PTR/TR Nov. 5-16, 2010 - Rav4 Road Trip: Canadian Style

[Littleprincess2010]

Intro
Driving Down to Anaheim
Day 1 @ Disneyland​

To start off our Pre-Trip-Report here is a little about our cast;

Me = Elishia, crazy over-planner extraordinaire!!! I have been planning and budgeting for this trip for the past 8 months and with only 2 weeks to go I am so freakin' excited!!!

Robert is my not-so-crazy husband and is looking forward to the trip but leaving me to plan the details on my own (Thank god for you guys!!). He has worked lots of overtime to make this trip happen and Im hoping to do something special for him when we are down there. My mother has offered to take Anya 1 night so that we can go out on a date.... I can't belive I'm going on a date in Disneyland!!!

This is me and the hubby at a Canucks game last season.

My daughter is 6 and will be turning 7 during our trip, Birthday Trip!!! The one thing she is looking forward to most is Tinkerbell and how we get "shrunk" down to Tinks size to meet her!! I don't think she has quite grasped the magnitude of magic that is the Disneyland Resort, boy is she going to be impressed!!


And last but not least my Mom, who is really excited to go to Disney. She has mobility issues so we will be taking advantage of the Guest Assistance Card/ECV to help make this trip much more enjoyable for her.


We are from Canada, in a city on the south coast on BC. My husband is from South Africa and moved here 4 years ago, we met the day he landed and a close friendship blossomed into the happiest day of my life (Our wedding, but that may change the day we go to disneyland, lol). He's travelled to England, Australia, Israel, and lots of Africa but has never been to WDW or DLR. This is also the first trip for my mom and my daughter. I went Disneyland once in 1999 with my brother, it was magical and I remember being so happy there. From stalking everyone's trip reports I can see that so much has changed since 1999. I remember walking through those gates and the feeling of happiness that washed over me. I had a 35mm camera and took some photos that I am posting below.


The 2 trips will be polar opposites, in 1999 we flew down, there were no fast pass, it was in the middle of August, hot as hell and so busy I missed half the stuff. This trip will be in November, we are driving down and we'll be spending more time in the parks. I'm really looking forward to not standing in line for 2 hours to ride Space Mountain I'm also really excited to take in the love and hard work that went into building this park, something I didn't know much about when I was 15.

Our plan is to leave home on November 5th and drive down to Anaheim. I am a huge fan of road trips and love to drive so I know this will be fun....... I think......... We will be driving 11 hours a day and making one overnight stop in Medford. We'll have 6 day park hoppers and will be staying 7 nights at the Howard Johnson (HoJo) in 2 Deluxe rooms. Nov. 10th is my daughters 7th birthday and we'll be doing some fun stuff for her

 

[Littleprincess2010]

Here are my Old school photos from 1999, can't believe it's been 11 years since I visted the Land and technology has come so far since then. I now have a DLSR that takes wicked shots, no more 35mm "hoping you got an ok picture" pictures

 

[Littleprincess2010]

So onto the scheduling we go!!

Our game plan:

Friday Nov. 5th -
Leave at 7am.
Drive 11 hours to Medford, OR and stay the night.


Saturday Nov. 6 -
Up at 5:30am and driving by 6:30am.
Drive for 11 hours to Anaheim and get to the HOJO around 8pm.
Hubby will run and pick up the tickets
Head outside to watch the fireworks from outside DLR
Get settled and clothes out for the morning.


Sunday Nov. 7 -
7am - Magic Morning
9am - Princess Fantasy Faire
11am - High School Musical 3
1pm-4pm - Break for lunch and grocery shopping
6:20pm - Aladdin (with PS tickets, thank you 3tinksandandEeyore)
9:30pm - Fireworks


Monday Nov. 8 -
10am - Parks open
11am - Pick up WOC Fastpass Picnics
2-4pm - Lunch Break
4pm - Back in parks
8:15pm - WOC


Tuesday Nov. 9th -
10-12 at the parks
12-1 - Lunch
1-3 - Disney Warehouse Outlet
3-7 - Griffith Observatory
8pm - GLEEEEEEE!!! (Can someone in Anaheim pipe in with what Channel this will be on??


Wednesday Nov. 10th -
Anya's Birthday!!! *Princess for a Day*
7:30-9am - Breakfast at Goofy's Kitchen
10-11am - MTTMM for me and Anya (still hoping for 2 tickets for the rest of our group, but if not they are going to get fastpasses and do rides while we're at MTTMM)
11:20am - BBB for Anya!!
The rest of the day is hers to do as she wishes.


Thursday Nov. 11 (Veteran's Day) -
DLR open at 8am - Ride lots of rides
Hit up California Adventure at some point.
Just a laid back day at the parks, I might try to get some photography shots done this day.
9pm - Fantasmic


Friday Nov. 12 -
Holiday's Begin at Disneyland!!!
DLR opens at 8am - We'll be there!!
8-12 Santa, Reindeer, and other Holiday stuff
12-2:30 - Break at Hotel
3-6 Holiday Tour & Parade
8:40pm - Holiday Fireworks


Saturday Nov. 13 -
Pack up and take the 1/101 to San Fransisco.
We'll be stopping in Pismo beach to check out the awesome food at the Splash Cafe. (Reccommended by another DISer)


Sunday Nov. 14 -
Drive to the water and park close to the Alcatraz pier.
Take the Alcatraz Tour, See the Golden Gate Bridge and check out Pier 39.
Leave SanFran around 5 and drive to Redding, CA to stay for the night.


Monday Nov. 15 -
Drive up to Olympia and stay the night.


Tuesday Nov. 16th -
Drive to Burlington to go shopping at all the outlet malls.
Then over the border, onto to the Ferry, and home.

Keep posted as I will be putting up pictures of our trip as we go

 

[reyasmommy]

Your plans look great! It's funny that you have time set aside for Glee! LOL! I'm a big fan too, I can understand. All I can say is thank goodness for dvr's.

Hope you have a great time and an wonderful date night with your hubby.

I'm hoping for a date night with mine as well, when we go on our trip.

We'll be there for our 10th anniversary, so I'm sure I can get someone to babysit.

 

[samsmainla]

I love road trips too, one of these days we will drive down. Plans look awesome!

 

[Littleprincess2010]

Your plans look great! It's funny that you have time set aside for Glee! LOL! I'm a big fan too, I can understand. All I can say is thank goodness for dvr's.

Hope you have a great time and an wonderful date night with your hubby.

I'm hoping for a date night with mine as well, when we go on our trip.

We'll be there for our 10th anniversary, so I'm sure I can get someone to babysit.

Glee is one of those shows that just sucks you in, and I know Lorealle is a huge fan so if I can't figure out what channel I can always ask her

Happy Anniversary!! I know Lorealle (HOJO) has a couple of babysitting services that she recommends, if you search on here there should be a thread for them. Before we invited my mother to come with us I had been looking into them. The rates weren't too bad and they would come right to your hotel room!! It would be great if you could get a night away, it sounds like Disneyland can be quite the romantic place

I love road trips too, one of these days we will drive down. Plans look awesome!

Thanks! I've spent so much time pouring over Hydro Guys tips, other peoples trip reports and the entertainment schedule for the time we are there. Hopefully the weather will be good to us and things will go as planned

 

[Belle Ella]

I'm totally sub'ing, but I had to mention that it looks like I'll be in SF the same day you are That weekend I'll be hanging around SF (I think the plan right now was WDFM on Saturday and Pier 39 on Sunday).

 

[Littleprincess2010]

I'm totally sub'ing, but I had to mention that it looks like I'll be in SF the same day you are That weekend I'll be hanging around SF (I think the plan right now was WDFM on Saturday and Pier 39 on Sunday).

Wow, what a coincidence!! If your not too busy maybe we can get together for a coffee on peir 39 or even a drink on the Saturday night? My mom offered to watch our DD and let hubby and I go out to check out SanFran

 

[smiley_face2]

Our trip plan is very close to yours, only 3 weeks later! we have driven down many times now, and with taking the 6:20 ferry over from the Sunshine Coast, hit the border at about 8 ish then depending on delays there cross in anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour and half. We used to stop in Medford, or Yreka CA. but now make it down to Redding on the first night. We get there about 9-10pm and go straight to sleep. We also get up early and hit the road again, but arrive @ Hojo's before dinner time. We like to get as much road covered as we can on the first day when we're fresh, then the second stretch goes a lot quicker. In 08 hubby and I alone did a second honeymoon type trip for almost 3 weeks, meandering back home all along the ocean stopping at Hearst Castle, San Francisco, Eureka, driving through the Redwoods etc. it was an awesome trip! and you are so right...Disneyland is a very romantic place We are now going on a trip for our 30th anniversary! again driving, but unfortunately don't have quite the amount of time we would like! We are going to try to stop at San Fran for a couple of nights on the way back, for our actual anniversary, but we will see.....Our youngest daughter who is 21 and her best friend are also coming with us! Our kids have grown up with road trips to DL and just last year our oldest son took his family (wife and 3 princesses) on a road trip there! We look forward to even the drive there and back, spending lot's of time together talking about stuff, it seems there's never time at home to do that! I hope everything goes perfectly for you, and this is the first of many more roadtrips there to come! Hubby and I are only 15 years away from retirement now but are already planning on buying a camper and truck to spend as much time down that way every winter as we can! the thought of having nothing to get back home for, no job calling, pension checks into the bank account every month...makes us long to be old!!! LOl..

 

[Littleprincess2010]

Hey Smiley_face2, thanks for subscribing!! We are not too far from eachother at all, and its so good to hear another BCer who's done the trek down.

Its inspiring to hear that you've made so many trips to DLR over the years. I hope to be able to do the same with my daughter (and hopefully another child one day ). You are so right about not finding time to just spend with eachother and talk, road trips are perfect for that! Even when she's a teenager and can't wait to get away from me she won't be able escape the road trips!!

I hope your days to retirement pass quickly and you can find your camper and a nice place in SoCal to park it. It will be lovely when you can spend months at a time down there!!

 

[smiley_face2]

Are you driving the I 5 all the way down? there are 2 tricky spots to be aware of.... the first is when you are just going through Portland, crossing over the big bridge with the city on your right, you have to really watch to be in the correct lane because it wants to bump you off onto the 405! We were warned by someone else who ran into the spot, and we warned our son and DIL when they drove down with their kids.... same thing. it's because you are coming sort of over a bit of a hill around a corner (yes on the bridge!) and chances are you are in the left lane because that's where you have needed to be, then you round this bend and have to be in the right lane!! it's sudden, so as long as you are really watching and not going too fast you will be ok!
second spot is the ghastly I5/10/ interchange when you are right into LA. it's the same kind of thing, all along you've had to be more to the right lane, then you come around a bend and you have to go to the left to stay on the I 5, otherwise you could do a tour of Compton! lol... even after several trips, we did this one time! it took us ages to make our way back to the I 5!
Not a crisis if it does happen, but it will slow you down by probably 1-2 hours while you figure out how to get back on the freeway! I kept thinking through the years, I should write letters to the cities of Portland, and LA telling them those 2 areas are NOT tourist friendly!
I've done a screen capture of the area in Los Angeles, you can see how the 5 veers off to the left, and it narrows down to just a couple of lanes in that spot too. I'm guessing it's because the 10 and I5 basically share the same lanes for a stretch...anyway, if you google the Los Angeles map, you can zoom right into this spot and see how twisted the lanes are. Just remember when you get to that spot and go "OMG which way?" go left! lol... it's like in Portland, it's around a corner up over a bit of a hill, so it catches you unaware.

and here you can see in the closeup you have to veer right, but in the next picture it looks like you should go left!

I hope this does not make it more confusing...just really be watching in those 2 spots, and don't be going too fast in case you need to change lanes
So cool, I just did the street view on these 2 spots and it's so cool to be able to look at them when you are not moving!! lol... I love street view! have you googled Hojo's address then done the street view? it's so cool to look around the area! lol...

 

[Belle Ella]

Wow, what a coincidence!! If your not too busy maybe we can get together for a coffee on peir 39 or even a drink on the Saturday night? My mom offered to watch our DD and let hubby and I go out to check out SanFran

Saying hi on Sunday at Pier 39 would be awesome so long as there are no objections from Jason/klexen and before we leave since he wants to hit the road at about 4p so we'll probably be leaving between 3 and 3:30p. I know Saturday isn't really an option. Were doing the WDFM earlier in the morning/afternoon because I have to get home and take a nap before I start my overnight shift at 10p.

 

[RedRosePrincess]

Subbing.

I'll be down they about the same time as you. It should be such a magical time with all the holiday decorations.

The Fox Channel in Anaheim is 11 so you don't have to miss Glee.

Also, have you considered doing the Happy Birthday party at the Plaza Inn for DD?

One word of advice for when you visit San Francisco. Dress warm. The ferry ride to Alcatraz is fun but can get really chilly outside.

 

[Littleprincess2010]

Only 4 days until we leave for our trip!!! Its pouring rain here and looking at the forcast for anaheim is killing me, 32 degrees this week!! 32 DEGREES!!!! So far our trip is looking to be around the 20 degree mark, with 1 day of rain forcast. Its currently 11 degrees here so 20 is looking pretty. darn. good.

We purchased our 6 day park hoppers off the DLR site, those e-tickets are so cute!!

Are you driving the I 5 all the way down? there are 2 tricky spots to be aware of.... the first is when you are just going through Portland, crossing over the big bridge with the city on your right, you have to really watch to be in the correct lane because it wants to bump you off onto the 405! We were warned by someone else who ran into the spot, and we warned our son and DIL when they drove down with their kids.... same thing. it's because you are coming sort of over a bit of a hill around a corner (yes on the bridge!) and chances are you are in the left lane because that's where you have needed to be, then you round this bend and have to be in the right lane!! it's sudden, so as long as you are really watching and not going too fast you will be ok!
second spot is the ghastly I5/10/ interchange when you are right into LA. it's the same kind of thing, all along you've had to be more to the right lane, then you come around a bend and you have to go to the left to stay on the I 5, otherwise you could do a tour of Compton! lol... even after several trips, we did this one time! it took us ages to make our way back to the I 5!
Not a crisis if it does happen, but it will slow you down by probably 1-2 hours while you figure out how to get back on the freeway! I kept thinking through the years, I should write letters to the cities of Portland, and LA telling them those 2 areas are NOT tourist friendly!
I've done a screen capture of the area in Los Angeles, you can see how the 5 veers off to the left, and it narrows down to just a couple of lanes in that spot too. I'm guessing it's because the 10 and I5 basically share the same lanes for a stretch...anyway, if you google the Los Angeles map, you can zoom right into this spot and see how twisted the lanes are. Just remember when you get to that spot and go "OMG which way?" go left! lol... it's like in Portland, it's around a corner up over a bit of a hill, so it catches you unaware.

I hope this does not make it more confusing...just really be watching in those 2 spots, and don't be going too fast in case you need to change lanes
So cool, I just did the street view on these 2 spots and it's so cool to be able to look at them when you are not moving!! lol... I love street view! have you googled Hojo's address then done the street view? it's so cool to look around the area! lol...

Thank you so, so, so much!! You have saved me buckets of grief on our drive down I had no idea those highways were so confusing and being an island girl I haven't had much in the way of practice on big city highways Your directions were not confusing at all, those screen shots were prefect.

My mom went on the HOJO site at her friends house (Her friend is a huge disney fan) and they were both totally impressed with the hotel. I will have to go do a quick run to google for some street views!!

Saying hi on Sunday at Pier 39 would be awesome so long as there are no objections from Jason/klexen and before we leave since he wants to hit the road at about 4p so we'll probably be leaving between 3 and 3:30p. I know Saturday isn't really an option. Were doing the WDFM earlier in the morning/afternoon because I have to get home and take a nap before I start my overnight shift at 10p.

Sunday afternoon sounds great! I will PM you when we are in DL so we can make some better plans My family thinks your are great, when I told them about our Aladdin priority seating and the 2 TTMM tickets we got they were super excited!!

Subbing.

I'll be down they about the same time as you. It should be such a magical time with all the holiday decorations.

The Fox Channel in Anaheim is 11 so you don't have to miss Glee.

Also, have you considered doing the Happy Birthday party at the Plaza Inn for DD?

One word of advice for when you visit San Francisco. Dress warm. The ferry ride to Alcatraz is fun but can get really chilly outside.

Sweet!! Another November DISer Thank you so much for the GLEE channel I haven't heard of the Happy Birthday Party at the Plaza Inn, what is it? We're doing breakfast at Goofy's kitchen on her birthday, but we still have lunch and dinner to sort out.

And thank you for the tip on Alcatraz, I'm having to pack a ridiculous amount of stuff to accommodate the weather changes from BC to SoCal.

Ok, gotta run and go buy my alcatraz tickets, then print off some coupons for restaurants. Talk to you all later!!

 

[ardenandjacksmom]

Totally Subbing!! I love that you scheduled in your Glee-fix!

Reading your dailies, it seems that you've really got a great mix of activity, yet enough time to play with (an ambitious itinerary, yet in a do-able way LOL) Love the road trip plan too--this May I took the kids down to San Fran and did the 101 route--our first time seeing the Redwoods, and it was AMAZING.

Hope your DD has the best birthday ever, can't think of a better place to celebrate it! Someone else who's been to DLR can jump in and confirm, but doesn't DLR have 'It's My Birthday' pins? (at WDW you can get them at Guest Services and they are guaranteed to get your DD extra attention from cast members, at meals, etc--I've known grown ups to wear them too) Anything that gets a birthday girl a little extra attention is good stuff in my book!

I second whoever said bring something warm for the ride over to Alcatraz and being pierside, especially if you are starting out early in the day. Being from BC, you know the story as well as we do in Seattle--damp cool mornings, sometimes fog burns off and it warms up, but sometimes not! You especially feel the chill on the boat ride over...but LOVE the city (and the Ghiradelli chocolates!)

Lastly, I was when I first saw your weather report--32 degrees! 20 next week!! Then I remembered that our dear neighbors to the north use Celsius and not Fahrenheit...

 

[kaoden39]

It all looks so wonderful and it is so close until you go.

 

[Littleprincess2010]

Totally Subbing!! I love that you scheduled in your Glee-fix!

Reading your dailies, it seems that you've really got a great mix of activity, yet enough time to play with (an ambitious itinerary, yet in a do-able way LOL) Love the road trip plan too--this May I took the kids down to San Fran and did the 101 route--our first time seeing the Redwoods, and it was AMAZING.

Hope your DD has the best birthday ever, can't think of a better place to celebrate it! Someone else who's been to DLR can jump in and confirm, but doesn't DLR have 'It's My Birthday' pins? (at WDW you can get them at Guest Services and they are guaranteed to get your DD extra attention from cast members, at meals, etc--I've known grown ups to wear them too) Anything that gets a birthday girl a little extra attention is good stuff in my book!

I second whoever said bring something warm for the ride over to Alcatraz and being pierside, especially if you are starting out early in the day. Being from BC, you know the story as well as we do in Seattle--damp cool mornings, sometimes fog burns off and it warms up, but sometimes not! You especially feel the chill on the boat ride over...but LOVE the city (and the Ghiradelli chocolates!)

Lastly, I was when I first saw your weather report--32 degrees! 20 next week!! Then I remembered that our dear neighbors to the north use Celsius and not Fahrenheit...

Thanks ardenandjacksmom, I tried to fit in a lot of sitting activities on our longer days, my mom has mobility issues and we are really trying to accomodate her. She doesn't want to get an ECV unless she absolutley has to, she's very stubborn... hmmm..... maybe that's where I get it from

I will have to grab a Birthday pin for DD, she'd love it!! She doesn't know about the breakfast at Goofy's kitchen, or the Studio 365 OR the Toon Town Morning Madness. I really hope she doesn't burn out from all the fun

Speaking of cold and foggy weather, its like soup out there today!! Seriously, if you have seen the movie "The Mist", its worse then that!! Looking at the weather in Anaheim it looks like our first day in the parks is going to be 76 (23c, lol)!!! Guess I'll be pulling the summer clothes back out Im not complaining though, Summer here was much too short this year.

I love how confusing it is working with the different measurements. I always confuse people with how many km vs. miles its going to take to drive there too Yep, its 2200km to get there!! 2200 what?!?!? One day we will convert, but until then I guess I'll keep using my oven in Fahrenheit but read the weather in Cesuis

It all looks so wonderful and it is so close until you go.

It is so close! Last night I had trouble falling asleep. Kept thinking about all the fun stuff we're going to do!! The next 3 nights are going to be hell, if I get any sleep on Thursday I'd be amazed

 

[RedRosePrincess]

Sweet!! Another November DISer Thank you so much for the GLEE channel I haven't heard of the Happy Birthday Party at the Plaza Inn, what is it? We're doing breakfast at Goofy's kitchen on her birthday, but we still have lunch and dinner to sort out.

Here's the info for the birthday party at the Plaza Inn. I've seen a lot of pictures of it on here, so you can probably search to see reviews/pictures to determine if its worth it.


You can enjoy a 45 minute to 1 hour birthday party at the Plaza Inn, which is located at the end of Main Street U.S.A. Priority seating can be made at the Plaza Inn, City Hall, and any Guest Relations Information Kiosk. Or, simply call (714) 781-DINE up to 30 days in advance. Prices are $15.99 per guest. Children under the age of 2 are free (prices are subject to change). Price includes cake, punch, party hat, a special Happy Birthday cup and Mickey Mouse Plate. Park admission is required. Premium Annual Passholders get 10% discount

During the party, there will be a cake-decorating contest and each participant will receive a special sticker. Your party host will be Mr. Patrick Edward Cake (AKA Pat E Cake). Joining the party will be two Disney characters. While Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse usually attend, other characters may appear in their place.

 

[kaoden39]

I have heard mixed reviews on the party.

I am one of those that lays awake the night before. Even if I know I have to drive the next day I just cannot sleep.

 

[Littleprincess2010]

I have heard mixed reviews on the party.

I am one of those that lays awake the night before. Even if I know I have to drive the next day I just cannot sleep.

Sorry you go through the sleep troubles too, but glad to have a partner in excitement!!

I think we're going to pass on the party and spend the money on a special lunch at another "in america only" restaurant. We don't have an olive garden on the island so that's a a must do for us and we want to try Mama Coza's too. I think my DD would have a blast at IHOP too!!