A Magical Guide For Planning Disneyland Vacations

A Magical Guide For Planning Disneyland Vacations

Posted on 11. Oct, 2009 by Donald Duck in Disneyland

I have been to Disneyland nearly twenty times over my life. During each trip, I have picked up a few pointers to help make your vacation even more magical. These pointers should be your guide to your next Disneyland vacation.


The number one piece of advice that I can give you is to invest in a multi-day park hopper pass. Now that there are two parks on the Disneyland Resort, there is so much more to see and do. I would suggest that you get a 3 day pass at the very minimum. If you are going to be in town longer you can get a 4 or 5 day pass as well. This allows you and your family to see every attraction, show, parade, ride, and event in each park. You won’t feel rushed at all and you will be able to have a more magical experience with your family.


One thing that Disney has implemented in the last ten years is the Fast Pass. The first time I visited Disneyland while on vacation after the Fast Pass was implemented, I was so stoked! With the Fast Pass, you are issued a ticket, or place in line and then you come back at a later time and get right on the ride. This is something that you need to plan out as you can only have one Fast Pass at a time. Strategy is key!


When planning your Disneyland vacations, you need to buy your tickets as soon as you decide to go. If you purchase them beforehand, you will have access to specials not available at the gate.


If you are planning on visiting Disneyland on vacation during the off season, you need to schedule your trip with at least one weekend day spent at the resort. The reason for this is the amazing fireworks show that only takes place on the weekends. During the peak season, they have fireworks every night.


If you are looking for a free snack while visiting Disneyland make sure to visit the Bakery Tour and the Mission Tortilla Factory in the California Adventure theme park. During this tour you will learn how sourdough bread and tortillas are made and learn how great they taste when they are fresh!


If you are looking for face-to-face character interaction, make sure that you make a reservation for a character meal. If you want to wine and dine with the princesses, you need to reserve a seat at Ariel’s Grotto. You can also eat with other characters at Goofy’s Kitchen. These are always a favorite for my family and the kids are in heaven when eating with characters.


The most important thing that you need to do is enjoy your time spent with your kids and other family members. These are truly the moments and memories that will last a lifetime.

Greg helps plan at least a dozen Disneyland Vacations per year. He has compiled a lot of information about Disneyland in general and how to plan a Disneyland Vacation for you and your family. Visit Disneyland Vacations Guide Today.

The Unofficial Guide to Disneyland 2010 (Unofficial Guides)


$8.89

With nearly 13 million visitors in 2008, the original Disneyland park still ranks as one of America’s Top 25 Visited Sites according to Forbes Traveler.  Disneyland Park® continues to expand with new attractions based on the successful Pixar films- adding in 2009 the Finding Nemo Submarine Ride and planning a large expansion in the coming years based on the Pixar film Cars.   >>Read More

The Disneyland Encyclopedia: The Unofficial, Unauthorized, and Unprecedented History of Every Land, Attraction, Restaurant, Shop, and Event in the Original Magic Kingdom


$11.19

Spanning the entire history of the park, from its founding more than 50 years ago to the present, this fascinating book profiles 500 attractions, restaurants, stores, events, and significant people from the history of Disneyland®. Each of the main entries in the book examines in detail the history of a Disneyland® landmark, including how many of the most popular attractions went through several incarnations before becoming what they are today—Tomorrowland’s Hall of Chemistry and Hall of Aluminum were transformed into the groundbreaking Adventure Thru Inner Space in 1967, and then became the popular ride Star Tours 20 years later. Read about unbuilt concepts, including Rock Candy Mountain and Chinatown, and delight in fascinating trivia about the park, such as ride statistics and attendance records. With a daily list of events, openings, and closings in the park’s history, a yearly summary of attractions that came and went, simple and clear maps that correspond to the book’s 500 entries, and sidebars with additional information on each ride, this is a comprehensive and entertaining book overflowing with detail on the most-renovated, most-loved, and most-visited theme park in the world. >>Read More

Birnbaum’s Disneyland Resort 2010


$8.82

This updated edition of Birnbaum’s Disneyland Resort, the most respected and well-known name in Disney guides, takes readers through Walt Disney’s first theme park with ease and flair. Since our guide is the only guide that’s official, this book includes the most accurate and current information on prices and attractions.  Here are just a few of the exciting new features of this year’s guide: There’s big doin’s at Disney’s California Adventure these days. We’ll deliver the scoop on all the new shows and attractions that are headed its way. Disney’s Grand Californian has undergone a growth spurt. Check here to see what the new neighborhood of (Disney Vacation Club) villas has to offer. And as always, we’ll include current coverage of Disneyland’s beloved attractions and a peek at what’s to come.Our guide is also the only one allowed to feature Disney characters. And Birnbaum’s Disneyland Resort is the most comprehensive guidebook, offering complete information on the Magic Kingdom, Disney’s California Adventure, and Downtown Disney, as well as details about Anaheim area attractions, things to do in Los Angeles, and special driving routes around Southern California. This is the only guide to Disneyland that readers need, entirely updated every year. >>Read More

A Musical History of Disneyland


$79.62

Walt Disney Records celebrates the 50th Anniversary of Disneyland with the most comprehensive and collectible box set in it’s history, A Musical History of Disneyland. Reflecting on the first 50 years of Disneyland music, this unprecedented collection features 6 CD’s filled with rare and previously unreleased recordings from the opening day of Disneyland in 1955, all the way to present. From entering Town Square, to riding the Disneyland Railroad around the Park, to remembering Walt Disney’s timeless opening day speech that started it all, this painstakingly thorough audio collection is the first time Disney park fans can own a comprehensive collection of music from all the greatest attractions, shows, and Lands that exist today, and some that are just a happy memory. Also included is the EXCLUSIVE hardcover book, The Sounds of Disneyland, featuring rare photos and early working drawings written by Disney artist, Stacia Martin, and designed by Bruce Gordon of Walt Disney Imagineering. This one-of-a-kind box set is a timeless keepsake that every Disney Park fan and their families will treasure for many years to come. BOX SET INCLUDES: 6 CD AUDIO LIBRARY Over 7 hours of new and classic, restored and remastered recordings from Disneyland park, including many previously unreleased recordings , all stored in a deluxe hardcover case. EXCLUSIVE COFFEE TABLE BOOK 72 Page hardcover book, The Sounds of Disneyland, featuring an in depth look at the musical and audio history of Disneyland park BONUS: LIMITED EDITION VINYL RECORD Limited Edition vinyl reproduction of Walt Disney Records’ first ever album release, Walt Disney Takes You To Disneyland: A music Tour of the The Magic Kingdom >>Read More

101 Things You Never Knew About Disneyland: An Unauthorized Look At The Little Touches And Inside Jokes


$14.00

You have probably heard a few “interesting facts” about Disneyland over the years. Perhaps you’ve heard that Walt Disney kept an apartment on Main Street? Or that there is a secret, members-only club in New Orleans Square? It’s all true… but these are only two of the interesting facts pointed out in “101 Things You Never Knew About Disneyland.” Many of the stories here deal with more obscure, yet equally interesting, histories of Disneyland. In fact, the majority of the material comes straight from interviews with the Imagineers who helped to build, maintain, and revitalize Disneyland. The book pays special attention to the inside jokes and hidden references to Disneyland’s past, as these samples illustrate: Do you know which play on words pays tribute to a former Mexican restaurant at a certain site? Do you know how Tarzan’s Treehouse honors its predecessor in two different ways? Do you know what is so unusual about the decorations atop “It’s a Small World”? Do you know why one palm tree in Adventureland is special? Do you know what the sign says at the bottom of Splash Mountain’s big drop? Do you know which pumpkin is an homage to a Disneyland official? It’s a certainty that you haven’t heard all these stories before. Although there are 101 such highlighted stories, each comes with a fuller description and is followed by a second story that is thematically related, so this volume really offers 202 Things you haven’t heard about Disneyland before. You will find these facts delightful and unforgettable once you’ve heard them! >>Read More

The Unofficial Guide to Disneyland 2009 (Unofficial Guides)


$13.51

More than 4 million copies sold! This series is the only one that offers evaluations based on reader surveys and critiques, compiled by a team of unbiased inspectors. • Hotels, attractions, and restaurants in all price categories • Extensive information on shopping, nightlife, and sports • Easy-to-use, two-color design • Detailed, 2-color maps From the publishers of The Unofficial Guide® to Walt Disney World® “A Tourist’s Best Friend!” —Chicago Sun-Times “Indispensable” —The New York Times Five Great Features and Benefits offered ONLY by The Unofficial Guide®: Every attraction ranked and rated for each age group, based on interviews and surveys of more than 7,500 families When and where to go: the best times of the year and the best days of the week for each park All the Disneyland-area hotels ranked and rated for value and quality of rooms Field tested itineraries for adults and families with children that can save more than three hours of waiting in line Complete coverage of Disney’s California Adventure® theme park and Universal Studios Hollywood >>Read More

Mouse Trap: Memoir of a Disneyland Cast Member


$11.55

Read one Cast Member’s stories of backstage areas, fights, fires, private parties, orientation, cast events, cast romance, pranks, stupid guest tricks, mishaps, accidents, helping to create the Haunted Mansion Holiday, and working on September 11, 2001. But this is no mere listing of things that go wrong at Disneyland. For the first time, readers can experience what it’s like to really work at Disneyland, from the mundane to the extravagant. The book is aimed primarily at current and former Cast Members, who will recognize so much of their experience captured in these pages. Readers who have worked at the park will be entranced all over again by the magic of working in Walt Disney’s park. It’s not an experience one soon forgets, and readers will find themselves inevitably drawn in as well. >>Read More

The Best Of Disneyland Resort Paris


$9.53

2008 release, a collection of tracks culled from Disney’s theme park resorts around the world including Paris. 24 tracks including ‘It’s A Small World’ (Paris Version), ‘Euro Disneyland Feel The Magic’, ‘Mickey Globe Trotter’ and many others. EMI> >>Read More

Walt Disney Treasures – Disneyland – Secrets, Stories & Magic (Collector’s Tin)


$144.98

On July 17 1955 Walt Disney opened the gates to Disneyland(R) the beloved American icon that has become a cherished destination for generations. It was also the day Walt’s sixteen-year dream came true. The centerpiece of this volume is a captivating and nostalgic film that takes you inside that dream. Rare archival footage new interviews with key people and Walt’s own words reveal how his innovative vision became a reality. Then discover more Disneyland(R) secrets with a fun-filled trivia game and relive the magic of the recently restored PEOPLE AND PLACES: DISNEYLAND U.S.A. presented in CinemaScope with a new 5.1 audio mix. Featuring exclusive introductions by film historian Leonard Maltin this is a timeless collection from generations past for generations to come.System Requirements:Running Time: 332 Mins.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: CHILDREN/FAMILY Rating: NR UPC: 786936702057Originally conceived as a fiftieth anniversary tribute to Disneyland, this 332-minute DVD set celebrates Walt Disney’s vision and drive in imagining, building, and marketing America’s first-ever theme park. This compilation offers fascinating insight into Walt Disney’s enormous undertaking through the documentary “The Secrets, Stories, and Magic of Disneyland,” the retrospective “Operation Disneyland,” three episodes from “The Wonderful World of Color” television series, one “People and Places” episode, and a collection of historical time-lapse construction footage from Disneyland in Anaheim, California. Leonard Maltin and Julie Andrews provide an introduction to the 80-minute “Secrets, Stories, and Magic” which details Walt Disney’s initial vision for Disneyland, considered to be “Walt’s Folly” by many Disney Studio employees, and the various stages of the park’s planning and construction culminating in its grand opening on July 17, 1955. Extensive new and vintage footage address virtually every aspect of the conception and realization of Disneyland from the original site plan and concept art to the tight construction schedule, logistical problems during construction and on opening day, the development of new enhanced motion vehicle technology for the rides, and the shelved ideas that make up the “Disneyland that never was.” Extensive interview footage includes Walt Disney, George Lucas, Roy Disney, artist Herb Ryman, retired president of Disneyland Jack Lindquist, composer Richard Sherman, and many others. After an interactive Disneyland trivia game that’s none-to-easy even in the beginner mode, it’s on to a restored version of the 1956 “People and Places: Disneyland USA” episode which highlights Walt Disney’s goal that Disneyland serve as a place of enlightenment, happiness, and the pursuit of fun and takes viewers on a slow-paced exploration of the five areas of Disneyland. Modern audiences might be inclined to condemn this particular feature as a 42-minute-long Disneyland commercial, but in 1956 it functioned more as an exploration of a distant place that many around the world had never had the opportunity to visit. Disc two begins with “Operation Disneyland,” a 14-minute black and white documentary produced for ABC closed circuit television which looks at the technical aspects of broadcasting the opening ceremonies of Disneyland on live television. Never intended for public viewing, the program offers an interesting and historically valuable look back at the mechanics of live television in the 1950’s. Next are three episodes of Walt Disney’s weekly program “The Wonderful World of Color.” “The Golden Horseshoe Revue” features the 10,000th vaudeville-inspired performance at Disneyland’s The Golden Horseshoe Saloon with Betty Taylor, Wally Boag, Gene Sheldon, Ed Wynn, and former Mickey Mouse Club Mouseketeer Annette Funicello. “Disneyland Goes to the World’s Fair” details Disney’s contributions to the New York World’s Fair of 1964-1965 including the creation of “It’s A Small World” for UNICEF, “Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln,” and the “Primeval World” audio-animatronic dinosaurs currently on exhibit in the Disneyland Railroad. “Disneyland Around the Seasons” celebrates Disneyland’s 11th year with a look at special holiday programming at Disneyland. Finally, footage from several time-lapse cameras scattered throughout Disneyland during the park’s construction is presented with narration by Tony Baxter from Disney Imagineering, and Ed Hobbleman and Walter Magnuson from the Disney Studio Inventory Group. Just about everything one could ever want to know about the history of Disneyland is right here in this thorough Disney collection. –Tami Horiuchi >>Read More

Tags: , , , ,

Leave a Reply

Powered by Yahoo! Answers