Pre-Trip 2.5 Trips - 2 Coasts - and Skis?

Hi! Me again! Yes, it's Sandy...resident cake lady and fellow Disney lover.

(sorry for the huge picture...borrowed it from Facebook and my size options were something like thumbnail and poster)

If you didn't already think I was at least a little bit crazy, you're likely to think I may be in need of a minor intervention after all of this. I was going to wait a bit on doing a PTR, but I'm already feeling a tad overwhelmed by the details here and PTRs do tend to help me sort it out. So, I bring you my dual trip PTR!

TRIP 1

So, I had this GLORIOUS idea that we'd go to Disneyland to enjoy all of the 60th Anniversary festivities.

(just in case you needed to see how sparkly it's going to be - LOL)

I was hoping we'd go in early August so I could celebrate my birthday at DLR. Not exactly a diamond birthday for me at this point, but who doesn't love a birthday celebration at a Disney park? Plus, my birthday is relatively close to Disneyland's actual birthday. And while not cheap, with a summer trip, it was looking like I could treat myself to the Disneyland Hotel. Oh yea, I was going to live the dream!

Yes, this was a great plan until DH reminded me that I'd promised him a ski trip. Maybe you remember him...

Does this look like the face of a man who would crush my Disneyland dreams? OK, not completely, but his holding me to a ski trip has forced me to make some major plan changes for Disneyland. While you can ski in SoCal, you can't exactly do it in August. November is also too early, so we're going to be doing this over Christmas/New Year's break. Yup- this is where the insanity comes in!

I booked us for Disneyland just after Christmas and we check out on New Year's Eve, but I know the crowds will be absolutely insane. In fact, due to the 60th, they're expected to be even more insane than the normal holiday insanity.

Now, don't think leaving Disneyland to ski will spare us any headaches with costs or crowds. If you think Disney is expensive at the holidays...take a look at ski holidays! And the slopes are sure to be packed! We'll be driving up to Mammoth on New Year's Eve and spend a few days up there before heading back home.

Yes, I know we'll be missing spectacular NYE fireworks at DLR, but they should be setting fireworks off from the mountain. There was a unanimous decision by all members of our household to see NYE fireworks from the mountains since it was so different than anything we've ever done.

So, here are the basic details I've got right now...

WHEN- December 27-January 3
WHERE- Disneyland and Mammoth Lakes, CA

LODGING

For Disneyland...well, the Disneyland Hotel was waaaaaaay out of the budget for this time frame. Now, I think most of us have heard that while it can be magical, unlike WDW, there's no overwhelming advantage to staying at one of the 3 Disney owned resorts for DLR. Sooooooooooo, I started looking at the Good Neighbor hotels. Ultimately, I wound up booking what I initially considered for our 2012 trip that never happened. So, we're staying at the HoJo. I've read (and seen YouTube vids) showing it's between a 5-10 min walk to the parks. So, while not as relaxing, it's about the same as walking from the Contemporary to MK. We can totally handle that! It's also got a decent pool, came recommended by several of my SoCal Disney peeps, and gets decent reviews.

Splash/Play area looks cool

Not sure if these other pics will post, but I'm going to try...

Has sort of a retro feel...

Ok looking room...

So, we're booked for 4 nights...I bought 3-day hopper passes...and pre-paid for a premium character meal since the experts say this is one of the few prepayment meal options at DLR that can save you some $. We'll likely use it for Goofy's Kitchen...since I have no desire to do Ariel's Grotto!

I also plan on trying to get World of Color dining...and Carthay Circle is looking like our preferred choice. Some of the DLR experts I've spoken to said the dining packages are going to be a must just due to the timing of this trip. They also suggested the Fantasmic! dining package. While Blue Bayou is on my list of Must-Do eats and it is one of the F! pkg options, I just don't think I want to see F! I know - I know...California's Fantasmic! is far superior to WDWs, but I don't enjoy WDWs and I'm currently not wowed enough by the vids I've seen of DLR's to go out of my way for it. I know that's probably killing some DLR people- but not everyone is going to be in love with every show and with it being such a busy travel time...I think I might prefer to devote our time to other things.

Beyond that...I'm utterly overjoyed that I'm going to see the original IASW with the holiday overlay, excited to see the Haunted Mansion's holiday overlay as well...and ECSTATIC about everything with the 60th! Everything they've revealed so far looks amazing! In fact, it makes me kind of sad that WDW doesn't get this level of attention. And of course, we're going to Walt's park...so that alone is exciting.

Now, I know most of you aren't as interested in the ski half of this, but after we leave DLR...we'll be heading up into the mountains (in ideal conditions- about a 5.25 hr drive) and staying here...

I know most of you don't care much for the ski details, so I won't devote a ton of time/space to them. Due to Trip 2, I may actually just relax slopeside while everyone else skis or snowboards.

Oh, and the girls want to see "Hollywood," so I'm hoping to get in early enough on day 1 to do a little bit of sightseeing in LA. DH and I have been to the area before- were there in 2003 (and I was not in a Disney place at the time- even though we did spend a bit of time in Anaheim and hung out in their DTD) - and from our experience, it seems doable if we can get in early enough.

We'll also have to rent a car. We are going to have to pack a ton for the weather differences and we will likely have to drive some on snowy roads, so we're debating the pros and cons of renting a truck or SUV. We shall see.

Oh, and the girls have been practicing their cold faces (including happy cold)...

OK- now they're bringing the drama!

And for those of you who haven't read my trip reports with the kids...the one in purple is Kendall (8) and the one in pink is Sammie (6). And the girls know about the trip...no surprises on that level with this...but I'm sure I'll weave in smaller surprises as planning progresses. In fact, I'm going to try and get a cake...but I have to learn how they do it...since it's not like WDW.

So, that's trip 1.

Trip 2

I'm hoping to run the Princess Half at WDW in 2016. So, that's about a month and a half after trip 1. Due to my asthma, I'm still at a run/walk...but I'm about to start working on my pacing with one of these...

If you don't know what this is...it's a GPS watch...and once my right calf gets better, it's going to be my new best friend. A best friend that I curse at and probably have moments where I'm ready to toss it across the room.

I am not fast, but I'm hoping to get myself into a slightly better corral. So, I signed up for a half marathon for next month. Of course, I get injured right after signing up- FIGURES! It's not a major injury, but I still need to be careful...so I'm feeling like a total slug right now. I'm hoping to get back to training soon so I have a valid race time to include when registration opens for the princess. If there's time and my #s show improvement...I may try and get in another race after our busy season at work ends and before everything closes for the race for corral assignment.

While I know friends on here, at home and in various other places have expressed interest in joining me if they can make it work...DH and the girls definitely are staying home. So, this may wind up being a Sandy-only trip. Of course, the Princess is usually done during peak (President's Day week/winter break for some areas)...so it's not going to be cheap. Meaning I'm really going to have to be very shrewd with my budget and savings. I can't register for the race until mid-July and I don't think I can book lodging until August... so that at least gives me some time.

I'm still planning on Snow White for my running costume, I'm debating about the glass slipper challenge, and I might do different princesses if I go that route. We have to see how I feel and how the $ looks closer to the time. I know I also previously posted about upgrading my camera, but I don't think that's going to happen. I'm not all that bummed about it anymore because I'm learning some "new" things with my current camera. I recently learned that I can shoot in RAW...so, it has suddenly become more useful. It's embarrassing that I've had it this long without realizing that, but now that I have Adobe Lightroom- I am going to try and get the most out of my current camera before bumping up. Of course, I am totally clueless with Lightroom...so this is going to take some time.

In any event...it just feels so insane to do this so soon after DLR..at such crazy times.



So, that's it for right now, but many of you know that I like to post all kinds of little updates...so, I'll be sure to post things (yup- even the minute details) as they come up.

Thanks for reading and stay tuned for more details!

 

[FlaggNL]

Congrats on finishing the race!

 

[Pooh'sBuddy]

Congrats, and where's the post-race shoe pic? That's so cool that you had such a great all around experience! Bummer about the laptop.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

Congrats on finishing the race!

Thanks! It gives me a lot of hope for doing a RunDisney event.

Congrats, and where's the post-race shoe pic? That's so cool that you had such a great all around experience! Bummer about the laptop.

What's funny...the shoes don't really look all that dirty. I mean, nothing worth taking a pic or anything like that. I should have taken a pic of the back of my legs as I had more mud splatter there than anything else. It was a really nice race It didn't even occur to me that people really travel for these things. I mean, it said it was a qualifier for Boston, so that should have been a clue, but a number of the people I met were from other parts of the state. One of the guys had recently done the Austin marathon...which brought me back to that convo we had earlier about traveling in state for races. We shall see. I don't see any races of interest locally until November and it's too expensive to do this all of the time. I mean...I do have a Disney obsession to feed

 

[mrdrift]

Congrats on finishing the race. It's all about finishing and meeting or beating the goals that you have set for yourself. Seabrook this year, who knows Disney next year. Sorry to hear about the laptop. Following along.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

Congrats on finishing the race. It's all about finishing and meeting or beating the goals that you have set for yourself. Seabrook this year, who knows Disney next year. Sorry to hear about the laptop. Following along.

Thanks!!! Yeah...I need to stop looking at what others are doing and look at beating my own personal bests. Still not happy about the laptop...but mainly b/c I'm having a beast of a time trying to get my full itunes library transferred over and I HATE Windows 8. UGH!

Thanks for reading

 

[HouCuseChickie]

OK...so, a few updates...

1. I NEED TO STOP TREATING MYSELF - So, I bought a DDB 40th anniversary bucket to celebrate my first half, but that wasn't enough, so I also bought a DDB Buttons wristlet.

Seriously, I need to be stopped. I really want a 60th anniversary bag...and I haven't even seen them yet! I'm also worried about quality since some of the recent bag styles have had chipping issues and Dooney is now refusing to stand by their bags. Dooney is now telling people to bring up issues with Disney rather than honoring their warranties. It has me giving some serious consideration to switching to Harvey's. Still, I'm not there yet...and you'll see more on this a little farther down.

2. I still have until July to change my mind, but I'd say it's 99.999999% for certain that I'll be signing up for the Tink half next May at Disneyland and skipping the Princess. Yes, it helps that I prefer the Tink DDBs to the princess ones (no, not letting a bag dictate my race), but I think budget and training observations from this last year make it the best course of action. Princess registration is in July and Tink registration is in August...so, still a few more months for me to change my mind.

3. If I run the Tink, that would mean no WDW in 2015 or 2016. That's an idea I just can't handle and it would make this PTR title a lie. We are driving through FL in August and while DH is not wanting to waste a ton of time on lunch while we're on the road...I'm planning on a different angle. Yup...here it is...

IT'S MY BIRTHDAY!!!

Well, almost. Our first day driving back is the day before my bday - I like to call it "National Sandy Day Eve."

I usually wind up treating myself for such things since I give myself better gifts than anyone else so I'm giving myself the quick gift of WDW. No...there won't be any park time, but my plan is a late breakfast (brunch ) at Chef Mickey's...maybe a trip around the monorail...and back on the road. Oh...and CAKE...of course I'd need a cake. I'm leaning towards a Cheshire Cat theme with some kind of statement on madness...as this is pretty insane. Still...I'd see Mickey...I'd be in the Contemporary...I'd get to ride the monorail...I'd see the castle...and if we drive in or out the right way...I'd probably see SSE, TOT, and maybe even EE if we drive out the right way.

I liked my crazy plan so much that I booked an 11:15a ADR at Chef Mickey's for the projected date in August. I won't pitch this to DH until July.

4. This isn't trip related, but I made Dole Whips at home the other week. They turned out well, but I didn't make them all pretty this time. I just scooped them into a bowl like ice cream. I even topped it in Magic Shell to test out the concept of a chocolate dipped Dole Whip...

Look at all that Dole Whip!

Chocolate dipped

(I warned you it wasn't pretty)

The verdict, it's not bad with the chocolate...but rum is still the better combo!

5. Also not trip related, but I finally finished the Frozen room. I'll spare you the million and one pics, but here are a few...

A few things on the room...the reading nook and the curtain rod have these crackled glass finials that look like ice, the dresser was painted to look snow like and has both glitter and glow in the dark paint, and I officially hate snowflakes and antlers. Oh, and notice the Disney pin board on the dresser!

Now to work on the study room (since the girls refuse to sleep along in their own bedrooms).

6. This is trip related. The girls know nothing of my plan to try and arrive a few day early, but I've hinted at other things to do out there and they're getting psyched. I've also starting prepping them for DLR and reminded them that just because the castle is smaller doesn't make it any less magical. In other words, say kind things since many people out there are DLR people and it would hurt their feelings if they find themselves vocally missing the size of Cinderella Castle. They're also now quite receptive to the idea of Santa bringing them experiences...except they are hoping Santa brings them new pins.

OK...that's all for now.

 

[FlaggNL]

Thanks for the share and a great Frozen room

 

[mrdrift]

The Frozen room was really cute. Were did you find the recipe for the Dole Whips?

 

[HouCuseChickie]

The Frozen room was really cute. Were did you find the recipe for the Dole Whips?

It's actually a mix that I buy on ebay. I will warn you...it is not the name brand mix. You can buy the actual Dole mix, but think it's around $40 for one pouch! This is what I buy and it's much kinder to the wallet.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/310610389010?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

I have a standard ice cream maker, so I have to use my frosting tube if I want it to look like soft serve.

 

[mrdrift]

It's actually a mix that I buy on ebay. I will warn you...it is not the name brand mix. You can buy the actual Dole mix, but think it's around $40 for one pouch! This is what I buy and it's much kinder to the wallet.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/310610389010?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

I have a standard ice cream maker, so I have to use my frosting tube if I want it to look like soft serve.

Thank you for the link so I can order it myself and I will report back once I give it a try.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

Small update...switched my August ADR to 1900 PF. While I'm nervous because it always seems to take forever to be seated for later breakfasts, it is my #2 fave character meal behind Crystal Palace breakfast. It also fits better with my cake theme and should wind up being around $40 cheaper after you factor in gratuity. Of course, I'm going to miss out on Donald for my bday, but I think I can handle it. Sammie will also be giddy since she loves Pooh.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

So, I made a little edit to the title.

Not sure what's going down in August really qualifies as a 0.5, but we will be heading into the magic bubble and it's now going to be our only visit to WDW in the next year+. Plus...it's the only way I get to keep the "2 Coasts" in my title- so I'm counting it!

What does this mean...it means I'm definitely not doing the Princess and plan on registering for the Tink in August. I just hope I'm able to get a slot. I've heard some RunDisney registration days are as bad as the free dining madness that occurred the other day. Still, I'm going to research it and be ready to go.

Aside from the budgeting logic and my warm vs. cold weather physical concerns...I had a very legitimate (in my mind) consideration cross my mind. Races start early, but Disney races start REALLY REALLY early. Yeah, there's that excitement and nervousness that helps you get out of bed, but it might be nice if I have a little extra rest. If I do a race at WDW, I'm going to lose an hour being on Eastern time (we're on Central time at home). If I race at DL, I gain 2 hours...so getting to the corrals at 4:30am will feel more like 6:30am.

Not too much new beyond this. Life has been busy and I've been distracted by so many things, that I haven't posted on here or been good about reading other people's reports I'm sorry. But...I'm hoping some time frees up once I finish an art project...and then I can try and catch up!

 

[HouCuseChickie]

I've been so bad about posting updates, but I guess life happens.

I do have some updates, but it's more of a "the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly" sort of thing.

THE GOOD

1. When SWA finally released their initial airfare pricing for our dates, it was abundantly clear that it would be a significant savings to leave on Christmas instead of 2 days later. Yay- so 2 more days of trip time!!! Hey, the dog will be boarded for that time no matter what, so might as well use it.
2. There was also a major savings to fly back home one day later, so that will afford us more time up in the mountains and one last night in LA.
3. It took some digging, but I was able to find a hotels for the extra days of our stay. It might not sound that hard, but finding a room in the LA area with 2 queens proved to be really challenging....but, I did it. We're spending our first couple of nights in Manhattan Beach. While not Venice Beach, it still has that Three's Company vibe to it and it will be nice being able to walk to the beach. Yes, I know it will not be beach swimming weather. The second hotel is by LAX and has free shuttle service...so no need to rent a car for the last leg of the trip.
4. While I have a feeling fares will drop again, SWA offered a fare sale this week...so, I booked the air too and from CA and saved $328.
5. I had to rebook our rental car due to flight arrival time. My new booking is about $100 cheaper + my cash back rate on ebates is 2.1% greater.
6. OK...you all seem to know that I have a growing DDB obsession. I was hoping I'd like some of the 60th anniversary bags, but I just don't. There is a special Harvey's one coming out this summer that might hold some potential, but we'll see. Either way...I wanted something Disneyland and of course all of the retro pattern had sold out...until the other week. DS.com released large DDB totes with matching wristlets in the 2 retro patterns. I like the back better than the front and only like the front side of the wristlet, but this is what I got...

THE BAD

1. I didn't book the air for the mountains because I wanted to wait on booking the main air travel. I had a reason for this, but now I can't remember what it was. Well, during the wait, that air went up $30 pp. It may not sound like a huge increase, but when it's a short and relatively inexpensive flight...it feels like a lot...especially when multiplied by 4. We are still far enough out that I'm going to wait to see if it drops back down...since it's at the pricing it was at a couple of months ago. i.e. they clearly raise and lower prices.
2. While I'm hoping SWA discounts more fares with their typical labor day sale and I can rebook our return flight, as it stands, we'll be getting in too late to pick up the dog on our return day. So, it's looking like 1 more day of boarding = $22. The savings for the sale priced air still eclipses the dog boarding costs...so not really a major issue.
3. While SWA may later discount the flights I really wanted, right now...we're flying out Christmas morning...meaning my whole plan of popping by my MILs before heading to the airport is out the window. My plan B is to try and visit with them on Christmas Eve, but I don't love this.

THE UGLY

In the last few weeks...we've had major issues with home stuff. While we were super fortunate to not have been impacted by any of the recent flooding in the Houston area, a few things in our home decided to make up for it. The smallest issue...the vacuum. Still, with a dog and all of our dirt, we need a decent one. No, I didn't buy a Kirby, but I was replacing a Dyson. I saved quite a bit with an amazing deal on a Shark, but still not ultra cheap either. Next...our fridge died. We plan on moving in a couple of years, so we didn't treat ourselves to the mega model we really want, but again- we had to replace a major appliance and our home's fridge alcove is large...so we had to buy a big fridge. And then our a/c for the downstairs zone went out...and it was a BIG repair. We're starting to hit early summer temps here (low to mid 90s)...and while it's not mid-summer heat...you don't want to be without your a/c. Soooooooooo, three pricey repairs in a very short period.

So, what does all of this spell? Budget to run the Princess or the Tink is completely dead. In fact, I might even cancel my bday ADR at 1900 PF. I won't decide until July or early August, but thinking it would be wise to save the $. So, now I just pray that nothing else decides to self destruct with the house. I was in my dining room last night doing some work and the light started acting funny and all I could think was "please be the bulb and not an electrical issue." I forget what kind of bulb is in it, but it's about 10 years old...so, I'm going to be optimistic and hope it's just the bulb.

I think that's it for now. Thanks for reading and hope all is going well for everyone! And maybe when I get some more time, I'll be able to start reading more TRs

 

[HouCuseChickie]

Sorry about the junky home repairs! I hate when the law of threes comes out.

Be careful with your Dooney against blue jeans - for some reason those bags have had problems with the pattern rubbing against jeans and the pattern rubbing off.

Yeah- when the a/c went...law of 3s was exactly what entered my head.

I haven't seen anyone with pattern rubbing issues, but I know I've heard of a few people have denim dye transfer to their bags. I've heard sketch is the most vulnerable....well, the current variety with the pebbly material. Thankfully, I'm not much of a jeans girl. My biggest issue is the stupid leather on the bags with beige and brown trim. While the leather on Coach bags can take a beating, the Dooney's are pretty darn fragile. I switched into one of my IASW LSS bags for a few weeks because it can at least handle rain and no worries about water spotting.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

Wow- it's been nearly 5 since I've posted on this thread! Of course, it was about that time that things started getting really crazy for me at work. Sure, I did have my mini FL trip report in the middle of all of that, but it's this upcoming trip that's been consuming what little planning time I've had...as well as my budget. And can we just say OUCH on budget! The Disney part isn't so bad, but the ski part continues to make Disney look like a budget destination. So, what all has happened since I last posted???

- So, I haven't found cheaper air on our return day, so it looks like the dog will be in boarding for 1 more day.
- Alaska Air finally dropped the prices on air from LA to Mammoth Lakes, so we saved several hundred dollars and now have our air travel to and from skiing
- We wound up booking a rental car in Mammoth since there's concern that the resort shuttles might not get us back to our resort in the evening and cabs are $$$! Getting a rental car was also drama since they keep really weird hours up there.
- We're going to skip my original plans for LA that included city passes and things like whale watching in favor of seeing a number of the iconic things, which also happen to be free. i.e. Griffith Observatory, Hollywood Sign, Chinese Theater, etc.
- Our check in day at DLR was intended to be a DTD day. Well, there's an AMC in DTD and it will be about a week after the opening of Star Wars: The Force Awakens. So, we thought it would be cool to see it in DTD.
- I booked dining at DLR. I know most would say you don't need this much TS for DLR, but I was told that b/c we were going at peak, we could be waiting forever for CS meals/seating. We're also planning a lot of this based on the possibility of the parks closing due to capacity crowds. So here's what we booked...

- Goofy's Kitchen- dinner (will likely have a cake)
- Plaza Inn- Breakfast (late)
- Blue Bayou- dinner
- Storytellers Cafe- Breakfast (late)
- Carthay Circle- WOC dinner pkg
- Cafe Orleans- lunch
- Carnation Cafe- dinner

I've bought some gear and stuff too, but I'll save that for a little later That's all for now.