2 Trips Cancelled Lead to the Ultimate Christmas Adventure!

[Sansarc]

Okay, this helps a lot. Even though I live here, I find it difficult and tiresome to drive around this city, to be honest with you. When I go somewhere across town, like LACMA, I tend to just stay in that area for the day. It sounds like you want to see an art museum. So I agree, if I were you, I'd go to the LACMA complex and nearby Hollywood. I think I mentioned The Grove in a previous post, as well as a few other people, too -- and actually, if you're going to be traveling to L.A. close to Christmas, The Grove may be hard to visit in the middle of the day, or even in the afternoon, because it's also an outdoor shopping mall. There is usually a large tree, reindeer, and sometimes music performed. I think it might be a busy, congested place (especially for parking) unless you go there first, or by 11:00 a.m. If it were me -- and I've actually done this -- I would get up early on Friday and drive to the Farmer's Market/The Grove, and have breakfast. I'd walk around and see the place, then head over to LACMA. I'd see the art museums that are appealing, and then have lunch there. After that, I'd drive up Wilshire Blvd., to Highland Avenue (not far) and go to the Hollywood Highland complex. I'd park there (big lot) and see Grauman's Chinese, the Kodak theater (or whatever it's called now), and the stars on the sidewalk, and maybe have a snack at the Disney soda fountain shop. To me -- that would be a whole day. I don't think you'll have time to see the Hollywood Museum, and it sounds like art is your focus here -- so I'd put all my attention to the LACMA museums. The Roosevelt Hotel is near the Highland complex as well -- that's where one of the first Academy Awards shows took place. I don't know how interested in old Hollywood you are, though! There's also a nearby bar/cafe on Hollywood Blvd (near Highland) that has a mural of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves inside. Here's the link: http://hollywood.patch.com/articles/...e-seven-dwarfs

[tea4two]

E2D, will you have a handicap placard for your rental car? (I don't know how that works for a rental -- do you bring your own from home or does the rental company give you one, since yours is from out of state??) If you will have one, that should solve many potential parking problems. Even at the Grove at Christmas, we haven't had too much trouble finding parking at any time of day, because the large lot has signs that state how many parking spots are free on any given level. So we just skip the levels that seem full and head for a higher level. With a placard, you should have an easier time at museums and other places, too.
We, too, find the driving tiring at times; but L.A. was built as a driving town, so things are pretty spread out. The distance and driving are just part of the L.A. package, so wise planning is helpful. By the time your trip comes up, things should go quite smoothly because of all the pre-planning you are doing. If you have AAA, you can get a free map of L.A. (or you can probably find one at any store with a travel section) which can help you visualize where you'll be (distances relative from location to location) and you can have fun marking out your trip.

[Sansarc]

I hope this link will work from AAA. It's about a day trip or ideas for things to do in Culver City. It's from the May issue of Westways. I was just reading it tonight and thought I'd pass it along to you here. No matter what you do, I'm sure you'll have a great time. How can you not?! You'll be in the city of angels, and then the Magic Kingdom! http://www.calif.aaa.com/westways/20...www.google.com

[SigalTchelet]

I hope this link will work from AAA. It's about a day trip or ideas for things to do in Culver City. It's from the May issue of Westways. I was just reading it tonight and thought I'd pass it along to you here. No matter what you do, I'm sure you'll have a great time. How can you not?! You'll be in the city of angels, and then the Magic Kingdom! http://www.calif.aaa.com/westways/20...www.google.com

I was reading about the local places to eat and it reminded me of a local Taco place that is very popular and good. Tito's Tacos. All my high school classmates on FB remember it fondly and make it a point to check in there when they are in town. http://www.titostacos.com/

[tea4two]

Found these links for restaurant coupons on another board. I think you already have the Patina group coupon, but the others may come in handy. As stated below, try the links closer to your trip for newer coupons with later expiration dates.

"A few link to surrounding restaurants:

California Pizza Kitchen (20% off)
http://anaheimoc.org/content/califor...next-visit-cpk
(Check closer to travel date for most recent coupon. This one is expiring end of August.)

DTD: Catal, Naples and Tortilla Jo’s
http://www.patinagroup.com/joinus.php
($30 coupon within 60 days of your birthday. Must be over 21.)

DTD: La Brea Bakery (10% off), Rainforest Cafe ($5 off) and Ralph Brennan's Jazz Kitchen (10% off)
http://anaheimoc.org/coupons
(Check closer to travel date for most recent coupon.)"

[Escape2Disney]

Thanks for the coupon list. I had one of them, but will check out the other 2.

I woke up this morning and realized we get on the plane 6 months from today! 180 days....not too bad of a wait!

[tea4two]

... I woke up this morning and realized we get on the plane 6 months from today! 180 days....not too bad of a wait!

Woohoo!

[Escape2Disney]

THE FINAL LA PLANS
After many, many changes to the LA portion of the trip, we've made what we hope to be the last of the changes for that short 2-day portion of the trip. We will still be going to the Museum of Tolerance on Thursday, December 6th. We've decided that the 2nd day we will go to LACMA and Farmer's Market and the Grove. Though I loved all of the suggestions and we had another long list here at the house, this will require the least amount of travel and chaos. This decision was, in part, to allow us to scrap the idea of the rental car. Since travel is so hard on my back, I very likely will need to take something for pain. If I'm driving a rental car, I won't be able to do that and will likely start the day in a bit of pain. I'd rather enjoy the time and rely on cabs and busses.

THE NEW, IMPROVED, AND (HOPEFULLY) FINAL SCHEDULE

So, at long last, here's our schedule.....


December 6th: Arriving at LAX and getting to our hotel by around 9:30 AM. We will then catch a cab to the Museum of Tolerance.

December 7th: We'll check out of the hotel and leave our bags at the front desk. Catch a cab and go to LACMA. Spend the morning, have lunch, and explore a bit more before heading to Farmer's Market. We'll hang out there for a bit before catching a cab back to the hotel. We'll take the hotel shuttle back to LAX and catch the Disneyland Express to The Carousel Inn.

December 8th: My my rental scooter will be at the front desk by 8AM (at that point it'll be nice to get out of the manual chair for a while). DD and I will go to Mimi's Cafe for some breakfast. Then we'll head to Disneyland for a leasurely tour around the parks!! We'll head back to the hotel at around 1:00 to accept our delivered groceries and wait for my mom to arrive. When we're all accounted for and the groceries are put away, we'll head back to the parks. Dinner at Cafe Orleans.

December 9th:Meeting friends at Minnie and Friends for brunch, followed by park time and a rest in the afternoon. Dinner at Napolini and Fantasmic priority seating in the evening.

December 10th: Breakfast at Mimi's Cafe, followed by park time. CPK for dinner.

December 11th:Parks in the morning, then brunch at Storytellers. Rest in the afternoon, then back to the parks. Dinner at Tortilla Joes.

December 12th: Another Mimi's breakfast (gotta love having 3 coupons) followed by a day at the parks (with the typical afternoon rest). Dinner at Carnation Cafe.

December 13th: Thanks to a late flight out of LAX, we'll be able to spend most of the day in the parks. We'll take the DL Express back to LAX late in the afternoon, and arrive back home just before midnight.

Whew! I'm exhausted just looking at that! I can't wait!

The only unknown factors will be which day my friends from Oceanside will meet us in DTD and when/where we'll connect with my aunt.

I can't believe how fast the time is going by! We'll be there before we know it!

[tea4two]

Glad things are falling into place! Just a quick question: is it possible that a car service might work out to be more convenient and less expensive for you than calling cabs separately? Your hotel may have a deal with a certain company or a deal with the cab companies, too. Just a thought. If I find anything about this, I'll post it later.

Also, have you looked at any of the new food offerings at DCA? It seems that most of your dining will be at DL or DtD. There are already a few reviews of the new DCA restaurants and the menus are online, too. Don't know if these interest you, but it's nice to have the options.

[tea4two]

...Here's a list of the restaurants we might try:


Mendocino Farms
300 South Grand Ave, Los Angeles
(213) 620.1114
$10/person
Lunch Only
...

We were driving down Fairfax right past the Farmer's Market (where you were planning on going anyway), and there was a brand new Mendocino Farms right across the street! It doesn't appear to be open for business quite yet, but by the time of your visit, it should be completely up and running. So now you can try it if you decide you'd like to, and not have to go far out of your way.

[Escape2Disney]

I can't believe it's been over a MONTH since I've posted anything! It's been a roller coaster lately - house guests, DD starting a new college quarter, mom breaking her hand, and health issues of my own. All of that has kept me much busier than normal. I'm down and out with back spasms today, so I figured I might as well make good use of the time by getting back to Disney planning. It's a great distraction from pain! I know, you're probably getting tired of the mundane details of our trip planning, but I'll share anyway in case our crazy process will help anyone else in their planning!

My mom is finally getting into the planning spirit! In the beginning, all she would say is "I'll do whatever you guys do" and "I'll eat whatever you want to eat". That all turned around about a week ago when we were having dinner at her house. DD and I started chatting about the holiday decor and what we wanted to do first when we arrived. By the end of that dinner, mom was on board for Fantasmic seating, 2 Character meals, and all other restaurants we discussed. She started talking about rides she was looking forward to as well as ones you couldn't PAY her to ride. We also talked about upgrading to PPH and sharing a room if they come out with a deal. If not, we've got the rooms at Carousel on the same floor.

On a whim I decided to buy PhotoPass Plus for this trip, and the package should arrive sometime next week. DD mentioned that I never seem to be in any of the pictures, which is true since I'm the one taking them every trip. Since my mom will be joining us for the first time, we figured it'd be nice to have a few shots with all 3 of us. We can also get some pictures with other friends and family that will be joining us throughout the trip. I'm really happy that it'll include ride and Character Dining pictures. When I did the math, I figured this was a MUCH better deal than buying prints while we're there!

That's all for now. Hope everyone is having a great week!

[Escape2Disney]

In an unbelievable turn of luck, I was reading a trip report on another site this morning and read that seniors are given discounts at Disney hotels! My mom qualifies for the discount! We cancelled our stay at Carousel and booked Paradise Pier Hotel! The cost difference for the entire stay was only $80 since we will now be sharing a room. Thankfully mom is a fantastic travel partner! (you think I used enough exclamation marks in that paragraph?! Can you tell we're excited?!)

We've also received our PhotoPass Plus package from Disney. It actually only took 3 days to get here, which is pretty impressive. Being the ever-paranoid planner, I put the CD voucher number in a safe place right after typing the number on my computer so there would be a back-up in case the original was lost.

Now it's time to update the handy-dandy trip binder...

[Malcon10t]

In an unbelievable turn of luck, I was reading a trip report on another site this morning and read that seniors are given discounts at Disney hotels! My mom qualifies for the discount! We cancelled our stay at Carousel and booked Paradise Pier Hotel! The cost difference for the entire stay was only $80 since we will now be sharing a room. Thankfully mom is a fantastic travel partner! (you think I used enough exclamation marks in that paragraph?! Can you tell we're excited?!).

So, you are paying $80 more when you are only getting 1 room now instead of 2, and the Paradise Pier is about .15 mile further than the Carousel? Not sure if this would really be worth it.

ETA - Part of me is including your Service Dog. It is much further to take the pup out in the morning also. The Carousel is a close walk, however, the Paradise Pier is notorious for having problems getting an elevator down in the morning, especially with you in an ECV and trying to get the dog out first thing to do its business. It can be a distance out, then down to the nearest grassy area. For us, we take into account the hassle of getting the dog out. We have never had an issue with Carousel. We have had issues with larger hotels, so when we stay at places like the Hilton, we stay on the Lanai deck so we can just exit out. You might check to see if there is a dirt or grassy area on the roof where the pool is as it might be easier to go up than down.

[Escape2Disney]

So, you are paying $80 more when you are only getting 1 room now instead of 2, and the Paradise Pier is about .15 mile further than the Carousel? Not sure if this would really be worth it.

ETA - Part of me is including your Service Dog. It is much further to take the pup out in the morning also. The Carousel is a close walk, however, the Paradise Pier is notorious for having problems getting an elevator down in the morning, especially with you in an ECV and trying to get the dog out first thing to do its business. It can be a distance out, then down to the nearest grassy area. For us, we take into account the hassle of getting the dog out. We have never had an issue with Carousel. We have had issues with larger hotels, so when we stay at places like the Hilton, we stay on the Lanai deck so we can just exit out. You might check to see if there is a dirt or grassy area on the roof where the pool is as it might be easier to go up than down.

I totally get your point - it was a consideration when we were weighing our options. When we were milling around the properties on our last visit, we found our preferred potty spots for when we'd stay there. My service dog is fantastically "regular", even when we travel. So much so that if he rings the bell to go out at home, I can tell you what time it is before looking at the clock LOL. DD is also really good about taking him down the stairs to get out quicker if it's necessary, too. I will call to check about a roof potty spot as well so we have other options. I'm all about having a backup plan!

I agree that the distance is better at Carousel, but DD has always wanted to stay at each of the Disney properties at least once. We've had the pleasure of staying at GCH twice, but not the other two. Since we found a way to get it in the budget this time, we decided to knock this one off of the bucket list. I am a sucker for DD's bucket list.

Honestly I think part of the reason she wants to stay there instead of Carousel is because it's in the "Disney bubble". I can understand that - she's always been very comfortable with anything Disney and nervous about staying places she hasn't already deemed "okay". I chalk it up to the autism. To me, a new hotel is a new hotel no matter who owns the building. to her, it's just "different" (I don't know if that makes sense to anyone but us! LOL). She'll already have one "different" hotel during the LA portion of the trip, so I'm more inclined to make concessions for this portion. Besides, I'm looking forward to checking out a different Disney property myself. Thankfully my mom is the one person in our travel group I can easily share a room with. If it was anyone else in our extended family that will be meeting us along the way, I would have put my foot down and stayed at Carousel.

[Escape2Disney]

I realized sometime last week that I may have a problem with the Disneyland Express Shuttle vouchers I purchased at GAT. As I updated our handy-dandy-trip-binder, I noticed that all of the vouchers were in my name. That wouldn't be too much of a big deal, except mom is arriving 2 days later than we are. I called GAT customer service. They were more than willing to exchange vouchers that listed the appropriate names. They let me know that for the legs of the trip where we are all together, it isn't a problem for them all to be in one name. If there's a chance of the party being separated, it's best to order them - one at a time - so that they have the correct name printed on the voucher.

Just thought I'd give this tiny update in case anyone else is using vouchers for their shuttle travel!

[Escape2Disney]

SLIGHTLY OFF TOPIC:
I have an interesting quirk; some in my family would call it a bit crazy. Everytime I get bad news from the doctor, I plan a Disney trip. It's my way of having something wonderfully positive to look forward to instead of focusing on the depressing reality.

Well, the last few weeks, I've had a few medical atom bombs dumped in my lap. Since the December trip is fully planned, I figured I'd start planning another trip to ensure the Disney magic can keep on flowing from January and beyond. Makes sense, right? If I don't bore you all too much with this PTR/TR, I may document that process as well.

Our tenative dates for the new trip are September 23-28, 2013. We may shave a day off of the trip, but otherwise, it should be set. The goal is to go during Halloween time without interrupting DDs college classes. Classes will start September 30th, so these dates seem to be most appropriate. All of the September refurbs should be complete, and if we're lucky, there will be a Halloween Party on one of our last nights.

We are planning on staying at DLH if the budget holds up. I know we can save money by staying off-site and normally this would be my first choice. By the time of this trip, DLH will be the only on-site hotel we haven't stayed in, so we figured we would give it a shot before going back to our more economical off-site choices. Since DD will be transferring from Community College to a University in a few years, I figured we might as well go all out while she's still at home. Besides, if I've learned anything this year, it's to plow through bucket lists now while I still can!

My Disney bucket list includes:

• Stay at all 3 on-site hotels - hopefully the 2013 trip will fulfill this one
• Ride Lilly Bell - we rode it on our last trip. I hope to take mom on this trip.
• Eat at Club 33 - sure, it's a long shot, but I don't have the heart to take it off of the bucket list
• Go to DLR during each season - Halloween is the only season we haven't been! Once this has been met, there will only be one month that we haven't been to DLR - June! Maybe I should change this to going every month of the year!
• Meet a Disney executive - We always thank CMs for what they do - I'd like to also say THANK YOU to people in charge of our favorite destination!
• Tour the Animation Studios - Not sure yet how to do this, but hopefully we can do this sometime. DD is a fantastic artist who hopes to work for Disney or Pixar when she finishes school. I figure if I can't do this now, maybe I will when she works there <fingers-crossed>

I had to remove some items from the list as they are no longer possible. For example, I originally wanted to go to every Disney park, but I can't do long distance or international travel anymore. Another reason to do what I can while I can!

BACK TO THIS YEAR
The only things we have left to do for this trip are:

• Make Priority Seating reservations for our Table Service restaurants
• Get some trip supplies
• Order groceries
• Make touring plans
• Make CM Thank You post cards
• Pack and GO!

Ressies and grociers will have to wait, but getting supplies I can do as I find sales. I've been shopping online here and there for a couple of weeks. I'm a stickler for getting things on sale which is why I do things so far in advance. There are a couple of things on my list that I haven't found on sale yet. Once I am up and around again, I'll check local stores.

Here are the things I'm still looking for:

• Hand warmers
• Toe warmers
• Ponchos
• Hats

The hand/toe warmers are important because I don't tolerate cold well. On top of everything else, I have Raynaud's disease. This affects the extremeties, so it's important for me to keep them warm! We're going to get ponchos in case it rains or DMOM and DD want to ride GRR or Splash. The hats are the hardest for me. I'm supposed to stay out of the sun, so a hat makes sense. I just don't want to look too crazy! I wish I looked good in hats like DD, but I'll have to settle for at least looking presentable.

As for CM Thank You cards, we started this tradition a few years ago. It occured to us that when CMs have to deal with a lot of cranky, demanding people all day long. It can be a morale booster to receive good feedback! If a CM is particularly helpful or nice, we give them a card, take their name, and let City Hall know all all of the CMs who were wonderful that day. It may seem cheesy, but sometimes a nice gesture can make someone's day.

OH, NO! CANDLELIGHT!
Don't get me wrong - I'd love to see CP. It sounds like such a beautiful performance! I'm just not thilled that this large set-up will be taking up the front part of Main Street for our entire stay. Mom hasn't been to the parks in 35 years, and I was hoping she would get the full immersive experience. It's not a wonderful impression to be herded like cattle as we exit the park at the end of the night. When I get around to pulling together a touring plan, we'll probably be heavily dependent on the Monorail.

I'm glad that time is moving along so quickly! Before we know it we will be in the parks!

Thanks again for tagging along on my planning journey!

[tea4two]

I added comments in blue -- hope they make sense.

SLIGHTLY OFF TOPIC:
I have an interesting quirk; some in my family would call it a bit crazy. Everytime I get bad news from the doctor, I plan a Disney trip. It's my way of having something wonderfully positive to look forward to instead of focusing on the depressing reality.

I do this, too! There has to be something fun to anticipate -- it keeps me going and is so encouraging when things look grim.

...

My Disney bucket list includes:

• Stay at all 3 on-site hotels - hopefully the 2013 trip will fulfill this one
• Ride Lilly Bell - we rode it on our last trip. I hope to take mom on this trip.
• Eat at Club 33 - sure, it's a long shot, but I don't have the heart to take it off of the bucket list
• Go to DLR during each season - Halloween is the only season we haven't been! Once this has been met, there will only be one month that we haven't been to DLR - June! Maybe I should change this to going every month of the year!
• Meet a Disney executive - We always thank CMs for what they do - I'd like to also say THANK YOU to people in charge of our favorite destination!
• Tour the Animation Studios - Not sure yet how to do this, but hopefully we can do this sometime. DD is a fantastic artist who hopes to work for Disney or Pixar when she finishes school. I figure if I can't do this now, maybe I will when she works there <fingers-crossed>

Have you looked in to the Lights, Camera, Magic Tour by Adventures by Disney? Here is the link for AVP's recent review: http://www.mouseplanet.com/10067/Lig...wood_Adventure. ABD recently announced that the dates for this tour would be extended through the end of 2013. It would require no driving on your part, cover your tour of Hollywood that got replaced on your Dec. trip, and give you and your DD a tour of the Burbank Studio.

...

Ressies and grociers will have to wait, but getting supplies I can do as I find sales. I've been shopping online here and there for a couple of weeks. I'm a stickler for getting things on sale which is why I do things so far in advance. There are a couple of things on my list that I haven't found on sale yet. Once I am up and around again, I'll check local stores.

Here are the things I'm still looking for:

• Hand warmers
• Toe warmers
• Ponchos
• Hats

The hand/toe warmers are important because I don't tolerate cold well. On top of everything else, I have Raynaud's disease. This affects the extremeties, so it's important for me to keep them warm! We're going to get ponchos in case it rains or DMOM and DD want to ride GRR or Splash. The hats are the hardest for me. I'm supposed to stay out of the sun, so a hat makes sense. I just don't want to look too crazy! I wish I looked good in hats like DD, but I'll have to settle for at least looking presentable.

We've usually found the hand and toe warmers (I have problems with cold, too -- have you tried ginger cream? It is supposed to help. I haven't tried it yet.) at sporting good stores, like REI. We can get the ponchos at sporting good stores, too, but they are cheaper at Target in the dollar section. As for hats, I've had good luck with Tilley products. (I also have issues with being in the sun, thus most of our DL visits are in the evening.) Tilley hats are expensive, but you can find deals on the internet through other vendors, but they sure do have great spf protection and they take a lot of abuse while looking good.

As for CM Thank You cards, we started this tradition a few years ago. It occured to us that when CMs have to deal with a lot of cranky, demanding people all day long. It can be a morale booster to receive good feedback! If a CM is particularly helpful or nice, we give them a card, take their name, and let City Hall know all all of the CMs who were wonderful that day. It may seem cheesy, but sometimes a nice gesture can make someone's day.

We do this, too. Just seeing the CM's faces light up when they understand you want to thank someone, not complain, is such fun. It really makes a difference to them, and it is an opportunity for us to return some of the magic they give us.

OH, NO! CANDLELIGHT!
Don't get me wrong - I'd love to see CP. It sounds like such a beautiful performance! I'm just not thilled that this large set-up will be taking up the front part of Main Street for our entire stay. Mom hasn't been to the parks in 35 years, and I was hoping she would get the full immersive experience. It's not a wonderful impression to be herded like cattle as we exit the park at the end of the night. When I get around to pulling together a touring plan, we'll probably be heavily dependent on the Monorail.

This may not be too big a problem during your trip. Since there is so little info available about what will really happen and because most of what we're hearing is speculation, this may end up being much less of a deal than expected. If the traditional CP is any indication, this happens for 1 weekend every year, and many, many people in DL have no idea that it is even going on. They don't do anything to avoid it, and as long as they aren't in Town Square during the actual performance times, it just doesn't impact their visit in any significant way. Let's hope that DL plans this well and that there are no big problems!

I'm glad that time is moving along so quickly! Before we know it we will be in the parks!

The time really is flying by! I can't believe how quickly your trip is approaching!

Thanks again for tagging along on my planning journey!

[Escape2Disney]

I looked into the ABD trip, but decided against it. I've read a few trip reports and it seems that the trip is packed full of stops, making for fast moving, long days. At this point I can't do a marathon trip like this. Hopefully I'll have a remission at some point and it'll be possible, but for now, it's unfortunately too much.

I've never heard of ginger cream! Thanks for the tip! I will pick some up and try it before the trip to see if it works well enough to leave the hand/toe warmers at home. We've been going to Target every couple of weeks and they don't have the ponchos out right now. Hopefully after summer they will be more readily available. We'll be sure to check the Dollar Store too.

Tilley products look interesting. I think I'll investigate further to see if I can find something that will work.

I hope you are right about CP! Maybe they'll have a smaller footprint given the number of performances scheduled. I hope it doesn't impact the parade too much!

One more thing I forgot to post today - I gave my mom some Disney homework to get her in a Magic Kingdom mood. I gave her a list of 15 movies to watch over the next 15 weeks. Each represents something in the park (for example, the original Alice in Wonderland and Peter Pan). She seems excited and is looking forward to watching them all! I think this will help her appreciate everything she sees at the parks!

[tea4two]

Totally understand about not having the stamina for a long ABD tour, but just want to clarify that the LCM tour (as in AVP's review) is a one day only tour that leaves from and returns to the DLH. And, as with any Disney company, I've heard that Adventures By Disney is really good about accomodating special needs.

The ginger cream used to be available from the Vermont Country Store. If they don't still have it, I'm sure you can find it through Google. Sometimes I've used ginger tea and/or ginger candy to get some warmth (and these are easy to carry in the parks). The tea works better (clearly, since it's hot already), but the candy can help, too.

What a fun homework assignment for your mom! Hope she enjoys it.

[Escape2Disney]

Totally understand about not having the stamina for a long ABD tour, but just want to clarify that the LCM tour (as in AVP's review) is a one day only tour that leaves from and returns to the DLH. And, as with any Disney company, I've heard that Adventures By Disney is really good about accomodating special needs.

The ginger cream used to be available from the Vermont Country Store. If they don't still have it, I'm sure you can find it through Google. Sometimes I've used ginger tea and/or ginger candy to get some warmth (and these are easy to carry in the parks). The tea works better (clearly, since it's hot already), but the candy can help, too.

What a fun homework assignment for your mom! Hope she enjoys it.

I didn't know about the LCM tour - I'll check it out. Thanks!

[Escape2Disney]

I just got a look at the number of views for this thread and HOLY COW! I guess I better make this thing interesting at some point for those reading!

I don't have much new to report....just a few little things....

We have 2 new people added to our adventure! One of my good friends while in HS and college and her husband will be joining us on one of our museum days. We haven't seen them in over 10 years, so it will be fun to catch up with them while enjoying the sites. They recently moved near DLR, so it won't be too far out of their way for them to join us in LA.

Starting tomorrow, we're going to speed up the movie-watching assignments for my mom. The homework sounded fun to her in theory, but her husband isn't much of a Disney fan. He wasn't thrilled about watching cartoons for 15 weeks. No problem - we can host the party! Tomorrow we plan to watch 2 movies, though I'm not sure which ones we will view first.

It dawned on me that the last few trips were in a warmer time of year. I decided to make a few hats and scarves that we can bring along in case it gets cold. Not a bad project to save a few dollars! Since we've already picked up ponchos, I think we're set to deal with most any weather possible!

We're just a few weeks from making ressies! This year has certainly gone by in a flash.

That's all for now, folks. Have a great week!

[houseofmouse]

Wow, what a thread! So exciting that your trip is coming up so soon! You will be there over my DD's birthday and mine. I was there last year for my birthday and had a great time, I love seeing all the Christmas decor.
I heard a rumor, from a good source,(no it's not AL Lutz), there are not going to be any cast parties this year. Sad for them, if it's true. If so the park won't close early.

[Escape2Disney]

Wow, what a thread! So exciting that your trip is coming up so soon! You will be there over my DD's birthday and mine. I was there last year for my birthday and had a great time, I love seeing all the Christmas decor.
I heard a rumor, from a good source,(no it's not AL Lutz), there are not going to be any cast parties this year. Sad for them, if it's true. If so the park won't close early.

Thanks! I hope you enjoy reading along.

I'm still trying to decide which of our ressies to designate as the birthday celebration. Maybe it'll be the very last one since that will be the closest to my actual birthday. So many decisions!

I think I read about the cast parties here on MousePlanet! I wasn't terribly worried about it since we're there for 6 days, but it sure is nice to stick with our common pattern of eary arrival, long break, close the parks down.

[tea4two]

...It dawned on me that the last few trips were in a warmer time of year. I decided to make a few hats and scarves that we can bring along in case it gets cold. Not a bad project to save a few dollars! Since we've already picked up ponchos, I think we're set to deal with most any weather possible!...

The hats and scarves sound like a great idea. We saw a family over the summer in matching cotton scarves and hats -- really cute! Their grandmother had made them for the trip.

[candles71]

While I didn't need a hat or scarf, my hands got cold, dollar store stretch gloves were perfect. I even handed a pair to my friend, she hadn't thought to bring any, and she is always cold.