By David Platt, your Mouse Master specialist
1. Ride in the front of the monorail Did you know you can ride up front with the driver on the Disneyland Monorail? All you have to do is ask the driver nicely. If you’re successful, you’ll be treated to panaromic views of the Disneyland® Resort. The front of the monorail holds a maximum of four people, so you may need to wait for the next monorail if another group is already waiting. 2. Captain the Mark Twain Riverboat Want to man the wheel of the Mark Twain? Ask a cast member working the dock nicely, and he or she may just put you in touch with the captain who will grant you honorary captain access to the wheelhouse. You’ll get to steer the ship and ring the bell. A nice bonus: you get to sign a guestbook and receive an honorary captain’s certificate. 3. Get a Jungle Cruise Map When you disembark from you Jungle Cruise boat, ask a cast member if they have any maps available. They may make you ‘work’ for it, in the form of telling a joke, but you’ll be rewarded with a nice free souvenir. 4. Say hello to a Disneyland cat (from a distance) A lot of people think this one is an urban legend, but it’s true—there are about 200 feral cats that live on Disneyland Resort grounds. While they’re most active at night, it’s not unusual for eagle-eyed observers to spy a feline slinking around during the day. I’ve had the most success finding them over in the Critter Country area, near the Rivers of America. 5. Ride with the conductor on the Disneyland Railroad Ask the conductor nicely, and he or she may let you take a ‘tender ride.’ You and one guest will get to ride on a small seat directly behind the conductor. Warning: this can be a difficult one to get. You can only do tender rides from the Main Street, U.S.A. train station, and only if that train is not scheduled to take on water at the New Orleans Street train station. They also won’t do tender rides if it’s too hot, as it can get extremely warm in the tender seats. 6. Ride in the Lilly Belle train car This is perhaps the biggest ‘get’ on this list. Many Disneyland® Park buffs still haven’t scored this elusive freebie: ride the historic Lilly Belle Presidential Train Car, which is only out on certain days—when it’s not too hot, not too rainy, and not too cold. The stars have to align exactly right. Visit the Main Street, U.S.A. train station first thing in the morning and ask if it’s running that day. If so, you may be rewarded with a coveted ticket which will tell you what time to return for your ride. There are rumors that the Lilly Belle may be put into retirement for good very soon, so give it a go while you still can! 7. Find Hidden Mickeys Perhaps the best known of all the ‘Disneyland Resort freebies,’ looking for hidden Mickeys can take over an entire vacation if you let it. Hidden Mickeys are loosely defined as anything that looks like a profile of Mickey’s head—a large circle topped by two smaller circles representing his ears. These hidden Mickeys have been hidden all over the Disneyland Resort. There are a myriad of websites, apps, and books devoted to finding hidden Mickeys. 8. Find Walt’s apartment When designing Disneyland Park, Walt Disney had an apartment built for himself above the firehouse on Main Street, U.S.A. He spent many a night there dreaming up many of the things we know and love today. While the apartment isn’t open to the public, there’s always a lamp shining in its window to symbolize Walt’s presence always being in Disneyland Park. It's become our family's tradition to stop and say 'goodbye' to Walt at the end of every trip. 9. Find the Country Bears Lots of people still miss the Country Bear Jamboree, which went away to make room for The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh many years ago. But did you know if you look REALLY carefully, you can still find an homage to the Country Bears? While riding Winnie the Pooh, keep an eye out behind you right before the ride ends, and you might just see Max, Buff, and Melvin. 10. Play Musical Chairs with the Mad Hatter and Alice This one is the best, seriously. It's probably my personal favorite unadvertised thing at Disneyland Resort. Every afternoon next to Refreshment Corner at the end of Main Street, U.S.A., the Mad Hatter and Alice suddenly appear and start an impromptu game of musical chairs with the kids. They do an exceptional job of making it fun and entertaining, even when a kid gets eliminated. It's a real testament to their skills that out of the half a dozen times that I've seen this, I've never seen a single child in tears after they're eliminated. It's not in any entertainment guide anywhere, so how do you know when to show up? In the morning, stop by Refreshment Corner and ask the piano player entertaining guests outside. He plays piano during musical chairs, so he'll know what time it will take place that day.
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By David Platt, your Mouse Master specialist I recently completed the trifecta of on-property Disneyland® Resort hotels by staying at Disney’s Paradise Pier® Hotel for the first time. Disney's Paradise Pier Hotel has a lot going for it. Among its highlights: the largest standard rooms of all three Disney-owned hotels, which can easily sleep five with two queen beds and a couch that converts into a day bed in some rooms. Each room features a fun beach theme, tying in with the Paradise Pier land in Disney California Adventure® Park. Disney's Paradise Pier Hotel is consistently the least expensive of all three Disney-owned hotels, making it an attractive option for families wanting to stay on-property on a budget. That lower price comes with some trade-offs, though— it’s the furthest walk to the park of all three hotels. Keep in mind, though, that we’re talking a longer walk by just a few minutes. While Disney's Grand Californian Hotel® & Spa is about a five-minute walk to the Disneyland® Park main gates, the Disneyland® Hotel is about a ten-minute walk, and Disney's Paradise Pier Hotel is about a fifteen-minute walk— still easily doable for most park-goers! Staying at Disney's Paradise Pier Hotel comes with all the great perks of staying onsite, the most notable being early entry into either Disneyland Park or Disney California Adventure Park every day of your stay. While any three-day-or-greater ticket gets you one early entry into Disneyland Park, staying on-property is the ONLY way to get early entry into Disney California Adventure Park and have a fighting chance of getting onto Radiator Springs Racers or Guardians of the Galaxy- Mission: BREAKOUT! with a short wait. Disney's Paradise Pier Hotel has (in my opinion) one of the hidden-gem restaurants of the entire Disneyland Resort: Disney’s PCH Grill, which hosts the Surf’s Up Breakfast with Mickey & Friends every morning. This delightful character breakfast features such characters as Stitch, Daisy, and Minnie— and it’s the only character breakfast in the entire Disneyland Resort where you can meet Mickey. For dinner, the PCH Grill hosts the Beachside Bonfire Dinner Buffet, featuring foods based on California ‘beach eats.’ It’s a great dinner experience that’s hardly ever crowded. Want a fantastic view of Disney California Adventure Park? Upgrade to a Premium View room (located on one of the top floors) and it’s all yours. On our recent visit, my daughter and I finished off our trip with a snuggly viewing of World of Color from our hotel room window. We couldn’t have asked for a more perfect end to our latest Disneyland Resort adventure; World of Color in your pajamas is hard to beat! Honestly, I wasn’t sold on Disney's Paradise Pier Hotel before I stayed there. I thought the walk would be too long. And I’ve been so thrilled with the Disneyland Hotel and Disney's Grand Californian Hotel & Spa that I kept wanting to return. Would I return to Disney's Paradise Pier Hotel for a future visit? Absolutely. The walk is EASILY doable, even if you have small children. The Premium View rooms can’t be beat, and are a fraction of the cost of Theme Park View rooms at Disney's Grand Californian Hotel & Spa. I think my on-property hotel decision for future visits just got a bit more difficult. Disclosure: While I received a travel professional discount on my stay at Disney's Paradise Pier Hotel, the discount did not influence my review. By David Platt, your Mouse Master specialist Rocket and Groot have finally made their debut at Disney California Adventure® Park with last weekend's debut of Guardians of the Galaxy- Mission: BREAKOUT! The hot new ride, anticipated since its announcement months ago, opened May 27, and this Mouse Master was on-hand that very first day. First, let's get over the big elephant in the room: yes, it's essentially the same ride as the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror™. You get in an elevator, you shoot up to the top of the tower, drop, rinse and repeat. But Disney has re-themed Twilight Zone Tower of Terror with Peter Quill, Gamora, and all the other Guardians to create a thrilling new headliner attraction. The new concept of the ride: the tower is home base for Taneleer Tivan (the Collector), who true to his name has amassed a collection of artifacts from all over the galaxy. He's decided to add the Guardians to his collection-- but Rocket escapes and has enlisted your help to break out his compatriots. While I was a disappointed to see Twilight Zone Tower of Terror go and had a lot of initial reservations about the new Guardians ride, I couldn't be happier with the result. They've taken what was a very good ride, and amped it up into an excellent, not-to-be-missed experience. The story is comprehensive from start to finish-- while Twilight Zone Tower of Terror was creepy and thrilling, I never felt it had a particularly strong or comprehensible storyline. The queue is spectacular, allowing riders to view Tivan's collection up close-- and there are LOTS of hidden easter eggs among the collection for not only Marvel fans, but Disney fans too. The new ride features six different songs and lots of different scenes that can be intercut to tell the overall story of rescuing the Guardians (similar to how Star Tours intercuts several different scenes to give you different experiences). Repeatability is a big factor on how popular this ride will be-- I heard park-goers comparing notes all weekend about how many of the six songs they had experienced so far. My daughter and I experienced three of the six songs and can't wait to ride again to hear 'I Want You Back' by the Jackson Five and 'Hit Me With Your Best Shot' by Pat Benatar. Lines? They will be long for quite some time to come. On day one, the standby line topped out at five hours, and FASTPASSes were all gone within two hours of park opening. They're letting people into the park early to queue, and I'd expect waits of *at least* an hour, even on slower days. Riding Guardians with a short wait will hinge on two key factors: FASTPASS and early entry (and remember-- only guests staying on-property get early entry to Disney California Adventure Park!). Using those two things in conjunction, my daughter and I were able to ride Guardians three times within two hours of the park opening for early entry. Bottom line: this one is a huge hit in my eyes. It's going to be the linchpin for the upcoming rumored 'Marvel Land' expansion plans for Disney California Adventure Park. If it's any indication of what's to come, I can't wait! By David Platt, your Mouse Master specialist
I recently guested on a DisDads podcast discussing the ins and outs of character dining at the Disneyland® Resort. Other guests include Kris Sheppard of Go Mouse Scouts and Josh Taylor of Network 1901. We discuss not only the five character meals Disneyland offers right now, but ideas for future opportunities that we'd like to see. Finally, we tackle the topic of which character meals may be the right choices for different ages. You can download the podcast HERE or listen in your web browser HERE. By David Platt, your Mouse Master specialist
When thinking about cruising on the Disney Cruise Line, most probably automatically think of Florida cruises—an overwhelming number of DCL cruises depart from either Miami or Port Canaveral, FL, traveling to the Caribbean or the Bahamas. But for you West Coasters like me—did you know there are several DCL itineraries sailing from the West Coast? The Disney Wonder offers varied destination cruises from late spring through the fall. In 2017, for example, DCL departs from both Vancouver BC and San Diego. Guests can sail on the magnificent Disney Wonder from Vancouver to stunning Alaska, on itineraries ranging from five to nine nights. You’ll sail through the majestic Tracy Arms Fjord, stopping at locations such as Ketchican, Skagway, and Juneau (ports of call vary by itinerary). For something a little different, try cruising the California coast! DCL offers 4- or 5-day itineraries cruising from sunny San Diego to Vancouver, BC (or vice versa). Ports of call vary by itinerary, but may include Victoria BC and San Francisco. For big Disney fans, that San Francisco stop could be a perfect opportunity to pair a Disney cruise with a visit to the Walt Disney Family Museum. If you’re looking for a sunny adventure, try one of the DCL itineraries travelling the Baja California peninsula departing from San Diego. Ranging in length from 2 to 7 nights, ports of call on these itineraries may include Ensenada, Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan, and Cabo San Lucas. And then there’s the big kahuna of the DCL West Coast cruises: the 14-day Panama Canal cruise from San Diego. This repositioning cruise includes stops at Cabo San Lucas and Puerto Vallarta before traversing the Panama Canal. Other ports of call include Cartagena, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel, before disembarking in Galveston, Texas. With a stunning variety of destinations, Disney Cruise Line has destinations for almost everyone. From the sun-drenched Bahamas to the icy majesty of Alaska or the Norwegian Fjords, DCL is there to take you on the vacation of your dreams. By David Platt, your Mouse Master specialist
After ongoing performances since 2003, the Disney Junior- Live on Stage show is closing in just a few weeks. The perennial favorite with the younger crowd featured characters from Jake and the Never Land Pirates, Sofia the First, Doc McStuffins, and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. The show is slated to vacate its Hollywood Land location at Disney California Adventure® Park in early April. But all is not lost, Dinsey Junior fans! On May 26, a brand new show takes its place: the Disney Junior Dance Party takes its place in Hollywood Land. While the exact location hasn’t been disclosed, this Mouse Master has a strong feeling it will remain in the same theater that housed the previous show. While the new show will also feature popular characters from Sofia the First and Doc McStuffins, characters from two new shows join the mix: The Lion Guard and Mickey and the Roadster Racers. While details on the new show are scant, the Disney Parks Blog promises an interactive concert format that will encourage audience participation. Music and characters from popular Disney Junior shows should be a huge hit with the younger crowd! I can’t wait to see this new show! The description brings back memories of one of my all-time favorite Disney California Adventure Park hidden gems: Dancin’ With Disney, where kids (and adults) could interact and dance with an eclectic mix of Disney characters in the Stage 17 building. I happen to already have a trip of my own scheduled for that weekend, so I’ll be giving a full review of not only this new show, but also the Guardians of the Galaxy- Mission: BREAKOUT! attraction, which opens that same weekend. It always amazes me that after dozens of trips to Disneyland Resort, I can still experience at least one new thing on every trip. Stay tuned for a full report on the Disney Junior Dance Party! By David Platt, your Mouse Master specialist
On February 24, Disneyland® Park welcomed the Red Rose Taverne, a Beauty and the Beast-themed eatery coinciding with the release of the live-action Disney film on March 17. Early reports indicate the food is delicious, but the lines are lengthy as everyone is excited by a brand new eatery themed around such a popular Disney film. Located in the former ‘Village Haus’ restaurant in Fantasyland, the quick service Red Rose Taverne features an entirely new menu based on Belle and her friends. Enjoy brand new offerings like the vegetarian Enchanted Cauliflower Sandwich, featuring a grilled cauliflower steak, spicy lime aioli, tempura-battered green beans, lettuce and tomato on a toasted roll. Most exciting to me? The Grey Stuff finally arrives at Disneyland Park! While it’s not exactly the same Grey Stuff offered at Be Our Guest restaurant at Walt Disney World® Resort, Disneyland Park guests can now try the Grey Stuff Gateau – a white chocolate mousse and red velvet cake with a sweet raspberry center. For any poutine fans, the classic Canadian dish makes its Disneyland Park debut. The Red Rose Taverne offers both a classic Slow-Cooked Beef Poutine and a Poutine Flatbread. While they have not yet announced a closing date, Disneyland Park says that Red Rose Taverne is here for a limited time only, so you should come in and be their guest soon. You can view the complete menu at the Disney Park Blog Have you tried Red Rose Taverne already? What are your favorites? By David Platt, your Mouse Master specialist
So you think you’ve done everything Disney. You’ve been to Walt Disney World® Resort, you’ve been to Disneyland ®Resort, you’ve been on the Disney Cruise Line. Heck, you’ve even been to Aulani, A Disney Resort & Spa in Ko Olina, Hawai‘i. But have you experienced a true hidden Disney gem— a guided vacation from Adventures by Disney®? Adventures by Disney brings that legendary level of Disney service that you’ve come to know and love to guided vacations around the world, offering dozens of itineraries on six continents. AbD prides itself on creating culturally-immersive, once-in-a-lifetime experiences. Every facet of your adventure is led by Disney-trained Adventure Guides, and almost every aspect of an AbD trip is included in the cost— airport pick-up, most meals, lodging at world-class accommodations, ground or air transportation to all your stops, and tickets & admission to local attractions. Your Adventure Guides arrange off-the-beaten path experiences unique to your destination. From the moment you arrive at the airport to the moment you leave, your Disney-trained Adventure Guides are there to make your vacation as smooth and trouble-free as possible. There truly is an AbD vacation for everyone, whether you want to go behind the scenes at Disneyland on the Disneyland Resort and Southern California itinerary, or visit the mystical Galapagos Islands on the Ecuador: Amazon and Galapagos Islands itinerary. Feel like visiting the real-life inspiration for Frozen’s Arendelle? AbD’s Norway itinerary takes you there. Ever dream of an African safari? AbD’s South African itinerary includes that and much more. Want a private VIP tour of the Vatican Museum? Check out AbD's Italy itinerary. Adventures by Disney leverages Disney's business holdings to allow experiences not readily available to the public, like private screenings at LucasFilm headquarters on the San Francisco Long Weekend itinerary or Backstage VIP access at Good Morning America on the NYC Long Weekend itinerary. AbD also recently added amazing luxury all-inclusive river cruises down Europe’s Rhine and Danube. For the ultimate cruise experience, pair a Disney Cruise Line itinerary with excursions hosted by AbD. You can add on AbD-hosted excursion packages to many of the Disney Cruise Line European itineraries. For family members of all ages, AbD Adventure Guides have plenty of activities that engage kids and teenagers-- or, if you prefer an adults-only group, AbD offers many adults-only itineraries. AbD trips are routinely some of the highest-rated vacation experiences in their class; in 2015, AbD took the number one spot for the 'adventure' category for tour operators in Travel Weekly's Readers Choice Awards. If you’d like to know more about Adventures by Disney, visit my Mouse Master Travel Adventures by Disney page. Or, simply email me or call me today to start planning your ultimate Adventures by Disney getaway. By David Platt, your Mouse Master specialist
Big news from Disneyland® Resort today: Toy Story Midway Mania® in Disney California Adventure® Park and Matterhorn Bobsleds in Disneyland® Park will both be getting FASTPASS service soon! In addition, Disney is unveiling a new 'MaxPass' option later this year that will allow park guests to book and redeem FASTPASSes using the Disneyland Park mobile app on their phones. I’m particularly excited about having FASTPASS at Toy Story Midway Mania. This attraction is consistently one of the longest lines in the park, and, with no previous FASTPASS option available, guests arriving at park opening had to make a choice: rush to get a FASTPASS for Radiator Springs Racers before they run out, or rush to get in line for Toy Story Midway Mania before the line grew too long. Having a hot new FASTPASS option available at Disney California Adventure Park could also alleviate start-of-the-day FASTPASS demand for Radiator Springs Racers, allowing those FASTPASSes to remain available later in the day than they are now. The new MaxPass option is an interesting concept-- it doesn't replace the traditional FASTPASS option, but enhances it. Traditional paper FASTPASSes will still be available, but for a small fee (initially $10/day, which also gives you unlimited PhotoPass downloads), guests can use the mobile app to book FastPasses. This new option could eliminate a LOT of walking-- you could be at Splash Mountain, for example, and book a FASTPASS clear across the park at Space Mountain! If it works similarly to the way you book FastPass+ at Walt Disney World® Resort, you could also book your next FASTPASS immediately after redeeming your last one, allowing you to obtain your next FASTPASS much more quickly. I do have some reservations about the 'nickel-and-diming' aspect of the additional fee, but in my opinion the fee isn't exorbitant, particularly since PhotoPass downloads are included. I’m also concerned that the initial announcement says the $10 fee is an introductory price, which probably means they’ll raise the price later. See the original Disney Parks blog announcement. By David Platt, your Mouse Master specialist
I just recorded a podcast detailing my family's recent trip to Disneyland® Resort at Holiday Time, complete with a surprise side-trip to Universal Studios Hollywood for my Harry Potter-obsessed daughter. Take a listen here. Our trip began with a Universal Studios day, where we splurged on a VIP tour to ensure we saw and did everything. Our focus was definitely on the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, but we got to see a lot of other fantastic stuff too, including the Universal backlot. We even got to walk around the outside sets for one of our favorite new shows, The Good Place! The Wizarding World of Harry Potter certainly lives up to the hype. Just like with Cars Land at Disney California Adventure® Park, it literally feels like you're walking into the books or movies. The walk through Hogwart's is amazing, and it has the added bonus of culminating in a ride on Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey! And where else can you walk around Hogsmeade, sipping on butter beer? We then drove down to Anaheim and spent five days at the Disneyland® Resort, exploring all off the new Holiday Time offerings detailed in my previos blog entry 2016 Holidays at the Disneyland® Resort Dates and Events Revealed. Highlights included seeing a brand new holiday World of Color (even splurging for the Dessert Party so we could sit down for the show!), experiencing the Disneyland® Park Christmas Fantasy Parade for the first time, and exploring the fantastic new food booths at the Festival of Holidays at Disney California Adventure Park. We also finally got to ride the brand new Soarin' Around the World for the first time (yay!) and ride The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror™ for the last time (boo!). All-in-all, it was a fantastic trip, It amazes me that after dozens of Disney trips, we can still fill a trip with surprises and find at least one new thing to experience every day we're in the parks. Of course we're already planning our return. Next up: the fourth annual 'Disneyland Daddy/Daughter Trip' this spring, followed by a long-delayed return trip to Walt Disney World® Resort in August. Listen to the podcast of my trip report |
AuthorI'm David Platt, your Mouse Master Disney Destination specialist. I'm delighted to bring you the latest news on Disney Destinations. Archives
May 2021
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