All Things:THEME PARKS

Man, Y'all must be doing it wrong. No kids...in my, cough cough late 40's...Me and Kingsqueen have badass Cali Select(she will correct me I am sure) passes...and we still LOVE going. It's really the way we mark the passing of the seasons, such as they are. The Holiday visits, Halloween and Christmas...not only justify the passes, but restore my very soul. There will be a moment, every time...where my inner child nestles up and tells me it's allllllllllll ok.

There is no cynicism at Disney.


We have the coveted SO CAL passes! :)


When JD and I renewed our passes back in April, we agreed that we would make an effort to visit on Sundays more often....because WE CAN. Even though it's usually pretty crowded....it's like why not go and get a little Disney magic in on a regular ol' (non-holiday related) weekend. I believe we've gone about 5 times since we renewed on my b-day back in early April. Oh wait...one visit was without JD...so make that 4 for him. The thing I love most about having the pass is that it takes so much pressure off, knowing you don't HAVE to go on/see *everything*, because you could always just come back next week, if you really felt like it. I really hope I never lose that little rush of joy I get when I first enter the gates and hear that magical wand sound...no matter how many times I take a Disney day to nurture my inner child. :)

Btw....I also appreciate the 10% discount off food/merchandise. :)
 
I had to downgrade to a Signature Pass this last renewal.

I'm not even a big Disney fan, but I usually go a couple of times a month or so with friends who are also pass holders. We'll go for a picture day and just roam around when there's good light, or when one of us feels like a chimichanga or a corn dog or a Ghirardelli sundae. Or when I just feel like walking around somewhere to people watch and get some steps in on my pedometer.

It costs about the same as my Kings seat now, and I never feel like I have to do everything or anything on a particular visit.
 
I'm with jd and Kingsqueen. I'm in my late 20's and my sister and I have had our passes for 6 or 7 years now. We had the Premium pass that they got rid of - so now have Signature passes (those ****ers) and prices have gone way up, but it's still worth it to us. We go AT LEAST 2-3 times a month. Sometimes more. I work 9-5 Monday through Friday, so we can really only go on weekends, but it hasn't lost its magic yet for us.

Occasionally if it's SUPER crowded or extra hot, we may get frustrated and leave earlier than we were planning, but it never stops us from coming back the next weekend. Sometimes we even just go to walk around and people watch or hang out and drink (yay, California Adventure!) and even that's still fun. I've yet to feel sick of any part of it, no matter how many hundreds of times I've gone on each ride or eaten the same food....it's just magical there.

And I agree - the food/merchandise discounts are a good perk! :)
 
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i definitely take it easy when i go. usually we get a fast pass, go on a ride, get a beer or wine in CA adventure and people watch, go on a few more rides. i just go nuts when it's super hot and/or someone i'm with decides they want to wait an hour plus in a line for a ride and then i can't walk anywhere without a stroller mowing into the back of my leg. :D
 
This thread is making me want to Disneyland. I haven't been there in a LONG time. Do they still have the ASTRO JETS ride? :grin:

Oh, but seriously, I sorta like that Disneyland is trapped in time in my mind. ;)
 
This thread is making me want to Disneyland. I haven't been there in a LONG time. Do they still have the ASTRO JETS ride? :grin:

Oh, but seriously, I sorta like that Disneyland is trapped in time in my mind. ;)

I'm not sure I want to peek behind that particular curtain...
 
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I'm not sure I want to peak behind that particular curtain...

Heh.

I suppose one can enjoy Disneyland as an adult, but I've heard from some adults that they are able to get the childhood glee from Disneyland when they take their own kids since they are able to see the place through their eyes.

Now I am hoping that I have some illegitimate kids out there that I can take someday. mhihi: :cheers:
 
We have the coveted SO CAL passes! :)


When JD and I renewed our passes back in April, we agreed that we would make an effort to visit on Sundays more often....because WE CAN. Even though it's usually pretty crowded....it's like why not go and get a little Disney magic in on a regular ol' (non-holiday related) weekend. I believe we've gone about 5 times since we renewed on my b-day back in early April. Oh wait...one visit was without JD...so make that 4 for him. The thing I love most about having the pass is that it takes so much pressure off, knowing you don't HAVE to go on/see *everything*, because you could always just come back next week, if you really felt like it. I really hope I never lose that little rush of joy I get when I first enter the gates and hear that magical wand sound...no matter how many times I take a Disney day to nurture my inner child. :)

Btw....I also appreciate the 10% discount off food/merchandise. :)

this!

right now i really miss hearing the chimes of the bell of the DLRR as it pulls into main st. station! once it awhile you can here the Mark Twain blow its whistle still, those are two of the most iconic sounds of DL to me. and like you mentioned, every weekend or so my wife and i (and now our baby) chase that nostalgia factor, and i always manage to find it, no matter how crowded it is. i really think that is the part that as me (us) hooked. for a very long time now it hasn't been about getting on rides, but rather cruising around, sans pressure to get on rides. we make concerted efforts to watch shows, parades, the flag retreats and those types of things.

maybe we can do an LGK meet up day there soon? although, my SoCal pass is blocked starting June 30th until the third week of August.
 
this!

right now i really miss hearing the chimes of the bell of the DLRR as it pulls into main st. station! once it awhile you can here the Mark Twain blow its whistle still, those are two of the most iconic sounds of DL to me. and like you mentioned, every weekend or so my wife and i (and now our baby) chase that nostalgia factor, and i always manage to find it, no matter how crowded it is. i really think that is the part that as me (us) hooked. for a very long time now it hasn't been about getting on rides, but rather cruising around, sans pressure to get on rides. we make concerted efforts to watch shows, parades, the flag retreats and those types of things.

maybe we can do an LGK meet up day there soon? although, my SoCal pass is blocked starting June 30th until the third week of August.


Maybe in September! :)
 
When I was working in Irvine and living in the South Bay, I bought a pass and would basically stop at Disneyland to break up the commute. That was pretty nice. There are some spots (some no longer there) on the nature trail, for example, where it's all trees and birds, and you might even forget you're in the park. I'd bring a book and read there for a while, maybe hit a ride, get a corn dog or watch some fireworks, then make the rest of the trek home.
 
When I was working in Irvine and living in the South Bay, I bought a pass and would basically stop at Disneyland to break up the commute. That was pretty nice. There are some spots (some no longer there) on the nature trail, for example, where it's all trees and birds, and you might even forget you're in the park. I'd bring a book and read there for a while, maybe hit a ride, get a corn dog or watch some fireworks, then make the rest of the trek home.

Those spots are becoming more and more rare all the time. I think we can kiss the very back of the Hungry Bear dining area off of the quiet spot to chill once SWL opens, as the path to it will go right by the patio area.

That being said, I can't wait to see how nice it hopefully will even out the traffic flow around the ROA once SWL opens since there will be a continuous path around the north end of the ROA.
 
Let me preface my comment by saying that what I'm about to say isn't a knock on anyone here...

The AP program is the biggest single problem for the resort. Read some of the comments here...folks that visit several times a month, meet their friends, stop to have a drink and ride a ride or two, etc. These comments are very commonplace on Disney fan sites and I was as guilty of it as the next person. The problem is that due to the monthly payment plan, annual passes have become "affordable" to pretty much everyone and more and more folks are doing exactly what folks here do. It's a social gathering spot, a place to hang out (like we did at the mall in the 80's), have a drink, just go to watch the fireworks/parade...the park has become clogged with annual passholders who often spend very little money and are far less profitable for Disney than the tourist family visiting from somewhere who makes this their big family vacation. Disney created a monster and the only way to fix it is to revamp the AP program. What does that look like? No idea. But I would guess that the first fix would be to remove the monthly payments. That being said, Disney makes a tone of money of the AP program and I don't see them getting off the juice anytime soon.
 
Let me preface my comment by saying that what I'm about to say isn't a knock on anyone here...

The AP program is the biggest single problem for the resort. Read some of the comments here...folks that visit several times a month, meet their friends, stop to have a drink and ride a ride or two, etc. These comments are very commonplace on Disney fan sites and I was as guilty of it as the next person. The problem is that due to the monthly payment plan, annual passes have become "affordable" to pretty much everyone and more and more folks are doing exactly what folks here do. It's a social gathering spot, a place to hang out (like we did at the mall in the 80's), have a drink, just go to watch the fireworks/parade...the park has become clogged with annual passholders who often spend very little money and are far less profitable for Disney than the tourist family visiting from somewhere who makes this their big family vacation. Disney created a monster and the only way to fix it is to revamp the AP program. What does that look like? No idea. But I would guess that the first fix would be to remove the monthly payments. That being said, Disney makes a tone of money of the AP program and I don't see them getting off the juice anytime soon.


One of the things that drove me to the AP is the price of 1-day admission. With the cheapest annual pass being only roughly twice the cost of a 1-day pass, that was an easy decision.
 
Incidentally, does the phrase "E-Ticket ride" ever get used anymore?
 
I pay up front, Steve.

And that's not the first time I'very heard someone make that suggestion. But like JD said, it would remove passholders, but cut that revenue.
 
I hear very good things about the Walking Dead at Universal Studios. Opens next week.
 
One of the things that drove me to the AP is the price of 1-day admission. With the cheapest annual pass being only roughly twice the cost of a 1-day pass, that was an easy decision.

Which isn't by accident.

We went on Sunday evening, it was a Cluster F. I only spent an hour in DL solo before my wife and baby showed up. We met up and ate dinner in DCA, then hit up The Little Mermaid, then I left with the kiddo while my wife had some baby-free time with her best friend and best friends mom.

I am blocked starting June 30 until the third week of April.
 
Saturday was great. Was there less than 12 hours and went on every single ride in the park at Disneyland. Don't know who has been blocked Saturdays for the last month but the lines have been definitely way better.

I have noticed it the last few summers actually.
 
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