I Love...Disneyland! Take Two {Bonus Day!}

I decided to add a bonus day to my original five day line up to showcase a few of the fun, extra things we've gotten to enjoy at the park in the last few years.

The Lilly Belle

 This chair came from the Queen Mary (and Josh got to sit on it during our ride!)

For those that aren't aware, The Lilly Belle is a super fancy train car that is pulled as the caboose on one of the trains that runs each day. The original plan for this car was to be a place for Walt and his wife to entertain special guests in the parks. Unfortunately this train car did not happen before Walt passed away, but his wife made sure it happened. Some of the furniture purchased for the train car came from the Queen Mary! If you would like to ride in it, there are a few tips I can give you. Arrive at Disneyland before it opens so you can be one of the first ones through the gate. Immediately head to the Main Street train station and find the attendant there that will be able to take your reservation for the train car. They only allow a maximum of 12 people in the Lilly Belle at a time and they usually only allow guests to ride in it a maximum of 3 times in one day (a caveat for being able to ride this is that they do not allow guests in it if it is above 80 degrees outside, as there is no air conditioning or open windows and it gets incredibly hot in there). If you are so lucky to be picked to ride, they will give you your very own keepsake train ticket. You get one ride all the way around the park and then it is over. Be sure to arrive before your departure time as they unload and load the train in less than 2 minutes at each stop and have to get everyone on in that time frame. You are allowed to take as many pictures as you want and the conductor that rides with your group will also take a picture of your group whenever the train is stopped at a station.

Side note: due to the construction of Star Wars Land, the Disneyland Railroad is not currently running, as they have to move the tracks for the construction. On our last trip, they had a train parked at Main Street station with the Lilly Belle attached to it. They weren't allowing guests inside, but they did take pictures of people outside and even on the steps. They will however allow you to take pictures through the windows.

Carthay Circle Tour

This is a free tour that is offered every morning. You just have to be waiting outside the restaurant a few minutes before it starts (when we did it, I believe the tour started at 10:45am). It's really awesome if you like learning the history of buildings and if you love Disney history. They take you through the restaurant and point out facts about the original Carthay Circle Theater that the restaurant is a replica of, as well as details about Disney's first animated feature that premiered there: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. It's beautiful inside, so if you've never enjoyed a meal there, I highly recommend taking the tour to see the details put into the decor of the building.

Walk in Walt's Disneyland Footsteps Tour

Josh and I first took this tour in September 2013. It was our first year with annual passes and I had read that we could get a 20% discount on any of the tours Disneyland offers. Some of our friends had done this tour and I looked up info on it online and decided this was the one for us. It takes about 3-4 hours from start to finish and includes a delicious lunch at the Jolly Holiday Inn. The tour guide takes you throughout the park and points out details of the park that Walt had a part in. They also play audio of Walt talking about various attractions and plans for the park. Again, if you love history about all things Disney, you must take this tour. You also get to experience a couple of attractions, as well as experience some behind the scenes parts of the park that you can only see on this tour (or if you happen to win different contests or are a VIP). We took this tour again this past February. And while we experienced the same tour (as far as information is concerned), we experienced different attractions and behind the scenes spots. On our first tour, we rode the Disneyland Railroad from New Orleans Square to Tomorrowland, Peter Pan's Flight (which was awesome because we didn't have to wait in the huge line) and Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln. We were taken into the old lobby of Club 33, as well as Walt's apartment (located above the firehouse on Main Street). On our second tour, we rode The Haunted Mansion and tried to ride Alice in Wonderland, but it ended up breaking down on us and we got stuck for 20 minutes (they did give us a fastpass that we could use that day on the ride of our choice since we didn't get to ride Alice). We were also taken into the Dream Suite, which is located above Pirates of the Caribbean. They were refurbishing Walt's apartment, so it was not a part of the tour at this time. Also, because they changed the way you enter Club 33 when they did the recent remodel, the tour is no longer able to take guests into the lobby. I must say that I loved Walt's apartment and the Dream Suite equally. It was awesome to be able to go into the apartment that Walt and his family spent time in and slept in on occasion. It can only be visited on this tour or if you're a VIP. And the Dream Suite, though originally designed to be a bigger apartment for Walt and his family, is also awesome. It has only been in the park for about 11 years, as they opened it for the 50th anniversary, and they gave away free stays to random park guests. It has a lot of the original designs that Walt wanted to incorporate into the design and can only be visited on this tour or if you win a contest. I highly recommend this tour to anyone, though I will say that it is a lot of walking, so be prepared for that if you take your kiddos with you.

Club 33

I am not allowed to say how we were able to dine here, but I can say that it was one of those things that we never expected to happen. It was on our Disney bucket list, but we really didn't think we would ever be so lucky to eat there. Because of the exclusivity of the club, and the fact that they changed the rules on guests when they did the recent remodel, we only found out 3 days before our trip last year that we were able to go! We had the best time. Not only were we treated like royalty, we enjoyed a delicious 4-course lunch. We took pictures of everything we were able to see, as we weren't allowed in Le Salon Nouveau (you can only get in there if you are or are with a member of the club. If you want to see what that part looks like, check out this detailed review of  the club). We enjoyed the beautiful Le Grand Salon and our views from the balconies just outside. Lunch took a little under 3 hours and I hear dinner is closer to 5. It's not meant to be a fast dining experience but one to enjoy slowly. While I still think it's crazy that members pay tens of thousands of dollars a year to be a part of this club (and yet still have to pay for their meals on top of that), it really was a lot of fun to be able to eat there once.

And that officially concludes my updated I Love...Disneyland! mini series! I hope you enjoyed the ride.

I Love...Disneyland! Take Two {Part 5}

Today I'm continuing my mini series on the things I love about Disneyland.

TIMES I'M MOST HAPPY AT DISNEYLAND

Problem is, I'm usually always really happy there! But there are certain places and things that make it extra special.

Disneyland Railroad

I'm going to talk specifically about the Lilly Belle in another post*, but in general, I love the Disneyland Railroad. It's perfect to hitch a ride on it when your feet are hurting and you just need a break. We often ride it more than once a day, for the relaxation as well as to save us from walking to another land. I also really love the dioramas of the Grand Canyon and Primeval World that you see on the journey from Tomorrowland to Main Street station. It makes me really happy to board that train and set myself up to relax for a few minutes.

Side note: Because of the Star Wars Land construction, the train is currently not running (as of publish date). On our last trip, to try and ease the pain of certain attractions being closed, they had some pretty cool experiences available. At the New Orleans station, they had a train parked at the station that you could get up close and personal with...and they let us cross over to the other side of the tracks to take pictures on the former New Orleans train station building! It was a really fun experience and I recommend checking it out before the train reopens sometime in mid-2017.

Christmastime

So we have officially experienced Disneyland during Christmastime four times now (two of those trips were within the same week)! Considering it's my favorite holiday and time of the year, being in Disneyland (my happy place) while it's decorated for Christmas is truly magical. The Christmas decorations have definitely evolved a little since the first trip we took in 2006 but they are still beautiful. This past year had fewer Christmas decorations because of the 60th anniversary celebration but it was still so perfect. I love that they change a few of the rides to add Christmas themes to them (Haunted Mansion, It's a Small World and Jingle Cruise). And with the addition of Buena Vista Street and Cars Land in California Adventure, the Christmas cheer is even felt in that park. There are many different decorated trees in Cars Land to represent the "car" that decorated them. I just love it!

Enjoying the Park with Loved Ones

2015

2013

2014

2005

Josh and I have been on 7 anniversary trips, 2 trips with my whole family, 1 trip with my sister and brother-in-law, 1 trip with Josh's whole family, 1 trip with part of Josh's family and a few friends, 4 trips with friends, and 6 trips by ourselves that were at different times throughout the year. Although we love going by ourselves because we can do our own thing, we also love sharing the park with people who also share our love for it. It was also super fun for us to go with our nieces and to see their faces as they experienced different things in the parks (our nephew wasn't born when we went on our family trip). It makes me happy to share my love of Disney with others and I'm so glad my husband and I both love Disneyland so much!

And that concludes my mini-series...except *I have one more bonus post to share tomorrow! If you missed the series, you can read the first four posts here, here, here and here.

I Love...Disneyland! Take Two {Part 4}

I'm continuing my mini series on the things I love about Disneyland.

Today I'm gonna talk about our:

FAVORITE SHOWS TO SEE AT THE PARKS

Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln

When I was little, after the first or second trip my family took to Disneyland, I would imagine this smell. I knew it was in Disneyland and I knew when I smelled it again, I would be in the park and would smile. The next time we went back, I tried to find that smell. And I found it! In the lobby of Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln. I'm guessing it must have been the paint or something they used in there but every time I entered that building and took a good sniff, I knew I was in Disneyland and I'd smile. I'm guessing they changed something in the past few years because I no longer smell that smell in that building anymore, but I still love this attraction. Abraham Lincoln is my favorite president and I love everything about this show in honor of him.

It's Tough to Be a Bug

I think this show is super fun. You get to be an "honorary bug" and they give you bug glasses to fit the part (they also give you the glasses because the show is in 3D). If you like A Bug's Life, you will love this show (and if you've never done it before, there are some really fun surprises waiting for you!). They have used this theater more recently to show previews for upcoming Disney movies so it isn't always open. But when it is, it's definitely worth a watch!

World of Color

This is one of my most favorite shows in the parks. Set on the waters of Paradise Pier, this show uses water, lights and projections to showcase beloved scenes from Disney movies. The current show, World of Color Celebrate, highlights 60 years of Disneyland and is hosted by Neil Patrick Harris. The ride sequences aren't my favorite, as they don't actually show a lot of actual footage from the rides, but it's still a great show. I highly recommend it if you've never seen it. And a little tip: if you stand right up against the fence, you will get wet!

Paint the Night Parade

This is new for the 60th anniversary. Taking its inspiration from Disney's Main Street Electrical Parade from the 80s and 90s (it can still be seen in Disney World, as of publish date), this nighttime parade dazzles with tons of amazingly lit up parade floats. I loved the Electrical Parade as a kid, but this parade is just so much fun. We have seen it at least five times now and it never gets old.

Fireworks

I have always been a huge fan of fireworks. My parents like to tell the story of my first baseball game (when I was six months old) that happened to be on the 4th of July. They were worried I would be scared of the loud booms, but instead I clapped and laughed. I still love the loud booms. The bigger, the better. Disneyland's current fireworks show is in celebration of the 60th anniversary. The fireworks show they played before was the one they created for the 50th anniversary of the park. It was my favorite...until I saw the current one. It's awesome! They project images on the castle, the Matterhorn, It's a Small World and on the buildings of Main Street. Because of the unique nature of this show, you get a different experience in each place you stand. We have seen the show in front of the castle, in front of the Matterhorn and in the middle of Main Street, and each time was definitely a different experience. The songs they created for the show are also great and the finale part makes me cry every time I watch it.

Stay tuned for more Disneyland info tomorrow! And if you've missed any of the first three posts, click here, here and here.