[Question] 1st Trip to DL in awhile!! Got a few Questions!

[mattthemickeyman]

Ok guys, Im super excited I'll be heading back to Disneyland in just 6 days! I had a couple questions though so I'm fully prepared!

First off...FastPass... At WDW I think we all know by now you have to return within your window of time, does Disneyland enforce this now or are we still free to return anytime after the window?

2nd... Glow with the show ears. Are they worth buying? Still unsure how they work, can you buy one pair and have them work with both WOC and Fantasmic? or one pair for each show?

3rd... Choo Choo Train! At WDW guests aren't allowed to ride up in the cab... do they allow this at DL? And the presidential car... can you ride in that too by just simply asking or is there more to it?

4th... Carsland! Any easy way to approach this area? I'm assuming its probably best to try and do it when it first opens but are the crowds beginning to die down... or is it still pretty packed?

I think thats it for now guys! Thanks so much for all your help!

[SparkChaser]

Re: 1st Trip to DL in awhile!! Got a few Questions!

Alright I'll answer as best I can.

1. I don't know if they are enforcing it yet but at least in my nature I would try to get to you desired attraction within the allotted time.

2. I believe its one pair for one show. It must be that one set is programmed for one show and that show only. As asking if you should buy it? I would buy them once and if I return I would personally pass.

3. On the DLRR they don't let you ride in the cab per se they have seats in the tenders and if you ask a conductor or anyone at the depots they might let you. The same goes the Lilly Belle heck if you have time I would also try the caboose on the Holiday Red (formerly the Express Freight).

4. I might be wrong but I say you GOTTA get there early I mean be as early in the line at the entrance but I'm not sure where they moved FP.

Overall just remember to take your time and just plain have fun. When your tired drink plenty of water and soak in the atmospheres of the original park made the by man who without him you would not be riding the WDW Limited.

See ya walkin' right down the middle of o'l Main Street USA

[swampymarsh]

Re: 1st Trip to DL in awhile!! Got a few Questions!

First off...FastPass... At WDW I think we all know by now you have to return within your window of time, does Disneyland enforce this now or are we still free to return anytime after the window?

Not enforced. Also know, Roger Rabbit, California Screamin and WoC which uses the FP system are not connected. Nor is DL connected to DCA. So you can get for example a RR, CS, WoC, and another FP all within the same minute. Another tip is you can get a second FP when the return window opens for the first or 2 hours later, whichever comes sooner.

2nd... Glow with the show ears. Are they worth buying? Still unsure how they work, can you buy one pair and have them work with both WOC and Fantasmic? or one pair for each show?

They work depending on where you area, some other areas besides the shows. So you only need one pair per person, forever.

3rd... Choo Choo Train! At WDW guests aren't allowed to ride up in the cab... do they allow this at DL? And the presidential car... can you ride in that too by just simply asking or is there more to it?

Just to add to the other answer you can also sit in the nose and tail of the Monorail. Also for the Lilly Belle ask in the morning the sooner the better. Ask the CM in the station for the Lilly Belle or tender rides.

4th... Carsland! Any easy way to approach this area? I'm assuming its probably best to try and do it when it first opens but are the crowds beginning to die down... or is it still pretty packed?

It's pretty packed, at least RSR and often LFT. MJJ has shorter lines. For RSR get a FP right way they last about 90-120 minutes. The line is formed during rope drop(each park has rope drop upto 30 minutes before park oepning. The line goes from Carthay Theatre back into Hollywood Land. Once the park opens at regular time the FP line even if you are getting way at the end only takes about 15 minutes until you get your FP.

The FP is distributed from the old Bug's Life kiosks.

[matman730]

Re: 1st Trip to DL in awhile!! Got a few Questions!

Ok guys, Im super excited I'll be heading back to Disneyland in just 6 days! I had a couple questions though so I'm fully prepared!

First off...FastPass... At WDW I think we all know by now you have to return within your window of time, does Disneyland enforce this now or are we still free to return anytime after the window?

For many years, they did not enforce the Fastpass return times. However, according to Al Lutz's latest update, they're going to start enforcing return times by Thanksgiving.

2nd... Glow with the show ears. Are they worth buying? Still unsure how they work, can you buy one pair and have them work with both WOC and Fantasmic? or one pair for each show?

When we went to WOC, in September, we didn't notice a lot of people with glow ears. I think the $25 price tag has put a lot of people off, which is too bad, because the effect is much better when the majority of people are wearing them. If you do decide to buy them, you'll be glad to know that one pair of ears works with all enabled shows.

3rd... Choo Choo Train! At WDW guests aren't allowed to ride up in the cab... do they allow this at DL? And the presidential car... can you ride in that too by just simply asking or is there more to it?

You can ride on the tender or in the Lily Belle car if you ask very nicely at Main Street station. Not all trains have seats on the tender, and they don't always bring out the Lily Belle, so don't be surprised if they say no. If you're lucky enough to get a ride, you have to stay on for the full circuit, because Main Street is the only station where you can safely get on and off.

4th... Carsland! Any easy way to approach this area? I'm assuming its probably best to try and do it when it first opens but are the crowds beginning to die down... or is it still pretty packed?

When we were there in September it was still pretty crowded. There's only two entrances to Cars Land, and I'm not sure if either one is easier, crowd wise. The rear entrance through Pacific Wharf is definitely more spectacular. You should head for RSR first thing, ride it, then get in line for Fastpasses if you want to ride later in the day. The Fastpass machines are outside the main entrance to Cars Land, opposite the Blue Sky Cellar.

[Bongo]

Re: 1st Trip to DL in awhile!! Got a few Questions!

1 - I don't know about you, but I always go within the window of time and not a second too late. Just do that so you're sure.

2 - Good souvenir if you're into it. Personally, I won't buy them because they won't have much use for me outside of the Disneyland Resort, but it's your choice. Depends if you're going to see Glow with the Show, because last time I went, not many people wore their hats, so it was not as impressive as the preview videos

3 - At WDW they aren't able to ride the cab!? That's like...something we take for granted here in Disneyland. I made so many friends on the railroad through them. Okay, here's how it happens.

It's called a tender ride at Disneyland. Engines No. 1 the C.K. Holliday (Red and Steel Blue color), Engine No. 2 the E.P. Ripley (Dark Green color), and Engine No. 4 the Ernest S. Marsh (Red color with squished tender) have special seats in the back for 1 guest or 2 children to sit. It gets rather tight once 2 adults get into the same seat. If you didn't know No. 1 and No. 2 were the two original trains of Disneyland and always had seats in the back. If I recall correctly, they were for Walt's children whenever he drove the trains. No. 4 had its seat installed recently. It was in the roundhouse getting its seat installed and was recently put out on September 7th.

Anyways, here's what you want to do. If you want a tender ride, you go up to the Main Street Station and ask one of the conductors for a tender ride. They will then check in with the other crewmembers to see if a tender ride is available. Tender rides will not be given out if:

- 4 trains are running at once
- The weather is too hot
- Trains are receiving a blowdown/refilling water/fuel

You then have a choice to sit on a bench and wait it out or just come back at a later date. Specifically when you enter the station and turn right, there's a bench situated under a bunch of black and white photographs of Walt Disney and his backyard railroad. There you will be instructed to wait. Wait for what now? Well you see the tender rides at Disneyland can be a bit of a hit and miss. Because they have to ask the engines with a tender ride seats if it's okay, and that only happens at Main Street Station since the engineers don't have any ways of communicating with the outside world other than whistles. When a tender ride engine arrives a conductor will go up to the engine and see if they are doing any of the above three. If they are, you'll have to wait 20 minutes for a round trip and see if they come back. Once they give the okay, however, you'll be able to ride.

As an annual passholder, the shortest it's taken me to get a tender ride was under 20 minutes, while the longest was 3 hours (Yes, I waited for 3 hours). Let me tell you they will not save seats for the tender rides. You will have to stay on the bench to keep your spot. I go to the parks alone, so I have no choice but to stay there. Trust me, the reasons why I waited was because of various reasons; I had to use the restroom, I had to get some popcorn/soda to eat/drink because I was hungry/thirsty. In that small amount of time, people went in and took the spot. So if you are going with friends, leave one at the bench while you use the restroom or eat popcorn or drink from a fountain. But do hurry, because your train could arrive when you leave. Here's a great great GREAT tip I learned from that 3 hour waiting experience. Remember the name of the conductor you spoke to because they circulate on and off the train. So by the time your train arrives your conductor may be on a different train all the way up in Toontown. Remembering and telling the name will make your life a whole lot easier.

Also be sure to bring the following when waiting for a tender ride:

- Some entertainment, whether it be a book, an iPod, a phone, or even a song in your head, bring it. You may have to wait an hour or more depending on the situation for your tender ride to be available.
- Easy to dispose/mobile food. By that I mean food that you are willing to throw away at a moments notice or food that is in a zip-lock bag or some easy to close container. You may get hungry while you wait. Like I said, if you have partners that are coming with you, leave them and go grab either popcorn or a churro. They are the closest carts to Main Street Station.
- Something to drink, whether it be water or soda or anything. You can get thirsty in their if the weather is warm (Which it can sometimes be even in the winter). If you ahve partners, go get a drink from the carts or fountains. There are 4 I believe near the station; two at the restrooms located at opposite ends of the hub and 2 on that inner platform thing with the flag pole on the hub of Main Street.
- A camera, a phone, or even a small handheld notepad and pencil. You can ask them anything you want and they can answer it to the best of their ability. I asked them the usual stuff like what they use as fuel to why they need a blowdown, but when I started to know them better, I started asking regular stuff like how's life, family, etc. You can ask them anything you want and you will want to record it because, hey, you can look back and say that you remember the experience.

For more information on tender rides, take a look at this article right here, which details a few more things that I have not mentioned:
Disneyland Railroad Tender Car - TouringPlans.com Blog | TouringPlans.com Blog

PS: And if you can, ask how Big Joe and Al are. They're well known relief engineers on the railroad. In fast, they are the ones in the last picture in said link. They are a TON of fun to be around, and it just seems like anybody who loves the railroad knows about Big Joe and Al. I would post a story signifying that, but it would just make my post seem a bit more busy than it needs to be. Just have a link:

http://micechat.com/forums/disneylan...-9-7-12-a.html

third big paragraph down.

Now, as for the presidential car named the Lilly Belle. Rides on the Lilly Belle are not like tender rides. You cannot ask at Main Street Station and wait, even if all day. They won't give it to you. You have to reserve a spot on the Lilly Belle, and they only allow 15 people at most in the car, so it's best if it's the first thing you do when you enter the park I don't want to spoil too much for you, but I will give you some very very very very VERY important tips.

- Arrive in the park BEFORE opening it opens officially. At least 30 minutes. The Main Street Station won't be open by then, but when the park officially opens you are very likely to get seats without it clashing with others.
- While in the car, ask for a ticket and a hole punch
- Also in the car, check out the sign in booklet (And even sign in yourself) and picture books

Seats are a free for all so you can sit wherever you want. There are 2 seats that always stand out to me, however. When you enter, the lone chair in the middle of the car to the left facing a wall with flowers is where, I believe, Walt Disney and Johnny Depp sat. And the fainting couch in the far right hand side is supposedly haunted by two old gentlemen. OOoooOoooOoOoOoOoo

Now here's a very important thing to remember. Each trip varies between the conductor taking you into the Lilly Belle. Some are very well informed and have a well practiced speech that lasts the entire duration of the ride, some know facts here and there and just spurt them out, while some just hang around and chat with guests leaving you to just look. So I reccommend after your trip and you go back to your hotel room or wherever your staying that has internet, look up facts that your conductor didn't tell you.

For the basics, check out this website:

Lilly Belle Presidential Train Car


4 - Carsland will ALWAYS be packed no matter what. People will always rush to Carsland's Radiator Springs Racers. For the biggest impact, just walk through the front entrance. That's going through Buena Vista Street, past the Carthay Circle Theater Restaurant and towards the pier. You can't miss it. Also, Fast passes...they run out very quickly. If you are going alone, that's a major perk for you. The single riders line is very short (30 minutes probably) compared to the normal line (120+ minutes). If you are solo or don't mind splitting from your group, always take Single Riders.

Also, if the ride breaks down (Which it does a lot) You have the choice to either stay or go somewhere else. Why do I say that? Because I must be blessed. Every time I go the ride broke down again and they hold back the line for more than an hour or so. But when I arrive, it only take 10 to 15 minutes to get the ride back up and running again. So it's your decision if you want to gamble waiting that long. I suggest that during the night so you're not stuck out in the hot sun. Also if you're eating at Flo's V8 and you can't stand the smell of rubber, don't eat inside. The inside smell like rubber. OH! And one more thing. If you exit Carsland the same way you went through like I said, just walk across the street to the Blue Sky Cellar. I'm not sure if they changed it out already or not, but they got a lot of fake props and even a movie describing each and every character's backstory, as well as the town's.

Blue Sky Cellar | Attractions | Disney California Adventure Park

0 - You do have the best job in the world! A job that I am trying to shoot for but unfortunately, I don't think it will pay my bills well enough compared to other jobs I have found.

Too much information? Well, have a few past posts where I posted other information about the park.

http://micechat.com/forums/disneylan...post1056791241

http://micechat.com/forums/disneylan...post1056792417

There are a few other things I haven't mentioned, such as Indiana Jones being down for a huge refurb, riding the Red Car Trolley, eating at Carthay Circle Theater, riding the monorail, the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage, etc. If you have any other questions, feel free to ask! I'm sure other Micechatters, as well as myself, would be very glad to answer them.

Have a FANTASTIC trip to Disneyland!

Cheers!

EDIT: Wow...how much did I write O_o I didn't even notice I wrote so much.

[DisneyChrisDotCom]

Re: 1st Trip to DL in awhile!! Got a few Questions!

If you stub your toe "wink wink" they may let you ride with the conductor to make you happy... Just kidding. Or am I?????