A 24th birthday Pre-Trippie

[roxy72]

Hi guys,

I am new to the Disboards, and relatively new to Disneyland. Here's my past trip info:

--Visited Disney World w/my Mom and sis in 1998 (summer before 8th grade. I wore all my new shirts from Splash Mountain, etc to school and the popular girls laughed at me. I didn't wear my Disney World shirts again).

--Disneyland in 2000 with my mom and sis.

--Grad nite in 2003! My high school spent the evening at Disneyland and the next afternoon at California Adventure.

--My next trip...and most recent...was in March of 2009! My dad got an invite to Club 33, and was able to get my sister and I in...so we took advantage of that fantastic opportunity and ate lunch there.

Now, a special challenge that I face during my trips is anxiety. I have agoraphobia and claustraphobia. Basically, I like to be in a safe, comfortable place with a bathroom nearby. Usually my 'safe zone' is limited to my bedroom, or maybe my house. I like to be in control and know that I can leave a situation at any time, without people really noticing or the threat of embarrassment.

My anxiety developed while I was in college...during my freshman year, which was Fall of 2003. It made everything more difficult. I was too scared to bike over to Starbucks, because it was wayyy out of my comfort zone. I spent a lot of time in my bedroom, nice and safe. So this last trip to Disneyland in March was a *huge* deal to me. I hate driving, mostly because I get so darn anxious and worried. Driving to Anaheim was a huge challenge for me.

I reside in the Santa Barbara area, and have only driven to the LA area twice in my 6 years of living here. I've never driven to Anaheim before, and am unfamiliar with all the highways down there. So the drive to Disneyland is a scary prospect to me, but so is Disneyland! It's busy, there are lots of people, I'm unfamiliar with the lay of the land, and it's just a scary place for me to visit. During my trip in March, I successfully made the drive down to Disneyland (hooray!!!!), then spent 12 hours at the parks. By the end of the day, I was exhausted, my feet hurt, I was cranky and hadn't ate since lunchtime. I swore to never come back.

And now, a month later, I want to try to visit again. This time I am going to celebrate my 24th birthday, and have spread my trip out into 4 days worth of Disney!!! This way, I can relax, take my time visiting the parks, and hopefully have a better time than last month.

Welcome to my Pre-Trip Report.

 

[DizNee Luver]

First of all, congrats on doing the Disney trip & then planning your next!!!
I've dealt with anxiety/depression for many years. At one point, I couldn't leave my house. The only time I went out was to watch my kids do sports & even that was a huge struggle for me. I found myself standing at the back of rooms, or sitting on the opposite side of the field from everyone else. So I know exactly what it's like to be out of the "safe" zone!!!

I'll look forward to more as your planning & trip near!!!!

 

[roxy72]

First of all, congrats on doing the Disney trip & then planning your next!!!
I've dealt with anxiety/depression for many years. At one point, I couldn't leave my house. The only time I went out was to watch my kids do sports & even that was a huge struggle for me. I found myself standing at the back of rooms, or sitting on the opposite side of the field from everyone else. So I know exactly what it's like to be out of the "safe" zone!!!

I'll look forward to more as your planning & trip near!!!!

Hi there,

Thanks! I had no idea that you dealt with similar issues. I have seen your Trip Report, and pictures of your beautiful children. It looks like you all had so much fun at Disneyland! Congratulations on moving so far along.

 

[roxy72]

So now that my first post has some background info, I'd like to add some pictures from my last trip to Disneyland (mid-March).

My Dad and I on the 'Firetruck', I think.

I kind of hate the pictures of me from this trip, because they show how much weight I have gained. I haven't taken photos of myself in awhile because I don't like how I look in them.

Waiting outside of Club 33, for our special lunch.

The ears that I forgot to buy, argh!

Well, now you can see what I look like. My Dad will be joining me for this upcoming trip.

Here are my gameplan for this week:

Work Monday and Tuesday. Boo!
Leave for Mom's house on Tuesday evening.
Drive to Anaheim on Wednesday morning. When is the best time to drive there (from Thousand Oaks area), and avoid the morning commute traffic?
Spend Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and maybe Saturday in the parks.
Return to Mom's house on Saturday.
Return to Santa Barbara on Sunday.

Ta-da! That's my plan, in a nutshell. I have 2 different hotels booked through priceline, because they wouldn't let me book all 3 nights at the same hotel. So I had to book 1 night, then add an additional night to that hotel for the same price. I could only do this for the first 2 nights. So I had to bid again for the third night, and got a different hotel. *grumble* At least I can try out new hotels (to me) in the area, right?

 

[radiatorsprings]

I'm going this year for my 24th bday too! I went last year for my 23rd bday and I wanted to go again this year partly because of the celebration promotion. I also went to Grad Nite in 2003. I have anxiety sometimes in unfamiliar places but I am familiar with DL enough now to feel comfortable. I mostly get the anxiety when I'm in huge crowds. I hope you are able to enjoy it and have fun.

 

[DizNee Luver]

I still deal with occasional anxiety...... I know when its crowded I have to keep an eye on that. I try to place myself where I'm protected by family, off to the side or I remove myself to a quieter place.
I was housebound for a good year, but with time I learned what tended to set it off & also had some counseling. Sometimes anxiety is brought on from trauma (that happened years before or built up emotions that were never dealt with)...... this tended to be the case for me..... a lot of bad things that I blocked out & hit the surface all at once.
I was on meds to deal with it & also gained a lot of weight.

I think what helped me was figuring out what caused me to get that way & deal with it. Knowing what will trigger it & learning to cope (or escape) & having a plan going into situations that aren't ideal.

Hope that helps you a bit...... by the way, I think you look beautiful in your pics!!!! If you're smiling & happy....who cares about how much you weigh!!

What 2 motels are you staying at?

 

[roxy72]

I still deal with occasional anxiety...... I know when its crowded I have to keep an eye on that. I try to place myself where I'm protected by family, off to the side or I remove myself to a quieter place.
I was housebound for a good year, but with time I learned what tended to set it off & also had some counseling. Sometimes anxiety is brought on from trauma (that happened years before or built up emotions that were never dealt with)...... this tended to be the case for me..... a lot of bad things that I blocked out & hit the surface all at once.
I was on meds to deal with it & also gained a lot of weight.

I think what helped me was figuring out what caused me to get that way & deal with it. Knowing what will trigger it & learning to cope (or escape) & having a plan going into situations that aren't ideal.

Hope that helps you a bit...... by the way, I think you look beautiful in your pics!!!! If you're smiling & happy....who cares about how much you weigh!!

What 2 motels are you staying at?

My anxiety was also brought on by a series of issues and bad events...all escalating until it felt like my life was out of control. Right now I'm in a much better place. I'm doing well in terms of mental health, although I don't have any friends, and my job kinda sucks. So I'm not sure why I'm gaining so much weight, besides eating my emotions..haha!

Thanks for the compliment. You are very kind.

I'm staying at the Doubletree for 2 nights, then at the Crowne Plaza Resort. I hope to upgrade to a suite at the Doubletree, since my Dad only sleeps a few hours each night. It would be nice if he could go online or watch TV in a separate room at night.

 

[roxy72]

Wow- I just realized that I was mixed up about which Doubletree I had reservations for. I thought I was staying at the Doubletree on Harbour, which doesn't have a shuttle.

Re-checking the actual address on my hotel confirmation, I'm staying at the one on City Drive in Orange! They offer a shuttle.

The difficulty here is that I already ordered 2 three-day bus passes, and asked them to deliver it to the Doubletree on Harbour. Ruh-roh. I just called, and someone will call me back.

I want to either change the delivery address (ie. deliver to the hotel on City Drive), or see if I can just cancel the bus passes. They already charged my credit card, so that might not be possible.

Yikes! Lesson learned-- READ your hotel address, especially if there are two identically-named hotels within a few blocks of each other. Hmph.

 

[Belle Ella]

Hope they call you back soon to get that all settled!!

Just wanted to say that I've been through a lot over the past few years with anxiety and panic attacks that landed me in the ER a few times. Nothing like feeling like you're going to die to find out that you were "just" hyperventilating. Yeah, thanks for that. A lot of people I know don't understand what it's like to deal with, and they think it's a joke. I'm glad to hear that you're doing better with it. It's been a learning process for me. Learning how to manage it, because when I don't I start to panic, and then panicking makes me panic more because I'm terrified of what's happened before. I've learned to look for my warning signs, and yoga helped a whole heck of a lot. Just getting into that relaxing state of mind has made a world full of difference to me. And part of mine was shutting myself out from everything. Since I've started to get a little more independent I've had less and less occurances, and it all started with a drive to Disneyland, just me and my sister!

DL is a great place to spend a birthday! I'm going in September for my 23rd.

Can't wait to hear more!

 

[roxy72]

Hope they call you back soon to get that all settled!!

Just wanted to say that I've been through a lot over the past few years with anxiety and panic attacks that landed me in the ER a few times. Nothing like feeling like you're going to die to find out that you were "just" hyperventilating. Yeah, thanks for that. A lot of people I know don't understand what it's like to deal with, and they think it's a joke. I'm glad to hear that you're doing better with it. It's been a learning process for me. Learning how to manage it, because when I don't I start to panic, and then panicking makes me panic more because I'm terrified of what's happened before. I've learned to look for my warning signs, and yoga helped a whole heck of a lot. Just getting into that relaxing state of mind has made a world full of difference to me. And part of mine was shutting myself out from everything. Since I've started to get a little more independent I've had less and less occurances, and it all started with a drive to Disneyland, just me and my sister!

DL is a great place to spend a birthday! I'm going in September for my 23rd.

Can't wait to hear more!

I know exactly what you mean about panicking for fear of a panic attack! It sounds silly, but usually that fear is what causes an anxiety or panic attack for me.

Congrats on getting more independent! It's great getting out to do stuff, huh? Were you able to go on many rides?

During my last trip, I actually went on Splash Mountain. That was a huge stinkin deal for me, because you're stuck in this little log thing, and cannot get out mid-ride. But my Dad and I did it first thing in the morning, and it just happened so quickly...I was so proud of myself for going on that ride. I'm not sure if I'll be able to do it again on this upcoming trip, but we'll see.

What rides do you find 'easier' to go on?

 

[blabbermouth]

Nice job with the hotels, I'm too nervous to book hotels through priceline at all!

I don't really have anxiety etc. but I do feel more comfortable when I'm outside, feels like an easier escape! So maybe try rides like the tea cups or storybook land boats, jungle cruise... even though you can't really get up and walk off them, you can at least see your surroundings. And they're on the ground! lol

Oh, and stick around here and you'll be sure to make friends!

 

[prettyprincessbelle]

I'm in! Your trip is getting close!

I hope you have a great time and don't worry too much. But I understand how difficult it could be. Would bringing an ipod or something to keep you occupied help?

We live in Oxnard (you're close to us!!). Since you're leaving from TO, we always hit traffic after that area (usually the valley area and LA) and we found if we leave after morning rush hour (so after 8:30am) is the best bet. We did that last time and just flew over there. We used to try to leave early (6am) and we would still hit traffic.

You should think about going on the Ladies Only trip. I'll be going probably for just 2 days. You'll be surrounded by a bunch of loving and nice ladies. Plus we'd both be newbies. I'm on the way for you, so we could figure something out if you don't want to drive the whole way.

I hope you have a great time and keep an eye out for my lime green Mickey! Birthday-same-as-me-girl!!!

 

[roxy72]

Nice job with the hotels, I'm too nervous to book hotels through priceline at all!

I don't really have anxiety etc. but I do feel more comfortable when I'm outside, feels like an easier escape! So maybe try rides like the tea cups or storybook land boats, jungle cruise... even though you can't really get up and walk off them, you can at least see your surroundings. And they're on the ground! lol

Oh, and stick around here and you'll be sure to make friends!

It is kind of scary to book hotels through Priceline, cuz you have no idea what you'll get! If you do the 'name your own price' feature, anyways. But it's fun, because you get a good deal and get to experience a new hotel.

The Storybook land boats ride-- are those the ones that people take out and paddle around, near the Hungry Bear restaurant?

 

[roxy72]

I'm in! Your trip is getting close!

I hope you have a great time and don't worry too much. But I understand how difficult it could be. Would bringing an ipod or something to keep you occupied help?

We live in Oxnard (you're close to us!!). Since you're leaving from TO, we always hit traffic after that area (usually the valley area and LA) and we found if we leave after morning rush hour (so after 8:30am) is the best bet. We did that last time and just flew over there. We used to try to leave early (6am) and we would still hit traffic.

You should think about going on the Ladies Only trip. I'll be going probably for just 2 days. You'll be surrounded by a bunch of loving and nice ladies. Plus we'd both be newbies. I'm on the way for you, so we could figure something out if you don't want to drive the whole way.

I hope you have a great time and keep an eye out for my lime green Mickey! Birthday-same-as-me-girl!!!

We'll see about an iPod. Usually my Dad is rushing from ride to ride, not taking breaks, that it's hard for me to even find time to sit down and get a drink of water! I'm going to talk to him before this trip, though. It's important for me to rest and not run, run, run around. That's the point of going on such a long vacation!

I didn't know you're in Oxnard! Lucky you- so close to Chick Fil A and Nordie's Rack. Thanks for the tip about traffic. I'll leave after 8:30 tomorrow morning then.

When is the Ladies Only trip?

 

[DizNee Luver]

When is the Ladies Only trip?

Feb 25 thru Mar 2, 2010 you should go.....this will be my first time as well!!!!

 

[blabbermouth]

It is kind of scary to book hotels through Priceline, cuz you have no idea what you'll get! If you do the 'name your own price' feature, anyways. But it's fun, because you get a good deal and get to experience a new hotel.

The Storybook land boats ride-- are those the ones that people take out and paddle around, near the Hungry Bear restaurant?

Nope, it's the one where you just it and look at all the little miniatures! (Right everyone else? I've never actually been, lol)

 

[cinderella-princess]

Yep! Thats what the Storybook ride is. It's in Fantasy land. I think what you are thinking of are the canoes that you can take out in the Rivers of America. I think you can get on those by the ferry that takes you to the Pirates Lair in NOS.

I'm so excited for your trip! I know you'll have an awesome time - if you survived once and had fun, you can do it again!

 

[KrazyKat4DIS]

Hi Roxy,

So glad to hear that you're going to be spending your b-day at Disneyland. I spent my 27th b-day at DLR this past February and it was so much fun! Be sure to get your birthday button!

You should be very proud of yourself for trying to conquer your fears. It is never easy, and many people wouldn't even try. My closest friend suffers from severe panic attacks and I have seen how devastating it can be. You are brave - be proud!

I agree with a PP that the area by Hungry Bear restaurant is a great area to "recover". It can be very nice and quiet over there (even nicer if you get a treat from Pooh's Corner ).

Can't wait to hear your plans!

-Kat

 

[roxy72]

Yep! Thats what the Storybook ride is. It's in Fantasy land. I think what you are thinking of are the canoes that you can take out in the Rivers of America. I think you can get on those by the ferry that takes you to the Pirates Lair in NOS.

I'm so excited for your trip! I know you'll have an awesome time - if you survived once and had fun, you can do it again!

Oh I see. Yes, those are the canoes that I'm thinking about. They look interesting but kinda scary to me. What happens if you tip over? I wonder how deep that water is..hm..

P.S. Does anyone know how to quote, and reply to, multiple comments in one post?

 

[cinderella-princess]

Oh I see. Yes, those are the canoes that I'm thinking about. They look interesting but kinda scary to me. What happens if you tip over? I wonder how deep that water is..hm..

P.S. Does anyone know how to quote, and reply to, multiple comments in one post?

I think you go out with multiple people in the canoe and there is a guide that sits in the front of the boat, so I would imagine its pretty safe. Has anyone ever heard of a canoe tipping over?