Train trip to Disneyland - PTR

[CantWaitToGo2007]

I know it's waaayyyy early to begin a ptr, but my non-disney friends are tired of hearing about my trip and I needed a place to share

Let's see I guess I should start with who will be going on this trip

Well, there's me of course, my name is Nanette and I'll be 35 when we go. I went to Disneyland 6 times as a child and in 2005. I'm an x-ray and mri tech at an orthopedic office. I love my job most days I'm not allowed in Barnes and Noble unsupervised - I tend to come back with a new travel book everytime I go in the store. I think I own just about every travel book on DL and WDW I'm also a list maker. Now when I say I'm a list maker I don't mean I make a list to go to the store, I mean I make 12 list (that are almost identical) to pack for a camping trip. I don't need most of the list I make, I just like to make them. I know, wierd huh. My co-workers are talking about doing an intervention I don't really have any new pictures of me, but here's one of me when we went to see Elvis for my 33rd birthday.

Found another one of me - this is from January, we went to see a group called the Afrodesiacs - they play disco music

The other person going on this roadtrip is my son, Justin. He'll be 15 when we go. He has been to DL once in 2005, so it's time to take him again Justin is in 4H and has 10 guinea pigs as his project. He loves video games and computers - even asked for computer programing books for christmas. He wants to go to Washington State University and work for Nintendo designing video games. He likes going camping, roadtrips and trains.
Here's a picture of Justin from last weekend at the tulip festival.

Up next - when we are going

Nanette

 

[CantWaitToGo2007]

This page reserved for links

 

[CantWaitToGo2007]

So you've met the who, now for the when.

The original plan was to go to WDW for a week in July 2011. We were just there in Dec 2007 and with what it was going to cost I decided that we would go back to Disneyland, this way we could still take a few small trips in between. We had decided to fly to anaheim and rent a car for the week and then take the train back. That was going to be $1200+ just for transportation for the week, so I decided to change the plan yet again. Changing plans is a common thing with me - probably why I find the need to make so many list

So the new plan is to take 2 weeks instead of 1 and drive to DL. We'll be starting this grand roadtrip June 18, 2011. That gives us a week between the end of school and our trip for any extra snow days. Accourding to the app on my phone we leave in 426 days from now

Up next - free hotel in Anaheim

Nanette

 

[wvnative]

IMHO, it is never too early to plan or to share said planning with other Disney planning addicts. lol

Hehe... if it makes you feel any better, we (my teenager (DD-19) and I) were just there in March. I've been working on plans for a weekend getaway in October (smack dab between our birthdays) since I started the car for the drive home and I'm trying to decide if we want to finally go to WDW in March 2011 or do a San Diego/DLR combo trip. I get it. lol I too make lists and change the plan almost daily. Hence the reason for "the book" and the lists. I'm not sure I could survive without the book that holds all the pertinent info for each trip. lol

Happy planning!

 

[CantWaitToGo2007]

I don't have a binder. Hmmm....that could be a fun project. Then maybe I won't have notes spread all over the house I got the disney cartridge for my cricut, it will be lots of fun decorating the binder! Justin is rolling his eyes. He says he wants no part of this project!

I'm so jealous. Two trips in one year! I wish we could go more often.

Nanette

 

[wvnative]

I don't have a binder either. I have a word document. lol I my word document. It's easy to change for each trip and helps me to make sure I cover all of my bases. I even have a section in it for just notes and the notes change for each trip due to the different things we do each time.

We normally only go once a year, at spring break. Last year I took a friend as my DD was traveling with her HS choir. It was an awful trip. This year we took two of her friends. While it wasn't awful, we were late for just about everything and there was stuff that we always do that we didn't get to. I feel like we need a good DLR trip just to get us back on track. lol

 

[CantWaitToGo2007]

Yep, that's right. We are staying for free!! My parents have timeshare credits through worldmark and never use them. So we will be staying at Dolphin's Cove for either 6 or 7 nights. (I'd post a picture, but I'm doing this from the dis app and I don't know how to do pictures from it) I have to nail down the dates soon. But I'm having trouble with that. Do I want to stay June 20-26 or June 23-29??? I'm leaning more toward the first set of dates. I know it's going to be crowded, but I think knowing that ahead of time we will be ok.

 

[wvnative]

Well, with the tentative date for WoC set at June 10th, either one is going to be really busy. Have you looked to see when summer AP block outs start? That would certainly affect my decision.

It looks like SoCal select is blocked out for the summer beginning 6/23.
The other SoCal tickets are blocked out 6/23-26.
Deluxe is blocked out Saturdays during June.

I'm thinking that crowdwise, it might be better to go with your later dates.

 

[CantWaitToGo2007]

Sorry, June next year. See I told you I was planning really early! LOL (they really need to have smileys for the phone app!) I should go look at the block out dates for this year and try to estimate busier days for next year. I love planning, but having to book the timeshare 13 months out and not being able to change dates, because it fills up so fast, is stressing me out! Maybe it's time to print out a calender for next year and play around with my dates? That will have to wait until later tonight though. Why does work have to get in the way of vacation planning???

Nanette

 

[wvnative]

LOL.. I knew that.

Chances are, the blockout days will be close to the same though. You just won't have to worry about WoC crowds.

 

[CantWaitToGo2007]

I've got my dates figured out (I think??) we will be staying in Anaheim Sunday June 19-26. This will hopefully give us three days to drive down and then 6-7 days to get back. I really wish we could go this year

On a I'm way too much if an over-planner note.....I've started planning the cruise for justin's HS graduation trip. Trying to decide on how many days, and where we would like to go so I can start saving.

hope everyone has a great weekend! It's actually sunny up here in the great NW today

Nanette

 

[Littleprincess2010]

I love how well planned you are!!! Im exactly the same and have my trusty 2GB flash drive packed with Excel spreadsheets, Word Docs, and clip art

We're driving down from BC in November for our first time and we have found so much information through TR's and PTR's just like yours!!

Can't wait to hear more about your plans

 

[CantWaitToGo2007]

Thanks for reading! I thought we had a long drive, but yours is even longer. I'm still flip flopping on which way to drive down. I think I've finally settled on taking I-5 down leaving on Friday and arriving sometime Sunday. I could probably do it in two days but with being the only driver and having to stop and see all the weird roadside attractions I'd rather take three days.

I'm going to add some cute touches to my binder this week (when I get my cricut back from my friend) then I'll take pictures for everyone

 

[Littleprincess2010]

I can't wait to see your binder!! I was thinking of doing one but I really like using my laptop because I change my mind about 3 times a week, lol. Its driving the rest of our party nuts But everyday I come on here I learn something new and have to change one part of our trip or another. Maybe I should try to find a disney laptop skin to put on it???

I think my biggest dislike about the whole process is the fact that Disneyland doesnt have its entertainment schedule up until a few weeks from the date, very frustrating when you are planning a trip from far away.

 

[CantWaitToGo2007]

I've been researching and trying to figure out how to drive up the coast and see all the things we want to see in a little less than a weeks time. I just can't fit it all in. In fact I can't even fit half of the things in that we want to do on the drive home so that means a change in plans. We still plan on staying the 20-26 of June (2011) in Anaheim, but we're going to take the train down and then fly back. This is what Justin originally wanted to do anyway.

Notes on roadtrip out and now I get to find out about train trips

Nanette

 

[Littleprincess2010]

I've been researching and trying to figure out how to drive up the coast and see all the things we want to see in a little less than a weeks time. I just can't fit it all in. In fact I can't even fit half of the things in that we want to do on the drive home so that means a change in plans. We still plan on staying the 20-26 of June (2011) in Anaheim, but we're going to take the train down and then fly back. This is what Justin originally wanted to do anyway.

Notes on roadtrip out and now I get to find out about train trips

Nanette

Oh, a train ride!! Now that sounds like fun!!

 

[CantWaitToGo2007]

I told Justin about switching back to the train and we watched some videos on YouTube of the sleeper cars on the train. He's very excited that we will be riding a train just like the Harry potter train. We'll see if he's still happy after 35+ hours on the train! I'm not sure that I want to be on the train twice in one week, so we will be flying home at the end of our trip. Reworking the calendar, but the train and the flight home have made it from being written in pencil to ink!

Nanette

 

[Littleprincess2010]

That sounds like so much fun, you'll have to change the title of your Trip report though to something like "Planes, Trains and Automobiles" Although Im not sure if you're renting a car when you get to anaheim I just like the movie

 

[CantWaitToGo2007]

You're right I do need to change it. I don't think we're going to rent a car. I live near Seattle so taking public transportation doesn't bother me. Besides I really don't want to drive in LA if I don't have to!

 

[CantWaitToGo2007]

So here's the plan

June 17 take the train from Seattle arrive around 9pm (if all goes well) on June 18.
Grab a cab to maybe the hilton by universal.
June 19- universal
June 20- trolley tour (star something or other, I can't remember the name right now)
June 20- evening take red line(?) to Anaheim taxi to dolphin cove.
June 21-25 5 day park hopper for dl/dca
June 22 or 23 medieval times
and I'm going to order groceries fro
vons so I don't have to go shopping and can get only what I truly need, not everything in sight!! I think I'm one of the few people that actually like grocery shopping, I could spend hours there

Once I start buying tickets and such I'll keep a tally so anyone that's interested can see how much we spend. I'm estimating $2000 - $2500 for everything. We'll see how close I come.

Nanette
I really wish I could do more smiley faces than that from the phone app