Pesky
"Who's the monkey?!"
- Joined
- Apr 9, 2012
- Messages
- 2,108
My first PTR! And first Disney trip with the kids. I hope to post pics soon as soon as I figure out how to do it, remember at home and am still waffling about the kids' pics as I'm pretty cautious about that.
When: The week BEFORE Christmas week, so looking at the week of the 16th
So far, here is our cast:
Pesky (me) (old enough to stop putting my age in parenthesis): Went to HS in SoCal near DLR and college in the Inland Empire (yeah, always wondered what delusions of grandeur led to that name) and then worked in LA after grad school for several years. Went a bit in high school as my brother was a CM for a few years and my BFF at the time was working as a CM at the old DLH (back when the monorail actually went there!). I used to hit DLR on Dec. 24th every year during college with a friend and/or my sister and that was a blast. Went to Club 33 for 4 years in a row for recruiting while in LA. But have not been back to DLR in about 10 years! Heard stuff has changed.
DH: The non-Disney freak who indulges me and will be most excited about the port wine tasting (shhh, it's a surprise).
DD: She is in love with all things princess, mermaid and fairy. A girly girl who loves dressing up and playing pretend. She still has us hold her and pretends she ice skating from seeing Disney on Ice earlier this year.
She will be about 6.5 YO when our trip rolls around.
DS: He is in love with sharks, dinosaurs, monster trucks and Cars. A typical boy (yes, I birthed the stereotypes). He is also a ladies' man and a huge flirt, especially with anyone with long hair. He and " 'punzel" have a date with destiny. He will be 4.5 YO for the trip. Thank goodness he's tall so likely will be able to ride RSR. Otherwise, new definition to Blue Christmas. I think he'll live without being able to ride Indiana Jones.
MIL: very energetic and adores spending time with the kids. Cannot WAIT to see the kids experience DLR for the first time. Fortunately I get along fantastic with my MIL and we are very close. She and FIL live in the Palm Springs area so are planning on driving down.
FIL: likely to join us for a bit and then disappear for the rest of the day to nap and read his newspaper. Not 100% certain he will join us and may end up with a scooter for him due to his recent back surgery. He has already warned us that the amount of days is too much for him and he will definitely sit one day out, which is what I figured.
We may have DH's siblings and niece joining us as well for some or all (doubtful on the all part). Personally, I am not sure I see it happening as we are going during prime work time for all of them. Perhaps DH's sister and BIL for a day but I think that might be it.
The Secret: Shhhhhh, folks! It's a surprise! Well, for the kids. I figured we'd never get them to sleep if they know. We will be flying out on a Saturday so will pick them up from school on Friday and have a little treasure hunt that will only tell them we are going to their grandparents' for Christmas and their final clue. Depending on travel plans, they will get part of the final clue saying they are going to Knott's Merry Farm on Sunday (MIL's idea). The rest they will get that evening to tell them they are going to DLR. Hopefully we'll have rooms at VGC so they'd have figured it out when we check in anyway.
The Debates: What on earth is there to debate at 1.5 years and now 11 months away, you ask? Plenty!
1. How long at DLR? I would prefer 5 days so we aren't rushed, plenty of time for naps and downtime as DS can get overstimulated. MIL and DH are thinking 3 days. I was going to compromise with 4 full days at the parks, 5 nights but there was some financial hesitation by the ILs and DH balked as well. Our compromise, which I think is a decent one, is we will check in Sunday night, go M-W and half-day on Thursday. If the kids are having a great time and we don't want to leave on Thursday, we'll stay and simply move to a hotel where DH can use some of his Hilton points and drive back to Palm Springs the next day. If the kids are done, tired or whatever, we'll hit the road by 2 or 3 pm at the latest (trust me, I remember Thursday night traffic in LA :::shudder::
.
2. Where else to go? MIL has been talking up Knott's to me. I never visited Knott's and never felt a hole in my life as a result. My mom who has been even admitted that it was a little sparse and recommended Legoland instead.
Answer: In another thread, some folks said LegoLand is good for young kids if they are into legos. Neither of mine are. Someone also thought there was plenty to do at KBF and personally, not tacking on a 2 hr roundtrip drive (minimum) is appealing. I'm fine indulging MIL as I really didn't want to hit DLR on a Sunday as our first day anyway. KBF/KMF, here we come.
3. If we go somewhere else, when to do so? MIL is thinking end of the trip as Knott's is more mellow and less overwhelming. I'm thinking in the middle for a break, DLR, DLR, character breakfast, hit the road. We'll see who wins that. (I vote for me. I'm pretty persuasive but if you have ammo, love to have it.)
Answer: The same thread also had someone recommending the beginning of the trip. I am definitely thinking beginning or middle of the trip but not end. I just think ending on that note will be a bit of a let down. MIL and I spoke about it and as we could drive in early Sunday, go to KMF and then go to the hotel for the 4 DLR days, thereby shaving off 1 night of hotel stay, we'll likely do that. KMF will be a little more crowded than during the week but hopefully not too bad.
Final answer: yep, we're planning on doing KMF at the beginning now to use that Sunday and save the rest for DLR.
4. Where to stay? I will say that if FIL comes, we will be locked into likely the GC for its convenience and ambience for FIL to hang out. If I didn't get an awesome pin code, likely would look to rent points for the villas. If only MIL, I could see staying offsite or another onsite property. MIL already stated a preference for on-property. :::sigh::: may have to pick my battles here and we'll see what I can save.
Update: I just put in a request to get points at VGC. Fingers crossed it comes through for 2 studios because I know those get snapped up right away.
5. When to book? Now that is something I can wait on. But I would like to see if we can't get a great pin code before plunking down money on DVC points. Which means June, I think, next year. Fingers crossed!
Answer: Looks like from my other thread that if I am going to look to stay at the VGC and want to guaranty spots, I'd have to book early and couldn't afford to wait for a pin code. That may decide it right there! Now looking at possibly getting a 2 bdrm and splitting with ILs. Hmmm, something to think about. Update: the 2bdrm aren't that economical and it will be cheaper to get 2 studios through DVC. Hopefully it all works out!
Update: o the naivete of my first response! I did more research and discovered I really needed to book the points at the 11 mos mark preferably, 9 mos minimum. So I've put in for them and will find out next week what happens. If that doesn't work out, I will book at a local motel to ensure that we will have SOMETHING and pray for a good PIN code during the summer.
6. New question: how are you getting there?
Originally I planned to fly into Palm Springs, spend the night, get up and hit KMF with the kids after driving in. But it is a LOOOONNNGGG drive and his parents prefer to hit the park in the morning right away. So two possibilities now. One, we keep our plans to fly in but then just pack the kids in a car and drive into OC and spend the night in a hotel there. Good news is that way we would not have to rent a car because there would be enough drivers.
Second, we do a jagged-leg trip meaning we fly into LAX, John Wayne or LGB and out of Palm Springs. Doing it that way will likely mean a car rental as I can't see each of his parents being comfortable driving solo in a car for 3 hours. Can't blame them. So likely we'd rent a car and have to drop it at the Palm Springs airport when we are done. But that way would be more leisurely provided it's not a huge uptick in price. We'd likely grab a bite nearby and stay at a hotel with DH's points. FIL also has a lot of Hilton points so could stay there too. So something we are looking at but first I need to square away accommodations. THEN we'll settle up travel. I've finally tasked DH with looking into the difference with airfare with the preference being that if we are going to do this, makes more sense to fly into John Wayne or even Long Beach rather than fight the traffic for 1 hour or more from LAX. Even living in LA, I always found LAX to be a frustrating airport.
If you all have any input on the current debates, even if answered for now, let me know! Thanks and can't wait to continue planning!
When: The week BEFORE Christmas week, so looking at the week of the 16th
So far, here is our cast:
Pesky (me) (old enough to stop putting my age in parenthesis): Went to HS in SoCal near DLR and college in the Inland Empire (yeah, always wondered what delusions of grandeur led to that name) and then worked in LA after grad school for several years. Went a bit in high school as my brother was a CM for a few years and my BFF at the time was working as a CM at the old DLH (back when the monorail actually went there!). I used to hit DLR on Dec. 24th every year during college with a friend and/or my sister and that was a blast. Went to Club 33 for 4 years in a row for recruiting while in LA. But have not been back to DLR in about 10 years! Heard stuff has changed.
DH: The non-Disney freak who indulges me and will be most excited about the port wine tasting (shhh, it's a surprise).
DD: She is in love with all things princess, mermaid and fairy. A girly girl who loves dressing up and playing pretend. She still has us hold her and pretends she ice skating from seeing Disney on Ice earlier this year.
She will be about 6.5 YO when our trip rolls around.DS: He is in love with sharks, dinosaurs, monster trucks and Cars. A typical boy (yes, I birthed the stereotypes). He is also a ladies' man and a huge flirt, especially with anyone with long hair. He and " 'punzel" have a date with destiny. He will be 4.5 YO for the trip. Thank goodness he's tall so likely will be able to ride RSR. Otherwise, new definition to Blue Christmas. I think he'll live without being able to ride Indiana Jones.
MIL: very energetic and adores spending time with the kids. Cannot WAIT to see the kids experience DLR for the first time. Fortunately I get along fantastic with my MIL and we are very close. She and FIL live in the Palm Springs area so are planning on driving down.
FIL: likely to join us for a bit and then disappear for the rest of the day to nap and read his newspaper. Not 100% certain he will join us and may end up with a scooter for him due to his recent back surgery. He has already warned us that the amount of days is too much for him and he will definitely sit one day out, which is what I figured.
We may have DH's siblings and niece joining us as well for some or all (doubtful on the all part). Personally, I am not sure I see it happening as we are going during prime work time for all of them. Perhaps DH's sister and BIL for a day but I think that might be it.
The Secret: Shhhhhh, folks! It's a surprise! Well, for the kids. I figured we'd never get them to sleep if they know. We will be flying out on a Saturday so will pick them up from school on Friday and have a little treasure hunt that will only tell them we are going to their grandparents' for Christmas and their final clue. Depending on travel plans, they will get part of the final clue saying they are going to Knott's Merry Farm on Sunday (MIL's idea). The rest they will get that evening to tell them they are going to DLR. Hopefully we'll have rooms at VGC so they'd have figured it out when we check in anyway.
The Debates: What on earth is there to debate at 1.5 years and now 11 months away, you ask? Plenty!
1. How long at DLR? I would prefer 5 days so we aren't rushed, plenty of time for naps and downtime as DS can get overstimulated. MIL and DH are thinking 3 days. I was going to compromise with 4 full days at the parks, 5 nights but there was some financial hesitation by the ILs and DH balked as well. Our compromise, which I think is a decent one, is we will check in Sunday night, go M-W and half-day on Thursday. If the kids are having a great time and we don't want to leave on Thursday, we'll stay and simply move to a hotel where DH can use some of his Hilton points and drive back to Palm Springs the next day. If the kids are done, tired or whatever, we'll hit the road by 2 or 3 pm at the latest (trust me, I remember Thursday night traffic in LA :::shudder::
.2. Where else to go? MIL has been talking up Knott's to me. I never visited Knott's and never felt a hole in my life as a result. My mom who has been even admitted that it was a little sparse and recommended Legoland instead.
Answer: In another thread, some folks said LegoLand is good for young kids if they are into legos. Neither of mine are. Someone also thought there was plenty to do at KBF and personally, not tacking on a 2 hr roundtrip drive (minimum) is appealing. I'm fine indulging MIL as I really didn't want to hit DLR on a Sunday as our first day anyway. KBF/KMF, here we come.
3. If we go somewhere else, when to do so? MIL is thinking end of the trip as Knott's is more mellow and less overwhelming. I'm thinking in the middle for a break, DLR, DLR, character breakfast, hit the road. We'll see who wins that. (I vote for me. I'm pretty persuasive but if you have ammo, love to have it.)
Answer: The same thread also had someone recommending the beginning of the trip. I am definitely thinking beginning or middle of the trip but not end. I just think ending on that note will be a bit of a let down. MIL and I spoke about it and as we could drive in early Sunday, go to KMF and then go to the hotel for the 4 DLR days, thereby shaving off 1 night of hotel stay, we'll likely do that. KMF will be a little more crowded than during the week but hopefully not too bad.
Final answer: yep, we're planning on doing KMF at the beginning now to use that Sunday and save the rest for DLR.
4. Where to stay? I will say that if FIL comes, we will be locked into likely the GC for its convenience and ambience for FIL to hang out. If I didn't get an awesome pin code, likely would look to rent points for the villas. If only MIL, I could see staying offsite or another onsite property. MIL already stated a preference for on-property. :::sigh::: may have to pick my battles here and we'll see what I can save.
Update: I just put in a request to get points at VGC. Fingers crossed it comes through for 2 studios because I know those get snapped up right away.
5. When to book? Now that is something I can wait on. But I would like to see if we can't get a great pin code before plunking down money on DVC points. Which means June, I think, next year. Fingers crossed!
Answer: Looks like from my other thread that if I am going to look to stay at the VGC and want to guaranty spots, I'd have to book early and couldn't afford to wait for a pin code. That may decide it right there! Now looking at possibly getting a 2 bdrm and splitting with ILs. Hmmm, something to think about. Update: the 2bdrm aren't that economical and it will be cheaper to get 2 studios through DVC. Hopefully it all works out!
Update: o the naivete of my first response! I did more research and discovered I really needed to book the points at the 11 mos mark preferably, 9 mos minimum. So I've put in for them and will find out next week what happens. If that doesn't work out, I will book at a local motel to ensure that we will have SOMETHING and pray for a good PIN code during the summer.
6. New question: how are you getting there?
Originally I planned to fly into Palm Springs, spend the night, get up and hit KMF with the kids after driving in. But it is a LOOOONNNGGG drive and his parents prefer to hit the park in the morning right away. So two possibilities now. One, we keep our plans to fly in but then just pack the kids in a car and drive into OC and spend the night in a hotel there. Good news is that way we would not have to rent a car because there would be enough drivers.
Second, we do a jagged-leg trip meaning we fly into LAX, John Wayne or LGB and out of Palm Springs. Doing it that way will likely mean a car rental as I can't see each of his parents being comfortable driving solo in a car for 3 hours. Can't blame them. So likely we'd rent a car and have to drop it at the Palm Springs airport when we are done. But that way would be more leisurely provided it's not a huge uptick in price. We'd likely grab a bite nearby and stay at a hotel with DH's points. FIL also has a lot of Hilton points so could stay there too. So something we are looking at but first I need to square away accommodations. THEN we'll settle up travel. I've finally tasked DH with looking into the difference with airfare with the preference being that if we are going to do this, makes more sense to fly into John Wayne or even Long Beach rather than fight the traffic for 1 hour or more from LAX. Even living in LA, I always found LAX to be a frustrating airport.
If you all have any input on the current debates, even if answered for now, let me know! Thanks and can't wait to continue planning!
