California Adventure Articles
Wonderful World Of Flubber
Hello fellow Disney Chums, I just got back from my last trip to the Disneyland, when I say last, I mean last ( for a long while) .Yes, I am not renewing my preferred pass to the park for at least a couple of years. I know I might go through some withdrawals along the way, but this time I think I can handle it. I know I have written about my feeling on this before, but I am kind of getting burned out on the ...
California vs. Paris: Dumbo
In the fifth of my series comparing the two Disneylands closest to my heart (California and Paris), I shall be looking at selected references to the 1941 movie Dumbo within the parks. Please note, I am specifically referring to the Dumbo paraphernalia within the Magic Kingdoms, rather than anything related which can be found in the hotels, the other parks (such as in Off The Page and World of Color at ...
Taste Of Disney
As a fat person who enjoys eating, and more importantly enjoys the camaraderie of eating with friends or family at the table. I have to admit one of the main thoughts of visiting Disneyland for a day is the thought of all the snacks to be had and eaten while there enjoying the park. I mean for me it really is a main concern. At 52, Italian, and carrying a 250 pound frame it is the only time I can ...
California vs. Paris:Carrousels And Sword In The Stone Ceremony
This month, I shall continue my series comparing the two Disneylands closest to my heart (California and Paris) by looking at the carousels. In California, this is called King Arthur Carrousel, whereas the Paris equivalent is called Le Carrousel de Lancelot. Both are situated directly behind the Castle, although the California equivalent did not line up with Main Street properly until the 1983 ...
The Majestic History Of Matterhorn Bobsleds
Disneyland Park opened its gates for the first time ever on July 17, 1955. Since that notable date in history, Disneyland has grown, expanded, and renovated countless times making it the enticing vacation point that it is today. For some people, however, Disneyland is not just a vacation spot. The rich history that Disneyland holds along with the captivating attractions within its gates is why we, the ...
Disneyland Memories
Two months ago, I was warned that my article for the July issue would be about my first memories of Disneyland. I knew from the outset how hard this would be. If I had been asked about my first visit to Florida's Magic Kingdom this would be easy. It was November 18th 1988, which was Mickey's 60th birthday. I could write reams about my memories: the parades; my first trip on a monorail; finding ...
California vs. Blackpool: General
Earlier in the year, I wrote an article for DLDHistory.com comparing the Alice in Wonderland ride in Disneyland to Alice's Wonderland at Pleasure Beach Blackpool (the most visited theme park in the United Kingdom). As I have recently come back from a week's vacation in Blackpool (and seeing as my main article this month was shorter than usual) I thought I would compare Anaheim's Disneyland Resort as a ...
Music is Magic
I don't even remember my first trip to Disneyland as a child. My first trip with my high school band, on the other hand, I do remember, if a little vaguely. Hey, I've been going since I was a kid, and even with my makeshift leash, all the wonderful memories have always tended to blend together. It was when I was a freshman in high school and we were to march down Main Street, something we did every year. ...
California vs. Paris: Park Two, Cars And Armageddon
For my next few articles comparing the Disneyland resorts closest to my heart (Anaheim and Paris), I am going to focus on comparing some of the attractions in the non-castle parks: Disney California Adventure (DCA) and Walt Disney Studios Park (WDSP). Although some of the shops, eateries, meet and greets, and photo ops in WDSP have equivalents in DCA (and/or elsewhere in the world), none are of enough note ...
California vs. Paris: Tower of Terror
This month, as part of my mini-series of articles comparing Disney California Adventure (DCA) to Walt Disney Studios Park (WDSP) in Paris, I will be looking at The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. Of the four versions of this attraction in the Disney parks worldwide, these two are by far the most similar. However, there are some very subtle differences. For example, the former is built out of steel, ...
California vs. Paris: Animation
This month, as part of my mini-series of articles comparing Disney California Adventure (DCA) to Walt Disney Studios Park (WDSP) in Paris, I will be looking at the animation buildings. In WDSP, the attraction is called Art of Disney Animation whereas in DCA the equivalent is simply called Disney Animation Building. Both were opening day attractions, and both share elements with the Florida equivalent ...
California vs. Paris: Disney Junior - Live On Stage
This month, as part of my mini-series of articles comparing Disney California Adventure to Walt Disney Studios Park in Paris, I will be looking at Disney Junior - Live on Stage! Both of these replaced a thematically similar attraction called Playhouse Disney - Live on Stage! which in turn replaced an opening day feature. In California, this was the ABC Soap Opera Bistro (a restaurant themed to daytime ...
Reflections On A Day At Disneyland
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On vacation in Southern California over the holidays, we spent a day at Disneyland, giving my two sons (aged 2 and 4) a chance to spend the day with Mickey and friends, along with their parents, grandparents, aunt and uncle. Personally, it was my first visit to either of the domestic Disney parks as an adult; I had gone to Disneyland and Walt Disney World once or twice each, as a kid. My thoughts ...
Disney California Adventure's Flattest Ride Nearing Dead End
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Disney California Adventure is getting a much needed tire rotation, and will soon change out the Cars Land flat that is Luigi's Flying Tires. The attraction is shutting down when the gates close on Feb. 16, according a message posted Friday on the Disney Parks Blog. The bumper-car-like ride, where tires hovered (and never flew) on a cushion of air, was perhaps the weakest link of the new land ...
What Has Happened To Disneyland
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I just returned from a three-day weekend at Disneyland. First, I must say that I enjoyed being with my children and my husband and most of the fun we had was spent in the car, on the airplane, in the hotel room, and while eating meals together. For those of you who really like Disneyland, this will go down as your least favorite column this week (or maybe this year). Disneyland for me now represents ...
Disney Raises Ticket Prices For US Theme Parks
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Visiting the Happiest Place on Earth just got more expensive. With record attendance at its theme parks, Disney said starting Sunday it would raise ticket prices across the board for the Disneyland Resort here and at Walt Disney World in Florida. An adult one-day ticket to Disneyland or Disney California Adventure will rise from $96 to $99. A one-day park hopper add-on will increase from $54 to ...
Celebrating Chinese Lunar New Year At Disneyland California
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Even when told the waiting time will be 1 to 1.5 hours, the Zhu family stand without hesitation at the end of the long line to take a picture with Mickey and Minnie dressing in red Chinese New Year costume at the Disney California Adventure Park Saturday. "There is only one time in a year that you can take a picture with Mickey and Minnie in Chinese costume," said Tjoe, a family member who were ...
Diamond Celebration Will Light Up The Disneyland Resort Beginning With Dazzling 24-Hour Event
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A dynamic 24-hour party will kick off the summer and launch the Disneyland Resort Diamond Celebration, May 22-23, as guests enjoy the thrilling premieres of three, new nighttime spectaculars: the glittering "Paint the Night" parade and the groundbreaking "Disneyland Forever" fireworks show at Disneyland Park, plus the new presentation, "World of Color - Celebrate! The Wonderful World of Walt Disney," at ...
Disneyland Will Open For 24 Hours In May To Celebrate Theme Park 60th Anniversary
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Are you ready for another 24-hour endurance test at Disneyland or Disney California Adventure? To kick off Disneyland's 60th anniversary, the two theme parks will be open to visitors for 24 hours, beginning at 6 a.m. May 22, a Friday. Disney announced the event on its Disney Parks blog on Wednesday. Walt Disney World also will have a 24-hour event, Disney said. For the special days, which have ...
Let It Go On Third Theme Park At Disneyland
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The Walt Disney Co. on Thursday shot down - for now - the long-rumored possibility of a third theme park in Anaheim. But CEO Bob Iger detailed plans for sequels to the company's hugely successful "Frozen" and "Star Wars" movie franchises. Answering a question at the company's annual shareholders meeting in San Francisco, Iger said Disney does have plans to expand the Disneyland Resort. Iger previously ...
20 Year Deal That Bans Tax On Disney Tickets To End In 2016
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A little-known pact struck nearly two decades ago has kept city leaders from levying a so-called entertainment tax on Disneyland and Disney California Adventure tickets. That deal expires in 2016, and City Councilwoman Kris Murray wants to ask voters to make it tougher to enact new taxes in Orange County's most populous city. Murray said she didn't know about the agreement, which was quietly ...
California vs. Paris: Village vs. Downtown
This month, I will be starting a series of articles comparing Downtown Disney in the California resort with Disney Village in Disneyland Paris. Both Downtown Disney and Disney Village serve similar purposes. As well as providing more places for Guests to spend money (and for longer hours, including after the parks have closed), they help turn the area into more of a "resort" rather than a place for a ...
Disneyland Ride Enhancements To Arrive For 60th Anniversary Celebration
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Disneyland has already unveiled plans for a new fireworks show, a parade and "sparkling" features on two of its iconic buildings as part of the park's 60th anniversary celebration this summer.. Now Southern California's most popular theme park plans to add enhancements to several attractions, including the Matterhorn, Peter Pan's Flight and the Haunted Mansion. The park's 60th anniversary ...
Disneyland Diamond Days Sweepstakes Will Give Away Diamonds
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Imagine winning a Disney Diamond or a Cinderella glass slipper, or enjoying a private excursion and dinner in Disneyland Park or Disney California Adventure Park. Those are a few of the exciting prizes that will be awarded to some lucky guests during the Disneyland Diamond Days sweepstakes, part of the Disneyland Resort Diamond Celebration that begins May 22, 2015. Celebrating the 60th anniversary, ...
Disneyland To Offer New Souvenirs Snacks Drinks For 60th Anniversary
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Disneyland's 60th anniversary celebration this summer will give the park a chance to unveil a new fireworks show, a new parade and a water and light show hosted by Mickey Mouse and Neil Patrick Harris.. But it will also give the park an opportunity to generate hefty revenues from the sale of more than 500 new souvenirs, clothing items, drinks and foods. During a media event Tuesday, Disneyland ...
60 Reasons To Visit Disneylands 60th Anniversary
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You don't really need a reason to visit Disneyland. It is the happiest place on earth after all. But when was the last time you stepped onto Main Street U.S.A. and took a spin on Dumbo the Flying Elephant? If it's been awhile, you might want to consider planning a visit this year as the resort goes all out for its 60th anniversary Diamond Celebration. In honor of the occasion, let's highlight 60 of ...
15 Stunning Disneyland Foods And Drinks Worth Waiting In Line For
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Disneyland: home of fantastical fireworks, rip-roaring rides, more souvenirs than you can shake a four-fingered glove at - and, it so happens, some of the best theme park food this side of Arendelle. Bars and restaurants at the Disneyland Resort have figured out what guests crave, from sweet, buttery pineapple soft serves to boozy green screwdrivers made with five different kinds of rum. We've ...
Anticipation Grows As Disneyland 60th Nears
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Since Disneyland announced it would debut its 60th anniversary fireworks show, parade and diamond-decorated castle on May 22, I have been eagerly awaiting the day like a little kid making her first visit to the park. I purposely haven't been to Disneyland since mid-March, to help fuel the anticipation and excitement. Finally, it's less than three weeks away. With every day, I get more excited. ...
Disneyland For Adults Without Kids A Primer
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Disneyland overlords, all about branding and stealth marketing, apparently have an in-house name for the likes of me: "nonfamily guests." I've been called worse. It's nothing derisive - derision and mockery, after all, is verboten at "The Happiest Place on Earth" - but I cannot help but feel the term connotes something vaguely sad and pathetic, a sense of displacement, as if you're that ...
Disneyland Diamond Celebration Looks Ridiculously Amazing
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When Walt Disney opened his first theme park on July 17, 1955, he said, "To all who come to this happy place, welcome. Disneyland is your land. Here age relives fond memories of the past, and here youth may savor the challenge and promise of the future." Sixty years (and 700 million guests) later, Disneyland is marking its six-decade anniversary by hosting a summer-long party, called the Diamond ...
25 Things You Need To Know About Disneyland's Diamond Celebration
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Disneyland is celebrating 60 years of magic with a Diamond Celebration set to begin May 22. Since opening in 1955, Disneyland has continued to hold a special place in the hearts of children and adults alike. Here are 25 things you need to know if you are planning to celebrate with Mickey. Diamond Celebration hours 1. Disneyland opens at 6 a.m. on May 22 for a 24-hour kickoff of the Diamond ...