How the West was won - Pre Trip report
Cast: Me (Jennifer), DH (Brian – aka CanadianWDWFan), DS10 (Harry), DS4 (Euan)
Dates: July 26-30, 2008
So, the original plan was that we were going to rent a house on a beach in Maine for a couple of weeks at the end of July/beginning of August. Then Brian said, “Hey, why don’t we get a house on the beach in California instead, and go to Disneyland for a couple of days while we’re out there.” Finally Harry said “Yeah, and we can go check out Alcatraz with Euan…mwaaa-haaa-haa!”. I said “Are you sure you don’t want to go to Florida?”. They were sure.
I did some preliminary planning and determined that houses on the beach in California were well beyond our budget, so our holiday would morph into something completely different. With a basic outline in place, we got direct flights into Los Angeles, and out of San Francisco (direct flight are imperative with Euan – he does not like to fly). Our original plan was to go to DLR for 3 days, then up to Monterrey for a few days, to the Sacramento area to see friends (HndrdPrcnt) for 2 days, drive out to Portland to see family for a few days, then back to San Francisco for a few days before flying home. This has all since changed. We are still starting off in Anaheim, but we will be staying 5 days at DLR at the Disneyland Hotel, a few days out in the desert, a couple of days up in the Sacramento area, a couple of days in Monterrey and ending with a couple of days in San Francisco. I wont bore you with the auxiliary details, but here is the general plan for our time at DLR.
We arrive at LAX at about 10 at night. We will be staying at the Marriot Suites in Anaheim on Friday night, and checking out early in the morning to check in at the Disneyland Hotel first thing on Saturday morning. That day is Brian’s 41st birthday, and we plan on heading to Disneyland Park for a chunk of the day, then returning to our hotel late in the afternoon in preparation for a birthday dinner celebration at Goofy’s Kitchen (I have ordered Goofy grab bags and a “Bucket” cake for the occasion). We don’t expect to have a late night due to the time change, so our basic after dinner plan is to hang out at the Peter Pan pool before turning in for the night.
Sunday we plan on heading back to Disneyland Park to see as much as we can see before the heat and the crowds become oppressive. The big goal for the boys is Nemo (I don’t know if my claustrophobic and arthritic self is going to venture aboard). We have no definite plans for the day (although I am seriously contemplating a Napa Rose reservation for dinner), but expect to spend some more time by the Peter Pan pool in the afternoon. Our big deal with this trip is to go with the flow, and come and go as we need to in order to keep the troops happy.
Monday we want to go to California Park. There are so many things there that are very different from the Florida experience. I am especially looking forward to the Monsters Inc. ride. Again, we want to head back to the pool in the afternoon for a break and a swim. Our evening plan is Disneyland Park. I have purchased the reserved seating, complete with desserts and drinks, for the 9:30 showing of Fantasmic! It cost me $230, but the seats, the lack of waiting and the treats make it worth it for us. We love Fantasmic! at MGM, and we are all looking forward to see it in its western form.
Tuesday morning, we have a 7:30 breakfast reservation with Lilo and Stitch over at Paradise Pier. Traditionally, we like to do the Lilo and Stitch breakfast at ‘Ohana on our last day in the World, so I wanted to do the same at DLR (the boys just love Stitch!). The only thing is that since I extended our stay by one more day last week, Tuesday is no longer our last day (Wednesday is)….Close enough! We want to head back to Disneyland Park during the day, then over to California Park after our afternoon swim break.
Wednesday morning, we check out. We will store our stuff at the hotel, and head to whichever park the kids want to. We have no definite plans for Wednesday at all, other than needing to get to Barstow (about 2 hours away in the desert) in time for bed.
We have a little clunk in our plans right now, however. This past Friday, Euan fell off his bike and broke his right elbow, a mere 4 weeks before departure. The ER doctor thinks the cast will be off before our trip, but we need to consult an Orthopedic Surgeon later this week to discuss the situation. So, we’ve been frantically researching waterproof covers for casts. There is no way we can get to California and tell Euan he can’t go swimming in the Peter Pan pool (Tick Tock is a HUGE favourite of his!). So….we’ll see where this leads us.
Thanks to the many of you who provided such useful advice to us on DLR. I have been several times, but not for almost 20 years, and Brian and the boys have never been. Our family time and our holidays together are of paramount importance to us, and we sincerely appreciate all of your comments and input!
