What to expect for DL's 60th anniversary in 2015 (Starting May 22)

[kangamama]

I found the TV commercial: http://www.ispot.tv/ad/7853/disneyland-disneyland-diamond-celebration

 

[AmericanItGirl]

I'm excited too! Only 33 more days until we arrive! But I'm also kind of nervous about this trip because I'm bringing someone who hasn't been to DL since he was a kid, and he's not really into it. Don't get me wrong - he's happy to be going - he's excited about staying at the GCH and he's interested in going on most of the rides and trying all the restaurants. I don't expect him to love being there as much as I do, but I really want him to have a good time. Do any of you have semi-reluctant people in your group when you go? Any tips on how to help them feel the magic?

I'm going to the 24-hour day with two people who have been as kids and adults, but haven't been in a few years because they just never saw the point. I've managed to get them both excited by a) being openly super excited myself with regards to planning and b) talking about all of the stuff that they haven't seen/done (like Carsland). A good first step is to have the person download the Disneyland Explorer app if they have an iPod/smart phone. It's a fun interactive way to check out all of the attractions at both parks.

 

[lorijohnhill]

I'm excited too! Only 33 more days until we arrive! But I'm also kind of nervous about this trip because I'm bringing someone who hasn't been to DL since he was a kid, and he's not really into it. Don't get me wrong - he's happy to be going - he's excited about staying at the GCH and he's interested in going on most of the rides and trying all the restaurants. I don't expect him to love being there as much as I do, but I really want him to have a good time. Do any of you have semi-reluctant people in your group when you go? Any tips on how to help them feel the magic?

I do. My husband is one and my mom is the other. Nobody in my family loves it like I do. My daughter comes close, but still not as much as me. With my husband and my mom, their main enjoyment comes from seeing my daughter enjoy it so much. I try to point out the little details and the little magical touches. Anything not "Disney" that they enjoy in their regular lives, I try to point out how Disney embraces it and makes it magical. For instance, my mom has a Christmas tree that she only decorates with snowflake ornaments. She also worked in a hardware store for 10 years and is very proud of her hardware knowledge (having been raised in an era where hardware was considered "man stuff".) She was so tickled when I brought her an ornament from Cars Land. It was a "snowflake" made out of wrenches and had some other stuff on it that I don't really remember. I just knew she would love it and that it was so totally her. She absolutely loved it.

My husband loves vintage cars, so I made sure that Cars Land was one of our first stops. It really opened him up to accepting more...

 

[707MickeyGirl]

I'm going to the 24-hour day with two people who have been as kids and adults, but haven't been in a few years because they just never saw the point. I've managed to get them both excited by a) being openly super excited myself with regards to planning and b) talking about all of the stuff that they haven't seen/done (like Carsland). A good first step is to have the person download the Disneyland Explorer app if they have an iPod/smart phone. It's a fun interactive way to check out all of the attractions at both parks.

Those are great suggestions! Thank you!

 

[V2000]

Rumor mill says there are going to be special touches at the hotels too, like special room keys, stationary, pens! I'm getting a bit embarrassed by how excited I am to see it all!

Wow I like the sound of that! Where did you hear/read about the hotel's special touches?
Please share

 

[kangamama]

Wow I like the sound of that! Where did you hear/read about the hotel's special touches?
Please share

I heard about that on the disunplugged podcast last week.

 

[gottalovepluto]

Wow I like the sound of that! Where did you hear/read about the hotel's special touches?
Please share

I call micechat the "rumor mill" haha saw it in a post over there yesterday. And now @kangamama says it was in the disunplugged podcast so there's some confirmation. yay!

 

[sgrap]

I'm excited too! Only 33 more days until we arrive! But I'm also kind of nervous about this trip because I'm bringing someone who hasn't been to DL since he was a kid, and he's not really into it. Don't get me wrong - he's happy to be going - he's excited about staying at the GCH and he's interested in going on most of the rides and trying all the restaurants. I don't expect him to love being there as much as I do, but I really want him to have a good time. Do any of you have semi-reluctant people in your group when you go? Any tips on how to help them feel the magic?

I bet that once you get there, he will enjoy it more than he thinks he will. If he is willing to go, he doesn't have to be as excited as you are (that's what we are here for! ). My dh isn't as 'into' Disney as I am (Ok, no one in my family is), but they probably have as much fun or more when they are there. I do find little videos, pictures or articles that I think might interest dh and my 21-year old son and message them with it on FB or e-mail it to them. Especially the food ones get dh's interest, ha. But mostly ahead of time it is me getting excited, and then I get to watch them get excited as we get close to going and especially while we're there. No one complains once we are there, for sure!

 

[kangamama]

I'll speak as the person my my family who was NOT INTO the idea of a disneyland trip AT ALL before going on our first trip. I was kid of gritting my teeth, preparing for an experience that was just going to have to "get through". I appreciated that no-one tried to get me to feel the magic, and just let me get there and let it all unfold. The result was that I wound up just feeling it for myself, and once I felt it, I was hooked So you may actually not want to put too much pressure on your traveling companions to feel the magic -- they will either feel it or they won't, and if you don't invest too much of your own emotions into making them enjoy it, you won't be disappointed, either. (I mean, I was really, really not into going to DL. I had no interest whatsoever! But now I am a confirmed DisNerd.)

 

[707MickeyGirl]

I bet that once you get there, he will enjoy it more than he thinks he will.

This is exactly what I'm hoping for. I know he's going to LOVE the GCH and want to know all about it, so we're going to take the hotel tour our first day. I also booked him a Swedish massage for the next day and told him all about the sauna/steam room he can use every day. He's a foodie, so we'll go to Carthay Circle, Napa Rose, Steakhouse 55 and Blue Bayou, and we'll go to all of the other places that serve adult beverages. Except for Trader Sam's, these are all things I've never done because all of my previous trips have been with my DGD6 or my own kids when they were young. He does want to go on the rides (all of the non-spinning ones) and he's curious to see the evolution of DL since his childhood, and of course all of DCA since he's never been. I just feel kind of responsible for making sure he has a great time, since I've kind of twisted his arm into taking this trip. If he loves it even half as much as I do, it'll all be good.

Thank everyone, for your great suggestions and comments.

 

[agamble]

I like the CM name tags and Mickey and Minnie's outfits!

My nearly 5 y/o daughter loved the picture of Mickey and Minnie in their new outfits. "Oooh, sparkly!" She thought they were great.

 

[mdsd8700]

Thanks for posting, I have really been wanting to see this commercial but couldn't find it anywhere. So excited for this celebration!! Will be following this thread to keep up with all the details

 

[beachdreamr1229]

Thanks for posting the commercial. It does make me feel nostalgic. How many more days until my next trip?!?

 

[gottalovepluto]

I was hoping to see a new 60th anniversary type tour announced with parade viewing, a la the Holiday Time tour, but haven't seen anything. Anyone think there's a chance for something like that? There's so much history in the park I'm sure they could come up with enough to do another Disneyland Tour.

 

[thmcdonald1]

I was hoping to see a new 60th anniversary type tour announced with parade viewing, a la the Holiday Time tour, but haven't seen anything. Anyone think there's a chance for something like that? There's so much history in the park I'm sure they could come up with enough to do another Disneyland Tour.

I was hoping (and still am) for one too, but it hasn't happened yet, so I'm getting more and more resigned to the idea that it won't.

If this event were in Disney World, there would be tiered packages from preferred seating for parades to entire events with guided tours, fastpasses, special dining, etc.

It's funny how things don't translate from west coast to east coast. Different crowds lead to different park styles.

 

[lorijohnhill]

I was hoping to see a new 60th anniversary type tour announced with parade viewing, a la the Holiday Time tour, but haven't seen anything. Anyone think there's a chance for something like that? There's so much history in the park I'm sure they could come up with enough to do another Disneyland Tour.

An Anniversary Tour would be awesome! There is so much that will be new or changing that I think this would be a very valuable (and fun) tour for DL veterans and newbies alike. Add in reserved seating for the Paint the Night parade and the fireworks and it would be amazing!

 

[JadeDarkstar]

My son was wondering if they would have one of these too. We were talking bout a walk in Walt's footsteps but he said "I would hope Disney has some special tour for the 60th."

 

[Sherry E]

This was already posted in the specific thread about the 24-hour event earlier this morning and most people already know about it, but I suppose it should be posted here too. I know that there are always cases in which some people follow certain threads and not others, so they may only get their updates and info from the specific threads they follow.

Since this is 60th Anniversary-related, it helps to post it here too, I suppose:

"‘World of Color’ Dining Packages Available for Disneyland Resort Diamond Celebration 24-Hour Kickoff Event" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on April 24th, 2015 by Rachel Brent, Food & Beverage Marketing Communications Coordinator

​

 

[White Rose]

We are coming to Disneyland this Oct, doing ABD adults exclusive southern California! Has anyone heard of anything special tying in ABD southern CA and the 60th?

Questions were asked in the ABD forum, and no one knows. Also, any word on the Halloween party? Will it happen?

I know there is a lot of time between now and then...Also...just curious how the contest where people can stay in the Dream Suite will impact the trip, as the Dream Suite is listed on the ABD itinerary!

 

[Sherry E]

We are coming to Disneyland this Oct, doing ABD adults exclusive southern California! Has anyone heard of anything special tying in ABD southern CA and the 60th?

Questions were asked in the ABD forum, and no one knows. Also, any word on the Halloween party? Will it happen?

I know there is a lot of time between now and then...Also...just curious how the contest where people can stay in the Dream Suite will impact the trip, as the Dream Suite is listed on the ABD itinerary!

There is no news about the Halloween Party -- it's too early for Disney to release info about it yet. If nothing major is changing for the party this year then we probably wouldn't know anything about it until the beginning of July, or maybe late June. If something major is happening then we could hear about it as early as next month -- but that is unlikely.

I'm sure the party will happen in some capacity. I think that if anything were to change it would more likely be the location of the party, but even that is not really a solid possibility anymore. Stay tuned to the Halloween Time at DLR Superthread for party news and info -- http://www.disboards.com/threads/ha...ween-time-2015.3270919/page-133#post-53518536