The Disneyland Book of Secrets 2014: One Local's Unauthorized, Rapturous and Indispensable Guide to the Happiest Places on Earth (230 page)

King Triton’s Carousel
(
Paradise Pier
,
DCA
)

Little Red Wagon
(
Main Street, Disneyland
)

Magical Fireworks
(
Disneyland
)

The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
(
Critter Country, DL
)

Matterhorn Bobsleds
(
Fantasyland
,
DL
) – 42” or 107 cm to ride

Mickey’s House
/
Meet Mickey
(
Mickey’s Toontown, DL
)

Minnie’s House
/
Meet Minnie
(
Mickey’s Toontown, DL
)

Monster’s, Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue!
(
Hollywood Land
,
DCA
)

Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride
(
Fantasyland
,
DL
)

Muppet*Vision 3D
(
Hollywood Land
,
DCA
)

Peter Pan’s Flight
(
Fantasyland, DL
)

*
Pinocchio’s Daring Journey
(
Fantasyland
,
DL
) – Potentially SCARY

*
Pirates of the Caribbean
(
New Orleans Square, DL
) – Potentially SCARY

Pixar Play Parade
(
Disney California Adventure
)

Plaza Inn Character Breakfast
(
Main Street, DL
) – Call (714) 781-DINE

Pluto’s Dog House
(
Mickey’s Toontown, DL
)

Pooh Corner
(
Critter Country
,
DL
)

Rainforest Café
(
Downtown Disney
) – Call (714) 772-0413

Redwood Creek Challenge Trail
(
Grizzly Peak
,
DCA
)

Redwood Pool
(
Grand Californian Hotel & Spa
) – For
Disneyland Resort
Guests only

Sleeping Beauty Castle
(
Fantasyland
,
DL
)

*
Snow White’s Scary Adventures
(
Fantasyland
,
DL
) – Potentially SCARY

Tom Sawyer Island
(
Frontierland, DL
)

Toy Story Midway Mania!
(
Paradise Pier
,
DCA
)

Top Ten
Basic Necessities for Your Disneyland Resort Visit

Antibacterial Hand Sanitizer

Disneyland Resort
is not only “the happiest place on earth,” it’s also one of the cleanest.  That said, you‘ll still be rubbing elbows and sharing space with tens of thousands of Guests, some of whom might be ill, or less than hygienic, or covered with ice cream, cotton candy–and so forth.  Use a little hand sanitizer after visiting the rest rooms or touching one of the ubiquitous queue rails or vehicles. 
Just
to be safe.  ;)

Hip Pack

Unless you must, don’t bog yourself down with giant
bags and packs.  You’ll find them annoying whether you’re strolling the parks, standing in line, or riding the attractions. 
Disneyland
is about being a kid again, feeling light and free–nothing can kill that sensation faster than a big pack that weighs you down like it’s full of rocks!  If for some reason you
must
bring a giant pack to the parks, don’t carry it everywhere; stow it in one of the lockers available inside and outside the parks for as little as $7 for the whole day.  Better yet, if you’re staying at a nearby hotel, don’t even bring all that stuff into the park; leave it in your hotel room.  Unless you’re only there for one day, or are the parent of small children, all you need to roam the park is an intelligently organized hip pack.  If you’re a parent, you’ll unavoidably need bags bursting with clean diapers, snacks, juices, wipes, stuffed animals, etc., but the good news is you’ll also need a stroller.  You can stow all that baggage on the stroller, and push it instead of carrying it around.  For those that
can
go the simple hip-pack route, pack these essentials:  Your
Disneyland Resort Annual Pass
(if you have one; and if you visit the resort more than twice a year, you should have one; it will literally save you hundreds and even thousands of dollars); a credit card; cash; your hotel and car keys; a basic First Aid kit; travel-size hand sanitizer and sunblock; mints; a power-bar or trail mix; extra socks; and UV protection lip gloss.  Genius!  You’re good to go from park opening until the park closes!

Hat

Most park
Guests, especially first-timers but even curmudgeonly park vets, go into a happy daze as they’re roaming the grounds and riding the attractions.  In this happy daze, you don’t realize your face is getting sunburned, but you sure realize it later!  Bring a hat with you or buy a fun
Disney
hat on property–whether it’s a
Mad Hatter
chapeau or a peaked
Disneyland
cap, as long as it has a brim or bill, it can make the difference between a fun visit and a painful visit.  Wear the hat if it’s sunny to prevent sunburn.  If it’s rainy, wear it to keep the raindrops out of your eyes.  Are you at the park to celebrate a birthday, anniversary, family reunion, or other event?  Consider suggesting that everyone in your party wear themed hats, caps that are all the same color, for example, or that all have the same
Disney
character on them, or relate to the same
Disney
movie or attraction.

Sunblock

The
Disneyland Resort
is literally so fun that kids and adults alike, swept up in the
magic
, won’t notice that they’re getting sunburns until it’s too late.  Apply sunblock before entering the parks, and carry a travel-size bottle or tube in your pack.  Whenever you stop for a meal or snack, re-apply the lotion, and check whether you and any kids or elders in your party are getting a burn.

Sensible Shoes

Wear
seasoned sneakers (tennies) or walking shoes.  No exposed toes, or loose shoes that can fall off while riding the attractions (i.e., no flip flops or sandals).  No new shoes.  Do not go sockless.  You will literally be walking miles.  Breaking in new shoes or going without socks guarantees you painful welts and blisters; while everyone else is laughing and having the time of their life, you’ll be sitting on a bench or limping back to the hotel.

Extra Pair of Socks

Whether your feet perspire
in the So Cal summer heat, or get soaked on a water ride, you might need an extra pair of socks.  Nothing kills a good time like uncomfortable, squelchy socks, so take the few seconds to pack an extra pair and be prepared.

Jacket

Mark Twain famously wrote about New England weather that if you don’t like it, just wait a minute.  He was commenting on the sudden variability of the New England climate, but at times, particularly in transitional seasons like autumn and spring, Southern California weather can be just as unpredictable.  Chilly morning mists often give way to blazing afternoons, and those are followed by breezy, cold evenings.  Rain has been known to materialize quickly; thankfully, it often pa
sses as quickly as it arrives.  Bottom line, whether to shield yourself from mist, sun, breezes, or rain, a light jacket is a must.  During the hot part of the day, tie it around your waist or shoulders, or stow it in one of the lockers in or adjacent to the parks; all-day locker rentals start at only $7.  Of course, you can buy a
Disney
jacket on property; a broad range of high-quality styles and sizes are available, and they’re sold in most of the park shops and in the gift shops at all three
Disneyland Resort Hotels
.  Be advised, however, that jackets are among the more expensive clothing items that
Disney
sells; be prepared to spend $30 to$100+ each.

Water
/Fluids

From the moment Guests step on property, particularly if they’re first-time visitors, the sights, music, fragrances, motion, and excitement sweep them into a
magical
euphoria.  In this altered state, enthralled Guests not only don’t realize they’re burning to a crisp in the So Cal sun, they also don’t notice that they’re dehydrating.  Stay hydrated throughout the day.  Bring a bottle of water into the park at the start of your visit.  Drink it.  Buy another bottle of water immediately from one of the ubiquitous restaurants or snack carts (or refill the empty bottle at a water fountain).  Drink that bottle–then buy another bottle or refill the empty.  And so on.  With all of your walking and exertions, you’ll be constantly burning off fluids, especially if it’s a hot summer day.  Not being hydrated contributes to feeling faint, fatigued, and having
Disneyland
meltdowns
.  The worst case scenario is an actual heat stroke.  So start the day by swigging water and never stop the whole day through.  (Don’t worry; the parks have a rest room on every corner!)

A
Plan

Even if you’re a free spirit, it’s not the best idea to wing your trip to
Disneyland
.  Having spent literally hundreds of hours in the parks with family and friends and on my own, observing other Guests, I can boil down the causes of
Disneyland
meltdowns
to four primary triggers:  a) not enough money, b) hunger or dehydration, c) fatigue/overstimulation, and d) disagreements about what to do.  Guests can avoid any and all of these trigger points by
planning their trip carefully
.  Whether you are spending one day or one week at the resort, being prepared and having at least a general plan will head off unpleasantness.  Why not take a little time before you get to the resort to ensure bliss and relaxation while you’re there?  Plan ahead in the following areas:


                     
Nutrition/Hydration
.  As enthralling as the resort is, from the parks to
Downtown Disney
to the hotels, don’t get caught on the treadmill of “just one more ride, just one more show” to the exclusion of everything else.  Build nourishment and hydration into your day.  Plan to eat regularly (snacks and meals) and to keep hydrated constantly.  Decide in advance with the other members of your party roughly when and where you’ll eat during the trip.  These strategies will keep your health, energy level, and mood on an even keel.


                     
Rest/Reality
.  As exciting as the resort is, you need periodically to find one of the many benches and calm nooks and crannies available to simply sit, take a breath, take a break from the stimulation, and rest.  Small children and older adults might want to head back to the hotel for an actual nap, or a dip in (or doze by) the hotel pool.  There’s so much to do on property that Guests often fall into the trap of not wanting to miss anything, and push and push until they’re ready to collapse, or they snap and argue with each other.  A little rest every couple of hours will head that off. 
Space Mountain
,
Pirates of the Caribbean
,
Grizzly River Run
, etc. – they’re not going anywhere.  They’ll still be there after your nap, or your five-minute plotz by the
Rivers of America
.


                     
Itinerary/Schedule
.  You could spend days at the resort and not hit every attraction, restaurant, shop, show, parade, or character event.  You’re going to have to pick and choose what you experience, especially if you’re only going to be there for a day or two.  It’s vital that you go online or call a
Disney Vacation Planner
to obtain a map of the resort, and determine what the operating hours will be, whether any attractions will be closed, what shows and events will be available and at what times, etc.  Share this information with all members of your party and decide together what two or three things are crucial to each person.  Toddlers visiting for the first time often want to make a bee-line for
Mickey’s Toontown
, the
Dumbo the Flying Elephant
and
Peter Pan’s Flight
attractions in
Fantasyland
, and
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
in
Critter Country
, and
Cars Land
in
DCA
.  Seniors often enjoy the stage shows at the
Golden Horseshoe
, the nightly fireworks shows, and strolling
Main Street, U.S.A
. or
Buena Vista Street
in
DCA
.  Teens are likely to want to ride
E-ticket
thrill rides like
California Screamin’
, the
Tower of Terror
,
Space Mountain
,
Splash Mountain
, and
Indiana Jones Adventure
. 
Pirates of the Caribbean
is a big hit across age groups.  Make a plan based on what everyone in your party wants to do and what will be available when you visit.  Your plan can be as detailed or as loosey-goosey as suits your style and needs.  Build in the main things people want to do, the best times to do them (e.g.,
Space Mountain
and
Indian Jones Adventure
have the shortest lines when the park opens; by mid-morning, queues for these popular attractions tend to be an hour or longer), and include some travel, shopping, meal, and rest times.  Armed with an action plan that everyone contributed to, you’re far less likely to have a
meltdown
because someone feels like they–or their favorite attraction–was left out.