Long Time Lurker, First Time

[christieandjoel]

At Disneyland!

We just got home from our first ever trip to Disneyland & I want to give a shout out to the Disboards for helping me plan a great trip.

Every time we did something extra special, my family would say, "How did you know about that?"

I would reply, "Disboards."

Last night, I turned to my husband and said, "I guess I can't get on the Disboards anymore." He said, "Why? We're going back. I'm hooked."

It was supposed to be a once in a lifetime trip, a go big or go home trip. On day 2 we all decided we must return.

We were in the parks for 4 1/2 days & didn't get I see everything because of the age span (from age 2 to 67) of our group of 7, but we had lots of special moments.

So I probably will return to mostly lurking, but I did want to say this is a great site & I appreciate all the help.

Oh, & I really loved listening to the podcasts.

Thanks again!

Christie

 

[Cheshirecatty]

So glad you had a wonderful trip and were able to utilize the tips found here on the Disboards!

Thanks for reporting back, and have fun planning for the next vacation!(Isn't it fabulous when the Hubby gets hooked? I remember when that happened to mine!!!)

We've been so many times(I almost can't count how many), and we still feel like we haven't seen or done everything there is to offer!

 

[AmberStar]

Yay!! Glad your trip was fabulous!

I lurked a lot before our last trip in 2010. I had so much good info but we were only in the park 3 days. It has been 4 years since our last visit so we are staying five days this time. With all the good info I'm thrilled we have more time to do all the things we want. My husband this time wants to go ALL OUT and do disney right. Me being the budget master am trying to be more picky about our trip and thanks to these boards I'm able to weed out what is worth spending $$ on and what is not. I'm so thankful for that. My husband thinks I'm "ruining" the magic by trying to plan things but planning is just as fun as the trip for me.

After we get back it will likely be another 4 years until our next park visit so I will go back to occasional lurkdom until we set our future dates.

The wealth of information here is priceless. Thanks to all those who contribute the info.

 

[crystal1313]

Yay! So glad you had a wonderful trip =)

My DH is hooked too, although he would never admit it LOL.

 

[ImTooExcitedToSleep]

At Disneyland!

We just got home from our first ever trip to Disneyland & I want to give a shout out to the Disboards for helping me plan a great trip.

Every time we did something extra special, my family would say, "How did you know about that?"

I would reply, "Disboards."

Last night, I turned to my husband and said, "I guess I can't get on the Disboards anymore." He said, "Why? We're going back. I'm hooked."

It was supposed to be a once in a lifetime trip, a go big or go home trip. On day 2 we all decided we must return.

We were in the parks for 4 1/2 days & didn't get I see everything because of the age span (from age 2 to 67) of our group of 7, but we had lots of special moments.

So I probably will return to mostly lurking, but I did want to say this is a great site & I appreciate all the help.

Oh, & I really loved listening to the podcasts.

Thanks again!

Christie

Thanks for listening and glad you had a wonderful trip.

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

out of lurkdom.

So glad that you had such a good trip to Disneyland, and that you were able to put so many DISer tips to use. I did the same thing when we made our one family trip to Walt Disney World back in 1999 (and I'm STILL with the DIS. lol).

Hope you stay and post more on the boards. It's our collective experience and love of Disney that makes these trips so much fun.

Also, thanks for listening!

 

[christieandjoel]

Thanks for the kind responses.

Since we are from Texas and I had listened to the dining reviews on the podcast, we just walked right on past Tortilla Joe's.

But I did buy everyone a Dole Whip as we waited for the Tiki Room & they all loved them.

Preferred Storyteller's character interaction (They ALL stopped by, some twice) to Goofy's Kitchen (Only 2 stopped by & I even talked to the Handler.)

I found not just the cast members at Disneyland but also the guests to be extremely friendly.

Because of the Dis-we made it to the gates of Toon Town 30 minutes prior to opening. Minnie came out & greeted everyone. Then, when it was time to open the gates of Toon Town, Minnie grabbed my daughter's hand (4 yrs) & walked she & my son (2 yrs) straight to her house & we got to take some special pictures with her. Again, that little bit of pixie dust would have never happened if I hadn't of lurked around on the Dis.

Chef's counter @ Napa Rose-Disboards.
Gate 14 or 19-Disboards.
Wide Right-Disboards.
Peter Pan (Always First!)-Disboards.
Disneyland Hotel-Disboards.
What & who & how much to tip-Disboards.
Pre-ordering Photopass-Disboards.



I could go on & on. Thanks again!

Christie

 

[momof4fans]

It's so true! This forum is packed with the most useful information! I've learned so much on here. And most of the people are so patient with repeat questions. Our trip in August was a huge success because I found the Dis. Our friends were so impressed. I'm still on here reading all the time even though our trip is over a year away. Things are always changing at DLR it seems so it's good to stay up to date.

Glad you had a great trip. Disneyland has a way of hooking you in! Our first trip in 2011 was probably going to be our last because my husband isn't a huge fan. Well, we went back in 2013 and we're going back in 2015. About every two years is all he can handle though. I could go every summer, but I do have to save up all the money so I need two years!

 

[mikana876]

Because of the Dis-we made it to the gates of Toon Town 30 minutes prior to opening. Minnie came out & greeted everyone. Then, when it was time to open the gates of Toon Town, Minnie grabbed my daughter's hand (4 yrs) & walked she & my son (2 yrs) straight to her house & we got to take some special pictures with her. Again, that little bit of pixie dust would have never happened if I hadn't of lurked around on the Dis.

Christie

Can you elaborate on this? I haven't heard this one.

 

[christieandjoel]

Yes-it hooks you in so it is expensive. But worth it IMHO.

Toon Town is located in DL & features the homes of Mickey & Minnie Mouse as well as Donald's Boat, etc. It is a good spot to meet the classic Disney characters. It opens, traditionally, one hour after the rest of the park, but check the times guide to be sure.

The tip I got here on the Disboards was to arrive at toon town about 30 minutes before it opens and wait at the gates. For our family, we went to EMH @ Carsland & road RSR & some other things. When the park officially opened, we park hopped over to DL & headed straight to Toon Town. We were some of the first people there. Don't get in the waiting areas designated by railing on the sides of the toon town entrance. Congregate with everyone else at the front of the toon town gate. The tip I read was that both Mickey & Minnie come out about 10 mins prior to the official opening of toon town to shake hands. For us, it was just Minnie. She greeted all of the kiddos in the group waiting. & then at the designated time to open the gates-grabbed my daughters hand & took her in. I had also read about Mickey & Minnie selecting one child to open Toon Town, but hadn't mentioned it to my family because, really, what are the chances???

So we were there this past Wednesday, if that helps.

The other great thing about Toon Town is there are photopass photographers in the houses who will take your picture with Mickey & Minnie, respectively. So as everyone else is lining up at various places around the park for Mickey & Minnie, if you go to Toon Town opening & head straight to the houses, there is virtually no wait. Goofy was also out that day. We looked for Donald, but a CM told us he wasn't there that day. I think if you find a helpful CM, they will fill you in on which characters are in Toon Town. I also read that sometimes Mickey isn't in his house but wandering around.

Hope that helps!

 

[RHMH]

Christie

It's is so nice to hear you experienced the Magic of Disney. I can honestly say, no matter how young or old you are.... You will be hooked on Disney for life.

Thanks for sharing...

 

[Kristina4109]

YEAH! I am so happy that the tips here helped you to plan this trip. I remember the first time I walked into Disneyland - I had been going to WDW since 1976 and always thought DL would be a letdown compared to it. BOY was I WRONG!

I absolutely love listening to the podcasts - Tom and the gang really do a great job. It's so refreshing to hear people who love DL as much as I do. And I consider myself a Disney expect but those podcasters have taught me a thing of two!

My next big Disney trip is to WDW (still love it) so I've been spending a lot of time on the WDW forums and watching that podcast as well. But once we're home from that trip it's time to start planning the next DL one so I'll be here even more!

Let us know what your thoughts are about returning to DL. Same resort or different? Do you want to try new restaurants or do you want to return to your favorites?

Above all, glad you had such a great vacay.

 

[christieandjoel]

I must say, we had NO time to see any shows, so I would like to go back & see Aladdin, the Princess shows, & Mickey (which was dark while we were there.)

We walked through the Grand Californian & thought it was beautiful, but feel like we are more DLH people.

With all the ride closures, we would like to go back & ride the ones we missed, probably when our son is a bit taller.

That said, we stumbled upon the re-opening of Ariel, CM said it had only opened 5 minutes before. That was pretty special.

We went to Carsland 3 times-& made a special trip to see the neon lighting at dusk. (Another Disboards tip.) Loved Flo's Cafe. Would like to ride RSR at night.

Missed watching classic Mickey cartoons on main street. My parents caught Lincoln but we did not.

So as I checked off my Disboards bucket list, I had to move stuff to my "Must Do" next time list.

Part of us took the Walk in Walt Footsteps tour-great! Recommend!

Podcast-I am eagerly awaiting Michael finishing his history of Disneyland. I also really enjoyed the Divas report & can't wait to hear how the Australian's trip goes. Met some people from New Zealand at the Dole Whip stand-they were DL regulars.

We were there to celebrate because I finished my doctor of ministry-I got a mickey ear mortarboard & my picture made with Minnie.

When I wanted to quit writing my dissertation, my husband & I decided to go to Disneyland to celebrate when I finished. I put a picture of the DLH headboards on my workspace & when I wanted to quit, I looked at that picture. I found the Disboards & when I needed a study break, I would research different DLR aspects.

To say the Disboards got me through my dissertation is an understatement.

And since I've lurked for so long, I'm feeling a little embarrassed about "talking" this much. Thanks for your kind words, again. I have found you all to be very nice people!

Christie

 

[lk2500]

Thanks for the kind responses.

Since we are from Texas and I had listened to the dining reviews on the podcast, we just walked right on past Tortilla Joe's.

But I did buy everyone a Dole Whip as we waited for the Tiki Room & they all loved them.

Preferred Storyteller's character interaction (They ALL stopped by, some twice) to Goofy's Kitchen (Only 2 stopped by & I even talked to the Handler.)

I found not just the cast members at Disneyland but also the guests to be extremely friendly.

Because of the Dis-we made it to the gates of Toon Town 30 minutes prior to opening. Minnie came out & greeted everyone. Then, when it was time to open the gates of Toon Town, Minnie grabbed my daughter's hand (4 yrs) & walked she & my son (2 yrs) straight to her house & we got to take some special pictures with her. Again, that little bit of pixie dust would have never happened if I hadn't of lurked around on the Dis.

Chef's counter @ Napa Rose-Disboards.
Gate 14 or 19-Disboards.
Wide Right-Disboards.
Peter Pan (Always First!)-Disboards.
Disneyland Hotel-Disboards.
What & who & how much to tip-Disboards.
Pre-ordering Photopass-Disboards.



I could go on & on. Thanks again!

Christie

I recall seeing something about the Gate 14/19 thing and was going to look it up again before I go this June. Are those the gates that are kind of hidden and usually have shorter lines?

 

[christieandjoel]

Yep-those two gates are covered by trees & I found the gates around those two also to be less populated.

 

[mikana876]

The tip I got here on the Disboards was to arrive at toon town about 30 minutes before it opens and wait at the gates. For our family, we went to EMH @ Carsland & road RSR & some other things. When the park officially opened, we park hopped over to DL & headed straight to Toon Town. We were some of the first people there. Don't get in the waiting areas designated by railing on the sides of the toon town entrance. Congregate with everyone else at the front of the toon town gate. The tip I read was that both Mickey & Minnie come out about 10 mins prior to the official opening of toon town to shake hands. For us, it was just Minnie. She greeted all of the kiddos in the group waiting. & then at the designated time to open the gates-grabbed my daughters hand & took her in. I had also read about Mickey & Minnie selecting one child to open Toon Town, but hadn't mentioned it to my family because, really, what are the
Hope that helps!

I have been going to toon town since I was 8, the year it first opened, and I have never known about the opening ceremony! Thanks for the tip!

 

[kkmcan]

Congrats on an amazing first trip! We started with our first trip in 2003 and then look what happened (See list below) My mind went into total Disney mode. I dream about how to get us there and in doing so have planned some wonderful trips. Then we expanded to WDW, Disney cruises and this past spring to Aulani. Our kids have literally grown up going to Disney and they have such special memories.

I am constantly working on some kind of Disney trip. Since we've been back from Hawaii I've been putting together our first ever DL Christmas trip for November.

I love the planning as much as the trip itself so nobody better think of surprising me with a trip.

 

[HollyL]

Hi Christie, Where in Texas are ya'll from? We're in Houston, and we were there last week (Wednesday and Thursday) as well. I always get irritated when I tell people we're going to the Disneyland Resort in California, and they always ask, why not Disneyworld? Ugh.....why does everyone think that WDW is better? I just happen to prefer the original, especially with young kids. I like how everything is there in one place, and I just prefer it. I have been to WDW, and even Disneyland Paris, and the original will always be my favorite. Maybe it's because I grew up in California and went to Disneyland at least once a year since I was a year old.

Glad to hear you had such a great time. It's a bummer that so many rides were down, so you must go back. Pirates of the Caribbean is a ride that I have never had to miss before, and with It's a Small World down, and so many others, it just felt incomplete. At least we had some really nice weather last week!