Edible Plants in Tomorrowland

Have you ever noticed that most of the decorative plants in Tomorrowland are actually edible plants? It's called Agri-Future! I'm not sure if we'd actually want to eat them, but I've spotted lettuce plants,

dwarf chili plants,

strawberry plants,

cabbage plants, rosemary bushes, sage plants and many more.  I just think that's plain cool and it makes for a great teaching opportunity for the kids while you are waiting in line!

What ones have you spotted while waiting in line for Astro Orbiter, Finding Nemo Submarines or Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters?

Handicap Friendly Attractions at Disneyland

Going to Disneyland is a magical experience, but sometimes it is easy to forget how challenging a theme park can be if you or a family member is handicapped.  But when you look at this list I am sure you will see that it can still be a magical experience with a little bit of research! (A question from my son's teacher prompted me to write this post) 

On several rides Disneyland offers what is called an "alternate experience" in which you can still experience much of the aspects of the ride without needing to climb up or down stairs.

Disneyland offers an Audio Tape Tour, Braille guidebook and written aids for several things around the park.  If you are looking for more assistance you can always go to City Hall on Main Street in Disneyland and there is a special guidebook available to guests with disabilities at the Information Centers throughout the parks. 

Here are the attractions where a wheelchair can roll right on to the ride (either by elevator or other mechanism and you don't need to be able to transfer to the boat or vehicle):

• The Tram from the Mickey & Friends Parking Structure
• Disneyland Railroad (use the New Orleans, Tomorrowland or Toontown entrances/exits)
• Main Street Cinema
• The Disneyland Story featuring Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln
• Pirate's Lair on Tom Sawyer Island
• Frontierland Shootin' Exposition
• Mark Twain Riverboat
• Big Thunder Ranch
• The Golden Horshoe Stage
• The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
• Enchanted Tiki Room
• Jungle Cruise
• Goofy's Playhouse
• Mickey's House and Meet Mickey
• Minnie's House
• "it's a small world"
• King Arthur Carrousel
• Sleeping Beauty Castle Walkthrough (Alternate Experience)
• Pixie Hollow
• Disneyland Monorail
• Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage (alternate experience)
• "Honey I Shrunk the Audience"
• Innoventions
• Starcade
• Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters

Additional rides that you can go on as long as you can transfer from the wheelchair in to the ride seat:

• Fire Engine
• Horseless Carriage
• Omnibus
• Pirates of the Caribbean
• Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
• Splash Mountain
• Davy Crockett's Explorer Canoes
• Indiana Jones Adventure
• Gadget's Go Coaster
• Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin
• Alice in Wonderland
• Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique
• Casey Jr. Circus Train
• Dumbo the Flying Elephant
• Disney Princess Faire
• Mad Tea Party
• Matterhorn Bobsleds
• Mr. Toad's Wild Ride
• Peter Pan's Flight
• Pinocchio's Daring Journey
• Snow White's Scary Story
• Storybook Land Canal Boats
• Astro Orbiter
• Autopia
• Space Mountain
• Star Tours

Did I miss anything?  Any other tips for guests with Disabilities?

-Katie

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

One of our family favorite rides at Disneyland is Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.  You have to be over 40 inches tall to ride Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and the castmembers will check any children close to that height several times (use the Baby Switch passes if you have young children). We love this ride because it is a lot of fun and doesn’t have big drops. You mostly experience a lot of g-forces as you go down several sudden small drops then around the curves. You have one lap bar per row, so I always wrap my arm around Kyle (who is a little smaller) because during some of the sudden drops younger kids bounce up an inch or two. By wrapping my arm around him it solves the problem completely. Do remove any hats- I have seen quite a few almost blown away.  Good to note that one adult can sit with two children in one row.

Our biggest tip about this ride is to be sure to make use of the Fastpasses. You rarely have to wait more than an hour after picking up your Fastpass and in that time you can go ride another ride. Fastpasses are distributed throughout the day unlike Space Mountain. When you are about to enter the queue line to use your Fastpass- get another set of fastpasses. You can do this as soon as you are 1 minute in to your return time window. You’ll be able to get two rides in a very short time no matter how long the queue line is.

Have you ever heard of the “Goat Trick” on this ride? I’m not sure where it really started and I don’t think I actually ever heard of it anywhere before I figured it out, but the first time I heard a reference to “The Goat Trick”, there was no question I knew what it was! Now be very careful not to over think this one, it really is quite simple, just follow a few simple steps the next time you are on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and you’ll soon be sure to be in on the trick!

As you begin to climb hill number two (this is the long climb with the snakes and turtles on the left), position yourself comfortably in the left corner of the seat so you are at an angle looking out the right side of the train. Be sure to stare at the Billy Goat on the raised area on the right and look at it absolutely as long as you can, literally until you can’t see it anymore. You’ll end up really dizzy and disoriented by the end of the turn and it’s just lots of fun.

We highly recommend sitting in row 15 (or close to it), because the ride is more fun that way. Sitting too close to the front of the train, makes for a much less thrilling ride in our opinion. As you crest the hills you are left slowly going over them while the back of the train finishes the climb. You can ask a castmember to seat you at the back of the train, you may have to wait for the next train, but it only adds a couple minutes at the most. Well worth the wait if you ask my kids.


Have you tried the Goat Trick? Post a comment about it!

-Katie

Picking Rides for Kids and Babies at Disneyland

Going to Disneyland is a magical experience for the whole family and not just the older kids. Juggling the wants of older kids to ride rides and babies is always tough. One of the questions that I am frequently asked is what rides are okay for babies. We started taking our kids well before their first birthdays, so I got pretty good at knowing what my boys were comfortable on. Be sure to read about the baby care centers here, they are a lifesaver when you're at the parks with babies!



Here’s a list of ones that I think are fine to take babies on…



Disneyland Railroad: Great for all ages. A great way to give the kids “down-time” and still ride a ride.


Small World: Great for all ages. Nothing scary at all.


Storybook Canal Boats: Great for all ages. Just plain cute.


Finding Nemo Submarines: Great for all ages. One small scene where the lights briefly go out and there’s a loud sound, but should be fine for most.


Alice in Wonderland: Great for all ages.


Tiki Room: Great for all ages.


Jungle Cruise: Great for all ages.


Winnie the Pooh: Great for all ages.


Casey Jr. Circus Train: Great for all ages.


Peter Pan: Great for all ages.


Pirates of the Caribbean: Mostly great for all ages. You know the temperament of your kids. Don’t take them on this if they are skittish or have a tendency to get spooked. There are two small drops, but as long as you are holding on to them, it’s fine. I’ve seen newborns sleep through the ride in their mother’s arms but I’ve also seen one year olds cry from the moment they got in the boat to the time they get out of the boat.

For when you want to tackle some of the "big" kid rides, be sure to read up on the Rider/Baby Switch program here. 

-Katie

Disneyland MouseWait App for the iPhone

I’m the proud owner of an iPhone (and iPod Touch) and whenever I find an App that makes my life easier, I rave about it to anyone who will listen… but when it’s one that makes your day at Disneyland far more productive, well let’s just say it’s priceless! The best part is this one really is a free App and its called Disneyland MouseWait by app316.com (direct link to iTunes store here).

You can get real time waits for all the rides at Disneyland and California Adventure (as entered by other park guests). I love that it tells you what time the wait was posted at so you can make an estimate as to how accurate it still is (i.e. if a Parade has just ended you know a ton of people are going to be making their way to all the rides and will cause an increase in waits). I’ve used this App many times to plan out what rides have the shortest waits so when you head to next ride you don't find out the wait is too long (my husband hates waiting in line, let’s just say it was the boys and I that waited in line for 3 ½ hours on the day the Finding Nemo Submarines opened! I knew there was no way my husband would wait in that line…)

I’ve used this handy App many times trying to figure out how crowded the park is. We frequently head to Disneyland for dinner and a few rides).


One thing that sets this App apart from the other wait time Apps is that this one has far more features than I have seen on the others (I have several now). There are blackout date calendars, live chats and park hours. You can automatically post Facebook status updates, Tweets on Twitter and monitor real time discussions about the parks in a number of ways. You’ll just have to play around to find all the hidden jewels this App has to offer!

More information about the App can be found here.

The reliability of the App is dependent on guests entering accurate wait times, so the more people use the App – the better!

I’m anxious to hear if any of you are also using it!

-Katie

My love affair with Disney's California Adventure

Disneyland is a classic and untouchable. There is no debating that. However, when looking at California Adventure- it's important to not compare it to its iconic next door neighbor. When you look at DCA as a whole, by itself - it is a really impressive little theme park and one that I just happen to be in love with.

Here are the top ten reasons why I think Disney's California Adventure is a fantastic place for the kiddos and why I am madly in love with DCA.

1. The kiddos can get wet-We love the Irrigation Station and Princess Dot Splash Pad in the Flick's Fun Fair Area. It is the perfect spot on a hot spring/summer day.
2. I hate waiting in line. I mean really who does?? I love that the attractions in Flick's Fun Fair have minimal waiting lines and are a big hit with my kiddos. They love every single ride - especially Flick's Fun Flyers.
3. If your kids love the Disney Channel's cartoons then they will absolutely love The Playhouse Disney Show- my kids LOVE it!!
4. Who loves Free stuff? I do- I do!! I love that you can get a fresh warm tortilla from the Mission Tortilla Factory tour and a sourdough taste from Boudin Bakery.My kids love the fresh tortillas and I'm not going to lie, so do I. Here's a little tip- on your birthday pick up a dozen free tortillas from the Mission Tortilla Factory. Just show them your birthday pin and you are set!
5. They have an amazing baby center. Not as big as Disneyland's but still great.
6. DCA is home to Disney's Electrical Parade. Love it. It's new and improved and a must see!!
7. They are home to three amazing shows that your kiddos will love-MuppetVison 3D, It's tough to be a bug and Aladdin.
8. In my opinion, DCA is home to one of the BEST(if not the best!!) attractions in the Disneyland Resort, Toy Story Mania.
9. They have a pretty spiffy Ferris Wheel. You can either pick a gondola that moves or is stationary.
10. I love that I can park in the Downtown Disney lot ( free for 3 hours)- walk over to the DCA entrance at the Grand Californian Hotel in Downtown Disney(next to Sephora) , spend a couple of hours there and then I don't have to deal with taking a tram back to the parking lot. I love love that I can do this, especially on a crowded day.

DCA is in the middle of a major expansion - which includes a new water show, a Little Mermaid Ride and sure to be a big hit with my son- A thrill ride- featuring the characters from CARS!! The expansion should be complete by 2012.

There are so many other things I love about DCA but I tried to limit myself to my favorite 10. Next time that you are heading over to the Disneyland Resort make sure to show DCA some love ! It deserves it!

How to keep cool at Disneyland/DCA

My family loves to visit Disneyland/DCA often and yes we are a bit crazy, even in the busy summer season. I've picked up a thing or two from my many visits to the parks on hot summer days. Here are some of the things I've learned to stay cool at the parks on sweltering days.

1. 
   During peak times I try to avoid waiting in line for any attraction. This is the time when we usually head to catch a show. A favorite of our family is the Enchanted Tiki Room- Nice and cool and a great way to sit back and relax. Other great ones- Honey I shrunk the audience, Bug's life @ DCA.
2. We always take a ride on the Disneyland Train to check out how busy the park is and judge from there. It's also a great way to cool down and I've been known to take it two or three times around the park on a hot summer day. If you have heavy sleepers like I do- great place to let them take a nap.
3. Pack a swimsuit for the kids and head over to the irrigation station at Disney's California Adventure. Let the kids run around at Princess Dot Puddle Station. Make sure to pack towels and an extra set of clothes because the kiddos will get soaked!!
4. Keep hydrated- If you can ,bring a bottle or two of water. I usually freeze mine the night before and throw them in a Ziploc bag- I pack them in at the bottom of my bag and they have been a lifesaver!!
5. If your tots are tired and need a nap- head over to the seating area in the Hungry Bear Restaurant. It's located between New in Critter Country. I head towards the back, grab a little something to eat and enjoy the shade and watching the Mark Twain go by. It's always nice and cool. Usually my youngest falls asleep in the stroller. It's a perfect spot and way relaxing.
6. Make sure to pack a jacket /sweater/blanket. - I've left home without one thinking that there was no possible way that I would be cold on a summer day. Boy was I wrong!! The nights cool off and there is nothing worse than shelling out $50.00 for a sweatshirt because your four year old is cold. Trust me on this one!!
7. Take advantage of the Baby Center if you have little ones. It's a great place to feed the teeny ones and I have even rocked both of my babies to sleep here. Best part- super cool in there!!
8. Peak times are from 2-4pm at both parks. This is the best time to grab a bite to eat and not have to fight for a table.
9. Head to rides that have the least waiting time. Top of our list-all in Adventureland/New Orleans Square- Pirates of the Caribbean, Jungle Cruise, Haunted Mansion, taking a stroll on the Mark Twain and of course a ride on the Disneyland train.
10. Enjoy yourself and remember to take it easy and have fun!!