PTR - How About a Disneyfied Christmas?! - TR POSTED!!!

[mnmrmustard]

Part 10 – Ground Transportation Tips

So as I said during the “Why, Where and When” chapter we will be flying in on the morning of Sunday, 11/26 and flying out the evening of Friday, 12/1. We pack the night before and will be getting up at 3:30am and leaving for the airport at 4am We’ll get to the airport at 4:30am and print our tickets/drop off checked bags/get thru security. The flight leaves at 6am and will arrive at LAX just after 8am. I’m hopeful we can have bags by 8:45am and be ready for pick-up by 9am. We are going to use a shared shuttle service (in our case SuperShuttle) since it has a fixed rate that cabs don’t have.

If you can afford it the cab is nice as it is dedicated transportation and you would probably have a more comfortable ride. But in our case we would need a minivan to fit us and our bags so I’m not up for paying the $100+ & tip for the one way trip. UBER has the same issue in that we would need a larger vehicle and if there is traffic you pay more to sit in a traffic jam. And I’ve used these shuttle services a lot in my business travels (I work for a community college and we do what we can to not waste the public’s money)

The trick with these shared shuttles is to know their system and work to keep things moving along as smoothly as possible. As long as you can navigate the airport and know where your pick-up spot is you’re in good shape. Airport navigation is just a matter of studying the airport maps before you depart and working out your route to baggage claim and the ground transportation area.

To know where your shuttle will be at ground transportation you can use this a simple two-step process. First you google what arrival gate your airline uses at the airport you will be arriving at. For us it is Terminal 6 at LAX for Alaska Air. Second you reference the “airport ground transportation waiting areas map” for the color-coded loading zone you need to go to. For those landing at LAX, they offer a dedicated page for it HERE. From that I was able to determine that we will find the area for the shared ride vans between the purple and green zones of Terminal 6’s pick-up area.

The better shuttle services usually have an attendant at that location so you just walk up and tell them your conformation number from your reservation and they will assign you a van. In my case I will be making the reservation online and will provide my cell number. They will text me at my arrival time asking if I have arrived and will allow me to do a mobile check-in. You can usually have a van there within 15 minutes (but sometimes it can stretch to 30) from the time you give that confirmation. So be aware of that and don’t give your confirmation with the mobile app while you are still waiting to disembark from the plane or you may miss your shuttle and have to have another one assigned to you. I’ve had that happen

Some shuttle services even have an app that will GPS track your shuttle once you have one assigned (SuperShuttle has that app). It is a cool feature, but can be frustrating at LAX specifically because the traffic flow at the pick-up area is so bad that you can see your van on GPS so close to you but you still have to wait for it to make it thru the traffic to get to you. So close and yet so far

I have heard people having complaints about the HVAC in the vans not being up to par, which if you are traveling in the summer and arrive during the hotter times of the day could be miserable. It is a van full of people and their bags so pretty tight quarters. No worries for us as we’ll be traveling in the morning to the hotel and in the evening back to LAX. The total cost for the 4 of us will be $64 each way plus a $5 tip for the diver if he/she is reasonably competent and helps with the bags.

That will put us at the Desert Palms Hotel and Suites between 10:30-11am. We will drop our bags and head to DTD for a leisurely lunch and some shopping before check-in …or grab Subway (right across the street from our hotel) and hit the parks depending on whether WoC will be running any of the weekdays. If it is only running on our arrival day we’ll bite the bullet and hit CA and start our adventure a little sleep-deprived

I hope you find this info informative and it you have any question feel free to ask. Also if you have any feedback about your experiences (bad or good) or see any flaws in my logic or things I’ve missed I’m happy to hear them!

EDIT: With all that said I have heard back from a Disneyland Express Shuttle representative and they do have a dedicated van that we could take from LAX to the Desert Palms for $84 each way. It would only be $20 more than SuperShuttle and would save the hassle of sharing a ride and waiting for other drop-offs. Hmmmm

Part 11 - Park Hours and Crowd Levels (click to continue)

 

[Leger13]

What's uuppp!!! I'm all caught up! First, so scary about Pumpkin Girl's gallbladder attack! I hope she is on the mend! ((hugs to her)). 2nd, I love all the recaps. I don't think you're crazy for giving DL a 5th try. I mean, we survived "the plague" on Alex's first WDW trip and look how many times we've been back since lol. Each trip is different (bad and good) but they're all special in their own ways with their own amazing memories! Love the DLR map you found! I need to download that bad boy. I wonder if they will bring the Minnie Vans to DLR. That would make getting to and from the parks easier for those staying at the good neighbor hotels.

 

[GlitteryOtters]

I agree so much with what you wrote about the transportation options. Until now, my airport transport has always been either family/friends or SuperShuttle for the same reasons you listed. I actually prefer them because I feel I get the best service per dollar I spend, and as my budget is tight, saving a lot of $ and taking slightly longer is fine by me.

One addition to your Super Shuttle info...one thing I really like about them is that you do not have to have the app downloaded to your phone to do the check-in & monitor your vehicle, you can also do all that via mobile web with the links they provide. I am not a huge fan of temporarily downloading, and then deleting, apps for a one time use, so I usually go the mobile web route and have found that very reliable, too.

On my next trip I am actually using a different transport method for the first time, I'm trying out the Disneyland Resort Express bus for a family member, so I can provide feedback to see if this option might work better for her as a larger sized solo traveler versus the Super Shuttles. The price is a little more than Super Shuttle, but I figure it is worth doing once to give feedback so she can be more at ease about her own trip/transportation options. It is going to be weird flying into LAX & not automatically walking to the Super Shuttle pickup location, my feet are so well trained to do that on autopilot!

~Meg

 

[mnmrmustard]

What's uuppp!!! I'm all caught up! First, so scary about Pumpkin Girl's gallbladder attack! I hope she is on the mend! ((hugs to her)). 2nd, I love all the recaps. I don't think you're crazy for giving DL a 5th try. I mean, we survived "the plague" on Alex's first WDW trip and look how many times we've been back since lol. Each trip is different (bad and good) but they're all special in their own ways with their own amazing memories! Love the DLR map you found! I need to download that bad boy. I wonder if they will bring the Minnie Vans to DLR. That would make getting to and from the parks easier for those staying at the good neighbor hotels.

Hey Carla! Yes, she is on the mend and is slowly getting back into work and school. She is only working half days at work and had to drop her writing class as she had just missed too much lecture content. But she can retake that one in the fall. Each day is better for her thankfully.

That is true, if you and yours can survive "the plague" and keep going back then we can embrace another crazy visit! And you're so right about each trip being special despite the bad stuff.

It was actually fun and kind of therapeutic putting together that DLR map and the WDW map before that. I don't understand why Disney doesn't just make it available for download

I don't think they would bring in the Minnie Vans for DLR, too much direct competition from UBER and other services in LA and vicinity. But I think it's a great idea for the WDW property. Sometimes it is just worth it to pay $20 for a dedicated ride from park to park or back to your resort. Thanks for stopping by and hope you're having a great week!

 

[mnmrmustard]

I agree so much with what you wrote about the transportation options. Until now, my airport transport has always been either family/friends or SuperShuttle for the same reasons you listed. I actually prefer them because I feel I get the best service per dollar I spend, and as my budget is tight, saving a lot of $ and taking slightly longer is fine by me.

One addition to your Super Shuttle info...one thing I really like about them is that you do not have to have the app downloaded to your phone to do the check-in & monitor your vehicle, you can also do all that via mobile web with the links they provide. I am not a huge fan of temporarily downloading, and then deleting, apps for a one time use, so I usually go the mobile web route and have found that very reliable, too.

On my next trip I am actually using a different transport method for the first time, I'm trying out the Disneyland Resort Express bus for a family member, so I can provide feedback to see if this option might work better for her as a larger sized solo traveler versus the Super Shuttles. The price is a little more than Super Shuttle, but I figure it is worth doing once to give feedback so she can be more at ease about her own trip/transportation options. It is going to be weird flying into LAX & not automatically walking to the Super Shuttle pickup location, my feet are so well trained to do that on autopilot!

~Meg

Thank you so much for the feedback! And I agree that it is a great option for those of us on tight budgets. And that is true, the text links work just fine for confirming arrival and pick-up. And I do the same thing, I'll probably have a half dozen travel/disney-specific apps downloaded for the trip that will get uninstalled as soon as I return home.

So cool that you said what you did about the Disney Express option! I had left my info on their "contact" form on their website and heard back from a representative yesterday. Only $20 more and you get dedicated transportation! I'll be very interested in hearing how it goes for you!

 

[aussiejen]

Im joining

I hope your DD gets well...
Love the old pics of the family at the parks......

all the times i have been to DL i have never seen WOC.... will it still be there in january 2018 when were there?

Thanks for all the info on the shuttle from the airport & the tip on looking at the layout of the airport for the transport locations...

We normally use the Super Shuttle, but always pre book before we leave, but this time i was looking at Disneyland Express this time round depending on costs. I spoke with HOJOS (where were staying in Jan 18) and they said if we dont have to prebook the shuttle, we can just wait at the super shuttle stand at LAX.
DH wants a private shuttle but presume it would cost more.

 

[GlitteryOtters]

Im joining

I hope your DD gets well...
Love the old pics of the family at the parks......

all the times i have been to DL i have never seen WOC.... will it still be there in january 2018 when were there?

Thanks for all the info on the shuttle from the airport & the tip on looking at the layout of the airport for the transport locations...

We normally use the Super Shuttle, but always pre book before we leave, but this time i was looking at Disneyland Express this time round depending on costs. I spoke with HOJOS (where were staying in Jan 18) and they said if we dont have to prebook the shuttle, we can just wait at the super shuttle stand at LAX.
DH wants a private shuttle but presume it would cost more.

Just popping in to ask a question (and offer assistance, if you would like)...when you say "Disneyland Express" are you talking about the Disneyland Resort Express buses with the Disney characters on the side (this one? http://visitanaheim.org/partners/16394/the-disneyland-resort-express ) or are you talking the small shuttle service which I think uses the name "Disneyland Express"?

If it is the DLR Express buses, I am taking one of those from LAX to the Paradise Pier Hotel stop in late August to check it out for a family member and I am happy to provide feedback, answer questions, take pictures of any features you want, etc. If there is anything in particular you want me to look for, just let me know by August 20th (I am using it midday, Disneyland Time, on August 21st) and I am happy to do so.

Also, if you are considering the Lansky's car service amongst your options, I will be carpooling with a family member in early December & will use them on our trip from LAX to the hotel (mostly to take advantage of the grocery stop, since we both have special dietary needs and are limited on what & how much we can eat in the parks). If this is an option you are considering, I am also happy to answer any questions and, again, if there is anything you would want me to pay specific attention to/photograph/whatever, let me know & i would be happy to do so. We are budget travelers and are usually SuperShuttle people in my family, so I am being our family's guinea pig on the next couple of trips to try out these other options. Good luck on choosing your transportation options, and let me know if there is anything I could do to help with the info gathering process.

~Meg

 

[mnmrmustard]

Im joining

I hope your DD gets well...
Love the old pics of the family at the parks......

all the times i have been to DL i have never seen WOC.... will it still be there in january 2018 when were there?

Thanks for all the info on the shuttle from the airport & the tip on looking at the layout of the airport for the transport locations...

We normally use the Super Shuttle, but always pre book before we leave, but this time i was looking at Disneyland Express this time round depending on costs. I spoke with HOJOS (where were staying in Jan 18) and they said if we dont have to prebook the shuttle, we can just wait at the super shuttle stand at LAX.
DH wants a private shuttle but presume it would cost more.

YAY! Welcome!

DD is getting there, she had to drop one class and is only able to work about half a shift at work. Luckily her work is flexible and her supervisor went thru the exact same surgery so she completely understands. Every day is a little bit better and the original pain is completely gone. Just dealing with the soreness of healing and trying to dial her stomach back in and figure out what she can/cannot eat.

Oh yes, WoC will be there for you - it is a permanent show at CA. I suggest you get FPs for it first thing in the morning. You can get FPs for it without impacting your ability to get FPs for rides. I saw it last October but it was an obstructed view so I'm looking forward to seeing it again and for my family to experience it.

You're very welcome on the shuttle. And I"m on the fence right now between SuperShuttle and the Disneyland Express. SuperShuttle is cheapter, but for $20 more each way we can have a Disney Express van pick us up and take us directly to our hotel without having to share the ride or make other stops. We may just end up going that way for the convenience and the time we would save. If your DH want's the private shuttle it is a pretty good option.

Just popping in to ask a question (and offer assistance, if you would like)...when you say "Disneyland Express" are you talking about the Disneyland Resort Express buses with the Disney characters on the side (this one? http://visitanaheim.org/partners/16394/the-disneyland-resort-express ) or are you talking the small shuttle service which I think uses the name "Disneyland Express"?

If it is the DLR Express buses, I am taking one of those from LAX to the Paradise Pier Hotel stop in late August to check it out for a family member and I am happy to provide feedback, answer questions, take pictures of any features you want, etc. If there is anything in particular you want me to look for, just let me know by August 20th (I am using it midday, Disneyland Time, on August 21st) and I am happy to do so.

Also, if you are considering the Lansky's car service amongst your options, I will be carpooling with a family member in early December & will use them on our trip from LAX to the hotel (mostly to take advantage of the grocery stop, since we both have special dietary needs and are limited on what & how much we can eat in the parks). If this is an option you are considering, I am also happy to answer any questions and, again, if there is anything you would want me to pay specific attention to/photograph/whatever, let me know & i would be happy to do so. We are budget travelers and are usually SuperShuttle people in my family, so I am being our family's guinea pig on the next couple of trips to try out these other options. Good luck on choosing your transportation options, and let me know if there is anything I could do to help with the info gathering process.

~Meg

Hey Meg! We used the Disneyland Resort Express when we did our 2009 trip and stayed on property at the Disneyland Hotel. It was a full-sized bus and was much like the Magic Express we have used multiple times at WDW. The only issue we had when we used it back then was the wait for pickup and that we had to deal with baggage claim - we get so spoiled with WDW's system of dropping the bags at your resort. But that can't be helped with all of the shuttle options to DLR.

What I was referring to in my post was The Disneyland Express Shuttle http://www.disneylandexpressshuttle.com/. They offer a van option that will pick us up from LAX as a private shuttle and drop us directly to our hotel (Desert Palms Hotel & Suites) for $84. This is $20 more than SuperShuttle but we wouldn't have to deal with sharing a ride or stopping at other hotels.

I had not heard of Lansky's, but in looking at their site they look like a good company and it certainly looks like it would be a more comfortable ride given their fleet options. But we probably wouldn't want to pay the $120 each way from LAX to our hotel. If you all are using it well done and enjoy the ride!

I would certainly like feedback on all of your shuttle/car service options! And I can understand the special dietary needs as DW and I are eating a modified Keto/Paleo meal plan for the most part. I have been doing a lot of research on what we can eat in the parks and will probably be doing an online order/delivery from Safeway (VONS) to our hotel after we arrive.

 

[mnmrmustard]

Part 11 – Park Hours and Crowd Levels

Tentative Hours (based on last year’s times for the same days) I will update this post with better details as I receive more information:

Sunday, November 26th

Disneyland – 8am to Midnight

- Mickey’s Soundsational (or its equivalent) Parade 1:30pm & 4:15pm
- Paint the Night (or its equivalent) 6:30pm & 10:30pm
- Believe in Holiday Magic (or its equivalent) Fireworks 9:30pm
- Fantasmic! TBD

California Adventure – 8am to 10pm

- Pixar Play (or its equivalent) Parade TBD
- World of Color 9pm & 10:15pm

Monday, November 27th

Disneyland – 10am to 9pm

- Mickey’s Soundsational (or its equivalent) Parade 4:15pm
- Paint the Night (or its equivalent) TBD
- Believe in Holiday Magic (or its equivalent) Fireworks 8:40pm
- Fantasmic! TBD

California Adventure – 10am to 8pm

- Pixar Play (or its equivalent) Parade TBD
- World of Color 8:15pm

Tuesday, November 28th

Disneyland – 10am to 9pm

- Mickey’s Soundsational (or its equivalent) Parade 4:15pm
- Paint the Night (or its equivalent) TBD
- Believe in Holiday Magic (or its equivalent) Fireworks 8:40pm
- Fantasmic! TBD

California Adventure – 10am to 8pm

- Pixar Play (or its equivalent) Parade TBD
- World of Color 8:15pm

Wednesday, November 29th

Disneyland – 10am to 9pm

- Mickey’s Soundsational (or its equivalent) Parade 4:15pm
- Paint the Night (or its equivalent) TBD
- Believe in Holiday Magic (or its equivalent) Fireworks 8:40pm
- Fantasmic! TBD

California Adventure – 10am to 8pm

- Pixar Play (or its equivalent) Parade TBD
- World of Color 8:15pm

Thursday, November 30th

Disneyland – 8am to 9pm

- Mickey’s Soundsational (or its equivalent) Parade 4:15pm
- Paint the Night (or its equivalent) TBD
- Believe in Holiday Magic (or its equivalent) Fireworks 8:40pm
- Fantasmic! TBD

California Adventure – 8am to 8pm

- Pixar Play (or its equivalent) Parade TBD
- World of Color 8:15pm

Friday, December 1st


Disneyland – 9am to Midnight

- Mickey’s Soundsational (or its equivalent) Parade 1:30pm & 4:15pm
- Paint the Night (or its equivalent) 6:30pm & 10:30pm
- Believe in Holiday Magic (or its equivalent) Fireworks 9:30pm
- Fantasmic! TBD

California Adventure – 8am to 10pm

- Pixar Play (or its equivalent) Parade TBD
- World of Color 9:45pm

I didn’t include all of the scheduled shows and events, just the big stuff. So much of that is subject to change anyways so I didn’t bother.


Crowd Levels (kudos to “IsItPacked” for the info!):

So as you can see our Sunday and our Friday are busy. But I’m thinking we’ll only get a 4 day park-hopper and just do Monday thru Thursday. Sunday and Friday are our flight days.

I do have it set so we will be at our hotel by 11am at the latest so we could technically drop our bags and go into the parks on Sunday but we will have gotten up at 3am so I’m thinking we’ll do a little DTD and chill/nap and maybe meet up with some friends and then crash early. On Friday our shuttle doesn’t pick us up from the hotel to take us to LAX until 5:30pm so we could even get in park time on Friday if we felt we didn’t get enough Disney magic. We’ll just have to play that by ear.

Part 12 - Eating "Kind Of" Keto In The Parks (click to continue)

 

[GlitteryOtters]

Hey Meg! We used the Disneyland Resort Express when we did our 2009 trip and stayed on property at the Disneyland Hotel. It was a full-sized bus and was much like the Magic Express we have used multiple times at WDW. The only issue we had when we used it back then was the wait for pickup and that we had to deal with baggage claim - we get so spoiled with WDW's system of dropping the bags at your resort. But that can't be helped with all of the shuttle options to DLR.

What I was referring to in my post was The Disneyland Express Shuttle http://www.disneylandexpressshuttle.com/. They offer a van option that will pick us up from LAX as a private shuttle and drop us directly to our hotel (Desert Palms Hotel & Suites) for $84. This is $20 more than SuperShuttle but we wouldn't have to deal with sharing a ride or stopping at other hotels.

I had not heard of Lansky's, but in looking at their site they look like a good company and it certainly looks like it would be a more comfortable ride given their fleet options. But we probably wouldn't want to pay the $120 each way from LAX to our hotel. If you all are using it well done and enjoy the ride!

I would certainly like feedback on all of your shuttle/car service options! And I can understand the special dietary needs as DW and I are eating a modified Keto/Paleo meal plan for the most part. I have been doing a lot of research on what we can eat in the parks and will probably be doing an online order/delivery from Safeway (VONS) to our hotel after we arrive.

Hi, sorry for the confusion...I was quoting Aussiejen in my reply, responding to her post. It sounded like she was still trying to determine which option would be best for her family, and since I have two different trips using two alternate services before she travels to DLR, I thought I'd offer any help, if she wanted it. Since I will already be taking notes & taking photos to share with my family/friends group, I figured I might as well offer if she wanted me to provide any info, personal feedback, photos, etc., to help her in choosing her method of travel.

The reason I asked her detailed Qs about which method of travel she meant was because I am constantly seeing people mix up the two on the main Disneyland Disboards. If she is thinking of the Disneyland Express Shuttle I cannot help, but if she means the Disneyland Resort Express bus I could definitely help since I'll be using them in a couple of weeks. I hate how confusingly similarly named those two services are!

In re: Lansky--I've heard some seriously good things about them. I've also heard really good things about the Vons delivery service, but as a fair amount of our purchases are somewhat complex, and may require substitutions, it is preferable that I do the shopping myself...and since we will have two people shopping, we can split up the shopping to maximize the 15 minute shopping stop. We are dealing with a vegan & a vegetarian, both of whom eat low sodium and eat a ton of produce (and we're both a bit picky about our produce quality), so it is easier for us to shop ourselves. As I spent years working in grocery, I have this weird talent of being able to navigate stores really quickly and can get a ton of shopping done in 10 minutes (my usual weekly grocery shopping trip takes 10 minutes of shopping before I hit the register, no joke!). I figured that was a better option for us on this trip versus taking a shuttle van or DLR Express bus to Anaheim, then later taking an Uber or a cab after arriving in town..and the price would be pretty close to the cost of one way with Lansky.

I would definitely be interested in hearing your feedback on the Disneyland Express Shuttle if you guys end up using it. I have heard such mixed responses on the Disboards about them that I decided to give them a pass & try out the other two options, but I could see times when that Shuttle might work well for us, depending on who is traveling, so I would love to hear what you think (if you guys end up going that route).


Glad to hear that your daughter is feeling better. She has my sympathies on the slow recovery time...I had surgery myself in March, and even though it was a relatively simple one, it felt like the healing process took so long. Glad her boss is so accommodating.

Off to go read your post with tentative hours & options!


~Meg

 

[aussiejen]

Just popping in to ask a question (and offer assistance, if you would like)...when you say "Disneyland Express" are you talking about the Disneyland Resort Express buses with the Disney characters on the side (this one? http://visitanaheim.org/partners/16394/the-disneyland-resort-express ) or are you talking the small shuttle service which I think uses the name "Disneyland Express"?

Hi I was referring to Disneyland Resort Express, i wasnt aware there was another one called Disneyland Express. The Disneyland Express , if its a Private shuttle sounds more my thing. I will have to look into that also.....
geez so many options lol.
I would really appreciate any feedback or tips , that would be great Im a budget traveller also.

Oh yes, WoC will be there for you - it is a permanent show at CA. I suggest you get FPs for it first thing in the morning. You can get FPs for it without impacting your ability to get FPs for rides. I saw it last October but it was an obstructed view so I'm looking forward to seeing it again and for my family to experience it.

So we need FP to watch WOC? Are we guarenteed good seats with the FP? also what time does it start?

 

[PxyShan]

Dropping by to say hi and following along!
My goodness, I feel like such a noob in the PTR/TR realm after reading through yours so far. You have so much great information and thoughts!
Prayers for your DD. What a scary thing to go through and have to keep dealing with!

I'm loving the transportation discussion though - we have to look through all the options once we book our flights. I think my DH wants to use the DLResort Express as it's home base is the DL Hotel and he likes the thought of being a first stop from the airport.

Your Pubcrawl sounds amazing - and good idea stopping at Trader Sam's first - you won't have to worry about waiting long for a seat and throwing off the rest of the crawl for the day.

 

[mnmrmustard]

Hey Everyone! Sorry I was away for a few days, our beard club worked with a local charter school on an Alumni Football Game raising money for a local Sparrow kid. We had the game on Saturday and thanks to the hard work of a lot of caring people we were able to raise over $4,000 for the family!

Hi, sorry for the confusion...I was quoting Aussiejen in my reply, responding to her post. It sounded like she was still trying to determine which option would be best for her family, and since I have two different trips using two alternate services before she travels to DLR, I thought I'd offer any help, if she wanted it. Since I will already be taking notes & taking photos to share with my family/friends group, I figured I might as well offer if she wanted me to provide any info, personal feedback, photos, etc., to help her in choosing her method of travel.

The reason I asked her detailed Qs about which method of travel she meant was because I am constantly seeing people mix up the two on the main Disneyland Disboards. If she is thinking of the Disneyland Express Shuttle I cannot help, but if she means the Disneyland Resort Express bus I could definitely help since I'll be using them in a couple of weeks. I hate how confusingly similarly named those two services are!

In re: Lansky--I've heard some seriously good things about them. I've also heard really good things about the Vons delivery service, but as a fair amount of our purchases are somewhat complex, and may require substitutions, it is preferable that I do the shopping myself...and since we will have two people shopping, we can split up the shopping to maximize the 15 minute shopping stop. We are dealing with a vegan & a vegetarian, both of whom eat low sodium and eat a ton of produce (and we're both a bit picky about our produce quality), so it is easier for us to shop ourselves. As I spent years working in grocery, I have this weird talent of being able to navigate stores really quickly and can get a ton of shopping done in 10 minutes (my usual weekly grocery shopping trip takes 10 minutes of shopping before I hit the register, no joke!). I figured that was a better option for us on this trip versus taking a shuttle van or DLR Express bus to Anaheim, then later taking an Uber or a cab after arriving in town..and the price would be pretty close to the cost of one way with Lansky.

I would definitely be interested in hearing your feedback on the Disneyland Express Shuttle if you guys end up using it. I have heard such mixed responses on the Disboards about them that I decided to give them a pass & try out the other two options, but I could see times when that Shuttle might work well for us, depending on who is traveling, so I would love to hear what you think (if you guys end up going that route).


Glad to hear that your daughter is feeling better. She has my sympathies on the slow recovery time...I had surgery myself in March, and even though it was a relatively simple one, it felt like the healing process took so long. Glad her boss is so accommodating.

Off to go read your post with tentative hours & options!


~Meg

No worries Meg! I’m still happy to hear any info you come back with our your transportation. And that is very true, the two travel options get mixed up quite a bit on the Boards. Good to know about Lansky too!

I can totally understand you wanting to do your shopping in person given your dietary situation and picking out produce is definitely an in-person thing. I have never worked in a grocery store, but I always have my list made based on the layout of the store for the quickest in and out. Glad you figured out the option of using the car service to get that done to your best advantage

I too have heard mixed reviews of the Disneyland Express Shuttle, and I’m still not decided. But we’ll see what they can do if we choose them.

Thank you for the kind words on my daughter, it is appreciated. Surgery is never fun, no matter how minor. Hope you have fully recovered from yours

Hi I was referring to Disneyland Resort Express, i wasnt aware there was another one called Disneyland Express. The Disneyland Express , if its a Private shuttle sounds more my thing. I will have to look into that also.....
geez so many options lol.
I would really appreciate any feedback or tips , that would be great Im a budget traveller also.

So we need FP to watch WOC? Are we guaranteed good seats with the FP? also what time does it start?

There are indeed lots of options there, so different than flying into Orlando.

For WoC you can get FPs if you get to the park early enough (The FP distribution for it is located near The Little Mermaid ride). It gives you a “preferred viewing area”. If you don’t get FPs or do the dining package your family would have to view the show from the other side of the walkway behind the trees. That's what I got stuck with last year and it wasn't ideal and would be a real issue for little ones

From what I’ve heard you don’t necessarily want to be in the middle of the viewing area due to the angle of the show. From what I’ve read, if you can get a bit more towards Ariel’s Grotto the view is supposed to be better. The Disney Tourist Blog put out an article on it with this great color-coded map and the blue areas are apparently pretty ideal:

There are no seats unfortunately except for maybe the dining option, but I’m not even sure about that. Other WoC veterans feel free to jump in and give some clarification on this

As far as the start time I used what they had posted last year here in the last chapter of my PTR. So for us it was 8:15pm on weekdays, which may hold for you too. But you’ll have to see what they do for whey you are there. Once you get within a month or two it will be officially posted on the Disneyland website.

Dropping by to say hi and following along!
My goodness, I feel like such a noob in the PTR/TR realm after reading through yours so far. You have so much great information and thoughts!
Prayers for your DD. What a scary thing to go through and have to keep dealing with!

I'm loving the transportation discussion though - we have to look through all the options once we book our flights. I think my DH wants to use the DLResort Express as it's home base is the DL Hotel and he likes the thought of being a first stop from the airport.

Your Pubcrawl sounds amazing - and good idea stopping at Trader Sam's first - you won't have to worry about waiting long for a seat and throwing off the rest of the crawl for the day.

Hello and welcome!

Thank you for the compliment on my PTR, I love doing Disney research and sharing my planning fun. And your PTR is just great, each one is different and fun for its own reasons

I think if you’re staying on property the DLResort Express is certainly the way to go. It starts the Disney experience that much sooner and is very reminiscent of the Magical Express (except you have to wrangle your own bags).

I’m really hopeful that the pub crawl will be a success. And I’d heard that Trader Sam’s gets busier as the day goes by and fills up so quickly that it seemed the best choice for our starting point. It will be all of our first time having a drink at all of these locations other than my one stop off at the Uva Bar in DTD at the end of my conference trip last fall

Cheers all and have a Happy Monday

 

[mnmrmustard]

Part 12 - Eating (kind of) Keto In the Parks

So DW and I are working hard to live a healthier life. This is not a diet we are on, it is mindful eating and a lifestyle change. We have used aspects of Keto & Paleo for a foundation with more meats and vegis and less processed foods. The whole "shop the perimeter" of the store methodology - staying away from the inner isles where the boxed, canned, and other processed items are. Along with that we are getting out and trying to hit 8,000 steps at least 4 days a week.

For some background I had been up to 270lbs a couple of years ago and joined Weight Watchers and got down to my goal weight of 200lbs. Unfortunately I had some health problems and everything fell apart. From the beginning of 2016 to around late May of this year I went thru a gradual weight gain that brought me back up just shy of 240lbs. By that point the health issue has been resolved but I was just being complacent. Chips and dip and sitting on my butt was just easier.

But I have hereditary heart/BP/cholesterol issues and am over 6'1" and I know tall guys with a family history of those issues don't last. And I want to be around for my grandkids!

So in late May I finally had a breakthru of sorts and started doing research on Keto. I hit that hard core initially and I can tell you the first two weeks are a bear! While going thru ketosis I suffered from some headaches and some pretty bad leg cramps as my carb and sugars were nearly completly removed from my daily intake of food. Eventually I reintroduced a small amount of carbs and sugars as I was losing weight at an unhealthy rate.

I have been using MyFitnessPal in conjunction with that and log everything I eat/drink along with my exercise. I just worked my way back up to nearly a full year of consistent logging after missing a few days last summer. If you are on MyFitnessPal please message me your username and I will friend you As of this morning I am down to 212lbs, 26 pounds lighter than I was 12 weeks ago, averaging right around 2 pounds per week.

My DW jumped on board about six weeks ago and installed MyFitnessPal and took the extra measure of getting a FitBit. She has lost around 10 pounds so far - whoohoo! This is a really big step for her as she has always been self-conscious about her weight. And going to the parks, specifically WDW traditionally has meant renting an ECV as her ankles would swell in the humidity and heat. We are wanting to avoid that whole scenario by going later in the year and taking on DLR instead of WDW.

So that leads us to the dilemma of going to Disneyland and eating. Part of the joy of the parks is all of the special food you get to partake of while you are down there. We have been talking and I have been researching on how we can find a balance between keeping on track and enjoying some of those goodies.
This is where the "kind of" Keto comes into play. For us there are times/meals that we have some of the old goodness, whether it be pizza or fried chicken and mashed potatoes with gravy. Or some good Umpqua ice cream and the occasional trip to DQ. We have not sworn off of these things, we just focus on moderation. Making it so we have that high calorie/fat/sodium meal and really savor it. And put it all into our tracking app.

Yes it will show that one day as being way over our calorie limit. But the important part is that it is only one day in our week to week cycles. As long as our weekly trends aren't bad and we're compensating with more walking and better eating on other days it all works out and we still end up with a weight loss. And also importantly since we "own" that high-calorie meal or dessert, it doesn't bring on the guilt cycle. Anyone who has struggled with that overeat/guilt/keep eating/more guilt situation knows how quickly you can go off the rails

So we own it and move on with the next day and the next meal. We plan out meals when we can and augment our lunches with things like Healthy Choice steamers and some of the Atkins meals. We are choosy about which ones we buy and they do pretty well with the carbs/sugar/sodium counts. We keep fresh meats on hand, lots of chicken, eggs, ground turkey, pork loin, and the occasional steak. And a mix of veggies for meal prep and snacks. It does take some focus and I get up a little earlier to cook a breakfast instead of doing a "grab and go" but it is worth it and is doable for those who say "I don't have the time", because we used that excuse for years and it just wasn't true for us.

So, after all of this talk about what we are doing and where we're coming from on it, how about I actually tackle the subject of this installment. What do do in the parks? One thing we are doing is taking in our own snacks. Specificially nuts, jerky, and baby carrots. In the parks I have focused on Quick Service restaurants. If we are going to have a Table Service meal we are going to enjoy the special goodness that they have to offer and own that the meal will be a higher one when we go to put it in the app. So for Quick Service I have come up with the following Land-based options at each park. Along with that are a couple of goodies that we will have and enjoy:

Disneyland Restaurants:

Main Street USA - Plaza Inn
- Cobb Salad - no bread

Frontierland - Rancho Del Zocalo Restaurante
- Fajita Beef Breakfast Platter (hold the rice and tortilla)
- Citris-Fired Grilled Chicken
- Hacienda Caesar Salad (hold the tortilla chips)
--- Note: you can substitute sauteed vegis for rice and beans on any entree

Adventureland - Bengal BBQ
- Meat Skewers (note that it has a sweet sauce, but I think its worth it)

New Orleans Square - French Market
- New Orleans Salad or Chicken Caesar Salad
- Jambalaya (hold the rice)
- Roasted Chicken (hold the mashed potatoes)

Tomorrowland - Galactic Grill
- Chopped Salad
- Veggie Wrap (no wrap, ask for it in a bowl)
- Burger with no bun


Something to keep in mind, lots of people think "I'll just have a Turkey Leg! But those delicious legs at DLR are calorie/fat/sodium filled wand of tasty badness. We're talking up to 1000 calories, 54 grams of fat (15 grams saturated fat), and over 5,000 mg of sodium! If you get it, share it to minimize the good badness or bad goodness, depending on your PoV.


Goodies:

Jolly Holiday - Seasonal Mickey Macaroon & Seasonal Crème Brule
Tiki Juice Bar - Dole Whips!
Red Rose Tavern - Grey Stuff Gâteau
Pooh Corner - Tigger's Tails & Rose Cake Pop
Hungry Bear Restaurant - Blueberry Lemon Funnel Cake
The Golden Horseshoe - Ice Cream Nachos
French Market - Mickey-Shaped Beignets
Food Carts - Churros, Popcorn, Ice Cream, Pretzels, Big Pickle

California Adventure Restaurants:

Carsland - Flo's
- Burgers (substitute vegis for fries)

Carsland - Fillmore's Taste-In
- Fruits & Veggie Cups

Grizzly Peak - Smokejumpers Grill
- Burger Bar - choose your fixings & use lettuce instead of bread

Pacific Wharf - Cocina Cucamonga Mexican Grill
- Fajita Salad
- Fire Grilled Citrus Chicken (substitute vegis for rice and beans)

Hollywoodland - Fairfax Market
- Fruits & Veggie Cups

Paradise Pier - Paradise Garden Grill
- Mediterranean Skewers
- Greek Salad


Goodies:

Cozy Cone - Red's Apple Freeze and Chili Cone Queso
Cove Bar - Lobster Nachos
Ghirardelli - Ghirardelli Hot Fudge Sundae
Food Carts - Churros, Popcorn, Ice Cream, Pretzels


So there ya go, I know there are more options out there and am happy to hear feedback on your "go-tos". Or even what goodies you can't do without while at the parks. No matter what the goal is to have fun, right?

Next Up - 30 Days Out and Tasty Christmas Eats

 

[GlitteryOtters]

I will try to do a full reply on this tomorrow (long day doing kitchen demolition, I am heading to bed now), but I just wanted to quickly pop in and say AWESOME work on the nutrition front, and you did a fantastic job on the in-park meal planning! I love hearing when people find the nutritional lifestyle that works well for them. I can't remember if I mentioned it before or not, but my husband is currently in college for a career change, he is studying to be a registered dietitian so he can help people with needs like yours in figuring out what changes they need to make to live a more optimal life. Stories like yours are what motivates him to work so hard at school (he is NOT a natural student--he is on year 4 of 6 in working towards this bachelor's degree & certification), he wants everyone to have similar opportunities to feel better, live longer & healthier lives, yet he knows a lot of people aren't equipped to do it alone.

Also, ugh, nutritionally those turkey legs scare the pants off of me! That is about as much sodium as I eat in 3.5 to 4 days, and that saturated fat...yikes! Seriously, I knew they were bad, but didn't think they were THAT bad!

I use MyFitnessPal too, I'm Vintageflapper if you want to add me. I mostly use it for sodium tracking, so I got a little out of habit on everyday use, but I started tracking it again a few days ago as I wanted to get into the habit of tracking everything so I can better keep track of my sodium while on vacation (and so I can analyze it later when I get home so I can try to make improvements on the next trip!)


~Meg

 

[Jaina]

Hey! Been busy with sudden (always fun) home repairs and getting the kids back to school! I had to chime in because I am doing very low carb too (I can't quite hit keto yet, but I might try to do it for a month or two for some extra oomph) as I try to lose this extra 50ish baby lbs AGAIN. I'm down 20 in the last 4 months, so 30-40 to go! I am on myfitnesspal too (ctrsara, I think) and have you looked into intermittent fasting? It works really well with keto, and I am loving it! I feel pretty awesome (and even go to the gym in the last hour or two of my fast some days, with no issues) and it cuts down the time during the day when I have to make good choices, haha. I have done weight watchers in the past, as well as high protein/low carb, and this is seriously one of the easiest tools I have used that keeps working. DietBet is also fun. I have done about 6 of those so far, and it's helpful motivation to keep me moving the right direction! I have already been thinking about our next park trip (whenever that is) and what snacks I could bring with me to help me stay low carb...

 

[aussiejen]

Good Afternoon Good job on the healthier lifestyle change, Its alot easier if you have someone that has your back & does it with you.
I have also started a healthy eating program....I want to be alot fitter then i currently am now before i hit the parks in Jan
I like to see the different food choices in the parks as i dont want to be living n fries & burgers our whole trip...
My boss here at work always orders a burger without the bun, and i had never heard anyone else do that before meeting her so its funny you should mention that because now i have started doing it whenever i order a burger..
Thanks for the tip on seating for WOC...im going to check out The Disney Tourist Blog now..

I have also never....i know i should be ashamed of myself but i have never tried a Dole Whip ! They look so good too... that is the one thing i will do this trips though....

 

[mnmrmustard]

Hey All! Sorry it has taken so long to get back on here - it was a very busy work week coupled with taking Jinx to a New Politics & 311 concert Tuesday evening. That was a great bit of redemption for him. His first concert several years ago was New Politics/Neon Trees/30 Seconds to Mars and he got sick with a bad headache/upset stomach and he and I spent the bulk of the concert in the parking lot.

This time around we were first at the gate, got great seats an an outdoor venue, and during the New Politics set their lead singer David Boyd came out into the audience and I got Jinx to jump in there an pose with him while he sang!

They had a really good set and were followed by the 4th longest touring act with their original line-up - 311! You can see why they are still going strong, they seem to truly have fun out there and have a good time playing/interacting with each other. And they can still sing and work the stage!

More work work work and then yesterday I had a lunch meet-up with my beard club, solid guys all around

And then yesterday evening I Emcee'd a Speed Dating Fundraiser for the Heartisan Foundation (local youth advocacy and empowerment non-profit) at a local Barber Shop while my DW helped with the door and wrangling the paperwork. They also had drinks served for the patrons by a local taproom that was raising money for Camp Millennium, a summer camp for kids who have received a cancer diagnosis. Both charities came out with a couple hundred dollars - it was a great time for a great cause!

Now let's play some catch-up!

I will try to do a full reply on this tomorrow (long day doing kitchen demolition, I am heading to bed now), but I just wanted to quickly pop in and say AWESOME work on the nutrition front, and you did a fantastic job on the in-park meal planning! I love hearing when people find the nutritional lifestyle that works well for them. I can't remember if I mentioned it before or not, but my husband is currently in college for a career change, he is studying to be a registered dietitian so he can help people with needs like yours in figuring out what changes they need to make to live a more optimal life. Stories like yours are what motivates him to work so hard at school (he is NOT a natural student--he is on year 4 of 6 in working towards this bachelor's degree & certification), he wants everyone to have similar opportunities to feel better, live longer & healthier lives, yet he knows a lot of people aren't equipped to do it alone.

Also, ugh, nutritionally those turkey legs scare the pants off of me! That is about as much sodium as I eat in 3.5 to 4 days, and that saturated fat...yikes! Seriously, I knew they were bad, but didn't think they were THAT bad!

I use MyFitnessPal too, I'm Vintageflapper if you want to add me. I mostly use it for sodium tracking, so I got a little out of habit on everyday use, but I started tracking it again a few days ago as I wanted to get into the habit of tracking everything so I can better keep track of my sodium while on vacation (and so I can analyze it later when I get home so I can try to make improvements on the next trip!)


~Meg

Hey Meg! Thank you for the positive feedback on what we're doing! Yes you had said that your husband is working towards becoming a dietitian. I can empathize with him on not being a natural student, I'm in that same boat. But it sounds like he has the right focus to get him there.

Yeah, those turkey legs are CRAZY!!! I don't see myself ever having one again.

Cool that you are on MyFitnessPal too - I am mnmrmustard on there and have sent you a friend request It is really good for tracking everything including that darned sodium. Good call continuing to track while on vacation.

Hey! Been busy with sudden (always fun) home repairs and getting the kids back to school! I had to chime in because I am doing very low carb too (I can't quite hit keto yet, but I might try to do it for a month or two for some extra oomph) as I try to lose this extra 50ish baby lbs AGAIN. I'm down 20 in the last 4 months, so 30-40 to go! I am on myfitnesspal too (ctrsara, I think) and have you looked into intermittent fasting? It works really well with keto, and I am loving it! I feel pretty awesome (and even go to the gym in the last hour or two of my fast some days, with no issues) and it cuts down the time during the day when I have to make good choices, haha. I have done weight watchers in the past, as well as high protein/low carb, and this is seriously one of the easiest tools I have used that keeps working. DietBet is also fun. I have done about 6 of those so far, and it's helpful motivation to keep me moving the right direction! I have already been thinking about our next park trip (whenever that is) and what snacks I could bring with me to help me stay low carb...

Hey Jania! Home repairs are always "fun" and never come at an opportune time do they? Back to school time already? They don't go back here in Oregon until the day after Labor Day.

Amazing progress being down 20lbs in 4 months - that is a good healthy weight loss. Keep on rolling and you'll hit that 50lb total soon enough! And I'm still eating carbs, just no near as much. We just had pizza for lunch, but used some low carb whole wheat flatbread for the crust. It worked out pretty good other than how well it held together, ended up eating it burrito style I have sent you a friend request via MyFitnessPal.

No, I can't do fasting. I have essential tremor and it gets worse if I don't eat properly and keep a decent amount of protein incoming per day. I'm glad it is working well for you though! I'll have to check out DIetBet, I haven't heard of it before.

I would be interested in what you come up with as far as snacks you would want to take to the parks

Good Afternoon Good job on the healthier lifestyle change, Its alot easier if you have someone that has your back & does it with you.
I have also started a healthy eating program....I want to be alot fitter then i currently am now before i hit the parks in Jan
I like to see the different food choices in the parks as i dont want to be living n fries & burgers our whole trip...
My boss here at work always orders a burger without the bun, and i had never heard anyone else do that before meeting her so its funny you should mention that because now i have started doing it whenever i order a burger..
Thanks for the tip on seating for WOC...im going to check out The Disney Tourist Blog now..

I have also never....i know i should be ashamed of myself but i have never tried a Dole Whip ! They look so good too... that is the one thing i will do this trips though....

Hey Jen! Thank you very much and I totally agree that having DW as my partner has made a big difference!

Awesome that you have a healthy eating program going too Having a diverse menu makes all the difference. Yeah, the lettuce wrapped burger works pretty well and still gives a good flavor profile.

You're welcome on that article, it is one of the most comprehensive I have found on WoC. And enjoy that Dole Whip!

 

[GlitteryOtters]

A few further replies on your keto post which I didn't get to post previously because I had to hurry off...

First, thanks for detailing the meals & modifications you had planned. Your mentioning of taking dishes with wraps or buns & turning them into a bowl or using lettuce instead of bun made me realize that my eating out options expand a TON if I do that, as most buns/breads and wraps/tortillas have insanely high levels of sodium. I was playing around with the nutrition calculator for one place my husband is considering eating at, if we are able to spend a day in the LA area & the sodium levels on several meal options went down drastically if I removed the bread or wrap, and removed a higher sodium items, like a condiment. I went from having, literally, ONE meal option at this place (a kale heavy dish which might mess too much with my blood thinners) to half a dozen options that were either within my usual sodium restrictions for a meal, or so close that I feel comfortable pushing the sodium up for the one meal. That was super helpful! Thank you for pushing me to think that way! I am so used to thinking of modifications to make things vegan that sometimes I forget to think about modifications to make things lower sodium, too.

Second, tell your wife congrats on the Fitbit & the weight loss. I have a Fitbit too, and I swear that has been the biggest tool in my health management arsenal. My cardiologist are always super impressed with the data I am able to get from it (it really helps them do their job!) and I find it really helpful in pinpointing if I am feeling worse one day. 3 years ago, before I got my first Fitbit, if I felt really awful, I wasn't sure where to start, whether I should call my doctor or not. Now, if I feel bad, I can check my stats and see if there is a more "normal" reason why I am feeling badly, like not enough sleep, walking too much or doing too much elevation changes the previous day, etc.


Also, I have a defibrillator installed & when my doctor's office downloads my data, if they have questions about a particular day where I had more arryhtmias, I can scroll through to that date and try to see if there is a reasonable reason why...for example, if I have really interrupted sleep & not enough deep sleep, I usually have more arrythmias.

I try to look at my data each morning to help me figure out how much I can do in a day...if I see the previous day was really activity heavy, or I had bad sleep, I cut down on my activities for that day, so I can try to avoid triggering bad arrythmias. Who knew that a little wristband device would be so helpful in so many ways, not just as a workout tool?!

I don't know if she's discovered this function yet (a few of my friends with Fitbits were unaware of it), but they have virtual "challenges" which are virtual walking trails you can do, which I find particularly motivating. 3 of them are in NYC (NYC Marathon related trails) & 3 are in Yosemite. I love both places, so I love doing these trails over & over. They are on the phone app, under the "challenges" section, scroll down to "solo adventures". They include facts about the he trails & fitness in general, plus offer 360 degree photos of different vista points along the trail as rewards for getting to that point on your multi day walk. They are quite enjoyable, I just wish they offered mor of them! I'd go crazy for a Disney parks related one...! Or maybe part of the Pacific Crest Trail or something!

I really hope your wife is able to reach her goal of doing Disney without the ECV. My mom is doing a similar walking & weight loss plan to try to avoid the ECV for our Christmastime trip. My fingers are crossed for both of them.


Sounds like you guys have been having an eventful & awesome summer. Much more fun than mine so far (although, to be honest, we are loading most of our fun on the end of summer because my husband was in summer school classes, plus with all of our kitchen demolition work, we've been pretty work focused with any/all of our spare time lately--aside from his usual volunteer work. Now that my husband is finally off school, we should be able to have two weeks of fun before he has to go back to all of the hard work again).


I love your wife's hair in the one pic above, that cut & style looks fantastic on her! Those charity evenings sounded great. The part of Michigan I live in reminds me a lot of what I loved about Oregon (lived there briefly as a small fry, almost went to Oregon State for college & visited friends there often when I lived in CA). Our town has a good community who work together and do good support for various non profits & charitable orgs, plus there are a lot of interesting community stuff & volunteering opportunities going on. My husband is really active with that sort of stuff locally, too. I love communities with those sorts of opportunities. When I last lived in California, I found where I lived was really lacking in that sense of community. Mostly people had community with their church or their workplace or college, but there was less of a sense of a broader community outside of those very focused, very specialized groups.

Enjoy the rest of the summer!


~Meg

 

[Steppesister]

Took me far longer to get here than I'd hoped. Just ... life. This trip to Africa has me so slammed, and until I get back in early Dec. there's really no letting up. Just.. a lot. Nevertheless, I have read all of your chapters and am caught up to this point. Didn't do nearly the justice you did over on mine- wish I had more time to devote to DISsing right now.

I'm Mike and I'm returning to the Boards after too long a hiatus. Our last family trip was waaaayyyy back in 2012 to WDW and Universal Orlando. We had an amazing time, but being west-coasters that time came with a pretty hefty price-tag. Add to that some unexpected medical expenses and we've spent the past 5 years getting ourselves back to a place where a Disney trip is workable.

Oh how I understand this! It's usually about 5 or so years between trips for me too. Well, except this year. I so get the hefty price tag for us PNWers!

From a nostalgia point of view I am happy to have been one of those “older folks” who go to ride on the Skyway

Well that certainly brings back memories!!

But then there was the end of the day and my curbside seat for the Main Street Electrical Parade. That was the capper, that was the one bit that really got me. Without knowing it then, it is what really made me the Disney fan that I am today.

Yessssssssssssss.... all of this so much yes! I could have written that word for word!

(which still gives me a bit of a charge when I hear it)

I still tear up.

From there it was chest/abdominal x-rays, blood tests, and a CAT scan. That turned up an abnormality in the gall bladder. By then the Fentanyl was wearing of and they had done an IV push of a full gram of Tylenol to see if that would act as a longer-lasting pain reliever. It did not and she ended up ramping up to a 9 out of 10 before another dose of Fentanyl was administered.

Any news on this now? As an RN, I'm curious about how she's doing!

Fentanyl- the pain reliever of the gods.

The kiddos took turns removing LGMHs each day and found a number under each day. That number coincided to the amount of Disney Dollars they would have to spend. Of course we made sure the end amount was equal for each kid. I have the template for those mickey heads if anyone wants to download them and use them for their own countdown calendar

This is a truly BRILLIANT idea! I LOVE this so much! My kids won't be going for a long, long time, but I kinda like this idea for ME! LOL!

First off I want to make it clear that I want this first real drinking experience to be a fun one that PumpkinGirl will actually remember, and remember fondly. So I am engineering this to be a trek that takes her to some great drinking high points of DLH, DTD, and CA while making sure there is enough food and hydration to keep her from going overboard. I am a confident self-proclaimed expert at ye ole pub crawl and I always want everyone to make it out alive!

Good Dad. Make it fun, but not puke-a-thon fun. Because that just... isn't. I think your list is a fantastic one! A good mix of noisy and rambunctious and quiet chill.

The walk is less than a mile so after a 15 minute stroll we’ll arrive and get our sandwich on! Or in my case it will probably be the Thai Chicken salad.

Yes! Best to start out with some absorption factor! And a good choice too!

Oh yes, Secret menu you say? You heard right! Rumors abound about the actual number of drinks on it and each bar may have a special one, but I have been able to confirm the following drinks: The Black Pearl, The Earthquake, The Neverland Tea, The Fun Wheel, and The Zombie. The Disney Food Blog has an article about them in relation to the Cove Bar. I’ll let you find it and the ingredients for each of these intriguing drinks (minus the Neverland Tea since I gave that one away already).

Whuuuuuuu...?! A secret menu? Ok, I'm all about this.

6th Stop: Hearthstone Lounge in the Grand Californian

One of the last places I chilled on my last trip. Over by the fireplace tucked in that alcove. A NW Pinot Noir, my own bowl of bar snacks, and quiet. Lovely, beautiful peace and quiet. Ahhh....!