For Steven
Here you are, Steven! I know it's alot, but my family has alot of tips when it comes to Disneyland. I asked for input from everyone at my home, and I think we've put together the most important information. Other than that, don't worry and just have fun! Disneyland is full of all kinds of wonderful things.
Jessica's Disneyland Tips
1. Fast Passes and Line Waiting
Not every ride has Fast Pass because not every ride's queue accommodates it. For the rides that do have them, this is the way they work:
These rides have two lines: Stand By and Fast Pass. Fast Pass machines are located at the rides. You need your park admission ticket to get one. You stick your ticket in the machine and it gives you a Fast Pass Ticket. The ticket says something like, "Return Between: 7:45pm and 8:45pm." Come back to the ride any time after 7:45 (or whatever time the ticket says. IGNORE THE SECOND NUMBER. NO ONE CARES.) and enter the Fast Pass line. Really good in the summer time because some rides get several-hour-long waits xD;;
You can only have one Fast Pass per admission ticket at a time. You can't go to another booth until after 7:45 (or whatever the ticket says).
IMPORTANT NOTE!! Here is the Morrison Family Method: Good First Thing rides are the Mountains and Indiana Jones and Finding Nemo. When your group gets to the ride, hand the whole group's admission tickets to one person and have them run to Splash Mountain and get fast passes. Fast Passes at Splash Mountain disappear FAST so get your Pass early!
Finding Nemo is also a good ride to hit early because it doesn't have Fast Pass and its line gets HUGE HUGE HUGE.
In Disneyland, some rides are worth getting a Fast Pass, but other rides don't bother. Indiana Jones, Splash Mountain, Space Mountain, and Buzz Lightyear are all worth getting Fast Passes for because they are popular. And don't be afraid of the long line outside Pirates Of The Caribbean, Thunder Mountain, and Mattahorn Moutain. Those lines move fast. Fantasyland is good the hit early or late at night. The lines there get nuts in the middle of the day, and although I love those rides, they are not worth a long wait xD;;
In California Adventure, go to Soarin Over California first and have someone go get Fast Passes for the whole group at the Grizzly Rapids Ride. Those disappear as fast as Splash Moutain's. It's also good to get a Fast Pass for the roller coaster, California Screamin' and the Monsters Inc ride. Hollywood Tower of Terror's line doesn't usually get too long and that ride is AAAAAWESOME.
AND ONE MORE THING: A half hour is worth waiting on any ride. An hour wait is not worth it unless the ride is REALLY COOL.
2. Food
Main Street:
Blue Ribbon Bakery/Gibson Girl get long lines, but it's got nice stuff and ice cream, also the only place to get coffee. Candy shop is full of
yummyness 8D Carnation Cafe is good and cute.
Tomorrowland:
DON'T EAT AT TOMORROWLAND TERRACE. Pizza Port is pretty good. They have pizza, pasta, and salad... It's also the least expensive
food in the park. You get plenty of food for your dollar.
Fantasyland:
Village House is okay. Don't buy the burgers. Fantasia Freeze! Slushies! SO GOOD.
Frontierland:
Big Thunder Ranch has good BBQ, but needs a reservation and is kinda expensive. Don't go to the Mexican place.
The Riverbell Terrace is GREAT for breakfast! It's my very very favorite. It's located by the Rivers Of America, right by the Pirates ride. Some
people should wait in line to order, but stake one or two people outside by the tables and try to nap a table along the fence, overlooking the
river. It's a really lovely spot.
Adventureland:
Bangel BBQ is GOOD, but pricey. Good snack. THE DOLE STAND. OMG. DOLE WHIPS, PINEAPPLE SPEARS,
DOLE WHIP FLOAT. DO IT DO IT DO IT.
New Orlean's Square:
Good food here! Soup in a bread bowl place is good, French Market has good sandwiches, Cafe de Orleans--
GET A MONTE CRISTO HERE. DO IT. Also, the cheapest table service restaraunt in the park. Blue Bayou is a very nice restaraunt, needs a
reservation. It's a bit expensive, but it's beautiful inside. It's inside the Pirates ride! Right on the bayou! MINT JULEP BAR, LOCATED
BEHIND THE FRENCH MARKET, NEAR THE TRAIN STATION. GET. A. MINT. JULEP. GET ONE. DO IT.
Critter Country:
The candy store here ROCKS!! Cookies are SO GOOD. Critter Country is small, but OH MAN the candy store, which is called Pooh's
Corner.
Toon Town:
More slushes! There's a little food court-type spot where you can get pizza and hotdogs.
California Adventure:
Boudin's bread place is good for soup and sandwiches, there's a Hotdog place in the Hollywood section, a burger place by Soarin' Over
California where the burgers AREN'T munge! There's really not much there otherwise.
Downtown Disney:
Which is located between the two parks~ there's a Haagendaz ice cream shop, Jamba Juice, some restaraunts (Mapels is pretty good
pizza, The Jazz Kitchen is Cajun, Catal is expensive but excellent, The Elephant Bar is pretty good), a Wetzel's Pretzels which is good... and
some cool shops!
3. Shows
See the fireworks! Don't wait until the last day! Sometimes the fireworks get cancelled due to high altitude winds. Get a spot close to the
castle to watch them and start waiting about an hour before the show is scheduled to start. Get a snack at the Bangel BBQ or something
from the Dole stand or some ice cream or something and just hang out. Main Street really is a cool place to hang out and watch people,
too, so you won't get bored waiting.
Fantasmic! Soooo worth it! Try heading there straight after the fireworks and if things are crazy, then just get there earlier the next day. For
some reason there's this Thing people do where they mob Fantasmic a million hours early, so you might have to wait several hours for
that one to get a good seat.
Electric Light Parade at California Adventure is good, of course 8D get there an hour early and see how the crowds are~ Go see Aladdin
there, too, it's really awesome (and is air conditioned XD)
Billy Hill and the Hillbillies play at the theater in Frontierland and are super worth it~ get a rootbeer float, take a break from the heat, and the
show is hilarious xDD
4. Cool Things
In Disneyland:
Trash Can Trio! If you see three guys rolling big metal garbage cans in Tomorrowland, hang out and see if they perform. They're pretty awesome 8D
Merlin does a show in Fantasyland by the Carosel that's pretty hilarious, where a kid gets to pull the Sword out of the Stone. If you see him in action, hang out and watch~
Walk through the castle! They redid it! It's really nice!
In Fantasyland, watch the window above the Snow White ride 8D
In Tomorrowland, look for the garbage can which says "PUSH" on the flap. There is only one. It moves and talks. Sometimes he is in California Adventure, too
5. THE REALLY REALLY COOL THINGS
DRIVE THE MARK TWAIN!! There's a big white steam boat that goes 'round the river. Find out when it docks there in Frontierland and ask one of the Cast Members working at the dock and say, "Can we drive the Mark Twain?" not many people know about it, and you'll get to feel special ^_~
You can do something similiar at the Train Station! Ask one of the conductors if you can do the "All Aboard!!" call over the speaker, and/or ask if you can sit up by the engine. Only two people fit up there. Also little-known, like driving the Mark Twain, and also really awesome ^^
~*~
ARE YOU OVERWHELMED, STEVEN??? xD;; Well, those are my tips. Hope they help!
Jessica's Disneyland Tips
1. Fast Passes and Line Waiting
Not every ride has Fast Pass because not every ride's queue accommodates it. For the rides that do have them, this is the way they work:
These rides have two lines: Stand By and Fast Pass. Fast Pass machines are located at the rides. You need your park admission ticket to get one. You stick your ticket in the machine and it gives you a Fast Pass Ticket. The ticket says something like, "Return Between: 7:45pm and 8:45pm." Come back to the ride any time after 7:45 (or whatever time the ticket says. IGNORE THE SECOND NUMBER. NO ONE CARES.) and enter the Fast Pass line. Really good in the summer time because some rides get several-hour-long waits xD;;
You can only have one Fast Pass per admission ticket at a time. You can't go to another booth until after 7:45 (or whatever the ticket says).
IMPORTANT NOTE!! Here is the Morrison Family Method: Good First Thing rides are the Mountains and Indiana Jones and Finding Nemo. When your group gets to the ride, hand the whole group's admission tickets to one person and have them run to Splash Mountain and get fast passes. Fast Passes at Splash Mountain disappear FAST so get your Pass early!
Finding Nemo is also a good ride to hit early because it doesn't have Fast Pass and its line gets HUGE HUGE HUGE.
In Disneyland, some rides are worth getting a Fast Pass, but other rides don't bother. Indiana Jones, Splash Mountain, Space Mountain, and Buzz Lightyear are all worth getting Fast Passes for because they are popular. And don't be afraid of the long line outside Pirates Of The Caribbean, Thunder Mountain, and Mattahorn Moutain. Those lines move fast. Fantasyland is good the hit early or late at night. The lines there get nuts in the middle of the day, and although I love those rides, they are not worth a long wait xD;;
In California Adventure, go to Soarin Over California first and have someone go get Fast Passes for the whole group at the Grizzly Rapids Ride. Those disappear as fast as Splash Moutain's. It's also good to get a Fast Pass for the roller coaster, California Screamin' and the Monsters Inc ride. Hollywood Tower of Terror's line doesn't usually get too long and that ride is AAAAAWESOME.
AND ONE MORE THING: A half hour is worth waiting on any ride. An hour wait is not worth it unless the ride is REALLY COOL.
2. Food
Main Street:
Blue Ribbon Bakery/Gibson Girl get long lines, but it's got nice stuff and ice cream, also the only place to get coffee. Candy shop is full of
yummyness 8D Carnation Cafe is good and cute.
Tomorrowland:
DON'T EAT AT TOMORROWLAND TERRACE. Pizza Port is pretty good. They have pizza, pasta, and salad... It's also the least expensive
food in the park. You get plenty of food for your dollar.
Fantasyland:
Village House is okay. Don't buy the burgers. Fantasia Freeze! Slushies! SO GOOD.
Frontierland:
Big Thunder Ranch has good BBQ, but needs a reservation and is kinda expensive. Don't go to the Mexican place.
The Riverbell Terrace is GREAT for breakfast! It's my very very favorite. It's located by the Rivers Of America, right by the Pirates ride. Some
people should wait in line to order, but stake one or two people outside by the tables and try to nap a table along the fence, overlooking the
river. It's a really lovely spot.
Adventureland:
Bangel BBQ is GOOD, but pricey. Good snack. THE DOLE STAND. OMG. DOLE WHIPS, PINEAPPLE SPEARS,
DOLE WHIP FLOAT. DO IT DO IT DO IT.
New Orlean's Square:
Good food here! Soup in a bread bowl place is good, French Market has good sandwiches, Cafe de Orleans--
GET A MONTE CRISTO HERE. DO IT. Also, the cheapest table service restaraunt in the park. Blue Bayou is a very nice restaraunt, needs a
reservation. It's a bit expensive, but it's beautiful inside. It's inside the Pirates ride! Right on the bayou! MINT JULEP BAR, LOCATED
BEHIND THE FRENCH MARKET, NEAR THE TRAIN STATION. GET. A. MINT. JULEP. GET ONE. DO IT.
Critter Country:
The candy store here ROCKS!! Cookies are SO GOOD. Critter Country is small, but OH MAN the candy store, which is called Pooh's
Corner.
Toon Town:
More slushes! There's a little food court-type spot where you can get pizza and hotdogs.
California Adventure:
Boudin's bread place is good for soup and sandwiches, there's a Hotdog place in the Hollywood section, a burger place by Soarin' Over
California where the burgers AREN'T munge! There's really not much there otherwise.
Downtown Disney:
Which is located between the two parks~ there's a Haagendaz ice cream shop, Jamba Juice, some restaraunts (Mapels is pretty good
pizza, The Jazz Kitchen is Cajun, Catal is expensive but excellent, The Elephant Bar is pretty good), a Wetzel's Pretzels which is good... and
some cool shops!
3. Shows
See the fireworks! Don't wait until the last day! Sometimes the fireworks get cancelled due to high altitude winds. Get a spot close to the
castle to watch them and start waiting about an hour before the show is scheduled to start. Get a snack at the Bangel BBQ or something
from the Dole stand or some ice cream or something and just hang out. Main Street really is a cool place to hang out and watch people,
too, so you won't get bored waiting.
Fantasmic! Soooo worth it! Try heading there straight after the fireworks and if things are crazy, then just get there earlier the next day. For
some reason there's this Thing people do where they mob Fantasmic a million hours early, so you might have to wait several hours for
that one to get a good seat.
Electric Light Parade at California Adventure is good, of course 8D get there an hour early and see how the crowds are~ Go see Aladdin
there, too, it's really awesome (and is air conditioned XD)
Billy Hill and the Hillbillies play at the theater in Frontierland and are super worth it~ get a rootbeer float, take a break from the heat, and the
show is hilarious xDD
4. Cool Things
In Disneyland:
Trash Can Trio! If you see three guys rolling big metal garbage cans in Tomorrowland, hang out and see if they perform. They're pretty awesome 8D
Merlin does a show in Fantasyland by the Carosel that's pretty hilarious, where a kid gets to pull the Sword out of the Stone. If you see him in action, hang out and watch~
Walk through the castle! They redid it! It's really nice!
In Fantasyland, watch the window above the Snow White ride 8D
In Tomorrowland, look for the garbage can which says "PUSH" on the flap. There is only one. It moves and talks. Sometimes he is in California Adventure, too
5. THE REALLY REALLY COOL THINGS
DRIVE THE MARK TWAIN!! There's a big white steam boat that goes 'round the river. Find out when it docks there in Frontierland and ask one of the Cast Members working at the dock and say, "Can we drive the Mark Twain?" not many people know about it, and you'll get to feel special ^_~
You can do something similiar at the Train Station! Ask one of the conductors if you can do the "All Aboard!!" call over the speaker, and/or ask if you can sit up by the engine. Only two people fit up there. Also little-known, like driving the Mark Twain, and also really awesome ^^
~*~
ARE YOU OVERWHELMED, STEVEN??? xD;; Well, those are my tips. Hope they help!