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!

 

[bee]

It's been raining nonstop since this morning but the 5K still happened! Despite the rain I maintained my goal pace and finished with a smile on my face.

M didn't want to do this one with me (and I can't blame her since I've been training and she hasn't) and I have to say, running alone when you're not being competitive is kinda lame. But we are both registered for a WDW 5K next year. Obviously there will be a formal PTR and TR when the time comes!

congrats!

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

Thank you!

We are getting more and more excited about California! Work has been very busy for both of us as we finish up semesters and as I prepare the role for this summer. It's still so weird to me that I don't have to book dining reservations 6 months out!

 

[Figgy1]

Sorry I've been remiss about keeping up with TRs It's been a busy time for my family I just want to say congrats on getting the role you wanted and can't wait to hear all about your California adventures

 

[bee]

Sorry I've been remiss about keeping up with TRs It's been a busy time for my family I just want to say congrats on getting the role you wanted and can't wait to hear all about your California adventures

Welcome back Figgy, and thanks! Nothing like catching up on other people's TRs to distract from the stresses of life!

 

[amjt660]

No one said there would be math today but I think 99 days to go is double digit dancing??
Sorry if I am bumming you out but you know - mechanical engineers- super an. al retentive

Max

 

[bee]

No one said there would be math today but I think 99 days to go is double digit dancing??
Sorry if I am bumming you out but you know - mechanical engineers- super an. al retentive

Max

Hahaha, thank you! I meant double!

And lol @ an. al!

 

[amjt660]

Hahaha, thank you! I meant double!

And lol @ an. al!

The website wouldn't let me type it normally!!!!!

Max

 

[bee]

Today is June 10, which means..

One month from today I leave for upstate NY to begin rehearsals for the opera! Time to get serious about memorization!

AND

Two months from today M and I will step into Walt's park for the first time!!! Tomorrow we can start making ADRs. We definitely want a dinner at Wine Country Trattoria on our DCA day, and a dinner at Napa Rose on our last DLP day as a nice break from the parks and crowds. We're thinking for our first DLP day we'll just do quick service or wing it with table service if we feel like it. We also MUST find time to get to the Steakhouse 55 bar for the 24-layer cake after seeing it in @ajrwdwgirl's TR! But since it's a steakhouse and we're vegetarians we won't want to take up a regular table just for cake. We're also thinking about Tortilla Jo's for brunch on our Downtown Disney/non-park day (after we're done with parks). I'm sure there are better local restaurants for brunch but we want to spend as much time in the Disney atmosphere as possible before preparing to go home.

Side note, M is currently in Florida...WITHOUT ME. She's not doing anything Disney-related but is just visiting her parents for the weekend. Her birthday was a few weeks ago and her mom really wanted to come visit for that, but M figured it would be easier for her to just fly down instead of trying to get her mom up here. M has already sent me the MOST purrrrrecious photos of her childhood cat Frisky, whom you may recognize from my past TRs:

Another side note, last night I had dinner with two of our friends from college who live in New York and whom we don't get to see often enough because they're also busy working musicians (she's a choral conductor and he's a jazz drummer). They are also going on vacation to California in August a few days behind us! They'll be in northern California while we're at Disneyland. We obviously had no idea of each other's plans, haha.

 

[21stamps]

Following!

 

[DisneyGigi]

I would love to go back to Disneyland. I went in 2002 for just a day while visiting San Diego for a few days. I didn't have time to do both parks but there was no way I was going to be that close and not see the place it all began. You will love it. There is just a special feeling you get when there. All the history with Walt, it is awesome. I loved California and driving up the coast from San Diego to Anaheim it is absolutely gorgeous! Following along and congrats on the role.

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

Today is June 10, which means..

One month from today I leave for upstate NY to begin rehearsals for the opera! Time to get serious about memorization!

AND

Two months from today M and I will step into Walt's park for the first time!!! Tomorrow we can start making ADRs. We definitely want a dinner at Wine Country Trattoria on our DCA day, and a dinner at Napa Rose on our last DLP day as a nice break from the parks and crowds. We're thinking for our first DLP day we'll just do quick service or wing it with table service if we feel like it. We also MUST find time to get to the Steakhouse 55 bar for the 24-layer cake after seeing it in @ajrwdwgirl's TR! But since it's a steakhouse and we're vegetarians we won't want to take up a regular table just for cake. We're also thinking about Tortilla Jo's for brunch on our Downtown Disney/non-park day (after we're done with parks). I'm sure there are better local restaurants for brunch but we want to spend as much time in the Disney atmosphere as possible before preparing to go home.

Side note, M is currently in Florida...WITHOUT ME. She's not doing anything Disney-related but is just visiting her parents for the weekend. Her birthday was a few weeks ago and her mom really wanted to come visit for that, but M figured it would be easier for her to just fly down instead of trying to get her mom up here. M has already sent me the MOST purrrrrecious photos of her childhood cat Frisky, whom you may recognize from my past TRs:

View attachment 209297

Another side note, last night I had dinner with two of our friends from college who live in New York and whom we don't get to see often enough because they're also busy working musicians (she's a choral conductor and he's a jazz drummer). They are also going on vacation to California in August a few days behind us! They'll be in northern California while we're at Disneyland. We obviously had no idea of each other's plans, haha.

I could go for some of that cake right now! If you don't eat in the restaurant at steakhouse 55 you can only get the cake while sitting at the bar. They won't serve the restaurant menu at the lounge tables. If there is only one seat at the bar one of you could order it and then move to one of the lounge tables/couches.

 

[bee]

Following!

Welcome!

I would love to go back to Disneyland. I went in 2002 for just a day while visiting San Diego for a few days. I didn't have time to do both parks but there was no way I was going to be that close and not see the place it all began. You will love it. There is just a special feeling you get when there. All the history with Walt, it is awesome. I loved California and driving up the coast from San Diego to Anaheim it is absolutely gorgeous! Following along and congrats on the role.

Thank you! I can't wait!

I could go for some of that cake right now! If you don't eat in the restaurant at steakhouse 55 you can only get the cake while sitting at the bar. They won't serve the restaurant menu at the lounge tables. If there is only one seat at the bar one of you could order it and then move to one of the lounge tables/couches.

Thanks for the tip! We'll make sure we do it right to GET THAT CAKE!

 

[bee]

Dining is reserved! Here's what we have:

Thursday (Disneyland)
Café Orleans lunch

Friday (California Adventure)
Wine Country Trattoria dinner

Saturday (Disneyland but taking a break to resort hop)
Napa Rose dinner

Sunday (no parks)
Tortilla Jo's brunch

I'm considering moving the Napa Rose dinner to Sunday so we don't lose as much park time. We don't have any other plans for Sunday other than eventually getting to our airport hotel for an early departure.

 

[ScarletBegonias]

I'm following! I haven't been on for awhile since my April trip ended up being cancelled and I've been suffering Disney Depression majorly, but I'm back now and ready to read everyone's TR's!

I cannot wait to read all about DLR! I would love to go sometime!

 

[amjt660]

Dining is reserved! Here's what we have:

Thursday (Disneyland)
Café Orleans lunch

Friday (California Adventure)
Wine Country Trattoria dinner

Saturday (Disneyland but taking a break to resort hop)
Napa Rose dinner

Sunday (no parks)
Tortilla Jo's brunch

I'm considering moving the Napa Rose dinner to Sunday so we don't lose as much park time. We don't have any other plans for Sunday other than eventually getting to our airport hotel for an early departure.

Great choices
Make sure you side outside at Wine Country
We have never been to Napa Rose but it looks exceptional

Looking forward to your TR

Max

 

[bee]

I'm following! I haven't been on for awhile since my April trip ended up being cancelled and I've been suffering Disney Depression majorly, but I'm back now and ready to read everyone's TR's!

I cannot wait to read all about DLR! I would love to go sometime!

Sorry to hear that. I hope some Pixie Dust comes your way soon!

Great choices
Make sure you side outside at Wine Country
We have never been to Napa Rose but it looks exceptional

Looking forward to your TR

Max

Thanks for the tip, Max!

 

[MinnieM123]

Your plans sound like fun!

 

[Figgy1]

I'm following! I haven't been on for awhile since my April trip ended up being cancelled and I've been suffering Disney Depression majorly, but I'm back now and ready to read everyone's TR's!

I cannot wait to read all about DLR! I would love to go sometime!

Sending some pixie dust your way in hopes of being able to schedule a trip soon.

 

[bee]

WARNING: this post involves medical procedures and stitches...and not this guy:

Read at your own risk!!

If you read my PTR and TR from the last time we took a WDW trip, you may remember I had a second root canal done on one of my molars last May/June (the endodontist did it in two sessions), then got in a car accident on the way home from the second session.

Everything was fine for a year. Almost exactly a year after the procedure I started having a very slight pain in the same tooth while chewing. I had a regular dental checkup coming up so I told the dentist; he didn't see anything unusual in my X-rays or gums, so he filed down the crown a bit in case I was just experiencing pressure from the contact with my upper teeth. This was Tuesday morning. On Tuesday night M and I went out to dinner in a group for our friend's birthday. During dinner I could feel it getting worse and worse to the point where I couldn't stand chewing and only ate half my dinner. It was too late to call the dentist so I called Wednesday and they said I could come in and the dentist would see me between appointments.

Wednesday (yesterday) I got to the dentist and he again had the tooth X-rayed and looked for any outward signs of an infection. He tapped on all the teeth in the area to make sure we really knew which was the problem and presumably to see if I was actually in pain. Then he kept filing away at the crown and making me bite down even though I told him it hurt to bite. I could have punched him. I was trying (unsuccessfully) to hold back tears during all this. I understand there are plenty of people who fake pain in attempt to get prescription meds to either take themselves or sell...but like. Dude. I was literally crying in his chair. I just wanted a referral to the endodontist, which he finally gave me.

I called the endodontist and made an appointment for Friday (tomorrow). I felt better after taking ibuprofen so I figured I could wait.

THEN...

I woke up with extreme throbbing pain around 4:00 this morning. I looked in the mirror and the whole gum area around the tooth was swollen and discolored. I took more ibuprofen and came back to bed in an attempt to sleep but the pain was so bad I started crying and couldn't stop and definitely couldn't sleep. Unfortunately I woke up M in this process. She stayed up with my and held me while I cried, then around 6:00 she called the endodontist for me and left a message asking if I could come today instead. She made me a protein smoothie so I could get some nutrients without having to chew. She also decided to take the day off to take care of me.

Around 8:15 the doctor himself called back and asked if I could come in today at 9:15, which was perfect. I took a Lyft to the office and when I got there I had more X-rays done and the doctor inspected the area (thankfully he didn't tap tap tap like Dr. !!). He said I had a bad infection and another root canal would probably not help, and recommended an apicoectomy (Wikipedia if you don't know what it is-I sure didn't!). He said he could do it right then and there and I said, "Yes, please!" so I could start recovering sooner rather than later! He numbed me with a LOT of something-caine, more than I've ever had for a procedure before and performed the surgery, which was basically (WARNING WARNING GROSS GROSS GROSS!!) removing the entire tooth, cleaning and treating it while it was outside of my mouth, and placing it back in. It was actually pretty quick and after he was satisfied with the new X-rays he placed stitches around the tooth so it hopefully heals correctly. (CAN'T SAY I DIDN'T WARN YOU!!)

He gave me prescriptions for antibiotics, a mouth rinse, and pain meds (nothing crazy, just high strength acetaminophen) and told me to avoid hot food or beverages or showers for 48 hours, and take 4 ibuprofen every 8 hours for the next day or two while I have pain. I am supposed to fly to Texas on Sunday to see my parents and brother, which the doctor said should be fine, although I might still have some swelling in the area around the tooth. Which would totally suck as half the point of the trip was to have some good Tex-Mex, haha. I made a follow-up appointment for two weeks from today to get the stitches removed and check on the progress.

I took a Lyft to Target since it's one of the closest pharmacies to home and M (best wife ever!) met me there to help me get the rest of the way home. She bought me some soft, cold foods/drinks since I won't be able to eat normally for a bit. It's now been about eight hours since the surgery and it's definitely not going to be a fun next few days. I am quite swollen in the area around the tooth and if I weren't on lots of NSAIDs I'm sure I'd be miserable. I'm ready for this to be done!!

I've often said, semi-jokingly, that this tooth is cursed. I have been fortunate to have had good dental health with the exception of a few minor cavities, which were easily treatable with fillings. I have never had braces but I have naturally straight teeth. Every dentist and specialist remarks how healthy the rest of my mouth is and how unusual it is to have had so many problems with one tooth. Being an opera singer and occasional drama queen, I can relate to a certain character who also was cursed: the title character of Verdi's Rigoletto, who is cursed long before the start of the opera, and of course his own actions lead to the curse-and his worst fear-being fulfilled. Here is the very end of the opera. The worst has just occurred (I won't spoil it in case you want to watch the opera) and he exclaims, "Ah! La maledizione!" ("Ah! The curse!") (happens at 0:13)



I jokingly sing this sometimes when bad things happen (when it would be better to laugh than cry) and I may be delirious from pain and lack of sleep, but I'm finding this hilarious right now (and driving M a little nuts).

As much as this sucks, I'm glad it happened now and not while I was in Texas with my parents, or upstate for this opera gig, or in California on vacation!!! And at least I paid the bill with my Disney Visa and I'm getting Disney Dollars!

TL;DR I had surprise surgery this morning! I have the best wife ever!

 

[LisaBelle]

So sorry you had to go through another dental procedure! I am hoping that this is the last one you will have to endure! I hope the swelling goes down and pain subsides before your trip so you can enjoy your TexMex!

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

Yikes, sounds like a rough day. I'm glad you got it taken care of somewhat quickly, and I hope you heal up soon. Sounds like you do have a great wife.