OMG!! 1 week to go & DH wants to change it all!!

[chrissiecutie]

DH informed me last night that he wanted to make some changes to our upcoming trip. Um....hello?!? We are exactly 8 days away and you wait until NOW to tell me about all this!!!

Overplanner and perfectionista that I am, I'm not afraid to admit that I'm going a little crazy here!

We had discussed Universal but DH thought it too expensive and that DS wouldn't enjoy it as much, now he's changed his mind. He also wants to take DS to Santa Barbara to visit his old "haunts" that he spent time at as a kid. There's also talk of San Diego. On top of all this we are of course planning Disney time and about 3 days of our 8 day vacation will be spent visiting family in the SoCal area.

Here's what I have so far...

Sat: Fly in, spend time with family
Sun: Family
Mon: Check into HoJo mid day, visit DTD and Lego store (a MUST for DS)
Tues: Free day- possibly do San Diego or Santa Barbara day trip
Wed: Universal Studios
Thurs: Drive to visit other family in Pasadena
Fri: Full day at DL
Sat: Swim and play at Hojo, Fly home mid day

My family members will be picking us up at the airport when we arrive on Sat and then taking us to our hotel on Monday. I had planned more Disney days, so I only have a rental car reserved for Thurs and Friday so that we could make the drive to Pasadena and then drive ourselves to the airport on Sat. Got a great deal on Priceline for $25/day. So now I will need to add more days to the rental car- no biggie.

We usually just visit family and go to Disney. I've never planned for this before and now I have less then a week (I have DS's bday party this weekend to plan as well!) to throw this all together!

My question is...where does your family go for a day trip? I would rather NOT do San Diego or Santa Barbara as both are at least a 2 hour drive each way. We have no interest in the theme parks in San Diego and if we did go there, it would be to visit the area and museums. We don't need to go the beach as we have those here so what would you suggest??

I'm also wondering if I should try and sneak in 2 Disney days. Perhaps Monday when we arrive mid day?? Cost is a factor since now I will have the added expensive of Universal Studios and the extra rental car days.

Thank goodness I haven't bought our Disney tickets yet!!

Our vacation style is as relaxed as possible. We prefer to arrive at our destination, in this case the Hojo, and stay there. I, personally don't like to do extra driving and lots of running around. I would rather sip a cocktail by the pool, sleep in and enjoy.

DS's birthday party and the BIG surprise trip reveal is this Sunday. I haven't been able to pack or get ready because DS would totally catch on. Plus I've been busy planning his bday party. Guess I'm just feeling a little stressed out and overwhelmed!

 

[sonnyjane]

Let me get this straight - You are in the area for 8 days, yet you only have ONE day planned at Disneyland!?!??! That is pure blasphemy on these boards!!!!!! I would do Disneyland on ANY open day! I don't want to say it's not worth it, but man, it's almost not worth it! I can't imagine staying at HOJO's, being able to see the Matterhorn from my hotel and then NOT going to Disneyland! Do I need to speak to your husband!??!!? I will!

ETA: Alright... I've calmed down a bit. I still think you should to go DL on at least all but one of your free days. Since your DS loves Legos, maybe look into Legoland instead of Universal? I'm not sure of his age, but again, if he loves Legos, that might be the way to go, and Legoland is in Carlsbad, NOT San Diego, so it's only about an hour from Anaheim.

 

[nunzia]

Let me get this straight - You are in the area for 8 days, yet you only have ONE day planned at Disneyland!?!??! That is pure blasphemy on these boards!!!!!! I would do Disneyland on ANY open day! I don't want to say it's not worth it, but man, it's almost not worth it! I can't imagine staying at HOJO's, being able to see the Matterhorn from my hotel and then NOT going to Disneyland! Do I need to speak to your husband!??!!? I will!

wow..I agree..really, why stay by DLR at all if you are only planning 1 day at the park???

 

[chrissiecutie]

Let me get this straight - You are in the area for 8 days, yet you only have ONE day planned at Disneyland!?!??! That is pure blasphemy on these boards!!!!!! I would do Disneyland on ANY open day! I don't want to say it's not worth it, but man, it's almost not worth it! I can't imagine staying at HOJO's, being able to see the Matterhorn from my hotel and then NOT going to Disneyland! Do I need to speak to your husband!??!!? I will!

Oh thank you for the good laugh!

You are SO right! Only 1 day at Disney is crazy talk! However, I'm fighing a loosing battle with a non-Disney loving DH. We just went last May for 3 days and I think I may have over done it.

I had originally planned on 3 days for this trip. 2 full days and 1 half day but now that plan is changing...Both DH and DS really don't like DCA and have no interest to spend any time there. So our day or days would be spent completely in DL, which is fine with me.

Honestly, if I had my way, we would be going to DL Monday after we check into the HoJo, Tuesday all day and then Friday all day as planned. But I just don't think that DH will go for it.

 

[chrissiecutie]

wow..I agree..really, why stay by DLR at all if you are only planning 1 day at the park???

Initially I had 3 days planned

Plus DS LOVES the HoJo and the waterpark, so that's an attraction in itself as far as he's concerned.

 

[sonnyjane]

Oh thank you for the good laugh!

I'm glad I made you laugh, but I was being dead serious lol!

If you're dealing with a non-Disneyphile, I would maybe suggest adding at least one more day to your tickets so that you and your DS could sneak over to DL for a few rides either on that first day or on one of those days that you just visit family. To be honest, you could also look into letting your DS and DH go to Santa Barbara if he was set on it to have some father-son bonding and you could go to DL alone! I go all the time alone and it is fabulous. I really am just in shock to be honest haha! My husband doesn't "love" Disney either, but he will suck it up at least once a year to go with me and is a trooper.

I was serious about looking into Legoland. If your son loves Legos, he might really like it there, and they have an aquarium there too.

 

[chrissiecutie]

I'm glad I made you laugh, but I was being dead serious lol!

If you're dealing with a non-Disneyphile, I would maybe suggest adding at least one more day to your tickets so that you and your DS could sneak over to DL for a few rides either on that first day or on one of those days that you just visit family. To be honest, you could also look into letting your DS and DH go to Santa Barbara if he was set on it to have some father-son bonding and you could go to DL alone! I go all the time alone and it is fabulous. I really am just in shock to be honest haha! My husband doesn't "love" Disney either, but he will suck it up at least once a year to go with me and is a trooper.

I was serious about looking into Legoland. If your son loves Legos, he might really like it there, and they have an aquarium there too.

We discussed Legoland when I was originally planning our trip. DH veto'd it because of the price. Uggh...I think he was just being a pain in the butt and no matter what I suggested at the time sounded good. KWIM? What can I say? He doesn't like vacations, I have to literally FORCE him to take any sort of vacation...however once he's actually ON vaction, he's fine.

I also read quite a bit on Legoland because I really think DS would enjoy it. But the reviews were pretty mixed and the rides looked like they were geared towards smaller kids. Which normally would be perfect for my almost 6 yr old, however my 6 yr old HATES "kiddie rides". His favs at DL are BTMRR, Space Mtn and Splash Mtn but only for the big drop at the end- the rest of it he's declared his boring. So I opted instead for some serious time at the Lego store in DTD but now of course I'm regretting that decision....

Honestly, I feel as if I have to start planning this trip again from scratch! And with only 8 days until we leave and a major birthday party in the middle of all this...I'm freaking out!!

 

[sonnyjane]

All I can say is, and I really mean this, that I'm sorry It sounds like your DH is being, frankly, a butthead. We just recommended to another poster to skip Universal because of the cost and travel time involved because she only had 2.5 days at Disneyland planned. With your one, I still don't recommend it, especially knowing that your son will just be turning 6. Universal is really for older kids I'd say. I'm also bummed that your son won't be going to Legoland because there is really a window of time that it's appropriate for kids and your son is still in the window where he would love it, especially if he's a Lego fan. It's not just rides (and I've heard that not all the rides are 'lame'), but they have a lot of models and interactive things. I've been to the aquarium but not to the park (I don't have kids), but I can't imagine a Lego fan not loving it The aquarium was cute for what it's worth lol.

I hope you make the most of this trip. I'm sending you lots of patience vibes

 

[chrissiecutie]

Ha! He is being a bit of a butthead! I need all the patience I can get!

However I think that our upcoming trip has FINALLY sunk in and so now he's finally starting to think of things he would like to do. Why he didn't mention this to me when I started planning awhile ago, I'll never know.

I think I will discuss Legoland with him a bit more tonight when he's home from work.

Universal Studios would mainly be for DH, as he liked it the one and only time we went, pre-kiddo. I had been before as a teenager with my family and I've always liked it, but its NO Disney! I figured that I kinda owe him one after our trip in May with 3 days at DL and this upcoming trip following so soon after the last. Though not soon enough if you ask me!

We'll see...back to the drawing board!

 

[rmom]

Honestly, if I had my way, we would be going to DL Monday after we check into the HoJo, Tuesday all day and then Friday all day as planned. But I just don't think that DH will go for it.

You could always give DH & DS "bonding time" and let them do something together while you go to DL for one day (or part of the day).

 

[CrazyDuck]

Legoland is awesome!!! Especially if you have younger kiddos... Nothing is San Diego can beat it, especially if you have to drive twice as far!

1 day out of 8 at DL is just wrong! But, if you are really only doing 1 day at DL you don't need to stay at HOJO... There are a lot better hotels in the OC area that are less expensive!

 

[DisneyMomma81]

Legoland is awesome!!! Especially if you have younger kiddos... Nothing is San Diego can beat it, especially if you have to drive twice as far!

1 day out of 8 at DL is just wrong! But, if you are really only doing 1 day at DL you don't need to stay at HOJO... There are a lot better hotels in the OC area that are less expensive!

Unless she got the ent *now retro* rate......

OP maybe it's time you and DS start visiting DLR without dad. I'm getting married next Sat. DF has never visited a Disney park I'm excited to take him to DLR!!! If Disney isn't for him *in talking with him he thinks it's for kids ~ well he can stay home and I'll take my kids *at least DD ~ DS isn't too big on Disney, but he has no choice as long as he's under my roof - he'll have to go at least once a year or every other year

I do agree with the Legoland comment ~ your DS is a great age for LL ~ we've never been to Universal but it sounds like there wouldn't be much there for a barely 6 year old.

 

[newmouse82]

I definitely share your pain, every time I book a vacation my DH does the same thing. He was out of town for work when I booked this trip so it was a little easier but after hours on the phone deciding which hotel to stay at he let me pick. I picked the Disneyland hotel and booked it, 30 minutes later he calls me and says we should stay at GCH. I agree with the pp's that you should let them have time together and you should do Disney on your own. Hope it works out for you.

 

[Love Tink]

I'm so sad for you!

Another vote here for Legoland. We took our three boys the week my oldest turned seven. He loved it. There was a ton of stuff there for that middle-elementary-school age group.

There are a couple of roller coasters that are in the BTMR range, and at least one "high speed" water ride that I remember. I think it would be a good compromise.

If you do decide to go there, look around online because they do a lot of discounted tickets.

 

[chrissiecutie]

Thanks All for the wonderful comments!

I wish that I were the type of person that could visit DLR by my lonesome, but I really want my family to be there with me. I've been SO many times, that it just wouldn't be the same or mean as much if I were to go by myself. I would rather have one full day at DL with my boys, then 2 days and one of those I'm by myself...but that's just me.

I'm definately going to be re-visiting the Legoland idea with DH tonight. What hotels do you all suggest??

We love staying at the HoJo for the water park and with the ET/retro rate, the price just can't be beat. If you can show me a great hotel for under $59/night in the OC area...point me to it!

I may be able to get my family members to drop us off at Legoland instead of Anaheim, so could possibly do this on Monday or Tuesday. Where do you look for the discounted tickets??

Honestly...I think DH is just going to have to come to terms with the fact that it's too late to make SO many major changes. Tough luck, he should have spoke up months ago!

As for Universal Studios, I think DS will enjoy it. I just checked height requirements and he's tall enough for just about everything. The choice is really between Universal and Legoland. Frankly, I feel like I need to compromise with DH and go somewhere he'll enjoy, which would be Universal. DS and I are both Disney freaks so that part of our trip will be for us and then Universal would be for DH. But I just can't get over how much I KNOW DS will enjoy Legoland. Oh, I'm so confused...

But on a good note, I have definately decided to add a 2nd Disney day to our schedule. As you've all mentioned and I totally agree...what's the point of only doing 1 day! DH will just have deal!

 

[Mugglemama]

Here's what I have so far...

Sat: Fly in, spend time with family
Sun: Family
Mon: Check into HoJo mid day, visit DTD and Lego store (a MUST for DS)
Tues: Free day- possibly do San Diego or Santa Barbara day trip
Wed: Universal Studios
Thurs: Drive to visit other family in Pasadena
Fri: Full day at DL
Sat: Swim and play at Hojo, Fly home mid day

Our vacation style is as relaxed as possible. We prefer to arrive at our destination, in this case the Hojo, and stay there. I, personally don't like to do extra driving and lots of running around. I would rather sip a cocktail by the pool, sleep in and enjoy.

A "day trip" to Santa Barbara from Anaheim will be far from relaxed, most likely. Are you aware that it's about a 4 hour drive, each way? And that's only if you don't hit traffic (not just L.A. traffic, but be aware that there is SIGNIFICANT commuter traffic between Ventura and Santa Barbara every weekday during rush hour times (so, you'd have to wait until around 7pm to leave SB if you weren't staying the night there, if you want to avoid the horrible traffic).

While Santa Barbara is wonderful (one of my favorite places in the world, having spent a lot of time there throughout my entire life...), if you do choose to do it, plan that segment carefully or the traffic has potential to ruin it (it can be very difficult to find places to stop between ventura and SB for things like bathroom breaks for kids - nonexistent if you get stuck in traffic in the areas where there are NO offramps, no businesses, etc).

Just something to keep in mind as you plan!

 

[JadeDarkstar]

tell him your planing it he can deal with what you have planed the day you get there have a ticket to go in for some fun after lego store my son loves dtd lego store but he loves disney too. i cant even convince any them to make a trip to sea world. i wanted to do no way were going dl 5days maybe 6.

id say get a 3day pass an spends 2 half days there. an one full day you will regret it if you dont.

 

[Hound 109]

3 days minimum at DLR if you're at Hojo for 6 days.

Want me to share with him how dudes to DLR? (check out my trip report with padewan Alec in my siggy below) Lots of rides, lots of food & no stinkin' princesses.

Speaking of princesses, did i read upthread a couple of our sweet princesses referring to a hubby...aka a Dis Prince.....as a "b*tthead??!!!




hound <----has heard Mrs. Hound refer to him as b*tthead...& ALOT worse.

 

[kailuagirl]

There is no way I could stay that close to DLR and not go more than 1 day. your son is going to go nuts seeing it and not being able to go. Hopefully you guys will work something out, but I truly believe you should add more days to DLR. And as for DCA, we didn't really care for it either, but our last trip we had a blast there, we loved WOC and DD3 got to ride lots of the other rides besides Bugs Land, it was great, so don't totally maybe pass it by (unless of course you are only doing 1 day). I don't know how you are going to do it......

 

[LisainCalifornia]

I agree--it does seem a little strange to be at Hojos for 8 days and only have one day for Disneyland. Especially since adding another day to a park hopper is so cheap.

And you say your husband and son aren't interested in California Adventure at all--but...really? Have they ever been on Soarin' or seen world of Color? How about Toy Story Mania or Grizzly River Rapids? Tower of Terror or California Screamin'? Have you guys seen Alladdin? There is just so much to do there.

Legoland is fun--especially if your child is into Legos, which you say he is. I wouldn't pick it over another day at Disneyland, but that is me. My kids thought it was "okay" when they were younger, but all agreed that the day would have been better spent at Disneyland if possible.

How much would it cost to add another day to your park hopper?