What else can we do?

[aidensmom31]

OK fellow Disers , I am sure this question has been asked before but each person's experiences are different so I thought I would throw it out there and am hoping to get so much feedback I have a list for this trip and a reason to plan another trip soon

I am taking my 8 year old son to Disneyland in 12 days He has been two other times (2009 & 2011/2012). We have done a lot there but I know there has to be stuff we are missing. We are going 5 days, 11/5-11/9 so I know there will not be Fantasmic which we love and have seen alot and I know a few rides are down.

So my question to you all is what are maybe some not well know but have to sees/dos for you? Shows, rides, character interactions, food? You name it and keep them coming (we need a smiley taking notes)

 

[Escape2Disney]

Here are a few:

- Ask to pilot the Mark Twain
- Ask to ride Tinder on the railroad
- Ask to ride the Lilly Belle if it's running during your stay. Check at the Main Street railroad station early in the day so you can book one of the few available spots.
- Pick up a hidden Mickey book and search for them in the parks.

If I think of more, I'll post again later.

 

[rsleleux]

We just got back from the best trip! We were there for my son's 6th birthday! Aiden is a huge Cars fan and has been since he was 2 years old! We spent a lot of time in Carsland, rode Radiator Racers 3x, Maters Jamboree 3x and he rode Luigis flying tires with each of us! My advice is have dad get fastpast for RR and ride Luigis with mom, then the next day have mom get fastpast and ride Luigis with dad! The tire moves better with less people/weight and it is a slow loader so first thing in the am is the only time we rode it and we waited 15 mins tops! We started everyday in DCA going to Carsland and after we got fast passes and rode Luigis, for 2 of the 3 days we were there and the 3rd day we went straight to RR using wide right technique and was finished ride within 30 mins, then we headed to TSM with a short wait. My husband and I each rode Calf Screaming in single rider while other parent rode Goofys sky school and other rides with son in Paradise Pier, then on our way out we got FP for Soaring and headed to DL to get Star Tours FP, my son also did the Jedi Training Academy, which he really enjoyed! we park hopped back and forth every day! The Pixar Play parade was a really good one! We saw WOC with dining passes and the view was amazing, bring a poncho! we had lunch at Blue Bayou and really enjoyed it! If you are there on a fri or Sat night, check out Mad Tea Party it was different and neat to see, we didn't stay long just got a quick peak since we had my son with us and it's more of an adult atmosphere but really cool! We also saw some neat Villains, since it is Halloween time and the Ranch had a lot of Villains! The best 3days of my son's life was how he described it! I have the best pictures with the biggest smiles! Have a great trip!

 

[PineapplePrincessCA]

- Pick up a hidden Mickey book and search for them in the parks.

I love this idea! I think this would be a lot of fun for an 8 year old.

 

[Gracedis1]

We just got back. My son was first in line at DCA for the Monster's Inc ride and was the "Screamer of the Day." He got a certificate that let our family go to the front of the line any time that day. We rode it 6 times!

 

[mydisneymoney]

Have you done Turtle Talk with Crush? If not, make sure you do that. Have your son right in the front in the middle. Crush might talk to him. My DS6 that it was so great that Crush talked to him.

 

[SA mom]

Carsland is new at at dusk, all the neons start to come on just like the movie. They even play the song.

 

[chttyangel]

Each time we go to DL we tend to always hit the same rides and the same places to eat, etc. This past time it was just my youngest children and I; and for some reason we seemed to end up with a little extra time. We hit the area where Belle's/ Beast's Library is (amazing), we watched a show in the Golden Horseshoe, we toured the "train" museum" area, we spent time taking pics with all the characters (not just one or two; I mean used the app and went all over taking pics) and did the dessert seating for F! and we ate the best friend chicken at the Plaza Inn.

These are probbally normal stops for allot of faimiles but for us they were all new experiences that we never had taken the time for before. These little new adventures really made for a magical trip.

 

[krispin41]

I haven't read through the entire thread, but on our last trip we really enjoyed the Animation Academy. My husband, not the Disney freak I am, mentioned he would have loved to spend all day there. He also loved the zoetrope.

 

[aidensmom31]

Here are a few:

- Ask to pilot the Mark Twain
- Ask to ride Tinder on the railroad
- Ask to ride the Lilly Belle if it's running during your stay. Check at the Main Street railroad station early in the day so you can book one of the few available spots.
- Pick up a hidden Mickey book and search for them in the parks.

If I think of more, I'll post again later.

Lilly Belle is a great idea. Do you schedule a time or something? And I ordered and have received a hidden mickey book

 

[aidensmom31]

We just got back from the best trip! We were there for my son's 6th birthday! Aiden is a huge Cars fan and has been since he was 2 years old! We spent a lot of time in Carsland, rode Radiator Racers 3x, Maters Jamboree 3x and he rode Luigis flying tires with each of us! My advice is have dad get fastpast for RR and ride Luigis with mom, then the next day have mom get fastpast and ride Luigis with dad! The tire moves better with less people/weight and it is a slow loader so first thing in the am is the only time we rode it and we waited 15 mins tops! We started everyday in DCA going to Carsland and after we got fast passes and rode Luigis, for 2 of the 3 days we were there and the 3rd day we went straight to RR using wide right technique and was finished ride within 30 mins, then we headed to TSM with a short wait. My husband and I each rode Calf Screaming in single rider while other parent rode Goofys sky school and other rides with son in Paradise Pier, then on our way out we got FP for Soaring and headed to DL to get Star Tours FP, my son also did the Jedi Training Academy, which he really enjoyed! we park hopped back and forth every day! The Pixar Play parade was a really good one! We saw WOC with dining passes and the view was amazing, bring a poncho! we had lunch at Blue Bayou and really enjoyed it! If you are there on a fri or Sat night, check out Mad Tea Party it was different and neat to see, we didn't stay long just got a quick peak since we had my son with us and it's more of an adult atmosphere but really cool! We also saw some neat Villains, since it is Halloween time and the Ranch had a lot of Villains! The best 3days of my son's life was how he described it! I have the best pictures with the biggest smiles! Have a great trip!

I would love to people able to ride and get fastpasses at the same time but it is just me and my son so its a no go And we are missing all the villians since Halloween will be over. But we may have to do the Blue Bayou again and maybe this time get a water seat

 

[aidensmom31]

We just got back. My son was first in line at DCA for the Monster's Inc ride and was the "Screamer of the Day." He got a certificate that let our family go to the front of the line any time that day. We rode it 6 times!

Oh I love this....gonna have to try it

 

[aidensmom31]

Each time we go to DL we tend to always hit the same rides and the same places to eat, etc. This past time it was just my youngest children and I; and for some reason we seemed to end up with a little extra time. We hit the area where Belle's/ Beast's Library is (amazing), we watched a show in the Golden Horseshoe, we toured the "train" museum" area, we spent time taking pics with all the characters (not just one or two; I mean used the app and went all over taking pics) and did the dessert seating for F! and we ate the best friend chicken at the Plaza Inn.

These are probbally normal stops for allot of faimiles but for us they were all new experiences that we never had taken the time for before. These little new adventures really made for a magical trip.

What app did you use?

 

[aidensmom31]

I haven't read through the entire thread, but on our last trip we really enjoyed the Animation Academy. My husband, not the Disney freak I am, mentioned he would have loved to spend all day there. He also loved the zoetrope.

I love love love the animation academy. Maybe we should spend some more time there but I dont think I could do a whole day unless I was there for a couple more days

 

[chttyangel]

What app did you use?

Mobile Magic by Verizon. It does not have much to it when your not in the Park; but once you are in or near the Park it gives you ride times and tells you all the charcter times.

 

[awdsmama]

To make our 2013 trip a bit different/experience more than our 2012 trip (which was DS7 first time) this is what I'm planning:

Fantasmic! Dessert Package
Discover the Magic Tour (helllo no wait in line for a few rides and a treasure hunt, my then-8yr old will love that)
I bought him the 3rd edition of the Disneyland Hidden Mickeys book which was updated in 2011 -- be careful there is a 2nd edition from 2006 being sold online too. That is a Christmas gift for him and I know he'll have it almost memorized by May

 

[tiggerluvr]

Maybe try the old VMK quests? I'm planning on doing them with my DS13 when we go in December. They're like scavenger hunts; a long time ago when you did a quest and turned in your completed form to a special kiosk in Tomorrowland, you'd get a virtual "prize" that you could use in an online multiplayer game (similar to Second Life, if you're familiar with that). But I figured that the scavenger hunt-type thing would be fun to do on its own, so I created PDFs and downloaded them to my phone using the GoodReader app. I've posted links to the PDF's here on the DIS boards, if you're interested.