PTR - November 2017 - 1st trip to Disneyland!

Glynis4

Mouseketeer
Joined
Oct 6, 2016
I'm getting really close to booking our first trip to Disneyland! I know it's early, but I found a great package price through Westjet vacations, and I don't want to risk losing it! So, thought I'd start a PTR, it is the very first time anyone in our family has been to Disneyland (myself and DH have been to WDW as kids, long time ago!)
Our family consists of myself, DH, DD (will be 5 at trip time), and DD2 (will be 2.5 at trip time). We are travelling from Canada, and this will likely be our only trip to Disneyland for quite a few years, so want to make the most of it. We will be staying for 7 nights and getting 4 or 5 day park hoppers. The package I'm looking at has us staying at the HOJO. I will post again when the trip is booked! I've already purchased a 5 day hopper for DD through Airmiles (Airmiles doesn't offer the 4 day hopper - it's probably a sign that we should spend 5 days in the parks ). I am a bit worried about the kids burning out after that many days though. We will be taking breaks for naps if needed, or just for a midday rest. And we will have at least 1 non-park/laid back day.
 
So I went to book the package today....and it had gone up by $100! I'd been watching the price for weeks and it hadnt moved, and now, when I finally decide to book, it's jumped up :(. Unbelievable. I booked anyways, I can't risk it going up again, I'm now $90 over my budget for flight/hotel, instead of $10 under :(. It's a bit nerve racking to put down that much money for a trip that's so far away, but now I hope that prices continue to go up so I can feel better about it lol!
 
There is a nice waterpark at the hotel that the kids will love, to take a break.

You will have a great time, and it is nice to have a short walk back to the hotel - enjoy!
 


Following! Also from Canada and also planning a trip in November :)

Awesome! Our dates are Nov. 1-8 :). With this being our first trip, I didn't feel the need to have any special decorations up (ie Halloween or Christmas), so hoping to avoid some crowds by going that week :)
 
Some things I've been thinking of:
1. How to tell the kids (!). The month leading up to Christmas was "is it Christmas yet?" every.single.day. So I don't think I'll tell them more than a month in advance. I do want ODD to watch a few you tube ride videos before we go, as everything is "scary" to her these days, so I want her and I to have an idea of what rides might be too scary.
2. Stroller - DH thinks we should take our big heavy double. I'm warming up to the idea. We won't be using buses so don't have to worry about folding it. And most likely the 5 year old will want to be exactly the same as her little sister, so if one is in the stroller, both will need to be in the stroller :P
3. Rides - I've created a spreadsheet of all the rides, color coded with height restrictions. I don't plan on having too much of a ride plan for our park days, but I do want to know what rides we can to Rider Swap for (YDD will probably be around 32"), and which rides neither of them can go on (ODD just reached 40"). And then decide if DH and I want to do single rider for those. I don't have much interest in Screamin', but the rest of the 42"+ rides I'll have to give some thought too. They will most likely only happen if by some miracle both kids fall asleep in the stroller lol!
4. Groceries - not giving this much thought yet, but will probably order from Von's for hotel delivery. Plan on having breakfast in the hotel room most days.
5. Car rental - will probably rent a car for 1 day to visit relatives in the area. Won't worry about this until much closer to the time.
 


You guys should definitely get FP's for Indiana Jones, it is so crazy impressive, and I think it's one of the best themed attractions Disneyland has!

If you get the 5 day Park Hoppers, you will have lots of flexibility and time to get most everything done you want to, and re-do the best rides, but it's practically impossible to do everything on your first trip! :earboy2:

You can definitely save some money in the parks by packing snacks or lunches for the kids and bringing in your own drinks. You can get ice or ice water from any of the quick service restaurants also, but you'll want to be staying super hydrated.

We have used Vons and it is an awesome service, especially when you are staying a week in a hotel.

Have fun planning! I love that you're doing it a year out, you've inspired me to start my travel fund and plan a trip for next February! :D
 
You guys should definitely get FP's for Indiana Jones, it is so crazy impressive, and I think it's one of the best themed attractions Disneyland has!

If you get the 5 day Park Hoppers, you will have lots of flexibility and time to get most everything done you want to, and re-do the best rides, but it's practically impossible to do everything on your first trip! :earboy2:

You can definitely save some money in the parks by packing snacks or lunches for the kids and bringing in your own drinks. You can get ice or ice water from any of the quick service restaurants also, but you'll want to be staying super hydrated.

We have used Vons and it is an awesome service, especially when you are staying a week in a hotel.

Have fun planning! I love that you're doing it a year out, you've inspired me to start my travel fund and plan a trip for next February! :D

Thanks for the Indiana Jones advice! Is it faster to use Fastpass or Single Rider line for that?? Kinda sucks that DH and I won't get to go on it together (as we won't have anyone else to stay with the kids), but at least we would get to experience it!

Edited to add: or would we use Rider Swap in this case? I'm confused!
 
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Hmmm, I have never used Single Rider or Rider Swap so have no idea which would be quicker. I know that FP basically allows you to skip the outdoor portion of the line and get right into the "temple", and I kind of assume Single Rider and Rider Swap allow entry via the FP line, so I don't know that there would be any difference at all!
 
Where in Canada are you? We're coming a couple months before you from Ontario.
Don't you hate that with the booking? It's hard knowing when to book. HoJo looks great though.

I'm like you with spreadsheets...And same here, we'll wait until much closer to tell our kids.

Looking forward to reading more.
 
Where in Canada are you? We're coming a couple months before you from Ontario.

We're coming from Sask :)

And flights are now WAY down for our dates! :( I know you're not supposed to look after booking, but I can't not. I am also keeping this info in a spreadsheet in hopes it will help for future trip planning. I think I've still saved a bit of money ($100?) by booking my flight/hotel package, but that's just because to book the HOJO for 7 nights with the current exchange rate would be soooo expensive. I know my kids are gonna love the water park there though :). Other hotels I seriously considered were Tropicana, Camelot, CCI, and BW Park Vue - but I was concerned about possible construction noise for all of those except CCI. It will be interesting to see what kind of construction is actually taking place by November!
 
Have you checked piecing out your trip? Dapper Days is Nov 5. If you participate, you can get a really good rate for a Disney Hotel and tickets. I have put the link here so you can check it out and see if it would be right for you. I have been to one and it is wonderful! There are so many beautifully dressed people. Such a nice change to see instead of body parts popping out of clothing that shouldn't be worn anywhere outside someone's home, let alone to a family amusement park. Anyhoo, I hope you can keep your trip under budget.

I would say don't worry about the kids burning out. Staying at least 5 days would be great because you can keep them on their schedule (for the most part) and not feel rushed to see and do everything in a limited time. A plus staying on site is you have Magic Mornings on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday into Disneyland and Early Entries on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Sunday into California Adventure. This has made a big difference for us getting to ride the rides we want to first thing, then getting a fast pass etc. The mornings are nice and not crowded. When it starts to get a bit crowded and everyone is hungry, we will go have a meal and depending on everyone feels, we might take a break at the hotel, or go catch a movie. With your little ones, being on site is a plus because you can ride Fantasyland rides first thing in the morning with MM and you will be really close when Toon Town opens! The first couple of days, I would suggest feeding the kids in your room. They will be too excited to sit and eat anything with everything going on. There is so much to see, smell, hear, taste, it can over stimulate little ones, so if your little ones are used to napping from 1-3, keep that schedule and have them nap. Have fun planning.
 
How to tell your kids:
When ODD & YDD were 6 & 4, we did a big "surprise! We're going to Disneyland!" thing. We made a big deal about it. And despite showing them lots of youtube videos and stuff like that, they didn't quite get it. So maybe just be prepared for something like that. But trust me...when your kids get there and see it with their own eyes, THEN they will understand! :-)

We have a whiteboard in our kitchen and about a month before a DL trip, I draw a Mickey head on the white board and write the # of days left before we leave in the Mickey head. If I had a toddler/preschooler, I would make a cheap paper chain - 1 for each child - and have them take 1 link off the chain each day for 2-4 weeks before our trip. Then maybe on the day BEFORE we leave, have each child unwrap a gift from Mickey. Something like a tshirt or a small toy to play with on the plane.

Stroller:

On our first family trip to Disneyland, our kids were 4 and 6. We no longer had a stroller at that point, but we rented a single stroller from Anaheim City Strollers. They delivered it to our hotel and picked it up at the end of our stay. It was awesome. I was able to steer it 1-handed. ODD & YDD would take turns sitting in it. And when they were both tired, YDD would ride in it and ODD would stand on the kick plate thing on the back while DH or I pushed it. It seriously was the best stroller ever. If you don't want to bring a bulky double stroller with you, you should consider renting from them. If you rent a stroller from DL, the stroller can't leave the Esplanade and that can be a royal pain in the neck walking back to Hojo's at the end of a long day!

Rides:


Groceries:
We used Vons for grocery delivery on 1 trip. It was really handy. Their prices are a bit higher than where we live in Arizona, though. Oftentimes, you can get your first delivery for free. You pick what delivery window you'd like to have. There's a bunch of info on their website. Vons is owned by the same company as Safeway.

Car rental:

I think there's an Alamo car rental place in DTD, so you can easily rent for just the day and return it right there. Very convenient!
 
We're coming from Sask :)

And flights are now WAY down for our dates! :( I know you're not supposed to look after booking, but I can't not. I am also keeping this info in a spreadsheet in hopes it will help for future trip planning. I think I've still saved a bit of money ($100?) by booking my flight/hotel package, but that's just because to book the HOJO for 7 nights with the current exchange rate would be soooo expensive. I know my kids are gonna love the water park there though :). Other hotels I seriously considered were Tropicana, Camelot, CCI, and BW Park Vue - but I was concerned about possible construction noise for all of those except CCI. It will be interesting to see what kind of construction is actually taking place by November!

That's exactly what DH keeps telling me. Stop looking at flights! (i.e. now that we've booked) but i just can't help it...lol

I'm questioning too about the construction. We'll be at Desert Inn in August so may be affected as well. As long as any noise is in daylight hours, it shouldn't be a big deal for us. It seems up in the air when it'll start.
 
Hi! :wave: Also from Canada (Alberta), also going to DLR this year! Also a spreadsheet lover.

In regards to telling your kids, what we did last year was for Christmas 2015, we had a huge box and I got a Mickey helium balloon wrapped up in it. On the string, I tied a note saying "We're Going To Disneyland!" on it. When they opened the box, the balloon popped up. DSS (14 at the time) got it right away and almost cried, but DD (4 at the time) played with the balloon and didn't care about anything else. :rotfl2:
 
I would say don't worry about the kids burning out. Staying at least 5 days would be great because you can keep them on their schedule (for the most part) and not feel rushed to see and do everything in a limited time.

I completely agree. We had 5 day hoppers last year, and it gave us the freedom to say "ok, we need a break" without feeling like we were wasting our time there. This time we're doing 3 day and I'm ok with it (don't LOVE it, I'd rather have 5)

RE: Air Miles - you know that the 25% off for Canadian residents applies on Air Miles too, right? You have about 26 days left to take advantage before the "price" goes up substantially. I got all mine from Air Miles!! I am somewhat of an AM hoarder. :rotfl:
 
Hi! :wave: Also from Canada (Alberta), also going to DLR this year! Also a spreadsheet lover.

In regards to telling your kids, what we did last year was for Christmas 2015, we had a huge box and I got a Mickey helium balloon wrapped up in it. On the string, I tied a note saying "We're Going To Disneyland!" on it. When they opened the box, the balloon popped up. DSS (14 at the time) got it right away and almost cried, but DD (4 at the time) played with the balloon and didn't care about anything else. :rotfl2:

That's awesome! What a wonderful way to tell your kids! How much in advance did you let them know?
 
Have you checked piecing out your trip? Dapper Days is Nov 5. If you participate, you can get a really good rate for a Disney Hotel and tickets.

We won't be participating in Dapper Days, but I am looking forward to seeing the people who do dress up!

I would say don't worry about the kids burning out. Staying at least 5 days would be great because you can keep them on their schedule (for the most part) and not feel rushed to see and do everything in a limited time. A plus staying on site is you have Magic Mornings on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday into Disneyland and Early Entries on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Sunday into California Adventure. This has made a big difference for us getting to ride the rides we want to first thing, then getting a fast pass etc. The mornings are nice and not crowded. When it starts to get a bit crowded and everyone is hungry, we will go have a meal and depending on everyone feels, we might take a break at the hotel, or go catch a movie. With your little ones, being on site is a plus because you can ride Fantasyland rides first thing in the morning with MM and you will be really close when Toon Town opens! The first couple of days, I would suggest feeding the kids in your room. They will be too excited to sit and eat anything with everything going on. There is so much to see, smell, hear, taste, it can over stimulate little ones, so if your little ones are used to napping from 1-3, keep that schedule and have them nap. Have fun planning.

I have decided to go with 5-day hoppers! I do want to take a fairly relaxed pace to the days - let the kids soak it in! And we will plan to be there for rope drop every day (they are typically up early). My youngest currently naps 1-3, I'm totally ok with going back to the room for afternoon naps, DH will probably want a nap too :)
 
If I had a toddler/preschooler, I would make a cheap paper chain - 1 for each child - and have them take 1 link off the chain each day for 2-4 weeks before our trip. Then maybe on the day BEFORE we leave, have each child unwrap a gift from Mickey. Something like a tshirt or a small toy to play with on the plane.

Love this idea!

Car rental:
I think there's an Alamo car rental place in DTD, so you can easily rent for just the day and return it right there. Very convenient!

Perfect, thanks!
 

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