# Questions about ABD California Backstage Magic



## meryll83

So we're officially booked having been planning to do this tour for years! 

I know I'll have many questions, but wonder if anyone can help start me off with answers to my first couple...


Do we need extra days to see Hollywood or will the ABD tour include enough? (Really just want to see the main sights, but it might be our only visit to LA, so would a separate Hollywood day tour be worth it?)
We will book an extra night to do a day at Universal and evening at Halloween Horror Nights, so I'm thinking we stay at a hotel by Universal - any recommendations?
Think we're going to tag an extra night or 2 on the end at Anaheim for more Disney park time - are there any restaurant recommendations we should book that we won't eat at on the tour?
Thanks in advance!


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## Cinderella's Slipper 2015

We flew in a day early and we hiked Runyon Canyon and did a tour of the Chinese Theatre, both of which are walking distance to your hotel. As for Universal, if I were going to do what you are thinking of, I would just book extra nights at the Loew's Hollywood Hotel. The hotel is practically sitting on top of the LA subway line and Universal is like 1 or 2 subway stops away from the hotel. This would save having to rent a car or transfer hotels.

Here is a snapshot of part of the LA Subway system. Loew's Hollywood Hotel is at the Hollywood/Highland stop and Universal City where Universal Studios is, is one stop north at the Universal City stop.


As for dining recommendations at Disneyland, check out Blue Bayou. It's located inside Pirates of the Caribbean.


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## hilarys

We are Disneyland regulars.  I agree that Blue Bayou is a bucket list item - it is something so unique to Disneyland and the ambiance is great.  That being said, I personally don't love the menu for the price so it is not one of my favorites to do except every few years for the ambiance.  For a meal in Disneyland, we always go to Cafe Orleans (has some of the same menu items as BB).  We always sit outside and enjoy the people watching, New Orleans square and Rivers of America.  It sounds like you might be there at Halloween which means you could get Pumpkin Beignets.  In California Adventure the Carthay Circle is a really nice dining experience.  At least try to go for a drink and appetizer.  Napa Rose in the Grand CA is another very nice dining experience.  Downtown Disney - Tortilla Joe's has good food and great margaritas.    For counter service in the parks Cafe del Zoccoro serves Mexican Food and the decorations at Halloween in the area are beautiful.  Last trip we tried Hungry Bear after years of not going and were very pleased.  Flo's in CA is great ambiance. for counter service.

Halloween time at Disneyland is great.  We went for the first time in 2013 and now it is a tradition (we go down for Halloween weekend).

Happy to answer any other DL questions.  I have not been on this ABD, but it is on the list.


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## Cinderella's Slipper 2015

I did this trip in Feb 2015 and we did Carthay Circle as our Farewell Dinner Restaurant. Another one to consider is Steakhouse 55 in the Disneyland Hotel. Our group did this restaurant in place of Big Thunder Ranch cause Big Thunder Ranch was closed for refurb when we were tehre.

Hilary, definitely worth doing this trip, even being a Disneyland regular. We had 4 women on our trip who grew up going to Disneyland and lived 90 minutes away. They took the trip so that they could see things that the normal visitor never gets to see.


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## meryll83

Thanks for the tips so far!
We've been to WDW many times and love being there at Halloween so thought we'd do our first (and possibly only) DL trip at our favourite time of year. Plus the Halloween overlays some of the attractions have look really cool!

Just realised I need to go back to basics with another question, how do we book restaurants and how far out can we?


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## Cinderella's Slipper 2015

If your travel agent booked your ABD then they can book the dining for you or I'm sure you can book it on your own. Unlike WDW, in California you can only book your dining starting 2 months prior. I've got a Disneyland trip booked (not ABD) for this coming December and we can't make dining until October.


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## meryll83

And do you call or can you do it online?
Thanks again!


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## Cinderella's Slipper 2015

I don't believe you can do them online. I'm sure someone will be able to tell you for sure. My TA will be making my dining reservations for me.


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## pudinhd

meryll83 said:


> And do you call or can you do it online?
> Thanks again!



Yes, you can call or do them online.  We have done the Backstage Magic trip twice.  Our most recent trip was in October and we are already talking about when to go again!  

A lot of people do the Warner Brothers tour, so that might be something to look into.


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## White Rose

pudinhd said:


> Yes, you can call or do them online.  We have done the Backstage Magic trip twice.  Our most recent trip was in October and we are already talking about when to go again!
> 
> A lot of people do the Warner Brothers tour, so that might be something to look into.


We are doing the longer WB tour this Oct. I plan on doing a trip report!


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## meryll83

I shall investigate, thanks!


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## meryll83

Ok, here's another question - do you need to tip your tour guides?


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## sayhello

meryll83 said:


> Ok, here's another question - do you need to tip your tour guides?


It is customary (and expected) that you tip the ABD Adventure Guides.  You should get the guidelines for tips in the box you get prior to your trip, but here's what the ABD FAQ for this trip says:



> *Adventure Guide Gratuities*
> Gratuities for your Adventure Guides are not included. Based on the quality of service you have received, we suggest the following gratuity guidelines. Please note that this is for each member of your traveling party, per Adventure Guide, per day.
> 
> Per Adult/Child/Per Adventure Guide/Per Day—$7 - $10 USD
> 
> Example:
> • For an 6-day adventure, the Adventure Guide gratuity per Guest, per Adventure Guide: $42 - $60 USD.
> • A family of 4 for an 6-day adventure: $168 - $240 USD per Adventure Guide.
> 
> For two guides, this is a total of $336 - $480 USD.
> 
> The Adventure Guides gratuity can be paid in U.S dollars, local currency, travelers' checks or PayPal. Please check with your Adventure Guide if they accept PayPal.


Believe me, by the time the trip is over, you'll be happy to tip them (I usually tip more than suggested!) because they just do so much and are so fabulous!

Tips for any other guides besides the Adventure Guides are included in the cost of the ABD.

Sayhello


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## meryll83

Thank you - and there'll be 2 guides?
Just want to get it in my budget spreadsheet!


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## sayhello

meryll83 said:


> Thank you - and there'll be 2 guides?
> Just want to get it in my budget spreadsheet!


Yep, 2 guides.    I totally get the budgeting thing!  

Sayhello


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## meryll83

Anyone know if there's a cheaper way to add 2 nights and 2 days of tickets at the Grand Cali than adding it through ABD?

Hotel cost to add on seems pretty steep! Although I assume this is the only way to keep the airport transfer included?


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## sayhello

meryll83 said:


> Anyone know if there's a cheaper way to add 2 nights and 2 days of tickets at the Grand Cali than adding it through ABD?
> 
> Hotel cost to add on seems pretty steep! Although I assume this is the only way to keep the airport transfer included?


You may want to check on the transfer thing.  ABD changed the policy about transfers and doing pre/post stays on your own effective 6/15/15.  DisneyKevin did some discussion of that here.  I'm still not quite clear on how it applies to post-days, though.

http://www.disboards.com/threads/ab...rs-beginning-6-15-2015.3397916/#post-53498845

Sayhello


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## knewton64

Cinderella's Slipper 2015 said:


> We flew in a day early and we hiked Runyon Canyon and did a tour of the Chinese Theatre, both of which are walking distance to your hotel. As for Universal, if I were going to do what you are thinking of, I would just book extra nights at the Loew's Hollywood Hotel. The hotel is practically sitting on top of the LA subway line and Universal is like 1 or 2 subway stops away from the hotel. This would save having to rent a car or transfer hotels.
> 
> Here is a snapshot of part of the LA Subway system. Loew's Hollywood Hotel is at the Hollywood/Highland stop and Universal City where Universal Studios is, is one stop north at the Universal City stop.
> View attachment 103707
> 
> As for dining recommendations at Disneyland, check out Blue Bayou. It's located inside Pirates of the Caribbean.


 


Have a ? for you.......Can you please be kind and post "Directions for Dummies" on how to get to Runyon Canyon from the Hotel?? A hhuuggee thank you
as Runyon Canyon is sorta a "bucket List" thngee 4 me.



THANKS AGAIN -




T.T.F.N.
&
CHEERS Y'ALL


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## Cinderella's Slipper 2015

knewton64 said:


> Have a ? for you.......Can you please be kind and post "Directions for Dummies" on how to get to Runyon Canyon from the Hotel?? A hhuuggee thank you
> as Runyon Canyon is sorta a "bucket List" thngee 4 me.
> 
> 
> 
> THANKS AGAIN -
> 
> 
> 
> 
> T.T.F.N.
> &
> CHEERS Y'ALL



Runyon Canyon is amazing. The views of the city are breathtaking. We did it first thing Sunday morning so that we were back in plenty of time to check in with out guides. The most direct route to get to Runyon Canyon is as follows:

1. Turn right onto Highland Avenue after exiting the hotel
2. Turn right onto Hollywood Blvd (alternately you can access Hollywood Blvd through the Hollywood and Highland centre but you still need to turn right.)
3. Walk 4-5 blocks along Hollywood Blvd (make sure you pass the Chinese Theatre to know you are going in the right direction)
4. Turn right onto North Fuller Avenue and walk to the end. The entrance to Runyon Canyon is at the end of N. Fuller Avenue.

Alternate Route (to avoid Hollywood Blvd)
1. Turn left onto Highland Avenue after exiting the hotel
2. Turn left onto Franklin Avenue
3. Walk 4-5 blocks
4. Turn right onto North Fuller Avenue and walk to the end.




Make sure you carry water if you're hiking Runyon Canyon. Even when it's cool out it can get pretty steamy in the canyon.

There is a Fresh & Easy market in the plaza located at North Sycamore Avenue and Hollywood Blvd. This is a great place to pick up inexpensive bottles of water as well as snacks. There is also a CVS Pharmacy in the same plaza.

Also there are 2 routes you can take to hike the canyon. If you go clockwise (which we did), you will have a gentle ascent up to the top of the canyon and a steep descent back down as you go down the crest of the canyon. Alternately you can go counter-clockwise which will have you going up the steep ascent and the gentle descent.

Be aware that there will be tons of dogs in the canyon as it's a favourite spot for locals to take their dogs.


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## meryll83

What's the max number of people on a tour?


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## Cinderella's Slipper 2015

meryll83 said:


> What's the max number of people on a tour?



40 is the maximum give or take a family member here or there. We had 24 but we were an adult only trip


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## meryll83

Think ours is adults only too, does that mean the max will always be lower because of room capacity etc. or could it still get 40 adults?


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## sayhello

meryll83 said:


> Think ours is adults only too, does that mean the max will always be lower because of room capacity etc. or could it still get 40 adults?


As far as I know, there could still be 40 adults.  I've never had an Adults only with 40 (I think 33 was the most), but I suppose it's possible.  

Sayhello


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## scottmel

We are going on the July 5th trip and I had two extra  pretrip nights and 3 on back end. We are flying from the east coast so I would like to do more! What I did after extensive research on line is hired a private tour guide for one of the days before ABD. There are many things I want to see in LA that are not covered with ABD at all and they use their car, your itinerary etc. It was a pretty good deal I felt. Then the following day we are doing WB Studio Tours and seeing movie at El Capitan. I am nOT having the private guide do anything in Hollywood as I think this is pretty well covered...


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## jsilvers

sayhello said:


> As far as I know, there could still be 40 adults.  I've never had an Adults only with 40 (I think 33 was the most), but I suppose it's possible.



I checked the "attendance list" for our October 2013 adults only Backstage Magic tour - 42 adults.


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## meryll83

Could be a busy one then as we're going in October too - so looking forward to all the Halloweeny goodness!

Can anyone confirm what the key sights in Hollywood are that ABD will show us?


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## Cinderella's Slipper 2015

meryll83 said:


> Could be a busy one then as we're going in October too - so looking forward to all the Halloweeny goodness!
> 
> Can anyone confirm what the key sights in Hollywood are that ABD will show us?



It varies depending on the trip and the time of year. Some tours get to tour the Dolby theatre, others the Chinese Theatre. We toured the El Capitan theatre cause we were in Hollywood during Oscar Week and the Dolby was not accessible as they were setting up for the Oscars.


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## sayhello

From what I've heard, BSM does seem to be a fairly fluid trip.  What you see in Hollywood depends on what is going on and what is/isn't available.  

Sayhello


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## meryll83

Do you see the Hollywood sign? The Bowl? Stars homes?


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## Cinderella's Slipper 2015

You can see the Hollywood sign from your hotel, we could actually see it from our room. 

Disney does not tour the stars homes. The tour parts of Hollywood that have a significance to Walt Disney and the creation of Disneyland. The whole point of this trip is to follow in Walt Disney's footsteps from the time he arrives in Hollywood to the creation of Disneyland.


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## meryll83

Thanks again!

Do you get to visit Club 33?


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## White Rose

meryll83 said:


> Thanks again!
> 
> Do you get to visit Club 33?


Unknown. Some do some don't.


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## Cinderella's Slipper 2015

We didn't. We saw the private club in Carthay Circle Theatre


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## pudinhd

Cinderella's Slipper 2015 said:


> We didn't. We saw the private club in Carthay Circle Theatre



We also went to 1900, rather than Club 33, in October 2014.  We did not go to Club 33 on our trip in 2009, either.


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## CaliforniaGirl09

meryll83 said:


> Thanks again!
> 
> Do you get to visit Club 33?


I haven't heard of any groups going since the re-opening and club rule changes. I'd love to know if some have though.


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## meryll83

That's a shame, would have been cool to see.

So I think I heard some time ago that included in the tour is a park ticket which is still valid for your check out day - is that still the case?

Planning to tag an extra couple of nights on the end and just wondering how many extra days of park tickets we might need...


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## CinderALLIE

meryll83 said:


> That's a shame, would have been cool to see.
> 
> So I think I heard some time ago that included in the tour is a park ticket which is still valid for your check out day - is that still the case?
> 
> Planning to tag an extra couple of nights on the end and just wondering how many extra days of park tickets we might need...


Yes you do have park ticket for check out day. I  called and checked on this about a month back.


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## meryll83

CinderALLIE said:


> Yes you do have park ticket for check out day. I  called and checked on this about a month back.


Fab, thanks for this!


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## Cinderella's Slipper 2015

You get a 4 day park hopper ticket included in your package.


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## DisneyKevin

Club 33 has changed their policies since their rehab and ABD no longer has access.


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## WebmasterMike

We spent out pre-days in Hollywood going to see the Santa Monica Pier, Griffith Observatory, LA Farmer's Market, driving tour of Beverly Hills and Hollywood, eating at some great local dives, and enjoying the sights of Hollywood Blvd.  

Here is Kevin's write-up of Canter's Deli
http://foodietales.com/2012/11/foodie-travels-canters-deli-los-angeles-ca/


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## CaliforniaGirl09

DisneyKevin said:


> Club 33 has changed their policies since their rehab and ABD no longer has access.


That's what I thought--thanks for confirmation.


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## meryll83

Cinderella's Slipper 2015 said:


> You get a 4 day park hopper ticket included in your package.


But you'd only have one day remaining to use (on check out day), is that correct? Coz the other 3 days would be used within the tour?


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## DisneyKevin

meryll83 said:


> But you'd only have one day remaining to use (on check out day), is that correct? Coz the other 3 days would be used within the tour?



Yes.

Your ticket expires when the park closes on the farewell day of your Adventure.

ABD tickets can not be extended, upgraded, used towards an annual pass, transferred.....pretty much nothing more than park hopping for the guest during the dates of the Adventure.

This is a hard and fast ABD policy. Trust me....I have tried to fight this battle and I have never won.

The tickets are what they are.


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## meryll83

If we need an extra day or 2 of tickets, what's the best way to purchase?

Is there free WiFi at DLR?

What are the FPs that the tour notes mentioned? For one attraction? Multiple?

On a roll with my questions now!


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## White Rose

meryll83 said:


> If we need an extra day or 2 of tickets, what's the best way to purchase?
> 
> Is there free WiFi at DLR?
> 
> What are the FPs that the tour notes mentioned? For one attraction? Multiple?
> 
> On a roll with my questions now!



They give out FPs on 2 days of the trip, DL day and CA day, based on what I read on trip reports. Not sure about arrival night, but if you are going in Oct on the mid month Adults only, in the past this has been a Halloween party the first night you are in Anaheim, which is a Tuesday night.


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## WebmasterMike

meryll83 said:


> If we need an extra day or 2 of tickets, what's the best way to purchase?
> 
> Is there free WiFi at DLR?
> 
> What are the FPs that the tour notes mentioned? For one attraction? Multiple?
> 
> On a roll with my questions now!



The FP's from my trip was several "any ride" fast passes per person except for RSR which would not take the FP's. The guides would give extra FP's as needed.  I believe we received FP's every DLR day during our adventure.  

Here is the info on tickets:

http://www.wdwinfo.com/disneyland/tickets.htm

Not sure if there is a respectable ticket re-seller for DL Tickets.

I know that DL had a large deployment of Wifi and cellular enhancements around the same time as WDW (deployed by CrownCastle).  I remembering having to use my own Wifi everywhere due to lack of available bandwidth.  But that may have changed in the last two years


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## Cinderella's Slipper 2015

We got 5 free fastpasses per person each day we were at DL. They were good on any attraction except Matterhorn and Radiator Springs Racers. There are only 5 or 6 Fastpass attractions at each park. Yes there is Wifi in the parks.


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## meryll83

Thank you again, everyone is so helpful! 

So was the Halloween Party included as part of the tour on the first night? Coz normally that's just a welcome dinner night isn't it?

I think we'd like to go even if it isn't in the tour (guess we'll wait nearer the time to book and see if we've heard anything about the party being included first).

So that leads me on the another train of thought...
Do you get a more detailed itinerary of timeslots before you go? I'm thinking if we want to book parties or meals etc. how will we know what time our tour activities finish to tell if we'll have time for parties or what time to make a meal reservation for?


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## Cinderella's Slipper 2015

The itinerary that ABD sends out is pretty much the one that you get online. They don't give a detailed itinerary cause things can change unexpectedly and it's much easier to deal with changes if things are not written down in stone. 

From my own experience on this trip, if I was going to book a sit down meal on any of the days, it would have been for dinner on the full Disneyland Day. I would plan for a dinner reservation no earlier than 5-5:30. We saw the afternoon parade and unlike in Florida, the afternoon parade in California runs at 4pm so it was 4:30 by the time they let us go for the day.


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## meryll83

Useful info, thanks!

Do you get to see Fantasmic as part of the tour? It just mentions "evening firework spectacular" but I assumed that was castle fireworks rather than Fantasmic?


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## WebmasterMike

meryll83 said:


> Useful info, thanks!
> 
> Do you get to see Fantasmic as part of the tour? It just mentions "evening firework spectacular" but I assumed that was castle fireworks rather than Fantasmic?



We did both the Fireworks and Fantasmic on my last BSM. We also did WoC.


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## Cinderella's Slipper 2015

meryll83 said:


> Useful info, thanks!
> 
> Do you get to see Fantasmic as part of the tour? It just mentions "evening firework spectacular" but I assumed that was castle fireworks rather than Fantasmic?



We saw Fantasmic only as part of our BSM but that is because both the Fireworks and World of Color were down for refurbishment for the Diamond Celebration.


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## meryll83

So it won't necessarily always definitely be part of the tour?


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## DisneyKevin

The parade, fireworks, Fantastic and World of Color are all usually included in your Adventure.

That being said, these are not guaranteed, as they may not be available during your dates.


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## meryll83

Thanks Kevin!


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## White Rose

Crossing my fingers Paint the Night is included this year! Anyone done ABD since this parade has been offered?


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## WebmasterMike

White Rose said:


> Crossing my fingers Paint the Night is included this year! Anyone done ABD since this parade has been offered?



I can tell you in a few weeks.  Out DL portion of BSM starts around the 17th of July.


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## pudinhd

We went in April of 2009 and October of 2014.  We did not see Fantasmic on either of our trips.  However, it may be that it was only showing on the weekends during those weeks.


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## meryll83

pudinhd said:


> We went in April of 2009 and October of 2014.  We did not see Fantasmic on either of our trips.  However, it may be that it was only showing on the weekends during those weeks.


I need to figure out how to make sure we catch it!


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## Cinderella's Slipper 2015

You also need to remember that unlike DW, not all night-time shows run every night of the week. We didn't see fireworks because they were not being done during our trip. We missed them by a couple days as they only were being done on weekends. It's not like at DW where the parks are in the middle of 40 square miles of nothing, with no major towns/cities right next door. Disneyland is in the middle of Anaheim so they have to take that into consideration when doing night-time shows


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## White Rose

PTN confirmed along with WOC and fireworks viewing for ABD backstage magic. I just called ABD...they said the 3 listed are confirmed along with other things that are 60th Anniversary surprises....so she did not want to spoil them.

Yay!


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## scottmel

White Rose said:


> PTN confirmed along with WOC and fireworks viewing for ABD backstage magic. I just called ABD...they said the 3 listed are confirmed along with other things that are 60th Anniversary surprises....so she did not want to spoil them.
> 
> Yay!


I know we see F! and fireworks will follow DIRECTLY after that show....and WOC and Paint the Night Parade those are the four I know we do on BSM. Will be interested in what the other surprises are...guessing Paint the Night?


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## White Rose

scottmel said:


> I know we see F! and fireworks will follow DIRECTLY after that show....and WOC and Paint the Night Parade those are the four I know we do on BSM. Will be interested in what the other surprises are...guessing Paint the Night?



PTN is confirmed...not sure about F! because I do not know if that is offered in Oct. the three that were confirmed were PTN Fireworks and WOC.


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## meryll83

How long does the 60th run until?

Does Fantasmic normally not happen because of MNSSHP? Does a different show or fireworks take place on those nights?


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## OKW Lover

meryll83 said:


> Do you see the Hollywood sign? The Bowl? Stars homes?


We've done two BSM's now, with a 3rd happening in just a couple of weeks.  In the past we saw the Hollywood sign right from the hotel.  You'll also catch glimpses of it as you bus around the Hollywood area.  On neither of our trips did we stop at the Hollywood Bowl, although we did drive past it.  As far as stars homes goes, we hand a tour on the first BSM that was probably the low-light of the trip.  On our second BSM they didn't do this.  The reason for skipping the tour of the stars homes is that you really don't see them.  Instead you get driven (often quickly) past large hedges or fences behind which "x" star used to live so the driver showed us arial photos of the estates taken directly from Google Earth.  You can do the same right from your computer.



meryll83 said:


> So I think I heard some time ago that included in the tour is a park ticket which is still valid for your check out day - is that still the case?
> 
> Planning to tag an extra couple of nights on the end and just wondering how many extra days of park tickets we might need...


That was the case in both of our BSM trips.  The tickets expire at the end of the day you have your farewell breakfast.



Cinderella's Slipper 2015 said:


> You get a 4 day park hopper ticket included in your package.


  Actually, its not a standard 4 day park hopper in that it expires.  Its not like you could "save" a day to use later.


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## sayhello

OKW Lover said:


> Actually, its not a standard 4 day park hopper in that it expires.  Its not like you could "save" a day to use later.


Actually, Disneyland doesn't do non-expiring park hopper tickets like WDW does.  All days on your ticket have to be used within 13 days of first use, or they expire.  So this one just has a shorter expiration period on it.

Sayhello


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## WebmasterMike

Ditto what Jeff and Tobi said.  We took some of our Pre-day time and went up to Griffith Observatory where we could get a better look at the Hollywood sign and on our tour of the stars homes, we were taken to a "photo-op" location with the Hollywood Sign.


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## meryll83

Is there free wifi at the 2 ABD hotels?

Thinking of doing a couple of nights at Universal before the tour, any hotel recommendations there?

We're heading to Vegas afterwards, I notice Southwest do a flight from Orange County airport, would this be a better option than going from LAX?

When/how do you arrange the airport transfers with ABD?


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## OKW Lover

meryll83 said:


> Is there free wifi at the 2 ABD hotels?


Yes there is.  Loews recently introduced free wifi and the Grand Californian has had it for a while.


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## WebmasterMike




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## sayhello

meryll83 said:


> Thinking of doing a couple of nights at Universal before the tour, any hotel recommendations there?
> 
> We're heading to Vegas afterwards, I notice Southwest do a flight from Orange County airport, would this be a better option than going from LAX?
> 
> When/how do you arrange the airport transfers with ABD?


It is actually really easy to get from the Loews hotel to Universal.  Someone reported on another thread that it's only a couple of stops away on the Metro.  So your easiest choice would probably be extra nights at the Loews.

And yes!  Leaving the Disneyland area from SNA (John Wayne Airport) in Santa Ana is infinitely easier than leaving from LAX.  Way closer!  And a much smaller, easier to navigate airport.  I fly out of SNA when going to SoCal as often as I can!

Sayhello


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## meryll83

Think we did fancy staying right at Universal as we'll be staying very late for Halloween Horror Nights, so where would be a good bet?


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## Cousin Orville

sayhello said:


> And yes!  Leaving the Disneyland area from SNA (John Wayne Airport) in Santa Ana is infinitely easier than leaving from LAX.  Way closer!  And a much smaller, easier to navigate airport.  I fly out of SNA when going to SoCal as often as I can!
> 
> Sayhello



Agreed! If at all possible, fly out of SNA.


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## WebmasterMike

Another for SNA


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## meryll83

And when/how do you arrange the airport transfers with ABD?


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## WebmasterMike

meryll83 said:


> And when/how do you arrange the airport transfers with ABD?



My TA, Kevin, handles it for my adventures.  I have never had an issue with Airport/train transfers with ABD.


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## meryll83

With DU?
So do I need to let him know what we need?

Is it worth putting in any room requests too? Any recommendations for this?


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## WebmasterMike

meryll83 said:


> With DU?
> So do I need to let him know what we need?
> 
> Is it worth putting in any room requests too? Any recommendations for this?




If you booked with DU, contact kevin@dreamsunlimtedtravel.com.  Same thing with any special requests.


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## DisneyKevin

Transfers are scheduled when you book your air and we provide ABD with the details.

If you book pre-nights through ABD, transfers are included.

If you book pre-nights on your own, transfers are included to the ABD hotel only...if that helps. ABD will not take you to another hotel/location.

If you book post nights through ABD, transfers are included.

if you book post nights on your own...you are on your own. 

Special requests would be made through the person that booked your reservation.

Per Disney policy, requests are not guaranteed, but ABD does everything they can to make sure requests are granted.


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## meryll83

Fab, I'll get back in touch once our flights are sorted then


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## meryll83

Any recommendations for a general LA day tour to see the sights ABD doesn't cover?


----------



## OKW Lover

meryll83 said:


> Any recommendations for a general LA day tour to see the sights ABD doesn't cover?


ABD does a pretty good job.  I'd suggest a couple of things that folks have done before; the LA Farmers Market and the La Brea Tar Pits.  Neither one are part of the usual Back Stage Magic  tour.


----------



## rebeccam31

White Rose said:


> Crossing my fingers Paint the Night is included this year! Anyone done ABD since this parade has been offered?


Yes, we just got back from this trip on Saturday evening.  The parade is every bit as cool as you're expecting it to be.


----------



## rebeccam31

DisneyKevin said:


> Transfers are scheduled when you book your air and we provide ABD with the details.
> 
> If you book pre-nights through ABD, transfers are included.
> 
> If you book pre-nights on your own, transfers are included to the ABD hotel only...if that helps. ABD will not take you to another hotel/location.
> 
> If you book post nights through ABD, transfers are included.
> 
> if you book post nights on your own...you are on your own.
> 
> Special requests would be made through the person that booked your reservation.
> 
> Per Disney policy, requests are not guaranteed, but ABD does everything they can to make sure requests are granted.


I booked a post-night on my own (but still at a Disneyland Resort hotel, and I was afforded the transfer.  I had actually booked my own anticipating that it would not be included, but I cancelled it when the guides said I was still entitled to the transfer.  I don't know if the fact that I was staying at a Disneyland resort (Disneyland Hotel) made a difference or not.


----------



## Eeyore's the Best

rebeccam31 said:


> I booked a post-night on my own (but still at a Disneyland Resort hotel, and I was afforded the transfer.  I had actually booked my own anticipating that it would not be included, but I cancelled it when the guides said I was still entitled to the transfer.  I don't know if the fact that I was staying at a Disneyland resort (Disneyland Hotel) made a difference or not.



That's encouraging to hear, hopefully it will be the same for us when we go in October.  We booked outrpost nights on our own at Paradise Pier.  I think I will hold off booking the return until we get there just in case.


----------



## meryll83

OKW Lover said:


> ABD does a pretty good job.  I'd suggest a couple of things that folks have done before; the LA Farmers Market and the La Brea Tar Pits.  Neither one are part of the usual Back Stage Magic  tour.


Any day tours that cover something like these and Santa Monica?


----------



## meryll83

Do you get a room with a theme park view as part of the ABD tour?


----------



## SaraMc

meryll83 said:


> Do you get a room with a theme park view as part of the ABD tour?


We've done the trip twice,  first time we didn't have a park view, but the monorail drove past our room, second trip we had a pool view and could see parts of DCA.


----------



## meryll83

Is it worth putting a request in?


----------



## OKW Lover

meryll83 said:


> Do you get a room with a theme park view as part of the ABD tour?





SaraMc said:


> We've done the trip twice,  first time we didn't have a park view, but the monorail drove past our room, second trip we had a pool view and could see parts of DCA.



Like Sara, we've also done this twice, with #3 coming up in just a few days.  Our experience was similar to hers as far as room view goes.


----------



## OKW Lover

meryll83 said:


> Is it worth putting a request in?


Not sure how you would do this since the rooms are in a block held by ABD.  You won't have a reservation number to refer to when making a request.


----------



## meryll83

OKW Lover said:


> Not sure how you would do this since the rooms are in a block held by ABD.  You won't have a reservation number to refer to when making a request.


Ah okay, will leave it to the fates then!


----------



## SaraMc

Its like a well organized Military operation when we all arrive.   Your normally all in the same area so they can get the luggage to you quick.


----------



## Cousin Orville

meryll83 said:


> Is it worth putting a request in?



I'd say no.  I went on the same (last) trip as OKW, so I had a similar view that overlooked the pool and theme park.  I've stayed at Grand a few times with a theme park view and I liked my room with ABD as much as any other room I've had there.  But honestly, it's probably not that critical as you won't be in your room much.  You're up super early and back late.  The only times I remember just relaxing in the room was right when we arrived - we had an hour or so to decompress and on the Magic Kingdom day.  They gave us a couple hours for lunch and a voucher, so I went back to White Water Snacks, grabbed a quick bite to bring up to my room, and took a nap.  It probably sounds a bit boring, but it was much needed and well earned.


----------



## WebmasterMike

Best view we had was on our post-days at the Grand Californian with @OKW Lover We had a two bedroom suite and with two balconies and a private party balcony next door.  We had great views of WoC and big kitchen and living room. I wish that trip never ended!!


----------



## Cousin Orville

WebmasterMike said:


> Best view we had was on our post-days at the Grand Californian with @OKW Lover We had a two bedroom suite and with two balconies and a private party balcony next door.  We had great views of WoC and big kitchen and living room. I wish that trip never ended!!





.... nice


----------



## rebeccam31

meryll83 said:


> Do you get a room with a theme park view as part of the ABD tour?



We had a pool view on our trip last week.  I didn't put in any requests, though.


----------



## meryll83

On the first night you go into the park after dinner, is that right?

But you don't get a ticket valid for that day?

(I was thinking if you arrived early maybe you could get some park time in before dinner, but from what I've read I don't think it would work like that...)


----------



## Cousin Orville

meryll83 said:


> On the first night you go into the park after dinner, is that right?
> 
> But you don't get a ticket valid for that day?
> 
> (I was thinking if you arrived early maybe you could get some park time in before dinner, but from what I've read I don't think it would work like that...)



The first night you arrive at Disneyland?  Dinner in December was inside DL.  We arrived in the late afternoon, checked into the Grand, and had maybe 1-2 hrs before meeting up in the lobby to stroll over to DL to go to the restaurant.  After dinner we had some time to venture off on our own before getting back together for Fantasmic.  This was our experience last December.


----------



## meryll83

Cool, so you just get entry between dinner and Fantasmic? You can't get into the park any earlier in the day?


----------



## Cousin Orville

meryll83 said:


> Cool, so you just get entry between dinner and Fantasmic? You can't get into the park any earlier in the day?



Correct.  You'll walk over to the park entrance as a group where they'll pass out your tickets good until the last day of the ABD.  There's really no time to go into the parks prior to that.


----------



## Cinderella's Slipper 2015

When I was on the trip this past February we didn't get to Disneyland until about 20-30 minutes prior to our dinner. We had 5 minutes to throw stuff into our rooms and head down to meet up in the lobby. Big Thunder Ranch was under refurb for our trip so we had dinner at Steakhouse 55 at the Disneyland Hotel before heading over to DL as a group to see Fantasmic. We had time on our own after Fantasmic, although Fantasmic was an optional activity, you did not have to see it so you could have just gotten your tickets and gone off and did whatever you wanted. We actually had one couple get their park tickets and head back to the hotel.


----------



## meryll83

In LA, on your own time - has anyone done anything they thought was a waste of time and wished they spent it elsewhere?


----------



## Cinderella's Slipper 2015

Madam Toussaud's Wax Museum. We didn't do it on our own time, it was an optional activity that they gave us on our first night. Given the choice again, I think I would have skipped it.


----------



## meryll83

Will def give that a miss!

So I was wondering who else books the DLR hotels? e.g. Hotels.com? Expedia? and how many days out these typically go on sale?


----------



## WebmasterMike

ABD can book post-nights at the Grand Californian.  This would ensure you have transfers to the airport for your departure.  

You might email Kevin and ask him about booking DLR resorts pre and post, kevin@dreamsunlimitedtravel.com


----------



## meryll83

Thanks Mike, I've booked this way already actually, I was just curious in general in case any discounted offers came up!


----------



## WebmasterMike

meryll83 said:


> Thanks Mike, I've booked this way already actually, I was just curious in general in case any discounted offers came up!



No prob!  Just returned on Sunday from BSM and it was an amazing trip.  No post days this time but we still had a fantastic trip!!


----------



## meryll83

Glad you had a fab time! I would ask if you're doing a TR but I've been advised to avoid spoilers!

First time to DL and first ABD for me, hence the many questions!!


----------



## orion2185

We know that the ABD backstage magic portion includes your stay at the GC resort.....is it possible to change that or upgrade to staying at the Disneyland resort during your ABD (not pre or post stay)??

The GC does nothing for us...but are hopelessly in love with the Disneyland resort


----------



## msteddom

orion2185 said:


> We know that the ABD backstage magic portion includes your stay at the GC resort.....is it possible to change that or upgrade to staying at the Disneyland resort during your ABD (not pre or post stay)??
> 
> The GC does nothing for us...but are hopelessly in love with the Disneyland resort


I highly doubt you would be able to switch.  The rooms have to be together in a block to facilitate quick delivery of luggage and other items.

Melissa


----------



## Cinderella's Slipper 2015

orion2185 said:


> We know that the ABD backstage magic portion includes your stay at the GC resort.....is it possible to change that or upgrade to staying at the Disneyland resort during your ABD (not pre or post stay)??
> 
> The GC does nothing for us...but are hopelessly in love with the Disneyland resort



You can't change the hotel that ABD uses. Everyone needs to be together as you are expected to meet at certain places/times each day and the guides need to know where everyone is situated room wise. They can't have 1 family out of 40 staying at a different hotel. Also, Disneyland Hotel is not an upgrade from Grand Californian, it's a downgrade. Grand Californian is the flagship hotel for Disneyland as it's the only hotel Disney actually built on the property. 

Also, the tour guides do not like to let the group separate when officially "on tour". We had someone ask to leave and go back to their room the day we were at California Adventure and the guides said no, she had to stay with the group. She didn't need to partake of what we were doing but she could not leave the group. It's a safety thing. If something goes wrong, the guides need to be able to account for all members of the tour, this goes for in the parks and in the hotels.


----------



## GSLand

Cinderella's Slipper 2015 said:


> You get a 4 day park hopper ticket included in your package.



Really?!?
This is all new to me. I understand from the trip description we have a day in Disneyland park and a day in CA Adventure.
****
never mind .... I did not read all the post and now I see the last day of the ABD trip is the last day we can use the park tickets included.
Thx.


----------



## Cinderella's Slipper 2015

Actually you get one evening at Disneyland, One full day at Disneyland and One full day at California Adventure. This leaves one day on the ticket for use on the last day of the trip (farewell day). 

We actually didn't use our ticket on the first evening at the park. Our guides got us in without the use of our park tickets but then we were late getting to the resort as we had to do Jim Hensen the same day as the Walt Disney Studios and Imagineering. We barely made it in time for our dinner at Steakhouse 55. After dinner we basically hot footed it over to Disneyland so that we could get to Fantasmic before it started. We didn't actually get our park tickets until we were inside the gates.


----------



## DisneyKevin

Cinderella's Slipper 2015 said:


> Also, the tour guides do not like to let the group separate when officially "on tour". We had someone ask to leave and go back to their room the day we were at California Adventure and the guides said no, she had to stay with the group. She didn't need to partake of what we were doing but she could not leave the group. It's a safety thing. If something goes wrong, the guides need to be able to account for all members of the tour, this goes for in the parks and in the hotels.



If this is the information you are given, it is incorrect.

While you have paid for all aspects of the tour, you are not required to participate in any of it.

Transportation, meals, pre- arranged activities and entrance to certain things are time sensitive, but the rest is up to you.

I have done the Knights and Lights adventure twice and have never gone to Versailles. As I didn't feel I had enough time to do the things I wanted to do it Paris, I have skipped this portion both times.

We just completed the San Francisco Weekend / Backstage Magic combination trip and guests who had taken this trip previously decided to do other things while the tour visited things that didn't interest them.

Many in our group have done Backstage Magic multiple times. As it was raining on the night of our farewell dinner, a large portion of group decided not to go back into California Adventure to view World of Color. This is not an issue.

It's good manners to let your guides know that you won't be joining a certain event/activity, that way no one waits for you...but you are under no obligation to stay with the group at any time.

if you have any questions...please feel free to ask.

Kevin@DreamsUnlimitedTravel.com


----------



## DisneyKevin

You are not allowed to switch hotels for this Adventure.

The Adventure is contracted through the Grand Californian. You are not allowed to book additional nights through your ABD reservation for anywhere but the Grand Californian.

Everyone gets a 4 day park hopper ticket that expires at the end of the day of your Farewell Breakfast. You have full access to both parks that day, but the ticket can not be extended, upgraded, transferred or sold.

Any additional days at the parks will require separately purchased tickets.


----------



## *WDW*Groupie*

Does the ticket for the last day (the day of the farewell breakfast) include any fast passes?  A girl can dream, right?!


----------



## DisneyKevin

*WDW*Groupie* said:


> Does the ticket for the last day (the day of the farewell breakfast) include any fast passes?  A girl can dream, right?!



It does not.

While you have a ticket to use that last day, the Adventure officially ends with breakfast.


----------



## meryll83

Are there any of Disney's tours its worth doing on pre or post ABD? e.g. Discover the Magic, Happiest Haunts over Halloween etc?


----------



## GSLand

Cinderella's Slipper 2015 said:


> Madam Toussaud's Wax Museum. We didn't do it on our own time, it was an optional activity that they gave us on our first night. Given the choice again, I think I would have skipped it.


What would have been a better choice, in your opinion? The wax museum does not appeal to me either.


----------



## White Rose

meryll83 said:


> Are there any of Disney's tours its worth doing on pre or post ABD? e.g. Discover the Magic, Happiest Haunts over Halloween etc?



Depending on the schedule we are considering happiest haunts. I think it can be booked 30 days before. We are still 70+ days away! Ack!


----------



## White Rose

GSLand said:


> What would have been a better choice, in your opinion? The wax museum does not appeal to me either.



We are not wax museum people either, but if it is free, and nearly everyone is going, it could be fun to goof around with everyone. Also, while we are not into star watching I heard that occasionally stars will "visit" their duplicate to have fun. 

Check out videos of Arnold schwarzenegger and wax museum...really funny.


----------



## scottmel

GSLand said:


> What would have been a better choice, in your opinion? The wax museum does not appeal to me either.


It didn't appeal to me initially either and I am glad I didn't pay to do it but once there it was ok...Glad I did it but even better it was free !  I personally would rather have done the Dolby but I think DD16 would have appreciated the wax museum more.


----------



## orion2185

DisneyKevin said:


> You are not allowed to switch hotels for this Adventure.
> 
> The Adventure is contracted through the Grand Californian. You are not allowed to book additional nights through your ABD reservation for anywhere but the Grand Californian.
> 
> Everyone gets a 4 day park hopper ticket that expires at the end of the day of your Farewell Breakfast. You have full access to both parks that day, but the ticket can not be extended, upgraded, transferred or sold.
> 
> Any additional days at the parks will require separately purchased tickets.




THANKS KEVIN for taking the time to post a reply! 

What about post stay if you book that with ABD? 
don't see why it would matter then...since the ABD portion is over


----------



## DisneyKevin

orion2185 said:


> THANKS KEVIN for taking the time to post a reply!
> 
> What about post stay if you book that with ABD?
> don't see why it would matter then...since the ABD portion is over



ABD has changed their policy regarding arrival transfers, but departure transfers remain the same.

If you book post nights through ABD, and the Grand Californian is your only option, transfers remain intact.

If you book post nights at any other location (including the other Disney hotels), you would be responsible for your own transportation to the airport.

You are welcome to do this and it may make sense financially, but if included transfers are important to you, then your post nights must be booked through ABD.


----------



## DisneyKevin

In the past, ABD would only provide arrival transfers on the day the Adventure began or if you had booked pre-nights through them for the first Adventure hotel.

They have recently changed this policy to include transfers whenever you arrive, but the transfers will only bring you from the airport to the first Adventure hotel.

You would then be responsible for transportation to the location of your pre-Adventure nights not booked through ABD.

Others have stated that the transportation took them to their alternate hotel, but this is not ABD's stated policy and not something on which you can depend.

If you have any questions, let me know.

Kevin@DreamsUnlimitedTravel.com


----------



## orion2185

DisneyKevin said:


> ABD has changed their policy regarding arrival transfers, but departure transfers remain the same.
> 
> If you book post nights through ABD, and the Grand Californian is your only option, transfers remain intact.
> 
> If you book post nights at any other location (including the other Disney hotels), you would be responsible for your own transportation to the airport.
> 
> You are welcome to do this and it may make sense financially, but if included transfers are important to you, then your post nights must be booked through ABD.





Thanks again Kevin for taking the time to reply. 

Nothing against the GC (it's amazing)...the Disneyland hotel appeals to us more style wise and It's history. 

Not a deal breaker...after all they both are hotels and both are great properties. 

Thanks again


----------



## neckhardt

Just got back from BSMT and my daughter has wanted to go to a wax museum for years, and I have always said an emphatic "NO". Since we got the free tickets we went and I actually had a good time. The other guests and guides made it even more fun.

Don't discount this, you can also leave at any time if you don't like it, but as they said in the commercial "Try it, you'll like it".


----------



## Miss SD

We found that the trip to the wax museum was a fun bonding experience with the other Adventurers on the first night of the trip. By the time you'll get there, the place will be mostly empty, so it's like having a private visit. And it's easy to get to know the others because everyone's taking photos for each other. As wax museums go, this is a good one.


----------



## pudinhd

Miss SD said:


> We found that the trip to the wax museum was a fun bonding experience with the other Adventurers on the first night of the trip. By the time you'll get there, the place will be mostly empty, so it's like having a private visit. And it's easy to get to know the others because everyone's taking photos for each other. As wax museums go, this is a good one.



I definitely second this comment!  My husband didn't want to go, so I went by myself.    It was a blast and I was able to get to know other guests!


----------



## Cinderella's Slipper 2015

Our group didn't really stay together once we got to the wax museum and since it wasn't really our thing, we didn't stick around too long, plus we were tired from hiking Runyon Canyon earlier in the day so we left the wax museum pretty early. Our group didn't really start bonding until the next night at our optional activities.


----------



## scothen50

Hi,

Can someone please let me know when you return to the hotel on Day 2?

Thanks,


----------



## DisneyKevin

scothen50 said:


> Hi,
> 
> Can someone please let me know when you return to the hotel on Day 2?
> 
> Thanks,



Usually, it's mid to late afternoon.


----------



## *WDW*Groupie*

We are booked on this trip on spring break next year.  I am a bit nervous about the maximum group size.  Does anyone know what the max. number of guests on this particular trip is?

I am super excited about this since dd and I both love Disney theme parks (we are seriously hoping that Shanghai Disney will be open next year when we are in China -- I booked our flights home from Shanghai just so we could visit).


----------



## meryll83

I've read you get some Fastpasses on at least a couple of days that the tour is in the parks. Are these for specific attractions and/or times?

I was wondering if you find you don't need them because the queues are manageable, would they be good to use a day or two later?


----------



## DisneyKevin

*WDW*Groupie* said:


> We are booked on this trip on spring break next year.  I am a bit nervous about the maximum group size.  Does anyone know what the max. number of guests on this particular trip is?
> 
> I am super excited about this since dd and I both love Disney theme parks (we are seriously hoping that Shanghai Disney will be open next year when we are in China -- I booked our flights home from Shanghai just so we could visit).



The maximum group size on almost every ABD trip is 44 guests.

I just completed my 8th Backstage Magic and this has never been anise.



meryll83 said:


> I've read you get some Fastpasses on at least a couple of days that the tour is in the parks. Are these for specific attractions and/or times?
> 
> I was wondering if you find you don't need them because the queues are manageable, would they be good to use a day or two later?



They are good for any fastpass attraction.

They expire the day they are given...but I have heard that some cast members will honor them after their expiration.

This is not the standard policy and it's not something you can count on happening.


----------



## rebeccam31

White Rose said:


> We are not wax museum people either, but if it is free, and nearly everyone is going, it could be fun to goof around with everyone. Also, while we are not into star watching I heard that occasionally stars will "visit" their duplicate to have fun.
> 
> Check out videos of Arnold schwarzenegger and wax museum...really funny.



The Arnold thing happened a week before our trip!  We were not excited about the wax museum, but our girls were so we went.  We ended up having so much silly fun!  I never would have believed it, but I ended up very pleased that we didn't skip it.


----------



## Cinderella's Slipper 2015

meryll83 said:


> I've read you get some Fastpasses on at least a couple of days that the tour is in the parks. Are these for specific attractions and/or times?
> 
> I was wondering if you find you don't need them because the queues are manageable, would they be good to use a day or two later?



We received 5 each day we were in a park. They were good for that day only and they specified which attractions you could not use them on. For California Adventure, they were good on any attraction except Radiator Springs Racers, although the Guides did give us all a separate fastpass for Radiator Springs Racers, and at Disneyland, I believe they are good on every fastpass attraction except Matterhorn Mountain (it was down for refurb when we were there so was a moot point. 

Remember Disneyland does not have the same number of Fastpass attractions as WDW. I believe it's something like 5 or 6 attractions at each park that are fastpass.


----------



## EK4636

Can I ask a random question?  I'm planning on doing a Napa Rose Chef's "Table" while we're there in October.  Is it even possible to even do this any night during ABD?  I think the seating time is 5-8pm.


----------



## Cinderella's Slipper 2015

EK4636 said:


> Can I ask a random question?  I'm planning on doing a Napa Rose Chef's "Table" while we're there in October.  Is it even possible to even do this any night during ABD?  I think the seating time is 5-8pm.



You could probably fit it in on the full Disneyland Day but that depends on how close you want to cut it. We didn't finish that day until 4:30pm. Granted it's really close to get to Grand Californian but you are always welcome to skip the last activity. For us it was VIP viewing of Mickey's Soundsational Parade. Otherwise, you could do it on the "farewell" day. Your trip will "officially" end at dinner in California Adventure. Then the next day is your 'farewell breakfast'. You don't have to even make it to breakfast that day as it's departure day for some so you are basically on your own.


----------



## meryll83

Cinderella's Slipper 2015 said:


> We received 5 each day we were in a park. They were good for that day only and they specified which attractions you could not use them on. For California Adventure, they were good on any attraction except Radiator Springs Racers, although the Guides did give us all a separate fastpass for Radiator Springs Racers, and at Disneyland, I believe they are good on every fastpass attraction except Matterhorn Mountain (it was down for refurb when we were there so was a moot point.
> 
> Remember Disneyland does not have the same number of Fastpass attractions as WDW. I believe it's something like 5 or 6 attractions at each park that are fastpass.


So that was just for the 2 full park days? Or anything for your part days e.g. arrival and departure days at the resort?


----------



## Cinderella's Slipper 2015

meryll83 said:


> So that was just for the 2 full park days? Or anything for your part days e.g. arrival and departure days at the resort?



The guides gave us 5 fastpasses the first night we were there for use after Fantasmic, then we got 5 at Disneyland and 5+1 at California Adventure (5 good on anything but Radiator Springs fastpasses + 1 fastpass for Radiator Springs Racers). We didn't receive any fastpasses after the day at California Adventure as the trip was officially over and we were on our own.


----------



## meryll83

Where there are gaps in the "meal plan", do people find they have room for food to make it worthwhile booking their own meal ressies, or do ABD leave you feeling pretty full already?


----------



## Cinderella's Slipper 2015

We found that it was better not to book anything and just get quick service when we were released for the day or broke for lunch on our own. The timing we found was not conducive to booking sit down meals.


----------



## OKW Lover

meryll83 said:


> Where there are gaps in the "meal plan", do people find they have room for food to make it worthwhile booking their own meal ressies, or do ABD leave you feeling pretty full already?


If you look at the schedule for the trip, you'll see several days when lunch or dinner is "on your own".  Still, at DL I wouldn't plan a meal for those days since you'll most likely be meeting later for an event.


----------



## Cinderella's Slipper 2015

Really the only day we could have "planned" a meal at DL was the day at California Adventure. They let us go around 11/11:30am and then we didn't need to meet up until around 5pm. On the Disneyland day we had 45 minutes to get lunch so would not have worked out with a reservation.


----------



## meryll83

Think I'll save it for our add on nights then, thanks for the advice all!


----------



## meryll83

Do you need a resort reservation reference to book your dining ressies online?


----------



## OKW Lover

meryll83 said:


> Do you need a resort reservation reference to book your dining ressies online?


No.


----------



## meryll83

Is there a Photopass CD available for pre-purchase online at a discounted rate for DL in the same way there is for WDW?


----------



## Cinderella's Slipper 2015

meryll83 said:


> Is there a Photopass CD available for pre-purchase online at a discounted rate for DL in the same way there is for WDW?



You don't have to worry about the time you're on the tour as the Guides will give you the code to access the photos they took while on the tour. For time on your own, yes Disneyland does have a photopass system. It's the same as Disney WOrld's old system. Here is a link to the pre-order for the photopass CD. http://disneyphotopass.com/specialoffers/dlrppp.htm


----------



## OKW Lover

meryll83 said:


> Is there a Photopass CD available for pre-purchase online at a discounted rate for DL in the same way there is for WDW?


You'll get all the pictures the guides take while you are doing the official events as part of the package.  Are you also thinking of getting the one in the parks?  For us it wouldn't be worth it because there isn't that much park time separate from the ABD events.


----------



## meryll83

Ah, that's interesting. How do you get those photos? (Just we're in the UK, so don't know if it makes a difference)


----------



## OKW Lover

meryll83 said:


> Ah, that's interesting. How do you get those photos?


They get posted to a web site.  Everybody will be given the website name and a code for it the last night of your trip.  Typically in a week or two the pictures will be uploaded and you can then go in and download any or all.


----------



## meryll83

Cool, good to know, thanks.

So some of these will be park pictures? Or are they all from the "different" tour experienced?

We're staying an extra couple of nights after the tour, so just wondering if it's still worth doing a Photopass for the more standard park pictures?


----------



## OKW Lover

meryll83 said:


> So some of these will be park pictures? Or are they all from the "different" tour experienced?


They will be pictures from your entire tour.  What usually happens is that at each stop/event there will be a photo op where they will do a group picture and then individual pictures.  In addition, there will be some candid's taken at random during the days.


----------



## meryll83

Is there any charge for the photos at the end?


----------



## OKW Lover

meryll83 said:


> Is there any charge for the photos at the end?


No, they are included in the cost of the ABD.


----------



## myladyfae

I'm curious, how much ride time do you feel you generally have gotten on this ABD?  

I've been to Disneyland many times, but my travelling companion has not (though she is a frequent WDW visitor)...so I hope we will still have time to do all the rides she has never gotten to before!


----------



## OKW Lover

myladyfae said:


> I'm curious, how much ride time do you feel you generally have gotten on this ABD?
> 
> I've been to Disneyland many times, but my travelling companion has not (though she is a frequent WDW visitor)...so I hope we will still have time to do all the rides she has never gotten to before!


During the guided portion of your trip at DL/DCA you'll actually only get on a few attractions.  However, during the on your own time you will have fast passes (5 each) that will go a long way towards allowing you to cover all the attractions you want to see.


----------



## Cinderella's Slipper 2015

myladyfae said:


> I'm curious, how much ride time do you feel you generally have gotten on this ABD?
> 
> I've been to Disneyland many times, but my travelling companion has not (though she is a frequent WDW visitor)...so I hope we will still have time to do all the rides she has never gotten to before!



We had a couple hours the evening we arrived plus the full evening from about 5pm on on the full Disneyland Day. We had about 5 hours in the afternoon at California Adventure because we opted to not do the optional activities that afternoon and opted for the rides instead. We then got a few hours that evening to hit whatever park we wanted.

Fastpass attractions are limited, not like at DW. There are only about 5 - 6 attractions that are fastpass at each park and the fastpasses ABD gives you cannot be used on Matterhorn or on Radiator Springs Racers (you will get 1 free fastpass for this attraction).


----------



## scottmel

we are huge WDW fans and I had concerns about this as well for our ABD trip. Reality is though not many rides have fast passes and they were the rides I was most interested in (non fast pass rides I felt were different from Disney). So my having fast passes for Soarin, toy story, big thunder etc really not too exciting for me since I have ridden them so many times at WDW. Fantasyland for example is very different at DL than WDW and no fast passes available. We had best luck doing this late in the evening after Fantasmic etc. No problems doing the rides then otherwise lines were long. We tagged on an extra day at the end to use that 4th ticket day and honestly didnt' ride that much. Between our late night riding and stuff on the tour, we got our fill....


----------



## myladyfae

scottmel said:


> we are huge WDW fans and I had concerns about this as well for our ABD trip. Reality is though not many rides have fast passes and they were the rides I was most interested in (non fast pass rides I felt were different from Disney). So my having fast passes for Soarin, toy story, big thunder etc really not too exciting for me since I have ridden them so many times at WDW. Fantasyland for example is very different at DL than WDW and no fast passes available. We had best luck doing this late in the evening after Fantasmic etc. No problems doing the rides then otherwise lines were long. We tagged on an extra day at the end to use that 4th ticket day and honestly didnt' ride that much. Between our late night riding and stuff on the tour, we got our fill....




*nods* that's good to know!  We are going in January, so I've been worried about the parks closing early.  We are staying an extra day though, so we should still get the chance to see some stuff that day!


----------



## OKW Lover

myladyfae said:


> We are going in January, so I've been worried about the parks closing early.


The counterpoint to this is that the crowd levels are lower so you have shorter lines and can do more in the same amount of time.


----------



## meryll83

Cinderella's Slipper 2015 said:


> We had a couple hours the evening we arrived plus the full evening from about 5pm on on the full Disneyland Day. We had about 5 hours in the afternoon at California Adventure because we opted to not do the optional activities that afternoon and opted for the rides instead. We then got a few hours that evening to hit whatever park we wanted.


What were the optional activities?


----------



## myladyfae

OKW Lover said:


> The counterpoint to this is that the crowd levels are lower so you have shorter lines and can do more in the same amount of time.



That is my hope!!  I've only ever been to DL (or LA in general) in the summer, but with the weather always nice it's hard to judge crowd levels! Heh.


----------



## White Rose

meryll83 said:


> What were the optional activities?



Surprises and could be different on each trip....


----------



## scottmel

meryll83 said:


> What were the optional activities?



We liked the Ghiridelli Ice Cream Social followed by Inside Out Movie....I think the Hollywood leg of the trip had the more flexible optional surprises -the DL ones were rather predictable - parades, shows, etc. but loved them as well. We did all optionals except for afternoon parade.


----------



## White Rose

scottmel said:


> We liked the Ghiridelli Ice Cream Social followed by Inside Out Movie....I think the Hollywood leg of the trip had the more flexible optional surprises -the DL ones were rather predictable - parades, shows, etc. but loved them as well. We did all optionals except for afternoon parade.



Unfortunately the theater is closed during most of our Hollywood time, so it all depends on when you go, I think.


----------



## scottmel

White Rose said:


> Unfortunately the theater is closed during most of our Hollywood time, so it all depends on when you go, I think.


Seriously???? El Capitian is closed when you are there? I am so sorry...that was one of the highlights of our trip, not sure why but we loved it. I will assume you will go to the other one, name escapes me - Grumans? something like that


----------



## myladyfae

White Rose said:


> Unfortunately the theater is closed during most of our Hollywood time, so it all depends on when you go, I think.



Oh man, it didn't even occur to me as a possibility!  Though Star Wars comes out 3 or 4 weeks before ours, so I'm hoping that keeps it on the radar!

I've done the Chinese theatre tour before though and it is *really* cool!  The Kodak I would probably skip tho.


----------



## White Rose

scottmel said:


> Seriously???? El Capitian is closed when you are there? I am so sorry...that was one of the highlights of our trip, not sure why but we loved it. I will assume you will go to the other one, name escapes me - Grumans? something like that



I would suggest checking the schedule for anyone not booking during the summer months! Our trip starts October 11, and it is open only on Sunday October 11 during our Hollywood time, and we only do dinner that night. The next day it is open is Oct 15, we will be in DL. https://elcapitantheatre.com. I did not expect it to be closed, but they are not showing anything on the schedule when we are there. 

They are showing Aladdin till October 4 then closed till October 8-11 for Hocus Pocus. Their next open day is Oct 15, showing The Black Caldron till the 18th. I was thinking of getting tickets before the tour starts but I doubt I can convince my hubby to sit through Hocus Pocus...lol!

Also, some of the in-park things could change, so don't read too many spoilers...we probably won't see fantasmic because it is not on the DL  schedule for our park day...it is a Halloween Party night, in fact it is only showing once during our stay, which is on the CA night. Also because of the Halloween party, the in-park Disneyland dining might be at the hotel instead, it all depends on the schedule.

We might get other "surprises" or do different things because of he schedules. Hubby is really looking forward to Henson Studios, so if that was closed, we would not be going on the trip! He is a big Muppets fan...and yes I am looking forward to that too. I had fond memories of being allowed to stay up to watch the muppets!

Since we have not seen the theater I guess we won't know what we are missing!


----------



## White Rose

myladyfae said:


> Oh man, it didn't even occur to me as a possibility!  Though Star Wars comes out 3 or 4 weeks before ours, so I'm hoping that keeps it on the radar!
> 
> I've done the Chinese theatre tour before though and it is *really* cool!  The Kodak I would probably skip tho.



The theater has a schedule out through Nov...

https://elcapitantheatre.com

It seems it is open most of nov so keep checking their coming soon info.


----------



## DisneyKevin

When we were there in July, Levi (the gentleman who gives the tour at Graumans / TCL) told us that the Star Wars premier will be the largest ever.

It will be at three haters. TCL / Graumans, El Capitan and I believe he said the Egyptian Theater (down Hollywood Blvd) a couple of blocks.


----------



## myladyfae

White Rose said:


> The theater has a schedule out through Nov...
> 
> https://elcapitantheatre.com
> 
> It seems it is open most of nov so keep checking their coming soon info.



Maybe that will work to your advantage- it it's not open to general public they could potentially schedule a show just for you guys?


----------



## myladyfae

DisneyKevin said:


> When we were there in July, Levi (the gentleman who gives the tour at Graumans / TCL) told us that the Star Wars premier will be the largest ever.
> 
> It will be at three haters. TCL / Graumans, El Capitan and I believe he said the Egyptian Theater (down Hollywood Blvd) a couple of blocks.




I bet!!! When we were choosing dates we *almost* tried to squeeze in on the Dec DIS trip...exclusively because the premiere would be happening that week! Heh


----------



## *WDW*Groupie*

Is the theater within walking distance of the Loews?

Can anyone advise if it is worth staying 2 nights pre-ABD in Beverly Hills?  Or are we better off at the Loews?


----------



## OKW Lover

*WDW*Groupie* said:


> Is the theater within walking distance of the Loews?


Yes.  Its a very, very short walk.


----------



## Miss SD

What are you planning to do during your pre-stay? Are you interested in only Beverly Hills, or did you want to see other places as well?


----------



## myladyfae

*WDW*Groupie* said:


> Is the theater within walking distance of the Loews?
> 
> Can anyone advise if it is worth staying 2 nights pre-ABD in Beverly Hills?  Or are we better off at the Loews?




I would not suggest Beverly Hills unless you are planning to rent a car during your 2 pre days.  I've stayed all over the LA area, and Hollywood is the only place you can really get away without one.

We are spending our 2 pre days at the magiccastlehotel.com, which is a block from the Loews but half the cost.  It also lets you visit the Magic Castle private club which is flat out amazing in my mind! .


----------



## *WDW*Groupie*

Miss SD said:


> What are you planning to do during your pre-stay? Are you interested in only Beverly Hills, or did you want to see other places as well?



I'm a bit of a foodie so I wanted to try a few of the high end restaurants.


----------



## *WDW*Groupie*

Is it feasible to get a taxi from Hollywood to Beverly Hills to eat, then head back?  Or would there be horrendous traffic and a high cost for the cab?


----------



## myladyfae

*WDW*Groupie* said:


> Is it feasible to get a taxi from Hollywood to Beverly Hills to eat, then head back?  Or would there be horrendous traffic and a high cost for the cab?



It is about a 25-30 minute drive away after traffic. 

Personally, I'd get a 48 hour hop on hop off ticket for starline tours http://www.starlinetours.com/los-angeles-tour-HOHO.asp

You can use it to get around during the day, have it drop you in Beverly hills early evening for dinner, then take a taxi back!  It goes directly from Hollywood to BH, so you could even have time to go back to the hotel and change.   The starline tickets give you a discount at a bunch of *other* attractions as well.


----------



## myladyfae

White Rose said:


> I would suggest checking the schedule for anyone not booking during the summer months! Our trip starts October 11, and it is open only on Sunday October 11 during our Hollywood time, and we only do dinner that night. The next day it is open is Oct 15, we will be in DL. https://elcapitantheatre.com. I did not expect it to be closed, but they are not showing anything on the schedule when we are there.
> 
> They are showing Aladdin till October 4 then closed till October 8-11 for Hocus Pocus. Their next open day is Oct 15, showing The Black Caldron till the 18th. I was thinking of getting tickets before the tour starts but I doubt I can convince my hubby to sit through Hocus Pocus...lol!
> 
> Also, some of the in-park things could change, so don't read too many spoilers...we probably won't see fantasmic because it is not on the DL  schedule for our park day...it is a Halloween Party night, in fact it is only showing once during our stay, which is on the CA night. Also because of the Halloween party, the in-park Disneyland dining might be at the hotel instead, it all depends on the schedule.
> 
> We might get other "surprises" or do different things because of he schedules. Hubby is really looking forward to Henson Studios, so if that was closed, we would not be going on the trip! He is a big Muppets fan...and yes I am looking forward to that too. I had fond memories of being allowed to stay up to watch the muppets!
> 
> Since we have not seen the theater I guess we won't know what we are missing!



White Rose, too bad we aren't on the same ABD- I too am a huge Henson nerd!!!

 The Henson studio visit is the top reason I decided to do the trip. Also, if the new Muppet show does well, maybe we can visit the set at Disney studios >.>


----------



## White Rose

myladyfae said:


> White Rose, too bad we aren't on the same ABD- I too am a huge Henson nerd!!!
> 
> The Henson studio visit is the top reason I decided to do the trip. Also, if the new Muppet show does well, maybe we can visit the set at Disney studios >.>



I am hoping to see that in oct! Fingers crossed it is there!!


----------



## Cinderella's Slipper 2015

meryll83 said:


> What were the optional activities?



The optional activities on our California Adventure day were tickets to see Aladdin and the Frozen Sing-A-Long. We had just seen the Broadway Aladdin during it's Toronto run leading up to it's Broadway premiere so didn't really see the need to see the shortened version and with all the Frozen stuff offered at Disney World we were "Frozen"ed out. Also the one ride I REALLY wanted to go on and had been talking about since we booked the trip was California Screamin'. We opted to spend the time in the afternoon using our fastpasses and enjoying some of the rides. We actually rode California Screamin' twice in a row we loved it so much. We didn't find missing the optional activities to detract from our trip enjoyment at all. 

Looking back if I was to do this trip again, I would skip these optional activities again as well as the wax museum on the first night.


----------



## myladyfae

Soooo with the news that a good portion of DL will be closing...2 weeks before  our ABD!  It got me wondering about if any of the BSM ABDs have ever gotten to go behind the scenes during construction there? 

I have this faint hope that since we are with that group we'll still get to *see* the LillyBelle traincar wherever it is parked during construction! Heh.


----------



## Cinderella's Slipper 2015

myladyfae said:


> Soooo with the news that a good portion of DL will be closing...2 weeks before  our ABD!  It got me wondering about if any of the BSM ABDs have ever gotten to go behind the scenes during construction there?
> 
> I have this faint hope that since we are with that group we'll still get to *see* the LillyBelle traincar wherever it is parked during construction! Heh.



Actually it's my understanding that really not all that much is shutting down. Big Thunder Ranch is closing permanently, the Riverboat, the Sailing Ship Columbia, the canoe boats, Tom Sawyer Island, Fantasmic and the train, nothing that's really Major, like a major attraction like Space Mountain. That's only at Disneyland, not California Adventure. When I went in February 2015 we had the Matterhorn down, Peter Pan, Splash Mountain, Winnie the Pooh and the everything having to do with Sleeping Beauty Castle as it was covered in Scrims. Also, World of Color wasn't showing at California Adventure, we had no nighttime parade at Disneyland and no fireworks. I was there when they were preparing for the Diamond Celebration. 

Don't expect to see behind the construction walls. They had Critter country walled off and we didn't get to see back there. Also when we were at Imagineering, they have big black walls every where to prevent anyone seeing what they were working on.


----------



## OKW Lover

myladyfae said:


> It got me wondering about if any of the BSM ABDs have ever gotten to go behind the scenes during construction there?


Usually safety considerations will prevent groups from going to a construction area.


----------



## myladyfae

It's all a matter of perspective I guess- I rarely go to the Mountains, But I *love* the railroad and TSI! Still I'd probably not be as sad if I didnt know those would be returning changed forever heh. 

I could see safety keeping ABD out of the active construction areas, but not necessarily the docking areas?  Ah well.  

I am rather sad to hear that the imagineers cover everything up for visits though . I did sort of assume we'd get some sort of peek at what is up and coming.


----------



## Cinderella's Slipper 2015

We were told after the fact that they were working on Pandora for Animal Kingdom, hence all the secrecy. Only our guides were allowed to take pictures and only in certain areas.

As a side note, we also had Soarin', Grizzly River Run and the walking trail in Grizzly Peak closed at DCA park. 

We only rode the train for a very short amount of time and it was to go from Toon Town to Main Street and we passed through the dino diarama area which was behind boards. We didn't see much of backstage beyond the 2 areas that we were taken to and neither one was anywhere near the train barn.


----------



## OKW Lover

myladyfae said:


> I am rather sad to hear that the imagineers cover everything up for visits though . I did sort of assume we'd get some sort of peek at what is up and coming.


Keep your eyes open the whole time.  Don't be afraid to look through partly opened doors or curtains that aren't fully closed.


----------



## meryll83

Thinking of also doing the Happiest Haunts tour while we're there next year, has anyone done this before/after the ABD this year and do you see enough different things that it's worth it?

And we're ABDing 9th Oct next year, did this weeks/next weeks ABD this year get MNSSHP included?


----------



## meryll83

Anyone?


----------



## White Rose

meryll83 said:


> Thinking of also doing the Happiest Haunts tour while we're there next year, has anyone done this before/after the ABD this year and do you see enough different things that it's worth it?
> 
> And we're ABDing 9th Oct next year, did this weeks/next weeks ABD this year get MNSSHP included?


I want to make sure I am answering the right question.

MNSSHP is FL. I assume you mean mickey's halloween party in CA. Yes it is included this year! We are going tonight.
Every Trip Can Be different. I suggest calling next July or August to see if it is included or if there is one scheduled during your trip. 

 Sorry...been so busy having fun we have not had time to check the boards. What an amazing trip so far! Today is Disneyland. We just stopped for lunch...having a blast


----------



## meryll83

White Rose said:


> I want to make sure I am answering the right question.
> 
> MNSSHP is FL. I assume you mean mickey's halloween party in CA. Yes it is included this year! We are going tonight.
> Every Trip Can Be different. I suggest calling next July or August to see if it is included or if there is one scheduled during your trip.
> 
> Sorry...been so busy having fun we have not had time to check the boards. What an amazing trip so far! Today is Disneyland. We just stopped for lunch...having a blast


Glad you're having an awesome time!

Didn't realise the parties were called slightly different things coast to coast - thanks for the education!


----------



## White Rose

meryll83 said:


> Glad you're having an awesome time!
> 
> Didn't realise the parties were called slightly different things coast to coast - thanks for the education!



Sorry. Just wanted to make sure I answered the right question.

There are lots of slight differences that are awesome, and will throw you off if you are very familiar with one park over the other. 

BTW... it is extremely out of control hot here. I mean HOT. Today was a "cooler" day, upper 80s. Ugh....and no afternoon rainstorm to cool it down. It seems more ride queues are uncovered for part of the way, or more outdoor time like splash and it's a small world. I would expect when it is not a heatwave, it is very very lovely. Last time we came in October the weather was much cooler and chilly at night. When it gets close to your trip watch the weather forecast closely when deciding what to bring.


----------



## White Rose

myladyfae said:


> White Rose, too bad we aren't on the same ABD- I too am a huge Henson nerd!!!
> 
> The Henson studio visit is the top reason I decided to do the trip. Also, if the new Muppet show does well, maybe we can visit the set at Disney studios >.>



We did not visit any Soundstages, btw.


----------



## meryll83

White Rose said:


> Sorry. Just wanted to make sure I answered the right question.
> 
> There are lots of slight differences that are awesome, and will throw you off if you are very familiar with one park over the other.


Don't apologise, I would have carried on calling it the wrong thing and I have been known to correct people who are going to "Disneyland, Florida" so need to make sure I know my stuff if I'm going to critique others!


----------



## myladyfae

White Rose said:


> We did not visit any Soundstages, btw.



Thanks for reporting back!  If they have a feedback card of any sort, maybe I'll make a note that it would be a great thing for future ABDs


----------



## Cinderella's Slipper 2015

We saw a soundstage on the tour of the Jim Hensen Studio in L.A. When we hit the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, there honestly was not time to see any soundstages and even if they were, most were in use with productions being filmed. Where our bus parked, it was right next to the soundstage that was being used to film MasterChef Junior. A lot of the soundstages are rented out to various productions, other than just Disney/ABC productions, like MasterChef and they have closed sets. Plus you see so much when you are at the Walt Disney Studios that seeing a soundstage is the last thing on your mind.


----------



## OKW Lover

myladyfae said:


> Thanks for reporting back!  If they have a feedback card of any sort, maybe I'll make a note that it would be a great thing for future ABDs


There is always a survey once your Adventure is done.  Also, don't hesitate to let your guides know of any problems or suggestions during your trip.  Feedback is very important to them.


----------



## scottmel

White Rose said:


> Sorry. Just wanted to make sure I answered the right question.
> 
> There are lots of slight differences that are awesome, and will throw you off if you are very familiar with one park over the other.
> 
> BTW... it is extremely out of control hot here. I mean HOT. Today was a "cooler" day, upper 80s. Ugh....and no afternoon rainstorm to cool it down. It seems more ride queues are uncovered for part of the way, or more outdoor time like splash and it's a small world. I would expect when it is not a heatwave, it is very very lovely. Last time we came in October the weather was much cooler and chilly at night. When it gets close to your trip watch the weather forecast closely when deciding what to bring.



Glad you are having so much fun! Who are your guides??? We were there in July and the weather was so balmy, DD wore flannels during the day! How crazy is that as we normally go to WDW in June and of course SOOO hote there. Your temps ar unseasonable for sure!


----------



## scottmel

*WDW*Groupie* said:


> Is it feasible to get a taxi from Holly
> wood to Beverly Hills to eat, then head back?  Or would there be horrendous traffic and a high cost for the cab?



I would highly recommend toursbylocals website. We hired a local LA tour guide who picked us up and toured us everywhere we wanted to go. Beverly Hills shopping, LA Tar Pits, Graystone Mansion, Farmers Market, Whimsical Alley, etc. We picked the places before hand and pointed out movies we loved and made filming stops along the way - saw the American Horror Story house film site, etc. Honestly this day was a HIGHLIGHT of my ABD trip and had nothing to do with ABD. It was fantastic. We figured we traveled ALLLL This way we wanted to see as much as we could. Private tour, just your family


----------



## White Rose

scottmel said:


> Glad you are having so much fun! Who are your guides??? We were there in July and the weather was so balmy, DD wore flannels during the day! How crazy is that as we normally go to WDW in June and of course SOOO hote there. Your temps ar unseasonable for sure!



We had delightful Dean and awesome Adriana. They played well off each other. Great trip! It is starting to cool down...I am hoping the temps stay out of the upper 80s.


----------



## White Rose

Cinderella's Slipper 2015 said:


> The optional activities on our California Adventure day were tickets to see Aladdin and the Frozen Sing-A-Long. We had just seen the Broadway Aladdin during it's Toronto run leading up to it's Broadway premiere so didn't really see the need to see the shortened version and with all the Frozen stuff offered at Disney World we were "Frozen"ed out. Also the one ride I REALLY wanted to go on and had been talking about since we booked the trip was California Screamin'. We opted to spend the time in the afternoon using our fastpasses and enjoying some of the rides. We actually rode California Screamin' twice in a row we loved it so much. We didn't find missing the optional activities to detract from our trip enjoyment at all.
> 
> Looking back if I was to do this trip again, I would skip these optional activities again as well as the wax museum on the first night.



Aladdin was very different from the Broadway show...glad we spent the time to see it!

We did all the optional surprises and we are glad we did...so fun to be treated like a VIP. I would strongly suggest you do all the optional activities. Seriously there were times I wanted to go to bed but I am sooooooooooooooooooooooo glad we did ALL the optional things. Closing the park with an awesome spooky surprise...wow! Even Extra surprises during the surprises...wow. One included an extra pin...hehe...if you knew what to order...

I know some people suggest skipping the extras...but I do not understand why not do them...even if it includes seeing something my hubby was less then enthusiastic to see...we still had fun. Why pay to do something else, or just sit in the room? 

One thing, before we went, I wasn't sure if the extras were free or if you had to pay additional for them....they are included in what you already paid for in the trip. Just do it! We only spent about $40 for entertainment or food during the trip, not including TWO exclusive shopping trips were we went very insane.


----------



## White Rose

OKW Lover said:


> There is always a survey once your Adventure is done.  Also, don't hesitate to let your guides know of any problems or suggestions during your trip.  Feedback is very important to them.



We asked if we could visit the muppets sound stage and were told you can not enter any of them, but we did see the plain wood side of what we were told was the back on Kermit's office. Only thing we saw was a window and blinds that were closed. We saw signs for code black, and what might have been a hospital ER admittance desk from afar, but did not enter any sound stages on the Disney studios lots. We saw dr teeth and electric mayhem van hiding behind vans and code black trailer for 2 seconds when we were in the bus leaving. We got to see the empty sound stage at Henson...but no stages that were in use with props or decorated for a show.

Oh....did I mention, Bob Iger was walking into the archives building while we were getting pictures at the Team Disney building. No pictures, it was literally a second, and he was walking with people. If we had left the Achives 10 minutes later, we might have gotten lucky.


----------



## OKW Lover

White Rose said:


> We asked if we could visit the muppets sound stage and were told you can not enter any of them,


Perhaps there was a production going on right then.  We've done this trip 3 times and have visited the sound stage on at least 2 of them.


----------



## scottmel

OKW Lover said:


> Perhaps there was a production going on right then.  We've done this trip 3 times and have visited the sound stage on at least 2 of them.


I wonder if I was on a sound stage during my trip? That muppets day was such a snore, I have blocked it from memory! LOL! I enjoyed seeing the grounds and the cute building but the technology seems SOOOOO outdated. We were in a building where the puppet guy did a mini demonstration on the white screen or whatever that is and it was in an abandoned looking warehouse....Was this the sound stage? If so, honest you don't miss much if you don't see it...


----------



## OKW Lover

scottmel said:


> We were in a building where the puppet guy did a mini demonstration on the white screen or whatever that is and it was in an abandoned looking warehouse....Was this the sound stage?


Sounds like the place.  Huge interior space?  Pretty empty?  That's a sound stage.


----------



## scottmel

OKW Lover said:


> Sounds like the place.  Huge interior space?  Pretty empty?  That's a sound stage.


Yep that was it


----------



## White Rose

OKW Lover said:


> Sounds like the place.  Huge interior space?  Pretty empty?  That's a sound stage.



At henson studios we did see the empty big black room (empty soundstage) with the motion capture technology that is used for digital puppetry....the actor wears sensors and the digital puppet will mimic human (or dog, we were told) motion live. Also we saw the hand controls used for advanced facial digital puppetry on screen. (It has the same name as the animated character from the Muppet 3d movie in Hollywood studios.)

At Disney Studios we did not visit the Muppets sound stage. It was not in use, we were just told we were not allowed to see the sound stages. The filming for muppets is done at the Disney studios, not Henson. I was underwhelmed with the visit to the disney studios..not bring able to visit any sets...was not my favorite part of the trip. I have been on other studio tours and you normally get to see something. I guess after how amazing everything else was, this was a bit of a disappointment to me. I enjoyed everything, just would have been better, more memorable, if we got to see something in one of the soundstage sets.


----------



## White Rose

We went in the barn where we saw the facial digital software that was glove controlled...Waldo! Then we went in to the empty soundstage where the Muppet demo was done.


----------



## meryll83

Any recommendations for restaurants when staying at the Loews Hollywood?
We're also tagging an extra evening on here at the start of our trip.


----------



## Cinderella's Slipper 2015

We ate at the Wildfire Grill in the Hollywood & Highland Centre. Great barbecue and a good selection. I believe it was on the second level. We also ate at Johnny Rockets, also in the Hollywood & Highland Centre. The Lowes Hotel is attached to the Hollywood & Highland Centre.


----------



## OKW Lover

meryll83 said:


> Any recommendations for restaurants when staying at the Loews Hollywood?
> We're also tagging an extra evening on here at the start of our trip.


There's a great burger at the bar in the Rosevelt Hotel called 25 Degrees.


----------



## myladyfae

Musso'so is a classic old Hollywood steak place near there!  Umami burger is also delicious. 

If you want some adventure, the subway is right there and a few stops down will take you to little tokyo for some amazing food and shopping!


----------



## scottmel

meryll83 said:


> Any recommendations for restaurants when staying at the Loews Hollywood?
> We're also tagging an extra evening on here at the start of our trip.



We ate at Roosevelts the one night and NONE of us thought it was that good. We went to in and out the next night and loved it!!!


----------



## myladyfae

DisneyKevin said:


> You are not allowed to switch hotels for this Adventure.
> 
> The Adventure is contracted through the Grand Californian. You are not allowed to book additional nights through your ABD reservation for anywhere but the Grand Californian.
> 
> Everyone gets a 4 day park hopper ticket that expires at the end of the day of your Farewell Breakfast. You have full access to both parks that day, but the ticket can not be extended, upgraded, transferred or sold.
> 
> Any additional days at the parks will require separately purchased tickets.



I feel a little dense asking this, but with the 4 day pass that is included, does it actually expire on the last day of the tour itself *specifically* or is it a regular park hopper that essentially gives you 4 days and expires in 2 weeks?  

It seems likely the DL park would close by 8 or 9 our first night there, and likely no F!, WoC, or fireworks.  If dinner ended up outside the park at 55 say (because no Big Thunder either) it seems like there'd be little opportunity to go into the park the first day.  I'd hoped if this happened to us, we could just use that 4th day during our post-ABD stay (which is only one extra night.)


----------



## DisneyKevin

myladyfae said:


> I feel a little dense asking this, but with the 4 day pass that is included, does it actually expire on the last day of the tour itself *specifically* or is it a regular park hopper that essentially gives you 4 days and expires in 2 weeks?
> 
> It seems likely the DL park would close by 8 or 9 our first night there, and likely no F!, WoC, or fireworks.  If dinner ended up outside the park at 55 say (because no Big Thunder either) it seems like there'd be little opportunity to go into the park the first day.  I'd hoped if this happened to us, we could just use that 4th day during our post-ABD stay (which is only one extra night.)



Your ticket is good for the four days of your Adventure only.

It's good for:

Arrival Day 
Magic Kingdom Day
DCA Day
Departure Day 

Your ticket can not be extended, upgraded, transferred etc.

This is ABD policy. I have fought this policy many, many times and lost each and every time.


----------



## myladyfae

DisneyKevin said:


> Your ticket is good for the four days of your Adventure only.
> 
> It's good for:
> 
> Arrival Day
> Magic Kingdom Day
> DCA Day
> Departure Day
> 
> Your ticket can not be extended, upgraded, transferred etc.
> 
> This is ABD policy. I have fought this policy many, many times and lost each and every time.



Have they ever said *why* that's their policy?  Because I have to admit, it seems downright annoying, especially if we can't actually use the tickets one of those days


----------



## DisneyKevin

myladyfae said:


> Have they ever said *why* that's their policy?  Because I have to admit, it seems downright annoying, especially if we can't actually use the tickets one of those days



I have heard many reasons, but the best answer I can give is that you booked a package deal and one of the components of the trip is entrance to the park for the length of your stay. You haven't actually purchased a 4 day park hopper.

There are contractual obligations and pricing between the different divisions of the company and I understand that is the real reason.


----------



## Cinderella's Slipper 2015

myladyfae said:


> I feel a little dense asking this, but with the 4 day pass that is included, does it actually expire on the last day of the tour itself *specifically* or is it a regular park hopper that essentially gives you 4 days and expires in 2 weeks?
> 
> It seems likely the DL park would close by 8 or 9 our first night there, and likely no F!, WoC, or fireworks.  If dinner ended up outside the park at 55 say (because no Big Thunder either) it seems like there'd be little opportunity to go into the park the first day.  I'd hoped if this happened to us, we could just use that 4th day during our post-ABD stay (which is only one extra night.)



Also, depending on when you're trip is, i.e. during the 60th Celebration, then there is a very good chance the fireworks, World of Color and Paint the Night will be going. These are Celebration specific events at the moment and Disney wants to celebrate. And with Fantasmic! down, they will show either Paint the Night or the Fireworks nightly. When we were there in February 2015, there were no fireworks or night parade because they were getting refurbed for the 60th so Fantasmic! went nightly.


----------



## sayhello

Cinderella's Slipper 2015 said:


> Also, depending on when you're trip is, i.e. during the 60th Celebration, then there is a very good chance the fireworks, World of Color and Paint the Night will be going. These are Celebration specific events at the moment and Disney wants to celebrate. And with Fantasmic! down, they will show either Paint the Night or the Fireworks nightly. When we were there in February 2015, there were no fireworks or night parade because they were getting refurbed for the 60th so Fantasmic! went nightly.


Oh, this is good to hear!  I'm going to be there in February on a Friday, and was thinking we wouldn't get either Paint the Night or the Fireworks!

Sayhello


----------



## Cinderella's Slipper 2015

sayhello said:


> Oh, this is good to hear!  I'm going to be there in February on a Friday, and was thinking we wouldn't get either Paint the Night or the Fireworks!
> 
> Sayhello



We were there on an ABD in February this past year. We didn't stay over Friday night, we were on a flight home that night, but I do remember that the fireworks were supposed to be shown that night. 

Just be aware that it's not like in Florida where if there is a weather delay, they will simply delay the fireworks. If the weather, especially the winds, are not good at the time the fireworks are due to go off, they won't delay them, they will cancel them. I-5 runs right behind the park and the fire department has to give Disney the okay every night as to whether or not the fireworks can be set off. When we were just there last week, the fireworks were not set off on Friday night because of high winds in the upper atmosphere where the fireworks would be going off. We did get a little show though on Small World. Also, don't worry if you can't get to Main Street to see the fireworks. Small World area works well too cause they show the same projections on Small World that they do on the castle and the fireworks go off from right behind Toon Town. Only thing you wouldn't see would be any fireworks set off directly from Sleeping Beauty Castle, unless you turn around to see it.

Last week, the fireworks, Paint the Night and World of Color were all being shown. Paint the Night went twice nightly with the Christmas Parade taking the place of the afternoon parade instead of being shown at night. There were also 2 different World of Color shows, World of Color - Winter Dreams (their holiday show) and World of Color - Celebrate! which is their celebration one. 

I was literally just there, December 6 - 12 so I'm happy to answer any questions about the parks or this trip in general since I did it earlier this year.


----------



## sayhello

Cinderella's Slipper 2015 said:


> We were there on an ABD in February this past year. We didn't stay over Friday night, we were on a flight home that night, but I do remember that the fireworks were supposed to be shown that night.
> 
> Just be aware that it's not like in Florida where if there is a weather delay, they will simply delay the fireworks. If the weather, especially the winds, are not good at the time the fireworks are due to go off, they won't delay them, they will cancel them. I-5 runs right behind the park and the fire department has to give Disney the okay every night as to whether or not the fireworks can be set off. When we were just there last week, the fireworks were not set off on Friday night because of high winds in the upper atmosphere where the fireworks would be going off. We did get a little show though on Small World. Also, don't worry if you can't get to Main Street to see the fireworks. Small World area works well too cause they show the same projections on Small World that they do on the castle and the fireworks go off from right behind Toon Town. Only thing you wouldn't see would be any fireworks set off directly from Sleeping Beauty Castle, unless you turn around to see it.
> 
> Last week, the fireworks, Paint the Night and World of Color were all being shown. Paint the Night went twice nightly with the Christmas Parade taking the place of the afternoon parade instead of being shown at night. There were also 2 different World of Color shows, World of Color - Winter Dreams (their holiday show) and World of Color - Celebrate! which is their celebration one.
> 
> I was literally just there, December 6 - 12 so I'm happy to answer any questions about the parks or this trip in general since I did it earlier this year.


Thanks, Cinderella's Slipper.  I'm not actually doing the Southern California ABD; I'm visiting Disneyland with friends.  I just know that when I was there November of last year, they only had the fireworks on the weekends.  It's good to know we'll be able to see the special fireworks & shows for the 60th Anniversary without having to suffer through weekend crowds.  Thanks!

The information about Small World for the fireworks is also great!

Sayhello


----------



## Cinderella's Slipper 2015

sayhello said:


> Thanks, Cinderella's Slipper.  I'm not actually doing the Southern California ABD; I'm visiting Disneyland with friends.  I just know that when I was there November of last year, they only had the fireworks on the weekends.  It's good to know we'll be able to see the special fireworks & shows for the 60th Anniversary without having to suffer through weekend crowds.  Thanks!
> 
> The information about Small World for the fireworks is also great!
> 
> Sayhello



If you are going during the 60th then the fireworks, Paint the Night and World of Color-Celebrate go nightly. If DL is open until 10pm then the fireworks will go off at 9:30pm. Fantasmic! Won't be showing in the new year as they are shutting down the Rivers of America, Tom Sawyer Island and the Train to prep for the Star Wars construction. If you get the chance definitely do Hyperspace Mountain. This overlay works extremely well.


----------



## sayhello

Cinderella's Slipper 2015 said:


> If you are going during the 60th then the fireworks, Paint the Night and World of Color-Celebrate go nightly. If DL is open until 10pm then the fireworks will go off at 9:30pm. Fantasmic! Won't be showing in the new year as they are shutting down the Rivers of America, Tom Sawyer Island and the Train to prep for the Star Wars construction. If you get the chance definitely do Hyperspace Mountain. This overlay works extremely well.


Thank you!  

Sayhello


----------



## meryll83

Cinderella's Slipper 2015 said:


> If you are going during the 60th then the fireworks, Paint the Night and World of Color-Celebrate go nightly. If DL is open until 10pm then the fireworks will go off at 9:30pm. Fantasmic! Won't be showing in the new year as they are shutting down the Rivers of America, Tom Sawyer Island and the Train to prep for the Star Wars construction. If you get the chance definitely do Hyperspace Mountain. This overlay works extremely well.


When do the 60th celebrations end?
Any ideas what the schedule will be then?


----------



## Cinderella's Slipper 2015

meryll83 said:


> When do the 60th celebrations end?
> Any ideas what the schedule will be then?



60th Celebration will end September 5, 2016 I believe. The believe the normal show schedule has the parades going daily as well as World of Color. The fireworks and Fantasmic! usually show Friday, Saturday and Sunday for sure and possibly Mondays


----------



## meryll83

Cinderella's Slipper 2015 said:


> 60th Celebration will end September 5, 2016 I believe. The believe the normal show schedule has the parades going daily as well as World of Color. The fireworks and Fantasmic! usually show Friday, Saturday and Sunday for sure and possibly Mondays


Thanks!

Wonder whether F! will still be down for Star Wars prep when we're there next October...


----------



## Cinderella's Slipper 2015

meryll83 said:


> Thanks!
> 
> Wonder whether F! will still be down for Star Wars prep when we're there next October...



It's my understanding that the Rivers of America area (Rivers of America, Tom Sawyer Island, DL Train) will be down until sometime in mid-2017 so expect that Fantasmic! won't be running during your trip.

When I did my trip, the only thing running was Fantasmic! World of Color was not showing as they were refurbing the lagoon it takes place on while they prepped the 60th show, there was no night time parade as Paint the Night had not premiered yet and the fireworks only went off on the weekends.


----------



## myladyfae

Cinderella's Slipper 2015 said:


> It's my understanding that the Rivers of America area (Rivers of America, Tom Sawyer Island, DL Train) will be down until sometime in mid-2017 so expect that Fantasmic! won't be running during your trip.
> 
> When I did my trip, the only thing running was Fantasmic! World of Color was not showing as they were refurbing the lagoon it takes place on while they prepped the 60th show, there was no night time parade as Paint the Night had not premiered yet and the fireworks only went off on the weekends.




Yeah, Schedule is looking like both Fantasmic and World of Color will be down the week of our stay, which is just bad luck.  But as you mentioned it does look like they are running Paint the Night and Fireworks nightly at least, so that's something!

I'm just curious with those 2 evening shows down, if there'll still be any sort of VIP experience planned on the Wednesday or Thursday evenings.  Since I assume you'd watch parade/fireworks back to back.


----------



## Cinderella's Slipper 2015

myladyfae said:


> Yeah, Schedule is looking like both Fantasmic and World of Color will be down the week of our stay, which is just bad luck.  But as you mentioned it does look like they are running Paint the Night and Fireworks nightly at least, so that's something!
> 
> I'm just curious with those 2 evening shows down, if there'll still be any sort of VIP experience planned on the Wednesday or Thursday evenings.  Since I assume you'd watch parade/fireworks back to back.



For our trip, where the only thing showing was Fantasmic! how it worked for our group was like this. On the Tuesday we arrived at DL resort, we had dinner at Steakhouse 55 followed by fastpasses for Fantasmic!. We then went on HM as a group and then were let go with 5 free fastpasses for each person. Wednesday, which was our full day at DL, we had VIP seating for the afternoon parade and 5 free fastpasses for the evening. Thursday, our "last" day and our day at DCA, we had dinner at Carthay Circle and 5 free fastpasses for the evening.

The fastpasses were good for any attraction in either park with the exception of Radiator Springs Racers.

We also had 5 free fastpasses for use during the afternoon at DCA but with the exception of my mom and I, everyone else did the optional activities which were seeing the Frozen Sing-A-Long and Aladdin. My mom and I opted to hit the rides in the afternoon, especially since I as dying to ride California Screamin'.


----------



## myladyfae

Cinderella's Slipper 2015 said:


> For our trip, where the only thing showing was Fantasmic! how it worked for our group was like this. On the Tuesday we arrived at DL resort, we had dinner at Steakhouse 55 followed by fastpasses for Fantasmic!. We then went on HM as a group and then were let go with 5 free fastpasses for each person. Wednesday, which was our full day at DL, we had VIP seating for the afternoon parade and 5 free fastpasses for the evening. Thursday, our "last" day and our day at DCA, we had dinner at Carthay Circle and 5 free fastpasses for the evening.
> 
> The fastpasses were good for any attraction in either park with the exception of Radiator Springs Racers.
> 
> We also had 5 free fastpasses for use during the afternoon at DCA but with the exception of my mom and I, everyone else did the optional activities which were seeing the Frozen Sing-A-Long and Aladdin. My mom and I opted to hit the rides in the afternoon, especially since I as dying to ride California Screamin'.




Thanks for the breakdown! That helps me visualize.  Were the fast passes only good for the day they were given?

I've been wondering if they'll even have optional activities at all.  Since no Aladdin and no Big Thunder either.  Our ABD will be the first they run post closures, and I noticed their website says the itinerary changes right after our trip.


----------



## Cinderella's Slipper 2015

myladyfae said:


> Thanks for the breakdown! That helps me visualize.  Were the fast passes only good for the day they were given?
> 
> I've been wondering if they'll even have optional activities at all.  Since no Aladdin and no Big Thunder either.  Our ABD will be the first they run post closures, and I noticed their website says the itinerary changes right after our trip.



If the itinerary changes after your trip, you'll be on the current itinerary. There really are not many differences between the itineraries for this trip.

Yes, our fastpasses were dated so you could only use them on the date you received them. These are specially printed fastpasses that say "Adventures by Disney" on them so the CMs know they are different and that they are good at anytime. 

When we were there the castle was behind scrims, there was no fireworks or evening parade, Matterhorn was down as was Splash Mountain, Winnie the Pooh and Peter Pan in DL. World of Color, Grizzly River Run and Soarin were all down in California Adventure. I'm sure your guides will come up with another optional activity to replace Aladdin. 

Also, it's not like in Florida, where every attraction is fastpassed. There are only select attractions in each park that are fastpassed.

If I can remember correctly...

*DL*
Space Mountain
Buzz Lightyear
Star Tours
Roger Rabbit's Cartoon Spin
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
Splash Mountain
Haunted Mansion
Indiana Jones Adventure

*DCA*
Tower of Terror
Monster's Inc (Not 100% sure about this one)
Frozen Sing-A-Long
Aladdin Musical
Soarin
Grizzly River Run
Goofy's Sky School
California Screamin'
Radiator Springs Racers

I'm trying to remember which ones were fastpass from my trip last week. Also we found when we were there last week that the wait times for most attractions was not what was posted. I think Toy Story, Space Mountain (Mainly cause it's currently Hyperspace Mountain), Soarin and maybe one or two others were accurate to the posted wait times. Everything else the waits tended to be shorter than posted. Don't be put off by seeing "long lines" outside of an attraction. 90% of the attraction line is outside in California, sometimes even on the roof of the attraction as in Jungle Cruise and Space Mountain - They really know how to use their space in California. Also, since there are so few fastpass attractions, the lines actually tend to move pretty consistently. Most of the fastpass lines will merge with the standby line at about the half-way point. With the exception of Hyperspace Mountain, I think the longest line time we saw/experienced was 55 minutes for Radiator Springs one afternoon. We even got in line for Radiator Springs one morning and it said it had a "75 minute" wait in the standby, we waited 45.


----------



## meryll83

What time is registration / check in for ABD?
I'm looking at booking a Warner Brothers Studio Tour on the same day our ABD starts and wondering which timeslot would be best to choose for the tour...

Thanks!


----------



## Cinderella's Slipper 2015

meryll83 said:


> What time is registration / check in for ABD?
> I'm looking at booking a Warner Brothers Studio Tour on the same day our ABD starts and wondering which timeslot would be best to choose for the tour...
> 
> Thanks!



I believe check in was between 12pm and 2 or 3pm. Not 100% sure. If you are planning a studio tour I would plan it for the morning. We hiked Runyon Canyon in the morning, which is about 15 minutes from the hotel and when we got back the registration desk was up and running. It was located outside Preston's Restaurant on the 2nd floor.


----------



## OKW Lover

meryll83 said:


> What time is registration / check in for ABD?
> I'm looking at booking a Warner Brothers Studio Tour on the same day our ABD starts and wondering which timeslot would be best to choose for the tour...
> 
> Thanks!


Typically your adventure starts with the welcome dinner at I think 5 pm at the hotel.  I'd suggest getting back to the hotel well beforehand to try to nap a bit before the dinner.  There will be an activity after the dinner and the next morning starts off early.  You'll find yourself constantly on the go from then on.


----------



## Cinderella's Slipper 2015

You actually need to register prior to dinner starting at 5. There will be a desk on the second floor, just outside the restaurant during the early afternoon. Takes about 5 minutes to register. Basically you are letting the guides know you are there and they will check the names off of everyone in your party then spend a few minutes chatting with you. 

If you get Michael as a guide you are definitely in for a great time. He was our guide and is Senior level Guest Relations CM at Disneyland.


----------



## OKW Lover

Cinderella's Slipper 2015 said:


> If you get Michael as a guide you are definitely in for a great time


Loved Michael.  Also, Dean, Hannake or Summer Rose are also wonderful guides.


----------



## Cinderella's Slipper 2015

OKW Lover said:


> Loved Michael.  Also, Dean, Hannake or Summer Rose are also wonderful guides.



Michael said Dean is the one that should be doing our Central Europe trip next September. We got to meet him when we arrived at Disneyland.


----------



## meryll83

So do you have to register between 12 and 2/3, or can you arrive later than that if dinner is at 5?


----------



## Cinderella's Slipper 2015

meryll83 said:


> So do you have to register between 12 and 2/3, or can you arrive later than that if dinner is at 5?



From what I saw, they did not have any of the check in stuff at dinner time. Also the room is preset for the number of people who have checked in. We actually had 1 less person than was originally on the group list but there was not a seat set up for them. I would play it safe and try to be there for the actual registration period.


----------



## meryll83

Looks like another early morning is the way forward then for the WB tour - was hoping for a lie in pre-ABD!


----------



## Cinderella's Slipper 2015

meryll83 said:


> Looks like another early morning is the way forward then for the WB tour - was hoping for a lie in pre-ABD!



After you check in, take some time and check out the shops on Hollywood Blvd. That way if see anything you can buy it. You won't have much time to shop once the trip starts in earnest. That's what we did. We hiked the canyon, grabbed lunch, checked in then headed to Hollywood Blvd to shop.


----------



## DisneyKevin

meryll83 said:


> So do you have to register between 12 and 2/3, or can you arrive later than that if dinner is at 5?



Late arrival can be pre-arranged.

Your check in with the guides can be done at dinner.

As you plan to be out all day, you will need to find out where the dinner is being held. The changes frequently.


----------



## meryll83

DisneyKevin said:


> Late arrival can be pre-arranged.
> 
> Your check in with the guides can be done at dinner.
> 
> As you plan to be out all day, you will need to find out where the dinner is being held. The changes frequently.


Thanks Kevin - will have a think about using this option.

While I've got your attention when/how do I confirm our transfer arrangements?


----------



## DisneyKevin

meryll83 said:


> Thanks Kevin - will have a think about using this option.
> 
> While I've got your attention when/how do I confirm our transfer arrangements?



You can write to me at Kevin@DreamsUnlimitedTravel.com


----------



## meryll83

It's an old book I've just been reading, but I've just seen something about a daily resort fee at the Grand Californian - is that still the case?


----------



## DisneyKevin

meryll83 said:


> It's an old book I've just been reading, but I've just seen something about a daily resort fee at the Grand Californian - is that still the case?



Disney resort guests pay a daily resort fee.

ABD guests pay nothing additional.

The exception would be incidentals. 

Examples would be but not limited to long distance charges, room service, spa treatments mini bar charges etc.


----------



## meryll83

DisneyKevin said:


> Disney resort guests pay a daily resort fee.
> 
> ABD guests pay nothing additional.
> 
> The exception would be incidentals.
> 
> Examples would be but not limited to long distance charges, room service, spa treatments mini bar charges etc.


Thanks Kevin.

What about the additional post-ABD nights I've booked with you - is there a fee for those nights? If so, how much? Thanks again!


----------



## OKW Lover

meryll83 said:


> What about the additional post-ABD nights I've booked with you - is there a fee for those nights? If so, how much? Thanks again!


We did BSM in July with a couple of extra nights and weren't charged the resort fee.


----------



## DisneyKevin

Jeff is correct.

There are no resort fees.


----------



## jsilvers

DisneyKevin said:


> Disney resort guests pay a daily resort fee.



Not to "twist the knife," but the resort fee at Disneyland was abolished FIVE YEARS AGO.  See, e.g., http://www.intercot.com/discussion/showthread.php?182862-Do-the-Disney-Hotels-have-resort-fees.


----------



## DisneyKevin

jsilvers said:


> Not to "twist the knife," but the resort fee at Disneyland was abolished FIVE YEARS AGO.  See, e.g., http://www.intercot.com/discussion/showthread.php?182862-Do-the-Disney-Hotels-have-resort-fees.



Thanks for correcting my error.


----------



## meryll83

Ok, new question.
This is our first ABD - anything you wish you'd known before yours (or this one on paricular) so you could have prepared for it / packed differently?


----------



## sayhello

meryll83 said:


> Ok, new question.
> This is our first ABD - anything you wish you'd known before yours (or this one on paricular) so you could have prepared for it / packed differently?


There's a current thread that asks pretty much this same question.

http://www.disboards.com/threads/what-you-wish-you-knew-on-your-first-abd.3479115/

Although it's more general, and not specific to Backstage Magic.

Sayhello


----------



## OKW Lover

meryll83 said:


> Ok, new question.
> This is our first ABD - anything you wish you'd known before yours (or this one on paricular) so you could have prepared for it / packed differently?


I'll second Tobi's recommendation to read that thread.  

I'll also reinforce what I posted there.  Get to Hollywood a day or so early.  This is especially important if you're coming from the east coast, or even the mid-west.  Spend some time seeing things around Hollywood that day but don't do too much.  Once this adventure starts with the Welcome Dinner you won't get a lot of time to rest.  There will be several late nights and early mornings.  You don't want to start out in a sleep deficit.


----------



## meryll83

Thanks for the link to that other thread, I'll have a good read through!

Couple of places we're thinking of visiting pre-tour, but I wanted to check first that they're not already covered on the ABD - El Capitan and the Soda Fountain?


----------



## Cinderella's Slipper 2015

Depends on the trip but on my trip last year (was literally this time last year since I went over President's Day) we toured El Capitan and we did the Soda Fountain as part of one of our optional activities which was an ice cream social and movie night so we saw Lady and the Tramp at the El Capitan.

On the day our trip started, because we arrived the day before, we spent the morning hiking in Runyon Canyon, which is only about a 15 minute walk from the hotel and then toured the Chinese Theatre on our own. We found the hiking really helped with the jetlag cause we got lots of fresh air and sunshine.


----------



## OKW Lover

meryll83 said:


> Couple of places we're thinking of visiting pre-tour, but I wanted to check first that they're not already covered on the ABD - El Capitan and the Soda Fountain?



No hard and fast rule about these two.  Maybe yes, maybe no.  We visited the Chinese Theater rather than the El Cap.  On one or two of our BSM's we visited the Soda Fountain, but not on the others.  No way of knowing before hand so you take your chances.


----------



## Cinderella's Slipper 2015

I agree with OKW Lover. I think it depends on the guides as well as what else is going on when you're there. We did El Capitan but then we couldn't do the Dolby Theatre because they were setting up for the Oscars. If we'd been on a trip a few weeks later, we probably wouldn't have done the El Capitan at all since Cinderella was having it's premier. Depends on timing as well as accessibility. 

We never look at the ABD as the end all and be all of a visit to a city and we don't try to fit EVERYTHING into our free time. We look at the ABD trips as a good introduction to a city that maybe we may want to visit again on our own. We are doing Central Europe in the fall and we know we are not going to get to see and do everything in Prague and Vienna but we know that it will be a great introduction to those two cities so that if we want to we can go back on our own at a later date, tour the cities and see what we missed.

We used our Backstage Magic ABD as more of an intro to Disneyland than anything else. We come from a big city that not only has a huge theatre scene but also hosts one of the largest film festivals in the world so Hollywood really wasn't something we were dying to do, probably why we opted to do the hike in the morning. It's not uncommon to walk around our downtown core and see movie trucks everywhere. This is from the upcoming Suicide Squad movie. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			
		
		
	


	



This is just down the street from my office. 





This is right across the street from a major downtown shopping mall.

Also we have theatres that are just as old, if not older than the El Capitan that are still used for live theatre, so while it was neat to see the El Capitan for it's connection to Disney, for us it was just another really beautiful old theatre that has been converted into a movie theatre.

I'm not trying to put down the Backstage Magic tour in any way, just pointing out that everyone's trip experience is different. For us it more about Disneyland. It made enough of an impression that we wanted to go back so we did, we went this past December to see the 60th celebration and we're booked to return this coming December.


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## White Rose

OKW Lover said:


> No hard and fast rule about these two.  Maybe yes, maybe no.  We visited the Chinese Theater rather than the El Cap.  On one or two of our BSM's we visited the Soda Fountain, but not on the others.  No way of knowing before hand so you take your chances.



We got lucky and had the trifecta: el cap for Hocus Pocus, ice cream and wax museum. Each trip is unique. I have read old trip reports were tickets to a certain late night show taping were included...but I have not read of that happening for a few years.


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## gberg

We come from a big city that not only has a huge theatre scene but also hosts one of the largest film festivals in the world so Hollywood really wasn't something we were dying to do, probably why we opted to do the hike in the morning. It's not uncommon to walk around our downtown core and see movie trucks everywhere. This is from the upcoming Suicide Squad movie. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	



This is just down the street from my office.





This is right across the street from a major downtown shopping mall.

Also we have theatres that are just as old, if not older than the El Capitan that are still used for live theatre, so while it was neat to see the El Capitan for it's connection to Disney, for us it was just another really beautiful old theatre that has been converted into a movie theatre.


Nice! I spent 10 years working just south of where these pictures were shot and saw some interesting things but I never got to see anything quite like that!


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## Cinderella's Slipper 2015

gberg said:


> We come from a big city that not only has a huge theatre scene but also hosts one of the largest film festivals in the world so Hollywood really wasn't something we were dying to do, probably why we opted to do the hike in the morning. It's not uncommon to walk around our downtown core and see movie trucks everywhere. This is from the upcoming Suicide Squad movie.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> This is just down the street from my office.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> This is right across the street from a major downtown shopping mall.
> 
> Also we have theatres that are just as old, if not older than the El Capitan that are still used for live theatre, so while it was neat to see the El Capitan for it's connection to Disney, for us it was just another really beautiful old theatre that has been converted into a movie theatre.
> 
> 
> Nice! I spent 10 years working just south of where these pictures were shot and saw some interesting things but I never got to see anything quite like that!



The entire Suicide Squad movie was shot here in Toronto. Wasn't uncommon to find Will Smith walking down the street. He was spotted working out in a local gym. The plane scene shut a major road down over the weekend last summer while they filmed and the race scene was shot at like 3am but people still went out to watch and take pictures. A lot of movies and TV shows that are supposed to take place in New York or LA or Chicago etc are actually shot here. The recent TV show Minority Report was shot here.


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## meryll83

DisneyKevin said:


> ABD has changed their policy regarding arrival transfers, but departure transfers remain the same.
> 
> If you book post nights through ABD, and the Grand Californian is your only option, transfers remain intact.
> 
> If you book post nights at any other location (including the other Disney hotels), you would be responsible for your own transportation to the airport.
> 
> You are welcome to do this and it may make sense financially, but if included transfers are important to you, then your post nights must be booked through ABD.


I'm assuming that these rules regarding post-nights are still correct, which brings me to a new question...

We may see if we can switch our post-nights (currently booked through ABD), to use our DVC points and stay at the Villas. This would mean we'll lose our ABD transfer to the airport, so what recommendations do you all have for getting from the Grand Californian to Orange County (SNA) airport and approximately how much would this cost?


----------



## Cinderella's Slipper 2015

meryll83 said:


> I'm assuming that these rules regarding post-nights are still correct, which brings me to a new question...
> 
> We may see if we can switch our post-nights (currently booked through ABD), to use our DVC points and stay at the Villas. This would mean we'll lose our ABD transfer to the airport, so what recommendations do you all have for getting from the Grand Californian to Orange County (SNA) airport and approximately how much would this cost?



We visited Disneyland on our own this past December and we used Disneyland Express to get back and forth to the airport. They pick up at Grand Californian. There are 2 routes, one between DL and LAX and one between DL and SNA. Here is a link to their information. http://www.graylineanaheim.com/docs/DRE Brochure.pdf The cost is $20 one way per adult. You would just let the valet know that you are waiting for the Disneyland Express to John Wayne Airport.


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## DisneyKevin

meryll83 said:


> I'm assuming that these rules regarding post-nights are still correct, which brings me to a new question...
> 
> We may see if we can switch our post-nights (currently booked through ABD), to use our DVC points and stay at the Villas. This would mean we'll lose our ABD transfer to the airport, so what recommendations do you all have for getting from the Grand Californian to Orange County (SNA) airport and approximately how much would this cost?



Meryll,

If you have questions regarding your ABD reservation please write to me at Kevin@DreamsUnlimiitedTravel.com


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## meryll83

Cinderella's Slipper 2015 said:


> We visited Disneyland on our own this past December and we used Disneyland Express to get back and forth to the airport. They pick up at Grand Californian. There are 2 routes, one between DL and LAX and one between DL and SNA. Here is a link to their information. http://www.graylineanaheim.com/docs/DRE Brochure.pdf The cost is $20 one way per adult. You would just let the valet know that you are waiting for the Disneyland Express to John Wayne Airport.


Thanks for this - do you pre-book onto this?


DisneyKevin said:


> Meryll,
> 
> If you have questions regarding your ABD reservation please write to me at Kevin@DreamsUnlimiitedTravel.com


Will do Kevin, we just haven't quite decided what we're going to do yet!
(Although probably leaning towards keeping the ABD nights and renting our DVC points)


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## OKW Lover

meryll83 said:


> We may see if we can switch our post-nights (currently booked through ABD), to use our DVC points and stay at the Villas. This would mean we'll lose our ABD transfer to the airport, so what recommendations do you all have for getting from the Grand Californian to Orange County (SNA) airport and approximately how much would this cost?


We actually did that on our first BSM trip.  Getting from the GC to SNA is pretty easy, grab a cab right out front.  Ask the Guest Services desk for a flat rate voucher and you'll pay ~$40 plus tip for your whole party.


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## Cinderella's Slipper 2015

meryll83 said:


> Thanks for this - do you pre-book onto this?



It's not necessary to pre-book. You can pay on the bus. For a return trip to the airport, the bus will make a final stop at the DL hotel. Someone will get on the bus and collect the fares from you. We had vouchers because our agent pre-booked us roundtrip as we didn't have a car and it was not tied to an ABD trip.


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## meryll83

Sounds like a taxi would cost the same then, so might be the more flexible option. Thanks for the advice!


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## hilarys

meryll83 said:


> Sounds like a taxi would cost the same then, so might be the more flexible option. Thanks for the advice!


We go once or twice a year and always just use a taxi.  It usually takes much longer to wait for the luggage to be pulled than to grab the cab.  Just build in the right amount of time to get to the airport - it is usually a very quick drive on the weekends, weekdays can be long if you hit traffic.  The valets can give you advice on your day of departure.  We love the Grand Calif villas.


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## meryll83

Any experiences yet of where the dinner that is usually held at Big Thunder Ranch will be?

Also, any recommendations for breakfast and lunch for our additional days at DL Resort?

Thanks again everyone!


----------



## meryll83

meryll83 said:


> Thinking of also doing the Happiest Haunts tour while we're there next year, has anyone done this before/after the ABD this year and do you see enough different things that it's worth it?



Also, still wondering whether anyone has any advice on this?

Thanks again!


----------



## OKW Lover

meryll83 said:


> any recommendations for breakfast and lunch for our additional days at DL Resort?


Try Catal in DTD for breakfast.  Or for something quicker either Le Bara bakery or Earl of Sandwich.  For lunch, it kind of depends on what park you are in.


----------



## Cinderella's Slipper 2015

meryll83 said:


> Any experiences yet of where the dinner that is usually held at Big Thunder Ranch will be?
> 
> Also, any recommendations for breakfast and lunch for our additional days at DL Resort?
> 
> Thanks again everyone!



Big Thunder Ranch was not serving when we were there. Our dinner was held at Steakhouse 55 at the DLH.


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## pudinhd

Cinderella's Slipper 2015 said:


> Big Thunder Ranch was not serving when we were there. Our dinner was held at Steakhouse 55 at the DLH.



In 2009, our dinner was at Steakhouse 55.  In 2014, on an MHP night, our dinner was at Storytellers.


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## scottmel

Our dinner in July was not at the ranch place either but inside the park reminded me of crystal palace


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## Miss SD

OKW Lover said:


> Try Catal in DTD for breakfast.  Or for something quicker either Le Bara bakery or Earl of Sandwich.  For lunch, it kind of depends on what park you are in.


I think you mean "La Brea" bakery, and you're right, Jeff, their stuff is fantastic!


scottmel said:


> Our dinner in July was not at the ranch place either but inside the park reminded me of crystal palace


Could it be the Plaza Inn? I know some on the boards may disagree, but I really enjoyed the food at Big Thunder BBQ.


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## meryll83

When does it get confirmed which restaurants you'll be eating at?
Do you get something in advance with a more detailed itinerary, or is it all find out when you're there type stuff?


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## OKW Lover

meryll83 said:


> When does it get confirmed which restaurants you'll be eating at?


Restaurants can change from trip to trip to reflect operational realities.  Your guides will let you know on your first day what the overall plan will be.  Each day, they will give you a rundown of the day.  

Before your trip, you'll get a package that includes a booklet listing daily activities.


----------



## White Rose

meryll83 said:


> When does it get confirmed which restaurants you'll be eating at?
> Do you get something in advance with a more detailed itinerary, or is it all find out when you're there type stuff?



We did not find out anything but the first day's activities when we arrived.

We found out basic things in the morning with more details as we arrived at each thing, but no, you will not know everything till you get to each activity.

Here's an example: on a day we had ice cream, we did not find out we were having ice cream, till about 2 hrs before! The only reason we found out THAT early is because we were going back to the hotel at that point and on our own till ice cream. Here's another example: We found out where we were going for lunch one day when we arrived AT the restaurant. before then we got 'clues'.

Each trip is different. We did not have lunch at a typical lunch spot one day because it was under construction, and instead we had lunch at another location which had different food options (much more healthy options!) and was smaller, but this second location was cool because it was with the imagineers.  We did not find out about that till we were on the bus going to that location.

Go with the flow.


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## White Rose

meryll83 said:


> Also, still wondering whether anyone has any advice on this?
> 
> Thanks again!



We had plans to do this last year, but never got around to booking it. This experience changes every year as well, so its hard to say if it will be the same experience as last year. Since it was ride focused, if I remember correctly, and you received pumpkin flavored treats, we were not in a rush to book it (pumpkin =).

Personally...I'm glad we did not. Even though we stayed the whole weekend after the official trip ended, (the ABD portion ended Friday morning) we still filled up Friday, Saturday and Sunday quite easily. We barely had time to enjoy the pool. We only had one ride of the Matterhorn the whole trip! Scandalous!   

<After the weekend, we transferred to Burbank late Sunday night, did the WB studio tour on Monday, transferred to another hotel Monday night, and went home Tuesday. (we did a total of 5 hotels on this trip, counting the ABD hotels! The other hotels were on points!>

IMHO...The point is, the Halloween tour is more focused on rides, and not really a 'tour' more a fun ride experience with a ghostly dressed cast member, and a few pumpkin treats. I believe there is a story element to the experience, maybe helping the ghost host, or doing some task. Some years are more kid focused then others...some yeas it goes into both parks, some years it goes into one park. There were a few reviews of last year's happiest haunts over in the DisBoards Disneyland forum...see what answer you can get there...but I would not focus on booking it - there is a good chance you will be plenty busy riding rides and doing other things. Also it is not offered every night. In years past, you do get a special pin, though.

If it falls within your trip schedule, there is a possibility one of your nights might include a optional Halloween activity....if not, you might want to look into booking that. If the Halloween events schedule is published, look to see what is happening during the evenings while you are there at the GC, and see if disneyland is open - normal hours, or closed for an extra night time event. If Disneyland is closed for a special Halloween  separate ticket event, call the vacationistas to see if that event is included with your trip. They probably won't know right away, and will call you back in a week or two with the answer.

Have fun! Try not to plan too much around the ABD activities - We did the Tarpits, Roosevelt hotel and a few other local things before the official start of ABD, and it was a nice leisurely way to begin. The trip is a good pace, and you will wish for downtime if you book too heavily.


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## meryll83

Does anyone know when they usually release the dates for Mickey's Halloween Party?

After they do I'll then call and see whether it might be included in our 9th Oct adventure...


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## Cinderella's Slipper 2015

meryll83 said:


> Does anyone know when they usually release the dates for Mickey's Halloween Party?
> 
> After they do I'll then call and see whether it might be included in our 9th Oct adventure...



Information for 2016 hasn't been released yet but this is the information for 2015, party dates and when tickets were available. It's from MouseSavers. I would use this as planning tool. It will probably be another month or so before Disneyland releases the official information. They do not release info/dates as early as WDW.

*2015 Event Dates:*


September 25, 28, 30, October 2, 5, 7, 9, 12, 14, 16, 19, 22, 23, 25, 27, 29, 31
*2015 Ticket Prices and On-Sale Dates:*


Gate prices are $84 on October 29 & 31; $77 on all other nights.
Advance prices for general public: $69 on September 25, 28, 30, October 5, 7, 12, 14, 19, 25. No advance purchase discount on tickets for October 2, 9, 16, 22, 23, 27, 29 and 31. Tickets went on sale 7/31/15 for the general public.
Advance prices for Disneyland Resort Annual Passholders: $69 on September 25; $63 on September 28, 30, October 5, 7, 12, 14, 19, 25. No advance purchase discount on tickets for October 2, 9, 16, 22, 23, 27, 29 and 31. Tickets went on sale 7/22/15 for Disneyland Resort Annual Passholders.
Advance prices for Disney Rewards Visa cardholders have not been posted yet, but are usually the same as the prices for Disneyland Resort Annual Passholders. Tickets went on sale 7/22/15 for Disney Rewards Visa cardholders.
Advance prices for Disney Vacation Club members have not been posted yet, but are usually the same as the prices for Disneyland Resort Annual Passholders. Tickets went on sale 7/22/15 for Disney Vacation Club members.
In 2015, tickets for Mickey’s Halloween Party at Disneyland went on sale on July 22 for Annual Passholders, Disney Rewards Visa cardholders and Disney Vacation Club members. Tickets went on sale on July 29 for the general public.


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## White Rose

meryll83 said:


> Does anyone know when they usually release the dates for Mickey's Halloween Party?
> 
> After they do I'll then call and see whether it might be included in our 9th Oct adventure...



The info came out last year n July...


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## meryll83

Thank you both!


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## meryll83

Did someone mention earlier bottled water is always available whenever you're on a bus?


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## OKW Lover

I don't know about "always", but it has been on all 4 ABD's that I've been on.


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## Cinderella's Slipper 2015

We always had access to bottled water.


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## sayhello

I've done 6 ABDs and there has always been water and snacks on the bus.  Depending on the trip, the Guides have also been known to carry extra water with them on hikes.   They usually pass out water as you leave the bus, also.  I can't imagine how many cases of bottled water they go through in the course of an ABD!

Sayhello


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## meryll83

At mealtimes are you eating from set menus?
How many options do you tend to have?


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## Cinderella's Slipper 2015

meryll83 said:


> At mealtimes are you eating from set menus?
> How many options do you tend to have?



Yes you will be eating off set menus. Usually you will have 2-3 appetizers one of which is a salad. For entrees you will typically have 1 fish, 1 chicken, 1 beef and 1 vegetarian dish on offering. There may be 1 or 2 other options but generally no more than 4 options. There may be 2 options for dessert or not, they may just bring a dessert to your place. Usually you will find a menu already at your seat at the table with the menu for you to choose from and it is not the standard menu. Your options come from the standard menu, but you do not have the full menu to choose from.


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## meryll83

Not long until we have to pay off our balance now - it's getting realer!!


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## meryll83

I've been reading strategies about mornings in the parks, and where to head first for FPs, which standby lines to go into etc. We have a couple of days on our own post-ABD when this might come in useful, but should we have already gained access to the main draws as part of the adventure?

Attractions we particularly want to make sure we do are: RSR, WoC, Soarin', Cal Screamin'

Indy, Matterhorn, SpaceM, ToT and HM I don't see mentioned in the morning strategies, so I assume the queues for these aren't so bad?


----------



## Cinderella's Slipper 2015

meryll83 said:


> I've been reading strategies about mornings in the parks, and where to head first for FPs, which standby lines to go into etc. We have a couple of days on our own post-ABD when this might come in useful, but should we have already gained access to the main draws as part of the adventure?
> 
> Attractions we particularly want to make sure we do are: RSR, WoC, Soarin', Cal Screamin'
> 
> Indy, Matterhorn, SpaceM, ToT and HM I don't see mentioned in the morning strategies, so I assume the queues for these aren't so bad?



You will most likely do the following: RSR, WoC, Indy and possibly HM but no guarantees. Just going off of what we did on our trip.

Fastpasses are few and far between at DL and DCA and they are the old paper system there. Only about 5 or 6 attractions actually have fastpasses in each park and you can only hold 1 at a time, with the exception of the WoC fastpass.

RSR fastpasses are not available at the attraction itself, you pick those up up by Tough to be a Bug in Bug's Land and if you really want one, you'll have to be lined up for it at park opening. Yes, you will have to line up for a fastpass. Alternatively you can hop in the single rider line. When we were there in December we opted to just hop in line. The wait was actually shorter than the posted time. I think we waited at most 45 minutes.

WoC fastpasses are available up with the fastpasses for Grizzly River Run and are on first come first serve basis. If there are 2 showings of WoC then you can tell the CMs which showing you want to see. Alternatively, you can book a World of Color dinner package at 3 different restaurants in the park, each one offering slightly better views, or you can book a World of Color Dessert Party.

Definitely do Soarin' and California Screamin', both are fastpass attractions and both have fastpasses available at their rides. Also, if you hit the park first thing in the morning, then you can ride both relatively easy within the first hour of park opening with little wait.

Tower of Terror does not have fastpass, neither does Toy Story but both lines move relatively quickly.

Matterhorn does not have fastpass, just hop in line. Matterhorn will shut down for parades and fireworks so just be aware. Actually a great time to hop in line is right after the parade because people think it's not running, then when they reopen the line, you'll get on pretty quickly.

Definitely grab a fastpass for Space Mountain, right now, it's still HyperSpace Mountain with the Star Wars overlay so it's pretty popular. Go there first thing and grab your fastpass. If your time is later in the day, you'll be able to grab another fastpass in 2 hours.

Everything else in your list can be fastpassed but is not really necessary. Indy can be done either way.

We were there this past December during the Diamond Celebration when it was busier than normal and it was nowhere near what WDW is even in low season these days. I think our longest wait was for RSR at 45 minutes without a fastpass. Most lines at Disneyland move pretty steadily because they don't have fastpass so don't let long lines deter you, nor a posted wait time that seems really long. We found most posted wait times were not what the actual wait time was. Our 45 minute wait for RSR was posted at 75 minutes. We'd get into a line for Jungle Cruise that said 55 minutes and be through in 40.


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## meryll83

Thanks for all the advice, this is really helpful!


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## Cinderella's Slipper 2015

meryll83 said:


> Thanks for all the advice, this is really helpful!



You're welcome.

Not sure what you're plans are regarding fireworks but they are definitely worth seeing. Unlike WDW, at DL they also show the projections on Small World as well as Sleeping Beauty Castle so that's also a good place to watch the fireworks from. But if you want to watch the fireworks, make sure you make a point in seeing them every chance you get because unlike WDW, DL will not reschedule them if they have to cancel them. If the fireworks have to be cancelled due to high winds or other weather, that's it, they are cancelled for the night. They will not be set off at a later time. They either go off at their appointed time or they don't, there are no reschedules and you won't know until right before they are scheduled to go off if they are going to go or not. The fire marshal makes the call so if you really want to see them, make sure you plan to see them at every opportunity. DL has to work with the surrounding Anaheim community so they can't set them off at all hours of the night and if the winds are too strong, they can't have them going off over the highway.

I've done WDW on my own and DL/DCA with both ABD and on my own and I'm heading back to DL/DCA this December on my own again so if you have any more questions feel free to either ask here or pm me.


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## meryll83

Top tip on the fireworks - we're there in October, so will have to see if these rumours are true that there may be a 6 month firework hiatus after the anniversary celebrations end in September...


----------



## Calfan

Just a correction to one of the previous posts:  Tower of Terror is a fast pass ride. We were there in May and got fast passes multiple times for ToT.


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## Cinderella's Slipper 2015

Calfan said:


> Just a correction to one of the previous posts:  Tower of Terror is a fast pass ride. We were there in May and got fast passes multiple times for ToT.



I couldn't remember cause we never used it for ToT. The line was never long enough to warrant it.


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## hilarys

Your best best for a morning strategy is to go at opening - you can get so much done at DL first thing, even more than at WDW because so many visitors are locals who are driving to the park.  Our usual strategy is to hit Fantasyland first - everything can be accomplished very quickly and then move to other parts of the park.  Probably the next best would be to go to Matterhorn that line builds up and it is not FP.  However, a great way to do Matterhorn is single rider.  Our ABD rode Matterhorn as a group and then we did a second ride Friday using single rider.  At CA my strategy would be go our early entry day and head straight to Racers then straight to Toy Story.  Ride Racers a second time at night using a FP or single rider.  

Viewing Parade, Fireworks and WOC should be part of your ABD so that will be good to have that taken care of on one of your tour days.

You mentioned that you have a few extra days, you should absolutely be able to cover everything.  We had one full added day and we saw absolutely everything at DL and rode some rides multiple times.  At CA we missed a few things but with another half day would have had all of those too (rather than spend time on the smaller rides on the Pier we did repeat rides of RSR (rode 3 times on the trip) and Soarin.


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## allthenamesaretaken

I'm hoping to do this next July. I'd prefer to do an adults exclusive one but they don't have any while I'll be in the US. 
Do many kids do this? 
I'd be doing it solo so would prefer if 80% of the group aren't young kids


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## hilarys

allthenamesaretaken said:


> I'm hoping to do this next July. I'd prefer to do an adults exclusive one but they don't have any while I'll be in the US.
> Do many kids do this?
> I'd be doing it solo so would prefer if 80% of the group aren't young kids



We just completed this trip the last week of June - it was a big mix of people on the trip.  There were certainly a lot fewer children on this trip than our Central Europe trip.  There were a total of 7 children (aged 11 to 16) out of a group of 33.  There were several traveling parties that were adults only.   My daughter was the youngest at 11.5.  The break out was 11, 12, 13, 13, 13, 13 and 16.  I think this trip is very specific to Disney history so it is likely that the kids that are going to go on it are also "Disney freaks."  All of the kids on our trip were very interested in history and were very respectful during tours and discussions (and my kids can be LOUD and boisterous in general) because they were so interested in the topics.  I can't imagine anyone taking a really young child on this trip as there is so much touring and not heading straight to the rides.


----------



## allthenamesaretaken

hilarys said:


> We just completed this trip the last week of June - it was a big mix of people on the trip.  There were certainly a lot fewer children on this trip than our Central Europe trip.  There were a total of 7 children (aged 11 to 16) out of a group of 33.  There were several traveling parties that were adults only.   My daughter was the youngest at 11.5.  The break out was 11, 12, 13, 13, 13, 13 and 16.  I think this trip is very specific to Disney history so it is likely that the kids that are going to go on it are also "Disney freaks."  All of the kids on our trip were very interested in history and were very respectful during tours and discussions (and my kids can be LOUD and boisterous in general) because they were so interested in the topics.  I can't imagine anyone taking a really young child on this trip as there is so much touring and not heading straight to the rides.



That's good to hear! I don't mind older kids like that (I'm only 22!) but would prefer there aren't heaps of really young kids.


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## meryll83

DU are on the case for me now the Halloween Party info is out, to try and find out whether the party will be included in our October adventure


----------



## DisneyKevin

meryll83 said:


> DU are on the case for me now the Halloween Party info is out, to try and find out whether the party will be included in our October adventure



Halloween party tickets are included for guests on the October 9th and October 23 Adventures.

ABD will not offers refunds on Halloween tickets previously purchased.

The DIS and Dreams Unlimited Travel have an exclusive on the 10/23 departure and we have space available.

If interested, email me at Kevin@DreamsUnlimitedTravel.com.


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## meryll83

DisneyKevin said:


> Halloween party tickets are included for guests on the October 9th and October 23 Adventures.
> 
> ABD will not offers refunds on Halloween tickets previously purchased.
> 
> The DIS and Dreams Unlimited Travel have an exclusive on the 10/23 departure and we have space available.
> 
> If interested, email me at Kevin@DreamsUnlimitedTravel.com.


Woo hoo!


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## merfsko

Does anyone know how early the farewell breakfast usually is? Based on what I've seen, the days typically start early, and I was considering making a lunch reservation for 11:30 on our departure day. We do have post days, however, so I could shift our lunch to another day.

TIA!

PS- @meryll83- I'm on the same adventure as you!


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## meryll83

merfsko said:


> PS- @meryll83- I'm on the same adventure as you!


Hey fellow adventurer! 

I expect we'll get welcome packs in a few weeks...


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## Cinderella's Slipper 2015

merfsko said:


> Does anyone know how early the farewell breakfast usually is? Based on what I've seen, the days typically start early, and I was considering making a lunch reservation for 11:30 on our departure day. We do have post days, however, so I could shift our lunch to another day.
> 
> TIA!
> 
> PS- @meryll83- I'm on the same adventure as you!



You have a farewell dinner (ours was at Carthay Circle Restaurant at DCA) not a farewell breakfast. Breakfast on the last day, at least for us, was just a show up anytime you want between 7am and 9am and enjoy at your leisure at Storyteller's. Some of our guests on our tour actually had an early morning flight so they didn't do breakfast. You'll be fine to do a 11:30am lunch if you plan to be at breakfast at 7am if you want to say goodbye to your guides and grab a quick bite.


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## merfsko

Cinderella's Slipper 2015 said:


> You have a farewell dinner (ours was at Carthay Circle Restaurant at DCA) not a farewell breakfast. Breakfast on the last day, at least for us, was just a show up anytime you want between 7am and 9am and enjoy at your leisure at Storyteller's. Some of our guests on our tour actually had an early morning flight so they didn't do breakfast. You'll be fine to do a 11:30am lunch if you plan to be at breakfast at 7am if you want to say goodbye to your guides and grab a quick bite.



Ahh, I had been wondering why there was a farewell dinner AND breakfast, and now I see that I just misread it; this makes a lot more sense.  Thanks!


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## Cinderella's Slipper 2015

merfsko said:


> Ahh, I had been wondering why there was a farewell dinner AND breakfast, and now I see that I just misread it; this makes a lot more sense.  Thanks!



No problem. Breakfast is literally, show up whenever you want that day. We were doing a last hurrah that day before our late flight out so we were there at 7am. Check with the restaurant though cause sometimes it actually opens a 6:30am so you may be able to get in before 7am. I know when I was at DL in December Storyteller's actually opened at 6:30am. You just have to tell them you're with ABD and they'll seat you in the ABD section then when you're done that day you can head off to the park to play.


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## hilarys

Cinderella's Slipper 2015 said:


> No problem. Breakfast is literally, show up whenever you want that day. We were doing a last hurrah that day before our late flight out so we were there at 7am. Check with the restaurant though cause sometimes it actually opens a 6:30am so you may be able to get in before 7am. I know when I was at DL in December Storyteller's actually opened at 6:30am. You just have to tell them you're with ABD and they'll seat you in the ABD section then when you're done that day you can head off to the park to play.




On our trip it was a bit more "organized" than Cinderella's Slipper's tour and definitely more so than on our Central Europe trip where people really did come on their own.  I don't think anyone in our BSM tour in June had an early flight so I am pretty sure everyone made it to breakfast and sat in the same area of the restaurant.  We came downstairs on the later end and most people were done eating and had starting saying good by to the guides.  I think we even received a pin that morning if my memory is correct.  That is when most people gave tips to the guides as well.

I think 11:30 is still fine for lunch, just go on the early end of the time for breakfast.


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## Miss SD

hilarys said:


> On our trip it was a bit more "organized" than Cinderella's Slipper's tour and definitely more so than on our Central Europe trip where people really did come on their own.  I don't think anyone in our BSM tour in June had an early flight so I am pretty sure everyone made it to breakfast and sat in the same area of the restaurant.  We came downstairs on the later end and most people were done eating and had starting saying good by to the guides.  I think we even received a pin that morning if my memory is correct.  That is when most people gave tips to the guides as well.
> 
> I think 11:30 is still fine for lunch, just go on the early end of the time for breakfast.


Sorry if this question has been covered, but do you remember what time Sunday evening's activities begin?


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## Cinderella's Slipper 2015

Miss SD said:


> Sorry if this question has been covered, but do you remember what time Sunday evening's activities begin?



I believe we had our welcome dinner at 5:00pm at Preston's at Loew's Hollywood Hotel.


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## Miss SD

Cinderella's Slipper 2015 said:


> I believe we had our welcome dinner at 5:00pm at Preston's at Loew's Hollywood Hotel.


Thanks for the response. I'm repeating this trip and forgot some of the details.


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## Cinderella's Slipper 2015

Miss SD said:


> Thanks for the response. I'm repeating this trip and forgot some of the details.



Welcome. We met in the lobby just outside the restaurant on the Mezzanine level of the hotel at 5pm.


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## meryll83

Do you usually eat at the hotel on the first night?


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## Cinderella's Slipper 2015

meryll83 said:


> Do you usually eat at the hotel on the first night?



As far as I'm aware the Welcome Dinner takes place at Preston's inside the hotel on all itineraries. Ours was even the itinerary that basically coincided with Oscar week and we still are at Preston's. Preston's is not open for dinner so this is something that is arranged specifically for this ABD.


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## Miss SD

Cinderella's Slipper 2015 said:


> As far as I'm aware the Welcome Dinner takes place at Preston's inside the hotel on all itineraries. Ours was even the itinerary that basically coincided with Oscar week and we still are at Preston's. Preston's is not open for dinner so this is something that is arranged specifically for this ABD.


During our trip, we had our Sunday-night meal in a hotel banquet/conference room. If the dinner has to be done in the hotel, I think Preston's is a better choice than a banquet room. Preston's has those nice windows that look out on Highland. Was it a buffet or did you order from a menu?


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## Cinderella's Slipper 2015

Miss SD said:


> During our trip, we had our Sunday-night meal in a hotel banquet/conference room. If the dinner has to be done in the hotel, I think Preston's is a better choice than a banquet room. Preston's has those nice windows that look out on Highland. Was it a buffet or did you order from a menu?



Ours was a buffet inside a back room at Preston's. Preston's only serves Breakfast and Lunch so it was a private meal in the back room of the restaurant especially for our group. The food was decent, the wait staff left something to be desired because they were snarky and snarly about having to work.


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## hilarys

meryll83 said:


> Do you usually eat at the hotel on the first night?



We just did the trip in June and we met in a hotel conference room and had a small buffet.  It was just ok, definitely not the best hotel buffet that I have had, it did not have a ton of choices.  Preston's would have been a much nicer setting.  Because it was a small buffet and so early (we are from CA so did not have the time change hitting us), after our surprise evening activity I was starving but did not have the patience to wait in line for a sundae at Ghiradelli.


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## Cinderella's Slipper 2015

hilarys said:


> We just did the trip in June and we met in a hotel conference room and had a small buffet.  It was just ok, definitely not the best hotel buffet that I have had, it did not have a ton of choices.  Preston's would have been a much nicer setting.  Because it was a small buffet and so early (we are from CA so did not have the time change hitting us), after our surprise evening activity I was starving but did not have the patience to wait in line for a sundae at Ghiradelli.



We must have had ours inside Preston's because it was during the lead up to The Oscars so all the meeting rooms were occupied. The hotel was pretty full that week with the press


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## Miss SD

Cinderella's Slipper 2015 said:


> Ours was a buffet inside a back room at Preston's. Preston's only serves Breakfast and Lunch so it was a private meal in the back room of the restaurant especially for our group. The food was decent, the wait staff left something to be desired because they were snarky and snarly about having to work.


Snarky wait staff?! Wow, way to make you feel at home. Not a good way to start the trip. Sorry you had to experience such unprofessionalism.

That said, I loved the breakfast buffets at Preston's. We stayed at the Loews for a few nights earlier this month, and I hit up the buffet every morning, even though I know it was a total extravagance. Those eggs are fabulous. Good thing we did a lot of walking around to burn those calories!


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## Cinderella's Slipper 2015

Miss SD said:


> Snarky wait staff?! Wow, way to make you feel at home. Not a good way to start the trip. Sorry you had to experience such unprofessionalism.
> 
> That said, I loved the breakfast buffets at Preston's. We stayed at the Loews for a few nights earlier this month, and I hit up the buffet every morning, even though I know it was a total extravagance. Those eggs are fabulous. Good thing we did a lot of walking around to burn those calories!



Wow. You were lucky. I think the press must have gotten our buffet the. Cause our breakfast buffet left much to be desired. You could break a window with the pastries they were that hard. If I was doing this trip again I would be skipping breakfast at Preston's and going to Johnny Rockets and meeting up afterwards. 

Let's just say the trip ended on the same note it started on.


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## Miss SD

That sounds like a nightmare. I have a friend who covered the Oscars for a wire service, and she said the Loews is crazy at Oscar time. We did the backstage tour of the Kodak Theater (or whatever it's called now) last year, and the guide brought us to the area where the Oscar winners are interviewed--it's in the Loews! Again, sorry you had to deal with this hassle. in general, our stays at the Loews have been great.

And when you say the trip ended like it started, are you talking about the Storyteller's breakfast buffet?


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## Cinderella's Slipper 2015

Miss SD said:


> That sounds like a nightmare. I have a friend who covered the Oscars for a wire service, and she said the Loews is crazy at Oscar time. We did the backstage tour of the Kodak Theater (or whatever it's called now) last year, and the guide brought us to the area where the Oscar winners are interviewed--it's in the Loews! Again, sorry you had to deal with this hassle. in general, our stays at the Loews have been great.
> 
> And when you say the trip ended like it started, are you talking about the Storyteller's breakfast buffet?



No not Storytellers. That's actually one of our favourite DL restaurants. It has to do with an incident that happened on the last day of the tour before the farewell dinner. I don't want to get into it on the thread itself and derail it. Feel free to message me if you want the details.


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## DisneyKevin

This coming October will be my ninth Backstage Magic and we have always enjoyed Preston's breakfast buffet (well....since it has been Preston's).


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## merfsko

meryll83 said:


> Hey fellow adventurer!
> 
> I expect we'll get welcome packs in a few weeks...



Ours arrived today! Five weeks and counting...


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## meryll83

merfsko said:


> Ours arrived today! Five weeks and counting...


Same!
UPS had actually tried to deliver it the day before, but no one was in!

We're in the UK, so thought we might have been a bit later getting it, so a nice early surprise!


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## eah123

I am booked for April. We are coming from the NYC area.

I have a question about the last day. 
I understand that the park-hopper pass is still valid for the departure day, Friday April 6. Is it reasonable to spend the day at the parks, then take a red-eye flight back (9 or 10PM departure) from LAX? We would need to leave our luggage with the valet after checking out of the hotel. The ABD transfer from Grand Californian can be anytime that day, right?


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## Cinderella's Slipper 2015

eah123 said:


> I am booked for April. We are coming from the NYC area.
> 
> I have a question about the last day.
> I understand that the park-hopper pass is still valid for the departure day, Friday April 6. Is it reasonable to spend the day at the parks, then take a red-eye flight back (9 or 10PM departure) from LAX? We would need to leave our luggage with the valet after checking out of the hotel. The ABD transfer from Grand Californian can be anytime that day, right?




Yes. We did this on our trip. We had a late flight out to Vancouver and the hotel held our luggage for us until the car arrived. We spent the day at Disneyland then met the driver at the valet area when it was our assigned pick up time.


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## SingingMom

We are *God-willing* booked on the February Adult-Only trip.  (Hubby just had pulmonary embolisms out of the blue, so we hope he'll have clearance for air travel by then!)     We are adding one pre and one post night.  DD is a fan of Real Housewives of BH and Vanderpump Rules, and wants to have dinner at Lisa Vanderpump's restaurant "SUR" the evening we arrive.  lol


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## danv3

eah123 said:


> I am booked for April. We are coming from the NYC area.
> 
> I have a question about the last day.
> I understand that the park-hopper pass is still valid for the departure day, Friday April 6. Is it reasonable to spend the day at the parks, then take a red-eye flight back (9 or 10PM departure) from LAX? We would need to leave our luggage with the valet after checking out of the hotel. The ABD transfer from Grand Californian can be anytime that day, right?



This is exactly what we did a couple of weeks ago. ABD transfer was around 8:00pm so we got almost an entire day in the parks before we left.


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## eah123

What is the best strategy for choosing a dinner restaurant on the Disneyland day (Dinner/evening on your own)? Seems like a lot of the better places will have long waiting list for walk-ins, but I read sometimes that there are last minute surprise activities, so we shouldn't make reservations?


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## SingingMom

eah123 said:


> What is the best strategy for choosing a dinner restaurant on the Disneyland day (Dinner/evening on your own)? Seems like a lot of the better places will have long waiting list for walk-ins, but I read sometimes that there are last minute surprise activities, so we shouldn't make reservations?



There really are a number of choices in Downtown Disney.  We made a lunch reservation (full disclosure - a friend pulled some strings) because DD wanted to try the monte cristo at Blue Bayou (only offered at lunch) so we just had drinks and appetizers later in the evening.  There is so much to do that I'm glad we didn't make dinner reservations.  There are some surprises that you might want to keep yourself open.


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## Disneygeek Amanda

Which evening experiences are included with the tour? The daily itinerary on the ABD site mentions vip viewing of the afternoon parade, fireworks, and world of color. Does that mean that you are on your own for seeing fantasmic and paint the night? This trip will be my first time at Disneyland and I want to see as much as possible, so I'm trying to decide on my priorities for the on my own time.


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## AquaDame

During the non-peak times of the year F! doesn't show nightly and is only on the weekends. Maybe that is why they don't explicitly list it...? Paint the night is on hiatus and doesn't start again until April 13th when the Pixar Fest starts I think. When are you going?


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## Disneygeek Amanda

I'm booked for the October 21st trip. I know it's still a ways away, but my brain is used to WDW planning. It wants to be in a planning mode with a disney trip coming, especially since I'm not familiar with DL as I am with WDW. And fantasmic at HS is one of my favorite shows, so I really want to see the DL Version.


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## SingingMom

Disneygeek Amanda said:


> I'm booked for the October 21st trip. I know it's still a ways away, but my brain is used to WDW planning. It wants to be in a planning mode with a disney trip coming, especially since I'm not familiar with DL as I am with WDW. And fantasmic at HS is one of my favorite shows, so I really want to see the DL Version.


We saw Fantasmic together as a group - but I don't know if that was a "surprise" or preplanned.   My advice is not to go in "WDW Planning Mode" on this ABD.  Let it happen.  You can't see everything but you'll have time to see a lot.


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## danv3

Disneygeek Amanda said:


> I'm booked for the October 21st trip. I know it's still a ways away, but my brain is used to WDW planning. It wants to be in a planning mode with a disney trip coming, especially since I'm not familiar with DL as I am with WDW. And fantasmic at HS is one of my favorite shows, so I really want to see the DL Version.



Going in October you may get to go to a Halloween party as a group. We did last year. We didn’t have a chance to see Fantasmic though.


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## FoodieFriend

Disneygeek Amanda said:


> I'm booked for the October 21st trip. I know it's still a ways away, but my brain is used to WDW planning. It wants to be in a planning mode with a disney trip coming, especially since I'm not familiar with DL as I am with WDW. And fantasmic at HS is one of my favorite shows, so I really want to see the DL Version.



We're booked on the same ABD! it's my 1st time doing BSM as well and I'm also the WDW planner. Hopefully things will work out (currently working thru medical issues with my dad) & we'll see you in Oct!


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## megh315

I'm a major packing planner so I'm already making a list for my trip which isn't until July. For anyone who has done this before, can you let me know if there's any night (like maybe the farewell dinner since Carthay Circle seems kinda fancy) where dressing up might be recommended? Trying to side if I need to bring a dress just in case...


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## Miss SD

megh315 said:


> I'm a major packing planner so I'm already making a list for my trip which isn't until July. For anyone who has done this before, can you let me know if there's any night (like maybe the farewell dinner since Carthay Circle seems kinda fancy) where dressing up might be recommended? Trying to side if I need to bring a dress just in case...


You won’t feel out of place at Carthay Circle wearing theme park clothes, but I understand why you’d want to dress up a little bit. I don’t know what ABD has planned for you, but we went right from the dinner to the World of Color show — so more theme park time. At least wear comfortable shoes!


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## megh315

Miss SD said:


> You won’t feel out of place at Carthay Circle wearing theme park clothes, but I understand why you’d want to dress up a little bit. I don’t know what ABD has planned for you, but we went right from the dinner to the World of Color show — so more theme park time. At least wear comfortable shoes!



That helps a lot! Thanks so much!!


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## Cousin Orville

It's been a few years since we did BSM, but people dressed up a little bit going to Carthay Circle.  But as was mentioned, we went to WoC afterwards, so wear comfortable shoes!


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## SingingMom

Cousin Orville said:


> It's been a few years since we did BSM, but people dressed up a little bit going to Carthay Circle.  But as was mentioned, we went to WoC afterwards, so wear comfortable shoes!



We just went in February - same thing - be comfortable!   (and in our case, we needed to be WARM too!  lol)


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## Dis Gator

Does anyone know the room categories ABD puts guests in at Grand Californian and Loews?  I know they are all "generic" rooms (not suites), but just wondering what view category.  Thanks!


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## Miss SD

Dis Gator said:


> Does anyone know the room categories ABD puts guests in at Grand Californian and Loews?  I know they are all "generic" rooms (not suites), but just wondering what view category.  Thanks!


I’ve taken 5 of these tours (crazy, I know), and I’ve only gotten what I would describe as a “garden view,” which looks out to the Monorail, and a room that overlooks the main driveway. I liked the Monorail view because it was so peaceful. The driveway room was horrendous in the morning. We woke up every day to cabbies talking loudly/arguing. When the BSM stayed at the DLH last year, we were in the Frontierland tower with a pool view. Very nice!

I found the Loews views varied trip to trip, but most were great. Our favorite looked out to the Magic Castle with Yamashiro sitting pretty on the hill. And, yes, you can see the Hollywood sign from many of the rooms.


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## hilarys

Dis Gator said:


> Does anyone know the room categories ABD puts guests in at Grand Californian and Loews?  I know they are all "generic" rooms (not suites), but just wondering what view category.  Thanks!


When we took the tour in 2016, our rooms were on the 2nd or 3rd floor right off the lobby looking over the pool.  At the Loews we could see the Hollywood sign from our rooms.


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## OKW Lover

Dis Gator said:


> Does anyone know the room categories ABD puts guests in at Grand Californian and Loews?  I know they are all "generic" rooms (not suites), but just wondering what view category.  Thanks!


We've been on several BSM's and the rooms at the GC have always been run of the mill views.  Think monorail or courtyard.  

At Loews its kind of the luck of the draw.  Sometimes you get a room on an upper floor with a view of the Hollywood sign.  Other times you might be on a lower floor looking just over the rooftops at the pool.


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## CinderALLIE

Dis Gator said:


> Does anyone know the room categories ABD puts guests in at Grand Californian and Loews?  I know they are all "generic" rooms (not suites), but just wondering what view category.  Thanks!


When I went in 2009 and 2015, the room I had at Loews looked out onto Hollywood Blvd with view of pool.
At the GCH, in 2009 I had a partial park view of DCA, everyone else on tour had parking lot view. In 2015, all guests had pool view.
Hoping in August for pool view again. I didn't have to walk as far from the lobby on a long day.


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