Taking Grandma to Disneyland: PTR 3/9-3/12/2019

[VandVsmama]

Hi everyone!

I’m pleasantly surprised to report that our family is headed to Disneyland this year! Originally, we were going to take a year off and wait until March 2020 (for Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge…waiting several months after the initial opening). But the trigger for this trip was DH’s mom (my MIL) expressing a GREAT amount of interest in going “one last time.”

MIL is 73 and doesn’t get around like she used to. The last time she was at Disneyland was probably 30 years ago. Back when DH & his sister were kids, they went to Disneyland a couple of times once in awhile for a day trip. MIL has talked often about how she’s always wanted to eat at the Blue Bayou, but they could never afford it.

So the purpose of this trip is for her to get to check that item off the bucket list. In addition to MIL, it will be DH (46), me (45), ODD (12) and YDD (10). The 4 of us are Disneyland veterans and thanks to everyone’s helpful advice here on Disboards, I know how to navigate through the parks pretty well, how to get short wait times on rides, and all of that awesome stuff!


Where Are We Staying?

The Park Vue Inn - https://www.parkvueinn.com/. This will be a first time stay here for us. On previous trips, we’ve stayed at:

• The Disneyland Hotel
• BW Pavilions on Katella Ave
• BW Stovalls a couple of doors down on Katella Ave
• Howard Johnson’s on Harbor Blvd

We’ve enjoyed all of those hotels for different reasons. We picked Park Vue Inn for a few reasons:

1. Proximity to the cross walk on Harbor Blvd
2. You can see the cross walk from the hotel parking lot. So it will be almost impossible for you to get lost.
3. It has a free hot breakfast, which will save all of us money on breakfast food.
4. Price – wasn’t too bad since we’re staying 3 nights and we just booked the hotel last night barely a month before the trip!

The 4 of us will be in 1 room and MIL will be in her own room. I think that will work out well for those times when MIL gets worn out and needs some down time away from the busy-ness of the parks. And it will help my DH for those times when he needs some down time away from his mom. Hahaha!

MIL is renting a scooter from Deckert’s. They’re going to deliver it to the hotel before our arrival. She can walk, but walking from the Park Vue Inn to the Disneyland main entrance is too far for her. So having a scooter to use will make this whole thing possible.

 

[VandVsmama]

When Are We Going?

Saturday 3/9 through Tuesday 3/12. The rough plan right now is:

• Early Sat a.m. – we load up everybody in the car & drive out to Anaheim. Check in a smidge early to the hotel & then head over to the parks. Maybe if we’re lucky, we’ll make it for the first Soundsational Parade at 3:30! Stay at DL/DCA through evening. DH & MIL will probably head “early” (aka 8 pm) back to the hotel while the kids & I stay until about 10:30 pm.
• Sunday 3/10 – DL for rope drop. Lunch at Blue Bayou.
• Monday 3/11 – probably DCA for rope drop. No TS reservations today.
• Tues 3/12 – sleep in, breakfast at hotel, drive back home to AZ.

How Are We Getting There?

By car! Yep, we’re driving. My silly husband thinks that it’s a good idea to take our old minivan with 250,000 miles on it for this trip. No honey, we’ll use the other car that has well over 100,000 miles less on it instead! Without stops for gas or lunch, looks like it’ll take us about 6 hours to get to Anaheim from our house.

Actually, DH’s portion of this road trip will start the evening before our departure. MIL lives in another part of the state from us and her eye sight is bad enough now that she can’t drive anymore. So DH will be picking up MIL & having her stay at our house overnight before we hit the road on Saturday morning. It will be a little tight in terms of luggage for 5 people, but this is only a 4-day trip in total so none of us need to bring huge pieces of luggage. We’ll be fine!

 

[VandVsmama]

Disneyland’ing with Grandma:

Since MIL will be joining us, this will be a slightly different trip in terms of a couple of logistics. For one, MIL is an insulin-dependent diabetic. So the plan is for her to store her insulin at First Aid. DH will be helping her get that sorted out. DH & I are on a ketogenic diet, so I’m going to be bringing a small lunch box cooler w/me into the parks each day with some keto-friendly snacks.

I got some great suggestions on a thread from some other DIS’ers about going to Disneyland with grandparents. DH & I have talked about how we can ensure that everyone has a nice time. So we’ve come up with a few guidelines that DH has explained to his mom. And she’s on board with this. I’m going to share them here in case it might help anybody else!

• MIL has a pacemaker. So she’s not going to be going on: Space Mtn, BTMRR (aka “fast choo choo” as my kids call it), Star Tours, Guardians, Incredicoaster, Goofy’s Sky School, Silly Symphony Swings, Splash Mtn.
• MIL also isn’t very limber. So she’s not going to go on RSR or Autopia because she would NOT be able to get herself OUT of either of those ride vehicles.
• I’m going to take the kids on all of their favorite thrill rides. DH will join us on some of those, too. MIL will people watch and enjoy the scenery while the 4 of us go on a thrill ride.
• MIL will be able to enjoy just about every single other attraction available. She’s ambulatory and doesn’t need a cane. Just can’t walk long distances at 1 stretch and can’t handle standing in long lines (i.e., for 30 min). So I’m going to use all of my normal tricks in order to get us in lines that are shorter.
• When MIL wants to head back to the room to rest, the kids & I will probably stay in the park. DH might go with her, but he might instead decide to stay with us.
• If MIL is too worn out to get up early on Sun & Mon morning and wants to sleep in, no problem! She can sleep in and eat a leisurely breakfast in the hotel lobby and then meet us in the park when she’s ready. Then nobody feels resentful over missing out on stuff.
• It’s ok to feel a little overwhelmed on a trip like this, so if you need some down time to just sit on a bench for awhile and watch the world go by, just say so! None us will be upset about that. We’ve all felt like that before!

So What About Packing?
I'm keeping it simple this time. It'll be too cold to swim, so we're leaving all the bathing suits and goggles at home. Probably too cold in early March for sandals, so we'll leave those at home, too! Hm, although there is a hot tub at the hotel and my crazy kids will probably want to get in it, so maybe we'll just bring THEIR bathing suits. Here's what I have for MY packing list. This will all go in a carry-on luggage sized bag:

• pants & jeans
• 4 pr of socks & undergarments (1 extra just in case!) - my favorite socks for DL are Wright Socks
• 4 tops - most of them Disney themed!
• a sweatshirt or jacket - I don't know which one yet since I don't know yet what the weather forecast will be
• 2 scarfs - these are actually large sarongs that I got ages ago in Hawaii. They double up as a very lightweight blanket for parade viewing, to cover up your head if you're cold & don't have a hat to wear, and you can wear them as a regular scarf, too. Bringing 2 because ODD will probably want to use 1 of them.
• pin lanyard - I think I might leave the lanyard at home since I dont' have any pins that I want to trade. BUT I always buy 1 pin when I'm at DL, so I'll buy one to add to my collection. I'll bring the kids' trading pins in a ziplock bag.
• toiletries - the normal stuff...hairbrush, toothbrush, toothpaste, meds, some Ibuprofen, Vitamin C (since it's cold & flu season!), hair 'stuff', deoderant, shampoo
• my sun hat - not sure if I'll wear it, though. Depends on how sunny it is each day.
• sunscreen

What goes into my "park bag?"
This is what I plan on bringing in my park bag. I use my regular every day purse which is a Baggalini bag. It's very lightweight and has 2 pockets on the outside of it to hold water bottles. I love this bag.

• wallet (which has everyone's park tickets)
• phone + 2 ziplock bags to store phones in (because DH always forgets to bring a ziplock for himself!)
• sunglasses
• hotel room key - of course!
• ziplock bag w/the kids' trading pins
• the 2 scarfs
• 2 water bottles - 1 for DH & I to share, 1 for the kids to share. Ok, I know that this probably grosses people out, but we're family and my kids still like to play the disgusting game of "Let's gross Mama out by licking her." Not my proudest moments, trust me! Haha!
• probably a banana or 2 from the free breakfast - this will be the kids' mid-morning snack to stave off the hangries until lunch time.

I used to bring a little 1st aid kit w/band aids and other stuff like that. Now, I don't bother. If somebody needs a band aid, we'll go to first aid for that. And in March, applying sunscreen in the morning should be fine, especially if we're taking an afternoon break at the hotel (when we can reapply). No need to bring sunscreen into the parks, too.

And this time around, I'm going to put a very small soft-sided lunch box into my purse, which will have a few snacks for DH, MIL, & I. DH & I recently started eating keto and it's been going really well for both of us, so we're going to try to stick to that as much as possible on this trip. The lunch box will have some cold cuts, some string cheese and probably some almonds & macadamia nuts. Not a ton, just enough for a small mid-morning snack each day. I'm not going to bring the lunch box in w/me in the late afternoon/evening.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

I think you'll be there for DCA's Food & Wine Festival, so that might be a fun thing to do if your MIL wants a ride break. This is going to be really exciting. Good for you and DH for doing this for his mom. Hope the memories for all of you are really special!

 

[VandVsmama]

I think you'll be there for DCA's Food & Wine Festival, so that might be a fun thing to do if your MIL wants a ride break. This is going to be really exciting. Good for you and DH for doing this for his mom. Hope the memories for all of you are really special!

Oh, that's great! I think she'll enjoy Food & Wine.

 

[FeistyDisneyMom]

Great plan and expectation setting! It is family memories like this that make DLR trips so magical Love the separate rooms and schedule flexibility for MIL! Good idea on hotel choice being impossible to get lost - this would be a concern of mine for my mom now. I love the trimmed down packing lists too - everything you need but lightweight.

We will be in the parks kind of the same days (3/11 is our first day, but we're taking Tuesday as a beach/tourist day). Fingers cross for great weather!

Oh - one thing to think about is the nighttime show. Fireworks are planned for MMM at least that Sunday for sure, but they can probably be viewed from the hotel. Even if you can't see them from your room there might be a reasonable spot. We were at Camelot Inn a few years ago, and while we had no view from our room, the pool did have a view and the kids loved it (and so did we since we didn't have to lug sleepy/sleeping children all the way across the park). It might be a way for MIL to get some nighttime magic without getting overly tired, especially early in the trip.

 

[VandVsmama]

I just booked us a Hungry Bear Fantasmic dinner package for Sunday 3/10. We’ve never seen Fantasmic. Only glimpses of it as we were waking by. The reservation is only for 4 of us because there’s no way MIL will be able to last at DL until 10 pm. Even though the Fantasmic show we will see is the 9 pm show, once you add in fireworks right after that and shuffling out of the park, it would be 10-ish or later once we got back to the room.

She’ll be ready for bed at 8-8:30 pm.

But she’ll still be able to have dinner with us. She’ll just get her own meal at Hungry Bear.

 

[VandVsmama]

We will definitely be passing on any WOC dining package. MIL will be too tired to stay up that late and none of the rest of us will want to stand for over an hour. Some day, we'll watch World of Color when we can save up to do the dessert package (so we can sit while we watch it).

On Fantasmic! night (Sunday 3/10), what I think will happen that day is this (based on what I know of MIL's energy levels & what not):

• she'll probably have plenty of energy all morning & will likely go to the parks with us for rope drop.
• After lunch that day at Blue Bayou (we have reservations for 11:40 am, but I might switch it to be just a reservation for her & DH in order to save $$ since my kids don't like the food at Blue Bayou), she'll probably be ready for a break.
• DH will then probably walk her to the park exit and then meet me & the kids at a ride. DH will likely want to stay another hour or 2.
• Then by 1:30-2:00 pm, DH will want a break from the park business. My kids will probably want to stay.
• I'll stay in the parks with the kids and we can watch a show or 2 and go on a ride or 2 and just sit on a park bench and watch the world go by.
• ~ 5 pm - DH & MIL will arrive back in DL.
• 5:30 pm - we all meet up at Hungry Bear. DH, the kids & I eat the Fantasmic dinner package. MIL orders her own thing. While I wait for the food to be ready for pick up, I'll send the kids to scout out a table by the water on the 2nd "floor"/level.
• MIL takes a long time to eat, so I think we'll be there at Hungry Bear for about an hour.
• MIL will probably have the energy for ONE ride after that...I think we'll probably go on Small World since the wait at that time of day usually isn't that bad.
• then MIL will be pretty much done and ready to go back to her room and get ready for bed. We can probably find a photopass photographer to take a family pic w/all 5 of us somewhere on Main Street or near the train station (near the entrance) before MIL leaves to go back to her hotel room.
• Then the 4 of us can go on a couple more rides before we get in the Hungry Bear Fantasmic line at 8 pm for the 9 pm show.
• After Fantasmic and fireworks, DH will either want to leave right away or he might want to stay and go on a ride or 2 before we leave for the hotel. Which way he goes on this will totally depend on how overwhelmed and worn out he feels from tending to MIL's needs all day.
• The kids asked if we could stay until closing one night. I haven't decided yet if it'll be Sunday or Monday. I'm tempted to do it both nights! But if we stay until closing both nights, then the kids will definitely need a mid-afternoon break both of those days and I'll need to force them to take a nap...even if it's just for 10 minutes.

The kids & I stayed until closing twice on our WDW trip last summer. One evening, we got in line for Splash Mtn 5 min before the park closed and we were some of the last people to ride it that night. We got to walk through a totally empty Adventureland. It was REALLY NEAT! And on our last night at WDW, the kids & I went back to Animal Kingdom to go on Flight of Passage for a 2nd time that day. That was amazing. DH didn't go because he was totally & completely exhausted.

 

[VandVsmama]

I've started packing! Yay! I officially got out my luggage today and set aside a couple of items for the trip. Yes, I know it's just under a month away, but I'm so excited!

I got on the scale this morning and I am thrilled to report that since 12/30, I've now lost 24 lb! Eating this ketogenic diet has been surprisingly easy. I'm not hungry every 2 hr like I used to be. I have tons more energy now. Cut out all sugar, all soda (even diet soda!), and I don't even need caffeine anymore. SO much more energy in the mornings now when I get out of bed.

The thing I'm the most thrilled about regarding this weight loss, though, is that my 3 Disney t-shirts now fit me! I'd purchased them a couple of years ago with plans to wear them on an upcoming Disney trip, but I looked like a stuffed sausage in them...so I shoved them back in the drawer and thought, "Some day!" I have a "Connecting with Walt" podcast t-shirt, a black Star Wars shirt, and a Mickey & Minnie shirt. I really like all of them.

I now no longer look like a stuffed sausage in yoga pants so...horror of horrors...if it's warm enough, I just might wear a pair one of the days. Oh let's be honest with each other...I'll probably be freezing cold, so yoga pants will be out and I'll just wear jeans instead. We live in Arizona, so anything below 70 degrees is frigid weather to us!

So far, I've set aside:

• my Disney t-shirts for our 3 days in the parks
• my 2 favorite scarf/sarongs - 1 for the kids to share, 1 for me to use & they'll double up as blankets to sit on when we wait for a parade
• some quarters - for the kids to use on the Shrunken Ned machine in Adventureland (so they can get a funny prescription card from it)
• a Haunted Mansion pin that I no longer want...I'll probably trade it w/a CM or give it to the kids to trade.
• travel toothbrush & toothpaste

Plus, we moved since we last went to Disneyland, so I put a new luggage tag on my bag. We're driving but I think it's a good idea to have the bag at least labelled with our name and phone number.

I also think that instead of bringing 2 heavy Hydroflask water bottles (1 for DH & I to share, 1 for kids to share), I'll just bring the 1 Hydroflask for the kids while DH & I use a disposable water bottle. And we'll just refill them throughout the day. MIL won't think to bring anything like that, so I just give her a disposable water bottle for her to stash in the basket on her scooter.

Sometimes, I kind of wonder about MIL's common sense. Insulin-dependent Type 2 diabetic & travels with no snacks in her purse. She's been known to fly to visit SIL in another state and then lament about how there was nothing she could eat at the airport, how her flight was delayed, how hungry she was, etc. So some of this trip will definitely involve some babysitting of Grandma. That will be DH's primary task. I have kid duty (i.e., "Mama, I'm hungry," "Mama, I have to go to the bathroom," etc.).

I need to buy a pair of cheap sunglasses before the trip because I have no idea what happened to my old ones. Only Walmart or Target special for me since I tend to lose sunglasses. Hahaha!

 

[theluckyrabbit]

Congratulations on the weight loss! Good for you!

 

[VandVsmama]

This morning, I set aside our rain ponchos. I have no idea what the weather forecast will be for our trip. Of course, if there's no rain in the forecast, I'll leave the ponchos at home! YDD is a little bummed that GRR is going to be closed during our trip, but we'll just go on Splash Mtn again!

The hotel has a hot tub and I know the kids will want to go in it. But right now, I can't find ODD's bathing suit! Ack!

** Edited to add **
Found it! We haven't unpacked all of our boxes from when we moved 3 1/2 months ago. I also found the trading pins that the kids got when we were in WDW last summer!

 

[Jaina]

That is such an awesome feeling to finally fit back into favorite clothes again! Good work!!

 

[VandVsmama]

ODD has decided that she'd like to get a new Disney charm for her Pandora bracelet when we are there. I'd get YDD a Pandora bracelet, too, but she's not into jewelry and finds it annoying to wear. I told ODD that I'll chip in for half of the cost of a charm if she chips in the other half with the spending money she's saved up.

 

[VandVsmama]

I've changed around some of our meal plans a bit. Here's where things stand right now:

• Hungry Bear Fantasmic! dining package - had it scheduled for Sun 3/10 and moved it instead to Sat 3/9. DH said that MIL wants to see Fantasmic! with us. I highly doubt that she'll end up being able to stay up that late, but she's willing to shell out $30 for dinner so ok!
• Blue Bayou - I had 2 reservations...1 for 5 of us on Sun & 1 for DH & MIL for Mon at lunch time. Cancelled the Mon 3/11 reservation and changed the Sunday 3/10 reservation from 5 to 2 people. Only DH & MIL will be doing Blue Bayou. The kids & I will eat at French Market. Why? 3 main reasons: (1) cost; (2) my kids don't like the food (and while the atmosphere is amazing & awesome, my cheap vibe is winning out right now); and (3)...which requires its own separate paragraph.

On Every. Single. Disney. Trip for going on 6 years now, at least once a day, my dear husband complains about the cost of the food and then complains about how the kids aren't eating all of the food on their plates. At times, it's been such a heated argument that I've told DH that the kids & I were going to go sit at another table and eat AWAY from him because he was ruining the whole experience for all of us. When we're not at a Disney park, he's not the Food Police. Mr Food Police also tends to come out when he's tired & grumpy, which happens when he's worn out & needs a break away from the parks (but he doesn't realize it yet...this is why we usually take afternoon breaks at the hotel).

There is also a remote possibility that DH might be able to get us a Club 33 reservation, so I'm not interested in spending an arm and a leg on a meal my kids will hate when there's the possibility of us paying an arm and 2 legs on a meal that I know they'll really enjoy even more (we went once about 2 yr ago and it was amazing & the kids loved the food & they were SO well behaved, excellent manners, very patient...a 2 hr long lunch...omg I was such a proud mom that day. They were awesome).

AND I've always wanted to see Fantasmic. So we'll be able to see it this way. Other meals involve:
- breakfast each morning at the hotel
- probably lunch or dinner 1 day at Flo's V-8 Cafe
- maybe lunch or dinner at the Plaza Inn
- definitely getting a corn dog from the Little Red Wagon!
- getting the kids a big ice cream sundae from the ice cream shop on Main Street. We are definitely skipping the new ice cream shop in DTD with the weird flavors.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

Mr. Food Police (LOL!) is NOT going to like the prices at Salt & Straw (and they don't do sundaes anyway), so Gibson Girl is definitely the better choice. Good call!
For F!: the HB section is right next to the BB section, so get as close to that tape on the ground as you can get -- as far to the right as possible. (Do you care about the railing? Scope out the area earlier in the day, kneel in front of the railing to look at the cabin on TSI -- does the railing really bother you? Try the view again further back -- Better 1 or 2? "Better" will be your viewing area choice.) BB's area is the most centered -- getting as close to the tape as you can makes your view pretty centered. Don't end up all the way on the far left. The water screens won't be in focus from there.
And don't forget that the HB dining package lets you order off the regular menu, too (but you still pay the dining package price) -- so if nothing really appeals on the prix fixe menu, try the regular menu.

 

[azdisneylover]

I sure hope you can experience Club 33 again! Is it on your MIL's bucket list? Great job on the weight loss. Here is a site for Keto in Disneyland to help you find good choices and keep $$ in your wallet. https://www.slashfilm.com/keto-at-disneyland/ What ever you do, I wish you great weather and lots of fun!

 

[VandVsmama]

Mr. Food Police (LOL!) is NOT going to like the prices at Salt & Straw (and they don't do sundaes anyway), so Gibson Girl is definitely the better choice. Good call!
For F!: the HB section is right next to the BB section, so get as close to that tape on the ground as you can get -- as far to the right as possible. (Do you care about the railing? Scope out the area earlier in the day, kneel in front of the railing to look at the cabin on TSI -- does the railing really bother you? Try the view again further back -- Better 1 or 2? "Better" will be your viewing area choice.) BB's area is the most centered -- getting as close to the tape as you can makes your view pretty centered. Don't end up all the way on the far left. The water screens won't be in focus from there.
And don't forget that the HB dining package lets you order off the regular menu, too (but you still pay the dining package price) -- so if nothing really appeals on the prix fixe menu, try the regular menu.

Thanks for all of those suggestions! YDD will appreciate being able to order off of the regular menu!

 

[VandVsmama]

I sure hope you can experience Club 33 again! Is it on your MIL's bucket list? Great job on the weight loss. Here is a site for Keto in Disneyland to help you find good choices and keep $$ in your wallet. https://www.slashfilm.com/keto-at-disneyland/ What ever you do, I wish you great weather and lots of fun!

Oh, thank you so much for that website! I'm going to show it to DH, as well as share it with our friends who introduced us to keto this past Christmas. We're planning on going to DL with them in March of 2020 to see Star Wars Galaxy's Edge. I'm pleased to see how many keto eating options there are at both parks! My DH will be relieved. I've lost 28 lb now eating keto and had to buy a new pair of jeans yesterday because hardly any of my pants fit me now!

Club 33 is not on MIL's bucket list. She doesn't care one bit about it. She didn't even know it existed or that it was "a thing." She only cares about eating at Blue Bayou. I'd take Club 33 over Blue Bayou any day! We have no idea if the Club 33 thing will pan out or not. So we are making our plans as if it's not a possibility. We'll have just as wonderful of a time!

 

[azdisneylover]

You are very welcome! Wow! That is awesome. I bet that was a great feeling purchasing a smaller size jeans. I have weight I need to get rid of (I say that instead of lose because I always find what I lose). I think Club 33 is on most DL fans, especially here on the boards. It is on mine! LOL. Thanks for sharing your good news on losing weight on the Keto diet. You are inspiring me to try it. (I love chocolate too much, so...)
I hope you have a great trip!

 

[VandVsmama]

You are very welcome! Wow! That is awesome. I bet that was a great feeling purchasing a smaller size jeans. I have weight I need to get rid of (I say that instead of lose because I always find what I lose). I think Club 33 is on most DL fans, especially here on the boards. It is on mine! LOL. Thanks for sharing your good news on losing weight on the Keto diet. You are inspiring me to try it. (I love chocolate too much, so...)
I hope you have a great trip!

Eating keto has been surprisingly easy! I'm not hungry all the time like I used to be. I have way more energy than I used to. I mean, I don't even drink caffeine anymore now, but I don't even need it! I do have to drink plenty of water. And we eat a LOT of vegetables. But DH & I pretty much no longer eat potatoes, bread, pasta, cereal. No grains. No beans (black beans, pinto beans, etc...green beans are fine). Carrots sparingly (high in sugar). I found a recipe for a keto-friendly chocolate shake that tastes JUST like a Wendy's Frosty. We have spent a lot less $$ on eating out than we used to! And I've gotten pretty good at making scrambled eggs (add a bit of heavy cream to them!).