Walt Disney family museum help needed please.

[Disneyclaire]

Hi all:wave:

We are going to the Walt Disney family museum in September and I was hoping to get a few pointers of what not to miss, how long we need there, how's the gift shop:lol: , what time of day are we best to go, do you advise buying tickets in advance, basically any info that could help us.
This will be our first visit to the museum and also to San Fransiso so we just don't want to miss out on any really must see bits.

Thank you in advance :thumbsup:

[ETicket34]

First of all, I am glad you are spending part of your holiday in San Francisco. I have lived here almost 6 years now and love it. I am also a volunteer at the museum, so hopefully I can help to answer your questions.

The museum covers the time span from Walt's birth in 1901 through his death in 1966. This means you won't see anything regarding the Disney channel or Disney California Adventure, however you will see many artifacts relating to the creation of Mickey and Disneyland in addition to the early animated films and television programs such as Davey Crockett and the Mickey Mouse Club.

As far as what not to miss...that one is tough. I would say that the main thing you do not want to miss is in gallery 9. It is the large model of Disneyland. It is not an exact replica, however it is how Walt envisioned it. Make sure to ask the gallery attendant to show you the two hidden Walts. The rest of the galleries are wonderful as well. My personal favorites are anything that actually belonged to Walt. There is a display of items that he kept on the nightstand next to his bed. I also love a filmstrip of photos of he and his wife Lillian. You know the kind that taken in a photo booth and are each about the size of a postage stamp? Diane (his daughter) told us the story behind it. She said that out of the blue she she received this envelope with no note, just the little photo booth photos of her parents while they were on a trip to New Orleans. It is the little things like that that I love the most. Of course there are grand items in the museum such as the train which Walt had in his backyard and a replica of an Autopia car. I just like the personal touches best.

I would wait to get to the museum to purchase tickets. It is open from 10am - 6pm Wednesday through Monday. The museum is closed on Tuesdays. My advice would be to go during the week when crowds are lighter and get there as close to opening as possible to give yourself time to see everything. I don't know if you have little ones coming with you or not, but be advised that this truly a museum and not a playground. There are many interactive displays for all ages, however it is my experience that younger children will be bored after awhile.

Photography is not permitted in the galleries or the lower lobby of the museum. You can however take pictures in the main lobby. There are hundreds of trophies that Walt received during his lifetime displayed there, including an impressive cabinet full of Academy Awards (Oscars). Also, if you do bring little ones, strollers (push chairs) are not allowed in the galleries and must either be left in your car or left in the complimentary coat check in the lower lobby.

The museum galleries does have in an out privileges. This a good thing as there is so much to see that it is often a good idea to wander around a bit then take a break before continuing on. There is a small cafe with hot and cold drinks, sandwiches, salads and sweets.

The gift shop is one of my favorite places. You will find all sorts of Walt Disney Family Museum logoed items such as t-shirts, hoodies, mugs, notecards, pins, keychains, etc. In addition they have a good collection of books by Disney historians on a variety of topics. There are 2 books specifically about the museum. Those are both nice as it is a great way to take home pictures of the things you see in the galleries. There are also toys and trinkets for the kids as well as some very nice collectibles for the older folks in your group. The prices are fairly reasonable. You will find that the items are more eclectic than what you will find in a typical Disney gift shop. Oh, another neat section is of Mary Blair artwork. The items were previously only available in Japan, so it is a real treat to be able to get mugs, notecards, bags, etc with her great designs.

If you do happen to be there on a Saturday, it wouldn't be out of the question to run into Walt's daughter Diane. She often attends the public programs which are typically held on Saturday afternoons at 3pm.

Hopefully that answers a few questions. Please let me know if you have more. I am very happy to help when I can as I want the world to visit this museum and to see for themselves how incredible a man Walt was. :thumbsup:

[lintman]

I went there in July 2010 and while I can't really add anything to the incredible post by Eticket34 I can tell you that you will enjoy yourself. I had no idea how big this museum is. It was kind of deceptive from the front and when you first enter. The only feeling I can compare to the first time you walk into the Disneyland gallery would be walking onto Main Street at Disneyland or the Magic Kingdom for the first time. That room was spectacular. I would have been blown away by the museum if his room had not been there but I am chomping at the bit to get back there again. I did not pace myself correctly since I did not know just how big it was and we spent a lot of time on Walt's early life and not as much on his later accomplishments.

Another very impressive feature is the multi-plane camera they have set up. You can view it from the top and the bottom. It really allows you to imagine how this camera would have been used in an animated movie. I have seen the multi-plane camera they have at the archives a couple times and this is a much better set up.

Since I have only been once I will just say that my experience agrees with everything above. We went on a weekday at opening and we were not crowded or rushed. I enjoyed the gift shop but they did not have the kinds of things that I was looking for. I bought a couple pins and some of their great paintbrush pencils. There was quite a selection though and I am sure that if I had a little more time I would have been much more impressed by the gift shop. We did not buy tickets in advance. My biggest problem with the museum was finding it. The Presidio was just confusing to me though. I am sure that I would not have a problem the next time.

It is awesome that you are including this on your West Coast trip. I believe that every Disney fan should experience this museum. It is an awesome tribute to the man that started the company we all love.

[Disneyclaire]

First of all, I am glad you are spending part of your holiday in San Francisco. I have lived here almost 6 years now and love it. I am also a volunteer at the museum, so hopefully I can help to answer your questions.

The museum covers the time span from Walt's birth in 1901 through his death in 1966. This means you won't see anything regarding the Disney channel or Disney California Adventure, however you will see many artifacts relating to the creation of Mickey and Disneyland in addition to the early animated films and television programs such as Davey Crockett and the Mickey Mouse Club.

As far as what not to miss...that one is tough. I would say that the main thing you do not want to miss is in gallery 9. It is the large model of Disneyland. It is not an exact replica, however it is how Walt envisioned it. Make sure to ask the gallery attendant to show you the two hidden Walts. The rest of the galleries are wonderful as well. My personal favorites are anything that actually belonged to Walt. There is a display of items that he kept on the nightstand next to his bed. I also love a filmstrip of photos of he and his wife Lillian. You know the kind that taken in a photo booth and are each about the size of a postage stamp? Diane (his daughter) told us the story behind it. She said that out of the blue she she received this envelope with no note, just the little photo booth photos of her parents while they were on a trip to New Orleans. It is the little things like that that I love the most. Of course there are grand items in the museum such as the train which Walt had in his backyard and a replica of an Autopia car. I just like the personal touches best.

I would wait to get to the museum to purchase tickets. It is open from 10am - 6pm Wednesday through Monday. The museum is closed on Tuesdays. My advice would be to go during the week when crowds are lighter and get there as close to opening as possible to give yourself time to see everything. I don't know if you have little ones coming with you or not, but be advised that this truly a museum and not a playground. There are many interactive displays for all ages, however it is my experience that younger children will be bored after awhile.

Photography is not permitted in the galleries or the lower lobby of the museum. You can however take pictures in the main lobby. There are hundreds of trophies that Walt received during his lifetime displayed there, including an impressive cabinet full of Academy Awards (Oscars). Also, if you do bring little ones, strollers (push chairs) are not allowed in the galleries and must either be left in your car or left in the complimentary coat check in the lower lobby.

The museum galleries does have in an out privileges. This a good thing as there is so much to see that it is often a good idea to wander around a bit then take a break before continuing on. There is a small cafe with hot and cold drinks, sandwiches, salads and sweets.

The gift shop is one of my favorite places. You will find all sorts of Walt Disney Family Museum logoed items such as t-shirts, hoodies, mugs, notecards, pins, keychains, etc. In addition they have a good collection of books by Disney historians on a variety of topics. There are 2 books specifically about the museum. Those are both nice as it is a great way to take home pictures of the things you see in the galleries. There are also toys and trinkets for the kids as well as some very nice collectibles for the older folks in your group. The prices are fairly reasonable. You will find that the items are more eclectic than what you will find in a typical Disney gift shop. Oh, another neat section is of Mary Blair artwork. The items were previously only available in Japan, so it is a real treat to be able to get mugs, notecards, bags, etc with her great designs.

If you do happen to be there on a Saturday, it wouldn't be out of the question to run into Walt's daughter Diane. She often attends the public programs which are typically held on Saturday afternoons at 3pm.

Hopefully that answers a few questions. Please let me know if you have more. I am very happy to help when I can as I want the world to visit this museum and to see for themselves how incredible a man Walt was. :thumbsup:

Thank you so much for all the information, I was panicking about getting tickets in advance so thanks for putting my mind at rest that we can get them on the day.
It's just me and hubby, no rug rats. We are really excited about our trip, thanks again so much for all the useful info x