Yesterday, Mickey’s Toontown at Disneyland celebrated its 20th anniversary. I admit this land has never been my favorite because it was always crowded with running children and long lines. I’ll stand in line forever to go on Space Mountain, but not for Gadget’s Go Coaster. If you have small children than this can be a magical place, but for a group of adults there isn’t any reason to visit. At least that is what I always thought. I changed my mind the last time I visited Disneyland. Mickey’s Toontown is a fun land sure to bring a smile to any Disney fan. But there are some tricks to enjoying Mickey’s Toontown.
5 Tricks to Enjoying Mickey’s Toontown:
1) Arrive early. This is the most important tip. During our second day at Disneyland we enjoyed Fantasyland during the Extra Morning Hour. After breakfast we wandered into Mickey’s Toontown just as the park opened for the general public. It felt like we had walked into a cartoon where we were the only humans. We couldn’t wait to explore.
2) Touch everything. I think we get tunnel vision while in the parks and run from ride to ride. That is the worst way to see Mickey’s Toontown. The rides are fun, but they are not what makes Toontown special. Take time to touch everything you can from mailboxes, to doorknobs, to knickknacks on tables. Almost everything does something and some are a really surprise.
3) Keep an eye out for characters. At Disneyland the place to go to see Mickey, Minnie, and the gang is in Mickey’s Toontown. Each character has their own house (or boat) and there are often long lines to get your picture taken with the big cheese. We had just finished riding Gadget’s Go Coaster (a cute litte coaster) as Mickey and Minnie were arriving and instead of being inside their houses they were outside on their porches inviting Guests in. We waited maybe 5 minutes to see Mickey and spent quite a bit of time with him. Minnie’s line was only about 10 minutes long. It was awesome having our pictures taken with them and we couldn’t believe our good luck.
4) Take lots of pictures. From cartoon cars to dog pound jail cells there are lots of great props in Toontown to have your picture taken with. If you follow rule number 1 you’ll have no problem posing with anything you want. This is the place to take some wacky pictures of your group. One trick for getting great outside pictures in Toontown is to adjust your camera setting for bright sunlight. There are not a lot of trees in Toontown, but there is a lot of sunshine.
5) Leave when it gets busy. Disneyland is a big place and Toontown is just one land. When the lines get long and Mickey moves inside head back to Fantasyland and enjoy the rest of the park.
I was glad we visited Mickey’s Toontown. I hope it is around another 20 years. It is a one-of-a-kind land in the U.S. now that the Magic Kingdom has turned their Toontown into New Fantasyland. Happiness squared.
Goofy Tip: When is the last time you saw Who Framed Roger Rabbit
