I'm going to Disneyland!

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

Really. And I’ve never been to Disneyland before. I was planning on taking a couple of days off to goof around, and then a friend of mine asked if I wanted to do Disneyland.

I’m excited. Not just, “hey, I think I’ll go to Disneyland” excited. I’m talking five-year-old-kid, jumping-up-and-down-on-the-bed-yelling-my-head-off, “Cut it out or we put you on Ritalin” excited.

I’ll be there the 9th, 10th, and 11th, staying off site, and spending every waking hour absorbing the park.

So, Dopers and DisneyFreaks, what advice can you give me? What newbie mistakes can I avoid? (If there are any mistakes to be made in terms of hotels or flights, I’ve already made them.) What do I absolutely have to see? What’s your favorite neglected attraction?

I read the DisneyFreak thread earlier, have been exploring MousePlanet.com, and I want to hear from you, O Exalted Dopers, what your personal experiences with the park have been.

Yippee! Disneyland!

2

Oh, crap! I am so excited for you. I mean really excited. You know how excited you are? Multiply that times three. Pretty excited, huh? You don’t know what is in store for you. Make sure you visit the Jungle Cruise, Indiana Jones, Sleeping Beauty Diorama, Space Mountain…hell, just see everything. I can’t pick. Are you going to California Adventure or just DL? I can give suggestions(not too many, but other dopers will help) on DL but not DCA. Haven’t been yet. I am hoping to go to DL and Knott’s for my birthday though. :smiley: :smiley: :smiley: :smiley: :smiley: :smiley: :smiley:

3

I LOVE Disneyland!

Make sure you check out all the “E” ticket* rides :wink:

You have to do The Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Carribean, um, Mister Toad’s Wild Ride, the um (mind spacing) the big white Mtn. thingy. Oh! And the Peter Pan ride (I know it’s a ‘kiddie’ ride, but it’s one of my favourites).

You’re going to have SOOO much Fun! :slight_smile:

4

If this were a flirting thread I would suggest you ride the MissETicket ride, but it isn’t so I won’t.

Glad to hear that MousePlanet has been on your reading list.

My tips: Don’t stress too much. Disneyland isn’t going anywhere. If you really enjoy it you will eventually get back.

Learn about FastPass and plan how to use it. Plan a long lunch/break in the middle of the day.

If you have the option, see the second Fantasmic! show rather than the first.

If you feel the hankering for a HUGE ice cream sandwich, keep an eye to see if the cone shop on Main Street opens; it is next to the lockers.

DL doesn’t require as much planning as Walt Disney World. If you are going for more than one day you will have plenty of time to hit most of the stuff, just try to relax, go with the flow, and have fun.

5

Ooo. Disneyland. Okay, my advice for first time visitors:

  1. Pace yourself. You have four days. That’s plenty of time to see it all. So no death marches - death marches are the fastest way to ruin a vacation.

  2. Use early entry if you possibly can. (At DL, you should be able to, provided you buy the right kind of pass. At least, as long as they’re still doing that - I’ve been an annual passholder for the past few years, and we don’t get early entry, so I haven’t kept up with it.) On your early entry day, screw the character breakfasts and so forth - use that extra time to hit Indiana Jones, Space Mountain, etc. Move super fast during your early entry time and KNOW WHERE YOU’RE GOING and you can ride these rides with virtually no waiting, quite a few times.

  3. Splash Mountain is a long-ass ride, almost 10 minutes. This means it should be the last thing you ride during your early-entry time - get in line about 20 minutes before the park opens. It also means that if the line is ever short, this is a good place to recuperate and cool down, since the ride itself will be so long. Likewise, much of the Space Mountain waiting area is indoors, so that’s not a bad place to be line during a hot day, even though the ride itself is short.

  4. The only places worth eating, IMO, are the Blue Bayou (definitely worth doing at least once, although it’s costly) and the Bengal Barbecue. Otherwise, eat at the Subway that’s right near the main entrance. (Tell me which hotel you’re using and I’ll provide more food suggestions.) On the day you’re doing Blue Bayou, remember to make reservations early in the day, and try to pick a period between lunch and dinner, when it will be at least a little less crowded. Or, alternatively, if kids get up your nose, make late reservations, as late as possible; there will be less kids during that time.

  5. If you like roller coasters at all, only ride Big Thunder at night. It’s really much better in the dark, and the waiting is better, too.

  6. Bring a backpack or satchel. (Unless you are attending with children, you will only need one for the whole party.) In pack, put: clean socks for everyone, band-aids and neosporin, any other first-aid items you might need (medicines, contact lens stuff, etc.), bottled water (half-frozen if possible), snack foods (granola or energy bars, non-melting candy, gum, etc.), money, credit cards, keys, tickets, and the purses or wallets of those who believe they need them. MAKE SURE YOU DO NOT LOSE THE BACKPACK; this is EVERYONE’S responsibility. (It’s easier to keep everyone watching one item than it is to try to keep track of one purse, wallet, etc. per person.) Backpack should be standard college-sized, not an expedition backpack. You will be able to take it with you on all rides (store near feet with one hand holding strap or top loop and other hand holding bar in rides that have them). If you’re going with kids, this will be more complicated.

  7. You have a hotel room - make use of it. Plan to hit the park early (and I don’t care if you hate getting up early - this time of year, it’s WORTH it), as soon as it opens. Leave the park when it starts to fill up, eat lunch outside of the park, return to hotel room and nap or swim or relax. Go back to the park in the late afternoon or evening and stay until it closes. This will enable you to hit the ‘good’ times of the day - early and late - without exhausting yourself.

  8. If you’re going to buy souvenirs, wait until the last day. Also, know in advance how much money you want to spend on souvenirs - believe me, once you get to the park you develop a sudden and scary need for inappropriate headgear and other items. Feel free to examine shops (though not during the good parts of the day - do it in the middle of the day, as you’re leaving the park for the break or returning from it, to avoid crowds and enjoy the air-conditioning), but don’t buy. Then, on the last day, you’ll know what’s available and you’ll be able to get just what you want.

  9. As a first-timer with plenty of time, it’s worth your while to ride most if not all of the rides at least once. You never know. After that, go back to the ones you love. (And when you come back, TELL us which ones you loved.)

  10. There is a board in the hub area near adventureland that shows wait times on rides. This is useful for planning purposes - start studying it an hour or so after the park opens.

  11. Enjoy yourself. It’s a great park and a great vacation.

6

If you’re on foot, I wouldn’t consider the Subway close; especially if it is hot.

If you are buying souvenirs try to use package express. You pay, then send the package to the front and you pick it up at the end of the day.

Carnation is good for breakfast (in my opinion) and Plaza Inn is decent for lunch/dinner. Do not eat at Rancho del Zocalo. The food is poor and they still haven’t figured out how to connect people to the food they want.

Don’t forget to ask a Cast Member “What time is the 9:00 Fantasmic?” They love that.

Don’t believe what anybody else says, the ducks are animatronic.

The cheese fries at ESPNZone are damn good. Don’t try to eat an order by yourself.

7

From deepbluesea:

                                                  Agreed, and reservations are a must. Incredibly, this blue-collar slob has dined at Club 33, just over the Blue Bayou. Short version: if you need alcohol that badly, smuggle in an airline bottle. :)
8

No need to sneak it in anymore, they sell it out in the Esplanade.

9

Set aside one night and get together with your doper friends and lovers but, mostly the lovers.

10

From Mauvaise:

From obfusciatrist:

Okay, you guys. I get it. Thanks. :rolleyes: :slight_smile:

And Mauvaise, that big white Mtn. thingy is called the Matterhorn Bobsleds. Oooohh. I love that ride. Can you tell I am on withdrawals yet?

11

When exactly will you be there? Maybe I’ll use my Annual Passport and meet you there. :wink:

(Now if that doesn’t get you excited, I don’t know what would!)

Esprix [sub](Disney Freak!)[/sub}

12

I haven’t been to Disneyland since 1965, when my parents decided to take a vacation in Los Angeles, right in the middle of the Watts Riots. I prefer to retain my childhood memories unspoiled by adult realities.

My favorite site about Disneyland is

http://www.yesterland.com/yester.html

I particularly recommend viewing the irony-laced “Monsanto House of the Future” which was removed around 1968.

http://www.yesterland.com/futurehouse.html

13

We spent a week at DL in mid-June. I too, strongly recommend learning how to use the Fast-Pass system - the sooner, the better. So listen up, here’s the scoop: About 10 of the most popular rides offer Fast Passes. They are tickets which allow you to go to the front of the line during a designated one hour time interval. You get them by using your park entry ticket (with the magnetic stripe) from machines located near the entrances of the rides, off to the side somewhere. Each ride has it’s own set of Fast Pass machines that are only good for that ride.

The big catch is, you can only have one Fast Pass at a time. You must use it or let it expire before you can get another one. And the more popular the ride, the longer you’ll have to wait until your designated time arrives. 3 hours wasn’t uncommon. I learned to ask people exiting the Fast Pass line what time their tickets were for so I wouldn’t be stuck with a three hour wait if there was a different ride I could have gotten to sooner.

Anyway, one of our favorite things was spotting the different characters as they come out for appearances. The princesses (Snow White, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Jasmine, Belle, Esmarelda, Kida, etc.) are all drop-dead gorgeous. Especially Esmarelda. It’s more for the kids though, as the characters sign autograph books and pose for photos (it’s amazing how the princesses DON’T BLINK when the flash goes off!) If there’s any particular characters you really want to see, find the information booth at the end of Main Street and talk to a cast member named Marcel. He has the schedule for all of the character appearances each day.

One sorta neat thing I noticed on this trip was the sculptured topiary trees way up high over Mickey’s house in Toon Town. They were real, but looked just as cartoonish as everything inside his house.

For food, my favorite place is the Blue Ribbon Bakery on Main Street. Chocolate filled croissants. 'Nuff said.

Finally, if you really need to escape the disabling heat, head over to Its a Small World After All. The ride is something like 12 minutes long and it’s totally refrigerated the whole time. And if you need to take a little nap, go to the Country Bear Jamboree show just past Splash Mountain. It’s cool and dim inside, and the show is about 15 minutes long. Just right for a quick little snooze.

14

“Never get out of the boat. Absolutely goddamn right. Unless you were going all the way. Kurtz got off the boat. He split from the whole fucking program…”

Yeah. Ride “It’s a Small World”. Heh. Heh. Heh.

I like the “Indiana Jones” ride. Fairly interesting stuff to keep you occupied while waiting in line (and it can be a long line). Look for the “special” bamboo stalk, and the rope down the well.

15

I’m not sure what it is that you’re “getting”.

Maybe you’re either too young, or didn’t go to Disneyland enough in your youth, to be aware that you used to need individual tickets to go on each ride. You didn’t just buy a ticket at the gate and ride the rides.

You would buy books of various tickets that were lettered A-E. Certain rides would take certain lettered tickets, even combinations of Letters, IIRC. The Best Rides took “E” tickets. Hence my comment to Mr. Visible to make sure he checks out all the “E” ticket rides … in other words, I was telling him to make sure he checkes out all the BEST rides.

That was the extent of my “inside” joke … you just have to be old enough to know about the “Way Things Used to Be”.

That’s right! The Matterhorn. Damn, I was tired last night. Thanks!
[sub]PS – Obfus: there aren’t enough E tickets in the world for this ride, baby :stuck_out_tongue:
(not that MrVisible would be interested in moi :wink: )[/sub]

16

I remember “the way things used to be”, Mauvaise! We used tickets at Disney World back in the 70’s. I was very young, but I remember those well.

And although I’ve never been close to Disneyland, I know Disney World inside and out. And therefore, I am no use in this thread.

17

I’ve been to Disneyland three times; twice was in middle school for one of those school sponsered trips. It was fun, but I’m telling you, being in Disneyland for twelve hours straight will drive you crazy. But our bus got there early and it was real fun to just enter the rides without waiting in line. My favorite ride was Space Mountain. I also like Star Tours, and that Michael Jackson 3D movie (when it was there; I heard it isn’t anymore). The Haunted House was another favorite (I always got The Skull in a Top Hat during the part where you’re in the revolving seat past the mirrors). And the parades are nice. The penny arcade was neat because they have the little Nickolodeons with Charlie Chaplin films.

[Homer]Hurry up! It’s the 12:00 parade. If we don’t hurry, we’ll have to catch the 12:05 parade![/Homer]

Those are some of my memories.

18

Piece of cake. Here are some tips

-California Adventure is SEPARATE from DL. You will have to pay to get in it too and it really is not worth it.

-The Snow White Ride will scare the freakin crap outta kids. Hell it did me at 12. Haunted Mansion is ok but watch out for the kids in Snow White

-Loudly bid on the wenches in Pirates of the Carribean ride.

-Toontown has nice little camera opportunities in the town itself as well as town sounds in buttons and stuff, look for them. Roger Rabbit was not that great (and is still closed down I believe due to that kid getting crushed)

-Put the fatter of your group in the very back on the Matterhorn. Trust me, you do not want to get crushed

-If you are on Splash Mountain and some girl flashes her tits, you can complain you wanted a picture and get right back on in front of everybody. Girl must flash and you do not get the first picture (dammit)

-Watch out for the “Damned”…this being the Japanese High Schoolers that all dress in the same uniforms (they are here all the time) and are in a big group. They are usually hilarious and a good pic to show your friends “here is me with the cast of Children of the Damned”. Also the Japanese girls are quite fun if they get away from their demonic teachers and translators.

-Order a coke from some of the mobile carts in Tomorrowland for a nice surprise

-If you really want to eat and eat well, get your hand stamped and ride the monorail over to the Disney Hotel. LOADS of good food and hardly any lines. It takes just 5 minutes to go over there and back.

-Make sure and bring 3 softballs to heave on the Small World Ride. The Dutch children are worth 1000 points (ok not really but man would it be a good ride if you could)

19

I am sorry, Mauvaise. I understand the E-ticket ride stuff. If you look in my profile, though, most of my usernames are MissETicket and my website is called E-Ticket Ride. I thought maybe you were getting at the same thing that obfus was getting at. I wasn’t too sure when you said something about E-ticket rides, but when he said it I knew that someone was cracking a little inside joke.

20

And I apologize for the inside joke. I honestly hadn’t considered the . . . more suggestive readings. I apologize if any offense was made.