Pre-Trip Not our typical Disney trip (and a bonus very typical Disney trip!)

Hi friends! For those who don't know the cast of my TRs, here we are:

M (my wife)
28
Writer/academic administrator

B (me)
28
Opera singer/voice teacher

We've been together for ten years and married for 2.5 years. We both grew up in Florida and went to WDW frequently as kids and teenagers. Then we discovered park-going as adults and realized...it's even more fun! We now live in NJ just outside of NYC and although we can't go to Disney as often as we'd like we still visit the Mouse when we visit M's family in Florida (and sometimes without visiting them...shhhh!).

Now about the title: we've been talking about doing a different kind of Disney trip for awhile now, and recently we finally picked some dates and started diving into trip planning. What makes this trip so different? We're going back to where it all began. We're going to Disney...LAND!!!

Now of course it would be silly for two East Coast girls to fly all the way to California without seeing more of what the state has to offer. So we're starting in northern CA and working our way down, and Disneyland will be at the end of the trip.

Dates: August 4-14, 2017
Flights: Southwest (we're quite loyal by this point!)
Lodging: various throughout the state

I'll post our plans a few days at a time in the following posts. Any tips for WDW veterans/first-time DLR visitors are more than welcome! We've been doing our research but the whole concept of not pre-planning very much is a little daunting. If this were a WDW trip we'd have all our ADRs planned by now, haha! We're very much looking forward to the different vibe of DLR.

Stay tuned for more!

 

[MySmallWorldof4]

Congratulations on your paid role! How exciting! When I was a kid and lived in NY with my parents, they always got season tickets to the Met and would take me. I must admit I was not a fan, but glad I was exposed. I did enjoy The Marriage of Figaro though. I liked the music. Totally agree on casting for B&TB. Not thrilled with Emma Watson. They should have dubbed her or found a Broadway style singer for the role. Overall I enjoyed it though.

Your plans to DLR sound amazing. I wish there was another Jelly Belly factory on the East Coast. I would so be there! And Belly Flops @amjt660 . Hysterical!

 

[bee]

Congrats!!

Thank you!!

What an exciting update!! So happy for you getting your dream role!

Glad to hear that you have Hamilton tickets for later in the year. I would think that seeing it in NY would be the ultimate experience.

Thank you!! Yes, we are excited to see it on Broadway after seeing it in Chicago. This time my brother will be joining us as we got 3 tickets on his birthday. He's never seen it but he's probably more obsessed than I am!

Congratulations on your paid role! How exciting! When I was a kid and lived in NY with my parents, they always got season tickets to the Met and would take me. I must admit I was not a fan, but glad I was exposed. I did enjoy The Marriage of Figaro though. I liked the music. Totally agree on casting for B&TB. Not thrilled with Emma Watson. They should have dubbed her or found a Broadway style singer for the role. Overall I enjoyed it though.

Your plans to DLR sound amazing. I wish there was another Jelly Belly factory on the East Coast. I would so be there! And Belly Flops @amjt660 . Hysterical!

Thank you!! How cool that your parents brought you to the Met! Figaro was one of my first "favorite" operas.

I really liked a lot of things about BatB and I really wanted to like all of it! Alas...

I agree, we need an east coast JB factory!

 

[bee]

This may or may not have been me this morning.

 

[Tuvalu]

Love Mr. Bean!

 

[MinnieM123]

This may or may not have been me this morning.

That was hysterical!! (I thought he did quite well with the one word he knew, to sing in the hymn!!)

 

[geebee721]

Your trip plans sound amazing! My husband and I always talk about planning a Cali trip..I am dying to visit Napa Valley! Can't wait to hear all about it!

 

[amjt660]

Congratulations on the opportunity
My DD is finishing up a music degree so I can appreciate finding and jumping at that amazing offer.

4 days to prep for Cali - No problem!!

Max

 

[bee]

Congratulations on the opportunity
My DD is finishing up a music degree so I can appreciate finding and jumping at that amazing offer.

4 days to prep for Cali - No problem!!

Max

Is she doing performance, music ed, composition, something else? What's her instrument? The musician life can be difficult and uncertain but it can also be so, so rewarding!

 

[bee]

Did anyone else get this offer? The only utility I use a credit card for is internet, but it's always nice to get a little extra in rewards!

 

[Tuvalu]

View attachment 200099

Did anyone else get this offer? The only utility I use a credit card for is internet, but it's always nice to get a little extra in rewards!

I did. So did @Tony the Tigger.

 

[MySmallWorldof4]

View attachment 200099

Did anyone else get this offer? The only utility I use a credit card for is internet, but it's always nice to get a little extra in rewards!

Yep. I will take 4% back on my electric bill.

 

[amjt660]

She is graduating with aBachelor of Music therapy
Her next step is 1000 hrs of internship

Her main instrument is flute but she also plays piano, guitar, and rhythmic drums. She was involved in choirs throughout high school

Thanks for asking

Max

 

[bee]

She is graduating with aBachelor of Music therapy
Her next step is 1000 hrs of internship

Her main instrument is flute but she also plays piano, guitar, and rhythmic drums. She was involved in choirs throughout high school

Thanks for asking

Max

I have a few friends working as Music Therapists, and one who got a BM in Music Therapy and went on to get his Master of Public Health (I think!). It's a wonderful field with so many chances to make a difference in the world!

 

[bee]

I'm counting down the days until the California trip! The next five weeks will be busy at school as we prepare for our Vocal/Piano recital. I have nineteen students, ages 5-16, singing and/or playing! The other two teachers will also have several students performing so it will be a very full recital! So far we have songs from Snow White, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Mary Poppins, The Little Mermaid, Frozen, and Moana programmed! And Star Wars!

This weekend M and are are driving to Niagara Falls! We'll visit Canada for the first time (for M) and first time in 20+ years (for me). I wonder if it's just like Epcot???

 

[amjt660]

I'm counting down the days until the California trip! The next five weeks will be busy at school as we prepare for our Vocal/Piano recital. I have nineteen students, ages 5-16, singing and/or playing! The other two teachers will also have several students performing so it will be a very full recital! So far we have songs from Snow White, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Mary Poppins, The Little Mermaid, Frozen, and Moana programmed! And Star Wars!

This weekend M and are are driving to Niagara Falls! We'll visit Canada for the first time (for M) and first time in 20+ years (for me). I wonder if it's just like Epcot???

Glad to hear you are coming up to Canada

and no it will not be exactly like Epcot!!

Niagara Falls is a very touristy area so beware of that aspect.

Not sure if the Maid of the Mist is running (boat ride that takes you pretty close to the base of the falls) or the Behind the Falls walking paths.

If you get a chance to follow the river down past the falls you will find a rapids area that has a gondola that goes across the water

And if you enjoy wine the Niagara Region has an amazing wine route to follow and do some tasting.
Canadian Ice Wine is a treat - very sweet wine that you have after a meal.

Enjoy

Max

 

[bee]

Guess what we found??

 

[bee]

We had an amazing time at Niagara Falls! We stayed at the Sheraton on the NY side and could see the mist coming up from the Canadian Falls from our room. We walked over the Rainbow Bridge to get to the Canadian side. The views from the bridge and from the surrounding area are really just stunning.

As @amjt660 said, the area around the Falls is quite touristy. We had Tim Horton's for the first time. We bought some postcards and coffee mugs from a gift shop. After a few hours we walked back to New York over the bridge.

If you ever get the chance to go, GO!!

By the way, Canada DID sell beer and popcorn

 

[amjt660]

We had an amazing time at Niagara Falls! We stayed at the Sheraton on the NY side and could see the mist coming up from the Canadian Falls from our room. We walked over the Rainbow Bridge to get to the Canadian side. The views from the bridge and from the surrounding area are really just stunning.

As @amjt660 said, the area around the Falls is quite touristy. We had Tim Horton's for the first time. We bought some postcards and coffee mugs from a gift shop. After a few hours we walked back to New York over the bridge.

If you ever get the chance to go, GO!!

By the way, Canada DID sell beer and popcorn

I am glad you enjoyed your quick trip to Canada
and that you had a Tim's - a must do for a visit to the Great White North

Max

 

[bee]

EEEEEEE! We're at 99 days to Disneyland (93 to California)!!! DOUBLE digit dance!!!!! (thanks @amjt660)

There isn't much to update but we (well, I) have been obsessively researching and re-researching and re-re-researching hotel choices for the entire trip. We keep realizing we made good choices in the first place and haven't actually changed anything.

I'm running my very first 5K this morning. This isn't a WDW thread but you can guess what I'm preparing for.

 

[fractal]

A few updates!

SO, my pre-Cali summer plans have changed. I was offered a professional cover contract in upstate New York for a DREAM ROLE of mine that hopefully will become one of my signature roles. In the opera world most singers have or at least hope to have 5-10 signature roles in their repertoire that they can perform over and over in different productions/with different companies so it's helpful to start learning them young. The rehearsal/performance period overlaps with the the training program in Texas. So obviously I picked the one that pays me instead of me paying them, and I will get home a week later than previously planned. That leaves only four days to pack and prepare for California! It makes me nervous but I know we will manage.

Southwest recently sent me more drink coupons!! Our next planned flight is to CA so we'll definitely enjoy a beverage or two on our way!

Last week I sold two Hamilton tickets that I bought a while ago (kind of sad, but-don't hate me Hamilfans-I have tickets for November so I'm still going to see it in New York) to help pay for the training program. Obviously I don't need that money for the program anymore, and that amount combined with my refunded deposit is enough to pay for our WDW APs!!! It's like we don't even have to save up for them!!! So I've been busy dreaming of future trips in my mind and probably driving M nuts telling her every time I have an idea for a trip.

For most classical singers Holy Week is crazy busy. Mine hasn't been too bad so far but this weekend will be busy. Today I sang for a brief Good Friday service, tomorrow night is Easter Vigil, and then of course Sunday morning is the BIG DAY. I'm already looking forward to a BIG NAP Sunday after church. Happy Easter to all those who celebrate!

congrats!

You're going to have a great time in California.