jiminy.cricket
Chasing the magic
- Joined
- Nov 11, 2009
Howdy, DISers!
I'm back, and this time, this is actually happening. I can barely believe it. As you might have noticed, my friend and I (who live far apart) have been playing with the idea of visiting Disney together for, well, years. Between life, school, work, for one reason or another, we've never followed through with it. However, it finally seems like the stars might be aligning and a trip to Disneyland is happening in a few weeks! I can hardly contain my excitement. I wasn't sure whether to classify this under the general Disneyland forums or as a pre-trip report, but I have a feeling I'll be updating this thread with a trip report later on. That said, I was wondering if I might once again solicit any feedback you can provide regarding this trip. Any advice is much appreciated.
Here's a rough run-down of the schedule. It will be a short trip over a long weekend. I'll be arriving around noon and leaving a little less than three days later. Here's where I need a bit of help.
1. Since I'll be in Southern California, I feel obligated to carve time during the day to visit the beach. I was lucky enough to visit a few southern California beaches last year briefly (as well as California Adventure), and they're quite lovely. However, I want to make this trip Disney-centric and will only have a few days in town. I'm leaning toward spending all of my time (even partial days) at Disneyland Park. Is it too much time at the park and will I regret not spending any time at the beaches?
2. I'm wondering how early I should try to find a spot for viewing Paint the Night and Disneyland Forever, which are musts for me! I was thinking of perhaps finding a different viewing area each night. I would love a fantastic view but ultimately would feel bad about blocking the view for any children.
3. Any must-eats or must-sees for this Walt Disney World veteran? Paint the Night and Disneyland Forever are at the top of the list. I sort of want to visit everything. The last time I visited Disneyland was 2001 and I'm so excited to be going back! I'm thinking Mr. Toad, Hyperspace Mountain, Skipper School, Pirates, Haunted Mansion, Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln (Is that still there?), and exploring all of the nooks and crannies that we don't have on the east coast. I'd love to see New Orleans Square, the Main Street Firehouse, the Sleeping Beauty Castle walk-through. My friend wants to see Star Tours. We're both disappointed that the railroad, Matterhorn, and Fantasmic will be closed--all of the Anaheim gems we were looking forward to seeing. As far as eats, I'd love to try Cafe Orleans. I tried the legendary corn dogs at DCA last year. Will need to do more research on food. I know the podcasters also recommend Pizza Press at one of the Good Neighbor Hotels.
Anyway, this post is growing a bit long-winded so I'll end it here before it becomes too cumbersome to read. Thank you if you made it this far! I'm bouncing off the walls!
I'm back, and this time, this is actually happening. I can barely believe it. As you might have noticed, my friend and I (who live far apart) have been playing with the idea of visiting Disney together for, well, years. Between life, school, work, for one reason or another, we've never followed through with it. However, it finally seems like the stars might be aligning and a trip to Disneyland is happening in a few weeks! I can hardly contain my excitement. I wasn't sure whether to classify this under the general Disneyland forums or as a pre-trip report, but I have a feeling I'll be updating this thread with a trip report later on. That said, I was wondering if I might once again solicit any feedback you can provide regarding this trip. Any advice is much appreciated.
Here's a rough run-down of the schedule. It will be a short trip over a long weekend. I'll be arriving around noon and leaving a little less than three days later. Here's where I need a bit of help.
1. Since I'll be in Southern California, I feel obligated to carve time during the day to visit the beach. I was lucky enough to visit a few southern California beaches last year briefly (as well as California Adventure), and they're quite lovely. However, I want to make this trip Disney-centric and will only have a few days in town. I'm leaning toward spending all of my time (even partial days) at Disneyland Park. Is it too much time at the park and will I regret not spending any time at the beaches?
2. I'm wondering how early I should try to find a spot for viewing Paint the Night and Disneyland Forever, which are musts for me! I was thinking of perhaps finding a different viewing area each night. I would love a fantastic view but ultimately would feel bad about blocking the view for any children.
3. Any must-eats or must-sees for this Walt Disney World veteran? Paint the Night and Disneyland Forever are at the top of the list. I sort of want to visit everything. The last time I visited Disneyland was 2001 and I'm so excited to be going back! I'm thinking Mr. Toad, Hyperspace Mountain, Skipper School, Pirates, Haunted Mansion, Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln (Is that still there?), and exploring all of the nooks and crannies that we don't have on the east coast. I'd love to see New Orleans Square, the Main Street Firehouse, the Sleeping Beauty Castle walk-through. My friend wants to see Star Tours. We're both disappointed that the railroad, Matterhorn, and Fantasmic will be closed--all of the Anaheim gems we were looking forward to seeing. As far as eats, I'd love to try Cafe Orleans. I tried the legendary corn dogs at DCA last year. Will need to do more research on food. I know the podcasters also recommend Pizza Press at one of the Good Neighbor Hotels.
Anyway, this post is growing a bit long-winded so I'll end it here before it becomes too cumbersome to read. Thank you if you made it this far! I'm bouncing off the walls!
