Welcome to Ask The Duchess – Vol. 72, a monthly Q&A post covering a variety of resort-related topics. Ask The Duchess answers questions submitted by readers. If you have a question you’d like answered, send me a message here.
1. Are Disneyland shops owned by Disney? (submitted by Wesleigh)
Yes. That wasn’t always the case – in the beginning, Disneyland had sponsors with their own shops throughout the park. But for a long time now, Disney has been the sole sheriff in town. That being said – I’m not sure how the Starbucks on Main Street works – whether Disney licenses that or it’s some sort of partnership deal.
2. Where are the lockers in California Adventure? (submitted by Ron)
The lockers are on Buena Vista Street. Right when you enter the gates, head to your right and you will see signage for them, next to the bathrooms.
3. Is it true I can send mail from inside Disneyland? (submitted by Tia)
Yes! You can read more about the Disneyland mailboxes in my post here.
4. What’s the easiest way to get from New Orleans Square to Tomorrowland? That’s the biggest pain of a walk with crowds so there’s gotta be a better way. (submitted by Ray)
Unfortunately there really isn’t an efficient way to get across such a large area. You can take the train if you don’t want to crowd weave; it’s two stops and about 10 minutes depending on how long the train stops for. Walking-wise, you kind of have to make your way through New Orleans Square and then either Frontierland or Adventureland, through Main Street, and over to Tomorrowland. You could take the Frontierland to Fantasyland to Tomorrowland route, but it’s longer and not much better by crowd flow.
5. My husband only agreed to one “kid ride” (what you’d call dark rides) during our trip. Which one is worth taking him on? (submitted by Daria)
The Little Mermaid is probably your best bet – while Peter Pan is amazing, the line can be brutal. I’d personally pick Mr. Toad but I know that’s not everyone’s favorite!