Guess What Kids? They planned our first trip to DLR and LA - Wow, what a trip! Update

[scrpbookr]

Have you looked at citypass.com? There is a southern CA Citypass that includes 3 days at Disney. We used it in 2013. All went really smoothly with it and it saves about 30% I believe.

 

[scholastica]

I love your gift to your kids! It is very cool and they get to learn so much even before they even go. I can't wait to hear more about it!

 

[mumto2]

Have you looked at citypass.com? There is a southern CA Citypass that includes 3 days at Disney. We used it in 2013. All went really smoothly with it and it saves about 30% I believe.

Thanks for the info! I have shown the kids, and it has expanded their thoughts on the non-DLR itinerary, although I did tell them that San Diego was probably not viable as this is a relatively short trip, and we'd have to cut a DLR day or an LA day to make it happen.

I love your gift to your kids! It is very cool and they get to learn so much even before they even go. I can't wait to hear more about it!

If nothing else, they are starting to realize that there is more to a vacation than hopping out of bed and grabbing the suitcase somebody else packed for you

I have to say, it has been interesting watching the way they work - there has been a good bit of horsetrading going on between them (even down to agreeing that they can trade seats on each leg of the journey).

Thanks for following along

 

[mumto2]

In keeping with my plan to have the kids work on this trip, I shared that the Marriott we had been planning to use was booked. DS got a little bummed because the pool had been a plus, but didn’t really seem bothered. DD realized right away that this was a problem and asked what they needed to do, and if there were other Marriott options (so she could use my points and keep concierge at PPH, LOL).

I gave her the Marriott Rewards site and told her that they needed to solve it (I know that I already knew about the Renaissance, but they didn’t, and I thought this would be a good opportunity for them to learn that sometimes, plans change and you need to have a backup.

They looked at the hotel options (freaking out a little when their search brought up 91 Marriott Properties) and narrowed them down to those with an airport shuttle. DS thought the pool at the Courtyard was the nicest, but his sister pointed out that we probably wouldn’t be using the pool this trip, and that the Renaissance had a concierge level. He understood what that meant – “free” food! So changed his vote to the Renaissance. What I thought would be an inconvenience turned out to be a great learning experience for the kids.

So now we have the hotel booked for our entire stay and the beginnings of an itinerary. I know that DL Express will be the most economical way to get from LAX to PPH, but I am still leaning heavily towards a car service. With our luggage and DD’s wheelchair, there is a lot to be said for having a car and driver right there to pick us up; a grocery stop is really tipping the scales.

That first day we will want to have an early dinner as it will have been a really long day. We will have park passes, even though it will be later in the afternoon when we arrive. I have told the kids that we need to look for something either at PPH, DTD or in the parks. I am willing to do a table service, but would prefer a hearty counter service (no fast food burgers/nuggets if possible, though) to maximize the time in the parks that day. Any suggestions?

I am anticipating lower crowd levels on arrival day, so I think we will be able to get a few of our must-do attractions taken care of before park close. We wont get on RSR, I know, but I think it might be really cool to be there when they turn on the neon.

The kids are also thinking about a character breakfast the next morning, and would really like the Fantasmic Dessert package if we can make it happen. Otherwise, we are not too worried about food – we are all very good at finding something when we need to, LOL. DD and I are already planning on daily Dole Whip Floats while we are there – DS is going to sample several to decide on a favorite, even though we all already know what he will pick

 

[Dizzy4DL]

Our favorite counter service at DL is Rancho Del Zocalo in Frontierland. I know some people frown on it because it isn't as authentic as some local Mexican restaurants, but we aren't locals and we think it's pretty darn good.

 

[scrpbookr]

I love the experience you're giving them!! So fun but educational and enlightening, too. My little guy is just 6 now but I think in 3 or 4 years it may be fun to let him take on a project like this.

 

[mumto2]

Our favorite counter service at DL is Rancho Del Zocalo in Frontierland. I know some people frown on it because it isn't as authentic as some local Mexican restaurants, but we aren't locals and we think it's pretty darn good.

Thanks for the suggestion! I checked out the menu, and it seems pretty yummy to us, too!

I love the experience you're giving them!! So fun but educational and enlightening, too. My little guy is just 6 now but I think in 3 or 4 years it may be fun to let him take on a project like this.

Last year for an English project, DD had to journal/blog a pretend trip to Europe, using an itinerary from a student travel website. They didn't have to figure out travel arrangements, just write aboout the sites on the tours. It was a neat project, but made me realize that neither of my kids knew how that stuff works - planning, reservations, budget decisions, etc. So when DH and I decided that an experience gift was viable this year, I knew that since there was no way to fit everything in, if they were in charge of the itinerary, it would be the trip they wanted. They have both learned a lot - not just the practical, how-to stuff, but about decisions, time and money constraints, etc. I would definitely recommend it, even though there have been several times I had to fight the urge to jump in and take over.

 

[mumto2]

A big perk for staying “on property” (boy, I really just showed my WDW roots, didn’t I?) is being able to use the vacation planning service. As someone who has gotten up at ridiculously early hours to try to snag an ADR before (like the time I was in SF on business at the 180-day mark and set the alarm for 3:30 am only to learn that Le Cellier was not available for any of our dates), I could definitely get used to this service!

Once the kids nailed down their dining choices, we called the planning service and spoke with Barbara, a very nice lady who seemed genuinely excited when she learned that this was a first trip, a Christmas present and a birthday celebration. She was able to make our breakfast ADR, but the dessert package wasn’t open for reservations yet, so she took my payment info and called me the day it opened up to let me know that she had secured our booking. So much easier!

We thought about doing some other bookings, but we don’t want to be too tied down to a schedule. I am thinking that between the snacks, quick-service options and concierge offerings, food won’t be as much of a focus on this trip as it can become on a WDW trip. Plus, with having a relatively short time in the parks, I don’t think we’ll want to spend a ton of it in restaurants.

Park Hours are also available, and while I know the refurb schedule is causing a lot of heartburn, we actually got great news in that other than a couple of things (Nemo, Splash), much of what we thought would be down won’t be while we are there. That, plus the fact that I am banking on manageable crowds mid-week, means, we’ll be able to see and do a good amount. The kids want to focus on the things they haven’t seen at WDW or are different at DLR (and since they both know POTC is my all-time favorite, they want to take me on that a couple of times).

I have read a lot of different recommendations for beaches, and even though Santa Monica doesn’t always get rave reviews, I think it is still the one we will go with. The fact that it is the terminal point for Route 66 is a big plus, and the pier looks cool as well. I don’t see us spending a lot of time there, as it will be too cold to go in the water, other than to put toes in so that the kids can say they’ve done it.

We explored surfing lessons (the kids both did this last summer and had a blast); I just don’t see how we can fit it in, and the fact they would have to use wetsuits (provided by the surfing company) makes me think that the water must be REALLY cold! The kids are still trying to convince me, but I think this may be one of the few times I exercise the parental veto.

Whale-watching is still on; it sounds like we are going during a great time to improve our chances of seeing all kinds of aquatic life. The Farmers Market sounds like a great stop for a bite on our last evening since we won’t want to be out late (brutally early flight the next morning), and we can purchase snacks for the trip home.

After much looking and debating, we are renting a car from Alamo at DTD to go to LA for the latter portion of the trip. Turns out, my Costco membership helped out big-time with the rate. I didn’t know that you could rent cars through Costco until I googled Alamo discount codes and Costco came up. I went to their site and, sure enough, ended up with a savings of 25% over the best rate I found anywhere else. We decided that having a car at our disposal for the LA sites made a lot of sense. I am also mapping out our excursions on TripAdvisor to come up with a route that will reduce drive time. A really neat feature that I only just learned about!

Now I have to go pre-purchase the photopass voucher – I have decided that I don’t want to be responsible for DH’s DSLR camera, so most of our photos will be iphone generated. This is a combination of I don’t want to lug the camera bag along with the other luggage, and, to be very honest, that thing intimidates me!

 

[mumto2]

Last night, I taught DS9 how to make an online purchase. Perhaps I should have used DH’s debit card instead of mine

We went to the Aquarium of the Pacific website and looked up the whale-watching schedule. Lucky us, they have added a third cruise each day, and the blog on their site is showing a definite increase in sightings, so we are hopeful this means that the migration is really in high season and we will get to see a lot. But either way, the kids are over the moon at the thought of spending a few hours on a boat at sea (and, yes, DH keeps humming the theme to Gilligan’s island ).

Once we found the date and time we wanted (and I had DS look it up), we went ahead with the purchase. The only issue we had was when he didn’t put the cursor in the child quantity box and originally had a request for 21 tickets . He realized that something was up when the price preview came up as more than our airfare had cost. He got very nervous, until I explained that he hadn’t ordered anything yet, and in any case, you always review the shopping cart before making a final purchase. Showed him how to edit the shopping cart and then complete the purchase. He can now shop online like a pro!

We also ordered our park tickets and photopass plus, as well as confirming the car service pick up from LAX. My card got a real workout yesterday, LOL.
Now that we have general ideas for our itinerary, we are working on the finer details.

DS got a Birnbaum’s guide to Disneyland, and has started deciding on the rides that are his “must-dos.” We have several editions of the Birnbaum’s WDW for kids and have always found them to be great keepsakes (we don’t do a lot of autographs, but those we do are in the guides; we tape an envelope inside and use it for any pixie dust or other small “treasures”). They don’t have a kids DLR edition, but DS is really enjoying the regular version.

Because our touring style is very laid back, we have always found that it works best for us to have everyone pick up to three “must-dos” with the knowledge that we will do everything possible to make them happen and after that everything else is a bonus. This has saved us from meltdowns at park closing because one of the kids wanted to do X more than anything else in the world and we didn’t get to it. If it isn’t on the list, there is not guarantee; everyone seems to understand this. Of course, I still need to start my list, but I know POTC is the top contender for me, and that if the kids have teacups on their list, I’ll be watching from the side. Yes, I am embarrassed to admit that I am a teacup wimp.

 

[Carable]

I'm enjoying your report! I'm wandering over from the WDW site because we, too, are thinking of a spring trip with our kiddos which will be their first time on the west coast (we are on the east coast). I grew up in the southwest, so DL is a home away from home and I haven't been since the 90's. I'm a little intimidated with the planning myself because everything has changed so drastically, but I'm trying to be more laid back about this trip. I'm getting a lot of information from your posts, so THANK YOU!

 

[Thumper_Man]

Have you looked at citypass.com? There is a southern CA Citypass that includes 3 days at Disney. We used it in 2013. All went really smoothly with it and it saves about 30% I believe.

Thanks for the info! I have shown the kids, and it has expanded their thoughts on the non-DLR itinerary, although I did tell them that San Diego was probably not viable as this is a relatively short trip, and we'd have to cut a DLR day or an LA day to make it

Hi Mumto2.

I found your TR doing my own TR. I love the economical lesson that your kids are getting from planning this trip. I'm following along and can't wait to read how the whole thing turns out. Surprisingly, I'm the planner for DW and I. Usually it's the women who make the plans. DW leaves it up to me.

I'm still reading the last couple of chapters, but I wanted to give a little more food for thought on the City Pass. Even if you can't make it to San Diego, it's still worth it to buy the City Pass if you're taking Universal Studios into consideration. It is cheaper to buy the City Pass than to pay for DLR and USH separately.

 

[mumto2]

I'm enjoying your report! I'm wandering over from the WDW site because we, too, are thinking of a spring trip with our kiddos which will be their first time on the west coast (we are on the east coast). I grew up in the southwest, so DL is a home away from home and I haven't been since the 90's. I'm a little intimidated with the planning myself because everything has changed so drastically, but I'm trying to be more laid back about this trip. I'm getting a lot of information from your posts, so THANK YOU!

Welcome!

I was a little overwhelmed at first with all the possibilities and a relatively short period of time. One of the benefits of having the kids do the vast majority of the planning is that it really makes it their trip. They get to decide (and compromise) on what is most important to them. I haven't pointed them to the DIS (don't want to share my addiction ), I have given them suggestions based on TRs I have scoured here. The DIS has been much better than any of the official tourism sites. TripAdvisor has really been helpful as well.

Hi Mumto2.

I found your TR doing my own TR. I love the economical lesson that your kids are getting from planning this trip. I'm following along and can't wait to read how the whole thing turns out. Surprisingly, I'm the planner for DW and I. Usually it's the women who make the plans. DW leaves it up to me.

I'm still reading the last couple of chapters, but I wanted to give a little more food for thought on the City Pass. Even if you can't make it to San Diego, it's still worth it to buy the City Pass if you're taking Universal Studios into consideration. It is cheaper to buy the City Pass than to pay for DLR and USH separately.

Glad to have you reading along! We are getting closer and closer to departure

The kids have made some great choices, and are still debating some others. Locked in (because the $ have already been spent) are whale-watching and an aquarium visit, DLR, hotels and transportation. It continues to be a great learning experience for them; they are going to journal the trip with i stuff (pad, touch and phone) and DD has promised to teach DS how to edit it into a a video (she is the web/social media editor for her school paper). So we are even getting togetherness out of this!

We looked at USH, and the kids decided that DLR was enough - with the possible exception of a ride on the Ferris Wheel on the Santa Monica Pier. But had they decided to do USH, the CityPass would have been great for us.

 

[RI Disney Star]

I have read a lot of different recommendations for beaches, and even though Santa Monica doesn’t always get rave reviews, I think it is still the one we will go with. The fact that it is the terminal point for Route 66 is a big plus, and the pier looks cool as well. I don’t see us spending a lot of time there, as it will be too cold to go in the water, other than to put toes in so that the kids can say they’ve done it.

On our last day we rented a car and among other things went to the Santa Monica Pier. We loved it. We only were actually on the pier for a couple of hours but we saw the sunset, stuck our toes in the water, Jessica and JC rode the roller coaster. Then we walked up a few blocks to a pedestrian mall and had dinner at a pizza/Italian restaurant. My cousin who lives in Pasadena was with us. He hadn't been to Santa Monica in 20 years and he thought it was great. I'm a little slow on my trip report but I'll have all the details there soon. The biggest surprise for us was how you could look one way and see the beaches and turn around and see the mountains. We've never seen anything like that.

 

[mumto2]

On our last day we rented a car and among other things went to the Santa Monica Pier. We loved it. We only were actually on the pier for a couple of hours but we saw the sunset, stuck our toes in the water, Jessica and JC rode the roller coaster. Then we walked up a few blocks to a pedestrian mall and had dinner at a pizza/Italian restaurant. My cousin who lives in Pasadena was with us. He hadn't been to Santa Monica in 20 years and he thought it was great. I'm a little slow on my trip report but I'll have all the details there soon. The biggest surprise for us was how you could look one way and see the beaches and turn around and see the mountains. We've never seen anything like that.

Thanks for making me feel good about our Santa Monica choice. I am going to try to time it so we will be there for sunset.

We are fortunate to live close enough to the Atlantic Coast that we can have several beach weekends a year. I have shared the beauty of a coastal sunrise with each of the kids one on one, and even though they are not always happy about getting out of bed, they always appreciate the moment. So seeing a Pacific Sunset would be a great experience for us to share!

Love the DIS - you can get so many wonderful ideas, and no one seems to mind when you steal them

 

[mumto2]

Got back last night - AMAZING trip with lots of magic. Will start TR with photos very soon!

 

[Dizzy4DL]

Got back last night - AMAZING trip with lots of magic. Will start TR with photos very soon!

Can't wait to hear all about it!

 

[luulu1999]

sooo excited about your trip report....I love seeing everyone's photos!!

 

[RI Disney Star]

So glad you had a great trip. Can't wait to read your TR and see your pictures.

 

[WillowHaven]

I'm loving how you had your kids plan this. What a great idea! I am going to need to keep it in mind for the future, since my guys are only 4 and 6 right now. Give them a few years and I think we have a great homeschooling project!

 

[Thumper_Man]

Wow, you're already back? Where did the time go? Glad you had a wonderful time and I can't wait to read all about it.