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In a month we'll be taking our first Disneyland trip!! We're very excited! We've been planning this trip for about half a year. (And yes, the measles thing is not a high point, but since we've all been vaccinated, and dh and I have had semi-recent titers, we'll keep to our plans).

 

Most of our great advice so far has come from this board. So now I'm looking for more. :)

 

Since the time is approaching I just want to make sure we've got our ducks in a row. Here's what we've got so far:

 

We'll fly in on a Monday and have dinner at Goofy's kitchen. Reservations are made.

 

Tuesday will be Disneyland, with Fantasmic on the Go reservations.

 

Wednesday will be California Adventure. World of Color and Ariel's Grotto are both closed for renovation, so we will miss those. :(

 

Thursday and Friday we'll use our park hopper passes wherever we feel like after those first two days.

 

Saturday's breakfast will be Surfs Up! and then off to the airport for home.

 

We're in a hotel across the street so we can take the kids back and forth for naps and rest time. We're planning on getting the Safeway to deliver some groceries so we don't break the bank on eating out for every meal. We plan on eating out about once a day, and having one special Disney treat each day.

 

We subscribed to RideMax, but the choices are overwhelming. This is where we need help. What do we want to hit for sure? What rides should not be missed? What about entertainment? Any shows/events we want to be sure to see? Anything we shouldn't waste our time on?

 

And do you have any other tips for our first trip to Disneyland?

 

 

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In a month we'll be taking our first Disneyland trip!! We're very excited! We've been planning this trip for about half a year. (And yes, the measles thing is not a high point, but since we've all been vaccinated, and dh and I have had semi-recent titers, we'll keep to our plans).

 

Most of our great advice so far has come from this board. So now I'm looking for more. :)

 

Since the time is approaching I just want to make sure we've got our ducks in a row. Here's what we've got so far:

 

We'll fly in on a Monday and have dinner at Goofy's kitchen. Reservations are made.

 

Tuesday will be Disneyland, with Fantasmic on the Go reservations.

 

Wednesday will be California Adventure. World of Color and Ariel's Grotto are both closed for renovation, so we will miss those. :(

 

Thursday and Friday we'll use our park hopper passes wherever we feel like after those first two days.

 

Saturday's breakfast will be Surfs Up! and then off to the airport for home.

 

We're in a hotel across the street so we can take the kids back and forth for naps and rest time. We're planning on getting the Safeway to deliver some groceries so we don't break the bank on eating out for every meal. We plan on eating out about once a day, and having one special Disney treat each day.

 

We subscribed to RideMax, but the choices are overwhelming. This is where we need help. What do we want to hit for sure? What rides should not be missed? What about entertainment? Any shows/events we want to be sure to see? Anything we shouldn't waste our time on?

 

And do you have any other tips for our first trip to Disneyland?

 

I'm glad you'll be using your Park Hopper passes. :-)

 

On your first day at Disneyland, be there when the park opens, and go straight back through the castle to Fantasy Land. You will probably want to do the Snow White ride first; for some reason, that ride always has the longest line. Peter Pan also has a long line, so do that next. Then just stay there until you ride them all. After that you can just mosey over to the Winnie the Poo ride, and you must absolutely do It's a Small World.

 

On Thursday, when you go in, go straight back to Toon Town. If you have an Early Entry day, do Finding Nemo first.

 

When you go to California Adventure, do Cars first. Long, long line. And whatever you do, see the Aladdin Show. Maybe even more than once. The Aladdin Show is worth the price of admission. There are lots of neat little rides in California Adventure. :-)

 

You should do the Jungle Cruise. It's one of the original rides, and you can tell. :-) But it's one of the original rides!!!! Of course you must do it!!! And also, each tour guide has his or her own monologue, and some of them are hysterical. :-)

 

If you don't think your children will be weirded out, do the Haunted Mansion. In fact, on Thursday or Friday, open the park by going *left* when you leave Main Street, and do Pirates of the Caribbean, the Haunted House, and then the Winnie the Poo ride. I'm not sure your little one can do Splash Mountain, but if she is tall enough, then do that, too. And Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.

 

You might want to do lunch at the Blue Bayou. Reservations are required.

 

Mr. Ellie and I have been to Disneyland over 30 times. Yeah.

 

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I love RideMax!!

 

We went for 3 days.  Disneyland first day, California Adventure the 2nd, and then the last day was both.   We did every ride, and many of them more than once.  We did the parades in both parks, several shows (Jedi is so fun!), took our time with eating, and still got everything in all with the help of RideMax.

 

What we did was get on the website and look at the shows first and see what we really wanted to do.  We did more of those on the first 2 days, and none on the last day.  So you select the shows/parades first on RideMax.  Then fill in with a few rides.  It is helpful to NOT include a lunch/dinner break unless you have reservations somewhere. RideMax will automatically put in breaks for you.

 

We filled in with rides that everyone wanted.  We looked at the website together and let everyone choose one and then we'd look at the ridemax plan.  Then I'd do it again with more rides or less.  Keep saving your plans with a new name.  Like Tuesday 1. Tuesday 2. and so forth.  Then you can compare and see which one you like the best (has the least amount of walking and waiting times). 

 

I preferred doing all of ToonTown on the first day as it is in the back of the park and we didn't go back on our 2nd time in Disneyland.  We also did all of Fantasyland on the first day.  It is nice to stay in the same general area for a long period of time, but Ridemax won't always do that for you as it does give you a great plan.

 

We loved using Ridemax because we felt that it gave us the MOST for our money. There was no wondering what we were doing next, or wandering aimlessly and no arguments about it either.  We all had a schedule and we did the next thing and everyone was happy.

 

My kids liked Jungle  Cruise better at night.

 

Read up on how to use the FastPass system.  Ridemax uses those and tells you when to get them. 

 

We did have an issue with those for one ride. They were all gone when I went to get ours at the prescribed time.  So during our break we just stood in line for that ride.

 

Otherwise on all 3 days we didn't wait more than 10  minutes for a ride and usually shorter.  We did more rides often in the break time because there was just time. 

 

I hope you have a great time!

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The Jedi Show.  I skipped the ride we had planned for right before the scheduled jedi time on our Ridemax schedule.   My husband and kids went on the ride.  I went to the Jedi Show.  As soon as one ends, you want to get up to the front on the ground, and save spots using sweatshirts or something for all of your children.  I sat back against the wall after that.  LOL

 

Once the kids get there they need to sit right on the line.  When they are choosing the kids, the kids have to be super enthusiastic.  Pretend to be Jedi knights, jump and down or something.   And also prepare them in case they don't get chosen.  I had 3 trying to get in and only 2 did.  The one who did not handled it super well.  we did give him the option of trying again on our "free" day but he said no that just watching it was fun.

 

We loved the parades in both parks.  Fabulous.

 

Before you go in, you can go to customer service outside and get buttons for your family.  "First Time Goers" and so forth.  They have several.  "It's my birthday" and so forth.  You can also get them in City Hall on the left after you enter Disneyland.

 

For the fireworks show try to be right in front of the castle.  It can be hard for the kids to see if you don't get a good spot, or get in front, or kind of up.  Being right there in the center of the circle is so cool though.  Again I went early and saved seating spots for us, but once the show started we had to all stand and squish together.  Which is why I liked being on the rope line and more to the side!

 

My little girls skipped some rides to go see princesses. Their choice.  :)

 

 

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We went to this Target (address below) which is very near Disneyland for groceries. I forgot to bring a change of clothes for my kids so they stayed in wet beach wear after playing at the wet play areas at California Adventures.

 

Target Garden Grove Harbor

address: 12100 Harbor Blvd

Garden Grove, CA 92840

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Go over to disboards and join - they can answer any questions. My favorite ride is Radiator Springs Racers in Carsland. Disboard will talk about strategies to ride this exceptional (non-scary) ride. If you ride it once you will want to ride it again so it is worth it to figure out how to get your fastpasses. I always race to Peter Pan in Fantasyland first thing on the first day but that is a nostalgia thing with our family. The race cars in carsland are so exceptional *I* would plan my whole trip around riding them as many times as possible, which would be once per day. We also love Pirates and Haunted Mansion, and the always underrated Tom Sawyer Island. Do not miss the Island - bring water bottles. The kids will love exploring the caves. One of our favorite places to eat (located near Pirates) is River Belle Terrace - get there around 11:00 to beat the lunch crowd and sit outside - it is lovely.

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Before Going:

Hit your local dollar store and buy $1 disposable ponchos for everyone in case of rain; some plastic garbage bags (for sitting on, to keep your seat dry, and maybe a few $1 umbrellas, for walking between rides. You can still go on rides in the rain if you have rain gear, and it beats buying the disposable Disney ones for $5 a pop...

 

Lunch / Snacks / Meals

lunch = Pack a lunch in a cooler; first thing each day before entering the park, pay for an all-day locker located in the lockers that are by the ticket booths. For lunch, come out, get your lunch, and head in the direction of the entrance to "downtown disney" -- just by that entrance is a secluded picnic lunch area, surrounded by tall bush/trees. Wonderful way to calm down and take a breath for lunch! (Another great option: time your dinner/lunch/snack to eat while sitting and watching a parade.)

 

snacks = Pack snacks and water bottles and bring them with you, in a fanny pack, back pack or bag you keep in a stroller. A steady supply of protein and water keeps everyone on their feet longer and happier longer. ;)

 

meals = When you're buying a meal, go at OFF hours -- in other words NOT 11am-2pm for lunch and NOT 5pm-8pm for dinner. LOVE Redd Rockett in Tomorowland -- pizza for the kids and tasty pasta and salad options for parents! Also, fast service. (SLOW lines at peak hours at the Tomorrowland Burger place, Fantasyland Mexican restaurant, and the Mainstreet/New Orleans square restaurants.) In CA Adventure, the gyro/mediterraean place over by Goofy's Sky School Ride is a great, and usually the line moves along -- the Mexican place by Paradise Pier is slow. Back in Disney: Bengal BBQ is tasty but small quantity for big price; instead go for the Big Thunder BBQ to get the most for your money.

 

Afternoon Break

Great "downtime" rides -- fabulous way for a break in the afternoon: in Disney, visit the Tiki Room -- (and in CA Adventure, the Muppet 3D show) -- 20 minute sit down show. Get a pineapple whip at the Dole fruit stand at the entrance to the Tiki Room (Adventure Land) and enjoy while sitting down. Few people go in the mid-afternoon, and I actually was able to stretch out on the cushioned back row bench and close my eyes. ;)

 

And -- the Aladdin show in CA Adventure -- 40 minutes of sit down in a theater! Go earlier in the day for less of a crowd; you'll probably want to arrive 20 minutes before show start (unless that is included in your Ride Max).

 

Other great options: Tom Sawyer's Island (Frontier Land), Goofy's Bounce House (in Toon Town) and Innovations (kids mess with video games while you sit on the floor and rest your eyes ;) ) Also, the big marble ball that you can move (Tomorrowland) was fascinating to our boys -- entertained them for almost half an hour. Bugs Life land in CA Adventure has a water feature area for small kids to enjoy.

 

Nice long sit-down rides also include: Pirates of the Caribbean, It's a Small World (entrance to Toon Town), the Monorail, and the Train (go all the way around) -- all in Disney.

 

Reduce Walking

Take the train and the monorail to get from one side of the park to the other to reduce wear and tear on little legs. With lots of little legs in your family, do all the rides people want to ride in one area, even if that means repeating one ride multiple times, before moving to another area.

 

Strollers

Consider investing in two cheap umbrella strollers when you first arrive in CA, and donate them to another family on your final exit -- kids up to 5yo can be pushed, and you can store all your extra stuff in the pouch at the back/underneath. And strollers are a GREAT way to reserve space for the parades, and give your little ones a front row seat. And strollers save YOUR back. ;)

 

Park Hopping

Make the most of your time; on days when you use the Park Hopper, spend all morning in one Park, come out have lunch (that's why you rent the locker that's between the 2 parks!), use the bathroom there, and get out/put away any jackets etc when you put your lunch bag away. Then go to the other park. For planning purposes, be aware that CA Adventure opens 2 hours later and closes 2 hours earlier than Disney. Also, there are fewer small-children rides in CA Adventure.

 

Souvenirs

Do any shopping when the rides shut down as you walk towards the exits -- all the rides are shut down, but the shops stay open for one hour more. ;)

 

Parades and Fireworks

Line up early for good view; for the parades; if you line up near the start of the parade (Small World for Disney, for CA Adventure, near the Tower of Terror and into Hollywood land), you'll be among the first to be done and you can dash into a ride with a shorter line while the people further down the route are still watching. But, also be aware that the parades limit access from one side of the park to the other (you're not allowed to dash across in the midst of a parade).

 

Height Restrictions

A few rides have height restrictions; unless you and DH decide to "divide and conquer", you can skip those rides. Or, if most except the toddlers can ride, when you reach the head of the line, ask, and they will allow one parent to ride with the children tall enough to go, and then immediately when they finish, the other parent can go.

 

Disneyland Park

 

32" (82 cm) or taller and accompanied by another rider 54" or taller

• Autopia

 

35" (89 cm) or taller

• Gadget's Go Coaster

 

40" (102 cm) or taller

• Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

• Space Mountain

• Splash Mountain

• Star Tours

 

42" (107 cm) or taller

• Matterhorn Bobsleds

 

46" (117 cm) or taller

• Indiana Jones Adventure

 

54" (137 cm) or taller to ride alone

• Autopia

 

 

Disney California Adventure Park

 

32" (82 cm) or taller and accompanied by another rider 54" or taller

• Luigi's Flying Tires

• Mater's Junkyard Jamboree

 

36" (91 cm) or taller

• Tuck and Roll's Drive'Em Buggies

 

40" (102 cm) or taller

• Jumpin' Jellyfish

• Radiator Springs Racers

• Silly Symphony Swings (tandem swings only)

• Soarin' Over California

• The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror

 

42" (106 cm) or taller

• Goofy's Sky School

• Grizzly River Run

• Redwood Creek Challenge Trail (rock wall and zip line only)

 

48" (122 cm) or taller

• California Screamin'

• Silly Symphony Swings (ride in single swing)

 

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It's been a long time since I've been, but mostly this is what helped us. Be sure to go early in the day, and head towards the entrance where they let people in that aren't from the hotel monorail thing, that's where a lot of characters tend to hang out first thing in the morning. As mentioned, use the train as much as you can. Also bring pain killers, a lot of the rides have little back support and you'll be sore later. If you ride Splash Mountain be prepared to get wet no matter where you sit (I once had a guy in front of me duck so a whole wave of water got me soaked to the bone). Sit down as often as you can!

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THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! You are all so helpful!

 

One more question - What's the weather like the last week of February? What should we pack? We'll check the weather report before we go, but in some places 60 feels balmy, and in others it feels chilly. (Good advice about the ponchos).

 

 

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THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! You are all so helpful!

 

One more question - What's the weather like the last week of February? What should we pack? We'll check the weather report before we go, but in some places 60 feels balmy, and in others it feels chilly. (Good advice about the ponchos).

 

Hard to say -- Jan. and Feb. are the highest rain months (about 2.5"/month avg.). For temp. in Feb., the average high/low is 70Ëš/47Ëš. See this chart for Anaheim weather averages by month.

 

We live in the southwest and are used to hot weather, so Disneyland always feels cool to us. We always bring sweatshirts or layers, and during the day, mostly store in the locker, and and then get them out about sundown. But, there have been lots of times I wear a light hoodie over a long-sleeve shirt all day. I tend to put the light hoodie on/take it off all day, and just tie it around my waist when not wearing it. I tend to prefer long pants to shorts, for warmth, but also just to keep a layer between me and the ride seats that everyone has been sitting on. ;)

 

For rain -- DO, if at all possible, try and bring a second pair of comfortable walking shoes for each person. If your feet get soaked, you can line up all the shoes on the vent of the AC/heat unit in your room and try drying them out overnight by running the unit, and wear the alternate dry shoes the next day. The motels usually have a coin-operated laundry room (usually 2 washers and 2 dryers for the entire motel), so if clothes get wet, you can run them through the dryer (if you can get in there between everyone else doing that).

 

I cannot stress enough: plenty of comfortable shoes for everyone! Children with blisters and no alternative footwear will make this a miserable trip!

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Be aware that Disneyland has layers of everything some people hate. I don't mean dislike, I mean hate.  You may have a person in your family like that-or a few.  Don't be surprised if it's a chore or miserable for them to be there.  Don't expect them to think of it as a "magical" or even pleasant place. I hate everything about Disneyland other than watching a couple of my kids and my husband enjoying it.

 

1. Visual clutter-It's everywhere there.  Nothing is tackier to people like me than the garish colors, the cheesy 50s animatronics in many of the rides, the over the top aesthetics of every single ride, the over done costumes, the schizophrenic architecture, etc.  For people who like simple, stream lined, minimalistic, related aesthetics, Disneyland is awful.

 

2. Noise pollution-A constant torture there.  Nothing is so insipid and mindless as most Disney music.  It's pumped out at a constant din everywhere you go.  If you like to think, forget it.  There will be no internal life there as every moment you're bombarded with bad music, needless sound effects, etc.  It's a sacrifice for many personality types to be there even one day.

 

3. Ridiculous wastes of time and money.  I have never once, even as a kid, thought the time spent traveling and in lines was worth the silly little rides. When I add up the time spent waiting and compare it to to the time spent actually riding, watching a show, and eating a meal, it makes me think I'm the kid in the Emperor's New Clothes.  This isn't worth any of it-or the money either. I think it's the biggest scam in America.  The animatronics are so badly out of date it's laughable.  The rides themselves are so short and lame I cannot fathom why someone would willingly go there if a loved didn't care about it.  The characters are from stories badly written and the music mind numbly stupid.

 

4. Crowds.  I don't like crowds.  There's no avoiding crowds there.

 

So, go and have fun if that's your thing.   Three of the five members of my family enjoy Disneyland and the other two of us go and make nice and play along, but it's miserable for us every single minute on every single level.  We hate hate hate it. If you have someone in your family like that, understand the sacrifice they're making for the sake of your family.  The last vacation I took I hiked 10 miles through the desert and then 2.5 more to get to a beautiful place, slept in a tent, ate rehydrated food, climbed a wet 12 story cliff face, hiked 4 more miles, bathed in snow melt and then went back the way I came. I didn't expect anyone else in my family to do that with me for the sake of family time because they would've been miserable. I went with my brother and his hiking buddies who like that sort of thing.  People are very different.  Be realistic about it.

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We love Disneyland and have passes.  You have gotten a lot of good advice.  I would say, though, that the Snow White ride line is rarely much of an issue in Fantasyland.  Peter Pan is the one that fills up FAST.  Dumbo is often a long wait as well.  And I'm sure SW can be long but nothing like I have seen for PP or Dumbo.  And we go a lot. :)

 

Have fun!

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Another thought - bring your own stroller(s), esp. for going back and forth to your hotel, letting the kids have a break from walking and having a place to put things like drinks. If you rent strollers you can't take them out of the park and you will want them to go back to the hotel. As soon as the kids know you are headed back to the room they will start to fall asleep - you want strollers more than ever then. As far as weather, we try to go in off-season also. Last year it was *hot* - up to 90F but a few years ago it was in the 40-50s and raining - a freak cold front. Bring layers and rain ponchos. We also rent a locker each day near the park entrance - much easier to grab your coat there than carry it all day or make an extra trip back to the room.

 

ETA: Mark your stroller with something that easily identifies it as yours. You'd be surprised how many look alike.

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Be aware that Disneyland has layers of everything some people hate. I don't mean dislike, I mean hate.  You may have a person in your family like that-or a few.  Don't be surprised if it's a chore or miserable for them to be there.  Don't expect them to think of it as a "magical" or even pleasant place. I hate everything about Disneyland other than watching a couple of my kids and my husband enjoying it.

 

1. Visual clutter-It's everywhere there.  Nothing is tackier to people like me than the garish colors, the cheesy 50s animatronics in many of the rides, the over the top aesthetics of every single ride, the over done costumes, the schizophrenic architecture, etc.  For people who like simple, stream lined, minimalistic, related aesthetics, Disneyland is awful.

 

2. Noise pollution-A constant torture there.  Nothing is so insipid and mindless as most Disney music.  It's pumped out at a constant din everywhere you go.  If you like to think, forget it.  There will be no internal life there as every moment you're bombarded with bad music, needless sound effects, etc.  It's a sacrifice for many personality types to be there even one day.

 

3. Ridiculous wastes of time and money.  I have never once, even as a kid, thought the time spent traveling and in lines was worth the silly little rides. When I add up the time spent waiting and compare it to to the time spent actually riding, watching a show, and eating a meal, it makes me think I'm the kid in the Emperor's New Clothes.  This isn't worth any of it-or the money either. I think it's the biggest scam in America.  The animatronics are so badly out of date it's laughable.  The rides themselves are so short and lame I cannot fathom why someone would willingly go there if a loved didn't care about it.  The characters are from stories badly written and the music mind numbly stupid.

 

4. Crowds.  I don't like crowds.  There's no avoiding crowds there.

 

So, go and have fun if that's your thing.   Three of the five members of my family enjoy Disneyland and the other two of us go and make nice and play along, but it's miserable for us every single minute on every single level.  We hate hate hate it. If you have someone in your family like that, understand the sacrifice they're making for the sake of your family.  The last vacation I took I hiked 10 miles through the desert and then 2.5 more to get to a beautiful place, slept in a tent, ate rehydrated food, climbed a wet 12 story cliff face, hiked 4 more miles, bathed in snow melt and then went back the way I came. I didn't expect anyone else in my family to do that with me for the sake of family time because they would've been miserable. I went with my brother and his hiking buddies who like that sort of thing.  People are very different.  Be realistic about it.

 

I still love you. :D

 

For us it isn't about the rides. If we want rides, we'll go to Knotts' Berry Farm, or Magic Mountain. We go to Disneyland because...Disneyland. My whole family loves Disneyland. Mr. Ellie's family (he grew up in San Diego, went to Disneyland when it first opened) loved Disneyland. We love the "visual clutter." We love the "noise pollution." We're not as enthralled with the really recent characters and music, but we'll put up with it for the sake of the rest.

 

We are, in fact, going back there in April or May and meeting both our daughters and sons-in-law to take our grandson to Disneyland for his fifth birthday; in our family, that's when we go for the first time. We can hardly wait. :hurray:

 

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http://micechat.com/93016-changes-underway-at-disneyland/

 

This article gives you the heads up on current state of the resort.  Since it is an "off" season, and Disneyland is gearing up for a big celebration (60 years!) a lot of rehab is going on.  Scroll down the article and you will see a list of what is closed or may be closed when you get there.  Still lots to do - just be flexible.  You should have a great time!

 

Pizza Port in Tomorrowland has big slices of pizza and lots of seating.  We sit outside and often Storm Troopers wander by. 

At the edge of Paradise Pier (near the big swing etc.) is a lot of outdoor, attractive seating, and several places to get food, from pizza to pasta to kabobs (the different food offerings are next to each other but different lines, divide and conquer if adults want kebobs and kids want pizza).  A Caribbean band played live one afternoon while we were eating. 

 

Oh, btw, last Feb. when I went we were fine with sweatshirts in the morning, then shirtsleeves...but when the sun went down we were COLD, and I wished I had stuck some jackets (to layer with the sweatshirts) in a locker.  I grew up in S. Calif., you'd think I'd have remembered this!

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