up early. <tease>More on that later!</tease>

We just got back from a last-minute trip to Idaho Falls. My wife's grandfather passed away the night before Halloween, and the funeral was on Saturday. You should have seen me "playing the game" trying to get last-minute airfare, hotel and rental car for as little as possible. Sadly, that three-night trip wound up costing us almost as much as our 5-night Disney trip will!

 

[CardinalsFan]

Good News, Bad News

When the December schedule for DLR was finally posted in early October, we had good news, and bad news. The good news is that the parks are going to be open longer than what we had expected based on last year’s schedule. Instead of closing at 8pm on Tues/Wed/Thurs like last year, DL will be open to 9/9/10 on those days! Yay! But when I looked for the Electrical Parade on 12/14, it was not listed. Its first appearance for the holiday season is going to be a week later, on 12/21. Rats. Tip: Using last year’s schedule is good for getting an idea of what to expect, but things are subject to change. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.

Coming Soon: How to Get Around

 

[CardinalsFan]

How to Get Around

From what I’ve learned here on the DIS, we won’t need a rental car. We can walk to and from the parks, and we can have groceries delivered to the hotel. So, I looked for options in ground transportation. Cabs from the Ontario airport to Disneyland could possibly have a reasonable flat rate, but I didn’t like the idea of cramming the four of us in a cab. The SuperShuttle was downright expensive, according to their online fare calculator ($136 round trip for the four of us! For a shared van! Ouch!). I initially had no intention of getting a rental car, as I had no interest in driving in LA traffic. But because we land around rush hour time, and we’ll be hungry and ready for dinner, and because our return flight is late in the afternoon, the benefits of having a rental car, at least for our arrival day and departure day, were starting to be realized. We could land at the Ontario airport, get the car, find dinner somewhere nearby, and eat while letting rush hour die down. Then we could drive to the hotel, check in, and make a quick grocery store run. If we had a rental car on our departure day, we could do something more than spend half-a-day in Downtown Disney. I had successfully used Priceline for a rental car for our Phoenix/Sedona trip this past winter, so I tried it. Let’s see if I can get a full-size car, for 5 days, at $17/day (before taxes/fees), picking up and dropping off at the Ontario airport... denied. No takers. Rats. Last winter, they accepted my very first offer, but I couldn’t remember how much I bid. But I do remember getting a brand-new Buick with about 120 miles on it – it was awesome! Anyway, Priceline sent me an email message three days later, letting me know it was OK to try again. So, if I can try every three days, with plenty of time to do it, I’ll just increase my offer by a buck each time, until they accept it. With a five-day rental, it’s only $5 more, plus a few cents for taxes. So I tried $18/day. Accepted, by Avis! After taxes and fees, the total comes to $128.40, which is less than the SuperShuttle!

Coming soon: Getting Park Tickets for Cheap

 

[CardinalsFan]

Getting Park Tickets (as cheaply as possible)

I knew I needed to get these eventually, but I was hemming and hawing between four-day and five-day hoppers. For the four of us, the cost difference was only $40. Since our departure flight isn’t until 4:30pm, we could have a fifth day on a Saturday, and get in at least four hours (8-noon). But my wife and I decided that four days was going to be enough. We’ll be exhausted by that fifth day, and being a travel day, we didn’t want the hassle of fitting in as much park time as possible. Plus, my wife and I want to take the girls to a beach (more on that later). So, I was about to order four-day parkhoppers from the Disney website, when someone on the DIS announced the deal for getting a second early entry day when using getawaytoday. Ooooh, another early entry day! I was pumped, and was about to order, when I made the mistake of bragging about it to my wife. Let’s just say she’s not a morning person and leave it at that. She wasn’t thrilled about the one early entry day, and when I proposed we could have two, she had the opposite of my reaction. Even accused me of trying to ruin the vacation for her. Someone on the boards here suggested we go in early without her, and let her sleep in and join us later, but I didn’t like that idea for some reason. Assuming the deal would be available for a while longer, I didn’t pull the trigger. More research on the DIS helped me learn about the Gay Days tickets, available at a significant discount, but for a limited time. It was mid-September, and it was the last week the deal was available. The only downside to this cost savings: no early entry days. Well, for us, that can be considered win-win. We save money, which makes me happy, and we don’t have to go in early, which makes my wife happy. With two days before the ordering deadline, I placed the order. The tickets arrived a week or two later. Total cost for four-day hoppers (two adult, two children): $526.95

Next: Our Dining Plans

 

[CardinalsFan]

Our Dining Plans

In addition to her asthma, my DD7 has been diagnosed with an allergy to dairy. It’s more common than you probably think, and it runs in my wife’s side of the family. It’s not like she eats cheese and then can’t breathe or anything acute like that, it’s more like she has fewer colds/congestion, fewer leg cramps, and no more circles under her eyes when she avoids dairy. So, for basically this calendar year, we’ve kept her (and her sister, for good measure) off of dairy. Eating out is sometimes a challenge, but we have been successful so far. I don't suspect it will be a problem on this trip.

My wife will likely have almost $300 on her Disney Rewards card by the time we’re in the parks. We plan on exhausting it on dining and souvenirs. We also plan on eating at Mimi’s more than once since it's right next to our hotel and we like the ones here at home, and I’d like to visit Tony Roma’s for dinner one night (we used to have one here at home, and I kind of miss it). In the parks, based on my research here on the DIS, we are definitely doing dinner at Ariel’s Grotto, and lunch at the Blue Bayou. I successfully got an 11:30am PS for the BB, so we can get a waterside table. And I got a 4:20pm PS for AG, so we’re set for those plans. The rest of our meals will be spontaneous (hard word for me the overplanner). I’d like to eat while watching the Billy Hill show sometime while we're there. And I'm starting to think that I should get a ressie for Friday dinner, since I'm guessing Friday will be the most crowded day of our trip. I just can't decide where. I'm fairly certain we'll be at the Block Party Bash in DCA at 5:15pm on Friday, so I'd like to eat somewhere around there afterwards, but I'm not sure I want to do Wine Country Trattoria, which is the only DCA eatery that we'd consider (that takes reservations)... we're not going to The Vineyard Room. Maybe this would be a good day to eat in Downtown Disney.

My general attitude towards eating is that it is an expense, and it consumes time I’d rather spend doing something else. And that’s how I am at home! Just think how I’m going to feel in the parks!

Next: What to Do On Our Travel Days

 

[Hound 109]

You can also eat in the GCH for friday dinner (from burgers etc. at Whitewater... to character meal... to ritsy). I mention this because it's adjacent to DCA (secret entrance next to Griz Rapids). or as you mentioned, lots of places in DTD.

(i was the one who said to let the sleeping wife lay & head out to the park for EE. But it worked for us because it was our third day - DW knew how to get to the park by that point....& we were at the PP...so she enjoyed strolling thru DTD on the walk to the DL.)

Am curious....who are KC Mike & Cardinal fan rooting for in the KU - Mizoo game? Biggest game between these two schools EVER.

Keep posting.

 

[CardinalsFan]

You can also eat in the GCH for friday dinner (from burgers etc. at Whitewater... to character meal... to ritsy). I mention this because it's adjacent to DCA (secret entrance next to Griz Rapids). or as you mentioned, lots of places in DTD.

(i was the one who said to let the sleeping wife lay & head out to the park for EE. But it worked for us because it was our third day - DW knew how to get to the park by that point....& we were at the PP...so she enjoyed strolling thru DTD on the walk to the DL.)

Am curious....who are KC Mike & Cardinal fan rooting for in the KU - Mizoo game? Biggest game between these two schools EVER.

Keep posting.

I'm not really a college sports fan... heck, I've never been to a college football game, so I'm the wrong guy to ask. But I attended and graduated from a school in the University of Missouri system (Rolla), so I'll go with Mizzou. I'll hope for any outcome that causes tons of controversy in the BCS rankings, so there will be even more of a giant outcry for a playoff system for college football. Anything to get rid of the BCS. I think it's a major reason why I don't watch college football.

 

[CardinalsFan]

What to Do on our Travel Days

On our travel day from KC to SoCal, we’ll land at the Ontario airport just after 5pm, on a Monday. Right at the beginning of rush hour. Due to the difference in time zones, it will feel like 7pm to us midwesterners, so we’ll be hungry for dinner. I figure it will take us at least a half-hour to claim our checked luggage and pick up the rental car from Avis, but that still leaves us in the middle of rush hour. And I’ve heard horror stories about the LA-area traffic jams, so we’d like to avoid that. So, we’ll plan on eating dinner near the airport while traffic dies down, and then we’ll get on the freeway to make the (hopefully) 35-minute drive to the HoJo. Then we’ll check in, likely around 8:00pm. If our girls are awake, this will likely be when we help them guess where we’re going this week. Google Maps is a wonderful tool for finding restaurants and eateries near the airport.

On our last day, we don’t fly out of the Ontario airport until 4:30pm. We’ve got a half-day to kill, and we’ll have a rental car. My wife and I want to take the girls to a beach, even though it will likely be cold. So, I began to research options. The beaches within closest range appeared to be to the southwest – Huntington, Newport, Laguna, etc. I found the websites for Huntington Beach and Newport Beach, and registered to receive each’s visitor guide in the mail. But I found through some descriptions on trip reports that Newport was likely to be more our style. So, we plan on checking out of the HoJo on the morning of Saturday, 12/15, and driving down to Newport Beach and seeing the sites there. Maybe we’ll do a harbor cruise. Maybe we’ll eat at Ruby’s out on the pier. Maybe the kids will play in the Fun Zone. Maybe we’ll take the ferry over to Balboa Island and walk the streets. Maybe my wife will leave the kids with me and head over to Fashion Island for a day of shopping. I’m trying to educate myself on the options available, and then let the day just happen, without overplanning. So, if any of you reading this have suggestions, I’m ready to add them to the list. But I think we’ll need to eat lunch by noon, and then start heading to the airport. I can’t take the stress of being late, and who knows how traffic will be.

One really cool thing I found about Newport Beach is that we’ll be there while they are having their 99th Annual Christmas Boat Parade, where nearly a hundred boat owners decorate their boats with lights and music, and parade through the harbor at night. That kind of thing is right up our alley! I even looked into extending our trip by a day so we could overnight in Newport Beach that night, and spend the whole day doing stuff, and the night watching the parade. But the extra cost outweighed the benefit, so we aren’t doing that. The parade runs most of the nights we’re in the area, so maybe we’ll knock off from the parks early one night and head down there for dinner at Ruby’s and an hour of parade watching! I doubt it, but we’ll see…

Lastly, saving five bucks is saving five bucks. I found that the airport in KC has a website which, if you register for it, will email you a coupon which gives you a free day of long-term parking when you park for at least three days. It only saves us $5.50, but it all adds up, right? I was able to print two of the coupons, and I used one when we parked there for our Idaho trip earlier this month.

Next: Pre-Gathered Souvenirs, Planning Visits from Tinkerbell

 

[tinkermell]

What a great pre-trip report!!!

Glad you are making a day for the beach too! And even if the water may be too cold to swim in, the weather still might be great. If it is, I would expect to see people laying out, and enjoying the sun. At the beginning of the pier at Newport is also a great spot for food called Charlies Chili. And if you can find the little walk up food booth, look for "cheese strips" and salsa. They have been serving these for as long as I can remember, and we always get them when we go. If you park near the pier, be sure to walk to Balboa Island. The walk isn't bad, and you can see all of the beautiful homes along the "strand." At the end you can catch the ferry over the harbor. And Fashion Island is a shopper's paradise. That and Orange Coast Plaza, are probably the best malls in California, besides maybe San Francisco.

Have so much fun!! Oh and by the way, I'l be at DL at the same time as you. We arrive on the 13th and leave on the 16th. We went last year at the same time frame, and it was great. The weekend was even super. I'm also sad to hear that the EP won't be going yet. Still I'm glad you picked the holidays to be there. It is absolutely beautiful!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I always wear my lime green Mickey tags on my purse, so be on the look out!

 

[CardinalsFan]

Thanks for the Newport tips, Tinkermell!

 

[CardinalsFan]

Visits from Tinkerbell

One of my goals for this trip is to try keeping down our spending inside the parks, while still allowing for it. It is, after all, a vacation, and this may be our only visit to DLR (we plan on doing WDW in 3-4 more years). I had read some great tips on the DIS about people buying Disney-themed gifts at home, bringing them along, and when a child gets the “I wants,” these can be whipped out of the backpack to temporarily satisfy the child. Hmmm. Good idea. One member took it a step further, and set out gifts in the hotel room while the children were sleeping, with the premise of the gifts being left by “Tinkerbell” during the middle of the night. We loved that idea, and began a quest for finding appropriate items. I got some from eBay, and I got a bunch from the dollar spot at Target.

Later, I'll try to post some pictures to show the loot described below:

First morning (Tuesday, December 11… our first day in the parks): each girl will get her own Disney-themed fanny pack and autograph book, and a clickable Sharpie, some Princess-themed and Tinkerbell-themed trinkets, and some glow necklaces for nighttime and/or dark rides. This comes with a note from Tinkerbell (on Tinkerbell stationery), with “fairy dust” (gold glitter) curiously trailing on the floor from the gifts to the balcony door (sorry, housekeeping!).

I got the autograph books and fanny packs on eBay, and I got the Tinkerbell stationery at the dollar bin at Target. The sharpies and gold glitter were also from Target. The glow necklaces were in the Halloween aisle at Wal-Mart.
I got the trinkets from the dollar bin at Target.

Second morning (Wednesday, December 12… our second day in the parks): each girl will get a YOAMD Mickey Ears Hat embroidered with her name, some more Princess-themed and Tinkerbell-themed trinkets, plus more glow necklaces for nighttime and/or dark rides, and another card from Tinkerbell, with more fairy dust.

I got the hats on eBay, and took them to the local EmbroidMe shop to have their names embroidered-on.
I got the trinkets from the dollar bin at Target.

Third morning (Thursday, December 13… our third day in the parks): each girl will get a Disneyland sweatshirt, some more Princess-themed and Tinkerbell-themed trinkets, plus more glow necklaces for nighttime and/or dark rides, another card from Tinkerbell, and more fairy dust.

I got the sweatshirts on eBay.
I got the trinkets from the dollar bin at Target.

Fourth morning (Friday, December 14… our last, and longest day in the parks): each girl will get some more Princess-themed and Tinkerbell-themed trinkets, plus more glow necklaces for nighttime and/or dark rides, another card from Tinkerbell, and more of that curious fairy dust.

Final morning (Saturday, December 15… travel day): one final card from Tinkerbell, and fairy dust, and who knows what else.

I’m still looking for some small items for them to bring into the parks in their fanny packs, like Chapstick, and maybe something to occupy them while waiting in lines (suggestions are welcome!). I may get DD7 some Disney-themed games for her Nintendo GBA. And I have another Mickey Ears Hat with Tinkerbell on it (from eBay) that Tinkerbell will leave for DD4. I may get each girl a disposable camera to use as she sees fit (ten bucks says they take all 24 pictures in the first 24 minutes!).

Hmmm, this post would be a lot better if I had those pictures!