On the Soapbox: Blackout for AP when attractions open?

Recently the Disney Fan community went beserk as news hit that Disney is thinking a new way to take advantage of their loyal Annual Passholders again. This time it's not by creating more tiers or increasing the price of the already steep cost of the Annual Pass. Disney began surveying guests at the parks asking how they would feel if Disney Parks Annual Passholders were given a 2 month black out period when new attractions and lands opened.
Of course this came to the shock to the Annual Passholders. I understand that Disney knows that when new attractions and themed lands open they see a huge uptick in attendance but this honestly just seems like a new way to take for granted their loyal Passholders. For years the Disney Parks relied on the APs and local park goers to keep the parks  attendance in the off season but the parks have become incredibly popular. As any AP or Disney fan knows, there really is not an off season anymore. While the parks now enjoy high park attendance year long, Disney now regrets having the Annual Passholder. Disney has begun to see an AP as a guest who frequents the parks and doesn't buy merchandise or dine. Just like allowing guests access to Fastpass for free, Disney regrets having the Passholders.
With Annual Passes costing over a $1,000, are they really worth the price if you get random blackout dates?

Disney Lego Minifigures are coming in May!

Disney recently announced via the Disney Parks Blog that the next set of the highly successful Lego Minifigure sets would be Disney characters.
Being a longtime Lego fan, I can attest that you will need to grab these minifigures quickly because they sell out fast!
Disney has announced they are expected to hit stores in May and will be $3.99 each. They will be at select retailers including World of Disney, Lego Store, and at Downtown Disney and Disney Springs.
I'm assuming that this will be like other Minifigure sets and will be blind bags. This will mean that you cannot tell who you are getting, unless you are like me and feel the bag for distinct pieces to ensure you get the desired Minifigure.

from the Disney Parks Blog

As you can see in the picture the set will include Syndrome and Mr. Incredible from the Incredibles, Ariel and Ursula from the Little Mermaid, Alice and the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan and Captain Hook from Peter Pan, Aladdin and Genie from Aladdin, Buzz Lightyear and Alien from Toy Story, Maleficent from Sleeping Beauty, Stitch from Lilo and Stitch, and Donald Duck, Daisy Duck, Minnie Mouse and Mickey Mouse.

Personally, I am looking forward to Alice and Cheshire Cat and Syndrome. Which are you looking forward to?

3GATM

If you didn't already know, I have created my own Disney Podcast and it is called 3 Guys and the Mouse. Take a listen if you will, it's great fun and I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoy making it.
3GATM on Spreaker
or subscirbe on iTunes.

Hearsay and Rumors 2: Hatbox Ghost

Hatbox Ghost from Doombuggies.com

Time to return to the hearsay and rumor page to fill you in on a subject that "materializes" every so often. This is an elusive apparition found in the attic of the Haunted Mansion, the Hatbox Ghost. This spirit appeared in the Haunted Mansion for only a limited time but it was enough to leave a lasting impression on its guests. One guest in particular was Tony Baxter. You can see Tony talk about it himself in this video and will also tell you about the Hatbox Ghost at length.

Now this rumor in particular is of a return of the Hatbox Ghost. This rumor has gained some steam lately. We begin with the display of the Hatbox Ghost audio animatronic (AA) figure at the D23 Expo 2013. This was made out of an old Lincoln AA figure and was at the Imagineering pavilion at the expo. Sadly, I was unable to attend but here is a great video of what the character looked like and did.

Some more evidence for this has come from a new bit of art that is featured at Disneyland's Disney Gallery. It shows some concept art for the aforementioned Hatbox Ghost and states "rematerializing August 2014." Of course this made fans go crazy. It seemed to be evidence of a return of the Ghostly resident but it seems not to be. As Inside the Magic states, a cast member (CM) stated this is for a cel to be released.

Upsetting, yes, but lets think of what could have been or may still be. I am a proponent of not wasting so it seems odd to me that Walt Disney Imagineering (WDI) would waste their time with repurposing an AA for no reason. I also believe in "plussing" when there is good reasoning. I think this would be perfect for plussing the Haunted Mansion for next year's 60th Anniversary of Disneyland and would be a great way to celebrate without doing much. It would be perfect to help promote the park for less. Of course, I know that they had issues with the effect but as evidenced in WDI's new video for Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, this could be perfected with projection technology. Mind you, I do not prefer projections over physical figures but for this effect, it would be effective (cheesy!). So here's hoping we get this instead of a Johnny Depp or Eddie Murphy AA!

Also, doesn't Hatbox look an awful lot like the Skeleton or Ezra? It'd be cool if they were the same person, however, I know Hatbox has a gold tooth while Ezra does not. But if it was revealed they are the same ghost it might make for a good backstory. Just a thought....

But what do you think? If you have a Google account just leave a comment, you can tweet me, or email me at giodisney113@gmail.com.
-Josh

Infant Trip Planning Part 2: Character Meet and Greets

Cars Land Postcard

Finally I'm bringing my second in my series for infant trip planning, character meet and greets. As an adult male I will say I've never really done meet and greets but for my daughter we made it a point to do them. Now with her at 3 months I will say she didn't really respond to the non human characters. Now at 5 months, she actually responds a little more to the non human characters. I suppose it's because they are just big plush to her. She loves to try to eat Donald's bill. It's awesome. 

There are a few locations to find specific characters and I'll list them for you. 

Goofy in Main Street

Main Street 

Fab five

Mary poplins and Bert

Cruella de vil

Random princess: jasmine, Tiana

Alice and mad hatter

Fantasyland

Princess fairy tale hall: Ariel, Cinderella, aurora

Flynn and rapunzel

Merida

Elsa and Anna

Tomorrowland

Pixie hollow

Storm troopers

Darth vader

Darth maul

Thor

Captain America

Buzz

Frontierland

Long lost friends

Woody

Jessie

Adventureland

Aladdin

Genie

New Orleans Square

Tiana 

Naveen

Louis

Critter country

Pooh, eeyore, tigger

Toon Town

Donald

Mickey

Minnie

Goofy

DCA

Buena vista

Fab five

Streetmosphere

Hollywoodland

Disney junior

Mike and sulley

Frozone

Mr incredible

Elastigirl

Redwood creek

Dug and Russell

CarsLand

Mater

Red

Lightning

Dj

Bugs land 

Flick and atta (not sure how often if even they appear)

Paradise pier

Mickey

Toy story

Duffy

Condor flats

Minnie

Pooh Corner with Tigger

Now when it comes to the many places you can find certain characters you have to remember that they wear different outfits in locations. Specifically mickey, Minnie, Donald, goofy, chip and dale, Pluto wear different outfits where in DCA locations. If you want to be a completist, it's imperative to get each one. 

Another great note is to get an autograph book. You can pick them up in just about every store at Disneyland resort but you can also pick them up at stores around Disneyland for cheaper. If you're into Pinterest you can make your own; I've seen some awesome ones. My fav is the adventure book from up. 

Ellie was not a fan of Merida's overzealous voice during a nap

One of the best tips I would give you is find a location that you want to take a photo at. If you visit often or even visit occasionally this is a great keepsake from your trip. There are a few locations that are very popular. Partners, castle, Matterhorn, storytellers and the CarsLand postcard. Some other key spots are places like the White Rabbit's door and the Sword in the Stone.
One of my favorite things are the attraction vehicles. There are Mr. Toad's automobile and a Dumbo in Fantasyland and other vehicles in Mickey's Toontown.

crazy baby drivers

Another great spot to visit is the Disney Visa picture spot in DCA. It is over by the Mad T Party Mad Arcade. You have to have a Disney Visa card from Chase. You get a free 3x5 from Disney Photopass. Now the characters here vary so you have to check and they also only run it for a few hours.
Well, I hope you found this very informative and that it will help you out on your next trip out to the Disneyland resort.
As always feel free to tweet me or email me with anything you want to add or comment on at giodisney113@gmail.com.
Thanks,
-Josh (gioDisney)

the White Rabbit's door

Affordable Disneyland: character erasers

Hello and welcome to the first in a new series I am presenting, Affordable Disneyland. This idea came when a friend of mine pointed out that Disneyland can often be quite expensive and that they're not sure what would be more

Affordable options. I decided I might try to help with presenting some of the more affordable souvenirs, restaurants, and even shops around and inside Disneyland. 

Today I begin with one of my favorite quick souvenirs and deals, the cash wrap deals. I begin with these cool new Disney Mickey Mouse and friends and Disney Princess erasers. The deal is 3 for $5 and they come in different characters. They are mystery packs and you can get Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse,  Donald, Goofy, Pluto and a mystery character (though it looks like Chip and Dale). In the Disney Princess you have Cinderella, Rapunzel, Belle, Ariel, and Tiana and a mystery princess (looks like Aurora). 

you can find these in bins in the queue of the checkout at stores

As always, you can tweet me or email me with any questions or comments at giodisney113@gmail.com
-Josh (gioDisney)

Hearsay and Rumors: Disneyland's Astro Orbiter

Hi there, this is a new post that I am introducing to cover the hearsay and rumors going on in the Disney-sphere of things and my thoughts. 

Me posing in front of the rocks and Astro Orbiter

I am sure you all know by now that the newest Disneyland rumor is that the Astro Orbiter that has cluttered the entrance to Disneyland's Tomorrowland would be moved. Where to you might ask, according to the ghosts of the Peoplemover, there are two locations depending on who you listen to. One is up on the Peoplemover track where it used to be and the other is up on the helipad area of the outside queue of Space Mountain. This would be part of the rumored Star Wars Tomorrowland retheming. Also the huge rocks will leave according to this rumor.

I am a little skeptical right now about this as you may have heard that the highly rumored Nemo Subs going away was dispelled by Bob Iger at the Shareholder's meeting. I am sure most people are now skeptical about Disneyland moving or removing anything for the time being, as am I. I also am a little on the fence because this would make the walkway into Tomorrowland even more messed with the construction walls and it would also force another attraction into the out of commission list. But I suppose this would have to start soon so as to be cleared in time for next year, Disneyland's 60th Anniversary.

Now let me furthermore add that I welcome this as I hate the bottleneck you get at the entrance to Tomorrowland. Any visitor to Disneyland knows that this area is a high traffic area even in the offseason. It is particularly bad because on the sides of the path you have the extended queues of Star Tours and Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters and smack in the middel is the Astro Orbiter and it's switchbacks. I have to admit though that I do think the rock work at the entrance gives it a kind of epic look but I don't mind those leaving either.

from Yesterland.com

Now to jump onto my soapbox, I would much rather have the Peoplemover/Rocket Rods track worked on and the Peoplemover returned to it's rightful place. I know they would have to spend money on the track but is it really that hard to replace? Also consider that it doesn't need a real queue as it is such a fast loading people eater that you can basically just install a moving ramp up to it, like at Walt Disney World. Personally, I loved the Peoplemover and every trip I've made to WDW, the Peoplemover is the attraction I ride the most. It's so easy going and you get a great sight of all of Tomorrowland. It would be perfect to return to Disneyland. Not to mention, Disney fans have been begging for it's return since it left. We might get lucky though since as announced at the Shareholders meeting, we are finally getting the one Pixar sequel we all wanted the Incredibles.

from Yesterland.com

Also when it comes to the Star Wars Tomorrowland retheming or even going as far back as the Avengers Tomorrowland retheming, I don't like the idea of retheming all of Tomorrowland as a franchise. I believe more so in Disneyland Paris and to a lesser extent WDW's "Tomorrowland That Never Was". It's true that it's hard to not date yourself with a land of tomorrow theming but it works so well to be the "tomorrow that never was." It would be easier too to explain having the Avengers, Buzz Lightyear, Star Wars, Tron, and even Captain EO all in the same place under this theme.

Let me also add that the proposed area that the Astro Orbiter would go would block out the sight of Space Mountain. This is such an iconic showbuilding. So personally I hope we just get a return to the old Astro Orbiter or Rocket Jets. Couple that with a return of the Peoplemover and you've got a little kinetic energy to the entrance sight line.

Also the Orbitron needs to go.

And for my brother, Hunter, let's add Alien Encounter somewhere.

from Endorexpress.net

So this will wrap it up for this first Hearsay and Rumors post, what did you think? 

Leave a comment, 

tweet me at twitter.com/giodisney 

or email me at giodisney113@gmail.com

Thanks for reading,

Josh

Trip Planning for an Infant Part 1: Attractions!

the Giordano and Garcia clans meet up to celebrate Ellie's first trip

I recently made a couple of trips to the Disneyland Resort (DLR) to enjoy my 3 month old's first trips to my favorite destination in the world and second home, Disneyland. One thing I love to do is plan for trips. I will say that I am still open to suggestions and will alter around it, but for the most part I know what I will be doing on a trip. Now planning this trip was a whole new experience. This was completely different from any other trip I've taken. I thought I would share with you some of my experiences and hopefully help you out too. Now this post was taking up so much time and was so lengthy I have decided to split it up, so I hope you enjoy!

Some of us were not so amused by Ellie's driving skills

Attractions- I love attractions. I hate to admit it, but yeah I will tend to go commando and just ride everything. Naturally, the biggest change was the fact that I could not do this. I thought there were far less attractions that were good for all ages, however, most attractions in Disneyland are for all ages. Of course, Disney California Adventure has fewer attractions. I must warn you though, between the bathroom breaks and feedings, you will not do probably half of this list. Here are the attractions suitable for all ages:

Obligatory Partners shot and no, I am not asleep

Disneyland

Main Street

• Disneyland Railroad
• Main Street Vehicles
• Horseless Carriage

Fantasyland

• Peter Pan's Flight
• Mr. Toad's Wild Ride
• Snow White's Scary Adventure
• Pinocchio's Daring Journey
• King Arthur Carousel
• Dumbo the Flying Elephant
• Casey Jr.
• Storybook Land Canal Boats
• Mad Tea Party
• Alice In Wonderland
• "it's a small world"

Tomorrowland

• Astro Orbiter
• Buzz Lightyear's Astro Blasters
• Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage*
• Monorail

Adventureland

• The Enchanted Tiki Room
• Jungle Cruise
• Tarzan's Treehouse

New Orlean's Square

• Pirates of the Caribbean
• The Haunted Mansion

Critter Country

• The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh

Frontierland

• Mark Twain Riverboat
• Sailing Ship Columbia

Mickey's Toontown

• Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin

A new favorite spot, Storytellers

Disney California Adventure

Buena Vista Street

• Red Car Trolley

Hollywoodland

• Monsters Inc. Mike and Sulley to the Rescue

a bug's land

• Flik's Flyers
• Heimlich's Chew-Chew Train
• Francis' Ladybug Boogie

Paradise Pier

• Golden Zephyr
• King Triton's Carousel
• Mickey's Fun Wheel
• Toy Story Midway Mania

My one caveat would be that Toy Story Midway Mania, though an all heights attraction, you should not do. I say this from experience. I took my daughter on there at three months and instead of enjoying the attraction, I spent it preventing her from the whiplash-esque turns. It was definitely way too intense.

Cars Land postcard sign

I would also like to take this time to tell you to use the Child Switch pass to your advantage. I had never done this before this trip but it definitely helped out a lot. The way it works is that both parents cannot ride an attraction together when they have no one to watch the baby. Instead of having to bypass the attraction, the Child Switch pass is given to the family member sitting off and the rest stand in line and ride the attraction. When the family member sitting off gets to go, Disney doesn't expect them to suffer riding the attraction by themselves. Instead they can bring 2 others with them to the FastPass line and ride the attraction. Another tip on that would be, you can use it on FastPass. This means that the general group heads on using their FastPass and the person sitting off gets the Child Switch "FastPass" to head back on with 2 others. It definitely made it possible to do such must sees as Radiator Springs Racers!

Ellie was quite excited in the mornings!

Remember though, you are not doing this for the enjoyment of attractions but for the memories that you will cherish for years to come and reminisce fondly on later.I know I will always remember how she slept through half of the "it's a small world holiday" then woke up halfway to confusement of what was happening. Or when we rode The Little Mermaid attraction and she would get excited when hearing Part of your World and Under the Sea because we sing them to her all the time. These are some of the reasons why I have been touring Disney Parks all my life and why I could not wait to bring my own daughter and make some memories of our own.

Getting in that quick nap before "small world"

Hopefully this list and tips will help you out on planning your trip with your infant and please feel free to comment or chat with me on twitter. Also expect to see more posts as this will be a 4 part series, next is Character Meet and Greets! Thanks!

Ellie and I try our hardest to pull this weight!

In the Pinbag!

Hi there, this is a new set of posts I am starting to share with you some of my Disney swag. As you can tell with the title, this will be featuring pins in my Pin Trading bag. My pin bag is from Walt Disney's 100th birthday in 2001. This bag came with a special pin that was part of Eric C. Robison's One Hundred Mickeys collection.

The pin I will be featuring today is from the 45th Anniversary of Disneyland. This is part of the many pins collected before Disney branded it and it became a huge commodity. This is one of the first pins I ever collected and so, it has a special meaning to me. It features the Partners statue, which is the staple of every Magic Kingdom park in the world and is meant to be a constant reminder to guests of the man behind Disneyland and Mickey Mouse. Enjoy!

In the Pinbag Part 2: The Happiest Homecoming on Earth!

Hi there, just wanted to make a quick pin blog entry so here are some Disneyland 50th Anniversary pins that my mom has! These are a few of the designs made for the Disneyland 50th Anniversary celebration, which was a worldwide event being celebrated at all the parks around the world. I really liked the last one, as a Pirates fan myself (and I mean attraction). Enjoy!

Trip Planning for the Expectant Mother

I recently went to Disneyland with my 6 month pregnant wife and she brought up a very good point, what can she ride and what can she do at the park? I also learned very quickly that the dynamic of visiting the parks with a pregnant woman is very drastically different. I will be providing you with the lessons I learned so you won't have to repeat my mistakes and be prepared. 

Lesson 1: Be Patient. The greatest lesson I learned was to be patient as an expectant mother has very different needs and wants. Like for one thing, she will not want to walk anywhere, she won't want to wait in line for anything, she won't want to ride certain rides for no particular reason! Just take a deep breathe and remember, this will all end soon. 

Lesson 2: Take It Slow. A pregnant woman does not have close to the same energy level as before so you can't run through commando style. You will have to take it slow and maybe even get a wheelchair for her. She probably wont enjoy being suggested the use of a wheelchair as she is pregnant not handicap but don't push it. Just make it a light suggestion and she will more than likely come around once she becomes tired. Once you get her in the chair, if you can, things will probably run smoother as she won't be on her feet anymore. Just make sure to bring your gloves, I have the calluses to prove it!

Lesson 3: Attractions are Difficult to Decide. When it comes to attractions, it becomes hard to decide what to ride as there are less rides to go on for an expectant mother. Thankfully, this is not Six Flags, so there are a great amount you can go on. Fairly warned ye be, it is up to you to decide what an expectant mother can go on. Though they post on the safety signage that expectant mother shouldn't ride, it's up to your discretion (I found this out by asking the guest relations). I will say obviously you can't ride Indy, Space Mountain, Big Thunder, Splash Mountain, Matterhorn, Roger Rabbit, Tower of Terror, Goofy's Sky School, Mater's Junkyard Jamboree, Luigi's Flying Tires, California Screamin', and Mickey's Fun Wheel but there are a few that surprised me. First of all, Toy Story Midway Mania is a no go. We rode on it but didn't consider that the ride vehicle whips you around corners and the lap bar will press against her stomach. Then you'll spend the rest of the ride holding the lap bar up so she is not in pain. A surprising ride was Radiator Springs Racers, it was smooth enough that my wife had no qualms with riding, especially since she could tuck the seat belt under the baby. 

Lesson 4: Be Ready For Stops. It seems obvious but I cannot fully articulate how important this is. It also goes back to the first lesson, to be patient. The bathroom breaks are understandably often, but the snack breaks are almost just as frequent. That baby will be calling for some nutrition constantly and the smells of the food carts will get that little one going, and soon you will have spent 100 bucks on snacks at the end of the day. 

Lesson 5: Mark Bathrooms and Refill Often. Definitely grab a park map and make a note of the bathroom facilities. This will come in handy as I mentioned before, the bathroom stops will be frequent. Also, expectant mothers need water like a fish, so make sure to carry a water bottle and refill it at every bathroom stop. Of course if you don't care for the water in the fountains, you can always stop at a cart at get a snack and a water. 

I hope those of you out there will find this helpful and not too rambling. Hope you have a good time at the parks!

A Couple visits Disneyland EVERYDAY of 2012!

I just wanted to share a pretty awesome story I read on the Disney Parks Blog site yesterday as I was prepping for my own New Year's celebration. I found this story incredible, yesterday a couple by the names of Jeff Reitz and Tonya Mickesh, visited Disneyland every single day of 2012!

How incredible it must of been to be them and visit the Disneyland Resort every day of 2012! Now I found this an even greater feat as 2012 was a leap year so that meant that they visited Disneyland 366 times last year. Now I may  have been at Disneyland for "One More Disney Day" (and stood in the freezing cold for 8 hours to receive a pair of the "One More Disney Day" Ear hats) and been there for the reopening of Disney California Adventure (200 minutes to get onto Radiator Springs Racers) but this is something that I have only dreamt of. Imagine all the amazing memories to have been made during this year. And to top off the end of the year, yesterday when they entered Disneyland for the 366th time in a row, they found Tom Staggs, chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, waiting for them and presenting them with Honorary Citizenship of Disneyland and a stay in the Disneyland Dream Suite! How amazing must that have been? Here's one jealous Disney fan but I have to envy their passion!

Limited Time Magic Part 1

If you haven't already headed over or know, today was the first announcements from Disney Parks about what is to come for Limited Time Magic.

First off, they announced that for Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom, Tomorrowland will be hosting it's first ever "Bling in the New Year" celebration, where children will be able to dance with their favorite Disney characters at Rockettower Plaza and so no one misses out on the countdown, they will be doing a countdown every hour until midnight. Also, WDW will be hosting this from December 30- January 5. For those of you that have gone over to DCA recently and saw the "Dancin' with Disney" attraction they had next to the Monster Inc. attraction, you are probably not too excited for this. Since "Dancin' with Disney" has reportedly closed, it's safe to assume that the reason Disneyland Resort isn't doing anything like this is because of this failed dance party.

Now the more exciting news was for Disneyland, where they revealed that the Golden Horseshoe Revue will be back. I was surprised this was the first LTM event that Disneyland would host but frankly, I'm excited. As the Disney Parks blog described it: "“A Salute to the Golden Horseshoe Revue” will be an homage to those fun-filled, family-friendly musical variety shows of the past. Hosted by Miss Lily and her Saloon Girls, the show will bring together favorite song and dance numbers like “Hello, Everybody,” “A Good Man Is Hard to Find,” “Belly up to the Bar” and “Can-Can.”" So if you're like me, you will now have to head down to Disneyland. Now this will only be from January 10 to February 4, every Thursday to Monday, so you'd better be quick. It will be nice that they are hosting this LTM event during the slower time of the year.

And lastly, they announced that 2013 will be the "Year of the Ear" and as such, Disney Parks will be releasing new ear hats as part of the LTM. I'm assuming they will be limited time ear hats like the events. And of course, January will see the release of the first set, which they say will be Disney Couture Ear Hats.

So there it is, the begining of Limited Time Magic will begin in a few days (or weeks). All the information came from the Disney Parks Blog (which is also where I got all the photos from) and you can also visit LimitedTimeMagic.com for information specific to LTM. So what are you the most excited for?

Limited Time Magic 2013

2013 is coming quick and Disney Parks Blog is going to kick off the new year a little early. Yesterday, they had a quick update about the Limited Time Magic coming to the parks next year and though it was short and sweet, it got my engines revving. For those who don't already know or haven't heard, Limited Time Magic is the parks event going on to bring to us some magic that will not be around forever. They kicked it off with a giant ice sculpture in Times Square, which was showing how awe aspiring it can be, but also how limited it was, as the ice sculpture melted away.

It has some awesome parts of it, that they already announced like the return of the Golden Horseshoe Revue, the Lost Friends weekend (featuring rarely seen walk around characters), and the Dapper Dans: the original Boy Band.
On December 28, Disney Parks Blog will be releasing some more info and dates on their big event next year Limited Time Magic. Its made me anxious for the new year, how about you?

Don't go "commando" at Disney Parks

Recently my wife and I headed down to Disneyland Resort for a quick getaway and we did something we rarely do, we took it slow at the park. We are notorious for going "commando" and just running through the parks rididng as many attractions as possible. Now understand that as much as Disney fans love to hate on going "commando" at Disney Parks, when you're there, you can't help but find yourself thinking, I have to get on as many attractions as I can to make this worth the price. I can say that for us, we go so often, it often seems silly to stop and watch a show or parade or even the fireworks.
This past trip, we decided to go ahead and take it slow at the park (partially because it was a rainy day so there was no rush to ride anything) and I have to say, the experience was amazing. I felt almost like I had never been to Disneyland or Disney California Adventure (DCA) before. All of the sudden we noticed the environment and the theming of the attractions and queues instead of searching for the hidden Mickey's and trying to rush to be first in line. We saw a performance at the Golden Horseshoe and it was hilarious ("She's so ugly, she headed into the Haunted Mansion and didn't come out scared, came out with a job!").

 

At DCA, we watched for the first time the Instant Concert!...Just Add Water and it was hilarious and down right Goofy! It reminded me of watching the classic Goofy "How to" cartoons live! We stared into the gigantic Christmas tree in Buena Vista St. and noticed that there were ornaments all over it with lesser known Disney secondary characters (I could swear that Mickey's nephews, Morty and Ferdie, were on one such ornament). We also checked out kids going to sit on Santa's lap at Elias & Co. and it actually seemed like a real department store (aside from the amazing outfits, friendly elves and jolly Ol' St. Nick).

 

 

At Disneyland, we rode the railroad and actually watched the landscape instead of checking our iPhones to see what attraction had the lowest wait and we saw things like feral cats, hidden Mickeys, and even what I believe to be an Indiana Jones reference (if the dog bowl says Indiana, I'm inclined to believe it's a reference to Henry Jones Jr.'s famous monicer). We even saw the snow fall on Main Street and for at least a second, we believed that Disney had used some magic and brought us snow in a city that doesn't snow.

There is so much to see and experience at the parks that I have to jump on the bandwagon and say hey, don't rush to get on Space Mountain and Indiana Jones, take a second to take in the atmosphere, and you won't regret it, in fact, you just may notice those intricate details for the first time.