anaheim

Disneyland Passport Price Increases – Effective 10/04/15

October 4, 2015 by Ole Leave a Comment

$1,049… the new price of an Annual Passport to Disneyland and California Adventure without blockout dates (subject to capacity).

The most recent price I could find for the “legacy” Premium Passport (no longer sold) was $779, which means having access to both parks without any blockout dates will now cost you $270 more per year.

Here is a summary of the Annual Passport options:
(source: https://disneyland.disney.go.com/passes/)

I haven’t been following the prices lately since we let our passes expire a few months ago, but it appears that individual ticket prices remain unchanged since the prior increase:

$93 – one park access (ages 3-9)
$99 – one park access (ages 10+)
$56 – park hopper upgrade per ticket

Visit https://disneyland.disney.go.com/tickets/ for details.

New Slow-Roasted BBQ Pork Shank at Disneyland

June 26, 2013 by Ole Leave a Comment

On our most recent trip to Disneyland, I discovered a new treat for us caveman and cavewoman types… the BBQ Pork Shank.

I found this big piece of slow-roasted pork at Edelweiss Snacks in Fantasyland (near the Matterhorn) thanks to the Disney Parks Blog. It is also available at Big Thunder Ranch in Frontierland during the summer.

Although it was served in a bag with no grill in sight, my pork shank was hot and tender. It didn’t have a lot of seasoning, but it was glazed with BBQ sauce and served with a little more sauce on the side.

If you don’t have a big appetite, you should probably plan on sharing.

Disneyland Price Increases – Effective June 2, 2013

June 2, 2013 by Ole Leave a Comment

The Happiest Place on Earth just became a bit more expensive… again.

Disney posted a price increase announcement on the Disney Parks Blog yesterday, announcing that ticket prices for Disneyland and Disney World would increase effective June 2, 2013.

Here are some of the new prices currently listed on Disneyland’s website compared to the old prices:

Old School Arcade Games at Starcade in Disneyland

April 1, 2013 by Ole Leave a Comment

When Flynn’s Arcade in Disney California Adventure closed, I wondered where the classic arcade games would go. They seem to have ended up on the first floor of the Starcade in Disneyland by Space Mountain. I don’t know if they are the exact same games that were at Flynn’s or how long they will stay, but I was pleasantly surprised to find them on our trip to Disneyland on Easter.

Yes, I gave in and got passes again.

It seems silly to play video games at Disneyland, but we did it anyway. It’s not often that we get to play classics such as Galaga, Scramble, Space Invaders, Tron, Pac-Man and Asteroids. I even showed my kids how we did it in the old days by getting the high score on Galaga.

Unlike Flynn’s Arcade, Starcade is open during the day, but there aren’t any special tokens like there were at Flynn’s.

In addition to the classic games, there are also a few Fix-It Felix Jr. games from the movie Wreck-It Ralph.

What’s New at Disneyland and California Adventure

July 29, 2012 by Ole Leave a Comment

“Now it’s time to say goodbye”…

Our Disneyland passes expire in a few weeks and I don’t plan to renew them due to the recent price increases. Although we will miss having our passes, we are happy that we got to experience Cars Land before our passes expire.

Then again, if history is any indicator, I just might give in and pay the new prices after a few months of grumbling.

We took advantage of the early entry program for annual passholders and got to enter each park one hour early on separate days. This program ends in September, so time is running out if you’re interested.

If you like Disneyland and haven’t been there recently, Cars Land in California Adventure just might be a good reason for you to go back. There are probably thousands of Cars Land pictures on the Internet, but I thought I would add a few myself:

According to the Disney Parks Blog, each of the 22 tractors in Mater’s Junkyard has “a distinctive look and personality”.

In my opinion, the Radiator Springs Racers attraction is one of Disney’s best. Disney really went all out on this ride.

Of course, Cars Land needs some cars:

The camera on my iPhone doesn’t do justice to Cars Land at night:

In addition to Cars Land, there are some other changes:

Not a huge change, but considering I’ve been riding the Matterhorn for as long as I can remember, the seating arrangement in the new bobsleds was a surprise:

The only change that I’m not thrilled with is the new bridge near the entrance of California Adventure. I get that the Golden Gate Bridge doesn’t fit in an old Los Angeles setting, but I definitely thought the old bridge was a more striking visual.

End of Line for Flynn’s Arcade in California Adventure

April 22, 2012 by Ole 3 Comments

I bet that most people don’t care too much about this, but Flynn’s Arcade in Disney California Adventure is closed. Flynn’s Arcade was part of elecTRONica, which ended last weekend.

Flynn’s reminded me of the arcades that I loved as a kid. No prepaid game cards, no stuffed animals, just good old coin-fed video games including my childhood favorites, Donkey Kong and Galaga.

Even though Flynn’s only had games that would have been found in a 1982 arcade, my kids still enjoyed playing the classic games.

I won’t miss elecTRONica, but I will miss Flynn’s. Maybe Disneyland will update Flynn’s to fit the new Mad T Party concept.

Huckleberry Fish Pond – Anaheim, CA

August 16, 2010 by Ole 5 Comments

I took my two sons fishing this past weekend at Huckleberry Fish Pond, which is located at the Santa Ana River Lakes in Anaheim. This is a great place for kids to try out fishing.

If you don’t have your own equipment, you can rent rods and reels at Huck’s Shack. Nets and bait are also provided, so you could pretty much walk in with just your wallet and have a great time fishing. The staff is very friendly and will help your children fish.

The best thing is that they guarantee that kids will catch fish. My boys caught four catfish in about two hours (it would have been five but dad didn’t get the net under one of the fish in time).

One thing to note is that there is no catch and release. In addition to an admission fee, you pay per pound for the fish you catch.

Many other animals roam around the pond including chickens, roosters, goats, geese and even a peacock. Don’t worry about any flying birds trying to snag your bait or fish since the entire pond area is enclosed by netting. However, the chickens will try to get your bait if you don’t keep the lids closed.

The same people that operate the Santa Ana River Lakes operate the Corona Lake off the 15 freeway. According to their website, these lakes have produced multiple state records, including:

Santa Ana River Lakes: Largest Rainbow Trout at 27.5 pounds
Corona Lake: Largest Catfish at over 61 pounds

My boys enjoyed it so much that they want to go fishing at a big lake. Next time, we’ll go to Corona Lake.

Click on the thumbnails below to view full-size images: