From: adrian@mti.mti.com (Adrian McCarthy)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.disney
Subject: Disneyland FAQ
Date: 3 Sep 92 15:40:15 GMT
Organization: Micro Technology, Inc., Anaheim, CA
Originator: adrian@mti

This posting is a list of answers to frequently asked questions about visiting
Disneyland.  All reasonable efforts have been made to make sure this
information is accurate, but I cannot be held responsible for errors or
schedule changes.  The posting is updated and posted at the beginning of each
month.  Send suggestions and comments on this posting to adrian@lexcel.com.

CHANGES SINCE LAST POSTING:  New reservation location, more info on crowd
control, Fantasmic! viewing, and some hotel recommendations.

HOW DO I FIND OUT MORE?
	See the other FAQ posted regularly by tanida@forseti.css.gov.
	Contact Disneyland at (714) 999-4565 or (714) 999-4000 or
1313 Harbor Boulevard, P.O. Box 3232, Anaheim, CA 92803-3232.

HOURS OF OPERATION:  according to a current Disneyland calendar (subject to
change):
	8am to 1am every day all summer long (until mid September)

[I haven't picked up the recent calendar, so I don't have to long-range hours
yet.  In general, in mid-September, the winter hours resume, which means the
park is open only until 6pm Monday through Friday, and midnight on Saturday and
Sunday.]

Unlike WDW, Disneyland does not, in general, open the park early to deal with
incoming crowds.  Some tour packages do offer an Early Bird deal which allows
participants to enter before the park's official opening time.

Crowds are heavy now with the opening of Fantasmic! and the summer season.
As always, weekends attract more people than weekdays.  Guests also tend to
stay later this summer, so that they can see the Main Street Electrical Parade
and Fantasmic!

The good news is crowds usually drop off dramatically immediately after labor
day.

CURRENT CONSTRUCTION AND REFURB:  (subject to change)
	It seems all of the annual refurbishments have been completed.
	Construction of Mickey's Toon Town is not currently affecting other
attractions.

CURRENT PRICES:  (US $)  Current as of June 27, 1992 (recent increases included)
		1-day 2-day 3-day seasonal annual guided-tour
Adults		28.75 52.50 71.25 100.00   185.00 38.75
Children (3-11) 23.00 42.00 57.00  80.00   150.00 31.00
Seniors (60+)   23.00
Parking		 5.00/car

	Magic Kingdom Card holders get slightly less than 10% off.  Seasonal
passes are good Sunday through Friday, September through May, excluding
December 25-31, which are also the least crowded times to visit Disneyland.
Annual passes include parking.  Seasonal pass holders can get parking for an
additional charge.

CURRENT ENTERTAINMENT:
	The current daytime parade is The World According to Goofy Parade.
Some of the floats at the tail end are from last years' Celebrate USA parade.
	"Tentatively, the Main Street Electrical Parade will be featured ...
nightly ... through September 13, 1992.  Also tentatively, the Fantasy in the
Sky Fireworks display is scheduled to be featured ... nightly from June 19 to
September 12, 1992.  Disneyland's summer entertainment season, which begins on
June 19 and ends on September 13, 1992, includes the all new Fantasmic!..."
	Fantasy in the Sky fireworks run after the first Electrical Parade
(~9:30) nightly.  The second Electrical Parade now runs at 10:30pm instead
of 11.  This is to make way for the crowds exiting from the second showing of
Fantasmic!
	The Beauty and the Beast stage show in Videopolis now runs several
times a day (except Tuesday).  Basically a literal adaptation of the movie.
There is also a Goofy Tunes Up stage show presented in the Carnation Plaza
on most days.
	Live entertainment includes Disneyland Big Band, Transtar, Galaxy,
Discovery, and Voyager performing most days.  Tomorrowland Terrace has dancing
on late-nights.  The Magic Kingdom Korps (marching band) also performs around
the park.
	Fantasmic! opened May 15.  It plays three times every night.
	It's impractical to list all show times and days in this posting.

SHOW RESERVATIONS:
	Reservations for the Golden Horseshoe Revue have moved to the counter
in the exit lobby for the Walt Disney Story Featuring Great Moments with Mr.
Lincoln.  Reservations are also taken for the Polynesian Terrace, Blue Bayou
restaurant, and two of the restaurants at the Disneyland Hotel.  I think this
is an effort to reduce the lines in the vicinity of Fantasmic!

WHERE SHOULD WE STAY?
	TBD, please email information to adrian@lexcel.com.  Being a local,
I've never stayed at any of the hotels in this area.  Here is a summary of the
responses I have received so far.  No guarantees.  All of these are in Anaheim,
so you should be able to get the numbers from information.
	PAN PACIFIC:  Next to Disneyland Hotel.  Rooms are reportedly larger,
nicer, quieter, and about half the price of the Disneyland Hotel counterparts.
Right next to Disneyland Hotel, so you can walk over to see the shops and
attractions there (including the Monorail station).
	MARRIOT (sp?):  "Typical Marriot."  Nobody said anything particularly
good or bad.
	BEST WESTERN STARDUST:  "Very spacious.  Clean comfortable and
reasonably priced.  Walking distance, but Disneyland shuttle is also available.
"No frills."

WHAT'S THE BEST WAY TO SEE FANTASMIC!?
	To appreciate Fantasmic! it's recommended that you get there early and
endure the wait.  All show times are very popular, but later shows are slightly
less congested.  My favorite technique is to be near the Haunted Mansion when
one of the earlier shows ends.  Move toward the water, then join the crowd as
they exit the area.  When you get front and center, sit down and relax.
	Guests near the river are required to sit on the pavement and strollers
are strongly discouraged here.  Guests farther back are required to stand and
may have strollers.  They do occasionally let people stand on the Art Gallery
balcony, but VIPs get priority.  A line for the balcony forms at the snack
shop by the Pirates of the Caribbean entrance.  I'm also told that standing on
the bridge is also good.
	A front view is better, but side views are not bad.  The more
important factor is whether or not you can see over, around, or through the
people in front of you.
	Be prepared to deal with angry people who lose their patience waiting.
I've seen a few lost tempers.  As crazy as it may seem, the cast members
directing you into and out of the area *are* generally pointing you in the
best direction, so cutting under ropes and around the ushers won't help much.
They are continuing to experiment with different traffic flows to find the
best way to move people in and out.

HOW DO I BEAT THE CROWDS?
	Start by selecting a good day to go, see seasonal pass info above.
	Fantasmic! has made nighttime on the west side of the park very
unpredictable.  Tremendous numbers of people show up, and the crowd control
people are trying different procedures each night in an attempt to find the
best way to move the audiences in and out.  During the actual shows, lines for
attractions are quite short (especially when the Electrical Parade is also
running).  When the show is over, many people avoid the herding affect by
jumping into one of the nearest lines:  Splash Mountain, Haunted Mansion,
Pirates of the Caribbean, Jungle Cruise, and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.
	Space Mountain is long most of the day and into the night, so first
thing early morning is usually your best bet.  Ditto Rocket Jets.  Star Tours
will shorten significantly in the late evening (when the line is completely
inside, you're in good shape). Splash Mountain is good when it's raining or
right before the park closes (avoid it when it backs up beyond the Briar Patch
shop).  An early-morning dash might also be a good idea (since it's at the
back of the park).  After dinner, the "kiddie" rides in Fantasyland shorten a
bit, but not much.  Dumbo, Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, and Mr. Toad will
remain popular, but there will be almost no line for Snow White's Scary
Adventures or Pinnochio's Daring Journey.  Skyway line is almost always
shorter from Fantasyland to Tomorrowland than the other way around.  Small
World should usually be a walk-on; if it's not, come back later.  Country Bear
Jamboree almost never takes long.
	Crossing the parade route is possible but time consuming.  Plan which
side of the park you want to be on during the parade and get there early.  If
you must cross, consider using the Disneyland RR or the Skyway.  Parade
crossing zones north of the Matterhorn are usually less congested than the one
at the Hub.  Main Street is tough (though not impossible) to negotiate during
popular parades.

HOW DO I GET A MAGIC KINGDOM CLUB (MKC) CARD AND WHAT DOES IT GET ME?
	Check with your employer or credit union first, especially if you live
near any Disney attractions.  If not, you can purchase a Gold MKC for $45 ($65
outside US, Canada, and Mexico).  The address is Magic Kingdom Club Gold Card,
PO Box 3850, Anaheim, CA  92803-3850.  Charge by calling (714) 490-3200.  Gold
card members get a 2-year subscription to Disney News and other paraphernalia.
All MKC cards get you discounts at the Disney Stores (except in the parks), on
admission tickets, and on Disney, Delta Airlines, and National Rent-a-Car
packages.

IF I'VE BEEN TO THE MAGIC KINGDOM IN WDW, WHAT PARTS OF DISNEYLAND CAN I SKIP?
	There are subtle differences in almost every corner of the park.  If
you're a Disney afficionado, you'll want to check out everything.  If you're
pressed for time, you can skip the following:
	o Haunted Mansion (I hate to admit it, but WDW's is better)
	o People Mover (more primitive)
	o Monorail (unless you want to go to the Disneyland Hotel)
	o Submarine Voyage (nearly identical to WDW's except for order of
	  presentation and absence of little Jules Verne nuances)
	o Skyway (useful for getting around, especially during parades)
	o Mission to Mars (unless you want to see a clean-shaven Mr. Johnson)
	o Captain EO
	o Circle Vision 360 (same as at WDW)
	o Autopias
	o Small World (biggest difference is the exterior facade)
	o Country Bear Jamboree (virtually identical but DL has 2 theaters)
	o Golden Horseshoe Revue (same show, different finale)
Tough calls:  (similar, yet different and worth experiencing)
	o Space Mountain
	o Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
	o Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln (a trimmed down version of the Hall
	  of Presidents)
Whatever you do, don't miss out on:
	o Fantasmic!
	o Star Tours (unless you've been on the one in Disney/MGM Studios)
	o Matterhorn Bobsleds
	o Jungle Cruise (my DL experiences have far surpassed the one at WDW)
	o Pirates of the Caribbean (parts are identical, but DL is better)
	o Disney Art Gallery (above Pirates)
	o Splash Mountain (many were disappointed, but others like it)
	o Disneyland RR between Tomorrowland & Main Street for Grand Canyon
	  and Primeval World dioramas (not quite as impressive as EPCOT's
	  World of Energy dinosaurs)
The parade route is different.  North of Main Street, Disneyland parades
proceed north along the east side of the Castle up to It's a Small World.  WDW
MK parades turn at the Hub, heading through Liberty Square and Frontierland.