Trading Sandy Claws for Santa Claus- Nov 2016 PTR

[ncarrier]

I've admired and enjoyed reading other people's PTR and trip reports over the years. This trip seems more precious to us for many reasons so I'd like to attempt a PTR and trip report for the first time. Wish me luck, bear with me lol and feel free to chime in!

In the beginning (a long time ago lol)...

Our family consists of myself, DH Frank and DD Dakota. It all started with Frank's sister announcing during Christmas supper 2007 that their family was going to DL! Frank and I held our breath, waiting for Dakota to ask when we were going to go. February and another family supper came around came around, and Frank's brother announced that his family was going to DL! Again, we waited for the question.... and it didn't come. We thought we'd dodged a bullet until one night we were watching the Tv show "Jon & Kate plus Eight" where they go to DW. And there came the question from Dakota- 'Wow. That's Disney? When are we going?' Now, my parents took me to DL when I was very young and I faintly remember it. But I am married to a man that won't go on rides, and all of us dislike crowds of any sort. Not to mention that none of us are overly sentimental people.

Frank and I looked at each other and decided it was time for the mandatory "take your child to Disney" trip for Dakota's eighth birthday in October 2008. Well, I'm sure you can guess how it went; DH discovered he did like Disney rides, DD discovered the wonder of Disney and I discovered that the time we spend at Disney as a family is truly coveted and cherished so I guess I am sentimental after all. The three of us are now huge fans, becoming firmly hooked on the magic and pixie dust that is Disney

 

[ncarrier]

Did I mention that we are also obsessed with Halloween? The combination of everything that Disney offers and all the Halloween offerings brought us back again in 2010. We decided in 2012 it was time to try WDW and loved it but in fall 2014 we returned to DL as we had not yet experienced Carsland. We were not disappointed!

Our trips to Disney were put on the back burner last year when oil and gas took a nosedive, along with the Canadian economy. We figured that 2017 would probably be the soonest we would return. However, after having some family challenges, some family friends pass away unexpectedly this year and the realization that our little girl will be in grade 12 and graduating next year, we decided rather last minute that we are returning to DL this year!!

Now, maybe for most people two and a half months is not last minute, but this is me and this is Disney! I must obsess and research and spend countless hours on the internet reading and planning lol! Especially since we have decided to go November 5-11th for Dapper Days, an event I've never been to during a time of year we've never experienced! So it's official- Halloween is being traded for Christmas!

 

[ncarrier]

But for the first time ever, DH and I have realized that there's a time limit on how many times we get to do trips like these. Two years from now our daughter will potentially be living in another city attending university. Gasp! How did this happen? Where did the time go? Perhaps in 4 years she'll be engaged.... I could go on. I feel like I'm having a mid-life crisis but it's about my daughter's age instead of mine (which I also don't like to think about lol).



So to make a long story moderately shorter, we decided not to wait. We're going to Disney! Maybe one day that statement won't make us all as giddy and excited as it has, but that day certainly hasn't happened yet! I think perhaps the fact that this trip had the potential not to happen at all has us feeling incredibly lucky and grateful. Perhaps I should print that last sentence out to read when I'm trying to evade strollers, or standing in a long line or dealing with a cranky teenager lol. That's my goal this trip though- for the three of us to literally stop and smell the roses and treasure this time in Disney that the three of us are lucky enough to experience again.

Now enough with the philosophical thinking- I have so much to try and learn lol! We are almost pros with Halloween time and all the wonderful things that it brings but I feel like a complete newbie when it comes to November!

 

[AusAnnie]

Following along!! How exciting for you. I'm looking forward to reading more!!

 

[ncarrier]

Hooray! I'm so glad to hear from you! The trip is coming so quickly and it's already such a busy time of year for us. Hopefully I can manage to post in a timely fashion lol! Thanks for commenting, you made my day!

 

[AusAnnie]

Happy to be commenting!! It's so nice when someone does, then you at least know that someone is actually reading!!

 

[alohamom]

I totally get your feelings about your daughter being in grade 12 and wanting to get in the one last family Disney trip! Our daughter is now just starting second year of U of T and our son is in grade 12 making plans for uni next fall. The time whizzes by, that is for sure. You look to be a very close, happy family, have fun planning and counting down to the trip!

 

[ncarrier]

Thanks so much! Yes, it seems like not that long ago we had all the time in the world and it never occurred to us that our daughter would not be a kid forever lol? I am happy to say though that she is as giddy with excitement as both my husband and I are about going back to Disney. Hopefully she'll never grow out of that. Heck, my husband and I only realized how much we loved Disney when we went on our first trip and we were both in our thirties! Hoping to have another post done up soon detailing some pre-trip "magic" that we've already been lucky enough to experience

 

[Daisybelle]

How exciting! And our trips overlap. We're there the 2nd through the 7th. I, too, am experiencing a midlife crisis of sorts. My daughter will be getting married next year so this is our last trip as just the two of us. So I did some

mathematical magic to pull it off. I've never been in November either, so it shall be a new experience!

 

[ncarrier]

Yes, Daisybelle, exactly! DD may not ever out grow Disney but I know can see that life is rushing on and so many changes may be coming our way in the next 5 years! As exciting as that is, a part of me just wants to freeze time as I know that she won't be just our little girl much longer! A mother/ daughter trip sounds amazing, especially with your DD's upcoming wedding. I think My DH would revolt though if we tried to go without him lol. We are all so very excited to see the parks decorated for Christmas. We've actually never seen it without the Halloween decorations. And considering we put on a kid friendly haunted house every year, it's going to be strange knowing that we won't be seeing them this year. Thankfully Jack will still be in residence at HM lol...

 

[ncarrier]

Be Careful What You Wish For....

Originally we wanted to stay until Fri Nov 11th but the last night was unavailable at the DLH for Dapper Days rates, and the regular rates at any of the hotels for that night was sky high... Um, well more sky high than the already high regular rate I should say lol. Oh well, I thought to myself, we still get to go Disneyland! So I booked the flights and hotel for one day shorter then originally planned.

The very next day Disney made the announcement that Holiday time at the parks were returning in November. Hooray! Except they start on the day that we now fly out, Thurs Nov 10th. Boo! I told DH, and he said he wished we could've seen all the Holiday time offerings but either way it was still going to be a great trip to Disneyland.

The very next morning I noticed an urgent message titled "Itinerary Change" from our airlines in my email. I discovered they had bumped our flight back home and we would now be landing around 1 am on Friday instead of the 6:30 pm Thursday night landing I had booked. We have over a 2.5 hour drive to get home from the airport so landing in the middle of the night is NOT good. I phoned right away. I finally got an agent on the line. She said that the airline adjusted it's fall flight schedule so that's why the flights were at different times. Hmmm. I asked if that meant that I could actually choose to fly out on the flight on Friday instead of late Thurs night. She said absolutely. I asked if there would be any change fees. She said no as it was the airline changing the flight schedule. I told her I'd call her back...

So, crossing my fingers, toes, legs, and anything else I could think of, I phoned the DL group reservation line. I received a lovely lady named Barbara who asked how she could help me. I said " Well Barbara, I'm not really sure that you can help me but I'm sure crossing my fingers and hoping for some magic lol". I explained about the delayed flight and asked if there were any rooms that had become available at the DLH for Dapper Days. She checked and said no, unfortunately all rooms blocked for Dapper Days were booked. She told me to hold a one more moment and when she got back on she said "Nicole, I think I've managed to find some of that magic you were hoping for". I held my breath... And she then said "Yes, I've got confirmation from my manger- we've managed to find a room for you and we'll be able to give it to you for the rate that you are currently paying for the other nights that you've booked". Really? I just about burst into tears I was so happy as I hadn't really expected that they would be able to accommodate me.

I am in awe of how Disney staff can manage to make you feel the like the most special person and how they help create these magical moments. I thanked Barbara many times and then phoned the airlines to opt for the return flight to be moved to the Friday afternoon. It just goes to show you that you just never know until you try, or ask as the case may be... And that is the magical exciting start to the trip that almost didn't happen!

 

[casagray]

Following along - sounds like everything is falling into place nicely!

 

[ncarrier]

Dare We Dapper???
I've seen photos from the Dapper Days events and always wished I could be there to see all of these people dressed up in such an amazing perfect backdrop as Disneyland. I'm really looking forward to people watching lol. At first I had thought that DD and I would put together some 50's type out fits with capris and polka dot sweaters. I held no hope in getting my husband to dress up lol. Keeping in mind that all of our prior Disney trips have included the Halloween party at both DL and WDW, the most I ever get him into costume is a pair of Mickey Ears with bat wings, or a Disney Halloween hoodie. Our last trip showed significant improvement. Not only did I manage to get him to play along with me and DD by wearing his Jack shirt:

I also managed to persuade him to partake in wearing matching shirts that I made:

The more I thought about it, the more I thought that I'd really like to go all out for Dapper Days. We will probably be purchasing photo pass so it would be amazing to take full advantage of that. Disney does something to my way of thinking because I usually am never in a dress or skirt of any form lol but I found myself online looking at dresses, with petticoats and, gasp, floral patterns! What's happening to me lol. DD and I finally decided to go all in. She's picked out the red dress and I'm torn between the polka dots or floral:


When I showed my DH the dresses to see which one he liked, he felt my forehead to see if I was feverish. Have I mentioned that our family has a distinct combination of sarcasm and humour? On the plus side, after showing him the dresses and online pics from other Dapper Day events, I think I've got him convinced to wear a button up shirt with suspenders and a bow tie. Let me tell you- that's Disney Magic working overtime if I actually get him to dress up

 

[AusAnnie]

The Disney Magic definitely happened for you!! Those dresses are gorgeous - I love the floral one. Which one did DH like?

 

[ADLFAN]

My vote is for the floral dress, so pretty! The accessories seem to be the fun part of the dapper day costume, gloves, hats, purses and jewelry sound fun to coordinate and collect.

Congrats on that magic at the DLH! We loved our stay there and the awesome atmosphere of the pool area and Tangaroa Terrace / Trader Sam's.

 

[ncarrier]

Lol. You both were way more helpful then my best friend. She liked them both so much that all she could say is to I needed to get them both! Keep in mind that I am a tshirt and jeans kind of girl so the thought of frolicking around in my regular life in these had me laughing! The good news is that the 2 that I liked were both on sale for a total price less than the one for DH. The only help DH offered was to shake his head and laugh.

Crossing my fingers that the magic continues and they arrive in time as the reason why the prices were so low was because of the length of time it takes for processing and shipping. I'll definitely post on which one I decide on. And yes ADLFAN, suddenly I am finding myself eying up shoes, and gloves, and (gasp) even purses that match.... Maybe I really am having a midlife crisis after all

 

[ncarrier]

So a quick update- the dresses finally arrived! May daughter is now rethinking her choice and may go with the black and white polka dot one.

I am desperately crossing my fingers that the 'magic' trend continues as my daughter and I spent over 4 hours in emergency Friday night and she wound up with a level 3 sprain and an aircast on her leg . After some discussion with the doctors, they've decided to reassess her ankle this Friday to see how it's healing. If it's healing well enough, she can start physio and walking without the air cast. If not, we may be looking at needing to rent a wheelchair or scooter for Disney. The funny part was that I had mentioned that I wanted us all to watch Cars and couple of other Disney movies again prior to our trip. Guess what was playing in the emergency waiting room lol... We caught the end of 'A Bug's Life", watched all of "Cars" and half of "Finding Nemo". There was no audio but there were captions so you could read what everyone was saying. I told my daughter that wasn't quite what I had had in mind lol. Crossing our fingers that Friday goes well!!!

 

[Jaina]

Following along! I hope to hear happy endings from your trip! I still loved going to Disney with my parents as a quasi-adult, so hopefully this trip is great and that there are still more in your future!

 

[TEAMJACOB]

Hope everything is OK. Looking forward to an update.