Latest Headlines on OCRegister.com
[x] Close
Around Disney ~ New, tips and photos from the Orange County resort area.

Archive for the 'Your Tips' Category

« Previous Entries

How to survive Thanksgiving week at Disney

November 20th, 2009, 3:00 am by Sarah Tully
2_61_112007_bush_turkey

Then President George W. Bush pardoned the National Thanksgiving Turkey, who was moved to Disneyland, at a ceremony last year.

Thanksgiving week draws large crowds to the Disneyland Resort, including on turkey day, believe it or not. In fact, it’s believed to be the biggest dining day of the year at Disney restaurants.

Parks will be less packed earlier in the week, but will fill up more once the four-day weekend hits.

So, we are providing you with some tips and ideas of how to navigate the resort next week.

Where to eat

Reserved tables: Most of the reservations for sit-down dinners and buffets on Thanksgiving Day were already booked as of Thursday morning, according to a reservation agent. Here are places where you could still make reservations for a family of four:

Call Disney Dining to make reservations: 714-781-3463.

Other restaurants:Guests also can find traditional Thanksgiving foods at other non-reservation locations, such as Plaza Inn in Disneyland, said John McClintock, a Disneyland Resort spokesman.

Finger food:You can always gnaw on a turkey leg, instead. Pick one up at carts at Disneyland’s central plaza in front of Sleeping Beauty Castle, in Disneyland’s Frontierland near the river dock, at the Edelweiss stand near the Matterhorn and in Paradise Pier in Disney’s California Adventure.  Legs cost about $7 each.

What to see

National Turkey: The National Thanksgiving Turkey is set to move into Disneyland next week after being pardoned by President Barack Obama in a traditional White House ceremony. The turkey will be in a special Give a Day, Get a Disney Day parade set for 10 a.m. Thursday (The parade’s name is tied a 2010 program: Those who volunteer for a day to a qualified charity can get a pass to a Disney park). Read about last year’s pardoning ceremony HERE. Check back next week for more news about this year’s national turkey.

Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in: Christmas/Holidays • Disneyland • Disneyland Resort • Downtown Disney • Food • Hotels • Uncategorized • Your Tips • • | 2 Comments »

How to meet Disney characters at the parks

November 6th, 2009, 3:00 am by Sally French

buttontips“Your tips” is a feature where you can read and share your Disneyland Resort area tips with fellow Around Disney readers. If you have a tip to share, send it to stully@ocregister.com with the word ‘Tips’ in the subject line, or leave a comment below.

tiana-and-naveen-for-blog-10_09_dl_04409

Characters from two of Disney’s films are making their way into Disneyland as meet-and-greet characters.

Princess Tiana and Prince Naveen from “The Princess and the Frog,” which is due out next month, are set to start greeting guests starting today.

Terence, a character from “Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure” that was released on DVD, recently began appearing in the Pixie Hollow area.

We’ve compiled some tips for meeting Disney characters so you can make the most of meeting the latest additions to Disneyland’s cast.

  • To allow yourself more time to spend interacting with the characters, have your autograph books, cameras, and pens ready to go before you get to the front of the line.
  • When entering the park, grab an entertainment schedule at the turnstiles to see when characters will be out to sign autographs.
  • Plan on spending time in line to meet the characters, especially new additions like Princess Tiana.
  • Eat at a character meal. Characters will come up to your table for photos and autographs, eliminating the hassle of waiting in line at the parks.
  • terence-for-blog-10_09_dl_04040“When approaching a theme character, please make sure you stand in front of them, they have extremely poor visibility in most cases and will not see you if you are out of there direct line of site. They do not mean to seem rude to anyone and are more than polite in all cases. It’s just really hard to see what is not right in front of you,” wrote Around Disney reader OC Mommy.
  • Book a trip through the Walt Disney Travel Company and you will receive a voucher to Mickey’s Toontown Morning Madness, an event which allows you to enter Toontown an hour before it officially opens to watch a parade, become an honorary Toontown citizen and meet Mickey Mouse.
  • Other opportunities to see characters are in parades and shows.
  • Use Disney’s PhotoPass to get photos with the characters. Hand your PhotoPass card to photographers stationed around the resort and your photos will be stored so they can be viewed and purchased after the trip. Click here to read PhotoPass tips.

Photos courtesy of Disneyland.

Related posts:

Posted in: California Adventure • Disney characters • Disneyland • Disneyland Resort • Your Tips | 7 Comments »

NOONWIRE: Dealing with kids’ Disney fears

October 19th, 2009, 12:00 pm by Sarah Tully

NOONWIRE features Disney news from other media sources.

From MousePlanet:

MousePlanet’s Parenting Panel recently tackled the topic of how to help your children deal with fears of Disney attractions. Several writers gave their tips of dealing with children of all ages.

Here is the report called “Attraction Fears, Children, and Parents: What to Do?”

Previous NOONWIRE reports:

Posted in: California Adventure • Disneyland • NOONWIRE • Uncategorized • Your Tips | Post a Comment »

What to expect at Disney Trick-or-Treat party

October 12th, 2009, 3:00 am by Sarah Tully

trick-or-treat-parade-edited-for-blog-mttp1smallCandy and snack stations dot the walkways throughout Disney’s California Adventure. Donald Duck and Goofy do the hokey-pokey with costumed tots. And Disney characters dressed up as other characters, along with sparkly witches, dance in a parade around the theme park.

Those features are all part of Mickey’s Trick-orTreat Party events, which are held on 12 nights through Halloween Time at California Adventure. Visitors buy special admission tickets for the four-hour night parties after the park closes for general guests. I took my 1 1/2-year-old son, Austin, to Thursday’s party to check it out.

As of Friday, the Oct. 16, 23 and 31 parties were sold out. Advance tickets cost $32 on most days and $42 for Oct. 30 and 31.

It’s the fourth-year for the Trick or Treat parties, started the first year of Halloween Time at the Disneyland Resort. The parties are meant to provide a family-friendly trick-or-treat experience. On Thursday, there were even more strollers than usual lining up to get into the park with a much younger skewing audience.

Visitors of all ages are allowed to wear costumes, which are usually discouraged by Disney officials. Of course, they ask guests to avoid offensive or obscene costumes and anything that blocks vision. On Thursday, the most popular costumes seemed to be pirates and princesses. Some unique costumes included a family dressed as a hot dog, ketchup and mustard. One woman in a wheelchair dolled up her ride to look like Cinderella’s carriage.

Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in: California Adventure • Disneyland Resort • Halloween • Your Tips • | 8 Comments »

Tips for celebrating Halloween at Disneyland

October 8th, 2009, 3:00 pm by Sally French

buttontips“Your tips” is a feature where you can read and share your Disneyland Resort area tips with fellow Around Disney readers. If you have a tip to share, send it to stully@ocregister.com with the word ‘Tips’ in the subject line, or leave a comment below.

halloween1

It’s that time of year again - Disney gets a little more spooky and a lot more festive. Disneyland kicked off it’s annual Halloween Time celebration last month, which lasts until November 1. We’ve rounded up some tips for celebrating Halloween at Disneyland.

  • Watch the new “Halloween Screams - A Villainous Surprise in the Skies” fireworks show. CLICK HERE to read additional tips for viewing the fireworks.
  • Warm up on a chilly fall evening with a cup of Caramel Apple Cider or a Pumpkin Spice Latte, available exclusively during Halloween Time.
  • Look out for the new gingerbread house in the ballroom scene of the Haunted Mansion Holiday. Watch exclusive video of last year’s gingerbread zombie here.
  • Ride Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy. CLICK HERE to read tips from blogger Sarah Tully on riding the classic attraction with a haunted twist. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in: Disneyland • Disneyland Resort • Halloween • Your Tips | Post a Comment »

How to avoid the Disney parking hassle

October 8th, 2009, 3:00 am by Sarah Tully

The Disneyland Resort runs nearly 29,000 parking spaces for its visitors and employees, but guests still sometimes get backed up or have to park far away on crowded days.

And this week, they had to start paying $2 more — a total of $14 — to park a regular car there.

With the ongoing expansion of Disney’s California Adventure, Disney has been working to ensure that enough space is available for guests per zoning laws. In July, the Timon parking lot with 2,226 spots was closed to clear space for Cars Land, which is under construction at California Adventure.

Now, on busy days, visitors often are directed to designated Disney spots at the Anaheim GardenWalk mall and the Anaheim Convention Center lots.

Click on graphic for interactive map of Disney parking lots.

Click on graphic for interactive map of Disney parking lots.

New parking spots are on their way. A new lot is under construction on Harbor Boulevard on the lot of a former strawberry field and is due to be completed this winter.

A parking structure might be built on the spot where the Pumbaa lot now sits on Disney Way.

To navigate your journey to the Disneyland Resort, we’re  providing you with a map (right), tips and facts to help out. If you click on the map, you’ll see how many spaces are in each lot.

Here are some tips on how to get to theme parks:

  • Take Anaheim Resort Transit shuttles. Not only do the shuttles run from nearby hotels, but visitors also can pick up the shuttles at The Block at Orange, Anaheim GardenWalk and the Crystal Cathedral. The Block and cathedral have free parking. But visitors should check on site about parking rules before staying there for long. The shuttle cost is $4 for adults and $1 for kids for day passes. Go to the ART Web site for locations and schedules.
  • Ride the train. The shuttle also runs from the station in the Angel Stadium parking lot. It may not be cheaper, but you can avoid traffic jams on the freeway. Check with Amtrak or Metrolink for schedules and prices.
  • Park at Downtown Disney. Disney discourages it, but parking is free for the first three hours at the Downtown Disney lot. Also, you can get validated from participating locations. Plus, you can pick up the Monorail from the Downtown Disney stop and skip the walk into the park.
  • Get on the bus. Plan your trip on Orange County Transportation Authority’s Web site. A bus will drop you off at the shuttle stop.
  • One reader wrote that the family parks in the neighborhood and walks to the shuttle. But that is definitely discouraged and might be illegal, depending on where you park.
  • The Mickey and Friends parking structure — that’s the huge one off of Ball Road — is supposed to be the easiest place to park with regular tram rides to the theme parks’ entrance.
  • MiceAge.com has a complete parking guide with information about each lot and ideas of how to avoid crowds. Check out the parking guide HERE.

Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in: California Adventure • Disneyland • Disneyland Resort • Downtown Disney • Your Tips • | 40 Comments »

« Previous Entries