Hidden Treasures in DL?

[veggiemama]

I'm so excited to be going to DL in a couple weeks!! I have not been to DL since 1985 so I feel like a newbie!

I will be there with a friend from Nov4-11 and we have been having a blast planning. We are going without any children and have a 5 day hopper.

But I am wondering what are some hidden treasures. Those must do things that are not rides. We will be doing rides... lots and lots of rides, . But what are the other things that we can do as 2 adults that you wouldn't normally do?

Help appreciated.

 

[meggles]

Trader Sam's tiki bar by the Disneyland hotel
Grand Californian hotel's lobby +Desserts in the Napa Rose lounge
Single rider lines

 

[SOCALMouseMommy]

Cocktails in the lounge of Carthay Circle.

 

[lalasmama]

Bestie and I did a kid-free trip a few years ago and had so much fun! Hubby and I also did a kid-free trip and loved it. Some ideas:

--Enjoy a nice meal, with or without a dining experience. We've done lunches and dinners at Blue Bayou and Carthay Circle. There's fancier places, too, of course, but we didn't want to leave the parks any more than necessary for long meals.

--Hearthstone Lounge for drinks and dessert. I'm a fan of the glowtini and cheesecake with berries.

--Trader Sam's Tiki Bar. We sit outside to enjoy the music. The only thing I don't enjoy about this is that I try not to drink around kids (I know, its DL, kids are everywhere), so I feel odd enjoying my Pharana Pool drink with some kids running around.

--Single Rider Lines, at least on occasion. We're not able to enjoy Matterhorn on the ride together anyway, so does it really matter if we aren't in the same car?

--An experience--like reserved seating for WOC or a parade. Did this on our last trip and loved it.

--Stay LATE in the parks and enjoy lower crowds.

--Spend time finding the "quiet" moments--Rapunzel's tower, the little light show in the pond, Snow White's wishing well, Pixie Hallow after greeting hours.

--Meet at least one character for a photo op with both you and your friend. I still love the picture of Bestie and me with Minnie at her house.

 

[ktlm]

See Carsland at night. If you have ridden RSR during the day, single rider it at night, it is a whole different experience. Enter Carsland at least once daytime and nighttime from the Wharf area- the view is great. If you are doing photopass, look for a photographer there at night. The photos can turn out great along that path. I can't tell you how many (non-Disney) people have asked where we were in our night photos- thinking it was a "real" place. See the Frozen show at the Hyperion in California Adventure no matter how sick of Frozen you are- we did not expect to like it and we loved it. It is so well done. Go visit Mickey at his house- it doesn't matter if you are adults. He appears in a few different outfits. Last trip we got Steamboat Willie and I was probably as excited as a 3 year old meeting Mickey for the first time. To me, a Mickey photo is a must for any Disney trip and it always will be!

 

[Simba001]

Not sure if you are aware, but Nov 4 - 5 is Dapper Day weekend at the Disneyland Resort.
Here is information in case you want to participate (or at least you will know why many are looking so fine): http://dapperday.com/
We are going down with a few friends. Its a lot of fun!

 

[figment_jii]

Some fun non-attraction based things that I like to do:

• Cove Bar for the Lobster Nachos
• Looking for one or more of the Disneyland Cats (we usually see one near Grizzly River Run in DCA, but I've read about others at the hotels)
• Get a treat from Jolly Holiday and watch a parade
• Hunt for Hidden Mickeys
• Carsland at Night (or watch the lighting of the neon at sunset)

The Holiday Season official starts on November 10 (Fri), so you might be able to catch the beginning of that during your trip. If you do, then there are a lot of non-attraction based things to do:

• Check out the Holiday Trees and decorations in each hotel, DTD, and the parks
• See the Holiday entertainment (e.g., Christmas Parade, fireworks, WoC, carolers, etc.)
• Eat your way through the parks/hotels/DTD and try out all of the Holiday foods!

I don't know if they're still offering this, but they used to have a free tour of the Carthay Circle Restaurant and Lounge in the morning (before it opens). The CM guide told guests a little bit about the history of the Carthay Circle. It was informative and interesting. I haven't heard about it in a while, so I don't know if it's still being offered, but it's something to consider.

 

[Niltiac]

• Looking for one or more of the Disneyland Cats (we usually see one near Grizzly River Run in DCA, but I've read about others at the hotels)

We often see one hanging out in the queue for BTMRR. This one must be relatively comfortable with people since it chooses to spend its time in the middle of a queue. It lounges around partially hidden in the nooks and crannies of the fake rock, until inevitably someone gets overly excited and starts harassing it. Then either a CM comes to its rescue or it runs off to somewhere more private. I'll keep an eye out for the one near GRR.

As for other non-rides, a lot of good suggestions have been made already. We also really enjoy animation academy. Also, we don't specifically plan for it, but it's nice to stop and watch live performances when we come across them.

 

[grammakelly]

Had been many times before we discovered Animation Academy. Now we stop every time!
It's worth a look. I think the adults in our group like it more than the kiddos.

 

[ktlm]

Had been many times before we discovered Animation Academy. Now we stop every time!
It's worth a look. I think the adults in our group like it more than the kiddos.

We love Animation Academy! That is a great suggestion- they post a list outside of it every day of what they are drawing at what times, so you can see if there is anyone in particular you want to draw. We are far from artists and have still had some great drawings.

 

[PairOfDice]

I'm happy for you and jealous of you at the same time! You've already gotten tons of great tips here. I'll just add that I love to sit for a while outside of Flo's and enjoy a beer and the view of the highway. Last time I was there I sent my kids off the ride GOTG by themselves while I went to Flo's. The GOTG line was longer than expected but I didn't mind. It was a great way for me to recharge for the rest of the day.
For longer trips it's important for me to rest and not get overly tired so an hour of just relaxing with a drink or a treat with a great view is essential. Could be Cove Bar, Flo's, New Orleans Square - doesn't matter.

 

[SteveMP]

As APs for many years, we sometimes go and ride no rides. Or maybe 1 or 2. Sometimes we go and watch Great Moments with Mr Lincoln, try foods and desserts we haven't tried, go learn to draw our favorite characters at the animation academy, and explore that whole area, browse the magic shop and ask for some demos, go to toontown and go through the houses and meet Mickey and Minnie, walk through the castle and read the story and look at all the detail, go to the wishing well outaide the castle, geez i could go on and on and on. I guess the point is if you just go explore and open up ALL of your senses you will see how amazing everything is there.

 

[veggiemama]

Thanks everyone! These are great tips and suggestions. I'm sure we will spend some time figuring out how to incorporate this into our trip.
Just a few more days till we go!!

 

[azdisneylover]

We often see one hanging out in the queue for BTMRR. This one must be relatively comfortable with people since it chooses to spend its time in the middle of a queue. It lounges around partially hidden in the nooks and crannies of the fake rock, until inevitably someone gets overly excited and starts harassing it. Then either a CM comes to its rescue or it runs off to somewhere more private. I'll keep an eye out for the one near GRR.

As for other non-rides, a lot of good suggestions have been made already. We also really enjoy animation academy. Also, we don't specifically plan for it, but it's nice to stop and watch live performances when we come across them.

I have seen 3 cats hanging around the bushes in front of the laundry room of the Disneyland Hotel. There was a black cat in particular who decided to sit about several feet away from me and lick himself, all the while keeping eye contact with me. We now stay at the Grand Californian every chance we can. LOL

 

[SteveMP]

I have seen 3 cats hanging around the bushes in front of the laundry room of the Disneyland Hotel. There was a black cat in particular who decided to sit about several feet away from me and lick himself, all the while keeping eye contact with me. We now stay at the Grand Californian every chance we can. LOL

There is a cat that hangs out near whitewater snacks at GCH. In that area between the whitewater snacks patio and DCA etc. have seen several others roaming around all over. You know what they say, it all started with a mouse.