The Ultimatum: A Nicotine Free Journey to Disneyland (Pre-Trip Report)

[Marc Gil]

Hello friends, like all of us this past July, we were introduced to the fabulous exciting new plans that awaited us next year for Disneyland's glorious Diamond Celebration, and if you're like me, we all can't hardly wait for these plans to come in effect. For the past five months I've been trying to save up and budget wisely in order to make it to this exciting celebration. Unfortunately for me, it seemed highly unlikely for me to travel from my native town of Fort Lauderdale to sunny Anaheim to enjoy the festivities this summer. The truth is... I get paid barely above the minimum wage here in Florida, and for a college student, it's quite difficult to save up to go on an extravagant romp to Disneyland. The chances of me enjoying the Diamond Celebration this year were dwindling, until the ultimatum.

These past few months have been quite difficult. It's hard being a full time student while juggling a job. I find little time to do much socially. I am disappointed to say that I've picked up the nasty habit of smoking cigarettes. We all have our reasons, but it's truly is unacceptable. Time obviously took its course, and now, unfortunately, I'm a habitual smoker.

I've talked to my folks about my habit, and we had an invervention. That's when the ultimatum came up.

My father agreed that he would pay for my entire vacation to Southern California in full if I quit smoking for good. It sounded too good to be true, but alas, he was as serious as a heart attack.

So now comes this... I hope to track my progress here on this thread all while combining it with a pre-trip report.

This February, I will be applying for the Disney College Program Fall Advantage. If I get accepted into the program in Late May-Early June, there will be no way I will be able to attend the Diamond Celebration during the summer months. That's why I've decided to plan my trip in Early to Mid May before my program begins. Right now I'm looking to visit from May 9th-18th for a week-long excursion to Southern California.

I'm still in the early stages of planning, but stay tuned because more will be revealed. I hope to see some of you out there in Disneyland this May! Stay tuned for my progress and for some pre-trip report fun!

Have a great week everyone.

Mods, if you feel that the location of this thread is inappropriate, feel free to move it over to whichever sub-forum you desire.

 

[RMichael21]

Hello friends, like all of us this past July, we were introduced to the fabulous exciting new plans that awaited us next year for Disneyland's glorious Diamond Celebration, and if you're like me, we all can't hardly wait for these plans to come in effect. For the past five months I've been trying to save up and budget wisely in order to make it to this exciting celebration. Unfortunately for me, it seemed highly unlikely for me to travel from my native town of Fort Lauderdale to sunny Anaheim to enjoy the festivities this summer. The truth is... I get paid barely above the minimum wage here in Florida, and for a college student, it's quite difficult to save up to go on an extravagant romp to Disneyland. The chances of me enjoying the Diamond Celebration this year were dwindling, until the ultimatum.

These past few months have been quite difficult. It's hard being a full time student while juggling a job. I find little time to do much socially. I am disappointed to say that I've picked up the nasty habit of smoking cigarettes. We all have our reasons, but it's truly is unacceptable. Time obviously took its course, and now, unfortunately, I'm a habitual smoker.

I've talked to my folks about my habit, and we had an invervention. That's when the ultimatum came up.

My father agreed that he would pay for my entire vacation to Southern California in full if I quit smoking for good. It sounded too good to be true, but alas, he was as serious as a heart attack.

So now comes this... I hope to track my progress here on this thread all while combining it with a pre-trip report.

This February, I will be applying for the Disney College Program Fall Advantage. If I get accepted into the program in Late May-Early June, there will be no way I will be able to attend the Diamond Celebration during the summer months. That's why I've decided to plan my trip in Early to Mid May before my program begins. Right now I'm looking to visit from May 9th-18th for a week-long excursion to Southern California.

I'm still in the early stages of planning, but stay tuned because more will be revealed. I hope to see some of you out there in Disneyland this May! Stay tuned for my progress and for some pre-trip report fun!

Have a great week everyone.

Mods, if you feel that the location of this thread is inappropriate, feel free to move it over to whichever sub-forum you desire.

That's great, you'll finally be able to experience the magic of Disneyland! Unfortunately, you'll miss out on the Diamond Celebration for most of your trip, as all of the anniversary related "stuff" is rumored to begin on May 15th. I hope you have a great time anyways!

 

[Marc Gil]

That's great, you'll finally be able to experience the magic of Disneyland! Unfortunately, you'll miss out on the Diamond Celebration for most of your trip, as all of the anniversary related "stuff" is rumored to begin on May 15th. I hope you have a great time anyways!

Like I said before, I'm still in the very early stages of planning, but if the rumors are true and if the Diamond Celebration starts on May 15th, I'll strongly reconsider.

 

[RMichael21]

Like I said before, I'm still in the very early stages of planning, but if the rumors are true and if the Diamond Celebration starts on May 15th, I'll strongly reconsider.

I hope you do. Some of the new stuff coming to the resort for the celebration is pretty cool. I would check out the 60th Birthday Rumors and News thread, it's really informative on what's to come.

 

[Californian Elitist]

Good for you for your persistence in beating your addiction! I understand how stressful you are. I'm juggling two jobs, and this is my senior year/final semester of college. It's no joke.

When your plans are finalized, let me know and maybe we can meet up when you get out here.

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

Good luck in your plans to quit smoking, it is tough but a trip to DL is a great incentive!

 

[StarWarsGirl]

Sounds great. Have fun.

My asthmatic lungs and I congratulate and thank you for quitting smoking.

I hear ya about the college thing. I live at home and commute which helps, and my parents of course help me out with expenses, but still, there's no way I'd be able to save enough to go on vacation to DL on my own. Heck, even WDW, even though I have an AP, would be a stretch.

Also, best wishes on the College program. I'll be applying for Spring of 2016. Hopefully we both get in.

 

[Marc Gil]

Sounds great. Have fun.

My asthmatic lungs and I congratulate and thank you for quitting smoking.

I hear ya about the college thing. I live at home and commute which helps, and my parents of course help me out with expenses, but still, there's no way I'd be able to save enough to go on vacation to DL on my own. Heck, even WDW, even though I have an AP, would be a stretch.

Also, best wishes on the College program. I'll be applying for Spring of 2015. Hopefully we both get in.

Best of luck with your endeavors, but the recruitment season for DCP Spring 2015 was back in August-October 2014 and has already started. I hope you meant spring 2016!

 

[StarWarsGirl]

Best of luck with your endeavors, but the recruitment season for DCP Spring 2015 was back in August-October 2014 and has already started. I hope you meant spring 2016!

Yup, that's what I meant, haha. It's been a long day.

 

[Marc Gil]

Yup, that's what I meant, haha. It's been a long day.

Haha you got me a little nervous there! Best of luck with everything! I just applied to Fall Advatage 2015 a few hours ago. I think applications just opened up today.

 

[StarWarsGirl]

Haha you got me a little nervous there! Best of luck with everything! I just applied to Fall Advatage 2015 a few hours ago. I think applications just opened up today.

Yup, it did; I just looked.

What areas did you apply for? I'd like to do recreation, but I'm thinking because I have sales experience and speak Spanish that they'll put me in a ticketing or merchandising role.

 

[Marc Gil]

Yup, it did; I just looked.

What areas did you apply for? I'd like to do recreation, but I'm thinking because I have sales experience and speak Spanish that they'll put me in a ticketing or merchandising role.

I chose a lot of roles as "high interest", but due to my experience in cash handling and guest service (I'm a cashier at Target), I would see them considering me for Merchandise or Main Entrance Operations, both of which I selected as "high interests".

 

[StarWarsGirl]

I chose a lot of roles as "high interest", but due to my experience in cash handling and guest service (I'm a cashier at Target), I would see them considering me for Merchandise or Main Entrance Operations, both of which I selected as "high interests".

Awesome. Best wishes.

 

[Marc Gil]

Whew... Today has been one tough day, but I'm happy to inform you all that I survived 24 hours without a single cigarette. The cravings have been hitting me hard especially after classes or a rush at work. It's almost strange not to ignite one after that. What I've found to be extremely helpful is to drink water when the cravings kick in. Also keeping my mind occupied also helps out a bit too. I hear that cigarette cravings are at their worst after 72 hours without nicotine, so it's hope my water trick works then!

Anyway, breaking away from cigarettes, let's talk about VACATION! Originally, I was planning on arriving to LA on the 9th of May, but after hearing that the Diamond Celebration may be beginning on the 15th, I am strongly reconsidering. As you all know, I have applied to the DCP Fall Advantage Program at WDW, which means I will probably be beginning the program in Late May. This is going to cause some issues with me attending the Diamond Celebration in later May or during the Summer Months.

I have already began the inaugural stages of budgeting. For me, it will roughly cost around $3,250 for my entire week-long vacation. This includes airfare, hotel, car rental, Disneyland tickets, food, and extra spending money.

I just have a quick question for those familiar with the Anaheim area.

What is the best Disneyland "Good Neighbor Hotel" as far as fair price, amenities, and just overall "niceness"? I am not about to spend $404 a night at The Disneyland Hotel.

I was highly considering the Anaheim Marriott, but it appears to be fully booked on the week that I'm planning to visit.

Thanks for your help, and stay tuned for more!

 

[RMichael21]

Whew... Today has been one tough day, but I'm happy to inform you all that I survived 24 hours without a single cigarette. The cravings have been hitting me hard especially after classes or a rush at work. It's almost strange not to ignite one after that. What I've found to be extremely helpful is to drink water when the cravings kick in. Also keeping my mind occupied also helps out a bit too. I hear that cigarette cravings are at their worst after 72 hours without nicotine, so it's hope my water trick works then!

Anyway, breaking away from cigarettes, let's talk about VACATION! Originally, I was planning on arriving to LA on the 9th of May, but after hearing that the Diamond Celebration may be beginning on the 15th, I am strongly reconsidering. As you all know, I have applied to the DCP Fall Advantage Program at WDW, which means I will probably be beginning the program in Late May. This is going to cause some issues with me attending the Diamond Celebration in later May or during the Summer Months.

I have already began the inaugural stages of budgeting. For me, it will roughly cost around $3,250 for my entire week-long vacation. This includes airfare, hotel, car rental, Disneyland tickets, food, and extra spending money.

I just have a quick question for those familiar with the Anaheim area.

What is the best Disneyland "Good Neighbor Hotel" as far as fair price, amenities, and just overall "niceness"? I am not about to spend $404 a night at The Disneyland Hotel.

I was highly considering the Anaheim Marriott, but it appears to be fully booked on the week that I'm planning to visit.

Thanks for your help, and stay tuned for more!

The Anaheim Marriott Convention Center is really nice, I stayed there. But, since it's booked, I would look into the Best Western across the street. I've heard really great things about it.

 

[Marc Gil]

The Anaheim Marriott Convention Center is really nice, I stayed there. But, since it's booked, I would look into the Best Western across the street. I've heard really great things about it.

I think there's two... The Best Western and The Best Western Mini Suites. The mini suites has some TripAdvisor award and it doesn't look to shabby either.

 

[Californian Elitist]

The Best Western Plus. Cheap and a good place to stay.

 

[DznyGrlSD]

I quit using Chantix in 2012 and it didn't cost me a dime. Our state has free tobacco cessation programs and it took 3x, but I finally kicked the nasty habit!

I did the WDWCP in 2003 and it was the best year of my life (yes, year - I extended 2x)

 

[PacNWTigger]

Check out the Annabella Hotel. It's within walking distance and I've had wonderful service there.

And heartfelt congrats goes out to you as you tackle quitting smoking. It's a tough one, but you can do it. I quit cold turkey almost 10 years ago...wasn't the easiest thing to do, but it is well worth the effort...especially if you get to go to Disneyland for it!

 

[Californian Elitist]

@Marc Gil How are your CA/DL plans coming along?