BS: All grown up at Disneyland

Subject: All grown up at Disneyland
From: mousethief
Date: 23 Mar 01 - 02:07 PM

Okay, I need to know from you experienced Disneyland visitors what an old fart like me would enjoy seeing at Disneyland. I'm going down as a chaperone for the high school jazz band (they're playing in the Fullerton Jazz festival April 7), and the day before (that's April 6 for those of you who have trouble with subtraction) they're playing at Disneyland, and we're spending the entire day there.

Chaparones are free to roam the "park" and needn't keep tabs on the kids, so I really have the prospect of a day all on my own in the Magic Kingdom. We're not allowed to go into the "new park" -- just the "old park" (not even sure what those terms mean).

So what should I try to look at? What rides (if any) are just not to be missed? I hate spinning-around rides (e.g. Octopus, Scrambler) but love roller-coasters that concentrate on huge vertical drops.

Someone has suggested I mustn't miss something called "phantasmic" or "fantasmic" but I don't even know what it is.

Suggestions? Thoughts?

Thanks,
Alex

Subject: RE: BS: All grown up at Disneyland
From: SINSULL
Date: 23 Mar 01 - 02:24 PM

Epcot is fun and you can forego the rides if you choose. I loved "Imagination" and the little dinosaur "Figment'. Don't miss the manatees at the Sea exhibit.

Subject: RE: BS: All grown up at Disneyland
From: GUEST,Karen in California
Date: 23 Mar 01 - 02:27 PM

Subject: RE: BS: All grown up at Disneyland
From: late 'n short 2
Date: 23 Mar 01 - 02:34 PM

Splash Mountain, Space Mountain and the Haunted Mansion are my favorites.

Subject: RE: BS: All grown up at Disneyland
From: GUEST,Karen in California
Date: 23 Mar 01 - 02:35 PM

Oops! That first try didn't work! EPCOT is fun but it's in Florida not California. The "old park" is Disneyland. The "new park" is Disney's California Adventure which opened officially in February. Roller coaster rides in Disneyland would be Splash Mountain (very large vertical drop at the end), Big Thunder Mountain, Space Mountain and the Matterhorn. Other all-time favorites are the Haunted Mansion, the Pirates of the Caribbean and the Indiana Jones ride. "Fantasmic" is a night-time show that takes place on the Rivers of America. If you've never been to Disneyland I would suggest taking the Disneyland Railroad train first. It travels around the park and allows you to see what every land has to offer. It's a good overview. Have fun!!

Subject: RE: BS: All grown up at Disneyland
From: Wesley S
Date: 23 Mar 01 - 03:54 PM

I don't know about California but in Florida if you stay at a Disney hotel you can get into the park an hour early. What I would suggest reguardless is decide which ride will have the longest lines and go there first- as soon as the park opens. Otherwise you can stand in line for 45 minutes for a 3 minute ride.

Subject: RE: BS: All grown up at Disneyland
From: GUEST,Karen in California
Date: 23 Mar 01 - 04:30 PM

You're right about the long line wait but they have a system now called FastPass that works very well. You reserve a window of time (an hour usually) and can zip onto the ride during that time frame. It saves you the wait. If you haven't used it ASK an employee how it works. I guarantee it will be worth it!

Subject: RE: BS: All grown up at Disneyland
From: mousethief
Date: 23 Mar 01 - 04:36 PM

Thanks for everybody's answers so far. ISn't space mountain the one that's inside, in the dark? I don't think I'd like that. Visual cues are very important for me to avoid motion-sickness, to which I am especially prone.

Well thanks for the Epcot suggestion, but I'm going to be in California, not Florida.

We already have hotel reservations so that's not an issue.

ANd I absolutely refuse to get within 100 yards of "It's a Small World."

ALex

Subject: RE: BS: All grown up at Disneyland
From: Sorcha
Date: 23 Mar 01 - 04:53 PM

Disneyland Clickie You can go there and look at what's available and decide what might me neat. Not any pics, tho.

Subject: RE: BS: All grown up at Disneyland
From: GUEST,Karen in California
Date: 23 Mar 01 - 05:05 PM

Did you know the employees have (or used to have)charity events in which they'd gather pledges to see how long they could last on a ride (after hours, of course)? One year the event was on the "It's A Small World" ride and I believe they had to ride it for eight hours straight. You got to love the dedication!

Subject: RE: BS: All grown up at Disneyland
From: mousethief
Date: 23 Mar 01 - 05:23 PM

And the intestinal fortitude!

Thanks for the link, Sorch. I'll check it out.

Alex

Subject: RE: BS: All grown up at Disneyland
From: mousethief
Date: 23 Mar 01 - 06:06 PM

Cool website, Sorcha! I especially like the "disclaimer."

I could spend all day trying to collect all the smashed coins, but it would cost about $50.

Maybe they have a volunteers program for people to volunteer doing things at the park?

I also thought I could ride the monorail to the hotel and try to find an open door, and sneak into one of the rooms and take a nap.

Alex

Subject: RE: BS: All grown up at Disneyland
From: mousethief
Date: 23 Mar 01 - 07:02 PM

Okay, now, is there any local musical scene I might take in on the night of the 7th of April, 2001? Somewhere close to Fullerton, CA would be ideal -- not sure how far my "ride" will be willing to take me.

Alex

Subject: RE: BS: All grown up at Disneyland
From: alison
Date: 24 Mar 01 - 06:33 AM

I was there last October (I prefer Florida... the Epcot centre was excellent!) but LA was fun too....

Space mountain used to be in the dark..... now it is ALMOST in the dark.... so you can see what direction the track is going but only just....... apparently they had some trouble with people getting injuries because they didn't know which direction to brace themselves....... I love rollercoasters but not in the dark... but this one was excellent, I LOVED it!!....

Indiana Jones is superb, Matterhorn bobsleigh is a good rollercoaster....

on a less dramatic level Pirates of the Carribean and the Haunted House.. are great.. but without the thrills and spills.....

avoid "It's a small world" like the plague....... unless you are into terrible tunes played ad nauseum accompanied by cutsey dolls...ARGHHHHH!!!!!

the FASTPASSES...are the way to go... I walked straight onto Indiana Jones while the people who were queuing had a 75 minute wait...... basically what you need to do.. is pick the rides you MUST go on.. and head straight to the fastpass booths and get your tickets..... this allocates you an hour window where you can come back and "jump the queue"... it is only available for certain rides, (Space mountain and Indiana Jones are included).....

have fun

slainte

alison

Subject: RE: BS: All grown up at Disneyland
From: alison
Date: 24 Mar 01 - 06:55 AM

forgot Splash Mountain... it had a 4 or 5 storey drop at the end of it.. seeing as you like vertical drops.....

the New park was being built when I was there.... maybe it is open now..... the "old park" is the Magic kingdom....

slainte

alison

Subject: RE: BS: All grown up at Disneyland
From: Naemanson
Date: 24 Mar 01 - 07:35 AM

I went to Disneyworld in 1994. I expected to hate the flash, the fake, the crowds, all of it.

I loved it.

We stayed in a hotel on the grounds, got into the park an hour ahead of the crowds, and saw everything. When the crowds got too thick we headed back to the hotel on the monorail and took a nap while the kids played in the hotel swimming pool. My most lasting souvenir came from one of the Africa nations booths. It is a hand carved wooden double ended rattle that we use in performance.

A month after the trip my wife and I decided to divorce and parted company. I'm still not sure if there was a connection! *BG*

Subject: RE: BS: All grown up at Disneyland
From: SeanM
Date: 24 Mar 01 - 04:45 PM

MT... if you're up for it, check and see if "Billy Hill & The Hillbillys" are playing - they'll probably be at the Golden Horseshoe.

Disney isn't much of a thrill park. It has 4 coasters total, none of 'em anything that I wouldn't have been riding since I was 8. However, Big Thunder and Matterhorn are two heavily themed coasters, where the scenery is almost as much fun as the ride.

Splash Mountain is a flume ride based off of Disney's "Song of the South", and if it's a warm day, get an early fastpass and get wet. You'll enjoy the cooling off.

You asked about 'Fantasmic!' (yes, the name actually has the '!' on it)... It's an interesting show. There's a big lake with an island in it over by New Orleans Square, and Fantasmic! takes place in, on and around the island and riverfront. I definitely recommend seeing it at least once - but if it's at all a busy day, I'd also recommend trying to get seats VERY early. I've seen the entire riverfront fill up about 90 minutes before showtime frequently.

On the whole, if you're prone to motion sickness, the only real concern would probably be the Mad Tea Party, which is basically a scrambler-style ride with the addition of 'teacup' cars that can be spun any direction at high speeds. Bleeearp, indeed. If you're REALLY sensitive, 'Star Tours' can get you - I know it does me. Mainly because it's a straight motion simulator, and it's old, so the visuals don't always quite sync with the motion.

I'd also suggest avoiding "Innoventions", if only because it's a giant monument to corporate hucksterism. If you'd like to see a miniature version of the Corporate World Faire, it can be a hoot. Other than that, unless you're REALLY tired and need to rest in air conditioning and it's too crowded anywhere else, it's a definite 'miss'.

Do go ride "Indiana Jones", though. From the moment you walk in the queue, you're in one of the best themed and well done ride and line environments in California. The ride's a bit bumpy, but nothing too intense. My mother, who almost defines 'extreme motion sickness', can (barely) handle the ride.

Most of all, lose yourself in the day to really have fun. Be a kid again. Just because you have to chaperone doesn't mean you're not allowed to run amuck in Toontown, or go climbing through caves on Tom Sawyer's Island. With a very few exceptions in the Kiddie section in Toon Town, everything in the park was designed so adults can ride as well as kids, and when it comes to heavily involved themed rides, noone tops Disney (except maybe Islands of Adventure, but that's another story).

Yes, I'm a Disney nut...

M

BTW - Good luck on a 'music scene' in SoCal. There's a venue up in LA by the name "Knitting Factory", but other than that, from what I've seen in a few years of searching it's pretty much limited to mopey singer/songwriters singing about navel lint and why they can't keep a girlfriend in local coffee shops. The only exception are a few halfway decent pub folk/rock bands, such as Gaelic Storm in Santa Monica, or the Fenians out of Costa Mesa.

Subject: RE: BS: All grown up at Disneyland
From: SeanM
Date: 24 Mar 01 - 04:51 PM

Oh... missed the mention of the 'new park' from Allison.

Avoid it.

Like the plague itself. Like you would Pat Boone and Snoop Dog teaming with Britney Spears to sing Dylan's hits.

California Adventure (the new park) is about at least a decade out from being worth the money. From having been there myself, it's fun for about three-four hours, and then you're done. Nowhere near the entertainment value of Disneyland, but oddly they're charging the same price.

And to elaborate on Billy Hill - The band is a semi-comedy revue of 'hillbilly' music, with some fairly skilled musicians. Last time I saw them, they did a lot of Bluegrass ('Rocky Top', etc), some weird showtunes ('Surrey with a Fringe on Top' a la Elvis), and some odd cover tunes (honkey tonk rendition of 'Stayin' Alive'.)

If you go, tell 'em the Seadogs sent you, and we're coming back on Easter...

BTW - another good Disney site to check is Mouseplanet. They're a bit bitter at times, but have a lot of good info.

M

M

Subject: RE: BS: All grown up at Disneyland
From: kimmers
Date: 24 Mar 01 - 06:38 PM

I adore Disneyland. Mike and I went there for our first real vacation together. No kids ever had as much fun as we did, even though we were so poor we had to bring in sack lunches.

The best thing about Disneyland? No cars. Very little litter, and excellent park security. It really does seem as if you are somewhere else rather than Southern California.

Go on the rides you're really interested in, but take time to sit down and people-watch. I like New Orleans Square for this. My two favorite rides are there (Pirates and Haunted House) and there's decent food in several restaurants there. And make sure you go upstairs to the Walt Disney Gallery. Have fun, Alex!!

Subject: RE: BS: All grown up at Disneyland
From: mousethief
Date: 10 Apr 01 - 01:46 PM

Thanks everybody for the great suggestions. I had just a cartload of fun. I wasn't really expecting to have as much fun as I did.

I only rode 4 rides, but I did a ton of window-shopping, and bought some Christmas presents, and talked to a lot of the cashiers about how they liked their jobs, and did a ton of people-watching, and collected autographs of characters, and hunted for penny-smashing machines. Oh, and being part of the entourage of the jazz band, I got to go back behind the scenes, to the hidden infrastructure that makes Disneyland possible. Absolutely fascinating! The tunnels and workshops and staging areas are incredible.

Most fun I've had in as long as I can remember. I think the last time I had such an all-around enjoyable day, entertainment-wise speaking, was my 23rd birthday (and I'm NOT telling how long ago that was!).

And Fantasmic was indescribably cool. Walt would be proud.

Alex

Subject: RE: BS: All grown up at Disneyland
From: jeffp
Date: 10 Apr 01 - 01:59 PM

Alex, glad to see you had such a good time! Disney has a way of doing that to you when you aren't paying attention. Now pass the smile along to somebody while it's still fresh!

jeffp

Subject: RE: BS: All grown up at Disneyland
From: GUEST,Kimmers-on-her-husbands-computer
Date: 10 Apr 01 - 07:21 PM

Ooh, behind-the-scenes stuff!! Tell, tell!!

Subject: RE: BS: All grown up at Disneyland
From: rangeroger
Date: 10 Apr 01 - 09:25 PM

I would love to go back and see Disneyland today, as the first time I was there was in 1955.

rr

Subject: RE: BS: All grown up at Disneyland
From: mousethief
Date: 11 Apr 01 - 12:04 AM

Not a whole lot to tell. Just that all the walls and facades you see are decorated just as far as they need to be (visible from within the park) and beyond that it's all girders and guy wires and such. There are huge tunnels between various parts of the park, allowing trucks to bring goods to the various restaurants without ever being seen by guests in the park. Out back (north of Mickey's Toon Town) there are huge hangars where they work on the cars/boats from the various rides and such.

Really fascinating.

Alex