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.
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