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Show Summary
Disneyland and Walt Disney World have their share of commonalities, but there is also a lot that is very different. Robyn talks with WDW pros Danielle and Jeff to help them prep for their first-ever trip to Disneyland.
She covers the attractions that are unique to Disneyland as well as the main differences in our Genie Plus process.
Chapters and Time Stamps
4:59 Staying Off Property
14:12 Leaving After Fireworks
15:33 Rain at Disneyland
21:09 Parades at Disneyland
22:15 Indiana Jones
23:56 Big Thunder
24:32 Fantasy Land- Alice in Wonderland, Mr. Toads Wild Ride, Pinochio, and Snow White's Enchanted Journey
25:53 Matterhorn
26:38 It's a Small World
28:09 Finding Nemo Subs
28:41 Space Mountain
29:43 California Adventure
32:48 Webslingers
36:20 Incredicoaster
36:24 Pixar Pal Around Wheel
38:54 Goofy's Sky School
39:16 Grizzly River Run
45:36 VIP Tours
46:50 Spring Break
48:36 Haunted Mansion
51:52 Davey Crockett Canoes
56:08 Outro
Show Transcript
January Winners and Intro
This month's review winner goes to Mini Magic. If you're using him as Mini Magic, and you left us a review for the Park Magic podcast, you've won a one-hour planning call with me, Robyn. Go ahead and email us at [email protected], and we'll go ahead and get you set up with that call. If you want to enter for next month's draw, make sure you leave a review on iTunes.
Welcome to the Park Magic podcast, your place for insider tips for your next Disneyland adventure. Whether you're a first-timer or first-time-in-a-while visitor, we're here to unwrap the secrets to creating and simplifying your dream Disneyland vacation.
Robyn:
Introducing WDW Pro's Danielle and Jeff
Today, I've got two Walt Disney World experts that are going to Disneyland for the first time. And I'm going to share some of the tips that I have, in some ways that the parks, while they seem like they should be very similar, are actually very different. But I want to first introduce my guests, Danielle and Jeff, who own this amazing bagel shop in Florida called Jeff’s Bagel Run. You should hit it up, like go out of your way, rent an Uber, whatever you've got to do to get to their shop, but they also have annual passes. Tell us a little bit about your experience with Disneyland.
Danielle:
Sure. So, we have been Annual Pass holders for as long as we’ve been married. So, I think over 10 years, grew up in Florida, but not in Orlando, ended up moving to Orlando seven or eight years ago. And since then, you know, become even more rabid Disney people; we're gonna go passholders. We love the parks, we remain passholders during COVID and took advantage of all of that shortline experience. We just really loved the magic of Disney and all that it offers. And it is great to be in the Orlando area and see how much business it drives for, you know, a lot of our fellow small business owners. So yeah, we're Disney enthusiasts.
Jeff:
You know, living 10 minutes from the gate is a huge benefit. And if you're that close and you're not a pass holder, it just feels, I don't know, feel silly. Yeah. Then I think, the idea that talking about how do you go to Disneyland? And how do you do that when we're so used to just being able to pull up whenever we want, do the few things that we want to do that day, and maybe even just go in and grab a pretzel and turn around and walk back out.
Planning A Trip to Disneyland as Disney World Passholders
The idea of going to Disneyland and planning an entire day, one day, two days, get all the things that you want to get done, see all the things because you know, like so many people that we meet here at Walt Disney World that are coming in, this is like that once-in-a-lifetime, or they're like once-in-10-years trip. We're going to experience that on the other coast. And it's, it's exciting, but it's also scary.
Danielle:
Yeah, and we have two kids. So we have a five-year-old, he'll be six by the time we go to Disneyland, and almost nine-year-old. So we're definitely in the right age range, although we'll be Disney adults when they retire, don't worry when they go to college, but Jeff has two older kids, 20 and 17. So one of them has an annual pass because she's here more. So we have like a wide age range. I think we're just gonna bring a little kids to the Disneyland trip for this one.
Robyn:
It's very different when you go as a Passholder versus a single or two-day ticket, where it's like, go, go, go, and even the way that you get ready for the day is different.
Danielle:
Yeah, like we don't pack anything, you know? Yeah, there's no, it just feels like, you know, it'd be there for a couple of hours, I'll ride, you know, I'll ride Guardians of the Galaxy, I'll have my coffee, and I'm gonna go home and pick up my kids from school, you know, so it is a very different, it's much more leisurely and I, you know, never been to Disneyland. I want to do it all, like I know I'm going to be one of those parents that's going to let their kids be upset because I've spent all this money on this trip, but I'm only coming once, you know, so it'll be very interesting to have like, you know, a different perspective. And, you know, I really think this will be helpful because I am a planner. I want to make sure I get the most out of my experience and my time, but I have some goals, you know, I definitely have some ideas. I am like a little bit of a Disney fan. I've watched all of the behind-the-attractions. So, you know, there's a lot of things that, like, I feel like I know but haven't experienced.
Robyn:
Alright, then let's go ahead and get right into it. And I'm a planner too.
Danielle:
I'm a fellow A personality, and honestly, even now when we go into the parks, like on Thanksgiving, we did a four Park Day and we had a list, you know, we had a list of everything we wanted to ride, and like we had a plan even as annual pass holders. So I think the more information, the better.
Robyn:
Differences between the Disneyland and Walt Disney World Resorts
Okay, good. I think that we should start with some of the ways that the resorts are different because there's some things that are backwards. So the first thing is that both parks and Downtown Disney are all in one security bubble, which means you park in one location for all of them. And once you're in the bubble for all of them, you can go back and forth, so you don't have to re-go through security as you park hop or if you were to go to Downtown Disney.
Staying Off Property
The other thing around Disneyland it's really different is, staying on property is just not as much of a thing. There are hotels that are across the street that are like a Fairfield Inn that are actually like the same amount of steps to the main gate as the Disneyland Hotel.
Danielle:
Awesome, yeah. So we are thinking about spending one night because we're going to be staying a little bit further away, but we want to be able to kind of do a park, go to bed, wake up, do a park. So is that something you would recommend if you only have two days?
Robyn:
So the Disneyland hotels there are crazy expensive because there's just I mean, there's really only three of them.
Danielle:
Okay, with a Fairfield Inn vibe
Robyn:
So there are a couple across the street that are like directly across the street, kind of like from the Courtyard Marriott with a water park, down to I would say the Anaheim would be within like a five or 10-minute walk. But there's a bunch that are right there, like the Fairfield across the street. It is a place to sleep. It is not fancy, but it is really close. But there's a couple of hotels that are literally across the street. When you're looking at the map, make sure you're looking at where the buses bring in. So it's over on that side. Anything on the other side of the park closer to the parking structure is going to be a really, really long walk.
Danielle:
Awesome. Okay, that's really helpful.
Robyn:
Perks for Staying On Property (Disney Owned Hotels)
And then if you stay at the Disneyland hotels, they kind of have these back entrances, you know, Epcot has an entrance in the back.
Danielle:
Yeah.
Robyn:
So we kind of have that at Disneyland, you can go in through the monorail. If you're staying at those Disneyland hotels, and Grand Californian has a back entrance into kind of like the side of California Adventure. So both of those are nice little shortcuts, but the security can get a little backlogged in the morning for those. The biggest thing about staying in a Disneyland Hotel is you get access to the early entry. By the time you get there in March, it will just be one day. So just make sure you check that out before you book if you decide to book one of the Disneyland hotels
Danielle:
Okay.
Robyn:
Park Hopping at the Disneyland Resort
The other thing that's really different is Park hopping. So we're still doing reservations in Disneyland, and park hopping happens at 11. And then after 11, you don't have to check in at the first park, you can just go wherever you want.
Danielle:
Wow, okay.
Robyn:
With Disneyland, the parks are literally 500 feet apart. So it is very easy to overcome. But you kind of have the same challenges that you have at Disney World doing Genie plus across two parks makes it a lot more challenging. So for me, if I only have two days, then usually we will do one in each park. As long as we've got most of our parties over 40 inches, California Adventure, like, it used to be you know how people think it's not a full-day Park. It used to be that it was not a full-day Park. And we can spend a full day there and not do everything now. But that's because my kids love a couple of the things that can kind of soak up a little bit more time.
Danielle:
Right.
Robyn:
They've got like fewer rides for little kids, if you were going to only do one would be Disneyland.
Danielle:
Yeah, I definitely think, well, we're more than happy to do like single park days and just kind of get everything in as much as we can, of course, park hopping. We don't even bother doing it honestly at Disney World because it's after two now. And by the time I get it together, it's like, oh, just go home. I can go back another day.
Robyn:
I usually don't park hop there unless I'm doing like three or four days, I think especially since you haven't been to the parks, I think one park per day is the better option.
Danielle:
Okay, perfect.
Robyn:
Genie Plus - A Completely Different Strategy for Disneyland vs WDW
And then Genie plus, it is like Alice in Wonderland. So it's the same, but it's different. So you either buy it with your ticket, or you cannot buy it until you scan into the park. And then you can't book your first until you scan into the park. And because of that, there's nothing like Slinky Dog that runs out in like two seconds. So there are definitely an order. And we have that on ParkMagic. And to give you an idea, at Disneyland, there's a couple that you want to book early just because they are more popular. You want to book Indiana Jones, Space Mountain, but it doesn't sell out nearly as fast because people have to get to the park before they can book their first Lightning Lane.
Danielle:
We've never done Genie plus at Disney World. So we're maybe one time and it wasn't.
Jeff:
I don't even know if it was a genie plus, it might have just been in singular lightning lane.
Danielle:
No, it was Genie plus, I remember, but we weren't very good at it, to be honest. So that might be a whole other conversation that we can definitely use ParkMagic to help us because I think that that's like a, it's a must-do from what I understand.
Robyn:
Especially because Disneyland is different. They basically only use Genie plus for the really popular thrill rides. And then they throw in a couple of extras on top of it. Where if you did it at Disney World, it gives you access to meet and greets and, you know, some of the shows and stuff like that. It's mostly the rollercoasters, the thrill rides, and so it can give you a really good value and it makes the day move a lot faster. Basically, when you scan into the park, if you're going to do individual Lightning Lanes, so there's one in each park, you'd only do it for California Adventure because Disneyland is Rise of the Resistance. And you can ride that anytime you want. They're exactly the same.
Danielle:
Yeah, and I think for us we're not really looking to waste time to ride a ride we can ride here, you know.
Robyn:
Especially when there's no difference.
Danielle:
Yeah, if it's like a copy, if it's a copy-paste out, I don't have time for that. And a lot of things I think are different, you know, even Small World is different, you know, Space Mountain is different. Not interested in riding rides, but for sure there's plenty of others that I do.
Robyn:
What you would do is you'd get Genie plus either with your ticket you buy it, as soon as you get into the park, the day that you get into California Adventure by Radiator Springs Racers as fast as you can because it goes down like Rise all the time.
Danielle:
Okay, got it.
Robyn:
And then book your first Lightning Lane. As soon as you get into the park, you cannot modify it. So like, let's say you get in there at eight o'clock, and it gives you Space Mountain at 8:05. You can't modify it to later in the day. And then I recommend focusing on the rides that don't have Genie plus because Genie plus doesn't include Pirates or Jungle Cruise. And you might decide to skip both of those because there's, you know, they're obviously in Disney World, but they both have slight differences.
Danielle:
Pirates is probably a yes, Jungle Cruise. I don't even like it at Disney World, so I'm not.
Robyn:
And really the only difference is the delete so it doesn't have the temple scene.
Danielle:
Oh, okay.
Robyn:
Yeah. So there's not really much that's unique there. So you can probably skip that one. The other big thing is that PhotoPass and the ride photos are included with Genie plus, oh, that's so nice. Yes. And they have some like camera lenses, like special lenses. And they have the thing called AudioTales, which are kind of like audio supplements that are available that are part of Genie plus as well.
Jeff:
Robyn can we just go back for a second and listen to the blasphemy that Danielle said that she doesn't even like Jungle Cruise. What is that? Like? I didn't realize I married a person who hates Jungle Cruise.
Danielle:
I know. It’s, I just feel it’s like a lot of line and
Jeff:
First the funny jokes?
Danielle:
Yeah. It's just not for me. But I, I don't know people’s young so for all those Jungle Cruise enthusiasts? Yey. More, less people in line for you when I'm not in line.
Robyn:
Well, yeah, you know. But I'm like the kind of person that like thrives off of making bad jokes till I make my kids' eyes roll like it is my life goal. So for me, yeah. Like, it's like going to a convention. Like I'm like, okay, these are my people, you know?
Danielle:
Yeah. All right. I love that. Okay, maybe I'm missing something. Maybe I need to try it again. It's been a minute. So I'm open. I'm open to some Jungle Cruise therapy.
Robyn:
Virtual Queues at Disneyland- Only for World of Color
And then the last thing that is, like, on the lines of, like, the Genie Plus, is virtual queues, which I know are a big deal at Disney World. There's only one thing that has a virtual queue right now. And that's World of Color, which is California Adventure's nighttime spectacular. And I really, really like World of Color. It's mostly weaving them different clips of different Disney shows or a story. It's got, like, a little fire. I really enjoy it. I think it's better than some of the other nighttime spectaculars, like Harmonious and things along those lines. I feel like it's worth it. So I usually set an alarm for, like, 11:45 and an alarm for 11:55. Just so I'm not, like, someplace where there's no cell service. And then I book my World of Color virtual cue right at noon; you get basically a color, and then you just show about 30 minutes before. And then when you're looking at where to stand, the first row, you're going to get wet because they've got so much water projection; focus on trying to get as close to real, it kind of steps up, kind of like an amphitheater. And the biggest thing is to not have somebody put their kids on their shoulders in front of you.
Danielle:
Okay, what time is that at?
Robyn:
If it's not a peak season, it might only be available Friday through Sunday, just like fireworks. Fireworks aren't every day in Disneyland. So during the busy seasons, like if you were to go during Christmas or summer, since you're going like around spring break, you shouldn't have a problem. It should be available every day. But if you were going on like, you know, January 17th, third, 22nd, or something like that, they might only be available Friday, Saturday, Sunday, depending on how busy the park is. Sometimes it's only 10:15, and sometimes there's a 9 and a 10:15 for World of Color, which is really confusing because the park will say it closes at 10. And then there's a show that starts at 10:15, that's not a typo. They close on the rides. Everybody's watching the show, and then at the end, everybody leaves the park.
Danielle:
Leaving After Fireworks
Okay, so in this vein, how crazy is it when people are exiting the park? Is it like cause with Disney World if you leave the Magic Kingdom right after fireworks, it's just not enjoyable. Is it kind of the same experience if you're leaving after the show? If you’re staying across the street, maybe not so bad.
Robyn:
Yes, if you're staying across the street, it's not so bad. The biggest thing is to not try to get an Uber; there's only one Uber pickup for the entire resort that most people know about. There's another one kind of over by the hotels, but most people don't know about that. And you have to make a U-turn to get into it, so it can be frustrating because your Uber driver is like 700 feet away, and it's like a 30-minute wait.
Danielle:
Would you then recommend if we were going to stay the night to go the first day, do that at night, stay the night, and then do Disneyland the second day.
Robyn:
You can do it either way. I kind of go back and forth. My first thought is, I want to use my best energy for Disneyland. For you, you might want to do California Adventure first because that's gonna have the most novel items for you. And it closes a little early. Since you've got young ones, that gives them more time to sleep between the next day because if the parks are open at Disneyland from 8 to midnight, they'll usually be open from 8 to 10 for California Adventure.
Danielle:
Stay over two nights.
Jeff:
It’s going to be a long day
Danielle:
Yeah, long day. I know. No, this is awesome. It's a lot to consider.
Jeff:
And put on the good walking shoes.
Robyn:
Rain at Disneyland
Yes, if it looks like it's gonna rain, the rain is colder. So normally, you probably would just do flip-flops in the rain; you might want to do something more like a hiking shoe. Or like, you know, something you can take the socks off, they can get wet, and they can dry.
Jeff:
Wait, it's raining in California now?
Robyn:
So they've had like crazy amounts of rain last couple years. So hopefully this year is a little bit drier.
Danielle:
That’s so funny.
Robyn:
I want to kind of go through each park, so I thought we started Disneyland. And I'll go through a little bit about the shows. And then mostly about the rides. And because you guys are primarily a ride family, not necessarily a show family, right?
Danielle:
We are mostly a ride family.
Robyn:
Disneyland vs Magic Kingdom
Okay. So let's start at Disneyland, and I'm just going to tell you how I feel when I walk into Magic Kingdom. When I walk into Magic Kingdom, I go, this is not Disneyland. It feels like you should know where everything is, but everything's slightly different. And some of your favorite things aren't going to be there. And it's just a little bit Alice in Wonderlandy where you feel a little disoriented.
Danielle:
Okay.
Robyn:
So just be prepared for that; our castle is much smaller. So, you know, my kids were used to going with George to Walt Disney World, right? Because of the pandemic, it had been a while since we'd gone to Disneyland. My kids walked in and they forgot, face it, looked at me and said, ‘I forgot how lame our Castle is.’
Danielle:
Oh, it's the OG so you know.
Robyn:
It is the OG! As you walk into the park, there's a little fire station that's over to the left. And above it, there is a light, usually a window with a candle in it. That's Walt's apartment. I really like taking a look at the little firehouse. They have like an old fire wagon. You know, it's kind of cute. The other thing about our castle is that you can actually do a walk-through; you can actually walk through the gates, so there's no like stage in front of it. And then if you make a U-turn, there's like a little diorama that has the story of Sleeping Beauty, where you kind of climb into the castle to see it. You can't see out any windows. But it's kind of a cute thing to do, like while you're waiting between Genie plus. I wouldn't do it first; it's something that's unique to the park.
Danielle:
Our daughter will love that.
Robyn:
And then our Fantasmic happens at Disneyland, but it's closed until May and it's not as nice of an experience because we don't have any seating. So it's like standing or sitting on the floor. So I think you'll be okay missing that.
Danielle:
Yeah.
Robyn:
And then everything's really close together; we have just a very small amount. So just go in expecting to feel like it's really crowded and really busy, even if it's not a busy day, just because we have a couple of like really heavy traffic choke points. So just know that the crowds, like in the passageways, are going to be a little bit more intense. That's usually why we recommend like a single stroller versus a double stroller if a family doesn't really need the double stroller, just because there's like a lot more people in the walkways.
Danielle:
Is the stroller rentals the same?
Robyn:
Stroller Rental at Disneyland
Yes, so they have the stroller rental right outside Disneyland Park. There's places that rent that we'll bring to your hotel. Because if you're just across the street, it's not as big of a deal. But there are some hotels that are like kind of at the end of the block. And carrying a sleeping child that far is a nightmare. So you can't take the rental strollers outside of the security bubble. So depending on how many days you are there, sometimes it can be cheaper to rent from that third party, and they have more storage.
Danielle:
Okay.
Jeff:
That's great to know because I've carried many a sleeping child out of the Magic Kingdom onto the monorail through the parking lot. I've done that.
Danielle:
It’s awful.
Robyn:
It is.
Jeff:
Doing that while going down a random street in Anaheim into a hotel is terrifying.
Robyn:
Yeah, I think that when having the stroller rental come to you, I like that they have the storage, and the other ones are like hard plastic. And since your kids are bigger, they're probably going to be a little less comfortable.
Danielle:
Yeah.
Robyn:
I can give you a couple of recommendations, you know, when it gets closer for that.
Fireworks at Disneyland Tips and Viewing Locations
Then the other thing is with the fireworks, our fireworks get canceled a lot because there are houses less than a mile away. So if there's any wind at higher elevations, they'll cancel it, and sometimes it's like the very last minute.
The standard place to watch it at Magic Kingdom is kind of in that hub and on Main Street. That is true for Disneyland, but just make sure, especially if you're in the area like around the statue of Walt and Mickey, looking at the castle, there are some trees in the front that block a lot of the viewpoints. That's kind of like the more intense viewing point because that's where everybody goes. I personally like if you go over to Rivers of America, and you get just a little bit left of center, they do the projection that they do on the castle on the water, and then you can still see the fireworks, and you're further away. So the fireworks are a little less loud; that's my favorite place.
And then over in front of Small World, now I want you to just remember that our Small World facade is so much cooler than yours, It's a much better theater. So you can go and watch them in front of Small World, and they have the same projections that they have on the castle on Small World; you're going to be closer to where the actual fireworks happen. So it's a little bit louder. And then you'll kind of have to toggle your head because Small World is a little bit more to the right, and the fireworks are gonna be happening a little bit more to the left, but it's much less intense. As far as, you know, people getting there and camping out.
Danielle:
What time are the fireworks at Disneyland?
Robyn:
9:30. Make sure you check the entertainment calendar.
Parades at Disneyland
The parades are great, but you have an idea of Disneyland parade, so you can decide whether or not you want to do those or not. They do kind of block off getting from one side of the park to the other. So they go from Small World down to Main Street. And I think the biggest thing on the parade is making sure you know which direction the parade is coming in. So you can make sure you're kind of pointed in a direction that will not be in the sun for pictures.
Unique Attractions At Disneyland
So let's get to the fun stuff. Let's get to the rides now. All right. So I'm including attractions.
Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln
So we have Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln, which is kind of like our version of the Hall of Presidents. It is a really comfortable theater; it's a really good historical thing. It's a really good place for a nap if you like a little PTSD with your nap because the Civil War happened in the middle of it. I might have given myself a heart attack one day. But it is really cute; my son's like a history junkie. So we usually do hit that. But you know, I would do that on our way out to nap.
Indiana Jones
So we talked about Jungle Cruise being pretty much the same. But just know the temple scene, Indiana Jones, and Adventure in Frontierland are going to be the big things that are going to be different and eventually on Frontierland. So if you kind of know that the dinosaur ride as you see him ride vehicle, but themed for Indiana Jones, it is a chiropractor's dream. So I think it's much better than Dinosaur. And so I highly recommend it. This is one of the ones you're going to want to do early. So the Lightning Lanes move fast on this, and it breaks down constantly. So, get that early.
Just kind of a little side note on Genie plus: if, like, say your return time is 8:05 to 9:05. And from like 8:45 to 9:20, the ride was down, you get a multi-experience pass. And you can either use that to ride the ride that you originally booked later. Or you can rebook for a later time period on that ride and use that for several other rides. On that list, and some of them are ones that don't normally have Lightning Lane access, so they can be pretty valuable. That's one of the other reasons why I like to book the rides that go down a lot earlier in the day so that I have more flexibility.
Jeff:
Perfect
Robyn:
They just did our Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse is called the Adventure Treehouse now, it's not a ride, and it's Swiss Family Robinson-themed. There's a cute little ostrich at the bottom that even if you just popped in to see the Astrid, she's kind of cute.
Jeff:
The kids will make us climb the tree.
Robyn:
Yeah.
Jeff:
Just, well, they love doing it. Every time we go, we walk in there like, ‘Oh, let's go through the tree house,’ and like, ‘Okay, we'll do the tree house.’
Robyn:
You know, that's a good thing to do, like while you're waiting for Genie Plus eligibility.
Big Thunder
And then our Big Thunder is so much better. It's so much smoother. I really like it a lot better. It's not nearly as jerky. Because of the way it's positioned, you get kind of like a cool view of that too. And I really like it.
Jeff:
On Disney Plus, "Behind the Attraction," there's a new season, and they do a whole episode dedicated solely to Big Thunder Mountain and the differences between all of them in all of the parks. And Disneyland definitely looks like it's top-tier.
Robyn:
It is, it’s my favorite. So I mean, I would say making sure that that's one that you want to make sure you hit. I really liked that one.
Fantasy Land- Alice in Wonderland, Mr. Toads Wild Ride, Pinochio, and Snow White's Enchanted Journey
And then in Fantasyland, there's a couple rides that are unique.
So there's Alice in Wonderland, which is a slow, dark ride. It has pretty crazy lines. So if that's important to you, I would try to do that early. Nothing really in Fantasyland has a Lightning Lane except for the Matterhorn. So you probably want to hit those first if your kids are going to really want to do those.
Pinocchio's Daring Journey is another dark ride. I find it loud and stressful, but I'm sure that there are people who love it. Mr. Toad's is the shortest ride ever. It's so short; the lines can be a little longer, but it is an opening day attraction and you get to go to hell. So you know.
Jeff:
Cool!
Robyn:
That's a fun thing you don't get to ride every day.
Storybook Land Canal Boats and Casey Jr.
And then the Storybook Canal Boats are very cute. They are very much a ‘we need a little sensory break.’ That's very quiet, very peaceful. And then we have Casey Jr, which is kind of a little bit more of a fast-paced way to look at some of those diagrams because it's Storybook Land Canal. It's, you know, you see Latin's castle, and all that stuff in miniature. Casey Jr, you can have the fun of being inside of a train car with bars because, you know, that's fun. It was my son's favorite ride for a long time. He really loves trains; I've kind of ridden it to pieces.
Danielle:
I understand.
Robyn:
Matterhorn
I think the one you're probably going to be more interested in is Matterhorn. If you have the choice, try to go to the right; it's a little bit smoother. For both Matterhorn and Big Thunder, it's really great if you can time a second ride around the fireworks. If you didn't want to actually see the fireworks. I really liked Matterhorn, but if you have a bad back, you might want to skip it.
Danielle:
Yeah, I feel like we'll probably do it because it's like Matterhorn.
Robyn:
It's something you have to do.
Danielle:
Feels iconic, like, there are some rides that I'm like, I have to do them. And Matterhorn is on it, you know.
Robyn:
It can go down quite often too. So it's something I would do earlier in the day. And when it goes down, it can be a little more unpredictable. You know, Space Mountain goes down all of the time, but it's usually back up in 20 minutes. Matterhorn goes down for like longer periods.
It's a Small World
And then, you know, you don't have to do Small World, but you should at least go see Small World. Most of the time, they'll have like a lighting in the evening where they either do projections on the front of it. And it's got like kind of this cuckoo clock thing where like soldiers come out; it's kind of cute. It's something that's iconically Disney, so you know it’s good to be on the outside too and a little bit on the boat.
Danielle:
So yeah, it looks different. And then you know, we might see someone taking a swim inside the yeah, you never know.
Robyn:
And then, kind of on that side of the park, there is a theater with them doing The Lion King. And then ToonTown. You don't need to do Mickey and Minnie's Runaway because it's practically a copy.
Roger Rabbit Cartoon Spin
But there are two other rides there: Roger Rabbit spin. It is loud, but it is uniquely Disney. It's not my favorite ride. But if you watch Roger Rabbit, it's kind of nostalgic, you know, you get to see the characters again. And it's kind of one of those like 90s rides, okay.
Chip 'n' Dale’s GADGETcoaster
And then they also have what used to be called Gadgets Go Coaster. Now it's like Chip 'n Dale's Go Coaster. It's basically Barnstormers is a very short, very baby coaster. So you can kind of look at it and decide whether or not you want to do it. They only have like two cars and the cars are small. So the line moves a little bit slower. But there is Goofy's How to Play Yard, which is like a cute little playground. Your kids might be on the older side for that. But that's pretty much all it's over in Toontown, and then Star Wars you can completely skip.
Danielle:
Great.
Robyn:
Finding Nemo Subs
And then Tomorrowland. So our Finding Nemo is in the submarines. So, I would say if you've never done it, do it unless you have somebody who's claustrophobic. If you do, they have like a viewing up at the top. But at that point, it's not really that much different than indoors. So you get to get in these yellow subs, and then you go down, and then, you know, so there's a little bit of difference in the ride because you're in a sub kind of looking through a porthole, which makes it a little different. If it's a hot day, I usually will try to prioritize that you're there for early in the morning or in the evening because the line doesn't have a lot of shade.
Space Mountain
And then our Space Mountain is so much better.
Danielle:
I know, I can’t wait.
Robyn:
So definitely do Space. That's one of the attractions that books out further on the Genie Plus, so try to do that. And then, friends don't let friends eat in Tomorrowland.
Danielle:
Okay.
Robyn:
So they've got like a pizza place and a hamburger place, and they're both very mid, you know, like there's better pizza, there's better hamburgers, other places in the park so.
Danielle:
Okay.
Robyn:
You guys aren't DVC members, are you?
Danielle:
We are not.
Robyn:
There's like a little lounge club in the same way. And then they also have a Chase Visa Disney Meet and Greet.
Danielle:
Oh I have one of those!
Robyn:
And the one in Tomorrowland is usually Darth Vader or Chewbacca. And then our churros are much better.
Danielle:
I heard that.
Robyn:
Yeah. So I would try to get some churros. There's a lot of different churros that are available. And then there's like a pizza flop over in Toontown where it's like a pizza that's folded in half; it's pretty good. But then we have like, you know, a lot of the same thing: the bread bowls, hamburgers. One thing that is a little different on the food is we have Bengal Barbecue; it's like skewers. It's really good. It just can get a little expensive because you're buying like individual skewers.
Danielle:
Okay.
Robyn:
California Adventure
And then California Adventure is kind of like if Hollywood and Epcot had a baby.
Danielle:
Okay.
Robyn:
So we kind of want to think about it that way. It closes earlier; we talked about the World of Color show about the virtual queue and how it might be after close. When you first enter the park, there's this cute little red trolley that will take you kind of like over to Adventureland. And then instead of a castle, the main icon is Carthay Circle, which is, you know, modeled after where the premier happened for Snow White. If you have a chance for a nice meal, I really liked Carthay Circle Alfresco because they've got some really good food. And if you go upstairs to go to the bathroom, you can see like they have pictures of wolves like at the Oscars, Snow White. It's kind of cute
Danielle:
Oh, cool.
Robyn:
If you enter and like head towards the left, after you get to like the opening part where Carthay Circle is they have Hollywood Land, which is Mickey's PhilharMagic. You can skip, of course, because it's the same.
Monsters Inc. (Formally Superstar Limo)
They have Monsters, Inc., and you and I texted a little bit but it used to be Superstar Limo.
Danielle:
I kind of have to ride that. Is it a long line? Or is it?
Robyn:
It's got a Lightning Lane. So before there was a Lightning Lane for it with Genie Plus, there was never a line, you know, but now it's these crazy lines. They have this thing called a buddy pass too where if you can, when groups of two, you can kind of, it's kind of like a single rider line. But if you have Genie Plus, just use Genie Plus for it.
Danielle:
Okay.
Robyn:
I wouldn't rearrange my day around it, but you know a nice little like feeling ride.
Danielle:
Yeah, well, I just feel, because I've watched the Defunctland episode on it, that I want to ride it. So that, and also I think my son would love it, really. But I mean, like, I guess if it's on the chop, like if I have to make choices, they probably won't ride it but if I can, I will. Does that make sense?
Robyn:
It's kind of what I would feel. And then we have another Disney Chase visa over there that's usually Stitch but sometimes it can be somebody else.
Danielle:
Oh, okay.
Robyn:
So he's kind of over between Mickey's PhilharMagic and Monsters, Inc., and it's not always Stitch, but usually, they won't tell you if you ask. But if you say, ‘Is there anybody from another planet there?’ they usually will give you a little nod, you know.
Danielle:
Got it.
Robyn:
I've never seen a line for that because the Chase Disney Visas those meet and greets don't get a lot of publicity. So they're usually pretty short. We have the little animators where you can do the drawing thing, and Turtle Talk are in the same building. If you just need a little air conditioning, it's a really nice place to have like these huge screens where they have, you know, songs of Disney. It's really cute. So it's a nice place to come in and sit. The other two things that are in that building, you know, you kind of have in your other parks, so you don't need to hit that. But they also have the Elsa meet and greet. If that's something you wanted to do, personally, I’d try to avoid that.
Danielle:
Okay.
Robyn:
The next couple of areas are going to be more important.
Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout (formally Tower of Terror)
So Avengers Campus. So Guardians of the Galaxy is, you know, our refurb Power of Terror. I was really mad when they decided they were going to refurbish it, but I actually really love it.
Danielle:
Yes, yeah, that's a must ride for us.
Robyn:
Webslingers
And then Web Slinger is very similar to Toy Story Mania, so you use your hands instead of a gun. So it's really fun. I really, really like it. Everybody in the whole family gets to sit in the same car, and you can kind of work as a team. So it's really fun. I would definitely hit that.
If you have big Avengers fans, there's a place called Pym's Test Kitchen that is a great place to eat. There's a little bar called the labs. If you go to the seats that are just outside of that, you'll see a lot of the Marvel characters walking back and forth to their meet and greets. So it's really kind of fun if you can do that.
There's a ton of characters that are usually kind of walking around. And then they have several shows. They have like a dance party where Star Lord is dancing to save the universe. They have a Dr. Strange show, which is really just kind of like a Marvel-themed illusion show. Kind of cheesy, but it's kind of fun.
Danielle:
Oh, okay.
Robyn:
I really kind of like the Wakanda show. I can't even describe it. I mean, it's not something I would rearrange my day for, but if you're gonna be in the area, I really liked that. And then Amazing Spider-Man is like a five-minute show. So you gotta get there early.
Danielle:
Yeah.
Robyn:
And when you get there, you want to look for the crane. And you want to try to make sure you can see the crane. That's the most important thing. And then at the end of the show, Spider-Man will come down and give everybody a high five.
Danielle:
Oh, okay.
Robyn:
That one is really great. And then right next to it, we've got Cars Land, which is all new.
Danielle:
They had to do that.
Robyn:
Radiator Springs Racer - ILL Recommended
Yes. So Radiator Racers, Springs Racers, you might want to pay the individual Lightning Lane to ride that all together for the first time. After that, they have a single-rider line that moves very consistently fast when you have somebody that's under seven, so they wouldn't be able to ride it.
Danielle:
Right.
Robyn:
Mater's Junkyard Jamboree
And then Mater's Junkyard Jamboree is kind of like the Alien Saucers, you know, kind of like that spinning.
Danielle:
Yeah.
Robyn:
Yeah, I really like it. Like, it's fun to slip and slide around in it. And plus, like, hearing Mater try to speak Spanish is my favorite part of the ride. I ride it just so I can hear him give the instructions in Spanish.
Luigi's Rollickin' Roadsters
And then there's Luigi's Rollicking Roadsters, which, you know, it's kind of a cursed attraction, right? Because they tried to bring back the Alien Saucers floating thing that they tried to do as a Cars Land thing, and then that never really worked. So they brought in Luigi's Rollicking Roadsters, which, you know, in Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway, you know where Daisy is doing the dance thing?
Danielle:
Yeah.
Robyn:
It's kind of like that. Okay, so but it is kind of fun if you pretend that like the car is your feet and you try to dance dramatically to match the feet. And you kind of slide around, and it makes it a lot more fun. Other than that, if you want to ride it seriously, it's probably not going to be a favorite.
Danielle:
Okay.
Robyn:
With Cars Land, you want to do Racers earlier in the day; it breaks down a lot. Same reason for Rise, people's hats and sunglasses fall off the track, and they have to reset the whole thing.
Danielle:
Oh, my goodness okay.
Robyn:
So make sure you do that one early. And then I would come back at least walking through Cars Land at night because they've got all of these cool neon. You know, it's just really cool. They have the meet and greets all day. And then they have like the Cozy Cone Hotel, but each of them has a different themed cone-shaped snack. So they have like ice cream cones. They have like macaroni and cheese in a cone. But from what I hear, that is not something you want to enjoy.
Danielle:
Okay.
Robyn:
But they have a whole bunch of things. They have Flo's that has fried chicken and things along those lines. I love seeing it lit up at night. I think it's so beautiful.
Danielle:
Yeah.
Robyn:
Incredicoaster
And then Pixar Pier. Because you definitely want to do our Incredicoaster. That's our only looping coaster.
Danielle:
Right.
Robyn:
Pixar Pal Around Wheel
And then the scariest ride in the park is Pixar Pal-A-Round Wheel; we have a Ferris wheel. I don't know if you know about our Ferris wheel.
Danielle:
I’ve seen it! It looks terrifying but also I have to do it.
Robyn:
You've got to do the swinging, right?
Danielle:
Right.
Robyn:
The non-swinging is just a normal Ferris Wheel.
Danielle:
Oh okay.
Robyn:
But you're in like a cage. So if you've claustrophobia I would not recommend it. But the swinging ones, they're on this track. So as the wheel moves, there's no seatbelts. There's no restraints, but the car is just freely moving and swinging on this track.
Danielle:
Wow.
Robyn:
And so if you're mean like me, you don't tell your kids that that's going to happen.
Danielle:
Okay.
Robyn:
And the you have them, when you're getting in the car, have them face away from Incredicoaster because they won't be able to see that it's going to swing until they're already mid-swing.
Danielle:
Oh.
Robyn:
So hear me in person. And that's what you would do if you're a nice person and you tell them it's gonna swing beforehand.
Jeff:
Danielle and I went to a carnival with the kids, like locally, one of those pop-up carnivals, and they had a Ferris wheel there. The ride attendants at the Ferris wheel thought it would be funny because Danielle was so desperately asking them to stop, but they just kept going. We rode it for like 28 minutes, and Danielle was basically crying. It was incredible.
Danielle:
But this ends, right so like, you know, every ride has an end. That ride felt like it was never ending.
Robyn:
Just like any Ferris wheel, it depends on when in the cycle you load. If you load when it's at the beginning of the cycle, it's not as intense because it's like a little swing, a little swing, a little swing. They do one loop, and then they start unloading.
Danielle:
Got it. I’ll do it because it seems like I should do it, but I might be afraid.
Robyn:
The ride is affectionately called Vicki's wheel of death.
Danielle:
Okay!
Robyn:
Yeah. But it's really fun. And then there are a couple of other rides over there that I'm just going to mention them, but they're basically just things that spin in circles.
Jessie's Critter Carousel, Emotional Whirlwind, Jumping Jellyfish, Silly Symphony Swings, Golden Zeyphr
So Jesse's critter carousel, which is just a carousel, the emotional whirlwind, which is the little things that are spinning in a circle. Jumping jellyfish is kind of like a little mini Tower of Terror. You're sitting down on it, and you know, it pops up and then pops down. Nothing really to write home about. And then we've got swings, and we've got the Golden Zephyr, which is you're basically in a boat spinning around.
Danielle:
Okay, the carnival rides.
Robyn:
Yeah, very much carnival rides. So I'll usually knock those out kind of like in the middle of the day.
Goofy's Sky School
And then we have Goofy's Sky school, which, you know, in Dinosaur Land, there was the coaster that they just took out there was kind of jerky it was, it's very much like that is not quite as long. But if you like that, then that’s just a very small footprint is very much tucked in the corner. I think our little mermaid is slightly different. You know, but nothing really to write home about there.
Grizzly River Run
The last land in California Adventure is Grizzly Peak. So we have our grizzly River Run, which is similar but slightly different to what you have in Animal Kingdom. The river rapids.
Danielle:
Yeah, yeah.
Robyn:
So you can get pretty wet. So usually, if we will go, I will bring a pair of flip flops and we will switch out into flip flops and bring ponchos. The coolest thing that I think that's over there is they've got this Redwood Creek challenge course. It's a big playground with rope ladders. The playground has suspension bridges that bounce as you walk from side to side. There's like a little kind of mini rock wall where you shimmy across, but there’s a fun little tire swing where they can get on it and they slide across. My kids really liked this playground, and it's very quiet. So nice, like break away from everybody. So I really love it there.
Danielle:
Yeah, we do build our Disney, you know Walt Disney World trips like we'll go to Epcot so the kids can play inside Mission: Space like the downtime, and they like it too. So that's good to know.
Robyn:
For your age group, I think that that would be something that I would make sure to make some time for. It's really fun. It's really unique.
Character Dining at Disneyland
And like they have meet and greets over there like Christmas, they'll have Santa sometimes. Last spring, they had Raya from The Last Dragon in there.
Danielle:
Oh, cool!
Robyn:
Yeah. So it can be kind of fun. And then, you know, we have our Soaring, but since right now you have Soaring over California, and in ours will probably be soaring over the world. You've seen that done that been there?
Danielle:
I don’t think that’s a.
Robyn:
Not a must do!
Danielle:
Yeah, exactly.
Robyn:
On the food, like over by Pixar pier, there's a place called Cocina Cucamonga. And they have quesabirria tacos that are really, really good. And then in the same place, they have clam chowder, bread bowl macaroni and cheese in a bread bowl. And they have a little Asian place and a Ghirardelli ice cream. So there's a lot of good food in that area. And they have a lot of seating.
Danielle:
Awesome.
Robyn:
Do you guys care about character dining? Or do you guys do that so often, or you know, it's kind of expensive?
Danielle:
Yeah, I think the problem isn't that it just takes forever.
Robyn:
It does.
Danielle:
You know, so I think on this trip, I'm really here to ride the rides and like do the things that I can't do. I have enough Mickey Mouse signatures in books, I think at this point.
Jeff:
I think the time character dining becomes valuable in this experience for us would be as if it's like a good food experience.
Danielle:
Yeah, we do like eating.
Jeff:
But so sometimes a character food is like you're there for the character is not for the food experience. So it's kind of a mix of.
Robyn:
And I would say most of like the traditional characters, you know, like they're kind of like that buffet food.
Jeff:
Yeah.
Robyn:
There is one character when it's really really delicious, but it's the princess adventure breakfast, but it's like $125 per person.
Jeff:
Yeah, I’m okay.
Robyn:
Yeah, so I mean, Goofy's kitchen has a dinner option, so it can be nice for an arrival day. But you know, I think that if I were you coming to the parks knowing that you can do character dining anytime, I would probably use that money for the Racers Lightning Lane.
Danielle:
Okay.
Robyn:
Starbucks locations at the Disneyland Resort
Our Starbucks in both parks, same as Disney World. They have crazy lines. And then, you know, there are places to mobile order where they have Joffrey's but the Starbucks in our place, in Disneyland, it’s Market House, and in California Adventure it’s Fiddler Fifer & Practical.
Danielle:
Yeah, we will be definitely visiting both of those knowing, yeah, we are Starbucks loyalists.
Robyn:
And there's also one in Downtown Disney before the entrance of the park. If you knew you were gonna rope drop, you might want to hit that one earlier. If that makes sense.
Jeff:
Yeah. So quick question about that. Since you mentioned rope drop. I listened to your podcast the other day about rope dropping, but I didn't connect the genie plus usage once you're in the park.
Rope Dropping and Genie Plus
So rope dropping is great if you want to run to a ride, like save a genie plus, but like, do you think that you need to drop to make sure you get the genie plus offerings you want?
Robyn:
No, you don't need to rope drop to get the best Genie pluses because they'll all be available later in the day. I would just make sure you start booking by 9 am. And then you should be able to use them all.
Jeff:
Yeah, is my Disney World mindset of like, I gotta wake up at 7:00 to get the thing you know. So.
Danielle:
Yeah, because we do Guardians and we'll set our alarm to get the cue. But we don't need to do that.
Jeff:
But even for like, the earlier you start at Disney World with Genie plus, the better and so okay, it's good to know.
Robyn:
So I'll do it either one of two ways. So if I'm doing Genie plus or rope drop, I'm a Space Mountain junkie. So I will sometimes, if it's just me, because I'm weirdo and go to Disneyland all by myself all the time. Then I will rope drop Space Mountain, and then do a couple of other rides and then start Genie plus, knowing that I will get Space Mountain again later. But if I'm with my kids, what we'll do is we'll go do those rides that don't have Genie plus so we’re gonna do Fantasyland.
So I would say for you either doing the Fantasyland rides or doing Pirates, Pirates doesn't have a lightning lane. I usually will focus on those other rides until it gets busy. And then I kind of have some Genie plus stacked, and then in between that, I'll do the things like riding the Mark Twain or go over to Pirate's Lair and run around in the caves, you know, kind of doing some of those other things that don't have as much of a line. And then, you know, Peter Pan is the same, so I would skip that. A lot of people run to Peter Pan. Luckily, you'll be going to things that aren't necessarily as busy.
Jeff:
Good.
Danielle:
Okay.
Robyn:
Yeah. So what I would do is as soon as I get in there I would pick which entrance you want to go to. If you do Jungle Cruise first thing in the morning the line is pretty much non-existent because everybody's focusing on Rise of the Resistance and Indiana Jones and everything.
Danielle:
So Genie plus what's the cost on top of like, does it change?
Robyn:
So it does. If you buy it with your ticket, it's like $30, so you can buy it with your ticket when you purchase. If you don't, then it has been staying pretty close to 30 recently. I've never seen it go over 40. So because you're only going to be there two days, you're going to want it for both days; you probably just want to purchase it with your ticket.
Jeff:
Yeah.
Robyn:
If you were going like three or four days, I would say it's better to purchase individually because you're not going to need it for all four days. And then we have a good little tool to help you look for lower prices. So sometimes you can save a little bit of money. Honestly, we have that tool, but most of the time, Undercover Tourist is going to be the cheapest and they allow for refunds minus a 5% restock fee if you have to cancel your trip.
Danielle:
Wow. Okay, that's amazing.
VIP Tours
And then so we were thinking about, is it worth it to do a VIP tour? You have to buy tickets for the VIP tour; the tour is really gaining you access to everything without lines.
Robyn:
Yes, that’s right. So in some ways, I think a VIP tour can be a little bit more valuable at Disneyland, because there are so many rides that don't have lightning lanes.
Danielle:
Yeah.
Robyn:
So especially if you knew you wanted to do like all of the Fantasyland rides, you know, I think it's most valuable if you're going during peak peak season. So somebody is going only for two days, this is a once-in-a-lifetime thing, and they want to go during Christmas time, then VIP tour is gonna save them a ton of time in lines. They can't promise Meet and Greet access; you do get preferred seating for like parades and fireworks. But it is pretty pricey. So it's pricey.
And if you might be able to do a second trip to Disneyland, or you know, so it's something that I think can have a lot of value. If you have the money and you're trying to avoid staying in those lines. They're gonna drop you off in the lightning lanes for most of the rides. So I would only say if it's like a really busy day. And you really want to try and do a lot of the rides that maybe don't have that option.
Danielle:
Spring Break
In our timeframe, kind of March, you know, is it like a? I don't think it's spring break for California. So.
Jeff:
Yeah, I was wondering that too. Like, obviously, March and April in Florida for Walt Disney World are very busy. It's like, if we go, we go late afternoon, we go to do one thing, we're not going to spend an entire day at a park because it is spring break. And so many people come to Florida for spring break. That is just a part of their holiday. So does Disneyland experience that same kind of seasonal shift? And should we expect a very busy period of time?
Robyn:
You should expect a busy period of time, but it won't be like Christmas. So on a scale of one to 10, I usually expect it to be somewhere between like a SIX and an EIGHT. Okay, okay. Because Disneyland does this dynamic pricing thing where like on single days, some days are $104. And some days like $189 for a one day ticket. It can be a little unpredictable. Like sometimes you'll go on a weekend and it will be really quiet because a lot of the passes are blocked out. And the single day tickets were expensive. And then like on a Tuesday, it might be really busy because the passes aren't blacked out and there was $104 for a single day ticket.
Danielle:
Yeah, cause we're kind of thinking either like a Tuesday, Wednesday or Wednesday, Thursday, we're gonna try to go.
Robyn:
Yeah, that's usually going to be better because, you know, Mondays can be pretty busy because people try to add on a day before. After that, just make sure you take a look and see whether the nighttime spectaculars will be available during that time period. And there are a lot of really cute shows there with princesses. There's like a storyteller show where they'll tell her story, and it's really funny and cute. So there's some really fun unique shows, and there are some things that are going to be copies. We have Dapper Dan's, piano players, marching bands, and all of that stuff.
Jeff:
Haunted Mansion
Robyn, I don't think we talked about Haunted Mansion. We were discussing attractions. Haunted Mansion definitely is different at Disneyland compared to Walt Disney World, right?
Robyn:
Yes. So we don't have the staircase around. For a while, it was our big thing that we had the Hatbox Ghost, but now you guys are getting your Hatbox Ghost.
Danielle:
We have it.
Jeff:
We did. We got a Hatbox Ghost.
Danielle:
But is it the same?
Robyn:
I think it is the same. I haven't been to Disney World since they had.
Jeff:
We haven't seen it yet either because they decided to add it, like peak season. I'm like, I'm not waiting in that line.
Danielle:
Because we are entitled annual passholders.
Robyn:
Haunted Mansion does have a Lightning Lane. Honestly, I think the biggest difference is the exterior, right? So, and then our elevator actually goes down where yours is a pretend elevator.
Danielle:
Right.
Robyn:
You know, so there are some differences. And same with Pirates. You know, we have like two dips and like a longer period before you get into the ship thing. So there are some minor differences on both of those rides. You've seen a bunch of stuff about the Pirates, so Haunted Mansion is definitely different as well. I must have missed that one. I apologize.
Danielle:
Look at Jeff!
Jeff:
I’m doing my research.
Danielle:
I'm gonna go to your website though and map out everything so I feel less stressed.
Robyn:
I tried to put in-park magic, like the rides that say like before after a 10:00. Those are the ones that are going to have the longest queue, right in the middle of the day, like Tiki Room, you can walk on whenever you want. The only thing that's different is the seats and we have a little fountain, you know. So, I think that if you focus on those rides first at California Adventure, you know, so much of it is included in Genie Plus now. Mostly like kind of Luigis and Rollicking Roadsters are not included, and like the carnival rides aren't included, but most of the things that you're really interested in, they'll have Genie Plus.
The biggest thing is making sure you stay on those return times, even when you go to take your nap. Keep booking the Lightning Lanes because you can always modify them without resetting your next time to book.
Danielle:
Okay, got it. So excited.
Robyn:
I think you'll have a really great time. I think that you'll really like Avengers Campus. I wish they had more rides in there. But you know, there are some things that are really unique and fun. And there's so much nostalgia that comes with Disneyland being, you know, the original park. You know, I really love it there.
Danielle:
Well, we appreciate this. This is amazing. This is so helpful. And I could probably give this speech about Disney World. Not probably this in depth, but it is a little bit overwhelming, and like you're spending all this money, you really just want to get the most out of that experience if you're only going to do it once. So I kind of feel this pressure to, I mean, my kids probably don't, they don't care, they just want to have fun, but as the planner in me, you know.
Robyn:
I think that if you just pick like these are the three things that like I have to get done Disneyland, I would probably say that's Indiana Jones, Big Thunder, Space, and Matterhorn.
Danielle:
Yeah.
Robyn:
And then in California Adventure, you know, Racers, Guardians, Web Slingers, and Incredicoaster with Genie plus, even if it was a super busy day, especially if you're arriving early, you will have no problem getting those done.
Danielle:
Awesome. Perfect.
Robyn:
You know, and then do they have canoes in Disney World?
Danielle:
I don't even know what that is.
Robyn:
Davey Crockett Canoes
Okay, so this is another one I just realized I missed. So the hours are really short, usually like 10:00 to 2:00. And if the park is not busy, they sometimes they won't even open this attraction. But they have the Davy Crockett Canoes, and you get in an actual canoe with an actual or and actually paddle around the Rivers of America.
Danielle:
No way!
Robyn:
Yeah. So it's really fun, like, sometimes you get the captain of the boat will be like really fun and make jokes. And sometimes they are a little bit more like, let's just get around the circle. Because the line is long, and there's like 20 people rowing. So I didn't do it for years, because I was like, I don't know, if I'm up for this physical challenge. It's not that bad. And then when you're looking for a break, like just taking a ride around on the train, can be really fun.
Danielle:
Our son will love that too, so.
Robyn:
I hope this was helpful at all!
Danielle:
I took two pages of notes. And yes, I feel less nervous. I have an idea. I think Genie Plus, it was like, it's just so foreign to us because we don't use it. So I think this is very helpful. And I think this will be helpful for anyone like us who is making that leap. I think what you said, like setting yourself up for the reality of like, it's going to be different, it's going to look different. But, you know, we're of the mentality that like, it's not one is better than the other. They're just very different. And we want to make the most of our experience.
Robyn:
There's pros and cons to both. And I think what you grew up with is what you have the most nostalgia around.
Danielle:
Right.
Robyn:
One of the nice things is that the parks are so much smaller. So everything feels a little bit more crowded. But you also are not walking nearly as far for each attraction because everything's like jammed right there. It's like New York. Right, Texas, right?
Danielle:
Yeah. So that's good. I think, you know, at the end of the day, it's really about our kids. You know, they’re little Disney enthusiasts, they watch all the shows, they probably know more stuff than we do. Because, you know, we leave the room and all the shows are playing. I think there for them to have the experience is really what it's all about, like immerse themselves in the beginning of Disney, you know. And so that's really what it's all about, even though I'm a super planner and want to do all the things and have it in the perfect order. I think, just having the mentality like it's about them and having a great family time experience and not getting too stressed out.
Robyn:
It's really easy to get so caught up in doing everything that it becomes like, where you don't enjoy anything because you're dragging people, and you're getting frustrated. Why didn't you go to the bathroom when Susie went to the bathroom?
Danielle:
We know, we know.
Robyn:
You know, so.
Danielle:
Yes, it does feel like once in a lifetime for us because like it is the first time in our lifetime. We are not young people anymore. So for our kids, it'll hopefully be the first of you know many for them. But this was incredible. So thank you.
Robyn:
No problem. Just try to split it up. One person is in charge of Genie, and one person is in charge of navigating. I find that that helps. And because you're not as used to the park, you know where you normally at home, you might book Genie plus as you're walking. I would recommend that you stop because sometimes it's easy for you to not realize, like in Fantasyland, there's a lot of characters that might roam around a lot more than would be at Disney World and you could be booking Genie plus and look up, and your kids have met Jasmine, and you just missed it.
Danielle:
Right. Okay, so also, sorry for Genie plus. So if we get it and our friends get it, we can link all that together, right?
Robyn:
Yes. So you're gonna link all of your tickets together, one person can book all of them. So I usually recommend that you kind of like pick like a genie general. And that person is in charge of the order in the booking. And that kind of deciding what rides to go to as much as possible. And then mobile order earlier, especially for dinner. And a lot of the dining locations close around 9:00.
Danielle:
Yeah, we're early people. So well, I got Well, I mean, the time change, I don't know so many things to deal with.
Robyn:
So it'll be easier for you to get an early start, because you’ll be coming.
Danielle:
Yes. We’ll be awake.
Robyn:
Yeah, then just make sure you take a nap because.
Danielle:
Yes.
Robyn:
It’s easy to feel like we're not going to get at all if we don't take a nap. But then you end up being done at eight o'clock.
Danielle:
Right.
Robyn:
So it’s kind of backwards.
Danielle:
I got it, I got it. Awesome.
Robyn:
Well, thank you so much. You know, when we got to go to Disney World together. I had so much fun. I hope you have that much fun or more when you go to Disneyland.
Danielle:
Thank you. I think we're gonna have an amazing time.
Robyn:
Well, thanks for coming on to the show.
Danielle:
Thank you, take care.
Jeff:
Thank you!
Outro
Thanks for listening to this episode of the park Magic podcast. For more tips and planning tools designed to help simplify your Disneyland adventure visit ParkMagic.com. If you enjoyed today's episode and want to hear more tips, be sure to subscribe to the ParkMagic podcast. And don't forget to leave us a review. Your feedback helps us spread the magic even further. Leaving a review could also help you. Each month we will be selecting one reviewer to win a one hour planning session with Robyn. Winners will be announced at the end of the first episode of every month. Thanks for tuning in. And remember that we are here to help you have a less stressful and more magical trip to Disneyland.
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