Cars didn't drive on it to make great time. They drove on it to have a great time. a PTR

DLfan4

Cant wait for another trip to DLR
Joined
Oct 23, 2013
Hello.
This is my first PTR.
"Cars didn't drive on it to make great time. They drove on it to have a great time.". - Sally McQueen.


I am super excited about planning our roadtrip !.

We have been wanting to come back to DLR since our January 2012 trip. Carsland was just being completed. So we have been wanting to come back to see Carsland ever since.

But with the dollar value ( Canadian) and the price of tickets etc, we could not justify it.

Fast forward to this summer. very good friends of ours moved to Seatle. Then DL announced the Canadian deal on disneyland tickets.

So we decided to do a roadtrip.
Drive to California and do Disneyland for a few days, then up to northern california for a few days to visit my cousin and family, then up to Seatle for a few days with friends. then head back home.

It will be me, DH and DD14 and DD14.
My cousins family for part of the trip. DCS- cousin, DCA - cousins wife, and their kids DN12 and DN8
our friends for part of the trip. DFL - friend, DFG - friends husband, and their kids DF12 and DF10.

Christmas eve is our big holiday day. lots going on with family. For the past few years Christmas day has been rather low key and quiet, with family members going to their in-laws, or having to work on christmas or they were away on trips . So we decided we would start our trip on Christmas morning!
 
Part 1 - Drive to Anaheim.
It is great to finally be planning a trip to California again. The great thing about it being a roadtrip is that we get to plan as much as we want, and still have the ability to play it by ear.
We are still deciding how long we will take to drive to Anaheim. Either 2 long days or 3 shorter days. Either way we will be in Anaheim between Christmas and New Years and will be at Disneyland around Dec 27-30. We dont have any plans along the way. just driving and taking in the scenery as we drive by. Will stop and see a cousin and his family in Utah . Looking forward to seeing the mountains in Montana and the desert in Nevada.


Part 2 Disneyland:

Our plan is to do Disneyland resort for 3 days.( getting the 3 day Canadian tickets) We know it will be very busy and crowded, but we have set our expectations on just having a handful of "must-do" things while at the parks. I asked my teens and they also are just happy to be able to go to the parks and have a handful of "must dos". So as long as we can do these "must dos", then everything else is just extra. We plan on purchasing MAXPASS. We also plan on being there first thing in the morning, and plan on leaving around dinner time and eat somewhere off-site. (We may decide to stay one evening of the 3. )

My DCA Must dos: #1 see Carsland. Just being able to walk around and see everything in carsland. Ride RSR, Ride Maters and Luigis.
DD14 and DD14 DCA must dos: They both also want the same items as me., They are excited just to see Carsland. They also listed incredi-coaster, Ariels undersea and doing the anamation academy, eat at Cozy Cone.
DH DCA must dos: the incredi-coaster.

My DL must dos: NBC (Haunted mansion was down last time we went so we didnt get to ride, and i have never done NBC. ), IJ (because its my favorite ride ), try a tigger tail
DD14 and DD14 must dos: NBC (they have never done NBC or haunted mansion), BTM, get a Candy Apple.
DH DL must dos: IJ


I dont know if we should pay the extra $$ and get park hoppers? Usually I would get the park hopper, but knowing that the parks might reach capacity i am worried about trying to park hop. what if we leave one park and the other is Full?

We plan to eat breakfast in our hotel, and bring snacks and water into the parks. (Cliff Bars, Apple slices, veggies, granola bars). We will use the mobile ordering to order snacks and quick service for lunch. (Cozy Cones one day. not sure yet of the other days. maybe bengal BBQ? ) And we will leave early and eat dinner outside of the parks.
 
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If park hoppers are within the budget, I would get them. Hopping gives you the full advantage of MP (being able to book a FP for one park while still being in the other park) and, if one park hits capacity (and you're still outside that park), you could still go to the other park. Without hoppers, if you happened to step outside of DL and it hit a level of gate closure that wouldn't allow you back in (there are different levels of gate closures, varying in severity), you wouldn't even be able to visit DCA in the meantime. You'd just have to wait until DL reopened the gates.
 
If park hoppers are within the budget, I would get them. Hopping gives you the full advantage of MP (being able to book a FP for one park while still being in the other park) and, if one park hits capacity (and you're still outside that park), you could still go to the other park. Without hoppers, if you happened to step outside of DL and it hit a level of gate closure that wouldn't allow you back in (there are different levels of gate closures, varying in severity), you wouldn't even be able to visit DCA in the meantime. You'd just have to wait until DL reopened the gates.

Thanks for the tips.
 


part 3 - L.A. / Hollywood and beach

one of the days we plan to take a drive to Hollywood & Highland area to see the Walk of fame, and the handprints at Grumans Theatre. DH and I have been before, but our DD14 and DD14 have never been to Hollywood. it will be fun finding the stars or handprints of some of our favorite stars.

We will have to find a good spot to take the "Hollywood sign" picture. Any suggestions on a good place to take the picture from. Can you get a good pic from the skywalk at the highland mall?

DD14 and DD14 are into the K-pop band BTS, and so we will have to check out thier BT21 store across from Grumans theatre, and DH will want to check out the Harley Davidson store there as well.

We might stop in the Ghiradelli soda shop for a quick snack.

Then we want to head to the Santa Monica pier, walk around, and put our feet in the water. This is DD14 and DD14 first time at the pacific ocean.
 
You can get a good photo of the sign from H&H, but it will be in the far background. Have you thought about visiting the Griffith Observatory? That is a fun stop in itself and has a good view of the sign, too. If you are planning to stop at the Disney Soda Shop, see what's playing at the El Capitan next door. That is a very fun movie theater, especially when the organist is playing before the show. From H&H, you could catch the Red Line to a stop in Korea Town, if you still want to check that out.
 
part 4 - drive to Northern California. Visit with cousin and his family.

We will drive the I-5 up to Northern California (Lathrop/Manteca area). We will stay with DC and his family for a few days.
We also plan to visit my other cousins, who live near the area. I have not seen some of these cousins for close to 20 years, so i am really looking forward to seeing them.
 
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You can get a good photo of the sign from H&H, but it will be in the far background. Have you thought about visiting the Griffith Observatory? That is a fun stop in itself and has a good view of the sign, too. If you are planning to stop at the Disney Soda Shop, see what's playing at the El Capitan next door. That is a very fun movie theater, especially when the organist is playing before the show. From H&H, you could catch the Red Line to a stop in Korea Town, if you still want to check that out.

if Korea town is close, we might visit. yes, i was thinking of possibly doing the Griffith Observatory, if time permits. Thanks
 
part 5 - San Francisco

We will be staying with my cousin for a few days. One of of the days DC and family will join us for a day at my favorite city, San Francisco. I have a few many times. DH has been once, and DD14 and DD14 have never been.
Some of my to dos :
- Visit Fishermans Wharf. Pier 39. See the Sea Lions. eat clam chowder in sourdough bowl.
- stop in an Ghiradeli for a treat
- ride on cable car
- walk on part of the Golden Gate Bridge. take pictures of the views.
- drive lombard (crooked street)
- visit China town.
- go to Golden Gate park and stop at the Japanese Tea garden for some tea.

if anyone has any other suggestions, please let me know.
 
Are you interested in visiting the Disney Family Museum?
If you are, it's really awesome. It wouldn't have been quite as enjoyable with small children, but still worth the visit, and I think older kids would find a lot to interest them. When we went we got a deal through Groupon on the tickets too, so check there for the different areas you'll be in!
 
Are you interested in visiting the Disney Family Museum?
If you are, it's really awesome. It wouldn't have been quite as enjoyable with small children, but still worth the visit, and I think older kids would find a lot to interest them. When we went we got a deal through Groupon on the tickets too, so check there for the different areas you'll be in!

thats a good idea. how much time do we need, if we go?
 
thats a good idea. how much time do we need, if we go?
My husband and I spent almost 4 hours there, including eating lunch at the little cafe. You could easily spend less or a little more.
 
You can get a good photo of the sign from H&H, but it will be in the far background. Have you thought about visiting the Griffith Observatory? That is a fun stop in itself and has a good view of the sign, too. If you are planning to stop at the Disney Soda Shop, see what's playing at the El Capitan next door. That is a very fun movie theater, especially when the organist is playing before the show. From H&H, you could catch the Red Line to a stop in Korea Town, if you still want to check that out.

is there any place you would recommend to eat at in Korea Town?
 
Part 6 - drive from Northern California to Seattle
After spending few days in Northern CA visiting with family, we will get up early and head north to Seattle to visit friends. We will take the I5 passing through Sacramenta CA, Portland Oregon, and then to Seattle. It will be a full day of driving, with 2 drivers taking turns. We don't plan any big stops along the way. However, we are looking to find any interesting things to see along the route. Any suggestions are welcome.
 
Part 7 - Seattle. We will be staying a few days with good friends of ours who just moved to Seattle. We will let them be the tour guides, plan our visit, things to see, places to eat etc. They will have been living there about 5 months when we get there, so they will be fairly "new tourists" also. I am sure we will do the Space Needle, and maybe Pikes Place Market.
 
Part 8 - Drive from Seattle back home, via Montana. We will stay overnight in Montana, and might be able to meet up with a cousin for a late dinner. Then we will head home the next day.
 
Its six weeks until we start our christmas in california roadtrip. So excited... i already started packing!
 
Two weeks until we start our roadtrip to Disneyland. So excited.
 

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