By the Toy Story Fanatic Devo

So you’ve finally did it! After months of statistics, graphing, and planning, you were caller five at 5:55 on  FM 105.5. You won a Disneyland Pass!

You go to the station to pick up the pass. Your pulse is rushing, the traffic is aggravating, you’re nose feels like it has something chunky in it but this is no time to worry about that. You’re a laser. You’re focused. You have a goal!

You get to the station and they hand you your pass. This is when it dawns on you.

FM 105.5 is the local Ska-punk station. Ska-punk hasn’t been cool since Pocahontas was a new release. As a consequence there are only about 15 people who listen to FM 105.5 and the sponsors would only pay for a single day pass. They did include a hotel, but it makes the Happiness Hotel from The Great Muppet Caper look like the Hilton.

You’re crushed. But fortunately you are a savvy person and you follow “Tips from the Disney Diva and Devos” on all your socials like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and even YouTube! So now you’ve seen this article and you know exactly what you have to do: Follow our various “Must Do” lists! Several of us have written one and now it’s my turn. Ladies and Gentlemen I present to you:

Toy Story Fanatic Devo’s Top 10 Must Do’s: Disneyland California!

10: Castle Walkthrough

So a lot of people simply take the obligatory picture Infront of the castle, but tucked away in the corner is the entrance to the interior of the castle where you can get a walkthrough tour of the movie “Sleeping Beauty”. I love the aesthetic of the movie and you owe it to yourself to see what is inside the castle.

Also, It’s an air-conditioned building so keep that in mind during the hot part of the day.

9: See the Piano Players on MainStreet USA

Because HOLY SNAKE IN MY BOOT THOSE GUYS CAN PLAY!

8: See the exhibits at Tomorrowland

Usually when I’m there it’s a Star Wars or Marvel exhibit, but even when it’s not it’s still really fun and interesting.

Also, again, it’s an open, airconditioned building.

7: Eat at the Bengal Tiger

I only went here on the recommendation of a cast member but I’m glad I did. The skewers there were surprisingly tasty and became probably my favorite treat in the park. I know a lot of people don’t talk about this particular restaurant but you should check it out. It’s quick and totally worth it.

Like I said though, it’s more a snack than a meal so count on that before you start your meal planning.

6: The shops at Mainstreet USA

So when I travel around my state, I like to sometimes stop by the mall in Salt Lake City and walk through the Disney store there. There’ something magical about being in a place like that. it’s like a mini Disneyland. It’s fun.

Anyways, the shops at Mainstreet USA have that same effect for me but it’s HUGE! Like a giant giant of giantness! Anything you could want can be found there and it’s an experience let me tell you. I do almost all of my souvenir and gift shopping here.

Also, take some time to look at the dioramas in the windows. Gorgeous!

5: Watch a parade from the teacups

Ok, this one is unconventional but let’s explain:

The parade routes usually go right past the teacups which is the best place to stand to watch (well, excepting the train station at the entrance of the park). Unfortunately, this means that the area is always full of people. But my brothers and I found that the line for the Spinning Teacups is never long during these parades if there even is a line.

So we got on the Teacups about 4 times to watch the whole parade and we had the (second) best seat to watch the parade but the most fun seat to watch bar-none! Plus it added a fun goal for the ride as opposed to just “spin it really fast!”. Totally recommended from my end. Try it out.

4: Space Mountain

Space. The Final Frontier.

These are the voyages you take on Space Mountain. Your ongoing mission: whatever you make of it. to explore strange new worlds. To excavate a nearby asteroid. To simply tour space.

In whatever case- boldly going where no one has gone before!

But I don’t like Hyperspace mountain. It’s not as inventive to me. It’s rather limiting in my mind as to what you can actually do. But Space Mountain itself lends to a lot of creativity and is probably the easiest ride to make your own backstory for. That kind of inventive immersion is fantastic and one of my favorite parts of Disney parks so this ride gets high marks from me.

3: Big Thunder Mountain

I love a good western adventure and it doesn’t get much better than haunted railroads, exploding dynamite, and beautiful scenery to boot. It twists, turns, and is one of my favorite rides in the park as far as theming goes.

Since the ride is rather generic and not based on any particular property owned by Disney, this also gives the opportunity to create your own adventure and take on your own persona and backstory as to why you’re on this haunted train, much like Space Mountain does. I mean, who’s to say that only cast members can play pretend in Disneyland?

2: Buzz Astro Blasters

Because Toy Story, laser guns, Aliens, and High Scores! And also… Toy Story!

1: Indiana Jones Adventure

I could gush all day about this ride, it’s unique nature, it’s technology, it’s theming, and my overall love for the Indiana Jones franchise. Or I could talk about the winning soundtrack, the fantastic effects, or how cool it is to “drive” and act out the story and the fun facts of its creation…

Or I could link you to a full article in which I did that very thing! Click here for it.

So there you go. You won a crappy one-day ticket from your radio station and this is what I suggest you do with it. Now if you are disappointed with only getting one day in the park and having to stay in a nasty roach-infested hotel 10 miles away with no indoor plumbing and carpet from the ’30s, then I suggest you visit our sponsor today All For Dreams where you can get your package upgraded and maybe get into a hotel that doesn’t quite make you feel like eating a poisoned apple. Anyway, thanks for joining me today. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below and remember to keep wishing on stars.