The Great Escape - My first ever PTR/TR - Disneyland Dec 10-17, 2011

[WheresTheLove]

Hello everyone!

I have been lurking on these forums for quite awhile now, rarely posting, but often reading. I just found out on Sunday that I will be going to Disneyland again! This will be my seventh trip to the happiest place on earth, and I couldn't be more excited!

The cast of characters:

My family! My dad (Dave) is on the left, I'm in the middle (I'm Jessica, by the way!), and my mom (Cyndy) is on the right. This photo was from our 2007 trip to Disneyland and it was taken right after being drenched on Splash Mountain. My mom is squinting because she got make-up in her eyes thanks to a splash of water right to the face. A member of my family not pictured is my younger brother, who won't be able to go on this trip with us due to obligations at work.

Dad: Has worked for Coca-Cola for over thirty years in service repair/mechanics. He is a kid at heart and loves going to the parks. He is an expert trip-planner and always finds great deals. I have him to thank for taking me to Disneyland as a child and instilling a love for all things Disney in me!

Mom: A housewife/homemaker and my very best friend! I can always count on her to browse Disney stores for hours with me or to search for Disney merchandise in any thrift stores or garage sales we go do. In fact, she's turning my old bedroom into a "Disney Room" as we speak!

Me: I'm a full-time college/nursing program student. I just moved into my first studio apartment alone, and it's scary, yet exciting! I've been with my wonderful boyfriend for nearly four years, and he's great. He's not so much into the whole Disney "thing", but he's still great. Two years ago we adopted a cat together, and his name is Louis. My favorite things to do in life are to travel, attend concerts, and (most of all) go to Disneyland!

Disneyland is my favorite place on the planet (obviously!) and I often dream of going there when the stress of "real life" becomes overbearing. Since I live in Washington state, I can't just go there whenever I please, so having this trip to look forward to makes it all the more special!

Much more information to come, I look forward to chatting with you all! I plan to make updates nearly daily as my trip draws nearer (by the second)!

 

[starshine514]

So, is the boyfriend so not into the Disney thing that he's not coming with? My husband isn't into Disney either, but he loves going and seeing our girls have such a great time.

 

[WheresTheLove]

So, is the boyfriend so not into the Disney thing that he's not coming with? My husband isn't into Disney either, but he loves going and seeing our girls have such a great time.

No, he isn't going with. He actually would, but can't get the time off of work/money is an issue. Hopefully next time, though! I'm workin' on it.

He grew up going to WDW every summer, but hasn't been to Disneyland yet. I'm convinced that he would love it if he only just "tried" it. I guess it's just not as high up on his priority list as it is on mine.

Thanks so much for the reply!

 

[WheresTheLove]

I can't believe it's been several days since my initial update! Now, to get back on track. Here are some of the details of our upcoming trip:

We'll use a shuttle system to the airport and park our car (actually, we're using MY car, since it has a bigger trunk for luggage) in a lot. We've done this the past three trips, and it works out great for us.

Our flight to John Wayne Airport leaves Seatac airport at approximately 10:10AM and will touch down in California at around 12:50PM. For me, this is the perfect flight time. Not too early, not too late. And since we're not planning on going to the resort the first day, this will leave plenty of time to check into the hotel, get oriented/adjusted, probably check out DTD and eat a nice dinner before going to bed at a reasonable hour so that we can wake up and hit the parks ASAP!

After landing in CA, we'll take a shuttle over to the hotel. We're trying out a new hotel this time, and let me just say...I'm sort of nervous. Let me say, my dad planned/booked this entire trip and found some great prices (without which we probably wouldn't have even been able to take this trip), and he's never let me down before. We're staying at the Quality Inn, and it has a pretty low rating online. A lot of the reviews are mixed, but I will say that the continental breakfast looks pretty nice? If anyone has had any experiences with this place, feel free to let me know. I don't really have a say in where we stay, and I'm not too picky, so we'll see. As long as it's not entirely terrible, I should be okay. I go to Anaheim for DLR, not necessarily a luxurious hotel room (although, if I could have both, that would be nice ).

We haven't made any specific plans about what we'll be doing each day, but we will be visiting the parks Sunday (Dec 11th) through Friday (Dec 16th), so I'm sure that we will have plenty of time to do everything we'd like to do and more! Six whole days! My family is one that likes to take our time in the parks, and trust me, we will not be bored. More updates to come! Thanks for reading!

-Jessica

 

[starshine514]

Don't have QI advice for you...yet. We may be staying there for DD6's birthday trip next month. We have ressies there and at Desert Inn. Where we actually stay will depend on whether my parents come with or not (my mom just had surgery 4 weeks ago and is waiting for clearance from her doctor first) - b/c our Desert Inn room sleeps 6. We also have ressies there for our Christmas trip (yup, we bought APs this year!), where we will be arriving the day that you are leaving. Who knows? We might get your room!

 

[WheresTheLove]

Don't have QI advice for you...yet. We may be staying there for DD6's birthday trip next month. We have ressies there and at Desert Inn. Where we actually stay will depend on whether my parents come with or not (my mom just had surgery 4 weeks ago and is waiting for clearance from her doctor first) - b/c our Desert Inn room sleeps 6. We also have ressies there for our Christmas trip (yup, we bought APs this year!), where we will be arriving the day that you are leaving. Who knows? We might get your room!

Oh, how funny! I think the place (QI) looks pretty decent from the photos I've seen. Two trips in two months is amazing!

Congrats on the APs! That's my dream someday. Hope your mom is healing well and will be able to join you!