Tips & News — Disneyland

Disneyland is getting another and much needed resort hotel in 2021. This is exciting for multiple reasons. First, with on three on property hotels, the Disneyland Resort  currently simply lacks enough rooms to meet demand. The current hotels book up very early and the price points are sky high in comparison to Disney World options. Its simple supply and demand. Hopefully, the addition of 700 new rooms will take some pressure off the current hotels and open up availability and lower room rates on the other hotels. Wishful thinking but fingers crossed.

Second, this should create a big time facelift to the west end of the Downtown Disney District. Current plans have the new hotel located basically on top of the monorail station in Downtown Disney right at the gateway to the Disneyland Hotel. There are rumors the hotel will have a Contemporary Hotel-Esque monorail station platform inside the hotel providing direct access for guests into Disneyland. Also, the ground floor will provide new top tier dining and retail spots. The upper level is planned to have a guest lounge and restaurant with fantastic fireworks views.

Pics: Disney Parks Blog

I couldn't be more excited for this addition. As a somewhat regular visitor to the Disneyland Resort without ever having the pleasure of staying on-property, I'm really hoping this new hotel makes availability and costs make more sense. We will be there later this year and will definitely get some pictures and snoop around for more info.

If you could theme this new hotel what would it be?

'Tis the season. The holiday season and Disney are a match made in heaven.

Disney is slated to start filming its Holiday Specials in November. Filming at Walt Disney World will take place November 3rd through the 7th. There's going to be several shows airing throughout the holiday season. My favorite is Christmas morning. It's become a tradition to watch the show and parade, cook some breakfast and open presents.

This seasons schedule will follow the same format as last year. Walt Disney World will host the stage performances and musical acts while Disneyland will be filming the parades. Unless you're a cast member, good luck getting close to the action. Cast members have first access to being extras, while the rest of us get designated to guest areas.

Who enjoys these shows as much as we do? Who will be heading to the parks to try and get on tv?

The Disneyland Half Marathon weekend is quickly approaching. It's shaping up to be an incredible weekend filled with all of our favorite Pixar friends. The races will take place at the Disneyland Resort from August 31st to September 3rd. For those of you participating in the event you are most likely starting to shorten your training runs and focusing more on race day. Let's take a look at some event details and the awesome commemorative merchandise.

The weekend gets kicked off with the runDisney Health and Fitness Expo. This is a must stop for participants as you'll need to pick up your race number bibs, shirt and gEAR bag.   You can also shop all the official runDisney merchandise as well as other participating exhibitors. The expo will be located in the Disneyland Hotel Exhibit Hall.

Thursday, August 31, 2017 - 10:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Friday, September 1, 2017 - Noon - 8:00 p.m.
Saturday, September 2, 2017 - 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

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The 5k is hosted by The Incredibles and gets started bright and early at 5am on Friday morning September 1st. Its a 3.1 mile run that starts on Disneyland Drive and ends in the Limo parking lot.

Saturday September 2nd plays host to both the Kids races and the 10k. The 10k will be very similar to the 5k as it starts at 5am, begins on Disneyland Drive and ends in the Limo parking lot. This race is hosted by Mike and Sully from Monsters Inc. and will span 6.2 miles. The route will include both Disney California Adventure Park and Disneyland Park. The kids races get going at 9am in the Stitch parking lot.

Sunday is reserved for the half marathon and will be all about Toy Story. You'll be going 13.1 miles with Woody, Buzz, Jesse and the rest of the gang through the Disneyland Resort and some of Anaheim. It too gets started on Disneyland Drive and ends up in the Lilo parking lot.

The Disneyland Double-Dare will be celebrating its 5th anniversary this year. It is for you all who are crazy enough to take on the 10k and half marathon on back-to-back days. Completing this challenge earns you a special Double Dare medal in addition to your 10k and half marathon medal. It also earns you some sore legs and a lot of sleep on Sunday evening.

Last, let's take a look and some of the amazing Pixar inspired merchandise you'll be able to grab. This year you'll find a lot of the traditional favorites as well as a few new options.

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We'd love to hear your stories.

Are you running at this years event? If you've ran a runDisney event previously, what was your favorite memory?

*photos from Disney Parks Blog

What's better than Disney parks during the day? Disney parks at night. I'm listing my top 6 Disney parks rides I absolutely love riding after the sun goes down.

Seven Dwarfs Mine Train

This ride is fantastic regardless of the time of day, but it really seems to bump up a notch at night. It's a very visually stimulating ride with great storytelling and the colors of all the gems really come to life after dark. Next thing you know you're catching all the feels as you dip and dive through Fantasyland.  Nothing beats the views of a glowing Cinderella's castle and Prince Charming's Regal Carousel.

Tower of Terror

I feel like this one is a no-brainer. The theming and storytelling seems to get just that much more creepy after dark. As you weave through the hotel grounds up to the front doors, it almost has a haunted house feel. The majority of the ride is indoors but when you're thrown several stories into the air overlooking a glowing Hollywood Studios, you'll understand why it's such a great nighttime ride. 

California Screamin' 

I'm taking you out to Disney's California Adventure park for this one. There's no better feeling than seeing the boardwalk and Mickey's Funwheel lit up at night. Ok there's one better feeling and that's looping your way through the boardwalk lights on this highspeed wooden coaster. The line usually moves quickly so be sure to ride it more than once.

Splash Mountain 

This is a perfect daytime ride on a blistering hot summer day, but I also love it at night. Going on water rides at night brings such a different feel and dynamic that it actually makes it feel like a completely different attraction. Also, this is the money shot at WDW. If you've ever been on this ride then you know right before you take the plunge you get a breathtaking view of Cinderella's Castle. When it's lit up at night, it makes that view ten times better.

Test Track

This one makes the list solely based on a personal experience Janey and I had. This ride is mostly indoors except for the outdoor finale that accelerates to over 60mph down a long loop track. On our last trip to Epcot we were lucky to ride this as Illuminations was lighting up the sky with fireworks. It felt like we were in a WDW commercial speeding around the track as fireworks went off all around us. Such a special experience. 

Radiator Springs Racers

This is California Adventures's version of Test Track. For the same reasons I stated above, speeding your way through a fully lit up and neon glowing Radiator Springs is something you must experience. Radiator Springs at night is one of my favorites already so hopping on this ride puts the cherry on top. 

All photo credit: Disney Parks Blog

What are some of your favorite rides at night? Let us know in the comments. 

Today, Disneyland celebrated its 62nd birthday and we couldn't be happier! For those of you that don't know or are still getting to know us here on the blog, Disneyland holds a special place in our hearts. Disneyland left a mark on our lives. Before settling into our current home here in Chicago, Janey and I first met out west in Scottsdale. What happens when two dis-nerds come together a short drive from Anaheim? You guessed it, they fall in love over the course of many Disneyland trips and the rest is history.

So, Happy Birthday Disneyland and thank you for being such a special place and leaving a mark our lives.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3SBZ90ge81I