Manda Panda's Christmas Trip Report- completed

[roxy72]

Hi guys!

This is my first Pre-trip report. I did one trip report back in March when I visited Club 33 with my family, but that may have been posted on micechat-- I'm not sure which forum it was on.

Anywho, here are the details:

Dates: Saturday December 19-Monday December 21

Hotel: Best Western Anaheim Inn

Participants:
ME, Amanda, age 24. UCSB alumni and Disney, Hello Kitty, Japanese candy, all things cute enthusiast.

My Dad, Greg, age 51. He is learning how to surf down in San Diego, and enjoys sky-diving. Very athletic and likes to move through the parks VERY quickly.

My boyfriend and mom wanted to join us, but they don't have money for the cost of an admission ticket. Luckily, I have the Premium Annual Pass on a payment plan, so that's the way I can afford getting into the park. My Dad already used his free 3-day military park ticket earlier this year, so he'll be paying for his admission this time around.

My trips to Disneyland:
1) Once in eighth grade or so, with my Mom and sister.
2) Senior year in high school for Grad-Night. 2007.
3) March of this year for Club 33- my Dad's company has membership so we got lucky and got to go.
4) April 29-May 2, celebrated my Dads and my birthday. Stayed at Doubletree in Orange for 2 nights, then a hotel I hated in Anaheim. Signed up for an Annual Pass!
5) July 26-29, celebrated my moms birthday. we stayed at the Candy Cane Inn.

So this will be my sixth trip to Disneyland. I'm still kind of a newbie, but I stalk these forums for tips and to read trip reports. Also, something that makes me special is that I have anxiety- agoraphobia and claustraphobia, to be exact. I battle my anxiety everyday. Sometimes it's hard for me to leave the house to go to work. Driving or even being away from home causes me a lot of anxiety. I'm afraid that I will be somewhere far away from a bathroom at a time when I'll need it most. Since I was recently diagnosed with IBS, I am especially nervous now.

I try to face my fears everyday, so I can hopefully overcome them and lead a more 'normal' life. What does this mean for me when I'm at the park?

First of all, I pump my hand in the air and jump for joy once I've finished the long (2.5-3 hours) drive to Disneyland. Pat myself on the back, etc. Then nervously walk around the parks and try to build up some steem to go on a ride. Some days I can go on Winnie the Pooh and the carousel, sometimes I cannot even do that. It just depends how my anxiety is doing.

Welcome to my Christmas trip report!

 

[roxy72]

Here's a link to my last trip report, for my April/May combined birthday trip with my Dad:
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2159954

I totally forgot that I did a trip report for that visit, until I searched through my past posts! *Duh*

So we have 2 dining reservations for this upcoming trip. On Saturday the 19th (our day of arrival), we're eating at Blue Bayou at 1:10. I've never eaten there so I'm excited...My plan was to order the 'Surf & Turf' but I recently realized that they only serve that during dinner! Oh well. What meals do you recommend from there? I'm open to trying about anything (except if they serve duck or any cute animal- I cannot eat that).

On Sunday we have brunch scheduled for 10am at Storytellers Cafe. We were going to go to Goofy's Kitchen, but I changed my mind. Since we're both older, and I like visiting the Grand Californian, I decided to reschedule.

Now- about the hotel. The BW Anaheim Inn only allows one car per hotel room. Since my Dad and I are driving from opposite directions to meet in Anaheim, we will have 2 cars. I'm trying to figure out whether one of us will park at another lot- like the Anaheim Hilton, which is $15/night for non-guests- or if I should book another hotel.

Part of the reason that I am considering another hotel is because I really want a suite-style room. One that has the beds and a TV in one room, and a separate living room with another TV. It would be nice to have that separation from my Dad, since we both have different sleep schedules (he usually only sleeps a few hours each night). He can also use his computer late at night without keeping me up. I looked into the Embassy Suites, but the closest one doesn't seem to be within walking distance. I'd really like to be able to walk to and from our room at my convenience (ie. not rely on a bus).

Are there any suites within walking distance??

 

[roxy72]

Well nobody has commented so far, but I'm still going to update.

My Dad and I decided to just keep our reservation at the BW Anaheim Inn. I'll have to park off-property, which is a pain but a necessity. Last night I kept debating between that and the Doubletree...it kept me up at night! I have a hard time making decisions sometimes. It's hard to know which choice is best, ya know? So many pro's and con's.

I'm getting really excited about this trip. I want to go on rides-- maybe even Soarin! The last time I tried to go on it, I freaked out while in line and walked out. This also happened at the Haunted Mansion, where I had a panic attack, and I also walked out of the Big Thunder Mountains lines and the carousels lines...This was during my last trip in July with my Mom. We only went on Pooh together, it was pretty sad. She cheered me up by taking me to buy a signature book so we could meet characters and get their signatures.

Also- in my first post, I was pretty serious about my interest in Japanese candy. I got 2 orders in from jbox last week...I am srs bout my candee!

I'll post a pic of my loot later tonight.

 

[roxy72]

Nobody can resist kitteh pictures, right?

Here's my baby Mittens, she's 15 years old now. She's been my best friend since we first adopted her in Vallejo, CA.

I like to dress her up, but unfortunately she doesn't have as much tolerance for it at her old age. So now I just pop a little something on her, snap a pic, then give her kissies and love for dealing with me.

And now my tubby-bellied kitteh cleans herself..

My roommate has a 10-year old border collie named Samantha. I take care of her a lot of the time, so she kinda feels like my dog now. I even got her a yellow rain-coat for our walks, due to this recent rain we've had in So Cal.

Samantha's nicknames include: Sam, Sammy-pants, Samantha Jones...(yes, from SITC).

 

[cinderella-princess]

Hi Roxy72!

I love the pics of your animals - so cute!

If you are still looking for Suites the Anaheim Camelot Inn and Suites has them. I'm not sure if they sill have any left but it's worth looking into. They also let you have 2 cars if you have a suite. We love this hotel and actually stayed in a suite this past trip. It made life SO much easier with 4 of us.

 

[roxy72]

Hi Roxy72!

I love the pics of your animals - so cute!

If you are still looking for Suites the Anaheim Camelot Inn and Suites has them. I'm not sure if they sill have any left but it's worth looking into. They also let you have 2 cars if you have a suite. We love this hotel and actually stayed in a suite this past trip. It made life SO much easier with 4 of us.

Hi there-- thanks for the comment! I looked into the Camelot Inn because I've heard good things about them, and their rooms look nice. Unfortunately, they don't have any suites available for this upcoming weekend. I guess we'll just keep the Best Western Anaheim Inn room- but I may look into the Camelot Inn for future trips. Thanks for the info regarding parking, too!

 

[deejdigsdis]

Wow, your trip is coming up soon! I hope you are able to enjoy your time at Disneyland with your dad, and that you'll be able to ride some of those rides you've been wanting to go on.

 

[roxy72]

Wow, your trip is coming up soon! I hope you are able to enjoy your time at Disneyland with your dad, and that you'll be able to ride some of those rides you've been wanting to go on.

Thanks so much, I hope so too!! Only 5 days til Disneyland now..tick tock, tick tock. Hehe.

 

[roxy72]

As promised, here are pictures of my recent candy orders from jbox.com. I'm kind of a candy-addict, and Japanese candy is the funnest..most-fun..bestest. Hmph. It's my favorite, there we go.

I received 2 order last week and haven't had time to dig into them. Work and spending time with my boyfriend keep me busy!!

Here is the first order, which contains:
Winter Pocky (a big set of Pocky)
Kit Kat Pack -- Caramel Pudding
Ramune Kit-Kat
Meiji Sushi Gummy
Morinaga Hi-Chew -- Pom Juice Flavor
Glico Uranaikko Gum

And now my second order *ahem*. Prepare for the big kahuna, my friends!! This is what we have:
Sorbet Pero -- Cola Flavor $.50
Neri Ame - Traditional Liquid Candy w/ Ch... $.75
Lotte Toppo -- Strawberry Milk (Toppo for... $2.20
Lotte Cubio Gummy Pink Grapefruit Flavor $1.60
Glico Giant Caplico -- Chocolate & Crunch... $2.40
Meiji Wata Pachi Grape $1.00 (my favorite! it's like cotton candy w/pop rocks inside)
Fuwarinka Gum Rose Flavor $1.80
Glico Mini Bisco $.60
Mikakuto Shigekix Super Ramune $1.80
Glico Pocky Dessert -- Double Chocolate $3.25
Nestle Kit Kat Cookies Plus $2.40
Peko-chan Milky Candy $3.25
UHA Happiness Puccho -- Chocolate & Straw... $1.60
Meiji Shuwa Pokemon Candy $1.40
UHA Puccho World $3.25
Rose & Original Kit Kat $4.25
Hello Kitty Soft Candies -- Cola Soda Fla... $1.50
Morinaga Hi-Chew -- Kamkam Flavor $1.80
Lotte Stitch Chewing Candy $1.00
Meiji Wata Gum -- Cola Flavor $1.00

And a closer-up of the stuff up top..mostly gums and chewy candies..

Now, take my word of advice and do *not* get hooked on jbox/jlist. It's too easy to look at all the new candy and cute stuff they put up for sale, and buy everything...lol. They have cute Hello Kitty stuff too- in fact, my next order has a HK ice-cube tray in it.

 

[roxy72]

Today at work I made a little countdown paper..each day I will print a new one out, and look at it when I'm frustrated with work.

I took this pic with my cell phone, so it's not the best quality.

FOUR DAYS til D-LAND!!

 

[roxy72]

TWO Days til Disneyland!

Wow, time is flying. I'm getting excited *and* nervous. Last night I wrote in my new Moleskine notebook about all the things I would like to do during my trip...Ride Peter Pan and Soarin', eat certain foods, visit Santa's Reindeer Round-Up. I get kind of obsessed with ideas especially when there is a big trip coming up. So all I've been thinking recently is this upcoming trip and how it will all pan out.

Hopefully the BW Anaheim Inn offers wi-fi. I'm hoping to update my trip report throughout the trip!

 

[roxy72]

I've been stalking the Anaheim Camelot Inn & Suites webpage. They just had a Family Suite open up for this weekend! But it costs $230/night. That's just too much for us. If I thought my dad were cool paying that much, I would have gotten us into a Disney-hotel at the beginning!

Oh well. We'll just have to deal with the BW Anaheim Inn, and I'll pay $30 to park my car off-site. Sucky.

 

[roxy72]

One day til Disneyland! I cannot believe that time is flying so quickly.

On another note, I got sick last night...and again today. I have IBS so I have stomach issues to deal with. Hopefully I'll feel better by tomorrow and will have a good trip to Disneyland. Running to the bathroom every 5 minutes can get old, and it might ruin the trip. Uhg. I just want to feel better! Today it sucked because I got sick after our group holiday lunch. My boss and co-worker had to wait for me to use multiple bathrooms (let's just say that I'll never show my face at that Starbucks location again, hah). It was embarrassing. Oh well- they were nice about it.

Here's to a happy, healthy stomach and less trips to the bathroom! *cheers*

 

[tksbaskets]

You start your trip tomorrow Have a wonderful time with your dad.

 

[roxy72]

You start your trip tomorrow Have a wonderful time with your dad.

Thanks! I'm pretty nervous, honestly. Last night I was nervous just making the drive to my Mom's house. It's become a little routine that before driving to Disneyland, I spend the night at my Mom's house...It helps break up the long drive.

Part of me is wondering why I do this to myself-- make a big challenge that will bring about a *lot* of anxiety. It was difficult to sleep last night because I kept getting nervous. Now I just hope that the drive to Disney will go well.

My Dad and I still have to figure out the parking situation. Since the BW Anaheim Inn only allows 1 car per hotel room, I'll have to park off-site..Most likely at the Hilton parking lot. It will be a pain to park at Disneyland until my Dad arrives, drive to the hotel to check in and drop off my stuff, then drive to the Hilton lot to park for 2 days then get a ride back to our hotel. Whew!

I'll provide updates later today, hopefully with pictures.

 

[tksbaskets]

Relax, take a deep breath and enjoy the time with your dad and the magical decorations! I'll be looking forward to your updates

 

[Eeee-va]

I hope you have a FABULOUS time at Disneyland! I'm sorry you weren't feeling well--I don't suppose any OTC can help? (I got sick in Chicago from eating a ridiculous amount of cheese and ice cream--well, we HAD to buy cheese in Wisconsin!--and an OTC remedy helped, but I haven't been diagnosed with any issues and I think that incident was just because of poor eating habits ).

How scary about the anxiety. I've read of other people here using Disneyland as kind of a playground to practice social skills, etc. I kind of did that too--I challenged myself to at least meet Princess Tiana on my recent trip...I not only did so, but because we're cheap and wanted the Photopass pictures, of course we had to go get some more pictures taken with characters to make it a better value. Do you notice that you're getting more used to the park?

Reading your previous report, it sounds like you might get upset riding rides alone. I have too (at a time I didn't want to be alone, on my birthday, had a bad experience on PotC where the CM just didn't notice I wasn't in a group where half the members had half-cut ahead of me, so it was not pleasant to be waiting at the dock while other parties went ahead of me since the CM had figured I was with the other group...). If you're expecting to be alone and not minding, then being solo can be fun, but if you weren't expecting it and/or didn't want to be alone (including a birthday ) it's hard for it to be fun even if you don't have any anxiety issues.

Oh, and Mittens is darling. Pocky is delicious! I try not to try too many Japanese candies, though, as they're hard on the pocketbook. (Do your Target or grocery stores sell Pocky? My jaw dropped when ours started offering it.)

 

[roxy72]

I hope you have a FABULOUS time at Disneyland! I'm sorry you weren't feeling well--I don't suppose any OTC can help? (I got sick in Chicago from eating a ridiculous amount of cheese and ice cream--well, we HAD to buy cheese in Wisconsin!--and an OTC remedy helped, but I haven't been diagnosed with any issues and I think that incident was just because of poor eating habits ).

How scary about the anxiety. I've read of other people here using Disneyland as kind of a playground to practice social skills, etc. I kind of did that too--I challenged myself to at least meet Princess Tiana on my recent trip...I not only did so, but because we're cheap and wanted the Photopass pictures, of course we had to go get some more pictures taken with characters to make it a better value. Do you notice that you're getting more used to the park?

Reading your previous report, it sounds like you might get upset riding rides alone. I have too (at a time I didn't want to be alone, on my birthday, had a bad experience on PotC where the CM just didn't notice I wasn't in a group where half the members had half-cut ahead of me, so it was not pleasant to be waiting at the dock while other parties went ahead of me since the CM had figured I was with the other group...). If you're expecting to be alone and not minding, then being solo can be fun, but if you weren't expecting it and/or didn't want to be alone (including a birthday ) it's hard for it to be fun even if you don't have any anxiety issues.

Oh, and Mittens is darling. Pocky is delicious! I try not to try too many Japanese candies, though, as they're hard on the pocketbook. (Do your Target or grocery stores sell Pocky? My jaw dropped when ours started offering it.)

Hi there-- thanks for your well wishes. I made it safely to Disneyland this morning, although I had to stop 3 times to use the bathroom (I got sick again). My doctor actually gave me a prescription strength medicine for when my IBS (diarrhea) gets really bad. The bad thing is that it causes constipation which I don't want to deal with...so normally I let the stomach-ache run it's course until I'm better.

Sorry to hear about your experience with Pirates- how rude of that CM.

Thanks, Mittens is my little baby. Can you believe she's 15.5 years old? Wow, I haven't seen Pocky at Target but my local Albertson's does carry it. Japanese candy is just so much fun, it's quirky and adorable.

 

[roxy72]

Trip Report- Day 1, Part 1

So I arrived at the park around 11AM this morning, and met up with my Dad. He beat me to the park since there was little traffic coming up from San Diego. I was coming from Ventura however, so I got stuck in traffic in Hollywood and along the 5.


Finding my Dad at the main entrance..

Anyways, we met up at the park and went straight to Splash Mountain. Unfortunately, there was a 55 minute wait so we got Fast Passes. I wanted to go on Pooh while we were in the area, but that ride was surprisingly busy. FYI- The park was darn busy today! There was also a long line to meet with Pooh, so we passed on that. I got a Mickey-mouse bar, my first time getting one since visiting Toyko Disneyland in 93.

I haven't seen you since Tokyo!

Our lunch reservation was for 1:10 at Blue Bayou, but we were both hungry already (almost noon now). So we went to the restaurant and they seated us early, yeah!! Now, because I was sick that morning and on the drive to the parks, I wanted to be careful about what I ate. My original plan was to get the ribs or something real meat-y, but I decided to play it safe and get the chicken with a salad. By the time the food came, I wasn't feeling well again. I ate about 1/3 of my meal and took the rest to-go.

Pretty stained-glass window, as seen from inside Blue Bayou (in waiting area).

My salad- blech. I didn't like the dressing. Didn't it used to come as a big wedge?

My chicken, which I barely ate..

Dad's crab cakes...

Dad got the crab cakes, as you can see above. He ate his whole plate, which is unusual for him..he's not usually a big eater. After lunch, we parted ways so my Dad could go on Splash Mountain. I decided to do some shopping, but got sick. I hate being sick in public places or at friends houses...I'd rather be at home in my own bathroom, ya know?

So after that, I got my shopping on, yow! Hehe. I got Mickey ears for my cousins 2 baby boys-- Mickey and Tommy. And I got some ears for my boyfriend, Alan. I also got a cute white hat with a sequin-Mickey on it, a shot glass for my roommate, my first pin (it's the cat from Pinocchio), and a lanyard.

Next, my Dad and I met up. We saw the new Lincoln show, which sucked in my opinion. I have no interest in history, and that's basically what this was about...the history of Abe Lincoln and how he helped out country be what it is today. After that, my Dad and I walked to Big Thunder Mountain so he could get a Fastpass for that. Then we went to Santa's Reindeer Roundup, woohoo! I was looking forward to it. It was kind of un-exciting, though. The reindeer just sat around...like of like a cat, they know that they are cool and people want to pet them, but they act all chill and un-interested.

I shall name you blitzen..

It was almost 3pm by this time so we headed back to the hotel to check-in. I was tired by then, so I rested in the hotel for an hour or so. My Dad went back to the part to ride BTM and other rides. Now, I had to move my car from the Mickey & Friends lot to the hotel, drop off all my stuff, then move my car to a public lot. I was dreading this because it's such a big hassle. Well, my Mom suggested that I asked the guys at the front desk if it's possible for me to buy a parking permit. (The BW Anaheim Inn only allows 1 car per guest room, and I told my Dad he should park at the hotel..I'd deal with moving my car). Well, I went to the front desk, offered $20 for a permit, and the guy working the front said, "Well, we're not allowed to sell permits, but I can accept tips.." LOL. So he gave me a permit, I tipped him $20. Awesome!

Having that permit was such a relief. I could just leave my car here at the hotel, and not bother with taking it to a public lot overnight. After moving my car, my Dad and I met up for a small meal at Hearthstone Lounge. (It was on my to-try list). Neither of us were very hungry, so we split the margherita (sp?) flat bread. Dad got the cheese platter and a beer, and I had a lemonade. Then we walked back to our hotel.

The cheese plate, which my Dad couldn't finish..but he did enjoy.

The flat bread, I ate about half of it.

Right now we're both pretty tired, although I wouldn't mind going back to the park for some snacks and more shopping. I need to find those decals that people put on the back of their cars...it has people with Mickey hats on, and you can make them look like your family.

ETA: I just heard that DL has reached full capacity and won't let any more guests in tonight. Looks like my Dad and I will be watching the fireworks from our hotel!

 

[DisCookie]

Looks yummy. I probably shouldn't of learned about jbox....lol