Please critique my plan!

[shanni]

I've come up with a general outline for our June trip. Having never done Disney with kids, and not been myself in about 20 years, I want to run the general plan by all of you. Feel free to tear it apart. We could move practically anything at this point!

Here's the rundown- Dh and I, plus our 3 dd's. (10, 8, and 5 at time of trip.) We plan to get a 5 day park hopper. We want one day at a beach, and need to go to LA one day to go to The American Girl Place store. We don't want to feel rushed, so even though I know we could do the drive in one day, we are splitting the drive up into two days. Here's the general plan as of now...

Tuesday, May 31- Leave our home in Central Utah around lunchtime. Drive as far as Vegas.
Wednesday, June 1- Get up and check out of hotel. We'll go whenever we're up and ready, I anticipate that being between 8-9. Drive to Disney and check into HoJo. Then head over to the park for the rest of the day/evening.
Thursday, June 2- My b-day!! Spend most of the day in the parks. Dinner at The Cheesecake Factory. (My favorite.) It's supposed to be a grad night that night, so if we have time after dinner to go back to the parks we will, if not, we'll just have a relaxing evening at the hotel.
Friday, June 3- Disney Day. We'll spend the bulk of the day at the two parks, taking a mid-day break if we need it.
Saturday, June 4- American Girl Place day. My kids are honestly more excited about this than Disneyland! We'll spend a lot of time there shopping, having lunch, getting doll's hair done, etc. Any suggestions for what my dh could do nearby when he's ready to tear his own liver out would be appreciated!! lol!
Sunday, June 5- Beach day. No clue where we will go, but I figure I can figure that part out as it gets closer. I also know that it probably won't be totally hot yet, but my kids won't care!
Monday, June 6- Day in the parks. This will be our all things princess day! We'll do BBB, Ariel's Grotto for breakfast, PFF, and anything else princessy we can find. (May do studio 365 for oldest if she would rather that than BBB.) Again, we'll take a mid-day break at hotel if needed.
Tuesday, June 7- Pack up and check out of hotel. Head over to Disney and play there until people are ready to go. (Probably mid-afternoon, but leaving that totally open.) Drive as far as we feel like, then check into hotel somewhere along the way for the night.
Wednesday, June 8- Drive the rest of the way home and collapse while our children run circles around us!!

Okay all ye Disney gurus!! How does that sound? I would really welcome any input you may have!!

 

[tlovesdis]

Your plan looks great to me! I am all about relaxing and taking some breaks when I am on vacation.

As for your hubby and something to do, the Grove, where the American Girl Store is, is a very nice outdoor shopping center with lots of shops and places to eat and even places to just sit and people watch. There is a movie theater there as well and also a permanment farmers market type area with loads of little food kiosks. I am sure he can find something to keep himself occupied!

Enjoy your trip!

PS - as you are leaving on the 8th, we will be arriving on the 9th!!

 

[amamax2]

I agree - your plans looks great!

Sherry, one of the moderators, knows all about the Grove - you should PM her about things for your DH to do.

Re: The beach...June we have what we call June gloom. It will be overcast in the a.m., clearing anywhere from 10 a.m. to noon, in general. While last year we had an unseasonably cool summer (interspersed with record0breaking -heat, lol), generally it is nice enough for the beach in June. A word of warning, though: the water will be COLD! It's always cold. But like your kids, mine don't care - they still go in.

 

[lcasa]

I just took my Granddaughter to the American Girl store 2 weeks ago - it's very cute -- and can get pricey - so many cool accessories that add up fast! If you're planning to tea or eat there they do take reservations in advance - lots of info on their website. She picked Kaya as her Christmas present - after I bought the Simplicity Disney patterns. Guess we'll have a Native American Cinderella!

The old Farmer's Market is still there adjacent to the Grove- lots of cool local food stands and odd things to look at - nice contrast to the same old mall stores. Parking was PRICEY! American Girl validated for some of it, but for 3 hours we still paid $6. Make sure you drive up there after the morning traffic jams pass - it's a good drive - and don't come back at rush hour!

There have been lots of threads about the best beach - I live at Huntington, which is great for sand and water play and a nice downtown - Ruby's Diner on the pier is nice ( I've seen dolphins out the window). There's a Mother's Beach in Newport too that's a bit more secluded so fewer waves - we get big ones - especially near the pier.

 

[dalepool]

Oh wow, remembering my daughter and her American Girl Doll. We enjoyed Addie for many years. She read the books about Addie and then all the other American Girls. The additional dresses and doll "supplies" cost a fortune back then. I loved the way each girl covered a time in history with accessories and such. I sure hope I placed Addie in a safe place -- My daughters daughter may one day want a doll and Addie would be a wonderful choice.

Hope you have some wonderful memories

Patty

 

[momrek06]

I used to live in Newport Beach before moving to SD ... a great beach is in Corona Del Mar! Lovely! Sort of a hidden gem! Check it out! It is in the city of Newport Beach!

I think you have a great schedule! The Grove has awesome stores!

Sounds like a fun vacation all planned out!

 

[joelybelly]

Where is the American Girl Doll store? I have been wanting to take my
daughter there. Is it at Downtown Disney?

Thank you

 

[kiwitravel]

Great plan but personally I wouldn't waste one of DL days on the day you arrive...

At best its a 4 hour drive from Vegas to Anaheim so the earliest you are going to arrive is between 12 and 1pm...With such young kids having driven the day before and entering the park at the busiest time of the day I would pass... Better to try and get an early night to have an early start the next day and be at the park for opening... Instead I get properly settled in, explore the hotel, have a swim, get vouchers changed to tickets, go to Downtown Disney to do some souvenier shopping, have dinner at Rainforest cafe or similar and try to get the kids to bed early.

I would try and do the beach and the American girl doll thing on the same day... As someone else has said the June Gloom can make the beach a bust before early afternoon so go to the grove in the morning and hit the beach about 2pm...

That gives you a Sunday in the parks, its going to be busier but thats a good day to target the shows and parades... Use the Fast Passes, get them early ( you don't have to use them exactly on the times they are marked) so you end up with a collection you can use in the afternoon.

 

[tlovesdis]

Where is the American Girl Doll store? I have been wanting to take my
daughter there. Is it at Downtown Disney?

Thank you

It's at The Grove shopping center in Los Angeles.

 

[shanni]

Thanks for all the replies! I looked up The Grove, and woohoo! There is a Barnes and Noble there. DH could seriously spend HOURS in there, so he'll be good! Thanks, too for the recommendations for beaches. I'll jot those down and look at them as we get closer.

Kiwi, you make a very good point. That's something to look at; doing AG place and the beach on the same day. My main concern about your plan would be I'm wondering how my kids would react to being **this close** to disney but not actually going in, KWIM? I'm also thinking I'll have an early entry the next morning, so I was thinking that we would use the time Wed afternoon/evening to orient ourselves so we don't waste our early entry wandering around lost. I'll give that part of the plan some more thought. Anyone else have any input on that part specifically?

Patty- I love Addie!! And the accesories and clothes STILL cost a fortune!! That's part of why I told my girls about this trip last spring... so they can save their pennies!! I told them that I would buy them and their doll a t-shirt there, and that I would pay for lunch and for ONE doll each to get their hair done in the hair salon. Anything other than that, they have to pay for! They've been saving really well, and I think they will each have close to $200 of their own money to spend there. I can't wait to see how much fun it is for them to go on a little shopping spree! (They have been scouring the catalog, so I'm not worried about them getting sticker shock when we get there, they know how pricey this stuff is!! lol!)

Thanks again for all the input everyone! I am SO excited for this trip with my kids. I've been loosely planning this for years; I booked the hotel last JUNE; and now I'm so excited to get on with some real, concrete planning!

 

[kiwitravel]

Kiwi, you make a very good point. That's something to look at; doing AG place and the beach on the same day. My main concern about your plan would be I'm wondering how my kids would react to being **this close** to disney but not actually going in, KWIM? I'm also thinking I'll have an early entry the next morning, so I was thinking that we would use the time Wed afternoon/evening to orient ourselves so we don't waste our early entry wandering around lost. I'll give that part of the plan some more thought. Anyone else have any input on that part specifically?

Not really needed for early entry... Only fantasyland is open so the things to target are Peter Pan and Nemo... We have not been that impressed with Early Entry as only fantasyland being open means that everyone who has come in are there so its still a little crowded. if doing EE that day its even more important to be up early... Once they see HoJos pool I doubt you will have any problems re being so close to DL... Might pay to stay away from Downtown Disney though as you have to walk past the DL gates, might be better for one person to change vouchers, pickup maps checkout the best route from HoJos to DL (cross at Manchester) and maybe pickup dinner... If AG is in LA then maybe Venice beach?

 

[mellers]

Suggestion on American Girl Place--Maggiano's is nearby, and they are great. It might give your husband a place to hang out and read a book.

 

[lcasa]

Maggiano's is very good - so is the bar-b-que place in the grove.
As for AG and beach the same day - you should probably consider some of the LA area beaches if you plan to do that - Santa Monica or Venice - both are fun. Venice is famous for its chain-saw jugglers and the like ( some celebrity spottings can happen there too ) - Santa Monica has a pier with a carousel and a few kind of pricey rides. Nice area too - the 3rd street promenade shopping street is very close - lots of street performers. Not quite the surf and sand style of Huntington Beach, but more atmosphere.