GOTH BATS DAY AT DISNEYLAND! TIPS FOR ANAHEIM THEME PARK VISITORS: BEST TIMES TO VISIT DISNEY & CALIFORNIA ADVENTURE, AVOIDING LINEUPS & CHILDREN, DISCOUNT PASSES.

July 25th, 1991. I was six years old and in PARADISE, otherwise known as Disneyland Anaheim (with my family and cousins). Back then, I only went on wimpy rides such as the Flying Dumbos…

… and the greatest show on television was Chip n’ Dale Rescue Rangers. After school, I’d rush home to watch The Disney Afternoon (Duck Tales, Tail Spin… anyone remember these?)

Fast forward almost ten years. I had media passes for Disneyland and California Adventure — and I was afraid to step through the gates for the first time since childhood. Small children. Three hour lineups. Overpriced food. Mascots.
The other members of the Adventure Team were killed by the Fame Monster (see video), so Yukiro and I had to brave this mission alone. Onward… to Adventureland!

Disneyland field notes:
† It’s expensive. We were lucky to avoid the entrance fee ($97 for a day at Disneyland and California Adventure). But parking is $14, and the Jack Skellington merchandise will set you back…
† To minimize expenses, try eating a big breakfast and bringing your own food. I took along vegan snacks from Trader Joe’s and a bottle of water nabbed from the movie shoot.
† The best time to visit: a weekday morning in the off-season. In the sweltering summer, you’ll have to queue for hours — whereas we hardly waited at all. It got busier in the afternoon and we had to stand for 15 to 20 minutes for some rides (not bad, but I prefer instant gratification.)
† Dress smart: good walking shoes, a jacket for when it gets cold. I’d wear clothes that you don’t really care about as they might get soaked.

† Speaking of… these are our angry faces after riding Splash Mountain. It left us DRENCHED in dirty water!
† There are no extreme rides at Disneyland (go to Six Flags for those). But we had fun on the “big thrills”: Thunder Mountain, Indiana Jones, Space Mountain, Haunted Mansion.
† California Adventure recently opened up next door, and is well worth visiting. Not all the attractions are up, but we loved the Screamin’ roller coaster (which goes upside-down and has a zippy soundtrack) and Mickey ferris wheel with sliding gondolas.

Have you heard of Bat’s Day? Every year, Goths invade Disneyland — what a sight it must be! This year, the meet-up is from April 30-May 2. Wish we could be there (but every day is Bat’s Day in our calendar!).

Our final mission: we invaded the Halloween Club, a giant retailer of costumes and scary props. Turn off on Carmenita Ave or Garfield Ave and go wild.
Have you been to Disneyland? What are your favorite attractions? Any tips for making the trip a success?
Song of the Day #326: Alice in Wonderland – a neat remix that Pogo made out of audio/film samples from the Disney animation.
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