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February 6-9, 2005
by Anne Larison, Disneyland Specialist
I had the opportunity to attend a Travel Agent
Education Program at Disneyland. I had been to Disneyland twice
before; once as a teenager in 1975 and again in 2003. I was looking
forward to seeing for myself the preparation for the “Happiest
Celebration on Earth”.
I flew into Orange County/John Wayne airport
for the first time. The smaller size of the airport compared to LAX
makes for a much smoother, faster process. I was able to get my bag
and find the Super Shuttle location in a matter of minutes. I had a
reservation with Super Shuttle and they were able to put me on a van
immediately. We waited a few moments for the van to fill up, but
overall there was minimal waiting. We had a very friendly driver,
who kept us entertained with trivia questions. The one challenge to
Super Shuttle is that someone has to be dropped off last. I was
almost the last one to be dropped off and driving around to all the
other destinations can add time to your transit. So, if you are in
a hurry you might want to take a more direct option.
My check-in at Grand Californian Hotel was very
pleasant and smooth. I arrived early, checking in at 10:30 am.
Although this was the busy time for checking out, there were many
hotel clerks and I did not have to wait more than a few minutes.
After the usual questions and paperwork, the clerk asked if I
believed in magic. Of course I do, and she replied that my room was
ready! It was a treat to be able to get settled into my room so
early. The room had a partial monorail view and was very
comfortable. I had a chance to look around the hotel including the
grand lobby before heading out to the parks.
I decided to get lunch in California Adventure
(CA). One of the first restaurants you will find upon entering the
park is Taste Pilots’ Grill. It was very crowded, probably because
of the location. I decided to make my way to the far side of the
park. Back in the Paradise Pier section of the park there are
several food options. I chose pizza at Pizza Oom Mow Mow. There
were no lines and you actually get two fairly large slices.
On my way around the park I took the time to
look at a temporary display of 75 life-size Mickey Mouse statues,
which were first unveiled on Mickey’s 75th anniversary in
2003. The unique statues are on display through Feb. 22. I got my
FASTPASS for Soarin’ over California and headed to Disneyland to see
the afternoon showing of Snow White – An Enchanting Musical. The
show was excellent
Tip – I do
recommend sitting on the front, left side of the theater as you are
facing the stage for the best close-up view of the 7 dwarfs.
I returned to CA to ride Soarin’ over
California, a ride not to be missed. I wanted to return to my hotel
room to get ready for the opening session of my conference. An
excellent reason to stay at the Grand Californian hotel is the
park/hotel gate that leads right from California Adventure into the
Grand Californian hotel. It is a really convenient option for
Disney resort guests. I did stop by White Water Snacks to pick up a
light snack. This self-serve refreshment center is a great place
for a snack or light meal. We had eaten breakfast here on a
previous stay at the Grand Californian.
We did a site inspection of the Grand
Californian. It is a beautiful hotel with a very large lobby,
including fire place, piano, and many comfortable chairs and
couches. As with all the Disney resort hotels, there is a separate
area for children to watch Disney cartoons while their parents are
checking-in or doing business in the lobby.
Tip-If you go
outside the door next to the Guest Services Office, there is an
outside fireplace that most people are not aware exists. There are
rocking chairs and it would be an excellent place for early morning
coffee or late night drinks.
There are 3 pools at the Grand Californian.
For guests who want to swim laps, they do designate lanes in the
larger pool in the morning for adult lap swim only. There are 2
restaurants and a lounge. The concierge rooms offer a very nice
private area for their continental breakfasts and wine receptions.
Another option for families with kids is Pinocchio’s children’s
center offering many activities for children, while their parents
have some time to themselves. Pinocchio’s does charge a reasonable
hourly fee and can be used by guests of all 3 Disney resorts.
Tip-There is a 5th
floor balcony over looking the pools that is open to all guests of
GC. Not many people know about it and it is another great option
for some quiet time after the parks.
We also had a chance to tour Paradise Pier
Hotel. Many people enjoy staying at Paradise pier for its fun,
“seaside” hotel theme. The PCH Grill Restaurant recently was closed
for refurbishment. It reopened on the last day of our visit. Some
in our group ate there on our final night and reported that the food
was very good. They have a new character breakfast featuring Lelo &
Stitch at the PCH Grill.
Tip-For families
with children, the PCH Grill offers the opportunity for kids to
create their own Mickey pizza for dinner. Children receive a
Mickey-head pizza dough, a bucket of sauce and lots of kid friendly
pizza toppings. Kids have lots of fun knowing they made their own
dinner!
Paradise Pier has a fun pool theme, and in
addition to PCH Grill there is Yamabuki, a Japanese restaurant.
Paradise Pier also offers concierge level amenities. There are
rooms in the Paradise Pier facing CA. The view from the upper floor
rooms facing the park allow guests to watch the Electrical Light
Parade from their room at night!
Tip-in the past
Paradise Pier guests had their own entrance into CA. Due to very
few guests using this option, Disney decided to close this
entrance. Guests staying at Paradise Pier can use the Grand
Californian entrance into CA.
After our final meetings of the day and a
catered dinner, our group strolled over to CA for a magical moment.
The first stop was Golden Dreams. This is an informative,
entertaining movie about the history and spirit of California. Next
we were treated to a dessert party and special preferred viewing of
the Electrical Light Parade. This is a “must do” parade. The fun
theme music and amazing floats all covered by thousands of lights
will leave you smiling for the rest of the night! Even the
characters and dancers light up. Our preferred seating area was a
large balcony area attached to the Pacific Wharf Café. We were
elevated and across the water from the parade. Our view was very
good. Another excellent viewing location is the The Vineyard Room
at the Golden Vine Winery and the Wine Country Trattoria at the
Golden Vine Winery. However, because the streets are wider in CA
and the crowds tend to be smaller there is no problem getting a
front row seat for this parade. I have been right on street level
for the parade and enjoy being very close to the action.
From CA our group went directly to Disneyland.
Before heading to our preferred viewing area for the Fantasmic show
we had the opportunity to stop and experience The Walt Disney Story,
featuring “Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln”. This attraction is
definitely an audio treat with amazing sound effects that highlight
a moment in history with President Lincoln. On to Fantasmic, this
takes place on the Rivers of America in Frontierland. The preferred
seating area is near the Rafts to Tom Sawyer Island. Fantasmic is
an exciting water/light show with boats and many characters. It can
be loud and perhaps scary for younger kids, since it involves
villains. In the winter months it is cool at night and you may get
sprayed with water so be prepared.
Tip-a great place
to see Fantasmic is on the bridge over the entrance to Pirates of
the Caribbean. Arrive early to get the front of the bridge and you
will have an elevated view.
After Disneyland closed was a great time to do
some shopping in Downtown Disney on our way back to the hotel.
Monday we had an opportunity to experience a
Character Breakfast at Goofy’s Kitchen in the Disneyland Hotel. I
highly recommend this character breakfast. The food was delicious
with made to order eggs, a huge variety of breakfast foods, and even
lunch foods, such as pizza and enchiladas. There were many
kid-friendly foods available. We enjoyed being greeted by Goofy and
also had pictures taken with Cinderella. Several times per hour
Goofy would get out in the middle of the dance floor and do special
dances with all the kids (and kids-at-heart) such as the Macarana.
Goofy’s Kitchen has character dining at breakfast, lunch and dinner.
The Disneyland Hotel has 3 room towers. In the
courtyard between the towers are waterfalls, koi ponds and the
Fantasy Waters stage area (this is a water/light show) but the show
was closed for refurbishment while we were there. In addition to
Goofy’s Kitchen, there are two restaurants, Granville’s Steak House
and Hook’s Pointe & Wine Cellar. The pool at Disneyland Hotel is
very popular. The Neverland Pool, with its Peter Pan theme, has a
slide and pirate ship for kids of all ages. You can enjoy the
Neverland pool only as a guest of the Disneyland Hotel. You cannot
pool hop among the three Disney Hotels.
Tip-The Disneyland
Hotel does not have coffee makers in the rooms, as so the other
Disney Hotels. When you check in ask the housekeeping staff to
bring one up to your room. They are complementary upon request.
If you book your trip through the Walt Disney
Travel Company they do have an office in Downtown Disney. You can
add-on to your vacation package, including dining plans, ticket
upgrades, and get other assistance related to your trip package.
The office is located around the corner from Compass Books, across
the street from the Disneyland Hotel.
After lunch, the group was planning to take the
Monorail into Disneyland to catch the afternoon Snow White – An
Enchanting Musical. We had limited time to get to the show where
they were planning to provide a preferred viewing area for our
group. Unfortunately, we waited in line for the monorail for
several minutes and they announced that they were in the process of
adding the second monorail car to the tracks and a monorail wouldn’t
arrive for 15 more minutes! We had to turn around and run through
Downtown Disney, into the park (through security, and ticket lines)
and try to get to the show before they gave our priority viewing
area away. We didn’t make it. We did arrive in time for the show,
but they had given away the preferred area as they will only hold it
up to 10 minutes prior to the show. However, as I found out from my
first viewing, there is not a bad seat in the house. I very much
enjoyed the show a second time and the seating was not full, so even
arriving minutes before the start of the show, seats were
available. It was a good lesson in planning ahead. If you have a
priority seating for a show or a meal, be sure to give yourself
extra time. There can always be unforeseeable delays, whether in
lines, security or crowds.
We spent the rest of the afternoon in the parks
on our own. Several members of our group had never been to
Disneyland and so we had to do It’s a small world. We wanted to
also be sure to do California Screamin’, so we headed over to CA to
get a FASTPASS.
We were pleasantly surprised that we didn’t need a FASTPASS, the
stand-by line for California Screamin’ was only 5 minutes. If you
don’t mind going upside down, this high-speed roller coaster is
great fun. We had planned to eat at Ariel’s Grotto, as one member
of our party was hoping for another character meal. Unfortunately,
we found out when we stopped by to make a priority seating, Ariel’s
Grotto is not open for dinner on week nights. The cast member at
the reception desk was very helpful and after we made our alternate
selection even used her computer to make the priority seating for us
at Hook’s Pointe at the Disneyland Hotel.
While in CA I didn’t want those new to
Disneyland to miss Soarin’ Over California, so that was our next
ride, which everyone loved. We went back to our rooms to rest and
get ready for the evening when we had to meet again with the large
group.
Prior to meeting the large group for our
preferred seating at Disney’s Aladdin-A Musical Spectacular, we had
been given FAST Passes for Tower of Terror (ToT). Even those in our
small group who were squeamish wanted to try it. It is fantastic.
I have been on the ToT at MGM Studios in WDW. The difference at the
ToT in California Adventure is really two things: There is a large
mirror during the introduction, so that you can wave at yourself
(and see the nervous faces of the newbies) and the elevator car does
not slide forward toward the window, as in does in WDW. Otherwise
the ride is just as much fun with numerous trips up and down the
elevator shaft looking out over the park below as the window opens
and closes.
Aladdin-A Musical Spectacular is fabulous, the
travel agents among the group who had never seen the show commented
that it alone is worth the price of admission.
Tip-Even though it
may seem best to sit up in the front section, the best seats are
actually the front of the 2nd section. There is a part
of the show with the magic carpet that is best viewed from the
middle of the theatre and harder to see from the front.
After returning to the room to get ready for
dinner our small group headed to Hook’s Pointe at the Disneyland
Hotel. Hook’s Pointe is a small restaurant with a classy, rich
wood décor; the wait staff was very friendly and helpful. One side
of the restaurant’s windows looks out onto the Never Land Pool. It
is a very nice sight at night since there are lights highlighting
the pirate boat and around the pool. The food was very good; most
of the group enjoyed the land and sea (steak and shrimp).
Tuesday we had a catered breakfast at the
conference room with an excellent variety of breakfast food. After
our morning session we walked over to Disneyland park in time for
the park opening. We immediately headed for Mickey’s Toontown
Morning Madness.
This is an exclusive event for Walt Disney
Travel Company vacation package guests. This special experience
allows you into Toontown one hour earlier than the public. We very
much enjoyed the uncrowded access to Disney characters and Mayor
Mickey’s special ceremony.
After enjoying our Mickey’s Toontown Morning
Madness we returned for more work before embarking on a Good
Neighbor hotel tour.
We were able to tour several Good Neighbor
hotels in the Disneyland area
Embassy Suites Hotel Anaheim South – Suite
Category
*The Embassy Suites offers a complimentary full
breakfast with cooked-to-order eggs and other foods
Residence By Marriott Anaheim Resort Area –
Suite Category
*Residence By Marriott has a Kid’s
Suite which sleeps 6 and includes bunk-beds in a separate room;
complementary breakfast and their own complementary shuttle to the
parks.
Hyatt Regency / Orange County – Suite
Category
*Hyatt Regency also has a Kid’s
Suite but does not include complementary breakfast
Anaheim Marriott Hotel – Superior Category
*Marriott Hotel offers
free roll-away bed for standard rooms
Hilton Garden Inn – Moderate Category
*Hilton Garden Inn offers no charge
wireless and high speed internet
Anaheim Ramada Hotel – Economy Category
*Anaheim Ramada offers ‘Kids Eat
Free’ breakfast, lunch and dinner
These hotels offer many more amenities than can
be listed here but they all had something for families with a
variety of needs. I would recommend all of these hotels. I
particularly liked the Kid’s Suite at the Residence By Marriott and
the amenities at the Embassy Suites Hotel.
After finishing our site inspections were free
to enjoy parks. We had arranged for a PS at Blue Bayou in
Disneyland Park. While waiting for our party to gather, we enjoyed
listening to a strolling jazz quartet; there was even a “New
Orleans” style bead toss from the 2nd story balcony of
the Bourbon Street buildings surrounding the restaurant. It’s the
little touches that continue the magic. We enjoyed our dinner, the
shrimp I had was good, and my dinner companions loved the crab cakes
and another the pork chops.
We were finished eating by 7:10 pm. With only
50 minutes left until park closing we were determined to experience
as many rides as we could. There were no lines to speak of and we
were able to ride the Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean,
Indiana Jones Adventure and the Jungle Cruise, finishing our last
ride exactly at 8:00 as the park closed.
We again ate another excellent breakfast
buffet. We spent the morning completing our training. Our special
guest was a personal congratulation by Mickey Mouse.
Once again the shuttle experience with Super
Shuttle was great. They were right on time and we arrived at LAX
within 45 minutes.
The trainers at my conference were not able to
divulge all the information about the Happiest Celebration on Earth,
but here are a few tidbits... Starting May 5, 2005 and extending
for 18 months all the Disney parks will be celebrating the 50th
Anniversary of Disneyland. The celebration will be bigger and
better at Disneyland itself. Sleeping Beauty Castle will be
transformed into a breathtaking focal-point for the celebration. A
major highlight will be “Walt Disney’s Parade of Dreams”, an all-new
parade with more characters and more music, and more…
Also in the works is “Remember…Dreams Come
True”. The nightly fireworks extravaganza is sure to make memories
for life. And, Space Mountain, which has been under refurbishment
since April 2003, is set to open and 2005 guests will be first to
experience the new thrills. As May 5, 2005 approaches more details
will be revealed.
I enjoyed my short visit to Disneyland and
learned many things that I can use for planning Disneyland trips for
my clients. If you would like a price quote from me for your next
Disneyland trip click here.
Anne Larison
Disneyland and Disney World Specialist
Affiliated with Cruising Co Etc |
