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hickorydickory
10-19-2006, 10:14 AM
My family and I are going to DL for 5 days in Novermber 12-17. We are going for multiple celebrations and just to try to get rid of the stresses of our year.
It's my birthday!!!!
our 5 year wedding anniversary (we were engaged in DL)
I am currently fighting off Cancer,
My Dad beat Cancer :) this year
my husband is grieving the loss of 2 grandparents over the summer (one of them introduced him to DL after his Mom died)
Our dd was also very close to one of the grandparents and now is having crying spells and asking some very difficult questions.
And a few other minor stresses that wouldn't be a big deal if we weren't already maxed out.


SOOO ..... what can we do/not do to reduce stress? I just want us all to laugh together. It seems like it has been a while since we did that.
I have a very daring 3.5 year old who at this time is 39.75 inches with her shoes on... is this close enough for the height requirements? Do they put a stick on tip of her head or does she just stand in front of a line. Whenever someone measures her with a stick she scrunches downwards as soon as the stick touches her.

We are staying at the HOJO we plan on walking in and leaving our car at the hotel.
We have not booked priority seating because we don't know when and where we will be.... is this a mistake? I don't want to make them and do a no show. Do we need to have called ahead for the lilo & stitch breakfast? Where is the pph... can we walk there?

Can we order a bithday button or anniversary buttons ahead of time? I would really like to have them BUT I know DH won't want to wait in line for them. Where do I go for them anyway?

What kind of thing is likely to cause stress? For me it would be being in the sun wheel, the moving one, with a terrified 3 year old when I am even more scared.... For DH it would be being stuck in a big crowd or line. If there is a huge line we will probably skip it, at least till we are a little more relaxed.

Anyway, sorry for the LOOOONNNGGGG post but I would appreciate any suggestions.

SeansMom
10-19-2006, 10:23 AM
First, I'm sending you a big hug! You certainly sound like you could use a vacation!

Birthday buttons: You can get them at City Hall in Disneyland. Free, and the lines there are usually short early in the day.

Stress: I'd have a plan, but leave flexibility. Maybe have your most of your meals planned out and PS already made, so you don't end up waiting in long lines to eat. You could use Ridemax to sketch out your days, and run off several differnt options.

If lines are an issue, brush up on fast pass if you're not familiar with it.

Have a great trip :).

Bolivar
10-19-2006, 10:43 AM
It really depends on you. I think for some people, it is stressful to have a plan that you try to stick to. For others it is stressful not to have a plan.

For me, I would not really want a plan. I would get up early and get to the park first thing in the morning. Enjoy the uncrowded morning, then when it starts to get busy I would head over to DCA for a while and then go back to the hotel and relax, swim a bit and unwind. Then head back to the park after dinner for the evening.

I have mentioned this before, but what I always do is bring my own food. It saves money which is always nice, but that isn't why I do it. I am not a morning person and I don't want to get up early enough to go to a hotel breakfast that is going to take 30 minutes to an hour to get through. I have cereal, milk and paper bowls in the room and we eat and are out the door in ten minutes. That's 50 minutes more sleep. More really when you think about getting a group out the door to breakfast, then out of there and back to the room, then back out of there. Then we eat either lunch or diner in the hotel room. That is peanut butter sandwiches, or lunch meat and cheese with some fruit, stuff like that. Sometimes that is lunch, sometimes it is dinner depending on when we eat our one meal a day out.

For me that is a big stress reducer because it is relaxing to go back to our room, be alone with the family, unwind and not wait for food or worry about were we are going to eat, what the crowds are like etc. Some people really like to eat out, so that wouldn't be a good thing.

stan4d_steph
10-19-2006, 11:07 AM
Hojo to PPH: It's a pretty long walk from the HoJo to the Paradise Pier Hotel, but it's through Downtown Disney, so you could combine it with browsing the shops etc. if you were going to do that anyway.

Character Breakfast: If you want to do a character meal, I would suggest getting a PS. Reservations are not necessary for most places, but will keep you from waiting longer if the restaurant is crowded.

Height measurement: Usually the CMs will have your daughter stand up against or near an item to indicate her height. If she's even a slight bit under, she will not be allowed to ride for her safety.

SDMom
10-19-2006, 11:24 AM
ditto to the hugs. Looks like you have done two things to greatly reduce the stress, park the car and spend several days.

One other way to reduce the "we have to do everything in one day" feeling is to make sure everyone says what is their #1 attraction or event that they want to do. I know with a 3 YO that is impossible but you can guess for her. Then make sure you do those things first - the rest is gravy. Also, make sure you do fireworks or parades early in your trip if possible. Check the calendar before you go and after you get there to make sure you know what is offered on each day.

Just a little planning to make sure no one leaves disappointed.

Best wishes to you on your recovery and Happy Birthday and Anniversary!

ochibiyo
10-19-2006, 11:45 AM
Hi! I ditto the hugs too, especially one from Pooh Bear!! I would make PS, just because you never know what might be happening. We were running a half hour late (a three year morning tantrum!) to our breakfast character meal and they kept our table since we had PS. That was so great due to the fact that is was lightly raining with wind and they were seating people outside who didn't have PS. Also at whatever character dining you choose, you should be able to buy a birthday bucket, it has character of your choice, pin and birthday cake. It was cute and was about $20, well worth the smiling face and giggles! Have a great trip!!

josephfive
10-19-2006, 11:48 AM
I second the suggestion from Sean's Mom and give RideMax a try. That way you can plan out your days and not have to think about where you want to go next. Time will definitely be on your side so that you will have plenty of time to enjoy the sights, sounds and smells of DLR.

What my family did once was one day we did mostly shows and a couple of attractions. The next day we did a couple of attractions and things like the Cookie Baking, Storytime, etc. Another day we did autographs. You kind of get my drift, that we spread it out to eliminate the panic of getting it all done in one day!

In terms of measuring, most CMs do a good job of gauging how tall a child is. I'm sure there is a post on height requirements on this site if you do a search and then you can know ahead of time what she can or cannot go on.

You will have a great time and I'm sure once you are in the park all your stress will melt away.

Tell us how it went!!!

Malcon10t
10-19-2006, 01:02 PM
Most of them have "bars", pretty much the kids head has to touch. If the CM sees they are slouching, they will encourage them to stand straight. If it doesn't touch, they wont be allowed to ride. Close enough isn't close enough.

To destress, remember there are a lot of things that aren't rides to do. See Billy Hill, sit and relax in the Disney Gallery, don't try and do everything in one day.

Bolivar
10-19-2006, 01:08 PM
When I was there in August my son was 38" tall bare foot (I didn't measure him in shoes, but I would guess 38.5"-39"). But we also made a issue of it because he was only two and we had fastpasses. So when we went into the fastpass line we pointed him out and asked if he could go without a fastpass because we can't get one for him -- because he doesn't have a ticket. They looked at him, had him stand by the stick and said he was too small anyway. Then when I said I would stay out with him they gave me a child swap. So now I had my fastpass and a child swap good for two people. When they got off, three of us went right back on.

mommy-san
10-19-2006, 02:32 PM
One thing we try to remind our kids (and ourselves) is that Disneyland, while being the most magical place on earth, can also be loud, busy, hot and uncomfortable. You do a lot of waiting, a lot of hurrying, then a lot more waiting. It's as hard on the adults as the kids. Get your daughter a stroller FOR SURE and for the adults in group- take lots of time to people watch. And as soon as you get through the gates in the morning, as hard as it is to not rush, we try not to give into the frenzied feeling that comes at entry time by sitting down by The Opera house and watching the crowds and characters come in. It is always a guaranteed way to get a wave from Mickey or a pat on the head from the White rabbit. It also gives us a chance to get ourselves together and make a game plan for the day. We are not schedule people, but having the day's map and show times is a good place to start.
We also stay at HoJo and my family loves the pool. Bring arm floaties for your daughter (the pools kinda deep) and she'll have a blast. Oh, and when you walk back to the hotel after the parade etc. in the evenings- don't cross the street by the Disneyland gates. Walk on the fence/tree side and cross by the hotel. Saves a few minutes and your daughter can walk at her own pace instead of trying not to get stepped on by the masses leaving with you.
Lilo and stitch breakfast is the best. If you are morning folks, make PS for as early as possible because the place is nearly empty and you'll get lot's of time with the characters.

hickorydickory
10-20-2006, 08:17 AM
Thanks everyone for your replies. I will make PS arrangements today. I think just for Lilo and Stitch breakfast. Unfortunately DD is not an early riser and will often sleep till 9:30 or even 10 and waking her up is NOT a pretty site. If she doesn't get her beauty sleep she turns into Maleficent :D.

We had planned on going to the parks for the morning then taking a early afternoon break and then going back into the parks at night. When we go back into the park we thought of bringing our DD in a backpack. That way she can see the fireworks and does not get overwhelmed by the sea of legs that would otherwise be her view for the evening.

We will basically plan our day around DD's needs. If she is tired we have a break, if she is hungry we will eat, if she doen't want to do a ride we wont. On our last trip when DD was 23 months we went on small world at least a dozen times and that was just in one day. The CM's let my family stay on the boat and go around and around and around.

I am a Mac user so I can't do the ridemax thing.

I will bring my own food in. I have a bunch of dietary issues (allergies) so I need to prepare most of my food from scratch or read each label very carefully.

Hopefully DD will grow a teeny bit in the next 3 weeks. I can't do anything immoral in front of her.... she is too smart for that. I can just hear her "mommy I am tall enough now with those things in my shoes. See I can reach the line yesterday I couldn't but now I can!!!!"
Or
" Why I can't have my own ticket? I am a grown up girl now. I am 3 years old. Why you say that I am 2? Mommy that is fibbing, fibbing is not good. Can you tell me the story about the boy who cried wolf......"
You get the picture. So (sigh) I have to set a good example, after all it is the right thing to do.

Well thanks everyone for the suggestions.

I Heart Disneyland!
10-20-2006, 02:44 PM
You are sure needing this gathering at the Happiest Place On Earth and I am glad you are able to do it.

Here's what we normally do which alleviates a lot of stress. We don't really make a ton of solid plans. We just go with the flow of the day and we try to be easy going with what each person wants to do. We just had our son here for 10 days, from another state, and what made the week so great is that we just kicked back...made no rigid plans, and just let the days plan themselves. Worked out great and it was relaxing for us all.

I wish you a wonderful time!