PTR - June 2017 - It's never too early to plan!

[ClaraOswald]

Okay...many updates....

Still no job for my husband but we've decided to move forward with this trip. It makes me a bit nervous but we're taking the risk. Worst case scenario is that he doesn't find a job before the severance runs out. Also a bad scenario would be that he gets a job but is unable to take the time off for the trip (though hopefully he could at least take it unpaid or something.)

I have been searching flights for the past few days. We went back and forth on two different flights to California. I think I talked about this earlier in the thread. After much discussion, we decided the Southwest flight would be better than the United flight. Mainly because having to wake our son up at 5am just sounds awful. A toddler running on little sleep while traveling? Recipe for disaster, I think. The SWA flight was originally around $215 per person when I looked. Then it went up to $261. And that's just one-way. Kind of pricey, IMO.

For the heck of it, I looked at the day before, Wednesday January 31st. Same flight was only $169! That would save us close to $300! Not sure we could pass that up. But first I had to try to change our hotel reservation without losing the pretty good nightly rate. I called and it was no problem. Woohoo! I know others have had bad things to say about the Desert Inn's customer service but so far our experiences have all been good. Hopefully that continues. I also had to cancel and rebook our car rental. It only took a couple minutes. The rate was slightly different but not bad. Around $15 more.

So then I booked our flight for January 31st. Woohoo! I have to say, I always feel a bit uneasy after booking airfare. And this time it's a bit worse because of the job situation. So it's kind of hard to get excited. But oh well. I am happy we found an okay price.

And if we need to reschedule for June, it's not too big of a deal on Southwest. We basically have to travel before September 1st or we lose our $500 with them.

We talked about what we'll do if the Winnie the Pooh ride is closed for our visit. I know it probably seems dumb, but if it is...we may consider switching to June. It would depend on the price difference and flight options though.

(I am leaving 2/17 in my signature since the bulk of our trip is still in February.)

 

[ClaraOswald]

I have the Timehop app on my phone and today a tweet popped up from 2014. I commented that in exactly 5 months we'd be waiting at the gates to enter Disneyland and I was super excited already.

I wish I could be that excited right now. But there's just a black cloud hovering right now and it sucks. I also really want to book our flight home with United using airline miles/points. But if we have to cancel...I'd either be out all those miles or I'd have to pay $125 a ticket. Both options aren't great. So we're waiting to book until my husband finds a job. I am just so stressed out. (Of course, if we decide 'late minute' to change to June we'd have to pay the $125 too but at least we'd still be going.)

So yeah...I really want to be excited but it's hard. Normally in the months leading up to the trip, we talk about it constantly - what should our first ride be? What rides do you think Henry will like this time? Etc. But we haven't done much of that at this point.

 

[ClaraOswald]

My husband has found a job. Hooray!

But this trip is still so uncertain. February is looking less and less likely.

1. At his new job, he has to earn vacation time. And it can only be earned very, very slowly. So come February he would likely only have a couple days to use. With our plans, he would need to use 7. This is quite a change from his old job where he had over a month of vacation time every year. He is going to find out if unpaid vacation is an option but I don't know.
2. I have a strong feeling that Critter Country will be closed during our visit. I think Disneyland will keep it closed throughout the slow times. It is closing now. But it will be reopened in November. I assume it will stay open for the holiday season and then close again for "construction" or "refurbishment." When really it's just a way to save money. We do NOT want to miss out on the Winnie the Pooh ride for our son.
3. Our son's behavior has been pretty bad lately. There's no way to know if it will be better/worse by February. Or even by June (our backup dates.) I would like to think by June he would be okay but who knows. I just know if I had to hop on a plane with him today...I would be freaking out. We've really been struggling lately.

So yeah...still in vacation limbo, I guess. I just hope we can take this trip at all. If not, we lose $500 on the airline tickets we already paid for.

 

[ClaraOswald]

So now I'm like 70% wanting to switch to June. Partly because there's a way better chance of Pooh being opened. And just less ride closures, in general. It's not that we care that much about some of the rides they typically close in February. But when a lot of rides are closed, it does make the park seem more crowded. More crowded than June? I don't know. Probably not.

My big concerns with June....
1. Crowds. Will wait times be super long? Not sure how our son would tolerate that. When we went in February 2015, we didn't wait in lines if they were longer than 20-30 minutes. Will that even be possible in June or are ALL rides a longer wait than that?
2. Early park opening. With the parks opening at 8am...the chance of us getting there for opening is slim to none. Last time we just barely got there by the 10am opening. I fear if we can't get there until 9am or later, the lines will already be awful. I wish there was a site that listed historical wait times for June. I really have no idea what it's like at this time of year. People say it's "crowded" but no one seems to give me actual wait times.
3. Weather. I do NOT like hot weather. Especially now that I have RA. Heat just makes my joints feel worse. Hopefully it won't be too bad if it's not humid but who knows. We would likely go back to the hotel after lunch for a while so that would help. But I really dislike hot weather. In February last time it was nice because we could put sweatshirts on at night. I know that some years, that's possible in June too, at least. We've been to Disneyland when it was 110 degrees and we survived. But it's definitely not ideal.
4. Price. This isn't a huge deal. But the hotel is a bit more expensive in June.
5. Flights. We had picked out some pretty good flights for February. I have no idea what Southwest will have available in June. Their schedule changes so much.
6. Stuff at home. These are minimal concerns....but I hate leaving our house for over a week in the Summer. We will be shutting off our water which means our yard won't get watered. I don't want to come home to a dead lawn. I also worry about kenneling our dog in the Summer because of thunderstorms. She hates them and the thought of her being alone at the kennel (well, with a bunch of other dogs freaking out) makes me sad.

By comparison, my concerns for February....
1. My husband's job. He won't have enough vacation. This may be our deciding factor. If they don't let him take unpaid days or something then February will be completely out of the question.
2. Ride closures. So many ride closures during this time.
3. Our son. As I've mentioned, he has developmental delays. He has been in therapy for over a year but progress has been very, very slow. I have a hard time thinking he'll be much different 120 days from now. This stresses me out a lot. Mostly because of flying. But a little because of waiting in lines too.

Really the main deciding factors will be my husband's job and the Winnie the Pooh ride. But now I'm concerned we could go in February and they'll close Pooh at the last minute. I would lose my mind.

 

[Christina-B-Na]

Congrats on your husband finding a job! What a relief that must be!
We too are considering a trip for February...possibly the 25th thru the 2nd or a trip last week of April/ 1st couple days of May.We went end of February/ 1st week of March a few years ago and it was great. Crowds weren't bad and only a couple things were closed. I think the only ride that was closed and bummed us out was IASW- a must do for our son.
Its so hard to anticipate what may be closed, how crowds will be...etc. I feel your pain on waying it all out. Good luck!

 

[ClaraOswald]

The chance of a February trip for us is really slim to none now. June is looking more likely. Not ideal, of course. But we'll survive.

We have two new things to deal with in our lives now...my son tested positive for a peanut allergy (fun fun!) And he was just officially diagnosed with autism. Life just won't leave us alone, it seems.

 

[Jaina]

The chance of a February trip for us is really slim to none now. June is looking more likely. Not ideal, of course. But we'll survive.

We have two new things to deal with in our lives now...my son tested positive for a peanut allergy (fun fun!) And he was just officially diagnosed with autism. Life just won't leave us alone, it seems.

Somehow I didn't get a notification for this! I am so glad your husband found a job, and excited to hear how the planning goes for your June trip!

Yikes on the peanut allergy. Does that mean any major changes? It is so much easier to have allergens now compared to 20 (or even 10) years ago, but it is still challenging. (my husband is undiagnoses celiac) I'm also sorry about the autism diagnosis, but at least with that in place, there is a lot more help and support available for your family, right? You're still dealing with and helping the same child, but with more resources! I hope any revelations in your immediate future are of the positive kind!

 

[ClaraOswald]

The allergist said he'd likely be fine eating things made in the same facility as peanuts or whatever. Other than that, we just have to avoid peanuts and peanut butter and whatnot. We have an EPI-pen just in case.

We have been thinking he likely had autism for a very long time so it wasn't really shocking. But it still makes me a bit sad to have it official. He will continue with his current therapies so nothing really changes. But now I will feel comfortable joining things like a monthly playgroup for toddlers with autism. So in that sense, getting the diagnosis is a good thing. (And for our insurance purposes too.)

Plus, if people look at us weird, it will just be easier to say "he has autism" if they are wondering about his behaviors or lack of speech.

 

[ClaraOswald]

I am so antsy for Southwest to release June flights but I know it's going to be a while still. Booo.

I had found a decent flight home on United for February. But it doesn't exist in June. Also booo. It was a flight with a short-ish layover in Denver but it would have been okay since it didn't fall during a mealtime. They have a similar flight in June but it's later and the layover would be at dinner time. It really wouldn't be enough time to eat. So I guess we could just eat chips and nutrigrain bars on the plane for dinner or something.

Maybe something better will pop up though. We have a LONG time to book now.

I need to figure out if there is a way to change the title of this thread.

 

[tzeitel]

I had been waiting for SW to release their dates as well (for May) and was surprised at the rates. We usually pay $79-99 each way but yesterday I checked and they are $120. I had noticed a bit of a price hike for Oct but did not think too much of it, now I am worried SW's prices are going up for good. I don't like long layovers but really dislike short ones. I feel rushed or that we are just wasting time - but I am just super impatient . If your layover is still in Denver there are tons of places to grab something fast near the gates if you get a chance to get off the plane.

We got DD's autism diagnosis when she was 3, she is now 14 (wow how time flies!) and she has come so far! Follow up on every lead for programs that might help. Sign up for medicaid asap since it takes forever to get approved - took us 3 years. Nothing anyone says will make it better - I know - all you can do is become the best advocate for him that you can be. Good luck!

 

[ClaraOswald]

Thanks!

We've only flown SW once (2015) and ours were all over $100 each way. Can't remember exact price now.

The ones I booked for February are $168 (one way.)

The layover we're looking at is 59 minutes which would be fine without a kid. But with a kid, it stresses me out. Because basically you only have about 30 minutes before boarding. And I'm still worried about him eating so close to flying and then getting sick. I wish we could drive but it would add SIX extra days, basically. So that's not possible this time. I hate flying though.

 

[ClaraOswald]

I don't really get how medicaid works. I googled to see if I could figure it out but just became more confused. I couldn't even find out what the income qualifications are or whatever.

 

[tzeitel]

I don't really get how medicaid works. I googled to see if I could figure it out but just became more confused. I couldn't even find out what the income qualifications are or whatever.

When our DD got diagnosed she was also evaluated by the state so she could go to a special needs preschool program (she started it when she was 3). When they did all the tests - they do hearing, vision as well - they gave us all the information we needed to apply for Medicaid and SSI. It has been so long I do not remember the particulars, but I know that everyone we talked to told us to apply as soon as possible since it can take years. We were not sure we would qualify but applied anyway. We actually were not expecting (and truthfully forgot about) it by the time we received the card. Maybe when your son is ready for preschool they will get all that info to you.

 

[ClaraOswald]

He will start preschool in the Fall. It is at the public school and it's for kids on an IEP (and there are an equal amount of peer models.) We are already working with the school system though since in our state, that's where the Early Intervention program comes from. He's been on an IFSP since he was about 18 months old. We transition to an IEP next summer. No one has ever mentioned medicaid to us. It was always my understanding that it was something for low income families or something like that. We have pretty decent insurance (and hopefully will next year too) so I don't think we would qualify at all.

 

[ClaraOswald]

Our trip should be just a month and a half away...but...*sigh*....it's 6+ months away. In some ways, that may be a good thing. But I am seriously nervous about crowds. And wait times. And weather.

And I am still worried about how my son will do with everything. How will he do on the plane? In the airport? Sleeping in the hotel? People always say that our trip when he was 17 months will likely be harder than when he is three. But I think those people don't have a child with developmental delays and autism and whatnot.

If I were to rank my concerns...flying would be at the top of the list. I just don't know how we're going to keep him in his seat and happy for that long. There are a couple movies he will watch but I'm not sure if we'll want to risk it because of the air-sickness form last time. And these days...there are so few activities that keep him occupied for more than literally 1-2 minutes. He just doesn't do what the "average" 3 year old does at all. And I see these news stories about people with crying toddlers being escorted off the plane. It's terrifying.

My 2nd biggest concern is just that he'll have a horrible time in the parks. He'll freak out in lines. He won't like the rides. Etc.

We had to wait in line for Santa for about 30 minutes last week. He did better than I expected. He whined a bit but didn't freak out. So that did make me feel a bit better about lines at least.

So I know I am going to need to cancel our hotel and car for February but I just can't bring myself to do it yet. I know there's basically zero chance of us going at that time. But I still just can't do it. Maybe in the new year it will be easier for me. I'm just sad because this is kind of our last chance to go during the school year. In 2018 we won't really be able to afford a big vacation. In February 2019 we plan to go to WDW. And then in fall 2019 he will be starting kindergarten. I'm not sure if his school allows kids to be pulled out for a week of vacation. And if he struggles in school...it may not be the best thing to do anyway.

With Southwest, we can cancel and rebook a flight using the money we spent. But we have to do it by the end of August. If we didn't...I'm not sure if we'd go in June. We would maybe have waited until early December next year. But it's too late for that now. So June it is unless we want to be out $500.

 

[Jaina]

I'm glad that you're still working on it and planning towards it! If he still struggles that badly with lines, you should be able to get a DAS to give you return times or what not. We actually had to use the system this last trip for about half a day, and I really wished I had done some kind of research and knew what to expect, because I was flying by the seat of my pants, and I do NOT like the feeling on a Disney trip! Did we talk about Dramamine on the plane? (I can't remember, and I only have a minute so I can't search) My 3-year-old gets carsick at this point if he's playing or looking down at a tablet right now, but half a chewable dramamine before makes all the differenc.e

 

[ClaraOswald]

Yeah, we will probably try dramamine. His doctor says she's not sure how helpful it will be for flying but it would be worth a shot (if we can get him to actually take it.)

Now my newest dilemma....hotel. We have a parlor suite booked at the Desert Inn for June. We stayed there last time and liked it. The walk to and from the park was short. And the extra space in the room was nice. Plus, the price was great.

Well, now with all the stuff up in the air about the new parking structure...I am nervous. I don't want to suddenly have some insanely long walk to and from the park. Also...if the construction noise is bad that makes me unhappy. We plan to go back to the hotel every afternoon to rest. Plus, we have 2 non-park days we were will end up being at the hotel more during the day. I cannot stand loud noises (I already struggle with hotel noise, in general.)

So now I don't know what to do. We can't afford a nicer hotel. I don't want to have to drive to and from the park multiple times a day. I'm not sure what the shuttle options are like and if they were be a pain with a 3 year old and a stroller. (I tried researching this once and it was super confusing to me.)

Yeah...I'm so confused now.

 

[ClaraOswald]

I actually found a hotel farther south on Harbor that didn't look too bad. But...it's quite a bit more expensive and we'd have to take a shuttle. So yeah...not so sure about that. My husband thinks we should just take the chance with construction noise. And it sounds like the walkway should still be open in June. I guess that's what we'll end up doing. I was really liking the idea of the other hotel because I like the layout of their suite more and they have a full breakfast. But I don't think I could rationalize the price increase. Especially with the added hassle of a shuttle. Maybe next time though since we won't have a stroller anymore. (Though in my 'dream' world we'll have a small RV/travel trailer by then and we'd stay at an RV park instead.)

 

[Glynis4]

I think that's a great decision and likely what we'll do to (closer hotel and deal with the noise rather than bother with a shuttle with stroller)!

 

[ClaraOswald]

Yeah, I guess the shuttle stops at other hotels too so that could be a pain in the butt as well.

I am still just a bit on the fence, I guess, though. Mainly because I like the layout of the rooms at the Best Western. And I wonder if their beds would be better. Our bed last time was so bad. And now I've been diagnosed with RA so I worry that the walking all day combined with a hard bed could be really bad for my joints to where I'm miserable the whole time.