Tag: Disneyland (CA)

Disneyland’s Pinocchio’s Daring Journey — Better Know an Attraction

Post author By touringplans.com
Post date July 1, 2020

In this week’s “Better Know an Attraction” series, we’ll be taking a close look at a Fantasyland classic, Pinocchio’s Daring Journey. Read on for more!

Disneyland’s Pinocchio’s Daring Journey — Better Know an Attraction Pinocchio entrance — © Disney

What is Pinocchio’s Daring Journey?

Pinocchio’s Daring Journey is one of those classic Disneyland Fantasyland dark rides, where you travel along a twisting and turning path through scenes following Pinocchio as he tries to make his way home.

Where is Pinocchio’s Daring Journey?

Pinocchio’s Daring Journey is in the heart of Fantasyland on the left as you pass through the castle.

Disneyland’s Pinocchio’s Daring Journey — Better Know an Attraction map

Pinocchio’s Daring Journey History

Pinocchio’s Daring Journey opened on May 23, 1983 (though it frankly feels much older). It replaced the Mickey Mouse Club Theater, which had previously occupied that space.

What You Need to Know About the Pinocchio’s Daring Journey Queue

The queue for Pinocchio’s Daring Journey is an unremarkable series of switchbacks. The entire queue is indoors but open to the outside, i.e., it’s not air conditioned. The queue cannot accommodate wheelchairs and ECVs, so guests using those can need to enter through the exit.

What is the Ride Experience Like for Pinocchio’s Daring Journey?

Pinocchio’s Daring Journey follows the formula used by most Fantasyland dark rides, where you’ll travel along a twisting, winding path through 3D scenes documenting Pinocchio’s adventures. The ride can be jerky, but should not present motion or other issues for most guests. The attraction does include some darkness, loud noises, and scary elements that could frighten some smaller children.

What are the Ride Vehicles Like for Pinocchio’s Daring Journey?

Pinocchio’s Daring Journey puts guests in vehicles designed to look like wooden carts, which are carved with characters from the classic story like Jiminy Cricket and Figaro.

What You Need to Know About Accessibility for Pinocchio’s Daring Journey

Guests do need to be able to transfer into the ride vehicle to be able to ride Pinocchio’s Daring Journey. Guests in wheelchairs and ECVs should enter through the exit where you will be directed by a cast member for further boarding instructions. Captioning and audio descriptions are available.

What You Need to Know About Health and Safety Warnings for Pinocchio’s Daring Journey

Pinocchio’s Daring Journey does not carry any special safety warnings and is intended to be appropriate for all audiences. The ride does contain some darkness and loud noises that may frighten some small children.

What are the Height Restrictions for Pinocchio’s Daring Journey?

There are no height restrictions for Pinocchio’s Daring Journey, but guests under 7 must be accompanied by someone 14 or older.

Does Pinocchio’s Daring Journey Offer FastPass?

No.

Does Weather Affect Pinocchio’s Daring Journey?

The attraction is indoors and will run rain or shine. The queue is “indoors” but it’s open to the elements and can get hot when it’s particularly hot out. With that said, the wait is typically not overly long, so it’s rarely an issue.

What’s the Best Time of Day to Experience Pinocchio’s Daring Journey?

Disneyland’s Pinocchio’s Daring Journey — Better Know an Attraction wait time chart

Pinocchio’s Daring Journey is a minor attraction, and even on the busiest days, it’s rare for the wait to exceed a half hour. The apex of the day between noon and 4 or so should still be avoided to minimize your wait, but this should not be the attraction you’re running to first thing. Expected wait times on a crowd-level basis are noted here, but be sure to check out the expected wait time for the date you intend to be there.

Do you enjoy Pinocchio’s Daring Journey? Is it on your short list, or your skip list? Let us know in the comments!

The post Disneyland’s Pinocchio’s Daring Journey — Better Know an Attraction appeared first on TouringPlans.com Blog.

From our friends at touringplans.com
Filed Under: Attractions, Disneyland (CA), Disneyland Park

Tags Attractions, Disneyland (CA), Disneyland Park

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Flo’s V8 Cafe — Better Know a Restaurant

Post author By touringplans.com
Post date June 11, 2020

Next in our “Better Know a…” series, we’ll drive by Flo’s V8 Cafe, a quick-service restaurant in Cars Land at Disney’s California Adventure.

Flo’s V8 Cafe — Better Know a Restaurant flos v8 cafe

What is Flo’s V8 Cafe?

Flo’s V8 Cafe is a quick-service restaurant themed to Route 66 in Cars Land that serves Southwestern-inspired American comfort food.

Where is Flo’s V8 Cafe?

Flo’s V8 Cafe is located in Cars Land, is an iconic fixture in the area, and will be tough to miss once you’re near it. It sits near the end of the street on your right-hand side before you reach the entrance to Radiator Springs Racers; consult the map below for the fastest path from the park entrance.

Flo’s V8 Cafe — Better Know a Restaurant Map to FLo's

What You Need to Know About the Menu at Flo’s V8 Cafe

Flo’s V8 Cafe serves American comfort food classics like pot pie, fried chicken, and pulled pork sandwiches, many with a hint of Southwestern flair thrown in, like the use of chipotle in the BBQ sauce for the pulled pork. It has a fairly standard kids menu, serving chicken tenders, mac and cheese, and sliders. Flo’s also features milkshakes, and has a breakfast menu that includes a classic American breakfast and tamales.

Flo’s V8 Cafe — Better Know a Restaurant — ©Disney

What the Dining Experience Is Like at Flo’s V8 Cafe

The decor at Flo’s is reminiscent of a roadside diner, with classic black and white tile, chrome, and neon. There is lots of Cars-themed decor sprinkled throughout, including memorabilia featuring Flo and the Motorama Girls, and Doc Hudson’s early days as a racer. All in all, it’s very well done. You’ll stand in line to place your order and then receive your food and seat yourself. Flo’s is quite large, and there is ample seating indoors and out. The outdoor seating on the back patio offers a great view of Radiator Springs Racers. Flo’s does offer mobile ordering.

What are Some Items to Target at Flo’s V8 Cafe?

The food at Flo’s is quite good in general, by quick-service standards, but the fried chicken and pot pies are stand-outs. If you’re there for breakfast, try the Brioche French Toast with salted caramel sauce and bananas.

What You Need to Know About Accessibility for Flo’s V8 Cafe

Flo’s V8 Cafe is fully accessible and should not present any unique challenges for visitors in wheelchairs or ECVs. Guests with allergies should ask about allergy-friendly options, which you can preview here.

Does Weather Affect Flo’s V8 Cafe?

There is significant seating both indoors and out, and the outdoor seating in front is generally covered. Shade and protection from rain is more scarce in the patio seating area out back.

Flo’s V8 Cafe — Better Know a Restaurant Flos — ©Disney

What is a Good Time to Visit Flo’s V8 Cafe?

Flo’s is the largest eating establishment in Cars Land and can accommodate large crowds, but as with all restaurants, eating at off-times will guarantee you the shortest wait. A late lunch in early afternoon is a good time to target.

Are you a fan of Flo’s V8 Cafe? What’s your favorite dish? Let us know in the comments!

From our friends at touringplans.com
Filed Under: Dining, Disney California Adventure, Disneyland (CA), Cars Land, Flo’s V8 Cafe

Tags Cars Land, dining, Disney California Adventure, Disneyland (CA), Flo's V8 Cafe

Disney Parks

Disneyland Still Doesn’t Have An Opening Date So Let’s Just Engage in Rank Speculation About It Instead

Post author By touringplans.com
Post date May 20, 2020

Hi everyone, you may recall that the last time we tried to glance at the crystal ball to see when Disneyland might reopen, Disney was accepting reservations starting on June 1, 2020. As we approach that date, there is a new cutoff for new reservations per Disneyland’s site (as of the most recent update as this goes to press of May 8) — July 1, 2020. Does this mean that Disneyland will be opening on July 1? Does that mean that it definitely won’t be open before July 1? Officially, it doesn’t mean anything until Disney announces a reopening date, and the only thing certain right now is uncertainty, and any reservations made or held at the moment should be considered tentative until we hear something official from Disney one way or the other.

For those of you with Annual Passes, you can check out our last article on this topic for details on your options during the closure. For additional details on how other aspects of Disney travel are impacted, including the myriad different individual tickets, group tickets, special events and dining, please check Disney’s COVID-19 impact site.

So, we obviously don’t know when the park is going to open, but we can play soothsayer and have fun trying to guess, right? Well, I’m not going to wade into that minefield, but you’re free to do so. Here’s some info to help fuel your rampant guesswork, including some information that might, emphasis on might, offer some insight on what a COVID-19-era Disneyland Resort will look like:

A survey apparently sent by Disney about Disneyland posted to reddit suggests some options Disney is considering for how to deal with the situation, positing things like enhanced cleaning procedures, health screenings, masks, and operational changes to promote social distancing. Options presented are here, here, and here. To the extent that it may be instructive on operational issues because, you know, same company, a similar survey with respect to Disney World is included here. Note that local requirements may ultimately result in different practices being implemented, however.
In an interview with CNBC, Disney CEO Bob Chapek suggested that masks may be required, but also noted that getting guests to wear masks in US parks may be difficult.
Cnet weighs in on the topic by opining that Disneyland falls into the category of California businesses that will open, “once therapeutics [for COVID-19] have been developed.” That would suggest that Disneyland would not reopen unless there is either a vaccine or a viable treatment option, whichever comes first.
Here’s a detailed breakdown of California Governor Gavin Newsom’s 4 phase plan for reopening the state in which Disneyland operates.
On Monday, Newsom announced that some counties may be able to open faster than his plan would otherwise dictate under certain circumstances.
Orange County, Disneyland’s home county, has been petitioning to accelerate its reopening.
It does not, however, currently meet the criteria to move to Phase 2 and is not one of the counties that have attested to doing so. Even under Phase 2, theme parks are not allowed to operate.
Finally, here’s the OCRegister’s take on Orange County’s readiness to start opening things back up.

So, once again, we really don’t know when Disneyland will reopen, but hopefully this gives you something to needle over in the interim while we wait for an announcement. As soon as we know, we’ll be sure to let you know!

The post Disneyland Still Doesn’t Have An Opening Date So Let’s Just Engage in Rank Speculation About It Instead appeared first on TouringPlans.com Blog.

From our friends at touringplans.com

Filed Under: Disney California Adventure, Disneyland (CA), Disneyland Park, Trip Planning, coronavirus, Disneyland

Tags coronavirus, Disney California Adventure, Disney Gossip, disney reopening, disneyland, Disneyland (CA), Disneyland Park, gossip, reopening, rumors, Trip Planning