Jenn1116
<font color=coral>My goal in life is to visit DLP<
- Joined
- Dec 20, 2007
- Messages
- 1,078
Disclaimer: All information
contained here-in was contributed by knowledgeable members of the DIS. I copied and pasted everything from the Disneyland Discussion Forums. All editing is my own work.[/FONT]
A Special thanks to everyone who shared. All of this info has already been posted before. I just put it all in one place. Just trying to be helpful!
It is in alphabetical order. The next post will have ride info.
Annual Passes
Right now (2008), the Deluxe AP is $239. The Premium is $379. That price is for any age 3 and up.
It gives you a year, from the day you buy an AP or first use a ticket that you upgrade, through the same date the next year.
*******************
Membership Includes:
*Admission to Disneyland® Park
*Admission to Disney's California Adventure® Park
*Special rates at Disneyland® Resort hotels
*Select discounts on food
*Special Passholder-only events
*Subscription to Backstage Pass, a collectible Passholder-only publication
*Up-to-the-minute Extra e-mail updates
*Access to the exclusive Annual Passport website
And when you become a Premium Annual Passport holder, enjoy included parking at the Mickey & Friends parking structure and more!
*****************
Premium gives you 365 days admission (well, 366 if it included this February as a leap year!). Deluxe is 315 days, b/c there are blocked out days.
Along with that:
Deluxe AP gets you 10% off most food.
Premium AP gets you 15% off most food and 10% off most merchandise.
Big Thunder Ranch
Cookies at Christmas
You just choose what cookie shape you want and pay for it. There are also other snacks to buy. There's entertainment like musical acts and magic tricks and characters come out to visit too. There's coloring for the kids and reindeers right nearby to see along w/ Santa & Mrs. Claus.
Pumpkins at Halloween
Bill Hill and the Hillbillies
Good days are Sunday and Monday. This is when the "official" group all plays together. But any day other than Thursday or Friday are good. Saturday thru Wednesday you will see the lead Billy, Kirk Wall, plus Dennis, who plays the Orange Blossom Special, plus two fill-ins.
Sunday, Monday usually ends with the Devil Went Down to Georgia, and the Thursday, Friday group usually has an audience member come up to help play the fiddle. They end with Puddle Prance on Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday.
Get there about 30 minutes before the show, grab a table and get in line for something to eat. The 1:00 show is pretty crowded, since it is during the lunch rush. The Gold team (Sat, Tue & Wed) is the team with the most original members (Bassist John Marshall started the group, along with Kirk, Dennis and John's brother Evan, who has since left). Only Billy Bald (aka Duane Michaels) is not an original member of the Billys who play with the Gold team. It's also most close to their original show.
Birthdays
Special Treat for Disneyland Guests on Their Birthday -
When first entering the park, guests will be on Main Street. Go to City Hall located on Main Street and tell a cast member that it is your birthday. They will give you a special Happy Birthday sticker to wear.
Also, you can reserve a spot to participate in Pat-E-Cake at the Plaza
Blue Bayou
Per a cast member at Blue Bayou directly:
Desert only ordering is just fine
Bubbles
Bubbles are a good way to keep the young ones entertained in lines and waiting for fireworks.
Budgeting
· Bring snacks and water
· Free cups of ice from restaurants. The very best FREE water can be found at the Baby Center and First Aid stations in DL. The water is filtered and cold, and they will let you refill your empty water bottles for FREE!!!
· Eat breakfast at the hotel or bring it with you to eat while sitting in line waiting for the gates to open.
· If you are in need of cash buy Disney Dollars instead of using the ATM. There is no fee and if you have any leftover, go to guest services keep your receipt and they'll give you cash back.
· Buy light up sticks at the dollar store and give them to the kids when they are begging for the $15 light up toys at night.
· For less expensive souvenirs for the kids...get them excited about pressed pennies...there's inexpensive books to hold them in (think I paid around $6.50 each)...and where else are you going to get a fun, lasting, $0.51 souvenir?
Christmas / December
The whole place is decorated. At night there are Christmas fireworks, followed by snow.
There is a Christmas parade thats definitely worth seeing in DL.
There is also a Holiday tour (costs extra) thats really quite fun, talks about different holiday traditions and points out many of the decorations - best part though is that you skip the line entirely for Its a small world (which will have a holiday layover - its a completely different experience - and it will have just opened from its long refurb) and for Haunted Mansion Holiday you go right through the Fastpass line AND you get actual seats reserved for the holiday parade with hot chocolate and a treat. And of course a pin.
Don't miss out on seeing the carolers on Main Street and GCH lobby.
Big Thunder Ranch becomes Santa's area and you can meet Santa and Mrs. Claus and they have real reindeer. See Big Thunder Ranch. And in DCA they have Santas beach blast.
On certain days you can watch cast members making candy canes from scratch on Main Street.
All the characters can be seen in their Christmas attire.
And one last thing - in DTD there is a shop called Dept 56 which sells all those little Christmas villages - so fun to go see near Christmas!
Last year, the full Christmas castle wasn't in effect until mid-November. If you want to guarantee the full Christmas décor (which unlike WDW does not cost you beyond the admission ticket), December is the best time to go.
City Hall
ü City Hall has all the various celebration buttons, but you can also get a birthday phone call from someone special!
ü City Hall is the place to ask if you would like to ride the Lilly Belle (for those who don't know, the Lilly Belle is the fancy train car named after Walt's wife, if you ask at City Hall, are willing to wait, the train is running and a CM is available to take you, you can get a special treat and ride in it). City Hall will have to check with the Train Station to make sure there is availability of a special conductor to ride with you the entire trip.
ü City Hall has a list available of who every name in the windows on Main Street is
ü You can check how many times you have used your AP
ü You can change foreign currency into US dollars or Disney dollars
ü You can get a list of penny presses and their locations
ü Get a Guest Assistance Card if needed
ü Look up the location of a personalized tile in the Esplanade
ü Get park maps in languages other than English
ü Make Priority Seating requests
ü Rent an ipod specifically for Disneyland's ipod audio tour
ü Braille guidebooks
ü Dreams (such as when just a a few people in your party are dreamed FPs, City Hall will issue Dream FPs for the others in your party)
ü If you are on a special diet (allergic to peanuts, for instance) to request help in having your meal at a Disney park restaurant made special for your dietary needs.
ü You could get information on a particular type of plant if you wanted to know (All the plants in Tomorrowland are edible).
ü You can find out what characters will be out in the parks that day and where they will be located, and what time they are scheduled to appear.
ü You can also get medicine if you have a headache or other problems.
ü You can arrange meeting plans in case you lose you group and need a location to reunite.
ü Don't forget that you can go to City Hall to get the ever so important Guest Comment cards! Fill them out to help the great CMs get the recognition they deserve! Those cards become part of their records, good or bad, and can help them get special kudos in the end.
Coffee
At the market house on Main street, when you buy a cup of coffee, save your receipt and later when you want another cup o' joe, just go back and show them your receipt and you will get a free cup. You can do is as often as you like. Its pretty cool.
Disneyland Hotel
There are 3 towers at the Disneyland Hotel:
Magic tower: This is the tower with the lobby entrance. The rooms are a bit smaller than the other two towers. You could have a pool view or on the other side of the building a view of the parking lot.
Dreams tower: This tower gives you the option to have either a DTD view/resort view (so you could see the Matterhorn) or on the other side you can have a pool view. Some parking lot views as well.
Wonder tower: this tower has the rooms that are the largest. Many rooms have a bathroom area, and then a separate area that has a lighted mirror and countertop. There is also extra room around the closets--so more room for luggage. You can have a pool/falls view. The falls are great, because they are very relaxing sounding and block out any noise from the pool area and outside traffic. The pool views at the Disneyland hotel are amazing--because the pool is the Peter Pan pool with lots of plants--it looks tropical. The other side of the wonder tower has some resort views and parking lot views.
Last year, during the AP4 promotion which ran from Aug 22ish til Dec 15th (excluding holidays) the rates I paid when I stayed onsite were:
$169++ for DTD view at the DLH
$229++ for DTD view at the GCH (the standard rate was $199++)
and some ridiculous low rate to stay concierge at the PP. I forgot the number but it was less than $200++.
Disney Warehouse
The Character Warehouse is approximately 5 miles straight up Harbor Boulevard (a right turn leaving the Howard Johnson). It is in a mall with a Michaels and Marshalls on the right hand side (a Target on the other side) The cross street was Orangefair. Check the Anaheim Chamber of Commerce website for a 10% off coupon.
Dreams and FP Dreams
Summary--about 20-30 min after the park opens, you can usually find Dream Squad Members in or around Fantasyland and/or on the path behind BTMMR. There is a cast member door right where those two areas meet. Hang out around that door and be on the lookout for those wonderful white vests, and you may be able to be "dreamed"!
If only part of your group is Dreamed FPs, just go to City Hall and they will give the rest of your group FPs
Fantasmic
There are a couple of different methods, depending on how late you're planning to stay at the park.
For 9 p.m. show, some people get there at 6, put out a blanket directly across from TS Island, and camp out. One person holds it down; somebody else goes to get some counter service dinner. Then they eat, people watch, read, play games... 9 p.m. rolls around and the place is packed like sardines, but you've got front row seats on the ground (hard though it may be).
Some people swear by finding the center light tower, which rises up just minutes before the show starts. It's a big tower of lights that looks like it will block the view, but those in the know hang out right behind it, because it goes up and gives you a pretty good center view without a whole lot of waiting.
Some people pay for reserved Riverside Seating (available for both the 9 and 10:30 shows). It's $59 for adults, $49 for kids 3-9 (lap sitters 3 and under are free). You order tickets 30 days in advance. Some people call it highway robbery. Some people say it's very worth it.
For the 10:30 show, a good method is to hang out in Frontierland and Critter country, ride HM, Pirates, BTMRR, etc. then swoop in after the crowds leave. After F! and the fireworks, the majority will be headed out of the park, and you will be following on the back of the crowds to River of America area.
Frontierland
In Frontierland, when entering from the fort gate and walking towards the river, look up to the left and you'll see the Davy Crockett Coonskin Hat Company, F. Parker, Proprietor window, which is a tribute to Fess Parker and his Disney work.
General - Not Location Specific
You can't purchase gum anywhere in Disneyland, but did you ever notice all of the gum on the ground. If you look very closely, you will notice that some of the "gum" on the ground from Main Street to the Small World is actually fake! Magnetic sensors that look like gum on the street were actually placed there to tell when parade floats enter and exit specific "zones" along the parade route.
Years ago Cats were brought into Disneyland to help control a mouse problem. When the solution did not work, there was an attempt to eliminate the cat problem, but that failed also.
When you walk by the Candy store you say yummy what's that good sell? Sometimes they are NOT making candy. What they do is pump sugar air out. They boil hot water with sugared added. If you look closely the vents are right under the windows.
There is a tunnel under Disneyland. It runs from under Space Mountain to the restaurants in back of the park in Frontierland. It is use as a service tunnel for food distribution for the restaurants. CMs walk from back stage of one part of the park to the other. Its not very impressive just a tunnel and pipes and wires.
The first tunnel (TLT Tunnel) starts behind Innoventions and goes to CircleVision (the stairs come up on the Matterhorn side of Circlevision by the tables. It is mainly to get supplies to TLT (or Club Buzz if you want). The other "Vid tunnel" goes from behind Videopolis (Fantasyland Theater) and goes to the large service gates at Big Thunder Trail.
Hidden Restroom Myths & Facts
Location 1: These bathrooms are located by the Cast Members Entrance near the tunnel going to Rancho Zocalo and located in Carnation Plaza Gardens on Main Street U.S.A. They ARE NOT located on a guide map as a restroom, but located on a guide map as a baby changing center.
Location 2: More little-known bathrooms are behind the Bank, in a little alleyway (I'm totally serious, there is an alley in DL) where NO ONE EVER VENTURES.
Location 3: The secret bathroom is in the courtyard for the Tiki Room next to the front door. The bathroom is there because the Tiki Room was originally supposed to be a restaurant with a bird show above you while you ate.
Innoventions
You may recognize the voice of Tom Morrow. It is the actor Nathan Lane, who did the voice for Timon in The Lion King. Also, if you can't read the note in his pocket, it says "Buy 10 W 30". If you have the time, watch the robot after he gives his spiel and the other guests have moved on. He will move and act like a person who is bored and waiting for his next group of guests!
Lilo and Stitch Breakfast
Directions - If you are in Tomorrowland already, the monorail might be a good way to get to PP. But if you're not there or further "back" than TL, I would probably just walk out of DL, go into DTD, and enter GCH between Sephora and Libby Lu. Then you walk through the corridor until you enter the GCH lobby, make a right and go out the big beautiful "stained glass" automatic doors, and you'll see PP across the street. Walk out GCH's driveway, cross at the light, and go in to PP.
Magic Mornings
MM (now magic morning, was early entry) is on Sat, Sun, Tues and Thurs. Security is usually open an hour or so before the park so people can start lining up at the gates. FP are not available during this time.
Here are all the rides that are open.
Alice in Wonderland
Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters
Dumbo the Flying Elephant
Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage
King Arthur Carrousel
Mad Tea Party
Matterhorn Bobsleds
Mr. Toad's Wild Ride
Monorail
Peter Pan's Flight
Pinocchio's Daring Journey
Snow White's Scary Adventures
Space Mountain
Mickeys Halloween Treat
The Disneyland® Resort's popular Halloween party is coming back for 2008 with a new name Mickey's Trick-or-Treat Party and Annual Passholders can take advantage of a special opportunity to purchase advance tickets. Plus, save with discounted prices on select dates!
This "spirited" event at Disney's California Adventure® Park includes:
Amazing attractions to get you spinning, looping and free-falling.
Lively music to boogie your bones.
Trick-or-Treat for candy at treat stations.
Fun crafts and activities for some family fun.
A nightly Character cavalcade.
Enjoy an unforgettable evening of Disney Halloween fun for everyone!
Complimentary parking for one vehicle at the Mickey & Friends Parking Structure larger vehicles may require an additional fee.
2008 Tickets were projected to be available August 1, earlier for AP holders
Mickey's House
When you enter Mickey's house, the first room contains a passport with stamps from everywhere a Disneyland is located.
New Orleans Square - Train Station
In New Orleans Square at the train station, you'll hear a telegraph signal, the message is Walt's opening day speech.
The telegraph that keeps clicking at the New Orleans Square railroad station is actually the first two sentences of Walt's Disneyland opening-day dedication speech ("To all who come to Disneyland, welcome. Here, age relives fond memories of the past, and here, youth may savor the challenge and promise of the future.") It is not modern Morse Code but land line telegraphy as used by railroad telegraphers to communicate with train dispatchers and other telegraphers at other stations. Although the code at the telegraph office of the New Orleans railroad station only plays a small part of Walt's Disneyland Opening Day speech, it used to play an even smaller part until an error below was pointed out to Disney. A ham radio operator noticed the sound from the telegraph office of the New Orleans train station seemed to repeat a definite "message" and not just random dots-n-dashes like a lot of places do. He decided to try and figure out the message. He searched the web and only found a page which originally stated erroneously that the message was Walt's entire opening day speech, but the message was way too short to be that. Some years ago Disney had converted the system from a long looped tape system to a digitized recording. Apparently, the engineer who did it listened to the old tape until he decided that the message was repeating... but he got it wrong. But, thanks to the work of George Eldridge (N6RVC) it now plays correctly and non-stop at the New Orleans train station.
Off-site Hotels
Candy Cane Inn
Tropicana (directly across the street)
Best Western Park Place Inn (directly across the street)
Howard Johnson (entertainment rate)
Park Entrance and Main Street
The entrance plaza to the park was intentionally designed to mimic entering a movie theater. Walt wanted people to believe that they were literally walking into live, 3D versions of his movies. Walking into the two tunnels (under the train tracks) simulates having to walk down the side aisles of a movie theater. As soon as you get out of the tunnels, you smell popcorn from the carts in Main Street Plaza, another intentional movie reference.
The two entry tunnels (as mentioned above) are nicknamed "Voms" (short for vomitoriums) by CMs. For some unknown reason, kids frequently throw-up in the tunnels.
From Wikipedia: A vomitorium (plural: vomitoria) is a passage situated below or behind a tier of seats in an amphitheatre, through which crowds can "spew out" at the end of a performance.
Despite their association with Ancient Rome, vomitoria are still found in some theatres. The Oregon Shakespeare Festival, for instance, has vomitoria in two of its theatres, the outdoor Elizabethan Stage and the Angus Bowmer Theatre. The voms, as they are called, allow actors to mount the stage from passageways cut into the amphitheatre. The Guthrie Theatre in Minneapolis, Minnesota has two permanent voms, one at stage left and one at stage right, of its thrust stage. The Circle in the Square Theatre, designed to reflect the theatres of ancient Greece and Rome, is the only Broadway theatre that has a vomitorium. The Vomitorium is still used in many of their productions as an entrance and exit for the actors.
A commonly held, but false, belief is that Ancient Romans designated spaces called vomitoria for the purpose of actual vomiting, as part of a binge and purge cycle
Walt kept an apartment in the park, above the Fire Station. If you look in the window, there is always a light left on for him.
The Partners Statue (Walt and Mickey holding hands) in the hub was designed after Walt's death. It symbolizes Walt pointing out the way for Mickey to continue with the company after his death.
If you look up the pole at the fire station, you will see that you can't climb up it, there is a barrier up there. They had to do this, as people kept climbing up it!
Pilot
Request to ride in front on the train (#1 and 2, I think) at Main Street, or ride up front of the Monorail.
Pizza
Marri's Pizza & Italian Restaurant
www.marrispizza.com
1194 W Katella Ave
Anaheim, CA 92802
(714) 533-1631
Buca Di Beppo
www.bucadibeppo.com
11757 Harbor Blvd
Garden Grove, CA 92840
(714) 740-2822
Broadway:: 714.999.8818
Domino's:: 714.750.2224
Pizza Hut:: 714.956.2100
Papa John's:: 714.991.7272
Round Table:: 714.539.1934
When you are on the main road that all the motels are on as well as the Disneyland entrance, there is a small shopping center across the street from the Candy Cane Inn and in it is an amazing little pizza place that's extremely affordable and quick to serve. If you're walking, you can come out of the big walkway from the parks, turn right, walk for two blocks and then cross the street!
Silhouette Studio on Main St
Wonderful and inexpensive souvenir
Sleeping Beauty's Castle
In front of Sleeping Beauty's Castle is a plaque celebrating the 40th Birthday of Disneyland. Beneath that plaque is a time capsule with a lot of 1995 stuff.
The walk-through is re-opening in late 2008
Tickets
Its a good idea to make a copy of tickets (if you lose them, you can take the copy with the number on the back and get new ones).
contained here-in was contributed by knowledgeable members of the DIS. I copied and pasted everything from the Disneyland Discussion Forums. All editing is my own work.[/FONT]
A Special thanks to everyone who shared. All of this info has already been posted before. I just put it all in one place. Just trying to be helpful!
It is in alphabetical order. The next post will have ride info.Annual Passes
Right now (2008), the Deluxe AP is $239. The Premium is $379. That price is for any age 3 and up.
It gives you a year, from the day you buy an AP or first use a ticket that you upgrade, through the same date the next year.
*******************
Membership Includes:
*Admission to Disneyland® Park
*Admission to Disney's California Adventure® Park
*Special rates at Disneyland® Resort hotels
*Select discounts on food
*Special Passholder-only events
*Subscription to Backstage Pass, a collectible Passholder-only publication
*Up-to-the-minute Extra e-mail updates
*Access to the exclusive Annual Passport website
And when you become a Premium Annual Passport holder, enjoy included parking at the Mickey & Friends parking structure and more!
*****************
Premium gives you 365 days admission (well, 366 if it included this February as a leap year!). Deluxe is 315 days, b/c there are blocked out days.
Along with that:
Deluxe AP gets you 10% off most food.
Premium AP gets you 15% off most food and 10% off most merchandise.
Big Thunder Ranch
Cookies at Christmas
You just choose what cookie shape you want and pay for it. There are also other snacks to buy. There's entertainment like musical acts and magic tricks and characters come out to visit too. There's coloring for the kids and reindeers right nearby to see along w/ Santa & Mrs. Claus.
Pumpkins at Halloween
Bill Hill and the Hillbillies
Good days are Sunday and Monday. This is when the "official" group all plays together. But any day other than Thursday or Friday are good. Saturday thru Wednesday you will see the lead Billy, Kirk Wall, plus Dennis, who plays the Orange Blossom Special, plus two fill-ins.
Sunday, Monday usually ends with the Devil Went Down to Georgia, and the Thursday, Friday group usually has an audience member come up to help play the fiddle. They end with Puddle Prance on Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday.
Get there about 30 minutes before the show, grab a table and get in line for something to eat. The 1:00 show is pretty crowded, since it is during the lunch rush. The Gold team (Sat, Tue & Wed) is the team with the most original members (Bassist John Marshall started the group, along with Kirk, Dennis and John's brother Evan, who has since left). Only Billy Bald (aka Duane Michaels) is not an original member of the Billys who play with the Gold team. It's also most close to their original show.
Birthdays
Special Treat for Disneyland Guests on Their Birthday -
When first entering the park, guests will be on Main Street. Go to City Hall located on Main Street and tell a cast member that it is your birthday. They will give you a special Happy Birthday sticker to wear.
Also, you can reserve a spot to participate in Pat-E-Cake at the Plaza
Blue Bayou
Per a cast member at Blue Bayou directly:
Desert only ordering is just fine
Bubbles
Bubbles are a good way to keep the young ones entertained in lines and waiting for fireworks.
Budgeting
· Bring snacks and water
· Free cups of ice from restaurants. The very best FREE water can be found at the Baby Center and First Aid stations in DL. The water is filtered and cold, and they will let you refill your empty water bottles for FREE!!!
· Eat breakfast at the hotel or bring it with you to eat while sitting in line waiting for the gates to open.
· If you are in need of cash buy Disney Dollars instead of using the ATM. There is no fee and if you have any leftover, go to guest services keep your receipt and they'll give you cash back.
· Buy light up sticks at the dollar store and give them to the kids when they are begging for the $15 light up toys at night.
· For less expensive souvenirs for the kids...get them excited about pressed pennies...there's inexpensive books to hold them in (think I paid around $6.50 each)...and where else are you going to get a fun, lasting, $0.51 souvenir?
Christmas / December
The whole place is decorated. At night there are Christmas fireworks, followed by snow.
There is a Christmas parade thats definitely worth seeing in DL.
There is also a Holiday tour (costs extra) thats really quite fun, talks about different holiday traditions and points out many of the decorations - best part though is that you skip the line entirely for Its a small world (which will have a holiday layover - its a completely different experience - and it will have just opened from its long refurb) and for Haunted Mansion Holiday you go right through the Fastpass line AND you get actual seats reserved for the holiday parade with hot chocolate and a treat. And of course a pin.
Don't miss out on seeing the carolers on Main Street and GCH lobby.
Big Thunder Ranch becomes Santa's area and you can meet Santa and Mrs. Claus and they have real reindeer. See Big Thunder Ranch. And in DCA they have Santas beach blast.
On certain days you can watch cast members making candy canes from scratch on Main Street.
All the characters can be seen in their Christmas attire.
And one last thing - in DTD there is a shop called Dept 56 which sells all those little Christmas villages - so fun to go see near Christmas!
Last year, the full Christmas castle wasn't in effect until mid-November. If you want to guarantee the full Christmas décor (which unlike WDW does not cost you beyond the admission ticket), December is the best time to go.
City Hall
ü City Hall has all the various celebration buttons, but you can also get a birthday phone call from someone special!
ü City Hall is the place to ask if you would like to ride the Lilly Belle (for those who don't know, the Lilly Belle is the fancy train car named after Walt's wife, if you ask at City Hall, are willing to wait, the train is running and a CM is available to take you, you can get a special treat and ride in it). City Hall will have to check with the Train Station to make sure there is availability of a special conductor to ride with you the entire trip.
ü City Hall has a list available of who every name in the windows on Main Street is
ü You can check how many times you have used your AP
ü You can change foreign currency into US dollars or Disney dollars
ü You can get a list of penny presses and their locations
ü Get a Guest Assistance Card if needed
ü Look up the location of a personalized tile in the Esplanade
ü Get park maps in languages other than English
ü Make Priority Seating requests
ü Rent an ipod specifically for Disneyland's ipod audio tour
ü Braille guidebooks
ü Dreams (such as when just a a few people in your party are dreamed FPs, City Hall will issue Dream FPs for the others in your party)
ü If you are on a special diet (allergic to peanuts, for instance) to request help in having your meal at a Disney park restaurant made special for your dietary needs.
ü You could get information on a particular type of plant if you wanted to know (All the plants in Tomorrowland are edible).
ü You can find out what characters will be out in the parks that day and where they will be located, and what time they are scheduled to appear.
ü You can also get medicine if you have a headache or other problems.
ü You can arrange meeting plans in case you lose you group and need a location to reunite.
ü Don't forget that you can go to City Hall to get the ever so important Guest Comment cards! Fill them out to help the great CMs get the recognition they deserve! Those cards become part of their records, good or bad, and can help them get special kudos in the end.
Coffee
At the market house on Main street, when you buy a cup of coffee, save your receipt and later when you want another cup o' joe, just go back and show them your receipt and you will get a free cup. You can do is as often as you like. Its pretty cool.
Disneyland Hotel
There are 3 towers at the Disneyland Hotel:
Magic tower: This is the tower with the lobby entrance. The rooms are a bit smaller than the other two towers. You could have a pool view or on the other side of the building a view of the parking lot.
Dreams tower: This tower gives you the option to have either a DTD view/resort view (so you could see the Matterhorn) or on the other side you can have a pool view. Some parking lot views as well.
Wonder tower: this tower has the rooms that are the largest. Many rooms have a bathroom area, and then a separate area that has a lighted mirror and countertop. There is also extra room around the closets--so more room for luggage. You can have a pool/falls view. The falls are great, because they are very relaxing sounding and block out any noise from the pool area and outside traffic. The pool views at the Disneyland hotel are amazing--because the pool is the Peter Pan pool with lots of plants--it looks tropical. The other side of the wonder tower has some resort views and parking lot views.
Last year, during the AP4 promotion which ran from Aug 22ish til Dec 15th (excluding holidays) the rates I paid when I stayed onsite were:
$169++ for DTD view at the DLH
$229++ for DTD view at the GCH (the standard rate was $199++)
and some ridiculous low rate to stay concierge at the PP. I forgot the number but it was less than $200++.
Disney Warehouse
The Character Warehouse is approximately 5 miles straight up Harbor Boulevard (a right turn leaving the Howard Johnson). It is in a mall with a Michaels and Marshalls on the right hand side (a Target on the other side) The cross street was Orangefair. Check the Anaheim Chamber of Commerce website for a 10% off coupon.
Dreams and FP Dreams
Summary--about 20-30 min after the park opens, you can usually find Dream Squad Members in or around Fantasyland and/or on the path behind BTMMR. There is a cast member door right where those two areas meet. Hang out around that door and be on the lookout for those wonderful white vests, and you may be able to be "dreamed"!
If only part of your group is Dreamed FPs, just go to City Hall and they will give the rest of your group FPs
Fantasmic
There are a couple of different methods, depending on how late you're planning to stay at the park.
For 9 p.m. show, some people get there at 6, put out a blanket directly across from TS Island, and camp out. One person holds it down; somebody else goes to get some counter service dinner. Then they eat, people watch, read, play games... 9 p.m. rolls around and the place is packed like sardines, but you've got front row seats on the ground (hard though it may be).
Some people swear by finding the center light tower, which rises up just minutes before the show starts. It's a big tower of lights that looks like it will block the view, but those in the know hang out right behind it, because it goes up and gives you a pretty good center view without a whole lot of waiting.
Some people pay for reserved Riverside Seating (available for both the 9 and 10:30 shows). It's $59 for adults, $49 for kids 3-9 (lap sitters 3 and under are free). You order tickets 30 days in advance. Some people call it highway robbery. Some people say it's very worth it.
For the 10:30 show, a good method is to hang out in Frontierland and Critter country, ride HM, Pirates, BTMRR, etc. then swoop in after the crowds leave. After F! and the fireworks, the majority will be headed out of the park, and you will be following on the back of the crowds to River of America area.
Frontierland
In Frontierland, when entering from the fort gate and walking towards the river, look up to the left and you'll see the Davy Crockett Coonskin Hat Company, F. Parker, Proprietor window, which is a tribute to Fess Parker and his Disney work.
General - Not Location Specific
You can't purchase gum anywhere in Disneyland, but did you ever notice all of the gum on the ground. If you look very closely, you will notice that some of the "gum" on the ground from Main Street to the Small World is actually fake! Magnetic sensors that look like gum on the street were actually placed there to tell when parade floats enter and exit specific "zones" along the parade route.
Years ago Cats were brought into Disneyland to help control a mouse problem. When the solution did not work, there was an attempt to eliminate the cat problem, but that failed also.
When you walk by the Candy store you say yummy what's that good sell? Sometimes they are NOT making candy. What they do is pump sugar air out. They boil hot water with sugared added. If you look closely the vents are right under the windows.
There is a tunnel under Disneyland. It runs from under Space Mountain to the restaurants in back of the park in Frontierland. It is use as a service tunnel for food distribution for the restaurants. CMs walk from back stage of one part of the park to the other. Its not very impressive just a tunnel and pipes and wires.
The first tunnel (TLT Tunnel) starts behind Innoventions and goes to CircleVision (the stairs come up on the Matterhorn side of Circlevision by the tables. It is mainly to get supplies to TLT (or Club Buzz if you want). The other "Vid tunnel" goes from behind Videopolis (Fantasyland Theater) and goes to the large service gates at Big Thunder Trail.
Hidden Restroom Myths & Facts
Location 1: These bathrooms are located by the Cast Members Entrance near the tunnel going to Rancho Zocalo and located in Carnation Plaza Gardens on Main Street U.S.A. They ARE NOT located on a guide map as a restroom, but located on a guide map as a baby changing center.
Location 2: More little-known bathrooms are behind the Bank, in a little alleyway (I'm totally serious, there is an alley in DL) where NO ONE EVER VENTURES.
Location 3: The secret bathroom is in the courtyard for the Tiki Room next to the front door. The bathroom is there because the Tiki Room was originally supposed to be a restaurant with a bird show above you while you ate.
Innoventions
You may recognize the voice of Tom Morrow. It is the actor Nathan Lane, who did the voice for Timon in The Lion King. Also, if you can't read the note in his pocket, it says "Buy 10 W 30". If you have the time, watch the robot after he gives his spiel and the other guests have moved on. He will move and act like a person who is bored and waiting for his next group of guests!
Lilo and Stitch Breakfast
Directions - If you are in Tomorrowland already, the monorail might be a good way to get to PP. But if you're not there or further "back" than TL, I would probably just walk out of DL, go into DTD, and enter GCH between Sephora and Libby Lu. Then you walk through the corridor until you enter the GCH lobby, make a right and go out the big beautiful "stained glass" automatic doors, and you'll see PP across the street. Walk out GCH's driveway, cross at the light, and go in to PP.
Magic Mornings
MM (now magic morning, was early entry) is on Sat, Sun, Tues and Thurs. Security is usually open an hour or so before the park so people can start lining up at the gates. FP are not available during this time.
Here are all the rides that are open.
Alice in Wonderland
Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters
Dumbo the Flying Elephant
Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage
King Arthur Carrousel
Mad Tea Party
Matterhorn Bobsleds
Mr. Toad's Wild Ride
Monorail
Peter Pan's Flight
Pinocchio's Daring Journey
Snow White's Scary Adventures
Space Mountain
Mickeys Halloween Treat
The Disneyland® Resort's popular Halloween party is coming back for 2008 with a new name Mickey's Trick-or-Treat Party and Annual Passholders can take advantage of a special opportunity to purchase advance tickets. Plus, save with discounted prices on select dates!
This "spirited" event at Disney's California Adventure® Park includes:
Amazing attractions to get you spinning, looping and free-falling.
Lively music to boogie your bones.
Trick-or-Treat for candy at treat stations.
Fun crafts and activities for some family fun.
A nightly Character cavalcade.
Enjoy an unforgettable evening of Disney Halloween fun for everyone!
Complimentary parking for one vehicle at the Mickey & Friends Parking Structure larger vehicles may require an additional fee.
2008 Tickets were projected to be available August 1, earlier for AP holders
Mickey's House
When you enter Mickey's house, the first room contains a passport with stamps from everywhere a Disneyland is located.
New Orleans Square - Train Station
In New Orleans Square at the train station, you'll hear a telegraph signal, the message is Walt's opening day speech.
The telegraph that keeps clicking at the New Orleans Square railroad station is actually the first two sentences of Walt's Disneyland opening-day dedication speech ("To all who come to Disneyland, welcome. Here, age relives fond memories of the past, and here, youth may savor the challenge and promise of the future.") It is not modern Morse Code but land line telegraphy as used by railroad telegraphers to communicate with train dispatchers and other telegraphers at other stations. Although the code at the telegraph office of the New Orleans railroad station only plays a small part of Walt's Disneyland Opening Day speech, it used to play an even smaller part until an error below was pointed out to Disney. A ham radio operator noticed the sound from the telegraph office of the New Orleans train station seemed to repeat a definite "message" and not just random dots-n-dashes like a lot of places do. He decided to try and figure out the message. He searched the web and only found a page which originally stated erroneously that the message was Walt's entire opening day speech, but the message was way too short to be that. Some years ago Disney had converted the system from a long looped tape system to a digitized recording. Apparently, the engineer who did it listened to the old tape until he decided that the message was repeating... but he got it wrong. But, thanks to the work of George Eldridge (N6RVC) it now plays correctly and non-stop at the New Orleans train station.
Off-site Hotels
Candy Cane Inn
Tropicana (directly across the street)
Best Western Park Place Inn (directly across the street)
Howard Johnson (entertainment rate)
Park Entrance and Main Street
The entrance plaza to the park was intentionally designed to mimic entering a movie theater. Walt wanted people to believe that they were literally walking into live, 3D versions of his movies. Walking into the two tunnels (under the train tracks) simulates having to walk down the side aisles of a movie theater. As soon as you get out of the tunnels, you smell popcorn from the carts in Main Street Plaza, another intentional movie reference.
The two entry tunnels (as mentioned above) are nicknamed "Voms" (short for vomitoriums) by CMs. For some unknown reason, kids frequently throw-up in the tunnels.
From Wikipedia: A vomitorium (plural: vomitoria) is a passage situated below or behind a tier of seats in an amphitheatre, through which crowds can "spew out" at the end of a performance.
Despite their association with Ancient Rome, vomitoria are still found in some theatres. The Oregon Shakespeare Festival, for instance, has vomitoria in two of its theatres, the outdoor Elizabethan Stage and the Angus Bowmer Theatre. The voms, as they are called, allow actors to mount the stage from passageways cut into the amphitheatre. The Guthrie Theatre in Minneapolis, Minnesota has two permanent voms, one at stage left and one at stage right, of its thrust stage. The Circle in the Square Theatre, designed to reflect the theatres of ancient Greece and Rome, is the only Broadway theatre that has a vomitorium. The Vomitorium is still used in many of their productions as an entrance and exit for the actors.
A commonly held, but false, belief is that Ancient Romans designated spaces called vomitoria for the purpose of actual vomiting, as part of a binge and purge cycle
Walt kept an apartment in the park, above the Fire Station. If you look in the window, there is always a light left on for him.
The Partners Statue (Walt and Mickey holding hands) in the hub was designed after Walt's death. It symbolizes Walt pointing out the way for Mickey to continue with the company after his death.
If you look up the pole at the fire station, you will see that you can't climb up it, there is a barrier up there. They had to do this, as people kept climbing up it!
Pilot
Request to ride in front on the train (#1 and 2, I think) at Main Street, or ride up front of the Monorail.
Pizza
Marri's Pizza & Italian Restaurant
www.marrispizza.com
1194 W Katella Ave
Anaheim, CA 92802
(714) 533-1631
Buca Di Beppo
www.bucadibeppo.com
11757 Harbor Blvd
Garden Grove, CA 92840
(714) 740-2822
Broadway:: 714.999.8818
Domino's:: 714.750.2224
Pizza Hut:: 714.956.2100
Papa John's:: 714.991.7272
Round Table:: 714.539.1934
When you are on the main road that all the motels are on as well as the Disneyland entrance, there is a small shopping center across the street from the Candy Cane Inn and in it is an amazing little pizza place that's extremely affordable and quick to serve. If you're walking, you can come out of the big walkway from the parks, turn right, walk for two blocks and then cross the street!
Silhouette Studio on Main St
Wonderful and inexpensive souvenir
Sleeping Beauty's Castle
In front of Sleeping Beauty's Castle is a plaque celebrating the 40th Birthday of Disneyland. Beneath that plaque is a time capsule with a lot of 1995 stuff.
The walk-through is re-opening in late 2008
Tickets
Its a good idea to make a copy of tickets (if you lose them, you can take the copy with the number on the back and get new ones).
