It's too bad that they've cut back on some of the special insider type activities at DLR that @Steven G mentions. Those were all part of our trip way back, and it's too bad they are no longer included. It's one thing if they are replacing with new things, but that doesn't seem to be the case. We also got to tour the suite--not sure whether that still happens--and go behind the scenes in toon town. I recall the kids saw animals or something while the adults did something else, but I can't remember.
I got to tour the suite once on previous ABD tour. that was a highlight of that ABD. I don’t remember behind the scenes at toon town on any of my trips, though we did get a meet and greet with Mickey at his house on a previous trip. On this trip we didn’t even go to toon town with the group Or galaxy’s edge for that matter.
I don’t want to spoil jimmys thread too much, so I will wait until he posts his summary first, before commenting on that day.
they are really just subtracting. Please note that I have no negatives for the guides, they were awesome.
honestly, I don’t know why we went on webslingers. I figured maybe there would be something behind the scenes there if we got a specific genie plus for it. That ride is such a skip for me, although my son likes it. As well, they knew that most of us were going to the Dis dreams event where it would be much easier to ride it. It is a puzzle.
I would be curious to know if ABD got feedback from the older trips that people didn't have enough time to get on rides and see the shows, so they cut the backstage experiences back in exchange for more free time and the reserved viewing areas. Some of the people from my two trips were much more excited for things like the Studio and Imagineering than seeing attractions, while I ended up liking the park exclusives more.
I would be curious to know if ABD got feedback from the older trips that people didn't have enough time to get on rides and see the shows, so they cut the backstage experiences back in exchange for more free time and the reserved viewing areas. Some of the people from my two trips were much more excited for things like the Studio and Imagineering than seeing attractions, while I ended up liking the park exclusives more.
I understand, however, I barely remember the rides we went on, on the last trip, let alone the others. You can better believe I remember all the behind the scenes stuff however. Seeing galaxy’s edge for the first time on my second ABD stands out I guess as something I remember.
I suppose if this was the first time a family was in Disneyland, what you say makes sense. Or even if you only get to visit once in 5 years.
honestly, I would have loved to have a “vip” like day where we see behind the scenes of 5 or more attractions plus other special locati9ns like Walt’s apartment, and get to ride them too. I know not all rides lend themselves to that.
I have always given feedback that I would rather have more behind the scenes stuff, guess i Am in minority.
it would have been nice where families can decide which they prefer to do even. Technically that is always an option on the park days, you dont really need to go with the group at all.
I understand, however, I barely remember the rides we went on, on the last trip, let alone the others. You can better believe I remember all the behind the scenes stuff however. Seeing galaxy’s edge for the first time on my second ABD stands out I guess as something I remember.
I suppose if this was the first time a family was in Disneyland, what you say makes sense. Or even if you only get to visit once in 5 years.
honestly, I would have loved to have a “vip” like day where we see behind the scenes of 5 or more attractions plus other special locati9ns like Walt’s apartment, and get to ride them too. I know not all rides lend themselves to that.
I have always given feedback that I would rather have more behind the scenes stuff, guess i Am in minority.
it would have been nice where families can decide which they prefer to do even. Technically that is always an option on the park days, you dont really need to go with the group at all.
I am definitely in your group. We go to DLR all the time so the behind the scenes stuff at the parks was definitely the biggest perk of the tour for us. I'm glad we went when we did, although at the time I was bummed because they'd just stopped doing the surprise/occasional breakfast at Club 33. That had been one of the reasons we went on the trip. Those were the days, LOL!
I am definitely in your group. We go to DLR all the time so the behind the scenes stuff at the parks was definitely the biggest perk of the tour for us. I'm glad we went when we did, although at the time I was bummed because they'd just stopped doing the surprise/occasional breakfast at Club 33. That had been one of the reasons we went on the trip. Those were the days, LOL!
I doubt anyone would argue against breakfast in Club 33. I did hear there are enough Club 33 members now that it's difficult to accommodate the ABD groups, so they stopped.
Back after a bit of a break! Day five is the earliest of our trip, meeting in the Grand Cal lobby at 6:45 am to head over to Disneyland Park. We are the first guests of the day through the Grand Cal security line into Downtown Disney, and a manager opens one of the gates to the park just for us while everyone else is waiting in line. Our first activity for the day is a walk down a completely empty Main Street! We have about 30 minutes before day guests can even walk through the ticket machines, and another 20 or so in front of the castle while everyone else is still behind the ropes. Of course Ralph and Summer-Rose are there to take everyone's pictures, as many as we could fit in the time.
I teased in my last post about my favorite part of the tour, and this was it. I think being able to first see Walt's apartment and some of the photos of him enjoying an early-morning stroll made this experience mean a lot more to me personally, like this was his ultimate dream and I was living a part of it. It's true that the more you visit the parks, the more you appreciate the little things. And as someone who grew up on the east coast and has been to WDW far more than DL, this is the first trip where I really felt like I could enjoy those little touches in Disneyland park the way I do in Epcot or Animal Kingdom. Getting to do so with nobody else around it just icing on the cake. Random fun fact, this is also when I found out Craig and Kylie were having a baby last year, since they took their announcement photos on the trip!
Once the park officially opened, our group slipped through the castle to be the first people on Peter Pan that morning. I think I was third overall, so while everyone else was getting their rides in, I also managed to get on Snow White and Pinocchio with zero wait. Mr. Toad's was unfortunately down for maintenance, otherwise I would've sat on that until it was time to eat.
After taking even more pictures than last time and really just enjoying myself, we had breakfast with Minnie and Friends at the Plaza Inn. We all got a picture with Minnie as we entered the restaurant and were seated in the bird cage, the end of the building closer to the castle. Some long time cast members of the restaurant gave us a brief history and explained how Walt originally wanted birds inside this area of the restaurant. Alas, not even he could get past the Orange County health codes. From there it was a buffet, so I had some biscuits and gravy, pastries, waffles, eggs, bacon, and probably some random things I'm forgetting. During our meal, Tigger, Pooh, Max Goof, and Suzy from Cinderella also came around to meet and take pictures with the group. As a 90s kid, I'm really happy to get a photo with Max. And while I'm not super into character dining, this is a good place to eat after such an early start.
Around 9:15 or 9:30, we met outside for one more special experience this morning. I'm going to use spoiler text again, even though it's pretty well known if you've researched this trip before.
After breakfast, we head back towards the cast member gate next to the firehouse and head backstage. Down the road and around the corner is the Indiana Jones maintenance shop, where one of the techs was waiting with a vehicle on their test loop. He gave some quick information, and while answering questions, we could all try controlling the hydraulics in one of the vehicles. These are what make it feel like you're driving off-road even though the track is smooth. We saw the shop last year, but the vehicle wasn't working, so moving it around is something new I didn't get to do last year!
After that, we were on our own until about 4:30 pm. We did have plenty of lightning lanes to use: one for Indiana Jones, and 5 that could be used on anything. 6 of us ended up going right to Indiana Jones together and had a great time, then two other adventurers and myself got on Runaway Railway, Alice and Wonderland, and the Storybook Canal boats. One benefit to the multi-experience passes we get is that you can use them on rides which don't have a lightning lane, like Alice and Wonderland or Peter Pan. After that I split off and did a few rides in California Adventure, including Radiator Springs Racers, Incredicoaster, and the Golden Zephyrs. I also got changed quickly into my bathing suit and sandals to ride Grizzly River Rapids twice through the single rider line, something I highly recommend when staying at the Grand Cal.
After coming back to the room nice and wet, I dried off and took a quick nap before meeting up for the evening. Dressed in somewhat nicer clothes, I met up with everyone in the lobby and we walked over to one of the conference rooms in the hotel. In there, we had our end of trip slideshow, which everybody loves. We also talked about the best and most impactful parts of the trip, and you could really tell how thankful some of our guests were to even be here. Some people had health scares over the past few years, and many who had watched Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color as kids now got to stand in the same places he did and see things they never thought they would get to.
It's always interesting to hear what everyone's favorites were, since people come in focusing on different things (history, technology, art, films, etc). But at the same time, everyone ends up surprised when they find something new and amazing they didn't expect to love. Like I mentioned earlier, this year's was our time on Main Street alone. While last year just felt like a neat photo op, this time I actually felt some of the pride that Walt did 60+ years ago. And I know that sounds cheesy, but these are Disney-themed message boards, so I think you of all people will understand!
After the slideshow, our guides had one more surprise for us. I won't spoil it, but it's at this point in the trip when you get to see how far your guides would've gotten if they chose acting as a career. Once that's over, it's time to hit up Lamplight Lounge for our farewell dinner. As usual, Summer-Rose briefly explained what was included, then Ralph stepped in to let us know everything was included and to not worry about what we ordered. It was also Summer-Rose's birthday! Meaning Ralph led the group in singing and gave her a nice gift.
I think my table ended up ordering one of every appetizer and dessert to share, and I had the salmon sandwich. It tasted pretty good, but I was honestly already full from apps and drinks before even getting it. The lobster nachos are still a must-get, and the poke and potato skins were also very good. For dinner, I think the regular burger or pork chop are still the best two options, but the salmon PLT is a good lighter option.
Once dinner ended, a group of us grabbed more drinks to go from the bar and did a ride on Radiator Springs Racers before heading back to our World of Color viewing spot. It was the same location as last year, right in the middle of the tiered platforms that overlook the water. While it's standing room only, our group is small enough that everyone can get a nice spot. The new additions to the show, called World of Color One, were really good in my opinion, and they chose some of the best music from Disney's extended catalogue to accompany it. Definitely don't miss this part of your trip, since World of Color is a unique and wonderful show!
With that, we only had a little bit of time before DCA closed, so part of our group all ran over to Incredicoaster and got in the LL queue. It moved really quickly, and I'm pretty sure one of the teens in our group got over his fear of certain rides on this trip, which I love to see! After getting off, most of our group left for the hotel, while I snuck on Radiator Springs one more time, ending up in the second to last car of the night!
Being a Disneyland trip, however, meant I wasn't completely done. I walked quickly out the front of DCA and hopped into Disneyland before they closed for the evening. I can't remember every ride, but I know I got on Matterhorn and Peter Pan at least once, then enjoyed the hub and main street right up until the park closed. It was a magical way to end a long, wonderful day!
Tomorrow is our farewell breakfast, but it's not quite the end of the trip. See you then!
agree with the empty park being the best part, of the day for sure, and definitely in top 3 for the trip.
i will mention that on previous trips we spent more time with the group than this year, and again I would have liked that.. previous specials for me were a visit where the fireworks are actually launched, and the dream suite. just one more group behind the scenes would have been nice, we were on our own for most of that day. summer rose said they don’t do the fireworks launching area anymore, because there is no shade there, and kids get bored. I know the dream suite now has that special dinner there, but not sure if that’s why we didn’t go there.
the lamplight lounge was quite chaotic, the wait staff I think were overwhelmed, at least for our long table. I think they got the orders mostly right, but didnt keep correct track of who ordered what. For a table of 10 or so, that wasn’t great. otherwise the food there was great as always.
we pretty much went back to the hotel after woc. It was our first time seeing the new version. I still like the old version, but this was great too.
we did manage quite a few rides. Overall, we got to ride on everything we planned on riding Over all the days.
Thank you for this trip report…So interesting .
Apparently when the Chinese Graumans Theatre had to restore exterior parts of the building …they approached Disney to use the theatre in WDW Hollywood Studios to make some molds . Interesting that the detail for that copycat structure is so accurate. This was detailed during a special event/lecture I attended to celebrate the 30th Anniversary for MGM/HS …
I also still have a menu from the original Monorail cafe . It’s funny to look at the prices and remembering it was “ expensive” .
I hope everybody takes the time to read your trip report .
Seeing an empty Main St. and nobody else at the castle is definitely a highlight of this trip. On our trip we also got to meet one of the Disneyland ambassadors.
Seeing an empty Main St. and nobody else at the castle is definitely a highlight of this trip. On our trip we also got to meet one of the Disneyland ambassadors.
After a bit of a delay for some schoolwork and a long weekend in Kentucky, I am finally back to talk about our final ABD day and the party! After staying out somewhat late the previous night, we met for breakfast in the lobby around 7:30 or 8. Then as a group, we walked across the street over to Goofy's Kitchen for breakfast. It's a character buffet, so we started off meeting Chef Goofy and heading to our own area of the restaurant. After placing drink orders, we were free to grab food. The savory selection is pretty standard for a Disney breakfast buffet, including eggs, meats, an omelette station, and eggs benedict (my personal favorite). But, since this is Goofy's kitchen, the dessert selection goes a little bit crazy. They have the full dessert section that you'd expect at dinner, with things like cookies and brownies. They also have two special pizzas, PBnJ and s'mores, for you to try. Plus the ice cream machine is always on, and toppings are available.
While still waiting for the sugar coma to hit, I gave Ralph and Summer-Rose cards containing their gratuities. The one tip/service charge/gratuity for the week not included in the ABD price is for the two guides, and the last morning is a good time to give it. I believe every guide is also able to accept Paypal, and the US based ones will accept Venmo, in case it's difficult to get cash during or leading up to your trip. Normally this is also where everyone says goodbye to both the guides and their new friends they met on the trip, and it can be pretty emotional, but we knew that everyone on our trip plus Ralph and Summer-Rose were going to be in California Adventure that night, so it was much more of a "see ya later" type of breakfast.
We're free to leave at our own pace, and the ABD-included park ticket is good for the farewell day, so most people will book at least one extra night to have more time in the parks. We also got one last lightning lane to use today. The ticket reservation was for Disneyland, so walked back across the street, grabbed my park bag from the room, and went through Downtown Disney to the park. I seemingly didn't take many pictures during the day, but I assume I took advantage of the Matterhorn single rider line and got a few more rides in on the Fantasyland attractions that we don't get in Florida.
In addition to tonight's party, some members of the podcast team were also meeting around the park. So right when park hopping was available, I went over to the Hollywood Lounge in DCA to meet up with Ryno. There were about 15 of us under the umbrellas between the bar and the Catering Co. food truck, and we chatted for about 45 minutes. One of the hidden benefits of the trip is that after a filled week and 3 days in the parks, sitting under and umbrella with a drink and chatting with friends sounds like the perfect way to spend part of a park day. You finally reach that point where Disneyland can be a leisurely stroll rather than a marathon, and it's a really nice feeling to have. Talking with Ryno and everyone else was great, and as everyone split up, I headed over to Carsland.
The Radiator Springs Racers single rider line was pretty short at the moment, so like so many other times during this trip, I got a quick ride in on my favorite attraction in the park. If you can't tell by now, I'm a huge fan of single rider lines and wish Disney would put them on all E ticket attractions. By this point, the huge breakfast was staring to wear off, so I grabbed lunch at the Lucky Fortune Cookery. I had the karaage chicken yaki udon bowl, which is a noodle bowl with dark soy sauce, veggies, and fried chicken, plus the Baymax macaron and strawberry lychee cocktail. The chicken bowl was pretty good, definitely something unique to a theme park, and I would get it again. The macaron was amazing, totally surprised me, and I will go back in the future just to get this. It's filled with nutella and buttercream icing. The drink was also nice, but very sweet, more like a dessert than a regular cocktail.
After lunch and getting on some of the smaller Pixar Pier rides, it was time for another meetup in the Grand Cal lobby. Craig, Kylie, Rory, Corey, Julie, and later Ryno and Erica were all around just to meet viewers and chat. Jackie and some of the other Dreams agents were there too. We were in the lobby for about 90 minutes just talking about whatever, from Disney parks to stuff going on at home, and I picked up credentials for the party and live podcast. In addition to getting to talk with everyone, it was also a nice break from the hot sun outside, and I think everyone there enjoyed it.
At this point, since I knew how late I was going to be up tonight, I did actually take a nap in the room for 30 minutes, plus spent some other time just watching TV. It's pretty rare for me to full-on nap, since I usually wake up feeling worse than before, but in this case it actually felt really nice. I then threw on my gym shorts and sandals for one of the best reasons to stay at the Grand Cal, Grizzly River Rapids with no consequences. I mentioned it in the previous post too, but in case you missed it: the location of the Grand Cal makes it really easy to get changed into swim trunks or other quick-drying clothes, get soaking wet riding Grizzly River Rapids, and then dry off and get changed back in the hotel.
After a quick shower and getting changed back into my dry clothes, I went back into Disneyland for one last time during this trip. Normally, I try to spend the last night watching the Magic Kingdom/Disneyland fireworks, and while that wasn't possible tonight, I took my time checking out the different window displays, walking around the hub and New Orleans Square, and just taking in the park as it gets dark. Finally I hopped back to DCA, used by one lightning lane on Soarin, and watched World of Color from the bridge into Pixar Pier. While not the reserved seating from last night, it's still a pretty good place to watch. My tip is always to watch from the back side. Yes everything will be mirrored, but you can watch the whole show with very few crowds.
And as World of Color ended, it was finally time for the Avengers Campus party that this entire trip was leading up to! For anyone who doesn't know, every so often the team from the Dis will host a private party in one of the Disney parks after it closes to regular guests. These are almost always in Disney World, but John explained on this trip that the head of group events at Disneyland recently changed and is much easier to work with when it comes to just renting out a section of the park, as opposed to the entire thing. This was part of the initial inspiration for planning this party. Also, Avengers Campus was originally not available this night, and the location was Pixar Pier. But since Toy Story Mania was down for refurb, Disney was able to get the party transferred to Avengers campus without affecting the price.
It started with a private reception in the Hyperion Theater queue area. There were plenty of tables set up with food stations and an open bar. This ended up being a really great part of the day, since I was able to catch up with some people who were on my ABD last year, talk with other old friends, and meet up with more podcast fans. At the other parties I've been to, the food was set up in the land during our ride time, so I never had the chance to enjoy it. This schedule means that everyone was full when the actual ride time started, so you didn't need choose between attractions and food. Talking with John and Kevin the following day, it seems like this is the way they'll try to go in the future.
Once 11 pm rolled around, we walked out of the dining area and into an empty Avengers Campus. Guardians and Spiderman were open with zero wait, we had our own Dr. Strange show at 11:15, characters were walking around all night, and sodas and snacks were set out on tables for us to grab. The evening was fantastic, and between this and last year's ABD groups, I got on Guardians 6 or 7 times, Webslingers twice, and watched Dr. Strange without the normal crowds. It was the perfect end to the day.
At 1 am, after getting off Webslingers for the last time, is when we did the normal ABD goodbyes. Lots of hugs all around, talking about how amazing the night was and how great of a week it had been, then slowly walking back out the main entrance and over to the Grand Cal. It was a spectacular way to end such an impactful week, and I'm pretty sure this was the best Disney trip I've ever taken. No caveats or exceptions, and I'm honestly not sure how anything else would live up to this kind of week. Between the places we got to see, exclusive access, our ABD group, the other friends who joined us on Friday, and getting to run around a park after hours, this was special
One final thank you to Ralph and Summer-Rose again. On the last day, they went from our guides to our friends, since they were guests just like the rest of us at the party. While I just said I'm not sure how anything else lives up to this week, I will certainly be back to try again in the future.
I enjoyed the last day of the official tour. Thanks again for the summary!
We left around midnight, we were exhausted. We did Dr Strange show, Spiderman I think 3 times (maybe 2), and Guardians around 6 times, at least one of the Guardian rides we were the only ones on the ride!
As far as Saturday
We still stuck around the next day and relaxed, and just hung around the pool, and I went to the podcast (my son didn't go to the podcast).
I thought there would be a tension during the podcast, but there seemed to be good energy there mostly.
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