UPDATED! They've Been Some Long Ones! Nov. 9-23, 2008 PLUS 2006, 2007 & now WDW 2009!

[DL55]

Sounds like you had a fun day. I don't recall the Big Thunder Ranch. I have trouble getting DH to sit still for shows. Once he does he likes them.
Tell DD if she catches the tooth fairy she won't get anymore tooth money.

 

[travelmel]

She was very beautiful and the more reserved of the two in her style. He, however, had on bright turquoise blue glasses, skin tight orange pants and a mid drift shirt. They both were wearing face paint. It did give us something to ponder while we were in line.

Love that pic of Autopia line! It really captures the look of it as I remembered it (riding at night).

That is funny about pondering those "folks"

 

[travelmel]

He was a very nice man. I walked up holding a pen and paper (to ask for his autograph) and he could see I was shaking and said to me, now what have you got there? In the friendliest voice! He even drew me a little picture! And yes Walt's name is everywhere! They even have plaques all around the town saying Walt played here, Walt used to shop here, etc. You can even go (only outsie) to the house he lived in, they have a small museum with LOTS of stuff from his life, especially several hand written letters, but alas--no photos in there, darn it!

I will have to ask my Dh to help me but the photo on here. I have it on my cell phone, but I don't think I can transfer it from there to here!!

Hi there.. quick question...Where was this?

 

[travelmel]

When we nearly reached Santa a CM named Amber approached us and wanted to be our buddy. I said “Ohhh? So now what does that mean?” She said “It’s not bad. I’m just gonna hang out here and talk to you and entertain you while Santa takes a 10 minute break.” I knew there had to be a catch.

You're so funny! Had to be a catch!

I love the way you framed the BTMRR!

 

[travelmel]

Marie!

You're a great storyteller! I love the bits about the chaffed lips and the attack float That's what makes a family trip fun and memorable. Goodtimes, indeed! You guys are so lucky to have had enough time to sit and decorate cookies and take in the ambiance of the park. We are always RUSH RUSH RUSH... luckily, we have alot of those "extra" type experiences that we find throughout the year in our own neck of the wood so I don't feel we're really missed too much but it would have been nice to have the time to smell those types of roses.

It's rapping up but it's been such a fun ride!

 

[mariezp]

DL55, Big Thunder Ranch is kinda tucked away between Big Thunder and Fantasyland. During Christmas they have all the fun stuff we did like cookie decorating, coloring, entertainment, and, of course, Santa. During the rest of the year they have sort of a petting area where little ones can see a few animals and go in to pet goats and sheep. I think they also have coloring pages inside the building but someone else would have to confirm that. I am not sure if they offer any entertainment but I am guessing they might during the summer months. It's a fun area for little ones. I know my DD loves it.

My DH and DS were both the same way as your DH. Never could get them to slow down long enough for a show and I think maybe they thought the show would be bad for their image or something. Sure Billie Hill is corny.... but it's supposed to be! I do know that they spent a lot of time laughing so it couldn't have been all bad.

I guess there are a lot of people who don't think they would enjoy many of the shows. Me, I think I enjoy the shows even more than the rides sometimes! I try to get a chance to see them all and have enjoyed everyone I have ever watched at DL.

travelmel, thanks for the kind comments! Coming from the trip report guru they really mean a lot to me!

Glad you liked some of my photos. I think the BTMRR pic with the moss hanging down is one of my favorites from the whole trip. What really ticks me off though was it could have been even better! One of the days that the sky was filled with smoke I sat down on the bench where I shot that picture and the sun was glowing red. It was the most beautiful image but I didn't have my camera, any memory card or something. So I got this shot when I went back to try to recreate it but it is nothing compared to what it could have looked like.

Also, glad you are liking some of my stories. Sometimes as I have been writing I am thinking maybe that's a little TMI but then I think about how much more I enjoy other folks reports when they share every little detail so that's how you guys end up with the full undisclosed days.

I do have to say that I think the days that we get to spend leisurely are the best! The morning we spent at Big Thunder Ranch is one of my favorite memories of our trip. So much so that I am thinking we have to wait to go next year at the same time even if we have to spend a little more because our APs will expire halfway through the trip. Oh well, don't they give you a little discount if you renew your APs before they expire?

Anyway, thanks again to everyone reading along!

I just finished up the last of the report so here it is for you......

 

[mariezp]

November 22, 2008

Our last day has finally arrived. Our plan for the day is to do everything on everyone’s last ride list without taking a break and just come back to our room whenever we get it all done. It wasn’t a huge list so I figured it wouldn’t be too late when we had gotten it all done. DD has been enjoying the Disney channel since we do not have it at home and the guys…. well, they never get going early so I didn’t even try to get a start very early this morning.

We decided to start at CA. Once we got inside the park we decided to get a photo made in front of the bridge just in case it is gone on our next trip. Personally, my family and I will miss it and the Beach Boys music.

Next, we stood around for a few minutes trying to decide which direction to go. DD wanted to see Crush. I wanted to watch Drawn to the Magic since I had never seen it. So, we headed to Hollywood only to find that they did not start the shows until 12:00. So much for that plan.

DH had not used his free pass that he had gotten from the ride breakdowns the day before so we decided to head in the direction of TSMM to put them to use. Along the way the guys stopped for coffee so DD and I got some Photopass pictures taken. It was apparently one of those days for new learning experiences. Here's what I learned.
1.) NEVER get another picture taken that shows me sitting down... can you say "wide load"?... I mean I know it's back there but Lordy!

2.) Don’t have a picture taken while there is construction going on in the background…. Ummmm, notice the drained lagoon. Beauuuutiful, ain’t it? Kodak moment? Not.

Soooooo, we start moving along again and then DS decides that he and I should ride Screamin since I still have managed to avoid, um I mean, not ridden it. But I got lucky again and the line was longer than he wanted to wait so we pressed onward to TSMM. We got there and the free passes paid off nicely. 5 Minutes! Oh yeah! I had fun but DD beat me! Aaah the humiliation! We love this new ride and it is definitely one of our new favorites in CA.

Next, I volunteered to go on Grizzly Rapids since I’d only been on it once and DH enjoys every chance he can get to avoid getting drenched. We headed towards the Grizzly area and ran into a crowd which just happened to be surrounding a trash can. That’s right! We found Push! The guys went and grabbed a park bench because at first they thought I had lost my mind telling DD to go check out the trash receptacle. DD was thoroughly entranced and amazed. As often happens there were a couple obnoxious kids who just had to kick Push. I wouldn’t be surprised to see this interactive treat disappear someday because of the inability of parents and children to know how to behave. Our family thought Push was pretty cool and enjoyed the chance to watch him do his stuff.

DS and I got in line for Grizzly with about a 20 minute wait. So far DS had come off of this ride nearly completely dry but finally his luck had run out. He was finally thoroughly soaked. I was pretty wet from the waist down and my hair was soaked from the overhead sprayers.

Next, we planned to ride Soarin but the line was huge so we got a fastpass and headed over to see Crush. This show was great because they used some different material. I had never seen Dory before or the whale. Glad they change it up a bit. So, if you have never been and get a chance to go you might ask if Crush speaks whale and see if he brings Dory out. So I loved the show but DD was sad because she didn’t get to talk to Crush this time. I tried to console her and make her understand that sometimes there are other children who like to talk to Crush too.

At this point everyone was getting hungry so we decided to head over to DL and come back later for Soarin. Once inside DL we got some more pictures in front of the Christmas tree.

Then we headed to Adventureland where I got in line at Bengal BBQ

while DH went to grab a bowl of clam chowder and DS went to get another turkey leg. DS got through first and grabbed us a table in front of Riverbelle Terrace. I dropped off my Bengal skewers and went to grab DD’s chicken nuggets from the Stage Door Café and met back at the table. Nothing like a little food variety!

After our meal, DS and I headed over to ride Big Thunder while DH took DD to go feed the ducks. We planned to split up after that but DH had noticed the canoes were running so we stayed together and did that. Those canoes are a lot of work!

Next we split up and DS and DH were planning to ride Splash but because the line was long they grabbed fastpasses instead and were going to head back to the room. So we all changed the plan again and decided to run over to CA to ride Soarin and make it back in time for DD and I to catch the Christmas parade. I snapped a few photos along the way out.

 

[mariezp]

Continued...

We headed back over to Soarin to use our fastpasses but it was broke and was down to running only one section so even the fastpass line was unbelievably backed up almost as long as the regular line so the guys went ahead and went back to the room. DD and I decided we would stay and find something to do while they went and got rested up and planned to meet back up right before CA closed to ride Soarin one last time.

So, what to do? DD and I checked the schedule and had just enough time to get through Hollywood and take a seat just before the Drawn to the Magic show was about to start. The singers were talented and all had beautiful voices. There were 3 Disney characters in the show, Mickey, Cinderella and Woody. It was lively but for some reason I thought there would be more to it. Oh well, at least now I can say that I have watched it, satisfied my curiosity and cross it off my have-never-done-list.

The girl sounded just like one of our Jungle Cruise skippers so I spent a lot of time wondering if she might do both.

One of the guys looks just like the driver we call when we come to Anaheim.

This little girl was so cute and so precious and SO SCARED! She ran off the stage crying right after he talked to her.

Next, we went to watch Crush one more time so maybe DD would get to talk to him. The show was good again and DD still did not get to talk to him. Between listening to her fussing and having changed our minds countless number of times all day long I think the stress had finally caught up to me. DD had also been wearing me out wanting popcorn or a toy or wanting to go see Bolt or wanting to go get an ice cream. I was just about worn out and starting to get another headache. But onward we pressed… our last night in the park could not be wasted!

Next stop, the Animation Studio. This time we checked to see which character they would be drawing at the front podium. It was Pluto so we couldn’t pass that up! Mine looked like his jowls where ready for take off.

Then we headed back over to DL. On the way, DD had made several more of her above mentioned “requests”, I assume thinking that she could wear me down. Well, she did not wear me down to the point of buying everything she could think of in the park but she did manage to wear down the last bit of energy I had. I gave up and the fun pretty much drained right out of me the rest of the night. I stopped and got her a Wall-e and Eva for getting her tooth out so she was happy but it was too late for me. I think I was the one who ended up having a meltdown. Still on we trudged….

We stopped in at the Tiki Room where I applied DH’s technique of sitting by the exit to make a quick escape. From there we took a last spin on Pirates. I had been planning to watch the Christmas parade but DD decided she didn’t want to so we trekked on to HM but the line was 30 minutes long so we decided not to wait. Apparently DD was getting tired and happy with her new toys. My head was splitting so I didn’t really care what we did anymore so she agreed to skip the rest of what we had on our list and meet the guys at CA for our last ride on Soarin.

We hopped on the train in NOS and I called to have the guys meet us at CA early. On the train we sat next to a girl who said they had learned that the Primeval wall was a huge mural. I asked where they had learned that and she said it was her mother’s birthday and they had picked them out at the train station to let them ride on the Lilly Belle. Whaaaa! 14 days in the park and I didn’t get to ride. Anyway, of course, when we got to Main Street the parade was going and DD changed her mind and wanted to stay and watch but DH and DS were already waiting on us by CA and I just wanted to get out of the park and get back to our room for some headache medicine. We just made it by a hair missing the end of the parade rush out the front of the gate and headed over to meet them by the C in the California letters.

While my brain was in pain at least I still managed to keep my humor. Just as we were walking up to our boys, there was a girl turning cartwheels right in front of them. So I am thinking to myself, at least they had entertainment. So a song pops in my head and I ply them with even more. I start singing “By the C… by the C… by the beautiful C… by the C… by the C… oh how happy we’ll be.” I know. Really, really sad.

So anyway, we get back into CA and get in our final ride on Soarin, which is a great ending because it is my favorite ride in CA.

When we get back to our room I call in a pizza order. Then I grab something for my headache and head over to Denney’s for something besides pizza for DD and myself. On the way, I stopped off in the lobby and printed out our boarding passes so I wouldn’t have to worry about that in the morning. I get my Denney’s order placed and I people watch while I am waiting. There was a family with a large bunch of kids and a grandmotherly woman on an AVC. She was trying to get it turned around and headed back out the door. She was having a hard time and was bumping everything in her path, even into the podium the hostess uses. When she finally got turned and headed in the right direction I told her that I didn’t think she was going to pass her driving test like that. (Looking back I could have really pissed the old lady off but thank God she was sweet and had a good sense of humor.) Anyway, she said she had done failed that a long time ago. Then I asked her how many ankles she had ran over today in the park. She said "Oh, a few, and there were probably some more I would have liked to have run over". I just laughed and said that I could imagine. She made it out the door and I tried to be funny with her daughter/daughter-in-law but she didn’t appear to have her humor with her. It could have been that she had 4 or 5 kids with her and she was just out of any more energy at the end of the day. Oh well, Grandma amused me.

When they called me to pick up my order I noticed a cute Pirate Chip and Dale behind the counter for the grandson and also decided to grab a Stitch for DD which I ended up saving for Christmas. So I got food and finished off my souvenir shopping right there in Denney’s!

When I got back to the room the Pizza had arrived so we sat down to eat and attempted to watch, I believe, the Dark Knight which is a Batman movie unlike any I have ever seen. Sure Batman used to do OOOFS! And POWS! But this movie was much more violent than any of us wanted to watch. They don’t make Batman like they used to. We ended up turning it off and went to sleep which was okay with me because I was plumb tuckered out.

 

[mariezp]

November 23, 2008

DD and I woke up about 8:00. She started watching her last round of the Disney channel shows. I studied the giant task of trying to fit everything back into our suitcase which was not going to be an easy task. So I began by piling EVERYTHING on the empty bed and started sorting. I should be ashamed but I ended up throwing out 4 chocolate chip cookies, a caramel apple that I had taken 2 bites from, a white chocolate covered apple which I had taken about 4 bites from, a half eaten snowwoman cookie, 3/4 of a gingerbread man cookie, 2 nearly full boxes of leftover goodies from Fantasmic and a pineapple slice. I thought all of those things had sounded so good but my sweet tooth burned out before I ate them all. Sad and such a waste, I know! I did manage to get the leftover half of $25 jelly beans packed up.

It took me ALL morning to get everything repacked, right up until our ride arrived. I ended up leaving quite a few groceries behind that I hope maybe the maids were able to put to use. Our driver, Sunday, who was also the same one who took us to Jiu-Jitsu class in Torrance, got us safely to John Wayne Airport. We got all checked in and I must say they have a very efficient staff. We did manage to hold up the line as we headed through the metal detectors. We are not very practiced at the art of removing metal items from our person and every other carry on item we tote. We did finally make it through security with our 2 bags per person carry ons.

After a brief stop to find our gate and check the schedule we headed to the Oasis restaurant and had lunch. They had a very yummy turkey, bacon and avocado sandwich but it was huge so DH helped me finish it off. Our plane boarded a little bit late. I let DD have the window seat. A woman sat down on the other side of me and immediately began wiping down everything with a disinfectant wipe. It struck me as kinda weird because as she sat next to me she was sniffing as if she had a cold for most of the trip. I’m thinking, Lady, can I borrow one of those wipes? She asked DD if she was going to be glad to get home and, of course, DD being from Texas says …. Yes, I miss my cow. Not a dog or a cat but her cow.
Anyway, the flight ended up being pleasant and uneventful. We watched Meet Dave during the flight which turned out to be a pretty cute show compared to what was showing on our first flight. We arrived about 20 minutes late and grabbed a shuttle back to our car. The driver’s name was Gloria and she was every bit the twin of Gloria from Madagascar. She was sassy and a hoot! It was good to be back in Texas where people go out of their way to be friendly!

We grabbed some Taco Bell to take home and headed back to a house that was freezing cold! DH had left the AC set low to dry out the moisture in the air while we were gone. Our kitty Prissy met us at the door and was sooo happy to see us she didn’t know who to follow around the house. Poor thing must have caught a cold because she was sneezing! We unpacked the car and everyone else sat down to watch Wall-E while I caught up on my e-mail and made a few phone calls. It was sure good to be home!

Awhile later DD started complaining about her ear hurting and it wouldn’t pop. We tried everything we could think of and that I could find online but it still didn’t work. I gave her some Tylenol Cold which seemed to help ease it enough for her to fall asleep at bedtime.

I woke up in the middle of the night not knowing where I was. The room looked so funny so I got up for a midnight run to the ladies room. When I got back to bed my mind would not go back to sleep because our Disneyland trip was still running through my brain. Just about the time I finally drifted back off to sleep the cat started squalling in the hallway and bumping the door while she tried to open it with her paw. Thankfully she gave up before she woke up the whole house.

Not long afterwards, I went ahead and got up to let her outside. She met me in the hallway as usual and tried to wrap herself around my legs. As I opened the door I glanced out and saw one of our other cats doing her usual thing of stalking birds at my feeder. Then I looked out across the pasture to check the cows. Both were okay and still no calf. Just before I turned to go back in one of them gently mooed at me. So vacation is nice but getting back home to our normal routine is very good too.

Our first day home was very busy… picking up the dog from the kennel, dropping off Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes, picking up our accumulated mail, grocery shopping and Jiu-Jitsu classes. We just might get some rest tomorrow!

So looking back over our trip, yeah, 13 days may be too much. 10 days may be just about right for next year. DH started talking about missing it already and about maybe taking our oldest DD, SIL and GS next year. Right now I am thinking I am just glad to be home! (I am glad to be back home where the water doesn’t do weird things to my hair and the shower head doesn’t hit the top of my head!) Right now I am thinking I am worn out from traveling with other people and that next year just our family would be great. But then again, who knows what I will be thinking in another year though.

I am so very proud of DD this year for walking so much without complaining because we did not pamper her by taking a stroller this year! She said it was actually kinda cool to be big enough to walk. I did miss my cup holder. She made it just fine in her crocs and I in mine. The first few days everyone’s legs ached but after working through the pain we were all good. I don’t know if being on muscle relaxers made it a lot easier but my legs and feet did not hurt at all like they have in the past when I have had shin splints, and sciatic muscle pains. I even made it just fine without any form of support socks and totally blister free. We did also use the train as a form of shuttle to far ends of the park more than we have ever done before so maybe that helped out our poor tootsies.

Even with so many days I still missed a few things. After all my careful planning around the holiday festivities I did not watch the Christmas parade or even remember to take a night shot of the castle and it’s pretty lights. I did make it home with over 1000 worth of photos on my memory cards, 82 pics on DD’s camera, 36 pics from the fisheye camera and about a dozen stills from our video camera.

I’ve already started taking notes to help me do my planning for the next trip. When I was talking about bringing DD her own suitcase next year instead of sharing mine so we would have more space to bring home extras my very smart friend suggested that I pack like normal but put our bag in an even larger empty suitcase. That way we would have an entirely empty one so we wouldn’t have to lug so many carry ons. Isn’t she brilliant! And my second note to add… DH said next time bring more socks!


Well, I guess that's about all folks! Thanks for reading along!

 

[trodrigue]

I really enjoyed your entire report with all the pics. You are very lucky to have a hubby that seems to enjoy the parks as much as you do.

 

[DL55]

Enjoyed your report. I'll have to see Drawn to the Magic if I ever get back.
Your DD missed her cow.

 

[whgrn]

Marie, I've so enjoyed reading your excellent report and getting to know your family! Makes me want to go to DL soooooo bad!

 

[Sherry E]

I think it's so sweet how Prissy was excited to see everybody when you all got home! Animals are so precious!

Well, a great Trip Report...I am sorry to see it end! I feel like we have all gone on the journey with you and your family. And you know how you say that next trip it will be just the family and nobody else? You MAY end up getting to the point somewhere down the road where it is just you and your DD and not the men! Or just YOU on a solo trip and not the rest of the family!! But it sounds like you guys are a family that enjoys traveling together because everyone seems to get along well, which is not the case with every family! Some families are a train wreck if they just go out to eat together, let alone try to travel together, so I think that's great! I think you guys are lucky that you can tolerate each other on long trips (aside from the random snippy episodes that everyone has, as you said before)!!

 

[blackjackdelta]

I sat down and read your TR which I thought was very well done but I have a couple of questions:
How did you deal with the "no school" issue?
What fisheye cam did you use?
I do not know what the park hours were when you were there, but it seemed to be that you were always getting there after the park had opened. My guess would be that since you were there for a long time that getting their early was not an issue.

PS, Is your hubby a cop. Looks like he was wearing a tac vest and pants.

Jack

 

[Pikester]

Well done!

 

[Disneygrl36]

Subbing here because my trippie is almost finished & I will be needing my Disneyland fix. I heard this might be a good place to get it.

 

[mariezp]

trodrigue, thanks for staying with me through the whole trip report! Yes I am lucky that DH loves DL too. I am not sure he is quite as nutty about it as I am but he does humor me very well!

DL55, yep, she missed the cow! I suppose she "missed" it because we have not had them very long and at the time we were expecting our first calf.
Glad you enjoyed my looong report.

whgrn, I have enjoyed sharing with you and everyone else! Getting to know my family any better would probably result in most of my readers running and fleeing!
Glad I could contribute to your desire to go see Disneyland. Now you just need to get to work on making it happen!

Sherry E, Prissy did really miss us but I didn't mention the dog. We have a German Shepherd, Tess, and when we picked her up from the kennel she went absolutely beserk! She heard us talking in the front office and practically drug the poor handler down the hallway. Then she turned into an absolute nut case whining and wetting on herself. Aaah, the love of a pet!

I was kinda sad to get through writing but also glad to finish the report so I can get back to reading up other people's reports and taking notes for next year.

I really would like for it to just be our little family of 4 next year. The only reason I am even considering taking anyone with us is because if we are going to take our DGS I am thinking we should try to do it before he starts kindergarten. He is 3 now but will turn 4 in August. If I knew for sure that my stepDD wouldn't mind taking him out of school for a week I wouldn't have anything to worry about but I am just not quite sure if she would think it a big deal if he missed a few days. They are a lot of fun because stepDD loves DL as much as I do and DSIL acts just like a big kid. Still, taking others tends to change how you do the park. So, I just have to keep thinking on it and make a decision.

So far we have alternated each year with going by ourselves and taking someone the next year. It makes it so easy to remember which year we did what and with who. I like it that way plus it lets me enjoy the park between years relatively stress free. Also, DS turned 18 this year so it just might not be that long before trips with the family to DL take a back seat to other things in his life. I'd like to make all the memories while I can of just our family. Does that make sense? I know it sounds silly but I would just like the majority of our trips to not center around other people traveling with us everytime. (Here's an example, DD seems to equate all the exciting things we did this year with Savannah. It's like the rest of us didn't even exist.) Anyway, that's just some of the thoughts that go through my feeble little mind.

It would be highly unlikely that it would every be just DD and myself. DH is such a control freak that he would never go for that. So as long as he's drawing breath if we are in the park, he will be too! Thankfully, we do enjoy our time together as a family. There are occasionally those I'd-like-to-clunk-them-in-the-head moments but for the most part we get along just fine. We spend a lot of time together so I guess we are just practiced at getting along.

blackjackdelta, I am glad you decided to join us!
We homeschool so the school issue is not a problem. We school during the summer when we would be stuck inside from the Texas heat anyway and then take our big breaks to travel during the fall. It is so nice to have a flexible calendar! (not to mention that you miss out on the summer crowds!)
The camera brand was Lomography. Picked it up on ebay since I didn't figure on using it a whole bunch. I had just seen a few other pictures and thought it would be fun to take some myself. Obviously, I need more practice!
Exactly! Sleeping in is one of my guys favorite part of our trip. During our trip the park opened at 10:00 most days during the week and 8:00 on weekends. Off season really works well for us because we don't have to feel like we have missed too much.
Nah, DH was actually wearing a photographer vest and cargo pants. He loves those pockets! (me I get lost in 2) He loves it so he can carry cameras, snuff, water, and anything else that comes to mind. He also keeps a small container with a lid so he doesn't have to spit in the park. Nasty old habit but at least he is thoughtful about the park.
P.S. Are you a cop? You look like you could be.

Pikester, thanks! Glad to have had you along for the ride!

Disneygrl36 Looks like my publicist has been doing a good job! I will have to pop over and see your report. You better get SherryE on board so she can do some advertising for you!

 

[Sherry E]

Sherry E[/B], Prissy did really miss us but I didn't mention the dog. We have a German Shepherd, Tess, and when we picked her up from the kennel she went absolutely beserk! She heard us talking in the front office and practically drug the poor handler down the hallway. Then she turned into an absolute nut case whining and wetting on herself. Aaah, the love of a pet!

I was kinda sad to get through writing but also glad to finish the report so I can get back to reading up other people's reports and taking notes for next year.

I really would like for it to just be our little family of 4 next year. The only reason I am even considering taking anyone with us is because if we are going to take our DGS I am thinking we should try to do it before he starts kindergarten. He is 3 now but will turn 4 in August. If I knew for sure that my stepDD wouldn't mind taking him out of school for a week I wouldn't have anything to worry about but I am just not quite sure if she would think it a big deal if he missed a few days. They are a lot of fun because stepDD loves DL as much as I do and DSIL acts just like a big kid. Still, taking others tends to change how you do the park. So, I just have to keep thinking on it and make a decision.

So far we have alternated each year with going by ourselves and taking someone the next year. It makes it so easy to remember which year we did what and with who. I like it that way plus it lets me enjoy the park between years relatively stress free. Also, DS turned 18 this year so it just might not be that long before trips with the family to DL take a back seat to other things in his life. I'd like to make all the memories while I can of just our family. Does that make sense? I know it sounds silly but I would just like the majority of our trips to not center around other people traveling with us everytime. (Here's an example, DD seems to equate all the exciting things we did this year with Savannah. It's like the rest of us didn't even exist.) Anyway, that's just some of the thoughts that go through my feeble little mind.

It would be highly unlikely that it would every be just DD and myself. DH is such a control freak that he would never go for that. So as long as he's drawing breath if we are in the park, he will be too! Thankfully, we do enjoy our time together as a family. There are occasionally those I'd-like-to-clunk-them-in-the-head moments but for the most part we get along just fine. We spend a lot of time together so I guess we are just practiced at getting along.


Disneygrl36 Looks like my publicist has been doing a good job! I will have to pop over and see your report. You better get SherryE on board so she can do some advertising for you!

Hee hee. I have been to Melanie's thread and hers is also an epic adventure like yours, Marie. It's great as well! I think you would like it. The really long reports like hers and yours are the ones that are good to read to help us all relive our own trips and see things we didn't spot before, as well as entice any DLR newbies to want to go. I like the Trip Reports to keep going. Like even after the trips are over, I don't mind it if people just keep posting random stuff in their TR threads because it keeps the thread alive and prevents it from disappearing into the depths of the archives. If it stays fairly active, then more people will discover the Trip Reports and get to see the great pictures and read about the trips. I can always find other DLR pictures from previous trips to post, so I have material to keep pulling from for a while to stick in my existing TR. So let's all keep our TR's alive!!

Marie, I know what you mean about wanting to cherish and treasure this family time and trips together (without other folks) while you can, especially since you all enjoy each other and don't midn being in each other's company!! You are right, your son is to the point where he will have other interests soon and so if you can squeeze in a few trips with him while he is still engaged in the fun, might as well do it. And it DOES complicate things when other people are on board for the trip and sometimes it boils down to weighing the pros and cons of going with other people and figuring out if the need to spend time with certain people outweighs the inconvenience it will bring!

 

[mariezp]

Okay Sherry you sold me! I have bookmarked both of Disneygrl36's trip reports so I can start reading them in the morning!

I am not trying to pat myself on the back but I do agree with what you are saying about the big trip reports and what they have to offer all sorts of Disney lovers. I know when I first started planning for our past trips I would peruse anything and everything Disneyland related and gather info. Heck, I still do and believe it or not I am still finding things all the time that make me say "I didn't know about that!"

And I think you do offer a good point about keeping the trip reports going to keep them available for information gathering rather than dying off in some far away archive, never to be seen again! Just checking the stats on my report.. it has had 3,383 views so far so that right there is clear proof that there are lots of people who are interested in what they can learn from other peoples experiences. Not to mention those of us who just need a good DL fix! So I'll do my part to keep my trip report alive!

I am glad someone understood why I like to travel with just my immediate family. When I was typing and I was trying to explain my position it seemed to sound selfish in a way but I'm really not trying to be selfish. I just want to cherish what is so dear to me and I would like my children to cherish our family time too because I know that only too soon our time together will not be like it is now. Gosh children grow up too soon!

 

[TheTXTaylors5]

Hello Fellow Texan!

I am soooooooo glad I found your Trip Report. I finally booked our first DLR trip last week. Now, the anticipation and a million questions can begin.

Jennifer