Photos by Seth Kubersky

If Disneyland is the Happiest Place on Earth, and February 14 is the Most Romantic Day of the Year, then Anaheim must be the best place imaginable to spend Valentine’s Day with your sweetheart — right? Well, I’m about to find out, as my wife and I are spending Valentine’s week in Anaheim.

On the plus side, weekdays in mid-February (like the 14th) are on the moderate side of our Crowd Calendar; Valentine’s Day, itself, is expected to be a 6 out of 10 at the Disneyland Resort. And from February 11 through 17, as part of the Limited Time Magic marketing campaign, Disney is rolling out some additional meet & greet opportunities and menu offerings.

Unfortunately, thanks to seasonal refurbishments many of our favorite attractions to experience together — including it’s a small world, Mad Tea Party, Big Thunder Ranch, Muppet*Vision, and Fantasmic! — will be unavailable on Valentine’s Day. Even so, there are plenty of romantic spots remaining around the Resort.

Here are just a few of my favorite places is Disneyland Resort to take that someone special. Please add your own suggestions in the comments below, and have love-filled 14th wherever you are!

Carthay Circle

There’s no better way to impress a date than a blowout meal at a fine restaurant, and Disneyland Resort gives you several special venues to spend your cash. Napa Rose, Blue Bayou, and Steakhouse 55 are all fine choices for fine Disney dining, and are accordingly often booked solid weeks in advance of holidays. but my new favorite supper spot is Carthay Circle Restaurant.

For starters, the decor is divine (especially for fans of old Hollywood and vintage Disney) and matched by the menu. Second, menu item prices are slightly lower than at the Resort’s aforementioned other top-tier eateries, especially at lunch. Third, it seems easier to get a table at Carthay on short notice; I was able to snag a table for 2 less than 2 weeks out, and some lunch spots for the 14th may still be available.

Last but not least, ordering a two-course meal (entree and appetizer or dessert) entities diners to VIP World of Color FastPasses, allowing entry into the central viewing area unavailable to ordinary guests. If you want the best view for Valentine’s Night’s biggest spectacle, a meal at Carthay is bite-for-bite your best value.

Alfresco Lounge

If dining at Carthay Circle is too rich for your blood (or wallet) why not sit and sip in pseudo-Sonoma instead? The often-overlooked Alfresco Lounge at the Golden Valley Winery, located outoors on the second level of Wine Country Trattoria, looks out over the Blue Sky Cellar towards a postcard-perfect perspective on Cars Land.

Head upstairs a little before sunset, grab one of the comfy sofa seats, and order a glass (or flight) of California wines. Time it right, and you can can be sipping Chardonay just as the switch is flipped on Radiator Springs’ lovely neon lighting. Just one word of advice: don’t order the delectable Fritto Misto platter to nosh on unless you’re sure your date likes mussels and squid. Otherwise, you’re not getting a kiss no matter how nice the view is.

Grand Californian Fireplace

Ok, so what if even a couple cups of vino are out of your price range (not to mention a pair of park passes) but you still want to visit a romantic Disneyland venue? Park in the Downtown Disneyland lot (free for up to 3 hours) and walk into the Grand Californian hotel. Just inside the lobby you’ll find the coziest spot on property: a giant stone fireplace surrounded by rocking chairs.

Order a coffee or cocoa from the Heathstone Lounge around the corner, then pull a seat up to the fire. Temperatures on Valetine’s Day are expected to reach into the low 70s, but don’t let that stop you and your sweetie from cuddling by the flames. If you’re lucky, a limber-fingered pianist will be along to play romantic melodies. And if you the inside seating is too crowded with other couples, step outside and look for another fireplace near the backside of its bigger sibling.

Pinocchio’s Daring Journey

This may seem a strange pick for my final romantic place, but “dark rides” have been associated with romance since their amusement park ancestors were known as “tunnels of love.” Since Disneyland’s opening day, amorous adolescents have savored first kisses (or seventh, or seventieth) while whirling through black-lit plywood fantasy worlds.

The long-lost Adventure Thru Inner-Space Ominmover ride is well-remember by baby boomers as the most intimacy-friendly attraction Disneyland has ever seen, but modern rides like Star Tours or Indiana Jones Adventure are far too rough and/or exposed to become amorous on. What you want is an indoor ride with small, smoothly-moving semi-private vehicles. As Fantasyland’s least popular ride, Pinnoccio’s Daring Journey is the perfect choice; you’ll almost always get a car all yourselves with little or no waiting, and the ride is designed so that different vehicles barely glimpse each other once inside the show building.

A final word of warning: even if you aren’t in view of your fellow guests, there are hidden low-light cameras inside every ride that give attraction Cast Members a full view of your activities. So don’t get too carried away with the Valentine’s spirt until you’re back at the hotel, and keep your on-ride petting PG-rated. That’s the way Walt would have wanted it.

Four Romantic Spots at Disneyland Resort to Spend Valentines’s Day is a post from the TouringPlans.com Blog. Signup for a premium subscription today! Or get news via Email, Twitter, & Facebook.

All photos copyright Disney

The spooky seasonal spirit is in full swing at the Disneyland Resort, thanks to thrice-weekly Halloween parties in Disneyland Park. Keep an eye out for special snacks and souvenirs offered around the parks until the end of the month, and enjoy the lighter crowds on non-party weekdays.

Crowd Calendar

Quietest Day: Tuesday 10/9 was a 3 out 10 at the resort, with crowds at 1.6 out of 10 at Disneyland, and 7.6 at DCA.

Busiest Day: Sunday 10/7 was a 9 out of 10 at the resort, with a 7.7 out of 10 in Disneyland, and 9.5 at DCA.

Subscribe to the Touring Plans Disneyland Crowd Calendar for full details on predicted attendance for the next 30 days.

Special Events

• Halloween Time, Disneyland's annual trick-or-treat-themed decor treatment, continues to run through October 31. A variety of “ooey-gooey” sweets are currently available from Disneyland's candy kitchens.
• Disney's Happiest Haunts VIP guided tours continued to be offered every night through October 31.
• Mickey's Halloween Party was held after hours in Disneyland on October 9 & 12, and will continue on October 14, 15, 19, 23, 26, 29, and 31. Disneyland Park closes to day guests as early as 6pm on these nights, greatly increasing attendance in DCA on those days.
• Disneyland cast members Sachiko White and Megan Navarette were appointed the resort's 2013-2014 Ambassadors, and will represent the resort as spokespersons at publicity events around the world.
• Downtown Disney hosted an Octoberfest party with German-themed food and drink on Sunday 10/13.
• A temporary ice-skating rink is being constructed at Downtown Disney near the AMC Theatre. It is tied to the release of the new Tinker Bell film, and will officially open on October 23.
• You can download free desktop wallpaper from the Disney Parks blog to celebrate the 5th anniversary of the beginning of DCA's recently-completed expansion.
• Disney received permission from the FCC to being testing RFID-enabled electronic wristbands than may be used by guests as admission tickets and hotel keys. The “next generation” technology is being rolled out first at Walt Disney World, and is expected to eventually migrate to Anaheim as well.

Openings, Closings, and Refurbishments

• Indiana Jones Adventure is closed through 12/7/12 for a much needed refurbishment.
• Storybook Land Canal Boats and Casey Jr. Circus Train: Closed through 11/15/12.
• Construction continues through 2013 on the new Princess Fantasy Faire and Fantasyland Theatre.
• The Tomorrowland Starcade is closed 10/8-10/18 to install a Wreck-It Ralph meet & greet.
• Muppet*Vision 3D is not running while a Frankenweenie 4D trailer is screened in the theater (end date unknown).
• Decorative tile in front of Carthay Circle in DCA is currently being replaced; the restaurant remains open.
• In Cars Land, new padding has been added to the vehicles at Mater's Junkyard Jamboree, and temporary telephone poles have be added to support holiday decor.
• In Cars Land, the garage that was originally intended as the Fastpass distribution center for Radiator Springs Racers is being repurposed as an extension of Ramone's gift shop.
• Construction continues on Earl of Sandwich in Downtown Disney, with no opening date announced yet. The largest rumors suggest it may be open for Thanksgiving.

Last Week at Disneyland Resort (10/7/2012 – 10/13/2012) is a post from the TouringPlans.com Blog. Signup for a premium subscription today! Or get news via Email, Twitter, & Facebook.

Welcome to the latest weekly installment of Last Week at Disneyland, TouringPlans.com‘s regular round-up of recent events and operations in and around the Anaheim resort. This column is your weekly refresher of what’s new at the Happiest Place on Earth.

In addition to Disneyland.com and the Official Disney Parks Blog, much of the following news and photography comes courtesy of our friends at MousePlanet and MiceAge. Visit those sites for more images and up-to-the-minute updates.

Crowd Calendar

Attendance was seasonably slow at the resort this week, but look for crowds to build as Memorial Day approaches.

• Quietest Days: Resort attendance was lowest on May 7-10 (Predicted 2 out of 10, Actual 2).
• Busiest Days: Resort attendance was highest on May 6 (Predicted 4 out of 10, Actual 6) and May 12 (Predicted 5 out of 10, Actual 6)

Subscribe to the Touring Plans Disneyland Resort Crowd Calendar for full details on predicted attendance for the next 30 days.

Special Events

• Reservations are now being accepted for special after-hours Annual Passholder parties being held on May 14, 15, 21, and 22 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Fantasmic!
• You still have until amay 24 to enter the sweepstakes for Annual Passholders to win a preview visit to Cars Land and Buena Vista Street in Disney California Adventure on June 11.
• The episode of Modern Family that was shot at Disneyland on Leap Day was broadcast on ABC on May 9. During the show, a new commercial for Cars Land at DCA debuted.
• On May 11, Disney Legend Alice Davis was honored with a window on Main Street (next to her husband Marc’s) in recognition of her costume design work on it’s a small world, Pirates of the Carribbean, and other classic attractions.

Opening, Closures, and Refurbishments

Disneyland

• The Carnation Plaza Gardens closed forever on April 30, to be transformed into the Princess Fantasy Faire in 2013. Saturday swing dancing has been relocated to Downtown Disney in the interim.
• Matterhorn Bobsleds remained closed for a major overhaul until June 15. Disney announced that the mountain climbers will return to the peak when in reopens, and released a video highlighting the new paint and “snow” being applied.
• Frontierland Shootin’ Exposition is closed now through May 25.
• The Enchanted Tiki Room was closed May 7-10.
• Cultivating the Magic, a new 2-hour guided tour of the Disneyland Resort’s horticultural delights, is now being offered on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday mornings.

Disney California Adventure

• The Cove Bar attached to Ariel’s Grotto is closed through June 1.
• Goofy’s Sky School was scheduled for a brief refurbishment May 7-17.
• Buena Vista Street and Cars Land remain under construction until June 15, though some soft-openings may possible late in the month.
• Preparations are underway for the Mad T Party, this summer’s replacement for the ElecTRONica weekend dance parties. New details were released about the live band that will perform pop hits during the event.
• New details were announced about upcoming food offerings at DCA’s Cars Land and Buena Vista Street.
• Reservations are now being accepted for the fine dining restaurant in Carthay Circle Theatre, which includes reserved World of Color viewing.

Downtown Disney

• The former home of Island Charter is now transforming into the WonderGround art gallery which will open on June 9.
• The former Compass Books is now being renovated into an Earl of Sandwich outlet (no opening date announced yet).

Last Week at Disneyland Resort (5/6/2012 – 5/12/2012) is a post from the TouringPlans.com Blog. Signup for a premium subscription today! Or get news via Email, Twitter, & Facebook.