**January 2018 Check-in Thread**

[RADOPT]

A friend and I are going Jan 2-5. Looking forward to no kids, trying Trader Sam's and a few other adult locations. It has been 11 years since our last DL trip and she was pregnant. We have WOC dessert and the steak house at DL reservations. The rest of the time we will wing it. So far the weather looks perfect.

 

[gsrieff]

2 weeks! My DS finds out in 2 days on Christmas Eve! I've got a 4 layer Russian doll style gift for him to open. Each box has the next item inside (WOC shirt, Disneyland jacket, Death Star ears), and then the final box is a sign with a 12 day countdown. I can't believe I've been able to keep my mouth shut. That's some serious Disney magic.

All of our plans are still in place. F! BB package, WWFT, and Goofys Kitchen. We did gain my sister into the trip at the last minute, and we were lucky to add her to our ADRs. We are going to attempt to be there at opening for the last day of the Cove Bar being open. Pray for us. LOL. Our outline does not fit the Christmas parade in...I hope this isn't a mistake. We are choosing WOC Season of Light over it. Trying to balance the Christmas change over, and half the pier closing down with shows and ADRs is HARD. We've made a food list of things from the Festival of Holidays we want to try. YUM.

I am getting beyond excited for the DLH. Dole whips with rum in it?! Yes please. I even stashed away a little extra for room service one morning. I've never stayed at a place that offered it...so this is a big deal!

FULLY prepared for insane crowds as the locals want their last dash of holiday season. I don't even care. Just get me to Anaheim! 14 days!

 

[Meriweather]

2 weeks to go!!

 

[taffy]

7 days to go, cant wait to see the kids faces when we get to the airport.

 

[BandMom1]

One more week and I'm *home*!!! Can't wait!!!

 

[aussiejen]

I cannot believe how fast time has gone...my countdown started as soon as i booked 6 months ago now its under a month to go..
im a little nervous about all these closures, and how crazy the crowds are going to be around the time we go.

Theres also some music thing on at the convention centre whilst were there....can anyone tell me if the parks are busy around then, do we avoid the parks at that time?

 

[lalasmama]

Theres also some music thing on at the convention centre whilst were there....can anyone tell me if the parks are busy around then, do we avoid the parks at that time?

The NAMM Show will likely affect crowds somewhat--they are offering discounted Disneyland tickets. However, they would likely be going to the park at the same time as the locals, so you wouldn't likely notice a difference when compared to a non-conference time.

 

[gsrieff]

So...the big reveal on Christmas eve was a flop. DS was actually upset because he was expecting the initially huge box to be a physically large gift.

8 year olds .

I was so disappointed, and it really bummed me out for the rest of Christmas. I'd been planning and keeping this secret for 6 months...I just set my expectations too high I guess.

Now that the Christmas hustle and bustle is over with, he's asking questions and the excitement is building. The funniest thing was that yesterday I told him I have money set aside so we can order room service...AND HE CRIED WITH JOY. My kid cried over the thought of room service, but not Disneyland.

Its too bad splash is closed. He has never ridden it because its been closed every time.

 

[tlcdoula]

So...the big reveal on Christmas eve was a flop. DS was actually upset because he was expecting the initially huge box to be a physically large gift.

8 year olds .

I was so disappointed, and it really bummed me out for the rest of Christmas. I'd been planning and keeping this secret for 6 months...I just set my expectations too high I guess.

Now that the Christmas hustle and bustle is over with, he's asking questions and the excitement is building. The funniest thing was that yesterday I told him I have money set aside so we can order room service...AND HE CRIED WITH JOY. My kid cried over the thought of room service, but not Disneyland.

Its too bad splash is closed. He has never ridden it because its been closed every time.

Aww sorry you didn’t get the excitement you had hoped for. Kids are so funny. Have a great trip!!! And enjoy the room service.

 

[scrapshappen]

So...the big reveal on Christmas eve was a flop. DS was actually upset because he was expecting the initially huge box to be a physically large gift.

8 year olds .

I was so disappointed, and it really bummed me out for the rest of Christmas. I'd been planning and keeping this secret for 6 months...I just set my expectations too high I guess.

Now that the Christmas hustle and bustle is over with, he's asking questions and the excitement is building. The funniest thing was that yesterday I told him I have money set aside so we can order room service...AND HE CRIED WITH JOY. My kid cried over the thought of room service, but not Disneyland.

Its too bad splash is closed. He has never ridden it because its been closed every time.

The one time we surprised our boys with a Disneyland trip it stressed them out more than adding to the fun. So we don't surprise them anymore. Haha! It will all work out and he'll be excited for it soon enough!

 

[scrapshappen]

We are suppose to leave two weeks from today but I'm having a hard time wrapping my brain around another trip. Haha! I really want to go because I love Disney and our passes expire in February. But this will be our fifth trip in six months (even less than a first world problem, I know) and I have a son with anxiety and sensory processing issues that only seem to get worse as he gets older (he'll be 13 in February). It's been a rough holiday season with him so I'm having a hard time gearing up to take him back. I'm sure we will end up going, if only to get out of the yucky January weather here in Utah. But someone help me feel more excited to go, please!

 

[MermaidHair]

Well I am 28 days out from our planned departure but the trip is now up in the air. I planned it when I did because my kids have a random teacher work day=3 day weekend so I thought great! Now the kids (DD 16 and DS 14) are not really wanting to go because of all of the ride closures and the fact that they will have homework to deal with (hello! We are to drive from the bay area. What else is 14 hours in the car good for??). Anyway, they do still want to go but want to try to aim for summer time but they are not thinking about crowds & summer job schedules. Oh well. My backup plan is to try to convince my best friend to come with me in Jan. I see her this weekend so fingers still crossed. I will let you know how this goes down...

 

[tlcdoula]

I can’t believe I am a month out today from stepping foot back in the parks!!

Starting to think about packing but we have never been this time of year. What is everyone packing to wear? I am thinking capris might be safest or just fold my jeans up.

This trip hubby isn’t coming so I won’t be carrying a back pack just my smal
Purse to the parks. I do have a light rain coat that I will prob carry with me and tie it over my purse Incase I get chilly or it rains.

 

[schmennifer]

I'm about two and a half weeks away from our trip! We had to shorten our stay by a day, but that's fine. We're in LA and are getting APs. I haven't thought about what to pack because it's so warm right now and could either stay the same or get really cold all of a sudden. Accuweather is currently forecasting 70-degree weather for my week with possibility of light rain. But that could change.

This trip was supposed to be a surprise for my daughter--we're celebrating her 4th birthday. But I'm afraid the cat is sort of out of the bag. She told us that we should go to Disneyland for her birthday, and whom we should invite, and which rides she wants to ride. I didn't object so...surprise!

 

[Cactus girl]

Add us to the list! My AP expires soon so that means it's time for a girl's trip! While the hubs fly up to Whistler to ski, us moms and kiddos will fly in for a quick trip Jan 21-25th. We are staying at the Homewood Convention Center.

I am a little nervous that it is showing Fantasmic and WOC for the dates, but no parades, fireworks or Frozen Live. We usually fly in and just stay within the berm the whole time, but I think we may throw in a trip to Griffith Park just to mix things up. Has anyone done the hike from the Observatory to the Hollywood Sign?

 

[gsrieff]

I am undecided on how to pack for the weather. We are people who usually stick to carry-ons for saving money and time. Generally, I wear a tank top and capris so they don't take up much space. This time the forecast is saying low to mid 70s during the day and 48ish at night. With possible showers. Those require two completely different wardrobes..so I am packing double? lol I don't have a day off until we head up to the airport hotel on thursday...I'll guess I'll just wait until the last minute to decide.

Oh, I know...I'll just layer DS and I with everything before we go to PDX, and then I dont have to pack any of it!

 

[BarbMike821]

It's official. We bought our tix last night! We'll be there 1/21 - 1/25 using miles and my sister's employee discount at the sheraton. Now to just keep it from the monster squad!

 

[lalasmama]

So...the big reveal on Christmas eve was a flop. DS was actually upset because he was expecting the initially huge box to be a physically large gift.

8 year olds .

I was so disappointed, and it really bummed me out for the rest of Christmas. I'd been planning and keeping this secret for 6 months...I just set my expectations too high I guess.

Now that the Christmas hustle and bustle is over with, he's asking questions and the excitement is building. The funniest thing was that yesterday I told him I have money set aside so we can order room service...AND HE CRIED WITH JOY. My kid cried over the thought of room service, but not Disneyland.

Its too bad splash is closed. He has never ridden it because its been closed every time.

A few years ago, when our youngest was turning 8, we surprised her with a trip to DLR. We had been talking about a "fictional" trip for months; she always said, "Maybe we can go to Disneyland when I am 9 and do _________," so I just played along, knowing it would be well before she was 9.... So there we are, at her party, and in front of everyone--my aunt, my uncle, my dad, the neighbor and her son, our nanny and her daughter-- she opened a letter from Minnie Mouse that announced she would be leaving for DLR the following day, and my child told me it was mean of me to lie about her present since "we can't afford to go to DLR." Definitely not the joyous response I was expecting! She seriously thought it was a big, terrible joke. I don't think she believed we were actually going to DLR until we were passing the parks on the way to the hotel--you know, after Grandpa picking us up early in the morning, lugging heavy suitcases into the car, then out of the car, through the airport, through TSA, to the gates, onto the plane, for the whole flight, back off the airplane, through the airport, to the DLRE bus... but no, kid, don't believe me until you see the signs at the hotel! Kids! (Where's that head-hitting-the-wall smiley when you need it? hahaha) In my case, lesson learned: do not surprise DD with a trip! She needs time to warm up to the idea!

I am undecided on how to pack for the weather. We are people who usually stick to carry-ons for saving money and time. Generally, I wear a tank top and capris so they don't take up much space. This time the forecast is saying low to mid 70s during the day and 48ish at night. With possible showers. Those require two completely different wardrobes..so I am packing double? lol I don't have a day off until we head up to the airport hotel on thursday...I'll guess I'll just wait until the last minute to decide.

Oh, I know...I'll just layer DS and I with everything before we go to PDX, and then I dont have to pack any of it!

I'm dealing with the same exact conundrum. Ugh! Heavy coat? Rain coat? 3-in-1 coat? Will leggings be okay, or will I need jeans every night? It was 80º yesterday--I don't have any shorts to pack right now! And, like you, I'm a carry-on type, so space is at a premium. DOUBLE UGH! I suppose it's not the worst problem we could have!

 

[DizMe]

Well, my plans have changed! Decided to surprise my 14-year-old twins for Christmas--they got 2-day passes and flights to come along on my birthday trip. Now it will be me, my oldest DD and 1-year-old grandson, and my twin DDs. We also added another night and changed flights, so that killer deal where we paid just $29 each way went out the window and we added the cost of another night in the 1-br suite at DLH. But hey, I don't regret it and can't wait! DDs were ecstatic, btw, and oldest DD and I realized that we now have 2 great babysitters along.

We'll now be there from Jan 23-25 at DLH.

 

[xtina!]

Oh my gosh, I'm sure that was infuriating but it's so funny!!! Kids!!!