Top 7 Favorite Rides at Disneyland

Like many Disney fans, I've been going to Disneyland since I was barely three-years-old. Through those years both the Disneyland Resort and myself have changed in many different ways, but one thing remains constant: I love rides.

Attractions have always been my family's favorite part of going to any Disney park. We never really spent much time meeting characters or watching too many shows...probably because I was deathly afraid to meet characters, but that's another story. I remember always loving it's a small world back when I didn't know any better...and now I can barely stand to ride it barely once a year.

Now that I've lived in Southern California for almost three years and have frequented Disneyland too many times to count, I thought I'd share my top seven favorite rides within the Disneyland Resort (including California Adventure). Let's see if any of mine are your favorites too!

Top 7 Favorite Rides at the Disneyland Resort

7. Toy Story Midway Mania - I'm so ridiculously competitive on this ride, but it's just because it's so much fun! For the longest time I had an undefeated streak, but my brother broke it a couple times within the last year. It's a complete must-do whenever my family comes to visit, mostly because my dad is obsessed!

6. Big Thunder Mountain - I remember loving this attraction when I was younger, but I would always close my eyes whenever the train dodged and weaved through caves and dark tunnels because I was scared something would jump out at me like the yeti in the Matterhorn. However, with the most recent refurb and added updates to Big Thunder Mountain after closing for the big incident, I have to say this is one of the most fun and enjoyable attractions in the resort. Great for anyone, really! Even those who don't prefer roller coasters!

5. California Screamin' - One of the biggest and probably most fun thrill rides within the park. You can't really ride Screamin' without a giant smile on your face.

4. Soarin' Over California - I honestly wasn't the biggest fan of Soarin' until recently...I always liked the ride, but I felt like it was a "one and done" kind of experience since it was the same film every time. However, this place now has a very special place in my heart because it's been the location I've grown personally and professionally the most at work, as well as where I made the closest friendships with my coworkers. 

3. Space Mountain / Hyperspace Mountain - The original Space Mountain has always been a favorite of mine, but I have to give huge props to the new rendition with Hyperspace Mountain. They did an excellent job with the new score and effects, I almost don't want it to ever leave!

2. Indiana Jones Adventure - When I participated in my college program in Florida, this was the one ride I missed the most. It's so different from anything else in the parks, combining thrills and incredibly fun animatronics and effects. Even the queue is fantastic!

1. Tower of Terror - This ride stole my heart the very first time I rode it. I even found a short narrative the other day that I wrote about my first experience riding Tower for a school project back in middle school. The theming, the story, the bellhops, and the drops...everything together just makes this ride (in my eyes) nearly perfect. It's been such an honor and great experience to be a bellhop for the past year!

I originally tried to keep this at only five favorite attractions, but it was nearly impossible to narrow it down to only that many!

Which are your favorite Disneyland attractions? Do you agree with my list?

Have a magical day!

Sara Squared Takes on Disneyland's 60th!

Sara came to visit me in Disneyland for the first time in almost two years! It was actually pretty crowded in the parks, so we did everything Sara's never tried in Disneyland before! We were also able to see each of the new shows offered in the parks for Disneyland's 60th anniversary celebration, such as the new fireworks and Paint the Night parade!

Enjoy!

Disney Parks Tag! (Vlog)

I found this tag a little while ago and decided it'd be fun to share some of my favorite things about Disney California Adventure!

QUESTIONS
1. Pick a park. Answer all following questions about that park.
2. How many times have you been to the park?
3. What's your favorite land? Why?
4. What's your favorite ride? Why?
5. What's your favorite show? (Oops didn't do this one, but it's World of Color)
6. Show us all your pins/buttons/merchandise.
7. What your favorite thing to eat at the park?
8. What's one thing you wish you could experience at the park, but have never gotten to?
9. If you were a cast member, who would you wanna be?
10. Share your favorite story from being in the park.
11. Tag someone!

I tagged: Steven, Raisa, Sidonie, and Molly!

If you'd like to do this tag, go for it, and let me know! I'd love to hear your answers!

I hope everyone has a wonderful day!

Holidays in Disneyland

This was my first time experiencing Disney during the holidays! I absolutely love Halloween, and all of the Christmas decorations and shows were so beautiful! The crowds may be pretty crazy during this season, but it's sure a magical experience!

At first I was a little apprehensive about Haunted Mansion Holiday, where the mansion is transformed into a completely new attraction based off of Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas. However, after riding it a few times, finally watching the movie, and meeting Jack and Sally three times, it really grew on me and I have to say I really like it! I wish guests could meet Jack and Sally year round. They're really entertaining, I've never had a dull meet and greet experience!

The parade Disney has during Christmas is called A Christmas Fantasy. Let me tell you, after listening to that parade's soundtrack just one time, the song will be stuck in your head forever. I prefer watching this parade at night. If you see it on main street with all of the Christmas lights shining from the shops and buildings, it's definitely something magical that really took my breath away.

I only saw the holiday fireworks once, but it's a beautiful show called "Believe in the Holiday Magic". I recommend getting there at least an hour before if you want a decent spot. My roommate and I stood there for about an hour, and managed to get a viewing spot right in front of the castle. So worth it!

One of my favorite aspects of Disneyland during the holidays is the decorations for "it's a small world". At night, every 15 minutes or so there's a projection show similar to "Celebrate the Magic" in Walt Disney World. The lights for the night time decorations on this attraction are so stunning!

World of Color: Winter Dreams is the final holiday show, and probably the most popular this year. This is the first time World of Color transformed into a completely new show for the holidays, and honestly it focused on promoting Frozen more than the actual holiday season. However, I LOVED Elsa's part, and I really wish they kept it when they switched back to the regular show! I ended up seeing this show around 40 times since I was scheduled to work it many, many nights. (So. Much. Olaf.) Many memories were made during this show, but I'm definitely glad it's back to the original!

Did you go to Disney during the holidays? What's your favorite holiday attraction?

Have a magical day!

Training at Monsters Inc.

My attraction, Monsters Inc. Mike & Sulley to the rescue! (Source)

I can't believe it's almost been three months since I starting working, and I still haven't told you guys what it's like to train and work in my new role!

As I mentioned in a previous post, I was assigned to work at Monsters Inc., Mike and Sulley to the Rescue in California Adventure. Before I started actually training at my attraction, I was assigned to work during the Pixar Pals Countdown to Fun parade...even though I hadn't officially been trained for guest control shifts yet. Everyone was nice and helped when I had questions. I also met and really got along with a girl from Soarin' Over California named Shannon, who quickly became my parade buddy whenever we had a shift together. (I just found out yesterday that she got accepted to cross-train at Tower of Terror, I'm so jealous!) I have more to say about guest control shifts, but I'll write a separate post to explain everything in better detail.

My first training shift was a closing shift that lasted until late at night. What's different about training here and my experience at the Polynesian is that we actually had one trainer throughout the entire training process. At the Poly, I had a different trainer each day when learning something new. Also, I trained with another person at the same time at Monsters. I actually really appreciated this structured set up, because having one trainer means they understand where you are, what you've covered already, and can give you more accurate advice near the end of your training process to see what you still need to work on. Training with another person is also nice. If one of you has a question, usually the other can help out. It's helpful going through that experience with another person, especially since I learn by watching others demonstrate the process over and over again.

My sexy Monsters costume (missing the hat)

The first day we met up with our trainer, Kayla, who was honestly the best trainer ever. I'm not just
saying that because she was mine. She was extremely thorough and explained everything we needed to know, and always elaborated in case we were confused or had any questions. She first took us to get our new costumes. They're...uh...not nearly as festive as the one I used to wear for the Poly that's for sure. Sara had the most accurate comparison for me, "You look like a janitor." That basically sums it up.

After we changed into our costumes we walked over to Monsters. The first day of training is mainly filled with briefly explaining each position, describing the ride and its details (which of course includes riding the ride at least once), and reading LOTS of the Operation Guide, which honestly made me almost fall asleep. I learned that there are seven main positions within Monsters: Booth, Greeter, Unload, Load, Dispatch/Main Console, Grouper, and Grouper Assist.

Booth: Honestly, I can't say much about booth. Let's just say it's a fun and interesting way to interact with guests ;)

Greeter: When someone is at greeter, he or she is standing in front of the ride entrance, mainly in charge of answering any guest questions (yes, this is a ride, not a show), maintaining stroller parking, and making sure the wait time is accurate.

Unload: This position is pretty straightforward. We're in charge of making sure the guests unload out of their cab quickly and safely before sending it back to load more guests. If the attraction breaks down due to a monster getting loose (which tends to happen quite a bit at mine..), unload is one of the positions in charge of walking the track and helping guests evacuate safely out of the attraction.

Load: This is my favorite position, because we're constantly moving. After a semester in quick service food and beverage, you get used to the constant busy nature of the restaurant and the fast pace work environment. I really thrive in busy work environments like that, so load is right up my ally. Load starts at a small console, spiels to the guests to take all backpacks off and load little monsters into the cab first, closes the gates, checks all lap bars, then pushes the first button to approve sending off the cab before dispatch double checks from the main console to make sure everyone is seated and ready to go. If the monsters become loose in the attraction, load is in charge of evacuating the other half of the building similar to unload.

Dispatch/Main Console: This is one of the most important positions. Dispatch is in charge of watching to make sure the cabs are not backed up, eying the cameras to ensure guests are safe on the attraction, and double checking to make sure load has the guests in their cab safely. If the monsters escape, dispatch is in charge of powering down, spieling to guests, as well as powering up the attraction after the monsters are back safe in their houses again.

Grouper: Grouper assists guests into designated lanes for each cab. They're the one who asks guests, "How many in your party? Okay please go to rows one and two."

Grouper Assist: Grouper assist helps the grouper fill lanes in case row three remains empty, as well as assists guests with disabilities when they need to be loaded into a separate cab.

The first day of training we mainly practiced Unload and the Booth, and the other two days we went over all of the procedures for powering up in the morning and also powering down for closing. The very last day of training we were scheduled to have our PA (Personal Assessment), but the monsters were let loose for at least two hours, making it difficult for us to practice our spots. We did, however, practice a lot of powering up and down, which was helpful. At the very end of our shift, one of our leads took us through the positions and watched us perform each role independently, asked a few questions, and said we passed! Just like that, I earned my ears!

I honestly love working at Monsters. The people there are great and it's so much fun interacting with the children. It's nice having an attraction with no height limit, so we get to see babies and small kids all day that we wouldn't really see at larger, more intense attractions.

Even though I was trained at Monsters, new hires usually see more guest control shifts during their first few months during their probation, which I will explain more about in a later post.

Until then, have a magical day!

New Life at Disneyland

Hey guys!

I'm so sorry I haven't posted about what's happening in my life lately. With classes, work, and homework, I've been swamped! However, I feel like there's quite a bit I need to fill you in on the past month since the last time I posted.

Last month I announced that I got a job in attractions at Disneyland and took all of the initial orientation classes to get prepared for work. I was initially going to be in the Disney Animation building in Hollywood Land, but that changed at the last minute because it was just about to go under refurbishment. I had the option of moving to Paradise Pier and continue training that same weekend, or stay in Hollywood/Condor Flats and train the following week. Since Tower of Terror is my ultimate goal and destination, I decided to stay in Hollywood.

I took this unexpected free time to hang out in the parks for a little bit! The first day I met up with my new friends Jesi and Jeffrey, who I both met on Tumblr and work as PhotoPass Photographers in the parks. My main goals were to ride Pirates of the Caribbean and Indiana Jones, since Pirates isn't the same in Florida and I've missed Indy so dang much. I swear, no matter how many times I ride Indy and Space Mountain, I can never decide which one is my favorite in the Disneyland park! The next day I was able to see one of my lovely friends from my DCP, Raisa! She was in town for Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party for the week. I was so happy to see her, even if it was for a short bit! We got to meet Jack Skellington and Sally from The Nightmare Before Christmas, which I actually was finally able to watch on Halloween this year for the first time! I have to say, if you have the chance to meet these two, DO IT! Even if you haven't seen the movie, they're delightful to meet in person!

With Jack and Sally from Nightmare Before Christmas!

The weekend ended and I went (reluctantly) back to class. I can tell you one thing...even though I work at Disney again (and love it, might I add), it's not quite the same because I still have to deal with school and homework. My classes are getting rather difficult because I'm going further and further into my major, which requires more time and attention that I'm not used to balancing with a part time job. It took me a couple weeks but I can finally say I'm starting to become more accustomed to the new schedule. I just needed to sort out priorities and stay focused....and stay away from Tumblr as much as possible when doing homework.

I had a couple parade shifts and World of Color training that next week. It was interesting because these parade shifts were actually supposed to be my "Post Training" for my attraction. Since I wasn't actually at an attraction yet, I would automatically be placed in Guest Control to work the Pixar Pals Countdown to Fun Parade in Hollywood Land. I quite like parade shifts! World of Color is also growing on me, but I'll get into more detail on that later.

After a couple of parade shifts, I got a phone call from the cast member in charge of scheduling informing me about my new attraction: Monsters Inc. Mike and Sully to the Rescue! I was definitely excited! I'll talk about what it's like to work there and training in another post, but I enjoy it! All of the cast members there are extremely nice and helpful, and my trainer was the best.

Again, I apologize for my lack of posting! The other day I filmed some footage at Disneyland, but not enough to make an entire video. I think I'm just going to film a little each time I go to make one bigger compilation of Disneyland and then California Adventure. I'll even try and show you guys my ride!

Right now I'm actually back home with my family for the long weekend. I wanted to be able to visit before the holidays really started to kick off, which means that requesting days off would be more difficult. I'm EXTREMELY excited because as of tomorrow, Lizzie will be visiting me in exactly a week! Also in less the two months, Jake will be here! I can't wait to see them!

I hope everyone has a magical weekend!

Disney Challenge Day 35: Most Memorable Ride

50 Day Disney Challenge

Day Thirty-Five: The Ride With the Most Memories

This was a tough one, but I've got to say Tower of Terror. This ride is one of the very few that can still make me genuinely terrified. But it's not only about the fear, this ride is just so much fun. It's a full on experience with walking through the petrified hotel, watching the video in the library, and waiting in line in the boiler room preparing yourself for the epic ride ahead. Whenever I ride this ride I never know what to do with my hands, so I end up flailing around a bit and stomping my feet! Nevertheless it's definitely one of my favorites!

I remember one time when I was in middle school my family and I were waiting in line for Tower of Terror in California Adventure. I was wearing a camouflage shirt and there were two actors pretending to be hotel guests. One of the actors turned to me and said, "Oh! We have a soldier in our presence!" They saluted me and I shyly laughed. It's those little special Disney moments you remember forever.

(Full 50 Day Challenge List)

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Down the Rabbit Hole

All the way back in January I posted an update about the end of ElecTRONica and the brand new concept of a "Mad T Party" in its place. Well, since then I have seen many updates and photos of the soon to be new night party in California Adventure! I'll share with you as much as I know :)

The Mad T Party stage in California Adventure!

In order to attend this Mad T Party, you must enter the mystical portal, also known as the rabbit hole! However, not just anyone can enter this portal, one must know the secret password. Each night a different password will be necessary to get past the two bouncers, Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum! In order to find these passwords, you must search for the Hatters who are scattered around California Adventure. These Hatters will be easily noticeable due to their top hats and wacky colored outfits. Once spotted, you may receive an "invitation" which includes this secret password. Remember the password, tell Tweedle Dee or Tweedle Dum, and you're in!

What happens after you enter the rabbit hole?

The Mad T Party Band: The Mad T Party band includes many members that will provide the mad guests with many of their favorite dance tunes such as songs by Lady Gaga, P!nk, and Gwen Stefani. Each member is based off of one of the famous characters in Alice and Wonderland. The band includes the Mad Hatter as one of the lead singers, March Hare on the bass, Dormouse on the lead guitar, Caterpillar on the keyboard, Cheshire Cat on the drums, and every once in a while Alice will drop in throughout the night to sing as well! For a brief preview of the portal and the band, take a look at this video! 

Alice and the Mad Hatter

When the band isn't playing, the White Rabbit DJ will take over with his "mad" remixes! The DJ will be played by many DJs such as Jason Jass, Michael Paul, Adam Auburn, Mi$$y B, David Bullock, and Wendy Walker. Also throughout the night, the "Hottest Deck in Town" will be dancing on stage and with the guests!

Mad Arcade: ElecTRONica had the same arcade from the movie Tron, and now the Mad T Party has the Mad Arcade! This arcade includes many of the classic style arcade and carnival games, with a Mad T Party twist of course. Here you will be able to knock down the teeth of the Cheshire cat, shoot sugar cubes into wobbling teacups, quickly fill the Bandersnatch's tummy with treats, play Disney's new Kinect Disneyland Adventures, and many more! 

There will also be many different kinds of drinks with interesting flavors that glow in the dark, such as cotton candy strawberry punch. I have not been able to find much about the menu right now, but you can imagine all of the wacky and amazing flavors Disney has been able to create to go with this colorful and imaginative party!

What do you think? I think it will be a great new addition in place of ElecTRONica. I did love ElecTRONica and I'm sad to see it leave, but it will be nice to bring in something new and different to attract different crowds. 

The Mad T Party officially begins on June 15, 2012!

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