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Posted

Alright, first off I would recommend a split stay then which you may already be doing. Spend the DL days in Anaheim at Pixar Hotel but stay up in Burbank/Studio City for the Universal days. I highly recommend the Hilton across the street. You can walk under 10 minutes up a hill to the steps of Universal. It's great. You're also close to CityWalk for dining options. I wouldn't recommend going from Anaheim to Universal each day because that car trip sucks and you're looking at least an hour each way. Early entry at Universal is exactly how you need to do Super Mario Land. That place fills up quickly. Get him a power band that he can use in the land to interact with things. He'll love it. You can buy them at CityWalk or as you're entering the park. The Mario part is at the very bottom of the park but they have a shop right near the entrance where you can buy the band. You set it up on your phone which you can do as you walk down the multiple escalators. We found Universal to be a breeze. We didn't even get their version of Fastpass. The Harry Potter area is dead at night. Perfect time to ride things over and over. Get some butter beer. 

For DL, I recommend checking out this lady's posts. She can help you with a good plan for doing the parks with a 7 year old and in general her information is good. That's a pretty magical age to hit up Disneyland. My youngest was 6 at the time we first went and Frozen was all the rage. It was great. I think you're fine with 1 day each and no park hoppers. That's a lot to do with a little kid. Even though it's great weather, it can get hot really fast. I would bake in some breaks to go back and swim unless he's doing really well and wants to keep going. If you have the Genie+ add on, you're way ahead of the game there since it's a locals park and they don't need to pay extra for that service. This lady can help you go from ride to ride using it. Buy the one off Lightning Lanes for Radiator Racers and Rise of the Resistance. It is worth the extra money as both rides go down constantly and if that happens when your time is happening, you get an automatic return option. 

https://disneylanddaily.com/a-first-timers-guide-to-disneyland/

https://disneylanddaily.com/how-to-start-your-day-at-disneyland/#The_Disneyland_Strategy_for_Little_Kids_with_Lightning_Lane_Multi_Pass

https://disneylanddaily.com/how-to-start-your-day-at-california-adventure/

I would recommend trying to get a reservation at Trader Sam's for you and the wife. It's a cool spot to grab a drink and your kid will enjoy the interior because it's like the Tiki room. It's at the Disneyland Hotel which you'll be right next to. Maybe do it the night you check in. I believe you also will have a separate entrance to California Adventure from your hotel. I could be wrong on that. You'll also get early entry for certain parks on certain days. It's only 30 minutes so it's up to you if that can work. A lot of people I talk with about DL push back on this when I say it but the single best thing you can do at Disneyland is get there early. You can get so much in before the locals show up if you get there before it opens. A lot of rides are walk ons until about 10-11am. After 11, it can be pretty crowded. 

 

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Posted
4 minutes ago, mdmost said:

Alright, first off I would recommend a split stay then which you may already be doing. Spend the DL days in Anaheim at Pixar Hotel but stay up in Burbank/Studio City for the Universal days. I highly recommend the Hilton across the street. You can walk under 10 minutes up a hill to the steps of Universal. It's great. You're also close to CityWalk for dining options. I wouldn't recommend going from Anaheim to Universal each day because that car trip sucks and you're looking at least an hour each way. Early entry at Universal is exactly how you need to do Super Mario Land. That place fills up quickly. Get him a power band that he can use in the land to interact with things. He'll love it. You can buy them at CityWalk or as you're entering the park. The Mario part is at the very bottom of the park but they have a shop right near the entrance where you can buy the band. You set it up on your phone which you can do as you walk down the multiple escalators. We found Universal to be a breeze. We didn't even get their version of Fastpass. The Harry Potter area is dead at night. Perfect time to ride things over and over. Get some butter beer. 

For DL, I recommend checking out this lady's posts. She can help you with a good plan for doing the parks with a 7 year old and in general her information is good. That's a pretty magical age to hit up Disneyland. My youngest was 6 at the time we first went and Frozen was all the rage. It was great. I think you're fine with 1 day each and no park hoppers. That's a lot to do with a little kid. Even though it's great weather, it can get hot really fast. I would bake in some breaks to go back and swim unless he's doing really well and wants to keep going. If you have the Genie+ add on, you're way ahead of the game there since it's a locals park and they don't need to pay extra for that service. This lady can help you go from ride to ride using it. Buy the one off Lightning Lanes for Radiator Racers and Rise of the Resistance. It is worth the extra money as both rides go down constantly and if that happens when your time is happening, you get an automatic return option. 

https://disneylanddaily.com/a-first-timers-guide-to-disneyland/

https://disneylanddaily.com/how-to-start-your-day-at-disneyland/#The_Disneyland_Strategy_for_Little_Kids_with_Lightning_Lane_Multi_Pass

https://disneylanddaily.com/how-to-start-your-day-at-california-adventure/

I would recommend trying to get a reservation at Trader Sam's for you and the wife. It's a cool spot to grab a drink and your kid will enjoy the interior because it's like the Tiki room. It's at the Disneyland Hotel which you'll be right next to. Maybe do it the night you check in. I believe you also will have a separate entrance to California Adventure from your hotel. I could be wrong on that. You'll also get early entry for certain parks on certain days. It's only 30 minutes so it's up to you if that can work. A lot of people I talk with about DL push back on this when I say it but the single best thing you can do at Disneyland is get there early. You can get so much in before the locals show up if you get there before it opens. A lot of rides are walk ons until about 10-11am. After 11, it can be pretty crowded. 

 

You are correct, we're doing Anaheim for Disney, taking a day off to check out and get to LA and check in, and we are staying at the Studio City Hilton.

Thank you sir, I've pulled up those links and added them to my required reading list!

 

Posted (edited)
2 minutes ago, SydneyCarton said:

You are correct, we're doing Anaheim for Disney, taking a day off to check out and get to LA and check in, and we are staying at the Studio City Hilton.

Thank you sir, I've pulled up those links and added them to my required reading list!

 

Excellent. The pool is awesome at that place and you and the wife can get some frozen awesomes from the bar there while he swims. 

Edited by mdmost
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  • 3 weeks later...
Posted (edited)

I've seen some say to go up by It's a Small World for the first show because the parade starts up there and there's a lot more open space up by that. If you miss that one, you can always try for the 2nd show. They just reverse the order and it ends back at Small World. There's an area on the right side across from the Small World queue that has two levels so you can always try for up there. I think less people are up that way because they want to watch the fireworks in front of the castle. #5 in this one.

image.thumb.png.96cd176ec4e64423716aa15cc75f547f.png

Edited by mdmost
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Posted

Tom Sawyer Island at MK is getting retired 7/6. I have literally never been there in the many times I've been to WDW as a kid and as a parent but nevertheless I'm kinda sad. It was always fun to see the ferry boats when walking from the Haunted Mansion to Frontierland or the bathroom cut thru between Adventureland and I guess that's Liberty Square. 

Posted

We went there way back in 2015 when we first visited with our kids. It was pretty cool spot to take a rest and let the kids explore. We never returned because there's just too much to try to get in. At DLR, we constantly ride the Riverboat. I think what annoys me more is Disney bought all that land to never have to be confined to a small space to make his park like he was with Disneyland. So instead of expanding outward which would cost more but could keep some of the originals from the park and frankly the ambiance of the whole area, they will just tear up an existing less popular attraction to shoehorn in something new. I'm sure the Cars stuff will be great. Carsland in California Adventure is fantastic. It's just a bit disappointing to lose some of the "park" portion of WDW. 

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Posted (edited)

Our family calendar in the kitchen serves up randomized photos from my Google photos account. A few years back I had taken all of my family's printed photos from my parents house and digitized them with Scancafe. In a The Hills Have Eyes moment today a photo popped up from probably 1981 of the Liberty Belle. I went digging and there were some pretty funny old photos from Magic Kingdom. I may have mentioned it earlier but my Mom spent her teenage and early adult years living in Orlando. Once she moved to MI and had a family, we would go visit my grandparents 1-2x per year, and apparently hit Disney every year.

Most of these will be from late 70s/early 80s. I was born in 77 and I believe I'm about 1 in the earliest of these pictures.

Nightmare fuel early Elsa?

p_v22auy4a23v1106.thumb.jpg.6c50e0fb9bf4e260ab5b5c0e1a4684fd.jpg

 

I cannot figure out where this was taken from. On top of the Royal Carousel?

p_v22auy4a23v1103.thumb.jpg.da0a1c79025adb59d50cf5ef21427d99.jpg

Sis and I with Bre'r Bear. Terrifying.

p_v22auy4a23v1391.thumb.jpg.af02e26f0a0f804658aab8b2695a03cc.jpg

 

20k Leagues Under the Sea. I believe this was either where Ariel's grotto and Under the Sea is today. I don't understand where the pic was taken from but maybe from the same spot as the pic of the back of the castle?

p_v22auy4a23v1101.thumb.jpg.2430c344f962f7c64558d2efb274f92d.jpg

 

Mom from I guess what would be the contemporary? Bite your tongues she's almost 80.

p_v22auy4a23v1165.thumb.jpg.fed85fa006c6ec53463ce8d775d5ff30.jpg

Pops. Lol. p_v22auy4a23v1097.thumb.jpg.3c287f9dbea8acc7af29a872ef365995.jpgp_v22auy4a23v1094.thumb.jpg.28cba207f3c2d2bff7830b6dd0587d90.jpg

 

I guess they used to have bands playing on the parking shuttle from the TTC. Not pictured: Shuttle driver Mr. Phlegm.

p_v22auy4a23v1371.thumb.jpg.095ba00f7d672d5c5a9ed59a05f65f68.jpg

 

Liberty Belle 

p_v22auy4a23v1366.thumb.jpg.18f7fb9534373a3a366f70a91b36f371.jpg

Pirates

p_v22auy4a23v1161.thumb.jpg.f05c5ed1e1c6b4c7d1f0d1d3c2db70c9.jpg

Main Street Parade

p_v22auy4a23v1363.jpg

Edited by Baboontyme
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Posted
On 5/14/2025 at 11:25 AM, mdmost said:

Alright, first off I would recommend a split stay then which you may already be doing. Spend the DL days in Anaheim at Pixar Hotel but stay up in Burbank/Studio City for the Universal days. I highly recommend the Hilton across the street. You can walk under 10 minutes up a hill to the steps of Universal. It's great. You're also close to CityWalk for dining options. I wouldn't recommend going from Anaheim to Universal each day because that car trip sucks and you're looking at least an hour each way. Early entry at Universal is exactly how you need to do Super Mario Land. That place fills up quickly. Get him a power band that he can use in the land to interact with things. He'll love it. You can buy them at CityWalk or as you're entering the park. The Mario part is at the very bottom of the park but they have a shop right near the entrance where you can buy the band. You set it up on your phone which you can do as you walk down the multiple escalators. We found Universal to be a breeze. We didn't even get their version of Fastpass. The Harry Potter area is dead at night. Perfect time to ride things over and over. Get some butter beer. 

For DL, I recommend checking out this lady's posts. She can help you with a good plan for doing the parks with a 7 year old and in general her information is good. That's a pretty magical age to hit up Disneyland. My youngest was 6 at the time we first went and Frozen was all the rage. It was great. I think you're fine with 1 day each and no park hoppers. That's a lot to do with a little kid. Even though it's great weather, it can get hot really fast. I would bake in some breaks to go back and swim unless he's doing really well and wants to keep going. If you have the Genie+ add on, you're way ahead of the game there since it's a locals park and they don't need to pay extra for that service. This lady can help you go from ride to ride using it. Buy the one off Lightning Lanes for Radiator Racers and Rise of the Resistance. It is worth the extra money as both rides go down constantly and if that happens when your time is happening, you get an automatic return option. 

https://disneylanddaily.com/a-first-timers-guide-to-disneyland/

https://disneylanddaily.com/how-to-start-your-day-at-disneyland/#The_Disneyland_Strategy_for_Little_Kids_with_Lightning_Lane_Multi_Pass

https://disneylanddaily.com/how-to-start-your-day-at-california-adventure/

I would recommend trying to get a reservation at Trader Sam's for you and the wife. It's a cool spot to grab a drink and your kid will enjoy the interior because it's like the Tiki room. It's at the Disneyland Hotel which you'll be right next to. Maybe do it the night you check in. I believe you also will have a separate entrance to California Adventure from your hotel. I could be wrong on that. You'll also get early entry for certain parks on certain days. It's only 30 minutes so it's up to you if that can work. A lot of people I talk with about DL push back on this when I say it but the single best thing you can do at Disneyland is get there early. You can get so much in before the locals show up if you get there before it opens. A lot of rides are walk ons until about 10-11am. After 11, it can be pretty crowded. 

 


Radiator Racers is such a badass ride. Pay the money to skip the line. 

Posted
1 hour ago, Baboontyme said:

Our family calendar in the kitchen serves up randomized photos from my Google photos account. A few years back I had taken all of my family's printed photos from my parents house and digitized them with Scancafe. In a The Hills Have Eyes moment today a photo popped up from probably 1981 of the Liberty Belle. I went digging and there were some pretty funny old photos from Magic Kingdom. I may have mentioned it earlier but my Mom spent her teenage and early adult years living in Orlando. Once she moved to MI and had a family, we would go visit my grandparents 1-2x per year, and apparently hit Disney every year.

Most of these will be from late 70s/early 80s. I was born in 77 and I believe I'm about 1 in the earliest of these pictures.

Nightmare fuel early Elsa?

p_v22auy4a23v1106.thumb.jpg.6c50e0fb9bf4e260ab5b5c0e1a4684fd.jpg

 

I cannot figure out where this was taken from. On top of the Royal Carousel?

p_v22auy4a23v1103.thumb.jpg.da0a1c79025adb59d50cf5ef21427d99.jpg

Sis and I with Bre'r Bear. Terrifying.

p_v22auy4a23v1391.thumb.jpg.af02e26f0a0f804658aab8b2695a03cc.jpg

 

20k Leagues Under the Sea. I believe this was either where Ariel's grotto and Under the Sea is today. I don't understand where the pic was taken from but maybe from the same spot as the pic of the back of the castle?

p_v22auy4a23v1101.thumb.jpg.2430c344f962f7c64558d2efb274f92d.jpg

 

Mom from I guess what would be the contemporary? Bite your tongues she's almost 80.

p_v22auy4a23v1165.thumb.jpg.fed85fa006c6ec53463ce8d775d5ff30.jpg

Pops. Lol. p_v22auy4a23v1097.thumb.jpg.3c287f9dbea8acc7af29a872ef365995.jpgp_v22auy4a23v1094.thumb.jpg.28cba207f3c2d2bff7830b6dd0587d90.jpg

 

I guess they used to have bands playing on the parking shuttle from the TTC. Not pictured: Shuttle driver Mr. Phlegm.

p_v22auy4a23v1371.thumb.jpg.095ba00f7d672d5c5a9ed59a05f65f68.jpg

 

Liberty Belle 

p_v22auy4a23v1366.thumb.jpg.18f7fb9534373a3a366f70a91b36f371.jpg

Pirates

p_v22auy4a23v1161.thumb.jpg.f05c5ed1e1c6b4c7d1f0d1d3c2db70c9.jpg

Main Street Parade

p_v22auy4a23v1363.jpg

Pretty cool.

And your dad looked like he was awesome for back then.

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Posted

Adding a Monster Inc ride to WDW by getting rid of the Muppets but removing one at California Adventure for Avatar. They're also adding a Coco boat ride but just removing backstage area that was previously allotted for expansion way back when it was still Paradise Pier. I saw that the Rock N Roller Coaster is changing from Aerosmith to the Muppets. That's a good change. 

Artist-Concept-Coco-Attraction-2048x1094

Artist-Concept-Avatar-Destination-2048x1

The Avatar one is going to be interesting because it's half the size of the Animal Kingdom area and has a monorail going through it. It's supposed to be a boat ride with screens like the Shanghai Pirates of the Caribbean that everyone thinks is the shit. I'd imagine they're going to stick the monorail behind a fake rock wall like above with some forced perspective like Radiator Racers has. They're also removing where the shuttles drop off people and moving that to the east and adding a pedestrian bridge so they can claim some of the space for Avatar.  Some are speculating that the Hyperion Theater might be gone but that seems like a shortsighted move given those shows can suck up crowds. Plus, where would they stage Avatar: The Musical?

Artist-Concept-Transportation-Hub-scaled

I was able to get the wife and me a reservation at Trader Sam's for some day drinking. Those reservations go in under a minute at 8am CST. 

 

Posted
3 minutes ago, RexWilson said:

If you are in Avengers Campus, you should interact with Red Guardian. He is hilarious and represents the character well. 

How did that parade set up work for you with Paint the Night? I'm asking because that's what I think we'll do in August when we go. 

Posted
4 hours ago, mdmost said:

How did that parade set up work for you with Paint the Night? I'm asking because that's what I think we'll do in August when we go. 

Worked out great but it wasn’t the plan. We just entered DL from CA. The first parade was underway from the area near Small World. As we entered Main Street, I stopped to ask a cast member what time it would reach the front. He gave me the time and then we chatted it up for a minute.  Then he said he had extra room in the reserved area so he took us there. Front row on a bench. Was a cool magic moment. 

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