PTR: Road Trippin' from Colorado! October 2020

[silvaohana808]

Hi everyone! I'm so excited about planning our trip in October 2020, that I've decided to start a PTR. I've enjoyed reading other PTRs and also TRs. I've found it very helpful in my planning! So thank you to all of you for your awesome TRs! I really do appreciate it. So...here goes nothing!

First off...INTRODUCTIONS!!



This is us!! (btw...we're not Cowboy fans...our sons played flag football and were placed on the Cowboys. Hence, the Cowboy shirts ) We are born and raised in Hawaii but just under a year ago, we decided to make the big move to Colorado. My DH had a job lined up and we were ready for a change. Hawaii is beautiful and will always be our home but we were looking for a better education for our boys and a better quality of life for us. Colorado is so different but is so so beautiful and we love it here!

We have 4 sons...

RJ is our oldest and is 8 years old (will be 9 when we go on our trip), he loves everything football and is an awesome athlete.

R.N. is 7 years old (will be 8 on our trip), he's an athlete also. Loves to play football but has also started wrestling and loves that as well. He loves school and loves to learn.

R.A. is 5 years old. He's our Christmas baby! Yup...born on Christmas Day! LOL. He's the same as his brothers in the sense that he loves football and wrestling. He's in preschool this year but he is so excited to be a big boy and start Kindergarten this August!

R.L. is 2 years old and our baby! He just turned 2 in November and although he is the sweetest little boy ever, terrible twos are no joke! LOL!

Also joining our family is my DH's sister, S.L.! (I need to get her permission before posting a picture of her) S.L. will be 21 years old when we go on our trip. She is the best aunty our boys could ever ask for. She's the sweetest thing ever! We are so excited we can have her with us on this trip. When she graduated 3 years ago, we promised her a Disneyland trip. We're 3 years too late but better late than never!

The last person that may possibly join us is my mom! She still lives in Hawaii so she's always looking for reasons to come and visit us!

So that's our travelling party...next up: Our plans!

 

[silvaohana808]

OUR PLANS!

These are our plans right now. As we are so far out, nothing is set in stone yet and still trying to work the kinks out!

DAY 1: S.L. will be flying into Denver in the morning. We'll pick her up and head west....LET THE ROAD TRIP BEGIN!!

I love road trips. It allows us to see things that we wouldn't see if we were to fly to our destination. This will be a long one for sure! LOL. We plan to drive at the most 14 hours and hopefully by then, we'll be in Las Vegas.

DAY 2-4: We are planning to spend a couple of days in Las Vegas to visit with family and friends!

DAY 4: We will be leaving Las Vegas in the morning and hoping to arrive in the DL area about 2pm. We are planning on checking in to our hotel (still debating which one...will elaborate in next post) and also debating on dinner @ Goofy's Kitchen. When we went to DL 4 years ago, we started our vacation with Goofy's Kitchen and our boys loved it! We were also able to meet some characters before going into the parks. Another option would be to chill and check our DTD. (Maybe do Minnie's breakfast @ Plaza Inn the next morning).

DAY 5: DISNEYLAND!
Possibly Minnie's breakfast @ Plaza Inn? Now, because we are dedicating 4 full days to the Disney parks, our plan is really to take it slow, take it all in and enjoy. When we went last year, we only had 2 days and felt really rushed...I don't want that to happen again.

DAY 6: DISNEY'S CALIFORNIA ADVENTURE

DAY 7: UNIVERSAL STUDIOS
My DH loves Universal. I love Harry Potter. And my boys love Jurassic World. It should be a fun day!

DAY 8: DISNEY DAY #3
We don't know which park we're going to go today...we'll figure that out when we're there

DAY 9: KNOTT'S BERRY FARM?
The last time I went to Knott's Berry Farm, I was 5 years old. We're excited to check this out! We're also planning on visiting Medieval Times in the evening. I think our boys would have a blast!

DAY 10: DISNEY DAY #4
Our last day of vacation! We definitely want to end it with a bang and spend it at one of the Disney parks (or two!)

DAY 11: HEAD BACK TO COLORADO!
On our way back to CO, we want to stop along the way...Grand Canyon, Four Corners National Monument. Anything else we should see??

So those are our plans. Let me know what you think and would love to hear suggestions too!

Up next...HOTELS!

 

[silvaohana808]

HOTELS!

I've been doing my research over the past week...so much so, I've been driving everyone crazy . I've been back and forth, back and forth, and back again. To me, its an important part of a vacation! So here are my thoughts...and please help!

FIRST OPTION:

ON PROPERTY...POSSIBLY DLH.



When we went to DL 4 years ago, I was still a Cast Member and we were so blessed to be able to stay on property. We decided to stay at DLH...we LOVED it!! It was so magical and it really made it feel like a DISNEY VACATION. Fast forward to now, I am no longer a Cast Member which means no amazing discount but I do still have friends who are able to check on the friends and family discount for me. Its available during our stay but the only thing is that with a party of 7 (or 8), we would either need 2 rooms or a 2 bedroom suite.

There are so many Pros to staying at DLH. The only con is the price. Should we splurge and stay at DLH? Or should we stay off property and use that money elsewhere. Help!

SECOND OPTION:

OFF PROPERTY: DESERT PALMS HOTEL & SUITES



This hotel looks really nice! The 2 bedroom/2 bathroom suite would fit us perfectly! They have a FREE breakfast buffet which I've read really good reviews about.

Cons: It may be a little far to walk to and from the parks?? I've read about 10 minutes. Let me know your thoughts.

THIRD OPTION:

OFF PROPERTY...ANAHEIM DESERT INN & SUITES



The only pro I can see about this option would be the walk to and from the parks...about 5 minutes?

I've read a lot of mixed reviews. We're not looking for really upscale hotel rooms but we do want clean. Also, the breakfast is very minimal. Which is okay but a free breakfast buffet is also nice...especially with my 4 growing boys. Let me know your thoughts and reviews. Thanks!

I've also done research on a lot of the other surrounding hotels. They're either not available for our dates, don't have one room that'll accommodate our entire party (I don't want connecting rooms), or out of our price range. I called Tropicana Inn to price their largest suite and for our dates it's a little too much.

I would love to hear your suggestions and reviews on our options stated above. Thanks for reading!!

 

[noodle73]

Hey I am from Colorado too! Looking forward to following along. We are going in November 2020 and I'm debating if we should do a road trip this time. We're going to stay in the Desert Palms because I NEED a separate room for the kids and a DL suite is just too $$$.

 

[VandVsmama]

We often stay off site and enjoy staying within a 10 min walk of the esplanade. It's nice being close enough where you can take a break in your hotel room if you need to!

 

[silvaohana808]

Hey I am from Colorado too! Looking forward to following along. We are going in November 2020 and I'm debating if we should do a road trip this time. We're going to stay in the Desert Palms because I NEED a separate room for the kids and a DL suite is just too $$$.

hey!! welcome! we did a road trip last february..it was rough but it was fun! same here...the DLH suite is outrageous! Desert Palms seems like a nice place! Looking forward to staying there and also saving the money that we would spend on a Disney hotel. Thanks for being here!

We often stay off site and enjoy staying within a 10 min walk of the esplanade. It's nice being close enough where you can take a break in your hotel room if you need to!

Great to hear! I was a little nervous at first but Desert Palms seems nice! and not too far either! Thanks for being here!