100 Things You Don't Want to Miss at Disneyland 2016: Ultimate Unauthorized Quick Guide 2016, #1

Introduction

When people find out that I write travel books about Disneyland they often ask me What do you think I should do in the park or Do you have any special suggestions for me? I found myself writing out long lists for people of the attractions, shows, and fun little activities that they should do before leaving the park, tailoring these lists for each individual person. I started to see a universal list of activities emerging from these individual lists, and realized I could create a list of activities that appeals to everyone. I soon began to realize that this list could be useful to more than just my friends and acquaintances, the general public could find it useful as well. So I began to make it more complete, add the details people need to know, and put it all together in a way that was easy for everyone to read and use.

I chose to limit the list to 100 activities because people find such a number appealing. It’s large enough to include everything worth doing, but not so large that it’s unmanageable. I lumped some activities together to be able to include everything I wanted to let you know about. In some cases these are things that naturally go together, like all of the quick little activities available inside the Big Thunder Ranch. Other activities were lumped together to give you a choice between them, such as taking either the Mark Twain Riverboat or the Sailing Ship Columbia on a trip around the Rivers of America. When I was finished I had a complete list of everything you don’t want to miss on your adventure though Disneyland, and the details necessary to get the most out of each activity.

This is a book for people who don’t have the time or inclination to read through a long travel book, and just want quick access to this information. From the well known to the obscure, these are the 100 things you don’t want to miss on your trip to Disneyland. I wrote this book for you, so that you could get as much joy out of the park as I do. I hope you enjoy it!

About the Author

John Glass is a travel blogger, founder of the Southern California travel magazine SoCal Secrets, and author of the fan site Disney Parks Club. View more travel information on his websites:

www.socalsecrets.com

www.disneyparksclub.com

About the Publisher

Alternative Travel Press strives to bring a unique perspective to your travel adventures. Look for books on a wide variety of travel topics on the publisher’s website:

www.alternativetravelpress.com

Park Maps

Use the maps below to help you find the activities discussed throughout the book. I’ve included a map of the whole park as well as maps for each individual land. Each map is labeled with numbers that correspond to the activities discussed throughout the book.

Disneyland Checklist

Throughout the Park

01. Arrive to the Park in Style

02. Take a Tour

03. Meet Disney Characters

04. Catch the Disneyland Railroad Before it Closes *

05. Watch a Parade

06. Enjoy a Fireworks Show

07. Celebrate the Holidays

08. Take Part in a Special Themed Day

09. Run a Marathon Through Disneyland

10. Plan Your Own Special Event

11. Exclusive Limited Time Activities

12. Reserve a Special Dining Experience

13. Indulge in Famous Snack Foods

14. Have a Picnic

15. Use Disney’s Professional Photographers

16. Take Your Own Photos

17. Get a Few Magic Shots

18. Start Collecting Autographs

19. Try Pin Trading

20. Search for Coin Press Machines

21. Start a Collection

22. Show Your Style with Personalized Mouse Ears

23. Get Involved in the Yearly Promotions *

24. Join the 60th Anniversary Diamond Celebration *

Main Street, U.S.A.

25. Visit City Hall

26. Catch a Ride up Main Street

27. Have Breakfast with Minnie & Friends

28. Take in a Street Performance

29. View Great Moments with Mr Lincoln

30. See an Art Show at the Disney Gallery

31. Enjoy Classic Animation at the Main Street Cinema

32. Take Part in the Flag Retreat Ceremony

33. Explore the Old Fire Station

34. Visit the Magic Shop

35. Play Around in the Penny Arcade

36. Bring Home Art Made Just for You

37. Commission Your Own Personalized Silhouettes

38. Shop on Main Street After the Park Closes

Adventureland

39. Get a World Famous Dole Whip

40. Kick up Your Feet in the Enchanted Tiki Room

41. Sail Through the Jungle Cruise

42. Brave the Indiana Jones Adventure

43. Swing by Tarzan’s Treehouse

New Orleans Square

44. Explore the Streets of New Orleans

45. Dig into Buried Treasure at Pirates of the Caribbean

46. Tour the Haunted Mansion ...if you Dare!

47. Bring Home a Unique Piece of New Orleans

48. Enjoy the New Orleans Street Entertainment

49. Take in Some Jazz While You Dine

Critter Country

50. Row Like a Champion on Davy Crockett’s Explorer Canoes *

51. Get Soaked on Splash Mountain

52. Celebrate the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh

53. Watch Candy Being Made at Pooh Corner

Frontierland

54. Sail Around the Rivers of America *

55. Brave the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

56. Take Aim at Frontierland Shootin’ Exposition

57. Commission Your Own Personalized Leather Goods

58. Visit the 55 million Year Old Petrified Tree

59. Explore Big Thunder Ranch *

60. Get Entertained at the Golden Horseshoe

61. Have a Special Fantasmic! Experience *

Pirate’s Lair on Tom Sawyer Island *

62. Arrive by Raft

63. Explore the Island

64. Dare to Enter Dead Man’s Grotto

65. Climb into Tom & Huck’s Tree House

66. Discover the Secrets of Smuggler’s Cove

67. Take a Rest While Your Kids Play

Fantasyland

68. Get Transformed into a Knight or Princess

69. Have Your Face Painted

70. Commission Art Made out of Your Name

71. Discover Your Family Crest & History

72. Enjoy the Beauty of Snow Whites Grotto

73. Take a Walk Through Sleeping Beauty Castle

74. Enjoy the Classic Fantasyland Rides

75. Splash into It’s a Small World

76. Climb into the Matterhorn Bobsleds

77. Take in a Show at the Fantasyland Theatre

78. Visit the New Fantasy Faire

Mickey’s Toontown

79. Explore Downtown Toontown

80. Swing by Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin

81. Visit Minnie’s House

82. Explore Mickey’s House

83. Go Wild at Goofy’s Playhouse

84. Welcome Yourself Aboard Donald’s Boat

85. Climb up the Chip ‘n Dale Treehouse

86. Glide through the Air In Gadget’s Go Coaster

Tomorrowland

87. Spin Around the Astro Orbitor

88. Take Aim at Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters

89. Continue Your Adventure at Star Tours

90. Fly through Space Mountain

91. Take a Drive Through Autopia

92. Find Nemo on a Submarine Voyage

93. Explore the Tomorrowland Expo Center *

94. Watch a Film at the Tomorrowland Theater *

95. Catch a Live Band Performance at Tomorrowland Terrace

96. Become a Jedi Knight

97. Play Retro Arcade Games at Starcade

98. Build Your Own Lightsaber or Droid

99. Move a Boulder at Cosmic Waves

100. Cool Off at the Moonliner Rocket

* Notes attractions that will be opening or closing sometime 2016.

Throughout the Park

01

Arrive to the Park in Style

The Disneyland Resort offers guests several options for how they get to and enter Disneyland, and sometimes the way you arrive to the park can be just as much fun as what you do inside the park. Start the fun before you even enter the front gates with these arrival options.

Ride the Parking Tram Before the Park Opens

The FREE parking tram picks you up from the Mickey & Friends Parking Structure and delivers you to the front gates of both Disneyland and Disney California Adventure. This open air tram ride through some of the back areas of the Disneyland Resort property is as much fun to ride as it is useful. It’s like getting a bonus park ride in before the gates even open, and kids love it. But I’ll let you in on a little secret; Adults love it too.

Some Guests Prefer the Toy Story Parking Lot

Many guests find the Toy Story Parking Lot to be a more convenient choice. You can avoid the end of the day traffic jams found at the Mickey & Friends Parking Structure and the areas around it. A FREE shuttle from the Toy Story Lot drops you off in the Transportation Hub, which is closer to the park’s entry gate. This lot is also closer to some of the non-resort owned hotels in the area (know as Good Neighbor hotels.) However, the free shuttle from this lot is not as much fun to ride as the one from the Mickey & Friends Parking Structure. It’s more like taking a public bus than getting a free ride on an early morning attraction. The bus can also get very crowded at peak hours.

All official parking lots designated for theme park guests charge the same rates. You can find the Toy Story Parking Lot on the west side of S. Harbor Blvd., just below the Katella Cast Member Parking Lot.

Take a FREE Ride on the Monorail

This futuristic single track train system transports guests back and fourth between Downtown Disney (near the Disneyland Hotel) and Tomorrowland (inside the Disneyland Park). The monorail is always free, but you must have a Disneyland Park ticket to ride it. It usually opens at the same time the Disneyland park opens. This futuristic train is not only fun to ride, it’s a great time-saving way to enter the park, particularly in the morning when crowds form at the Disneyland entry gates. Find the monorail station near the west end of Downtown Disney. You can also use the monorail to leave the park and return to Downtown Disney for a quick lunch, a stop at your hotel, or to exit the park at the end of the day.

It’s also possible to ride both the Monorail and the Parking Tram. You can park in the Mickey & Friends Parking Structure and take the Parking Tram to Disneyland’s front gates, then walk through Downtown Disney to the Monorail station.

Buy Your Tickets Beforehand

The best way to get into the park quickly in the morning is to already have your tickets in hand when you arrive, so purchase your tickets before you plan on visiting the park. This can be done online at the Disneyland Resort website or at the park’s main ticket booths the night before. The ticket booths are located right outside the entrance to the park and they stay open late, usually an hour after the park closes. Then when you arrive in the morning you can just enter through the special Grand Californian Hotel park gate or jump in line at the regular entry gates without having to wait in the long ticket purchase lines.

https://disneyland.disney.go.com/tickets/

The Gates Open Early for Everyone

The downside to using the Monorail to enter the park is that you arrive inside Disneyland after the gates open. If you enter through the main gates you can be inside Disneyland on Main Street before the park’s official opening time, a full half hour before. You only get access to Main Street, but this gives you the chance to get breakfast, do a little morning Shopping, and be in the best location possible when they lower the rope and let guests into the rest of the park. All regular restaurants and shops on Main Street Should be open at this time, but the attractions such as the Main Street Cinema will not open until the park’s official opening time.

To make use of this extra time, simply line up at the regular entry gates a little more than half an hour before the park’s opening time, and at the half hour mark the gates will open and you can enjoy Disneyland’s most famous boulevard. Opening times change daily, see the Disneyland website for current opening times:

https://disneyland.disney.go.com/calendars/

Special Early Entry Programs

Magic Mornings

This promotion provides guests with the ability to enter Disneyland one hour early on one of the days they visit the park. These special tickets are available to Disneyland Resort guests with 3-day or longer theme park tickets, special promotional bonus tickets, or a Southern California CityPASS. See the Disneyland website or on-site ticket booths for details.

http://disneyland.disney.go.com/guest-services/magic-morning-early-admission/

Extra Magic Hour

This promotion gives registered Disneyland Resort hotel guests early admission to either Disneyland or California Adventure one hour before the park opens to the general public on every day of their hotel stay. Schedules and details for this program are also available at the Disneyland website or on-site ticket booths.

http://disneyland.disney.go.com/guest-services/extra-magic-hour-early-admission/

02

Take a Tour

Disneyland tours are a great way to get introduced to the park and learn more about it’s history. Guests may book a tour by calling (714) 781-TOUR [8687] up to 30 days in advance. You will be required to pay for the tour in full with a credit card to secure your reservation. Annual Passholders, Disney Rewards Visa card holders, and Disney Vacation Club members can get a 20% discount. If you’re already in the park, visit the Guided Tour Kiosk next to City Hall, or talk to cast members inside City Hall. More information about tours can be found on the Disneyland Guided Tour Website:

http://disneyland.disney.go.com/tours/

Welcome to Disneyland Tour

Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, & Mondays at 10:30am

Facts, tips, trivia and insider information make this tour a valuable source of information for Disneyland enthusiasts. The tour also includes a personalized itinerary, dining reservations, priority seating for a Disneyland show, and Fastpass tickets