A 6-Year-Old's First Visit To Disneyland Hits Some Attractions, Misses Others
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You can't do it all, and truth be told, a child doesn't miss what she doesn't know about. A look back at what we saw and did -- and didn't do -- in one day. Don't miss the Toontown roller coaster, somebody said. Don't bother with Toontown, somebody else said. Don't risk the Matterhorn with a first-grader, somebody said. Don't miss the Matterhorn with a first-grader, somebody else said. ...
A Bear Necessity
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The Country Bear Jamboree, a 17-minute show made up of more than 20 audio-animatronic bears, originally opened as an "E" ticket ride in Walt Disney World Florida, as one of the premier attractions for the park's opening in 1971. Just one short year later, it opened here in our very own Anaheim Disneyland, in Bear Country to be exact, on March 24, 1972. It's been there ever since. The original Jamboree ...
A Beginners Guide to Disneyland Snacks
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We all know that familiar feeling of being overwhelmed with what seems like a million options of amusement park snacks. For me, this is especially true when I'm at Disneyland, where all the snack stands make me want to literally empty out my wallet. I've been to Disneyland five times in the past three years, and let me tell you, the food just gets better and better every time. I know it's tempting to want ...
A Brief History Of Disneyland, An American Classic
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"The thing will get more beautiful year after year. And it will get better as I find out what the public likes; I can't do that with a picture it's finished and unchangeable before I find out whether the public likes it or not." Walt Disney on Disneyland. Walt Disney found different reasons to build his seventeen million dollar Magic Kingdom in Anaheim in 1955. The idea had originally stemmed ...
A Brighter Sleeping Beauty Castle Is Just One Way Kim Irvine Keeps The Magic In Disneyland
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Here 's how deep Kim Irvine 's connections are to Disneyland: About three years before she started working for Walt Disney Imagineering, the creative arm of the company responsible for theme park experiences, the then-15-year-old simply wanted her mother to stop embarrassing her. “Goblins and ghoulies from last Halloween,” Irvine says today, mimicking her mother and raising her voice as she ...
A Comprehensive Guide To The Best Snacks And Meals In The Park
Introduction Visiting Disneyland is always a magical experience. From rides to attractions, there is something for everyone. But one of the best things about visiting the park is the food. With so many different eateries and restaurants, it can be hard to know what to eat and where to find the best snacks and meals. That 's why we 've put together this comprehensive guide to the must-eat foods ...
A Considerable Town
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Pam Wells has been to Disneyland, she estimates, 50 times in her 43 years. In fact, she's going again this weekend, for her 44th birthday. She can still remember being too excited to sleep the night before a Disneyland outing. And she can list all the places you used to be able to make out and/or smoke pot (Monsanto, the Sky Buckets) back in her teenage days. She talks of the days of E Tickets. She can ...
A Darker Side
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When a Disneyland visitor from Washington state was fatally injured by a flying piece of metal last month. the folks at the self-proclaimed "Happiest Place on Earth" had the blood and debris cleaned up within half an hour -- before investigators could get a look at the scene. Legally. Disneyland did nothing wrong. But to some. the quick cleanup illustrates corporate arrogance and an extreme desire to ...
A Date With Disney
The date had not been going at all well. Normally, Katie loved Disneyland. But, with Josh, her date, complaining the whole time, she felt herself going bonkers. While he was great when they were about ten yards away from getting on the rides, the rest was just a spout of anti-Disney prattle. More often than not, she found herself spacing out, typically remembering the times she had gone there while ...
A Deal To Help Jump-Start The Region
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Gov. Pete Wilson was right to want to do the Disney deal in Orange County this week. We need the "up" - not to mention the jobs. Already, what often seem to be a daily deluge of bad economic news for the state has been countered by the steady progress of Disneyland's plans for a $3-billion expansion of its theme park. Recognizing the project's importance to California, Wilson went to Anaheim ...
A Delayed Dumbo Ride Took Flight In 1955
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Despite the 1941 Walt Disney film achieving success, including an Oscar win for best score, the Flying Elephant ride faced a slow start due to technological and financial issues. Disneyland's Dumbo the Flying Elephant ride boasts a noble heritage. It's based on the 64-minute 1941 Walt Disney film that won an Oscar for best score and which The Hollywood Reporter called the "gayest and most hilarious ...
A Diamond Celebration In Sardineland
It had been three or four years since I had last been to Disneyland. But, on May 22, my mother and I went, just the two of us. That day was the opening day, for lack of a better term, of the park's Diamond celebration. As a part of that, the parks were open for 24 hours, closing at 6 A.M. on May 23 for a few hours. Rather inadvertently, we ended up parking in the "Toy Story" parking lot instead of ...
A Disneyland Chronology
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Summer 1948: Walt Disney visits the Chicago Railroad Fair, a spectacle that spurs his dream for a "Mickey Mouse Park." June 1953: Stanford Research Institute is tapped to conduct a survey for a site within metropolitan Los Angeles and accessible by freeway. Search ends with purchase of 160 acres of orange groves in Anaheim. July 21, 1954: Construction of Disneyland begins. July 17, 1955: ...
A Disneyland Favorite: The Jungle Cruise
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It never seems to fail that every time you board the Jungle Cruise attraction at Disneyland, you smile. These free styling captains take the boat out into uncharted (yet track based) waters to help us appreciate the best the jungle has to offer. Not it doesn't matter how many times you have been on this ride in the last month....ummm I mean last year, you will see that the captain is the source that ...
A Disneyland Summer Vacation
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My family just came home from a wonderful week-long vacation at Disneyland in Anaheim, CA. We are big Disney fans, and have a blast every time we go, but this trip we saw some new stuff, and actually learned a cool secret that I'm willing to share with you GeekDad readers, as long as you all promise to use the knowledge sparingly. First, the interesting new stuff: Disney is doing a very cool job ...
A Dream Vacation
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Back in the 1960s, Walt Disney dreamed of a luxury apartment where he could entertain friends and special guests while enjoying the festive spirit of Disneyland's New Orleans Square. Disney hired famed "Gone with the Wind" set designer Dorothea Redmond to conceptualize this special apartment above Pirates of the Caribbean, located along Royal Street. Sadly, when Walt Disney died in 1966, plans ...
A Droid Named Jake Roams Disneyland Will This And Other Droids Follow You Around In Star Wars Land
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Just a day after The Walt Disney Co. released a trailer for its latest "Star Wars" movie, Disneyland dropped a major hint of what might inhabit Star Wars land: Galaxy's Edge in 2019. An orange and white J4-K3 droid better known as "Jake" was seen roaming around Tomorrowland on Tuesday, Oct. 10, beeping, interacting and mingling with visitors in front of the Star Wars Launch Bay building at Disneyland. ...
A Family Tribute To Walt Disney San Francisco Museum Tells The Story Of The Man Not The Brand
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During Sunday brunch in a diner near Fisherman's Wharf, I started contemplating how my 14-year-old daughter and I would spend the afternoon. My husband and son were hustling off to the baseball park for a Giants-Brewers game so on our third day here, we had several unplanned hours to soak up more attractions -- or maybe just stroll, I thought. We had covered so much ground the first couple of days -- the ...
A Family Trip To The Disney Family Museum
I have been looking forward to the opening of the Disney Family Museum for a long time. When I first got wind of it, I immediately e-mailed the curator who informed me I had about 3 years to wait. What, 3 years! I want it now! So I waited, bided my time, checked in at the museum site every couple of weeks to read about the progress. When I thought I could not take it any longer, Bam, they opened up, and I ...
A Family-Friendly Halloween Tradition Returns As Disney's Halloweentime
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Halloween Dreams Come True Beginning Sept. 21 When Parks and Characters Are Transformed For the Autumn Holiday Season Following up on the success of its inaugural season last year, Disney's HalloweenTime will return to the Disneyland Resort this fall with a lively mix of Disney characters in seasonal costumes, whimsical decor, decked-out attractions, themed shows and tasty treats designed with the ...
A Fantasy That Paid Off
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The place is surrounded by a berm, a high barrow of earth, that insulates it from the external world. There is a single gateway where admission is charged. This, the land of Disney, is more secure than ancient Troy. No Trojan horse will get into Disneyland. Guards at the main gate closely scrutinize all who enter. Not even an unseemly teenager will get past them, much less a Trojan horse. Disneyland is ...
A Few Nuggets About Disneyland As It Turns 56
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Disneyland The Happiest Place on Earth turns 56 on Sunday. Much has been said and written about the groundbreaking amusement enterprise in Anaheim, Calif. But even after more than five and a half decades in operation, some interesting nuggets can still be unearthed. For instance, not many people are aware that during the first few years of operation, not only could you visit the park during a ...
A Flowery Tribute To One Big Mickey
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A WELCOME SIGHT: Disneyland is in the details, many fans say, including the thousands and thousands of flowers that make up the Anaheim theme park's impressive landscaping. But the most famous and photographed group of buds at the Magic Kingdom happen to be the first flowers you see: Floral Mickey. We're talking, of course, about the giant Mickey face found just beyond the entrance gates and just below the ...
A Former Snow White Dishes About Life As A Disney Park Princess
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For some, the biggest attraction at Disney theme parks is meeting the real-life princesses. Known as "face characters," the princesses not only have to look the part, but they need to know quotes from their movies, stay in character at all times, and know how to sing and dance. Reddit user doublenn held an AMA a year ago about her time as Snow White at Disneyland she even posted a picture to ...
A Four Year Old Boy's Delight There Was Not A Princess In Sight
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We're going to Disneyland. When you say those words to your child, the last thing you expect to hear is, "I don't want to go there." I was surprised by my son's initial reaction until I learned the reason behind it. Disneyland is for girls, he said. Only princesses live in Disneyland. Determined to prove him wrong, we sat at the computer and within seconds found all kinds of Disney ...
A Free Ride To Disneyland
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Although there may be no such thing as a free lunch--there are ways to get into Disneyland for free, even if you have to pay. Out of the four times I have been to the theme park, I've only paid for a legitimate ticket once. So if you're cash-strapped but still looking to get a piece of the Happiest Place on Earth, here's the skinny on three tried-and-true ways to get in the Magical Kingdom's back door... ...
A Frugal Guide To Disneyland
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If you're looking for a cut-rate vacation with the kids, The Disneyland Resort of Southern California may not be the first place that comes to mind. But a visit to the self-proclaimed Happiest Place on Earth doesn't have to mean saving until the kids are too old to believe in the magic. Though frankly, at 32, I still find Disneyland as magical as my five-year-old. The great thing about a ...
A Gardener's Visit To Disneyland
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A gardening enthusiast will find the landscaping at Disneyland almost as appealing as the rides and exhibits the place is famous for. You're aware of the plantings as soon as you enter the main gate. They form a background for the buildings, make the transition from one area to another a pleasant experience, and establish the character of each of the "lands." This landscaping has not been a hit or miss ...
A Grandmother's Magical Return To Disneyland
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If you live in North America, indeed much of the world, you are unlikely to have avoided the spell that has been cast over modern culture since the day Walt Disney opened the gates to his Disneyland theme park in California in 1955. If you were a lucky child, your parents loaded up the station wagon and headed to Anaheim at least once during your childhood, cramming the family into a little offsite ...
A Great Destination For All Generations
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I had been pretty neutral on all things Disney while I was growing up, and as a young adult I didn't seek out any Disney entertainment. I had been to Disney World once when I was eight or nine, but that was pre-Epcot and all I remembered was loving Peter Pan and hating Space Mountain. But in 2006 when my kids were five and two, I had the chance to go to Disney World again. This time, it was a whole new ...
A Guest Literally Pulled The Sword Excalibur From The Stone
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Legend tells of the Sword in the Stone, a weapon that can only be pulled from its resting place by the new king. For decades that sword has rested in front of King Arthur's Carousel at Disneyland, and now, it appears we have a new leader, because somebody apparently pulled the sword from the stone. A few days ago the sword, which sits in front of the carousel, went missing, and while it was ...
