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New
Fun at Disneyland!
For
those who have not been to the Disneyland area in Anaheim, California in
the last two years, would be surprised at how different things are. I was
able to be lucky enough to go with other travel agents on a
familiarization trip to learn more about what is new for travelers.
Disneyland was always considered to be a weekend trip and Disney World in
Orlando, Florida was considered a week or more trip. However, now there is
much more to do and see in the Anaheim area. Those going for a quick
weekend may not be able to fit it all in.
To
get to Disneyland, travelers have the choice of driving, taking a train,
or flying. The major airports used to fly into the Anaheim area are Los
Angeles and Orange County airports. Los Angeles is usually a cheaper
choice from those flying from Albuquerque, but Orange County is a bit
closer. Los Angeles is usually a 45-minute drive but traffic can make it
longer. If flying into the area, travelers have the choice of taking
shuttle service or renting a car. The shuttle drivers are normally more
equipped to handle the traffic and know where to go to avoid it.
I
was fortunate to stay at the newest hotel that is owned by Disney. It is
called the Grand Californian. This hotel is a very beautiful and inviting
hotel. It is not like most Disney hotels where guests are surrounded by
Disney characters or themes. This hotel is completely different. The only
times I saw any type of reference to Disney characters was in the
“hidden Mickeys.” The “hidden Mickeys” are throughout the hotel
but I had to look very careful to find them. I found Mickey ears in some
of the rugs, lampshades and other discreet places. The hotel is a themed
in a lodge motif. When I first walked in, I was amazed at how beautiful
the lobby is. It is a very large open room with couches and other areas to
sit. There are piano players and fireplaces. Right by the check in area
there is an area for children to sit in small wooden rocking chairs and
watch Disney movies. The area is mainly hard wood flooring, however there
is a special rug throughout the lobby. It was hand stitched and can be
replaced in sections as opposed to having to pull it all up at once for
repairs. The wood all around the area is so warm and inviting. There is
also a bar that was almost completely made up of fallen redwood tree that
Disney bought. The architecture and design of this hotel was so unique and
beautiful. It is an Arts and Crafts design.
While
reading about this hotel prior to my stay and knowing it was Disney’s
most expensive hotel, I imagined children or families would less populate
it. However, this was a very incorrect assumption on my part. Although
this is an amazingly beautiful and elegant hotel, it was filled with
families. The location and qualities of this hotel made families want to
stay at this hotel. This hotel is located right in the middle of
everything. The newest park from Disney is called California Adventure.
Walking out of this hotel you have direct access to this new park. You
walk in the Downtown Disney area that connects Disneyland and California
Adventure. Guests at this hotel have their own private entrance to the
park. It is so quick and easy to get to everything in this area staying at
this hotel. Another selling point for this hotel is the daycare center
available for parents for evenings so they can have a night out without
the children. It is available only to guests staying at this hotel.
Another
selling point is the pool area that has 3 pools. One is a redwood pool
which a slide. Another is shaped like Mickey’s ears, another “hidden
Mickey.” The children and families I was able to see and speak to really
enjoy this area. The hotel also has several restaurants. One is called
Napa Rose, which is the culinary gem of the hotel. Renowned chef Andrew
Sutton offers his wonderful passion for wine and food experience in this
elegant restaurant. It has an extraordinary wine cellar that has over 40
selections. The hotel where guests are able to dine with the Disney
characters is called StoryTellers Café. In this restaurant your hosts are
Pluto and Chip and Dale. Guests at this restaurant were impressed with the
six-foot murals throughout the restaurant showing memorable moments from
seven California stories. The rooms in this hotel are very large and again
themed in wood finishes and natural textures.
After
exploring the new hotel, I was able to take a sample of the fine cuisine
available to guests staying at this hotel. I was also able to get my
picture taken with Chip and Dale. They were my first encounter with the
characters from arriving in Disneyland and they were happy to pose for the
camera. Instead of having dessert at the hotel, I was treated to something
very special. The group of agents I was with was taken to Disneyland for
our dessert. But it was not the dessert that most impressed me, but the
entertainment. Every night in the middle of Disneyland at the lagoon area,
the entertainment is “Fantasmic.” This show was unlike anything I have
seen before. It is a water show, fireworks display, lasers, character
show, music, and movie all in one. Mickey battles the forces of evil in
this show and it is so amazing. I would point out that it is very crowded
and most people are sitting in this area for hours before the show starts.
Also I would say to be careful with small children because it is very loud
and the evil characters can be scary. Mickey fights a dragon that is so
believable, even I was a little frightened. But this is a chance to see
all the favorite characters. There is also a special section roped off for
those who want to pay a little extra to have chairs and enjoy dessert
while walking the show. This would be something I would highly recommend.
These special seats can be reserved by going to the guest services area
the day of the show and request tickets. Otherwise, people can join the
crowd and watch because the show is free. Approximately a half an hour
later the fireworks over the castle were done. This beats out most
firework displays in many cities for the 4th of July. Mickey
shaped fireworks and other unusual displays are breath taking.
After
the fireworks show, I was able to join in with all the park visitors and
experience first hand what was new. The best thing Disney has ever done in
my opinion is their new “Fast Pass” system. The best way I can
describe this wonderful and smart new system is to give an example. The
one ride I really wanted to go on was the Indiana Jones Adventure. When
approaching the line there were two options, one was the regular line
which wait time was over 2 hours. The second ride was for those holding
“Fast Pass” tickets. That line was less than 15 minutes. How did some
people get to go in the 15 minute long line as opposed to the 2 hour line?
Well the way this works is at these rides there are machines that people
insert their park ticket into. These machines then print out a ticket with
an hour window in which the person can come back and get in the Fast Pass
line. Example was I went to the ride at 930pm and my Fast Pass told me to
come back between 1030pm and 1130pm. So I was able to go and do other
things for the next hour and then come back to the ride. I stood in line
for less than 10 minutes and then rode the ride. Those who were standing
in the regular line when I got my Fast Pass were still there waiting.
The
Fast Passes are not available for every ride but on all the rides that
normally have long waits. Also in some packages you will receive a Fast
Pass you can use on any ride and the pass is pre-printed. So I could have
just gotten into the Fast Pass line at 930pm using this pass instead of
having to print one to use later on. I was amazed that more people were
not using this great technology. I would much rather sit at a restaurant
or go on other rides to pass the hour I had to wait to go in the Fast Pass
line than stand in line. It is like having reservations to go on a ride.
It made things so much quicker and better.
One
of the main reasons for my trip to the Disneyland Resort area was to learn
more about Disney’s newest park, which I mentioned earlier. It is called
California Adventure. This park was meant to celebrate the state of
California. It shows the different areas of the state and educates park
visitors.
This
is broken down into 6 districts. Each district features attractions,
dining and shopping.
Condor
Flats
- Ride
Soaring over California. This ride gives you a bird’s eye view of
the state. This was a favorite of those at the park
- Condor
Flats Flight Test Center is a place to get some souvenirs
- Taste
Pilot’s Grill is the area’s place to eat
The
Grizzly Peak Recreation District
- Grizzly
River Run is a great (but wet!) ride
- Redwood
Creek Challenge Trail lets you explore a rugged terrain
- Rushin’
River Outfitters is another place to get souvenirs
Bountiful
Valley Farm
- 3D
Bug’s Life Theater (I was told this could scare small children)
- Farmer’s
Market
- Santa
Rosa Seed and Supply
The
Golden Vine Winery
- Golden
Vine Winery is a restaurant hosted by Robert Mondavi
- Seasons
of the Vine is an attraction to view a year in the life of the
vineyard
- Vineyard
Room allows you to experience Napa Valley
Bay
District
- Golden
Dreams is a film on the state’s diversity
- Golden
State Park is a beautiful landscaped garden
- Live
entertainment venues in the Rotunda and North Bay Exposition Plaza
Pacific
Wharf
- The
Boudin Bakery is a funny brief tour
- Pacific
Wharf Café
- Mission
Tortilla Factory
- Cocina
Cucamonga Mexican Grill
- Rita’s
Margaritas
- Lucky
Fortune Cookery with a fortune cookie machine
#2
Hollywood Backlot
Attractions
- Live
theatrical production at the Hyperion Theater
- Superstar
Limo gives you a ride like a celebrity
- Jim
Henson’s Muppet Vision 3D
- The
Art of Animation
- Drawn
to Animation is a film and live show explaining how animated
characters come to life
- Sorcerer’s
Workshop allows you to discover what character you would be!
Dining
- ABC
Soap Opera Bistro which puts you in the middle of popular ABC soap
opera sets
- Hollywood
& Dine- Award Wieners
- Schmoozies
- A
variety of food carts
Shopping
- Gone
Hollywood
- ABC
Soaplink
- Rizzo’s
Prop and Pawn Shop
#3
Paradise Pier
This
is themed like a beachfront boardwalk.
Attractions
- Golden
Zephyr
- Jumpin
Jellyfish
- Orange
Stinger
- King
Triton’s Carousal
- Sun
Wheel (huge ferris wheel)
- Calfornia
Screamin (Roller coaster that has a 360 degree loop)
- Maliboomer
(shoots you up 1000 feet!)
- Mulholland
Madness (another roller coaster)
- SS
Rustworthy (play area on a ship)
- Games
of the Boardwalk
Places
to Eat
- Pizza
Oom Mow Mow
- Avalon
Cove by Wolfgang Puck
- Corn
Dog Castle
- Burger
Invasion
This
new park is very different than the Disneyland Park. It offers a whole new
adventure to visitors and offers more things to do and see. I did feel it
was geared more towards older children and adults. Although, I did ride
the huge ferris wheel with two boys who were less stressed about the
altitude than me. They thought the ride was actually too slow. They told
me they really enjoyed the roller coaster and the water ride.
Another
new addition to the area is Downtown Disney. There was an area like this
in Orlando but not in California. The best thing about this area is how it
connects the new park with the original park. It also offers some great
shopping. My credit card was able to get a work out in this area. It is
definitely the best place to do sovereign shopping. I spent some money in
this area because there were so many things that I have not seen any place
else. There are also restaurants and entertainment. House of Blues,
Rainforest Café, ESPN Zone just to name a few. There is a Lego store that
is wonderful. Also a movie theater in case visitors want to see a movie.
The
city of Anaheim really wanted to make this a destination that people would
come to and feel safe. They invested 2.6 billion dollars into new roads,
landscaping, and transportation. Disney also wanted to make this a resort
area. They invested 1.4 billion. In fact, it is now called the Disneyland
Resort instead of just Disneyland. Unlike Orlando where you need to take
transportation to get to all the different parks, this area is all within
walking distance. It allows visitors to go from park to park. For those
staying at the area hotels, they are also very close to their hotel.
Disney has three hotels that are unique to those wanting to stay in the
area. But there are also many other hotels in the area. Actually there are
so many hotels, visitors have unlimited options. The hotels I was able to
visit all wanted people to know more about them and even those that were
small hotels with less amenities were wonderful choices for the area. Walt
Disney Company certifies many of these hotels as “Good Neighbor”
hotels and it means they meet Disney’s standards.
During
the seminars, tours and fun I was able to be part of on this trip, I
really was able to realize how much Disney means to people. I was able to
do a conga line with Pluto, Chip and Dale during a character breakfast and
it was just like being a kid again. I remembered how it was to see it all
as a child and was able to feel that way again for the time I was there. I
also got to see the faces of the children who were there as they say all
the characters. I was able to see moms and dads with their children. I
also saw grandparents with their grandchildren. In one of the seminars it
was discussed how Disneyland Park is the only park that Walt Disney
himself was able to walk in. It has been more than 45 years since the park
opened. It has changed so much in the last couple of years. The area will
continue to grow. It continues to reign as “The Happiest Place on
Earth.” If you are one of the millions of people who will be visiting
the Disneyland Resort area this year, be sure to give Mickey a hug for me.
And try out a Fast Pass!
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