[Chat] Disneyland visit traditions and or rituals you have.

[Sorcerer's Apprentice]

We have established a tradition of doing IJA adventure first, and usually SM second. One reason we have continued to support it is it really "wakes us up"! Then we can do SplM and POTC while our adrenaline is still in force, then are in the groove. We also tend to end the day with IASW and POTC because they are fairly relaxing rides. Any of the FL dark rides work well for encore rides as well.

What traditions do you have?

[Werner]

Re: Disneyland visit traditions and or rituals you have.

Back in the 1970s and 80s, I had a tradition with my grandmother (and great aunt and uncle) of going to the Carnation ice cream parlor and getting hot fudge sundaes -- at exactly 3:00pm. Still try to abide by that tradition whenever I'm at the Park.

[monster heck]

Re: Disneyland visit traditions and or rituals you have.

We always start the day by eating at the park. We have breakfast at NOS. I love the smell of the morning air. The only thing I don't like is when the CM looks at me funny because I order a lot of food for one person.

[Quacky4Donald]

Re: Disneyland visit traditions and or rituals you have.

My partner and I always have to ride in row 6 of Pirates of the Caribbean. It's the most romantic spot in the boat, in our opinion. :-)

[4th Gen Disney Fan]

Re: Disneyland visit traditions and or rituals you have.

We always do a rotation through Fantasyland right after rope drop. We go on Peter Pan, Mr. Toad, Snow White, and Pinocchio. In that order.

[Quarar44]

Re: Disneyland visit traditions and or rituals you have.

Really the only tradition I have is that some time during the day I have to get on Space Mountain. It's not something I do every time I go to Disneyland but if I go on the DLRR I always ask for a tender ride on the E.P. Ripley (No. 2), and if I can't get on the tender I'll go on the train that it's pulling. Oh and I always ask to sit in the front of every ride except BTMRR where I ask to sit in row 13, even if it's Splash in the middle of January at 11 at night!

[Stormy]

Re: Disneyland visit traditions and or rituals you have.

Enter through the left tunnel, walk down Main St. Cross the hub to make a wish and toss a coin in Snow White's wishing well first thing, then to the Matterhorn.

[calsig31]

Re: Disneyland visit traditions and or rituals you have.

I always have a rootbeer float with my oldest son. Either from the Golden Horseshoe, or Gibson Girl.

[bayouguy]

Re: Disneyland visit traditions and or rituals you have.

My daughter has started a tradition of asking "Are we there yet?" as soon as we get on the I-5 Freeway. Once at Disneyland though, we're somewhat tradition-less.

[Maleficent4811]

Always enter through the right tunnel and exit through the left.

Always have a Gibson girl cone first thing on the first day. Even if that means ice cream for breakfast. And I sit on the curb outside so I can smell mainstreet and enjoy my cone at the same time.

Dole whips while in the tiki room.

One full circle on the DLRR each day we are at the park.

Mint julips while we take a relaxing cruise on the Mark Twain.



Hmmmm I think that's it. Can you tell we are creatures of habit. Lol

[madgei]

Re: Disneyland visit traditions and or rituals you have.

Somewhat of a tradition, but I always go through Fantasyland first. If I had it my way, (no kids with us) I'd go on either the Matterhorn or Splash mountain first. Just to wake me up! I'm hoping this time around I can convince the group to go on something more exciting to start us off from our 17 hour road trip!

[yeahitsfine]

Re: Disneyland visit traditions and or rituals you have.

getting my fortune told by esmeralda! best souvenir.

[Tamiele]

Re: Disneyland visit traditions and or rituals you have.

Since we only get to the park once a year (for a couple of days at that time) I always buy a Christmas Tree ornament with the current year on it. Also, we generally always finish our Disney day and Disney trip with a final POTC. This one is a family favorite.

[silentcmh]

Re: Disneyland visit traditions and or rituals you have.

Similar to OP, I go grab a IJA Fastpass then head to Splash Mtn first. It's my favorite ride and the drop gets the blood flowing bright and early! It's also nice to ride it before the lines get crazy.

[phantasmic]

Re: Disneyland visit traditions and or rituals you have.

back in the 80s/90s, I used to always do Tomorrowland first, starting with Star Tours

once Indiana Jones opened, all that went out the window... I now almost always go

Indy
Jungle Cruise
Splash Mountain
Pirates
Haunted Mansion
then the rest of the day figures itself out

[DARTH MAUL]

Re: Disneyland visit traditions and or rituals you have.

I never enter the park without going under one of the bridges under the train station.

[Sheriff Lightyear]

Re: Disneyland visit traditions and or rituals you have.

I noticed that I always greet the characters along Main Street while passing through for the first time during our trips.

[orbitalpunk]

Re: Disneyland visit traditions and or rituals you have.

1. Enter thru Opera House side
2. Ride Pirates
3. End the night drinking homemade coco that I brought with me next to Castle
4. Exit thru Opera House side

[Stormy]

Re: Disneyland visit traditions and or rituals you have.

Oh NO, Queen Bee! You're entering and exiting the WRONG WAY. Don't ya know it's 'left in, right out'? LOL LOL. I didn't think about anyone else having an 'entry protocol' besides me. HAHA

[JMazz]

Re: Disneyland visit traditions and or rituals you have.

Matterhorn was my first thempark ride ever, and since my grandfather took me on it the first time back when I was five, it has always been my first ride of the day on my annual/semi-annual trips.

I always enter the east tunnel and exit the west tunnel.

As for the other grandfather-esque tradition, it involves the story of my signature that several ppl have asked about in the past few months since joining MC.

Here is the story:
Fellow MCer asks, "What is with your signature? Is this true? It is a bit vague..."

My standard response,
Yep!
It is my only connection with Walt Disney (well, aside from the parks!)

Back in the day, as you already know, Walt used to walk the park very very much. My grandfather was there one day alone on his first DL trip and there were many ppl around Walt. Lots of ppl asking for autographs and lots of questions about movies and compliments about Disneyland.

In the middle of it all, Walt pulled out his handkerchief and sneezed! My grandfather said "bless you!" He mentioned something about being allergic to orange trees (everyone laughed at this), and he thanked my grandfather and the buzzing around Walt continued with all the guests. Because of the crowd and the fact it was getting bigger by the minute, my grandfather just meandered away to explore the rest of the park (there is another version of this family story where he gets Walt's autograph, but it has never surfaced - I tend to think my grandfather wouldn't have asked, just like me, he isn't much of an autograph hound)...

My grandfather was in SoCal for business. He decided to bring my dad along the next year (or two years) later... but they didn't have any sightings of Walt on any other trip.

FFWD from the late 50s to the late 70s... It became a tradition when I was a kid to tell the story on the way to DL in the car in the 70s & 80s. When we arrived at the park and when departing, all of us would say "bless you!" to the candle in the window above the firehouse at the end of our day at the happiest place on earth! As the years roll on, the tradition changes ever so slightly ("Gesundheit", "those dang orange blossoms" - a paraphrase my brother came up with)... either way, it is a tradition to say it at least once per visit. I am a bit of a purist in this regard. I even tell the story on the way to DL in the car now as an adult. I know many ppl would think this is sweet if even a bit sappy, that is until they realize that I am sometimes driving alone! LOL!