To a galaxy far far away: March-April-May...no wait...Nov 2020 PTR

[tsumgirl]

I'm back home now in AZ this afternoon. We didn't make it yesterday to the Disney Family Museum in SF...went to the SF Botanical Garden instead. That place is pretty great. Had brunch w/my sister and a couple of her friends & by the time we were done w/brunch, it was kind of too late to go to the Disney Family Museum. Wouldn't have had enough time to explore the museum to my satisfaction.

I thought that Disneyland prices for food were expensive. Holy cow, the SF Bay Area's restaurant prices were pretty crazy. I had some major sticker shock. I'm glad I don't live there. It's fine to visit, but I'm glad that I live where we are right now. Looking forward to DL in 12 days!

I agree...I live in SF and my friends don't believe me when I say the food at DL is cheap! You made the right call on the Disney Family Museum. It's definitely not something to be rushed. Now that your sister lives here, you'll probably have another chance to spend some quality time there in the future.

 

[VandVsmama]

9 days until we leave! That makes it a good time to check the Anaheim extended weather forecast. Here's what's in store:



I'm not sweating it at all about the "rain possible." The forecast can change a lot in 9 days. Plus, "rain possible" could mean a little bit of drizzle at SOME part of the day (which we've experienced on spring trips before). It does not necessarily mean it will be an epic flood of rain.

 

[VandVsmama]

It's time for another weather check! Here's what it looks like for Saturday & Sunday in Anaheim:


I'm not too worried about a 30% chance of rain. The last 2 times we've been to DL in the spring at this same time of year, we've encountered rain, but it's been a little bit of drizzle for part of a day. That's totally manageable.

Then here's what the forecast currently is for Mon-Wed:


I did the whole "play along at home" thing with the DL app for getting a ROTR boarding group this morning and by 1 minute after regular park opening, they were assigning backup boarding groups. So the ride is still as popular as ever! I think that we might end up cancelling our Plaza Inn character breakfast. Still deciding, but we are thinking of using that $$ towards other stuff during the trip. We'll see! Still have some time to make up our minds.

 

[VandVsmama]

DANG IT!

YDD has the flu. Like influenza flu, not stomach 'flu.' Confirmed at urgent care late this afternoon/early this evening thanks to a nose swab test. Pretty sure she got it from 1 of her BFFs at school, who was apparently out sick with a fever for a couple of days last week (just found out that part today!).

Now all of our plans are basically on hold.

1 of the people we were going to go visit with on Monday has a compromised immune system, so I already called them to say that we probably won't be able to see them like we had planned. They'll understand. We'll get together with them another time.

ODD & YDD are bummed and frustrated that we will very likely have to reschedule our trip. But I'm thinking it's just a matter of days before the rest of us in the house come down with it, too. For example, my throat is a little sore right now. I'm debating whether to call my PCP tomorrow.

YDD is now on Tamiflu and Zofran (because 2 yr ago when she had the flu, the Tamiflu med made her sick to her stomach & the Zofran helped). DH is for sure going to get it because he tends to burn the candle at both ends. On the bright side of things, YDD's grades are good, so she'll be able to make up easily whatever she misses. And at least next week is spring break, so if ODD gets it, too, then she won't miss much, if any, school.

So for now, we are all mega-dosing on Vitamin C. ODD is sleeping in the guest bedroom and using the guest bathroom instead of sharing their normal bedroom & bathroom w/YDD. I've sprayed every surface with Lysol and will probably continue to do so for the rest of the week. I was supposed to go in person to a big all day huge meeting tomorrow for work and I just notified them of what's up (kiddo with flu), so I won't be going there in person but would be happy to attend via phone.

I told the kids that there's a couple of silver linings to the cloud:

1. We WILL get to DL before our Hawaii trip at the end of June.
2. There are a couple of decent options before the end of the school year in which we can go.
3. I'm willing to take them out of school for 1, maybe 2, days for this.
4. If we go in April or May instead, the weather will be warmer and if we go in May, it'll probably be warm enough to swim.
5. Plus, if we go in April or May, then we'll do 2 park days in a row instead of taking 1 day off in between. So I'll find a cheap-ish hotel near the parks and we can spend a Fri night in a hotel...drive to our friends' house on Thurs right after school, we all drive to DL early Fri morning, go to the parks all day Fri, stay in hotel nearby Fri night, go to parks Sat, stay at friends' house Sat night, drive home Sun.
6. And hey...if we stay in a hotel, then we'll have pool time on that Fri afternoon. YDD perked up at that idea.
7. And in May, probably NONE of us will be sick. All of the flu bugs and cooties will be gone.

Also, after doing a quick search for the Friday in May after Mother's Day, I found some decent hotel options that aren't an arm and a leg. Everything will work out. This might just be a temporary detour.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

Hang in there! Good for you for taking care of your family and doing what needs to be done. This will all work out, like you've said. And thank you (!) for being a responsible parent and not bringing a sick kid to DLR because you don't want to "ruin her trip." We've had people post triumphantly about doing this ("aren't we troopers?!") and I've read about people who've brought kids that they knew were contagious (chicken pox?!). The mind reels... Take good care of you (mom has to captain the ship, right?) and your family. And when your trip happens, it will be great!

 

[VandVsmama]

YDD woke up with no fever this morning. But she's still feeling super tired, worn out, and lousy. For obvious reasons, she's not going to school today. DH & ODD & I are still healthy. We'll see how the rest of the week goes!

 

[ellbellthomps]

You guys got this! Do what's best for you.

 

[Jaina]

Oh man! Keep us updated! That is no fun, and you definitely don't want to head out on trip like this feeling like a ticking time bomb either! I hope you figure out the best option for you! Now that I think of it, though, we should definitely be doing some immune-boosting over the next 4-5 days, to avoid something similar. There are so many things going around this time of year!

 

[VandVsmama]

Ok, it's a done deal. Our March trip has now officially become an April one. DH has a work project obligation in May, so going in May is out. The kids have Good Friday and the day after Easter off of school (their regular spring break is next week!).

So here's the revised itinerary:

• Thurs 4/9 - pick up kids from school, let ODD skip her last period (it's an art class), so we'll leave school at 3:00. It's about a 6 hr drive to Fontana, so should get there at 9 pm. Go to bed, be ready to be up early on Fri!
• Fri 4/10 - Disneyland. 6:00 pm dinner reservation for Carnation Cafe. I figured that the after-work crowd will increase a lot on Fri evening, so a table service dinner reservation will help us have a designated place to sit and chill out. 8:10 pm Droid Depot reservation for the kids to make droids. Stay until 12:00 am closing.
• Sat 4/11 - DAY OFF! No plans for this day.'
• Sun 4/12 - EASTER - 1:15 pm reservation at Storyteller's Cafe for brunch, 8:10 pm lightsaber build reservation for kids & Friend 2.

Still to schedule:
An Oga's Cantina reservation. I'm struggling right now with what time to do this. I could use some suggestions. Here's some of the stuff that's roaming around my head on this:

1. Our March plans ended up with NO dining ADRs other than Oga's Cantina and 2 "experience" reservations (1 for the light saber build, 1 for droid build).
2. I'm tempted to NOT schedule Oga's Cantina for the morning because even though both of the days we'll be there will be really busy, morning will at least be less busy than afternoon.
3. Maybe Sunday afternoon?
4. We're going to try to get ROTR boarding groups on at least one of the days.
5. It would be nice to see the new parade if we have time and if we can find a decent spot to sit down and watch it.
6. BUT there's the whole ROTR boarding group uncertainty and what time will our BG be called?
7. BUT Friend 2 REALLY wants to have a drink in the cantina.
8. It would be great to see fireworks from within Galaxy's Edge. Fireworks will probably be at 9:30 pm.
9. We want to reserve the last 2 hours the park is open (10 pm - 12 am) for turbo ride touring/commando style.
10. Hm...I'm thinking maybe ~ 3:00 pm on Friday?

 

[theluckyrabbit]

You are off the March list and on the April list! Now, as for the Cantina, just throwing this out there: we like to do Oga's after watching fireworks by the Falcon. You don't get any music or projections there, but it's a very nice view. And it feels like fireworks used to be -- an old fashioned fireworks show, without all the pushing and shoving and camping out and shoulder kids, etc. We make a reservation for sometime just before 10 pm, watch fireworks, then waltz slowly over to Oga's (about a 2 minute walk) to check in. There is usually a short line, even at that time. So we chat, check email, and meet our neighbors in line. Usually there is time for a restroom break, too, since one of us can stay in line while the other leaves. Since we usually have to wait in line for the Cantina anyway, and we hate standing around in the sun, this works out well for us. If the fireworks show is MMM, it will be a shorter show, so check the run time and schedule your reservation accordingly.

 

[VandVsmama]

You are off the March list and on the April list! Now, as for the Cantina, just throwing this out there: we like to do Oga's after watching fireworks by the Falcon. You don't get any music or projections there, but it's a very nice view. And it feels like fireworks used to be -- an old fashioned fireworks show, without all the pushing and shoving and camping out and shoulder kids, etc. We make a reservation for sometime just before 10 pm, watch fireworks, then waltz slowly over to Oga's (about a 2 minute walk) to check in. There is usually a short line, even at that time. So we chat, check email, and meet our neighbors in line. Usually there is time for a restroom break, too, since one of us can stay in line while the other leaves. Since we usually have to wait in line for the Cantina anyway, and we hate standing around in the sun, this works out well for us. If the fireworks show is MMM, it will be a shorter show, so check the run time and schedule your reservation accordingly.

That's a great idea! I've been wanting to see the fireworks from there.

 

[VandVsmama]

Yesterday, YDD took her final dose of Tamiflu. She's much better. I'm really glad that we opted to postpone the trip to Easter weekend. Even if Easter weekend might end up to be busier than this week at the parks. Yesterday (Sunday), she would not have had the energy or stamina to last all day at Disneyland, so putting off the trip was a good decision I think!

 

[VandVsmama]

Yet another reason why I'm now really glad that we postpone the trip...check out this forecast for tomorrow! We would have been going tomorrow if the trip had went forward as originally planned. Wow! We do NOT have rain gear like rain boots. We have plenty of umbrellas and ponchos, but sometimes in heavy rain, you need some water proof footwear, too.

I'm super super glad we're going in April instead!

 

[tsumgirl]

I totally admire how well you've rolled with the punches and replanned your new trip dates! I'm glad YDD is feeling better and you avoided the bad weather tomorrow. Exactly one more month until you're walking through SWGE!!!

 

[theluckyrabbit]

Yet another reason why I'm now really glad that we postpone the trip...check out this forecast for tomorrow! We would have been going tomorrow if the trip had went forward as originally planned. Wow! We do NOT have rain gear like rain boots. We have plenty of umbrellas and ponchos, but sometimes in heavy rain, you need some water proof footwear, too.

I'm super super glad we're going in April instead!

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For heavy rain at DLR, you absolutely need waterproof footwear! (Trust me on this one! When you are rainproof and dressed for battle, you can have SO much fun in the parks during heavy rain!) The Force was with you when you made this decision -- now for YDD to get well soon, for the rest of you to stay healthy, and for your trip dates to get here quickly!

 

[VandVsmama]

I cancelled the Storyteller's Cafe character brunch placeholder reservation that I made for the afternoon of Easter Sunday. None of us in our party of 6 feel like paying $47/person for it. I have a 10:30 am breakfast reservation at Carnation Cafe instead. That'll be at least half as expensive and we all like the food there. Plus, it'll already be IN Disneyland park itself, so we won't have to leave and then get in line to come back in. Win win!

 

[VandVsmama]

Well, I did an informal poll of DH, YDD, & ODD about our Good Friday DL plans. Friend 1 can't get off of work that day, so she & Friend 2 will meet us at DL that evening after she gets off of work.

Friend 2 for SURE wants to try and get a boarding group for ROTR on Easter Sunday. So for sure on Easter Sunday, we'll be getting up super duper early in order to be in line early enough at the main entrance to DL for its 8:00 am regular park opening.

The question I asked YDD, ODD, & DH was whether they wanted to try for a boarding group on Good Friday as well. Here's what they said:

DH: Eh, whatever.
ODD: shrugged & grunted
YDD: Um...maybe we should just try that for Sunday.
ODD: Ok. Let's do what YDD said.
DH: Huh, ok.

I told all of them that after we all go on ROTR on Sunday, they will probably all be saying, "OMG, we totally should have done this on Friday, too!"

That being said, I agree w/my family that this is probably a good idea...to not try for a ROTR boarding group for Good Friday. So revised plans for Good Friday are something like this:

• ~ 7:00 am - leave Fontana, drive to Anaheim.
• ~ 9:00 am - time will vary based on traffic, according to what I can tell on Google Maps. Arrive at Toy Story lot.
• 6:00 pm - dinner at Carnation Cafe. Maybe we can luck out and get a table outside to hopefully see the parade while we're eating? Hope springs eternal!
• ~7:30-8:00 pm-ish - this is about when I think Friend 1 & Friend 2 will get to DL.
• 8:10 pm - droid depot reservation, but I will probably change this to earlier in the day. I can get us a large locker in the morning and then the kids can store their droids in the locker.
• 12:00 am - stay until the park closes! Then do the tired drive back to Fontana.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

While I totally agree about not wearing yourself and your family out on Good Friday with the whole BG stress routine, play this one by ear and gut feeling. There really is something to muscle memory and practice-makes-perfect (or perfect enough) with this whole BG game. More than a handful of posters have reported increased success rates the more they play this game. So, it might be worth trying it on the Friday to increase your chances on Easter Sunday. See how things go with everyone's health and with travel, etc. Then decide on Thursday.

 

[VandVsmama]

While I totally agree about not wearing yourself and your family out on Good Friday with the whole BG stress routine, play this one by ear and gut feeling. There really is something to muscle memory and practice-makes-perfect (or perfect enough) with this whole BG game. More than a handful of posters have reported increased success rates the more they play this game. So, it might be worth trying it on the Friday to increase your chances on Easter Sunday. See how things go with everyone's health and with travel, etc. Then decide on Thursday.

Very sound advice! Thanks!

 

[kellys520]

Yet another reason why I'm now really glad that we postpone the trip...check out this forecast for tomorrow! We would have been going tomorrow if the trip had went forward as originally planned. Wow! We do NOT have rain gear like rain boots. We have plenty of umbrellas and ponchos, but sometimes in heavy rain, you need some water proof footwear, too.

I'm super super glad we're going in April instead!

View attachment 479854

The rain on that Tuesday was pretty rough. Being from AZ I was looking forward to cool weather and rain but we def needed rain boots as Disneyland puddles up very quickly. Rain in Disney was not as fun as I thought it would be
We were in the parks Easter weekend last year and the crowds were not as bad as I thought they would be. Hopefully it’ll remain the same for you this year. We loved doing the egg hunt in both parks and DTD.