Trip Dates: August 8 through August 15
Cast of Characters: Me, Tink 36, my sister B, nephew C and brother in law E.
Transportation: SouthWest from Hartford to Los Angeles
Hotel: Paradise Pier 2 nights Comfort Inn and Suites at the Park Anaheim California 5 nights
Experience: None really, I havent been to Disneyland since I was 11. I am a Walt Disney World Veteran
For those who dont know me please check out some other Tink Trip Reports in the WDW section
Pre Trip Report
I blame it on social media. After the last D23 event, I made a decision that I would go to the next one no matter what! I had to go and experience the event, meet the people I follow on Facebook and Twitter daily who I dont know at all and most importantly experience the magic. With the Disney fan community you definitely have the opportunity to meet some wonderful people and be part of a larger Disney Family. When I first started thinking about going, I had no idea how my life would be changing but I felt that things were moving in the right direction and this trip was a big part of that. I wanted to make a big decision for myself inspite of whatever may or may not have happened. Little did I know my oldest sister was wanting to go as well but on her end it is purely for the history aspect. She has been an avid Disney fan since she was a little girl and knows everything...I mean everything about everything. So what would this mean for our annual sisters trip? Well...that we would do Disneyland instead of Disneyworld.
Planning:
I had no idea where to start. Planning for Disneyland seemed like planning to go to a foreign country. I know Disney World like the back of my hand and I have been going since I was a little girl. So many aspects of planning just terrified me. I wasnt looking forward to trying to pick a place to stay and coming to grips that it wouldnt be a Disney hotel. I knew that for a few nights during the Expo I could stay with my sister before her husband and son joined us. I just cant share a room with everyone snoring...I did it for 2 nights a few years back in Walt Disney World and I still have nightmares.
This is how the cookies crumbled over the past year and a half:
First thing I did:reserved a hotel, well many hotels actually, then cancelled, then rebooked. It is very hard to pick an economic hotel outside of Disneyland. I then scrutinized and obsessed about it on the forums and finally decided to just make a decision.
Next: purchase the event tickets with early bird discount
Next: Used all my SouthWest points to reserve a free flight
Then: Finalize hotel to get great advance purchase rate
Next: Purchased super shuttle tickets to and from the airport
Finally: Purchased discounted 4 day Park Hopper from the D23 event discount link
My sister, B, chose Paradise Pier for her stay so for Thursday and Friday Ill be there with her. Saturday at some point Im going to have to run back to the hotel, get my suitcase and go check in at the Quality Inn at the Park on Katella. I settled on this hotel because of the great deal I got on the rate and I walked it on Google Maps and it seemed very short. Price was key, I just hope I dont regret that. Oh well, its all paid for.
B called Disneyland in July and we settled on the following dining reservations:
Friday 8/9
Breakfast Storytellers Caf
Saturday 8/10
Breakfast Storytellers Caf
Sunday 8/11
Breakfast Storytellers Caf
Monday 8/12
Lunch Blue Bayou
Tuesday 8/13
Lunch Carthay Circle
Wednesday
Lunch Carnation Caf
I cant believe one month out we got everything we wanted. That just doesnt happen at WDW. As the time has come closer to departure, the excitement around D23 Expo is palpable and between the app, the brochure I downloaded, the updates Ive been reading, I cant calm my nerves down anymore. I am convinced that I am about to drop a small fortune on TinkerBell shirts, books and other collectibles. I am looking forward to attending many of the venue shows but most of all I am just excited to be amongst so many people who all love the same thing and who are all part of a large circle of friends thanks to sites such as MousePlanet, Twitter and Facebook. I am holding no expectations for Disneyland and do not plan to go into it with the mindset of comparing one park to the other. I want to just go, be, take it in and fall in love with it.
Bookmarks