[Intrepid Homoludens]

Originally Posted by tabacco

If you ever want tips on visiting Disneyland, let me know

Evidently there's more than one way to tip.

[tabacco]

Originally Posted by SerialFreak

Thanks, That would be cool. Are there any general things a visitor should know?

Well, firstly, you're going to be at Disneyland on my birthday

Well, one big thing you're going to want to realize is that both Space Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad are going to be closed. Space is down until '05 while it's rebuilt from the ground up (inside, anyway). Thunder is down because of the accident last year (Actually, the ride is theoretically ready to reopen now, but they've taken the opportunity to do a total refurbishment, so it should look brand new when it reopens in late March). On top of that, the Indiana Jones Adventure will be closed as well. Again, a huge refurbishment/restoration. So, not so great a time in terms of ride closures. On the other hand, it's one of the slowest times of the year, so wait times shouldn't be very long anywhere else.

Check out:
http://disneyland.disney.go.com/dlr/...submitted=true
for info on what's closed, plus showtimes (it's showing the 10 days following 2/16, but you can change that). I highly recommend seeing Fantasmic! (which I think runs Fri-Sun, twice nightly). It's an incredibly cool show. I also recommend seeing the Aladdin stage show if you're going over to California Adventure (sit front orchestra if you can, and front mez if not. There are effects overhead you'll want to see ). Also, make an effort to see Billy Hill and the Hillbillies in Frontierland. I know, it sounds stupid, but you have to try it. This should give you an idea

As for food, I'd suggest the Blue Bayou restaurant if you've got the money to spare for a nice lunch/dinner one day. apart from that, you're best off leaving the park for most meals. There aren't many places in the actual parks with good breakfast or lunch options, so you're way better off hitting either Downtown Disney (The Rainforest Cafe there has good breakfasts) or one of the restaurants on Harbor Blvd. (Except Dennys... they suck.)

Um... the only other things I can think of to suggest are to stay til closing if you can, because the lines only get shorter after dark.

[Intrepid Homoludens]

Originally Posted by tabacco

...the Indiana Jones Adventure will be closed as well

Yeah! That was one of funnest rides for me. It was particularly memorable the first time I rode, because there was that part at the end where an animatronic Indy stood there as you waited for your car to return to the dock, and he'd say: "That wasn't so bad, was it?" We ended up waiting longer than usual, and so I got to watch the mechanical Indy just standing there fidgeting and sweating and his motions indicating that he may throw up any second.

Oh, and do you remember the Aztec part of the ride? I won't spoil it for others, but it involved 'poisoned darts' .

[DustCropper]

Originally Posted by SerialFreak

I probably would have gone to Griffith Observatory because I've heard it has awesome views of the city although it's closed until 2005 I think. It would be cool to get a good view of the city so we might go to the museum. I didn't even know Knotts existed until it was pointed out to me. Disneyland should be cool just because it is world famous and Magic Mountain is suppose to have some awesome coasters. Universal Studios looks like it's going to be awesome. I checked the ticket website to see if we could watch a sitcom but they had already been sold out or had finished filming for the season. I think it would be cool to see Jay Leno though. Do any other locals have suggestions?

This vacation should be cool but university starts the day after I return to Australia.

Perhaps someone will give you tickets while you're strolling down Hollywood. That's what happened to us. I think with popular shows though, you need to get tickets waaaaaaaaaay in advance.

[remixor]

Originally Posted by Intrepid Homoludens

Oh, and do you remember the Aztec part of the ride? I won't spoil it for others, but it involved 'poisoned darts' .

Yeah, that was the one part of the ride that freaked me out the first time. It was really well done.

[D.C.]

Originally Posted by tabacco

Well, one big thing you're going to want to realize is that both Space Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad are going to be closed. Space is down until '05 while it's rebuilt from the ground up (inside, anyway). Thunder is down because of the accident last year (Actually, the ride is theoretically ready to reopen now, but they've taken the opportunity to do a total refurbishment, so it should look brand new when it reopens in late March). On top of that, the Indiana Jones Adventure will be closed as well. Again, a huge refurbishment/restoration. So, not so great a time in terms of ride closures. On the other hand, it's one of the slowest times of the year, so wait times shouldn't be very long anywhere else.

Yeah, I've been following the ride closures... I knew about Space Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad when we booked the trip but when they released the information that Indy would be closed I was kind of pissed. As long as no other rides close between now and then it shouldn't be too bad at all. (I can always get my thrill ride fix from the other parks. )

Originally Posted by tabacco

Check out:
http://disneyland.disney.go.com/dlr/calendar/index?selectedDate=2/16/2004&Stay=10&DLP=DLP&DCA=DCA&DTD=DTD&submitted=tru e
for info on what's closed, plus showtimes (it's showing the 10 days following 2/16, but you can change that). I highly recommend seeing Fantasmic! (which I think runs Fri-Sun, twice nightly). It's an incredibly cool show. I also recommend seeing the Aladdin stage show if you're going over to California Adventure (sit front orchestra if you can, and front mez if not. There are effects overhead you'll want to see ). Also, make an effort to see Billy Hill and the Hillbillies in Frontierland. I know, it sounds stupid, but you have to try it. This should give you an idea

The picture doesn't look too promising. Ah... I forgot to mention California Adventure. (For some reason I associate it with Disneyland... probably because there next door.) I'll definately be going there as well.

Originally Posted by tabacco

As for food, I'd suggest the Blue Bayou restaurant if you've got the money to spare for a nice lunch/dinner one day. apart from that, you're best off leaving the park for most meals. There aren't many places in the actual parks with good breakfast or lunch options, so you're way better off hitting either Downtown Disney (The Rainforest Cafe there has good breakfasts) or one of the restaurants on Harbor Blvd. (Except Dennys... they suck.)

I've heard that Dennys is the best place for cheap food. I'll take you're word for it though. Probably won't eat in the park for breakfast.

Originally Posted by tabacco

Um... the only other things I can think of to suggest are to stay til closing if you can, because the lines only get shorter after dark.

That's the plan. Do all the rides stay open until closing time or do they close some? I think it'll be pretty cool to go on the same ride during the day as well as the night.

Thanks for the information. Happy birthday for whenever.

Originally Posted by DustCropper

Perhaps someone will give you tickets while you're strolling down Hollywood. That's what happened to us. I think with popular shows though, you need to get tickets waaaaaaaaaay in advance.

Sounds like a plan... I don't want to see some horrible U.S. sitcom that never makes it over to Australia because it's so bad though.

I've heard that Los Angeles and London are the most common places for Australians and other international visitors to be turned away from.

[tabacco]

Originally Posted by SerialFreak

Yeah, I've been following the ride closures... I knew about Space Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad when we booked the trip but when they released the information that Indy would be closed I was kind of pissed. As long as no other rides close between now and then it shouldn't be too bad at all. (I can always get my thrill ride fix from the other parks. )

It's the new park head. Unfortunately in order to fix the years of neglect that took place under the previous head of parks, all these super-long refurbs start to become neccesary.

Originally Posted by SerialFreak

The picture doesn't look too promising. Ah... I forgot to mention California Adventure. (For some reason I associate it with Disneyland... probably because there next door.) I'll definately be going there as well.

Ah, cool. Do ride California Screamin'. It's a great coaster. Also, if you're a fan, I highly recommend MuppetVision 3d. The Muppets rule

Originally Posted by SerialFreak

I've heard that Dennys is the best place for cheap food. I'll take you're word for it though. Probably won't eat in the park for breakfast.

They are cheap, yes, but the quality is awful. There are a couple of other restaurants right near it that are much better, even if they cost a bit more. There's a Mimi's right nearby, which is another chain restaurant, but which has muffins you might very likely become seriously addicted to

Originally Posted by SerialFreak

That's the plan. Do all the rides stay open until closing time or do they close some? I think it'll be pretty cool to go on the same ride during the day as well as the night.

Attractions are all open until closing. Queue entrances are closed off at closing, and whatever line is left is finished off before the ride shuts down. I firmly believe that the Jungle Cruise is far better in the dark (partly, I suspect, because the managers have gone home and the CMs can break out the good (or at least better) jokes). If it's running that late, the Mark Twain Riverboat is pretty cool at night, too. It's not exactly an exciting ride, but at night it seriously feels like you're in the middle of nowhere once you hit the back stretch of the river.

Oh... and attractions may be open til closing, but restaurants aren't. Most of the park's restaurants close a good couple of hours before park closing.

Er... speaking of restaurants, I just remembered... The Storyteller's Cafe at the Grand Californian Hotel has great breakfasts too. So does the Carnation Cafe on Main Street.

[D.C.]

Originally Posted by tabacco

It's the new park head. Unfortunately in order to fix the years of neglect that took place under the previous head of parks, all these super-long refurbs start to become neccesary.

The Big Thunder Mountain Railroad closure is understandable though. They need to prevent something like that from happening again as well as the fact that people probably wouldn't trust it if it opened after only a short time.

Originally Posted by tabacco

Ah, cool. Do ride California Screamin'. It's a great coaster. Also, if you're a fan, I highly recommend MuppetVision 3d. The Muppets rule

Yeah, I'll definately be going to go on California Screamin'. I liked that Muppets TV show that was on a few years ago... it's just a matter of convincing my sister.

Originally Posted by tabacco

Attractions are all open until closing. Queue entrances are closed off at closing, and whatever line is left is finished off before the ride shuts down. I firmly believe that the Jungle Cruise is far better in the dark (partly, I suspect, because the managers have gone home and the CMs can break out the good (or at least better) jokes). If it's running that late, the Mark Twain Riverboat is pretty cool at night, too. It's not exactly an exciting ride, but at night it seriously feels like you're in the middle of nowhere once you hit the back stretch of the river.

Sounds awesome.

When we're in the Anaheim area we'll be staying at the Howard Johnson hotel which is nearby I think. It would be cool to stay at one of the hotels in the resort but it's way too expensive for a couple of students.

[tabacco]

Originally Posted by SerialFreak

The Big Thunder Mountain Railroad closure is understandable though. They need to prevent something like that from happening again as well as the fact that people probably wouldn't trust it if it opened after only a short time.

That's true. In the end, though, the verdict was that the ride itself was just fine. A maintenence guy didn't tighten a bolt down all the way on one of the wheel assemblies, and that's what led to the accident. If you really want the details, go here for the official DOSH report.

Originally Posted by SerialFreak

Yeah, I'll definately be going to go on California Screamin'. I liked that Muppets TV show that was on a few years ago... it's just a matter of convincing my sister.

It shouldn't be too hard... there's never any line at all, so there's notmuch to object to . I do suggest, though, that you intentionally try to just miss a showing, because the preshow video in the staging area is every bit as funny as the attraction itself, and it's worth seeing the whole thing.

Originally Posted by SerialFreak

When we're in the Anaheim area we'll be staying at the Howard Johnson hotel which is nearby I think. It would be cool to stay at one of the hotels in the resort but it's way too expensive for a couple of students.

That's a nice hotel, actually. I stayed there once, years ago. It's close enough to the main gate that you can easily walk.

[D.C.]

Cool, thanks for the information. It's definately appreciated. Let's just hope that that the information I posted earlier about Australian visitors being turned away from Los Angeles and London is wrong.

[Wajus]

Why trust your earnings to people who don't even have the slightest idea about your tradition of tipping not to mention the taxing "nuances" that come along? This presumptuous system is sick...

Blatant ignoramuses from Old World won't save your economy when their only knowledge of american traditions comes from american movies... or their tour pilot while they pay more attention to the sights.

Originally Posted by remixor

(...)The US is the richest country.

Pay your debts first than we'll talk