KiwiMouseGirl
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Jul 5, 2011
Welcome everyone to the first update of the Scary and Merry planning adventures! Sit back, grab a snack 
, and brace yourselves for 10 whole months of Disneyland planning trials and tribulations! Before we get into the first chapter of our story, let me introduce the cast of travelers!
Myself, Cass! Will be 19 years young at the time of travel. Disney obsessor extraordinaire and overly excited trip planner! Has been to Disneyland once!
The best friend, Alicia
Will also be 19 years young at the time of travel. Is willing to embrace all the magic that Disneyland can offer. This will be her first trip!
Alrighty, now on with the story!
This trip has been in the pipelines for a good Five or so months now. When we originally started planning, the purpose of the trip was to see Disneyland decked out in all of it's Halloween goodness. Our original travel dates were going to be from the last week of September till around about the Second week in October. We decided back then that we wanted to go for a reasonable amount of time so that we could enjoy this holiday and not feel rushed off our feet. It's now that I will mention that I do competitive dance, and after having a year off last year (Oh my Mickey it's 2013 already, yikes
) I hadn't particularly been planning on dancing this year for the specific reason that I had this trip planned. The National dancing competition is held on Labour day, so I wouldn't be able to have Three weeks off training before the big competition. And there wouldn't be enough time after the competition to enjoy the Halloween overlay at a slower pace. But alas, the dancing gods have spoken and I am currently planning on dancing at Nationals this year. Which brings me to....
Chapter Two! While I am excited to be dancing this year, it put a massive bendy kink in our travel plans! Especially when I realized that I had calculated Labour weekend to be on the 21st of October, when it's actually on the 28th!! Alicia and I sat down for our first serious trip meeting (At McDonalds 
) to make some decisions on what we were going to do with our travel dates. It was decided then that we would be jetting out ON Labour day from Auckland airport. Coincidentally, Nationals is being held in Auckland this year. So while it will mean a big weekend for me, I took the fact that I would be right by the airport as a sign that this trip was meant to happen! There will just be LOTS of sleeping happening on the flight!
Chapter Three! It then came to my realization that while we will feel a tad rushed to enjoy the Halloween offerings, going on our trip later will mean that we can catch the beginning of the Christmas season at Disneyland! It has always been my dream to see Disneyland during both of the major overlays, so getting Halloween
and Christmas 
in the one trip will be amazing! 
After a few emails back and forth with the travel agent, she suggested that we look at booking in February/March. Due to work and other engagements at the end of February we will be booking on my birthday (March 13) as I will have the day off work 
Which brings us to the present day! It is now January Second where I live. Which gives us 10 weeks to finish saving for our airfare and accommodation deposit.
Unfortunately Alicia works shift work, so can have some pretty unreliable hours to be saving for a trip. She's trying as hard as she can to save the money for the airfare but told me the other day she might not make it quite by March as she didn't realize our flights had to be payed in full 14 days after booking. If she hasn't made it by March, that's not a problem, we will just book in April. I told her from the beginning that I will be here to motivate her with her savings if she's ever finding it difficult. So I am taking it upon myself as Official Disneyland Trip Savings Cheerleader to come up with some savvy savings idea's and payment plans to keep Alicia feeling the magic during her saving
I have drawn out a few different savings and payment plans (thanks to the help from my friends over on the Australia board 
) The options are basically setting dates to pay for certain things like our accommodation and tickets. Or to have a savings plan and save a certain amount of money a week and pay for everything in one blow at the end. It doesn't affect me in any way, so the decision will be up to her. I think it will be best for her to pay things as we go to make sure that everything is payed for, but we will see what she chooses
I know that 10 months out seems pretty early to start a pre trip report. But all of you other OCD planners will agree with me that there is always something to research and organize! I hope that you all will join me on this pre trip report planning journey and offer your idea's and thoughts on our trip! We have a very rough itinerary drafted so will post that shortly!
- Cass
, and brace yourselves for 10 whole months of Disneyland planning trials and tribulations! Before we get into the first chapter of our story, let me introduce the cast of travelers! Myself, Cass! Will be 19 years young at the time of travel. Disney obsessor extraordinaire and overly excited trip planner! Has been to Disneyland once!
The best friend, Alicia
Will also be 19 years young at the time of travel. Is willing to embrace all the magic that Disneyland can offer. This will be her first trip!
Alrighty, now on with the story!
This trip has been in the pipelines for a good Five or so months now. When we originally started planning, the purpose of the trip was to see Disneyland decked out in all of it's Halloween goodness. Our original travel dates were going to be from the last week of September till around about the Second week in October. We decided back then that we wanted to go for a reasonable amount of time so that we could enjoy this holiday and not feel rushed off our feet. It's now that I will mention that I do competitive dance, and after having a year off last year (Oh my Mickey it's 2013 already, yikes
) I hadn't particularly been planning on dancing this year for the specific reason that I had this trip planned. The National dancing competition is held on Labour day, so I wouldn't be able to have Three weeks off training before the big competition. And there wouldn't be enough time after the competition to enjoy the Halloween overlay at a slower pace. But alas, the dancing gods have spoken and I am currently planning on dancing at Nationals this year. Which brings me to....Chapter Two! While I am excited to be dancing this year, it put a massive bendy kink in our travel plans! Especially when I realized that I had calculated Labour weekend to be on the 21st of October, when it's actually on the 28th!!
Alicia and I sat down for our first serious trip meeting (At McDonalds ) to make some decisions on what we were going to do with our travel dates. It was decided then that we would be jetting out ON Labour day from Auckland airport. Coincidentally, Nationals is being held in Auckland this year. So while it will mean a big weekend for me, I took the fact that I would be right by the airport as a sign that this trip was meant to happen! There will just be LOTS of sleeping happening on the flight!Chapter Three! It then came to my realization that while we will feel a tad rushed to enjoy the Halloween offerings, going on our trip later will mean that we can catch the beginning of the Christmas season at Disneyland! It has always been my dream to see Disneyland during both of the major overlays, so getting Halloween
and Christmas in the one trip will be amazing! After a few emails back and forth with the travel agent, she suggested that we look at booking in February/March. Due to work and other engagements at the end of February we will be booking on my birthday (March 13) as I will have the day off work Which brings us to the present day! It is now January Second where I live. Which gives us 10 weeks to finish saving for our airfare and accommodation deposit.Unfortunately Alicia works shift work, so can have some pretty unreliable hours to be saving for a trip. She's trying as hard as she can to save the money for the airfare but told me the other day she might not make it quite by March as she didn't realize our flights had to be payed in full 14 days after booking. If she hasn't made it by March, that's not a problem, we will just book in April. I told her from the beginning that I will be here to motivate her with her savings if she's ever finding it difficult. So I am taking it upon myself as Official Disneyland Trip Savings Cheerleader to come up with some savvy savings idea's and payment plans to keep Alicia feeling the magic during her saving
I have drawn out a few different savings and payment plans (thanks to the help from my friends over on the Australia board ) The options are basically setting dates to pay for certain things like our accommodation and tickets. Or to have a savings plan and save a certain amount of money a week and pay for everything in one blow at the end. It doesn't affect me in any way, so the decision will be up to her. I think it will be best for her to pay things as we go to make sure that everything is payed for, but we will see what she chooses I know that 10 months out seems pretty early to start a pre trip report. But all of you other OCD planners will agree with me that there is always something to research and organize! I hope that you all will join me on this pre trip report planning journey and offer your idea's and thoughts on our trip! We have a very rough itinerary drafted so will post that shortly!
- Cass
Lunch reservations at the Blue Bayou. Hopefully there is a 
