Drag everyone out of bed early and take advantage of extra magic hours for rides in Fantasyland. For character interaction Goofy's Kitchen and Breakfast with Minnie at the Plaza Inn are great. I'd focus on rides first thing in the morning then have a late breakfast and then hit up all the character meet and greets. If they have Mickey and the Magical Map (Fantasyland theater) that makes for a great afternoon break; it is short enough that kids and usually sit through it without getting bored and it is in the shade.
They show different disney movies each night at one of the 3 hotels (it rotates between the Disneyland hotel lawn and Paradise Pier pool deck most of the time). Movies are usually at 7pm so you may be able to catch them one night of your stay.
If you can get everyone up early on the saturday of your visit this would be a good plan of attack -Disneyland should open at 7am for EMH. Get in line no later than 6:45am. -For Fantasyland head straight to Peter Pan. It will have one of the longest wait times during the day so do it early. -After Peter Pan hit up Alice in Wonderland. -Work your way through the rest of the rides -Try to grab a dining reservation at the Plaza Inn around 9:30am. This gives you 2.5 hours of ride time. -After breakfast head over to the princess area (to the left of the castle when you are facing it). Lots of character meet and greets and it is inside. -After meeting the princesses head over to Critter Country to hit up the Pooh ride and meet the characters (if they are out) You can hop on Jungle Cruise, Pirates, Haunted Mansion on your way over there. -Hop on the train and head to Toontown/Fantasyland. Hit up Mickey and the Magical Map and Toontown. -Naptime! If you have hopper tickets it is faster to cut through DCA to get back to the hotel.
They are doing a Lunar New Year celebration in DCA until Feb 18 so that might be cool to check out.
Get the MaxPass for 1 person just for the photo downloads. It really isn't worth it for rides unless you plan on doing rider swap for all the thrill rides.
Post by alleinesein on Jan 7, 2018 22:32:07 GMT -5
Disneyworld is totally different without kids. You can do what you want when you want. No having to deal with rider swaps or naptimes. You can dine at nicer restaurants and at non-peak times. You can have lots of sex in the room!
Post by alleinesein on Jan 7, 2018 20:40:14 GMT -5
It is a tie between Restaurant Marrakesh and Biergarten. I love them both for different reasons. At Biergarten I can easily eat my weight in Sauerbraten. Restaurant Marrakesh has so many yummy things that I always overeat and order way too much food. Both are great for kids especially if your kids have a tendency to be a bit rowdy; the CMs keep them entertained.
Post by alleinesein on Jan 7, 2018 20:34:56 GMT -5
Feb wont be busy unless you are coming for President's day weekend. DCA will be "busy" because they will have Paradise Pier down for refurb so that will push people into other parts of the park. The parks close early in Feb and they open later in the morning. You may run into quite a few rides being closed in Disneyland and rumor has it that there wont be any nighttime fireworks until April.
No suggestions for strollers except that you don't want to rent them at the park. They switched out the nice strollers for those horrid hard plastic abominations that they have down at WDW.
I'd normally suggest Uber or Lyft to get from SNA to DLR but if you aren't bringing car seats you really cant use them. There is a bus that runs from the airport to the resort but it can get $$$. dre.coachusa.com/bus-ticket-prices
Watch the news in Spanish. Listen to music. Watch movies in Spanish; most DVDs nowadays have a language option and you can select Spanish. Play around on Duolingo. Depending on where you live you may be able to start ordering stuff or asking for help in Spanish; if you have a local Mexican grocery store start going there.
Not to thread jack but how far in advance would people recommend getting on a waitlist for DVC? We want to go November 2019 - we actually have pretty firm dates since we want to be there for DD’s 3rd birthday - so we want to arrive 11/1.
Put your name on the list a year in advance and then expect to have something pop up 11 months out. That date will probably coincide with the Food and Wine Marathon weekend and RunDisney events book up quick. The sooner you get in your request the better your chances.
Post by alleinesein on Jan 5, 2018 14:48:43 GMT -5
Book the room. The Swan and Dolphin hotel guests can use the Disney Transportation system and they get some of the WDW perks. www.swandolphin.com/aboutus/benefits.html
Another vote for Longboat Key. I've stayed at the Resort at Longboat Key and I would definitely go back; I hate the beach so the fact that I would love to go back is huge.
1. SD Zoo 2. Wild Animal Park up in Escondido 3. San Diego Children's Discovery Museum in Escondido www.sdcdm.org/ I keep hearing rave reviews about this place and it looks really cool. 4. Balboa Park. Aside from museums, there are a ton of playgrounds and the International Cottages usually have a program on Sundays. The Ruben H Fleet science center has a lot of hands-on exhibits and IMAX movies www.rhfleet.org/ ***Avoid Balboa park on Tuesdays. Tuesdays are Resident Free days and select museums are open to SD county residents for free and they get insanely busy.*** 5. Birch Aquarium in La Jolla. aquarium.ucsd.edu/ 6. Cabrillo National Monument. This is where the lighthouse and the tide pools are located. You do have to pay to get in but your pass is usually good for a week so you can come back. Get to the tide pools early; parking is limited and it can fill up. 7.
Post by alleinesein on Jan 2, 2018 21:18:32 GMT -5
If you stay all day at Legoland I strongly suggest staying in the area and grabbing dinner before heading up the freeway to the OC. There are a ton of great restaurants near Legoland and having a nice dinner sure beats sitting in traffic on the 5.
You will be able to use the carpool lane in Orange County; it will help out a bit on the drive back.
Post by alleinesein on Jan 2, 2018 21:08:17 GMT -5
A little map to help you get an idea of the resort.
The distance between Harbor Blvd (the eastern edge of the Disneyland Resort) and the Disneyland Hotel is 0.7 miles so it is about half a mile from the park entrance to the Disneyland Hotel.
Tea is at Steakhouse 55. When you get to the hotel just keep walking straight (go past the pool) and look for signs for Goofy's Kitchen and The Coffee House. The Steakhouse is next to Goofy's kitchen.
Post by alleinesein on Jan 2, 2018 20:17:44 GMT -5
Walk. It will take you less than 10 minutes. I would not count on the monorail to get there. It runs on a limited schedule in the off season and you can walk to your destination faster. Pull up a map of the Disneyland resort to get an idea of how close everything is.
Post by alleinesein on Jan 2, 2018 18:43:33 GMT -5
Leave at 8am and you should be there around 9am if there are no traffic issues. Its about a 45 minute drive if traffic is moving. You can check sigalert for freeway info. They are still doing road destruction on the 5 in the San Clemente area but they try to get the work done at night.
Post by alleinesein on Jan 2, 2018 16:13:14 GMT -5
countthestars I never go to Aulani. My parents try to go to Hawaii every 2-3 years so we (I own with my mom) got the points for them to use on their trips and in the years they don't go we use them for Disneyland trips. SSR is getting ready for a full scale renovation so that will be nice when they are done. Disney is getting ready to raise the price for DVC so hopefully your offer makes it past ROFR. The resale market will probably go up when the Disney price goes up.
Post by alleinesein on Jan 1, 2018 23:04:56 GMT -5
We have 600 points (250 @ SSR, 100 @ Grand CA and 250 @ Aulani).
We bought ours specifically to use at Disneyland with the occasional trip to WDW every 5 years. We have been members since 2005 and I've gone to WDW once since we became members and my parents have gone twice. We have given friends and family a few weeks at WDW when we have points that need to be used up. We take multiple weekend trips to Disneyland throughout the year and I have always been able to get some type of accommodation (99% of the time we convert to reservation points and book a hotel room).
We very rarely have to borrow points; the few times we have had to borrow points were because we booked a last minute trip and we were past the banking deadline. We almost never use up all of our 600 points each year and end up banking around 50-150 points into the next year.
The only thing that I wish we did differently was buy more points at the Grand. I could only swing enough to get 100 pts and I wish we had purchased 200+.
Some tips for buying: -Look at the point charts for the time of year that you would travel. Peak season requires more points and you will need to make sure your initial purchase is enough points for when you want to travel. -Buy where you want to stay and buy at the resort that fits your needs. If you want to stay in a 1 bedroom the Poly would not be a good home resort since they only have studios and 2 bedroom bungalows. -Consider what type of room your family will need now and in the future. A studio is fine if it is just 2 people and 1 kid but if you plan on having more kids you will outgrow a studio in a few years. -Resale contracts limit your vacation options and the older resorts have shorter contracts.
Use year and banking can get complicated if you end up with a weird use year. All 3 of my contracts are a February use year and I have until Sept 30 to bank any points into the following year.
If you only travel last minute do not spend the $$$ for DVC. While there used to be a decent amount of availability for last minute travel that has pretty much disappeared in the past 5 years. When Disney lowered the buy-in amount for DVC a ton of people bought in who would not have been able to afford it in the past.
Post by alleinesein on Dec 31, 2017 19:02:36 GMT -5
Monday- you will want to be at the TTC by 7am to allow time to get through security and then over to the MK. Leaving your hotel at 7am would be cutting it close and you may end up being late to breakfast if there is a long line for the security check.
Tuesday- You should be able to park in the MK parking lot and then just walk to the Poly for breakfast. After breakfast hop onto the resort monorail to get to the park. You don't want to waste time moving the car. You should be able to get a fairly close parking spot that early in the morning.
We are going to Disneyland in April 2018. DS will be 3.5 and the baby will be 3 months. It'll be our first time staying at the Grand California, and I am SO EXCITED (and pretending like the cost doesn't exist).
We took DS when he was 14 months, and it was great. He was walking, which I thought would be an issue, but he didn't mind spending most of the day in the stroller, being worn, or going on rides. Dealing with naps, though, made me realize that we really need to stay at a Disney property when the kids are little, if we can.
When in April? Pixar Fest kicks off April 13th and Paint the Night will be debuting in DCA and there will be a new Pixar themed nighttime entertainment/fireworks at Disneyland.
Post by alleinesein on Dec 29, 2017 23:20:20 GMT -5
Beach Club. Better pool, close to EPCOT and The Studios plus you have more dining options over at the Boardwalk. It is also a bit more centrally located within WDW so travel time to other parts of the world wont be as long. Another thing to consider is that everything at the Beach Club is located in one building so you do not have to venture outside if it is pouring rain if all you want to do is grab a snack or eat a meal; you don't have that at the Poly and you will get soaked and have to deal with rain gear just to get to the main building.
Post by alleinesein on Dec 29, 2017 15:09:24 GMT -5
Jan 3- Disneyland day trip to just veg out in the park doing character meet and greets, take photos and meet up with some people from one of my Disney groups.
Jan 11-14- Disneyland. I was supposed to be doing the Star Wars Light Side 5K and 10K that weekend but Disney canceled all Disneyland Run Disney events We have a 1 bedroom at the Grand Californian so we may just chill at the pool all weekend if the weather is nice enough. A good portion of DCA will be under refurb and so will some of the rides at Disneyland so the parks should be pretty quiet.
March 9-11- Disneyland for my birthday. Staying at the Grand again. I am hoping that the Food and Wine festival at DCA kicks off that weekend.
We finally saw the movie this morning. I need to re-see it in IMAX by myself (or at least no kids) to really catch everything. I'm a late fan and I haven't read any of the books (yet, I'm open to suggestions on where to start).
I did watch a 45 minute video on YouTube tonight with kids on all of the Easter Eggs/throw backs. I missed so much!
Our 5 week old foster kittens are now Finn, Poe, Rose, and Paige (the Porg).
I've seen it 5 times and I am still noticing things that I missed in a previous viewing.
I've read the following: -Bloodlines (Leia- takes place between the end of the original trilogy and TFA. Han and Ben are mentioned. If you like Leia it is a good one to read) -TFA novelization (Read this if you want to see what the movie didn't cover; it just provides more detail and a bit more background on some characters) -Rogue One novelization -Catalyst (Rogue One novel. Focuses on Galen Erso and Krennic) -Rebel Rising (this is a YA novel. Jyn Erso's backstory) -From a Certain Point of View (about halfway through this; it is short stories so i read a few at a time. Stories take place right at the start of A New Hope)
There are so many books out there that you can probably just grab one that interests you and start from there. I like to have the physical books so i've been slowly getting them when I can manage to find one for less than the ebook version.
meshaliuknits has read way more than I have so she can probably chime in with a few must reads.
Post by alleinesein on Dec 26, 2017 19:51:28 GMT -5
My most random (but totally appreciated gift) is a 1 lb bag of macadamia nut Hershey's kisses that a family friend brought back from Hawaii. I am not a milk chocolate fan but I love those damn kisses. I need to hide the bag from my mom because she was eyeballing them last night and I know she will eat the entire bag if she gets her paws on it.
Every year H asks for a list and every year I give him a list, most of which is the same every year because he always ultimately ignores the list and spends $$ on things I never mention (or even know exists). I mean, one year I got a skirt with Star Wars light sabers, xwings, and space print all over it. Really random stuff.
This year he still didn't get anything from my list, but I did get a Kate Spade purse that I ooooooed over in the store so I'm going to call it a win.
That would be the best gift ever for me. I put all sorts of SW stuff on my lists every year and no one ever buys it for me. My reddit SS got me a SW lightsaber coffee mug that is heat sensitive but no one else paid any attention to what I wanted.
Post by alleinesein on Dec 24, 2017 4:23:47 GMT -5
My 3 series is 16 years old and still going strong; I am the second owner and I have had it for 8 years. Not counting normal wear and tear (brakes & tires are things that all cars need) I have yet to spend $5000 in maintenance on my car in the 8 years that I have owned it. I take my car to the dealer. They are the same price as the independent shops, they have better hours, they hook me up with a loaner, never try to upsell, and I can usually whine at my service advisor to waive the diagnostic fees b/c 99% of the time I tell them what is wrong and what part needs to be replaced.
With yours being at 80K the biggest expense/repair/maintenance that I know of that you may have to fix is the O2 sensors. They usually last until around 100K and if they crap out the car still runs but it won't be able to pass a smog test. That could be one of the factors that is giving you a ridiculously high maintenance/repair estimate. They might also be including the cost of new tires in that estimate; that can easily be well over $1000 on the larger BMWS.
Something is off on that $5000 a year estimate. I can see maybe an estimate of $5000 total for 5 years of ownership when you factor in regular maintenance, new tires, new brake pads, etc. But $5000 a year is not accurate; if you are spending that much you either have the world's shittiest BMW or you are taking your car to the wrong people and they are taking advantage of you.
Post by alleinesein on Dec 23, 2017 11:40:24 GMT -5
Stuck at the mall shopping with my mom. She is whining about not knowing what to get me for Christmas. I gave her a list and she either mocked the item or said that it was stupid. Not my fault she is having issues. I told her what I want and she doesn't like it so she won't buy it.