all our disney friends

There's nothing quite like getting your pic with the disney characters and I think we pretty much got 'em all with just a few exceptions. Disneyland has one flaw and one flaw only. Once you've been and realize how magical it is, you then realize how lame life is when you're not there. *sigh* We love you Walt! 

fantasmagoria! two thumbs up!

Fantasmic! is one of the best attractions at Disneyland, definitely in my top five. Fantasmic! has been a favorite among Disneyland-goers since it opened over 15 years ago. Disney never ceases to surprise me and every time I watch that mouse up there conducting the water I get a little tingly. There's nothing they can't do. Enjoy this great video of Fastasmic!

What is your favorite ride/ attraction at Disneyland?

more magic trivia

This is another set a tasty little tid-bits. Enjoy the magic.

-The Snow White figure in her ride wasn’t part of the attraction until it was rebuilt in 1982. Originally, the heroes of the Disney stories did not appear in their own rides. The idea was that the guests took the place of the characters, so it would make no sense to see the characters. To this day, Mr. Toad does not appear in his own attraction.

-The Disney Family crest adorns the front of Sleeping Beauty Castle. It can be found right above the drawbridge entrance. The drawbridge was once functional, though it was only lowered on two occasions: once during the grand opening in 1955 and a second time in 1983 when a renovated Fantasyland was rededicated. At the 1983 ceremony, two of the same children from the original dedication had been invited back, this time as adults, to again be the first to cross the drawbridge.

-The Matterhorn was the world’s first steel tubular roller-coaster. Steel coasters existed before, but they had flat steel tracks rather than a tube, as virtually all steel coasters have today. It was designed and built with help from Arrow Dynamics, now, one of the world’s largest coaster companies. Due to its unique design, a special oil lubricant had to be created for it called the “Matterhorn Special”-it was made just for Disneyland.

-Peter Pan’s Flight was originally designed as a roller-coaster. To convey a sense of being Peter Pan, who flies around quickly, Walt wanted the attraction to move fast along the ceiling; it would have been the world’s first suspended roller-coaster. It was decided that such speed would make the sets and characters pass by in a blur. Show, for Walt, would win out over thrills.

vip tour of alice in wonderland

In December, we were lucky enough to get an exclusive, behind the scenes, VIP tour of Alice In Wonderland. Now, not just anyone can get this kind of access, but because we're such loyal Disneyland patrons we were invited to see Alice In Wonderland like no one has experienced before. And now I'm sharing this Disneyland jem with all of you.

park update

I'm going to hand this blog entry over to "TJ" and his great video about the massive updates in the future for Disney's California Adventure. Great things are happening. Get your trip planned!

tasty bits of trivia

--Disneyland projects faux swamp fumes in the Disneyland Railroad’s Primeval World to complete a sense of atmospheric immersion and give the illusion of “being there.” The Candy Palace and Ice Cream Parlor on Main Street emit the odor of fresh candy into the street via “smellitzers”. This trick is also used in Soarin’ Over California where travelers experience the scents of pine trees, ocean salt, and orange groves.

--A lamp burns in Walt’s honor above the Fire Department, in what had been his private apartment. Furnished in a rich victorian style and maintained even today, this apartment enabled Walt to work late and start quickly the next day during Disneyland’s construction and early years. New Orleans Square was designed to be a new apartment, but he died before he could move in.

--The skeletons in Pirates of the Caribbean were originally real specimens, but have since been replaced by artificial facsimiles. Reproductions of skeletons were not convincing in the 1960s, so actual ones were obtained from the University of California Medical Center where they had been used for research. Later, when they were replaced, they were returned to their originating countries and given a proper burial.

--Club 33, as it’s known, was intended to be a place for Walt to host visiting dignitaries and executives from sponsoring companies. The 33 original sponsors of Disneyland reportedly gives the club its name, though this claim is often disputed. Unfortunately, Walt died before Club 33 opened.

--There is a whimsical sign at the base of the drop on Splash Mountain. Riders whizzing by at 40 mph may not always notice it, but there is a signpost to the right side of the logs as they splash down from the drop. The sign reads: “Drop in Again Sometime.” Disneyland took great pride in the fact that Splash Mountain featured the world’s tallest and steepest drop for a flume ride when it opened.

--The Rivers of America was inaugurated with actual water samples from some American waterways, such as the Mississippi River. A similar strategy was used in “it’s a small world,” which claims that guests navigate “The Seven Seaways” around the globe. To lend credibility to the claim, Walt inaugurated “it’s a small world” by dropping in water samples from each of the world’s oceans.

hats off to you

Disneyland is one of the only places where people can wear completely obscure "noggin blockers" and the only thoughts others have are, "I wonder if they got that at the Main Street Emporium or The Mad Hatter....hmmm?".  If only we could freely wear these types of "head flare" in our everyday lives and be as widely accepted as we are inside the world of Disneyland.  I guess we can always dream of a better tomorrow.

the magic continues

Here is a delightful little video Curtis put together from our December '06 visit to "The Happiest Place on Earth".  Make sure your speakers are turned on, the music is the best part. Enjoy!