Disneyland Park Tips!

[jedifreac]

Last weekend Ken and I went to Disneyland. I'll write up a recap later when I have the pictures but it was a lot of fun even though it was more crowded than I'd ever seen it. Crazzzy. But um, I guess I really feel happy and in the groove when I'm at Disneyland so I thought I would share some tips I've figured out while spending time in the park, like the best places to pee. (Yes, I'm weird. Sorry.)



How to get the Best Fantasmic! Seats

If you don't care to wait around for a seat for Fantasmic, or if you have seen the show several times, one of the best places to watch the show is at the very edge of the stage by Splash Mountain and the Tom Sawyer rafts. Here, you get a really hilarious view of how the special effects are pulled off.

Best way to get seats the perfect seats for Fantasmic is to watch the second show. After the first show lets out, about an hour before the next show, hang out around the entrance to pirates. They will reopen seating for the next show. Head straight for any seat that is located in front of the entrance of Pirates of the Carribean. This ensures you will be directly facing the stage on Tom Sawyer Island.

Then, after Fantasmic, you can immediately turn around and walk in to ride Pirates. The line will be very short, and by the time you exit the ride (a good 20 minutes later) the crowds crazily pushing each other around will be gone.

If you sit right by the water to watch Fantasmic you will get misted. I learned this the hard way this time. Sooo damp. Thanks to Sarah for the tip!

To Avoid Lines, Ride These Things At Night

Jungle Cruise is actually really fun to ride at night, especially when you can't see what is coming next. Matterhorn is also really fun at night, and lines are shortest right around closing. These rides are totally different experiences in the dark than they are in daylight.

Splash Mountain for obvious reasons will not be busy later at night when it is cold. But ditto and even more so for Winnie the Pooh--it's out of the way for most parents so don't ride that til after sundown. (Also, Hungry Bear Restaurant, which is located next to Splash and Pooh, has the cleanest restrooms in the entire park.) Don't even bother hitting Fantasyland in the middle of the afternoon when all the screaming kids are there. You're much better off going late at night when most parents and children have gone home.

Pineapple Ice Cream and Gumbo

Dole Pineapple Whip ice cream, sold from a booth next to the Tiki room, is delicious but there is always a huge line for it. What most people don't know is that there is a second line for the booth within the waiting area for the Tiki Room, where there is virtually no line. So you can get in line for the Tiki room and buy and eat your ice cream and pineapple juice at the same time, or just walk out of the queing area (the turnstyle turns both ways!) Most people don't know this and will spend half an hour waiting in line. Also, the bathroom in the Tiki Room is very clean!

The Gumbo in New Orleans Square is delicious, but the line can get pretty long. River Belle Terrace also serves Gumbo, and if you really don't want to wait in line the wharf in California Adventure serves soup in a bread bowl, too (with more variety, actually.)



Random Obsessive Line Stuff

If lines split off, when in doubt, go left. Or, go the direction that hugs closer to the wall.

Never wait in line for over an hour (unless it's something really good, like Space Mountain.) Also, Disney has recently moved a lot of their lines outdoors--I guess they don't want to cram lots of people into tight spaces. So like, if the queue looks long on the outside, it doesn't necessarily mean it's long on the inside anymore. Very weird. It used to be you had to shuffle through the inside queues of Space Mountain and Indiana Jones, but now you can kind of just walk because they stagger entry.

Know what times parades are even if you think they are silly (::cough::) Know which side of the park you want to be on for the next hour or so because crossing the parade route is a big pain in the rear.

Don't stand in line for the Finding Nemo ride. Are you kidding me? Why would you want to spend three hours of your life standing in line? XP

Random but Effective California Adventure Tips

California Adventure officially opens at 10:00AM, but they open the gates at 9:30AM. Get there at 9:00AM and be there when the gates open--and then run to Soaring Over California while everyone else runs to the roller coaster! There will be no line.

After you've ridden Soaring, then run back towards the Hollywood Pictures Backlot. At exactly 10AM they will drop a rope and let the crowd into that area of the park. Immediately rush towards the back of the backlot (don't get distracted by the pretty like everyone else) and get in line for Tower of Terror for the shortest line of the day.

The best place to watch Aladdin is not orchestra seating but mezzanie seating. You miss a lot of the special effects if you only stay on the orchestra level.

Mullholland Madness (the wild mouse ride) almost always has a Single Rider Pass option. If you walk up to the person manning the Fastpass line and ask them for a single rider ticket, they usually let you cut in line--the caveat? You usually aren't allowed to sit with your friends.

The big roller coaster in California Adventure, California Screamin', may look like it has a long line but usually the wait is no longer than 20 minutes. That's why people who rush towards it at 9:30AM are better off going to Soaring, which can have waits of even up to two hours.

Heimlich's Chew Chew Train. Still the best ride ever. Ever in the whole wide I'm a choo choo train world.

Anyhow, I hope these tips help you compress your line waits so you can spend more time snugguzzling under the fireworks or something. ::squees:: yay i ♥ disneyland and I ♥ my bf yey