I've spent years accumulating tips and tricks of navigating Disneyland and now it's time to share some with all of you!
- To start your day off right, head to Main Hall just inside the front gates (to the right) and pick up a personalized birthday button, Just Married button featuring Cinderella and Prince Charming, Happy Anniversary buttons, My First Time at Disneyland, and many more! They have a button for nearly every special occasion, so if you're at Disney for something special, make note of it! Every cast member you pass is supposed to comment on the button ("Happy Birthday!" or "Congratulations!") and it makes your day that much more special.
- I spent a long time cultivating my own personal list of "hidden Mickeys," fun spots throughout the parks and rides featuring a little Mickey (big circle for the face and two smaller circles to make the ears) hiding somewhere you wouldn't expect. Now there's a book for all the others who like to play the game. They have it on sale at the park, or you can find it at most Disney stores, and on Amazon.com, here.
- To experience the true G-force, while on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, watch the goat with the red eyes, and hold your gaze even as the train turns the corner. It'll take the breath out of you!
- Check out the Evil Queen who appears in the curtained window above Snow White's Scary Adventures.
- Small World was redone earlier this year and opened with new dolls portraying various Disney characters (Alice, Pinocchio, Ariel, etc.). Keep an eye out for them!
- Disneyland's Dream Suite in New Orleans Square was, until the end of 2008, offered as housing for one night to a very lucky family. Now that the Year(s) of a Million Dreams has ended, this suite is being offered to a cast member for one night a month. Pretty cool! (Heard this direct from a cast member working near the Suite at Pirates of the Caribbean.)
- Yesterday was the last day to watch the movie "Disneyland: The First 50 Magical Years" in Main Street's Opera House. Later this year, the animatronic Mr. Abe Lincoln show will return! It's being revamped, but it's coming back! (Heard this direct from a cast member working in the Opera House.)
- If you're traipsing around California Adventure and feel hungry, head over to the Mission Tortilla Factory for a free, freshly made flour tortilla. Then cross the street to the Boudin Bakery and get some fresh French bread, also for free. Yum!
- If you have time, check out the free drawing class at the Animation Academy. A real Disney animator will teach you to draw a favorite Disney character. Even my Winnie-the-Pooh came out looking relatively like the silly bear (and I really can't draw).
- Don't forget that this year you can get into the park FREE on your birthday! Sign up if you haven't already. And if you're an annual passholder like me, you can still sign up and get a Disney gift card in the amount a ticket would cost...all yours to spend at the park! You have to go to the park to get it on your actual birthday, but can spend it any time. Sweet deal!
- If you stay at any of the three Disneyland Resort hotels, you can get into the park an hour before it officially opens, at 7 a.m. Totally worth it! We did this and literally walked onto rides that usually have a long wait (Space Mountain, Peter Pan, etc.).
- If your Disney sweet tooth still isn't satisfied, check out this book, Mouse Tales. It's a fabulous behind-the-scenes look at the Happiest Place on Earth.
And just to share one of my fave photos from my most recent Disney trip...my husband and I in front of the most perfect wall!
No comments:
Post a Comment