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yellowrosedtxn
02-17-2005, 06:03 AM
I have never posted here before, but after reading several posts here, I just wanted to share with you my upcoming Disneyland trip. I have been waiting 25 years to go back to Disneyland. My dad was in the military way back when. We were being stationed in Hawaii (I know a true hardship) and on our way there we were supposed to go to Disneyland (notice how I said supposed to?). Well we had some obstacles that popped up, one being when we were headed towards Las Vegas our car got hit. We had to spend the week in Las Vegas to get the car repaired. My parents didn’t seem to mind it too much and as a kid who had never been to Disneyland before, I guess I didn’t seem to mind it too much either. Well we never made it to Disneyland before we went to Hawaii. When it was finally time to PCS, our new station would be in Arizona. Dad said that we could go to Disneyland. It just happened to be the 25th anniversary that year. I was so happy. My brother and I got silver ears (which I have to this day). I got another treat while we were there I got to see Jan and Dean in concert. I am not sure how many of you know who Jan and Dean are (were) but they were a duo that I grew up on. My mom loved to play records (at the time that is what we had) on Sunday mornings while we did our chores. I knew all of the Neil Sedaka songs, as well as Beach boys and Jan and Dean. So I was thrilled to be able to see these guys singing at “The Happiest Place on Earth.”. I swore then that I would be back at Disneyland for their 50th anniversary, whether I had kids or not, I would be there.



Well, it is now the 50th anniversary year and I am so happy that I am going back. I have 125 days before I go. I wasn’t doing a count down until I read the thread of “37 days to go” and how excited everyone is getting for themselves and each other. My dad, who was a nurse in the military, is going to get to go too. That is a long story too, but we’ll just say that my brother, the one with the silver ears, has MS and is totally bed ridden. My dad has been taking care of him for the last 15 years and has never really had a vacation since that. My mom had MS too, but she died almost 6 years ago. Anyway, my brother is going to be at the VA hospital for a two week stay and my dad, my kids (3 of them) and me are going to spend 11 days and 10 nights at Disneyland. We are staying at the DLH. We won’t spend every day at DLR or DCA but we are going to at least go there six days. We also plan on going to Universal Studios, the LA tour, the OC tour and Legoland. I am so excited about the whole thing, that I have been doing research on the “how-to’s” or the “where-to’s” for the whole trip. At first my dad thought I would be burnt out before I even got there and I wouldn’t be that excited. I just told him that no, with doing the research I will know what I want to see, what I want to eat and what I want to do so we won’t waste time on trying to figure it all out when we get there. I feel like that little girl in the old Disney (land? or world?) commercial that says: "I've waited my whole life to meet you!" to Mickey Mouse.



Anyway, I just wanted to say thank you to everyone for providing me such great information!

sdfilmcritic
02-17-2005, 06:06 AM
Awesome! Good for you to be able to have a chance to go back to Disneyland. I hope you have fun during your big return trip!

bradk
02-17-2005, 06:13 AM
wow, well enjoy (but i'm sure that goes without saying).

may i just be so bold as to suggest one thing to you though. if your plans aren't completely final, depending on how many days you plan on visiting LA, you may want to consider staying out there for the LA portion of your trip. traffic can be brutal between anaheim and los angeles / hollywood. you're looking at several hours of driving just for the commute. i'm sure several others could place a better perspective on it, but it might save you an enormous headache. plus something like the universal city hilton or sheraton universal might even be more cost effective than the DLH (not to mention the other dozens of hotels in the LA area).

legoland too will be a trek, being in carlsbad, but hopefully not as much.

you might want to look into getting the hollywood citypass which might save you some money on universal and a few other places you might be looking to visit in the hollywood area. you can also get a good discount on legoland tickets through costco.com.

yellowrosedtxn
02-17-2005, 06:19 AM
well I was going to get the tickets/transportation through Disneyland itself. They have those tour packages, that way I wouldn't have to worry about driving. I know the drivers in Texas can be bad, but I have heard horror stories about driving in CA too. I figured I would rather pay the extra cost rather than worry about driving or getting lost. (Which I am famous for.) If I get lost, the kids might disown me. ;-)

sierranevada
02-17-2005, 06:22 AM
First of all - WELCOME!! You have found a great place for information and ideas. I loved reading your post. That is such a touching story!! So glad you are able to finally go back to Disneyland - especially taking your father and kids!! And you can get gold ears to go with your silver ears! Have a wonderful time - how can you not! :)

bradk
02-17-2005, 06:23 AM
gotcha. well it all sounds fun (i'm pretty much doing the same thing myself only without DL's assistance), in that case, i'd just make sure the kids are well entertained during the commutes if need be.

sdfilmcritic
02-17-2005, 06:24 AM
legoland too will be a trek, being in carlsbad, but hopefully not as much.Depending on traffic it should be about two or two and a half hours from L.A. to Carlsbad. I've made the trip from San Marcos (a close neighbor east of Carlsbad) to L.A. in two hours flat before. From Anaheim it should be a little over an hour's drive.

3894
02-17-2005, 06:38 AM
You'll have a great trip and won't believe how things different things are.

Don't forget to post your trip report when you return!

Hakuna Makarla
02-17-2005, 06:41 AM
Good for you!!! I am so happy for you and know what you feel as I had never been before this year. Have a grand time, and please, come back and tell us how it went, and give us a nice trip report from your aspect. ( we love em :) ) also show us some pictures, we love to share here and we welcome you to this wonderful site!! Have a blessed day! I am sad for your brother that he can not go, be sure to bring him back some cool stuff ( gold ears and goodies ) and I will be praying for him to! :)

yellowrosedtxn
02-17-2005, 06:51 AM
Thank you for welcoming me. I will definately take down some notes and post them here. I am so excited to go on this trip and I am looking forward to it. I am also very excited for the people that are going in less than 30 days. I am SOOO JEALOUS! :-) Have a great time there!

sdfilmcritic
02-17-2005, 06:54 AM
And remember --- plan an itinerary ahead of time. Even if you don't follow it to the last detail at least you have an advanced idea of the important things you don't want to miss out on.

Earkid
02-17-2005, 07:18 AM
Welcome, Welcome!!

What an exciting trip you have planned! We all live vicariously through each other on this board when it comes to Disney trips. Can't wait to hear all the special things you do on yours. :D

Shortiemetoo
02-17-2005, 07:19 AM
Welcome aboard and I hope you have a wonderful vacation, full of magic and fun memories!!! Do you know about the pressed penny machines? They are throughout the park and you can get a list of all the locations. Your kids may enjoy making pressed pennies as a keepsake of the trip! I hope you will get your brother a pair of gold ears to sit beside his silver ears (might make him feel as if he were there in spirit at least!!)
Your family will be in my prayers as well as Hakuna MaKarlas!!

yellowrosedtxn
02-17-2005, 07:33 AM
Welcome aboard and I hope you have a wonderful vacation, full of magic and fun memories!!! Do you know about the pressed penny machines?

Thank you for letting me know about the penny machines. I have been reading so many things about saving money or getting inexpensive gifts at Disneyland, like "Souvenirs on a Shoestring". And about all the "Free" things you can get from Disneyland Resort - like the Maps, or the shampoos and soaps (if you are staying at the one of the hotels). I am also a Girl Scout leader and thought it would be cool to bring back some gifts for my girls from Disneyland. So ideas like yours and the other ones I have found will make things a lot easier to find them little gifts just so they know that I do think about them, outside of Girl Scouts.

As far as the ears for my brother go, they are on the top of my list of things to get. I don't care how expensive they might be, but knowing I can bring a little of the magic home with me for him, that will be worth more to me than the cost ever would.

CoasterChickie
02-17-2005, 07:38 AM
Hi yellowrosedtxn

Welcome to MP! That is a great story you told!! I'm so glad you're going for the 50th!!! It's great that you're staying for 11 days so you can really take your time!! Can't wait to hear all about it after your trip!!

disney jones
02-17-2005, 07:46 AM
welcome! that was a wonderful introduction and nice story. And believe me, we're all jealous of you for planning an 11 day family trip.

post away with any questions beforehand, then you'll reward us with a splendid trip report! :D

bradk
02-17-2005, 08:02 AM
also, as far as less expensive souvenirs go, make sure to check out the disney character warehouse, which is a few miles down the road from DLR (there are a few other locations nationwide as well). same merchandise sold in the parks (over/understocks, discontinued items, etc), all for 20%-80% off what the parks sell them at.

and study mousesavers.com (which gives additional details about the warehouse), there are a lot of useful tips there.

yellowrosedtxn
02-17-2005, 08:12 AM
also, as far as less expensive souvenirs go, make sure to check out the disney character warehouse, which is a few miles down the road from DLR (there are a few other locations nationwide as well). same merchandise sold in the parks (over/understocks, discontinued items, etc), all for 20%-80% off what the parks sell them at.

and study mousesavers.com (which gives additional details about the warehouse), there are a lot of useful tips there.

Thanks. I will make sure I check that place out! I am so excited about the whole thing. I have another question if anyone knows this. I bought an AP for our trip. I have been going to the Disney website every single day to see if they have updated their AP area, they still have the "Holiday" Edition of the AP letter. I was just wondering if anyone knows when they will be issuing out the new newsletter. This is the information on "hotel" specials and things of that nature. Does anyone know what I am talking about?

disney jones
02-17-2005, 08:18 AM
I have been going to the Disney website every single day to see if they have updated their AP area, they still have the "Holiday" Edition of the AP letter. I was just wondering if anyone knows when they will be issuing out the new newsletter. This is the information on "hotel" specials and things of that nature. Does anyone know what I am talking about? i know exactly what you are talking about, and i'm wondering the exact same thing too- it seems they are at least 17 days late with an update - what is up with that? I've only had my AP for 8 months, so i'm wondering if they're always late like this???

pokeypoke
02-17-2005, 08:28 AM
A warm welcome to you from all of us!

What a great story to share. I'm almost certain that tears of joy will water your eyes as you step through the gates, 25 years later. Old memories will surface while new memories will be made. Perhaps when your children are all grown, they will share the 75th Anniversary with you and your grandchildren! I'm so looking forward to hearing all about your return back to "The Happiest Place on Earth"!

Pokey :)

disneyhound
02-17-2005, 08:29 AM
Thank you for letting me know about the penny machines...
Stop at City Hall when you get into DL for that list of Pressed Pennys!

bradk
02-17-2005, 08:50 AM
regarding the pennies, this list claims to be relatively recent:

http://parkpennies.com/1_dl_disneyland/DL3_disneyland_pressed_pennies.htm

it won't beat the map of course, but it'll at least give you some idea in terms of plotting it all out ahead of time and then you can just rely on the map to fill in the missed ones.

i'm sure there will be a ton of new ones come may 5th.

yellowrosedtxn
02-17-2005, 08:54 AM
regarding the pennies, this list claims to be relatively recent:

http://parkpennies.com/1_dl_disneyland/DL3_disneyland_pressed_pennies.htm

it won't beat the map of course, but it'll at least give you some idea in terms of plotting it all out ahead of time and then you can just rely on the map to fill in the missed ones.

Thanks! I just went to that site and through some of the pennies. My kids are going to enjoy this a lot. I am also thinking about getting the Vacation Planners at the resort to do something special for my kids - like getting some character autographs to have in the room when we get there. Has anyone had the vacation planners do up a gift basket for them? If so, how did that go? I was thinking that would be a wonderful way to start out our stay.

mad4mky
02-17-2005, 08:54 AM
25 years is a long time to wait to go back.

You will have a wonderful time. :D And, you'll find out, that you'll want to go back...again and again and again... :) Disneyland does that to ya! :)

bradk
02-17-2005, 09:06 AM
I am also thinking about getting the Vacation Planners at the resort to do something special for my kids - like getting some character autographs to have in the room when we get there.

i think the autographed picture thing is normally a special occasion perk, but i'm sure it's not a big deal for them to do it, but to be terribly honest, i think it'd make much more sense to have the kids get the autographs in person (just have a thick sharpie on hand for those big and sometimes clumsy hands). i believe they have autograph books that include holders on each page for a picture if you want to take pictures of them getting autographs.

city hall should have a list of scheduled character appearances throughout the day and most cm's should be able to track down any particular requests as well. and of course mickey and minnie are permanent residents in toon town and their more famous friends usually drop by there too.