Disneyland Dream Suite

As mentioned previously in my blog, Walt Disney never liked to stray far from his creation when Disneyland was being constructed and renovated, which is why he had an apartment created for him within the walls of the Magic Kingdom. However, his tiny apartment was not quite big enough to house his VIP guests.

His solution was to create a luxury apartment above the Pirates of the Caribbean ride in New Orleans Square, called the The Royal Suite. Disney brought in a set designer from Gone With the Wind, to design the apartment and left the decorating to his wife, Lilly.

However, Roy Disney brought the apartment's construction to a halt by in 1966 after the death of Walt. The Royal Suite was later transformed into the Disney Gallery in 1987 and remained open for guests to peruse through until it was shut down in 2007 in order to bring Walt's original purpose for the space back to life.

Disney's Imagineers got to work on creating the Dream Suite, using Dorthea Redmond's original drawing as their inspiration. However, this time the Suite was going to be for randomly selected guests to enjoy instead of Disneyland VIPs.

Throughout the year 2009, called the Year of a Million Dreams, Disneyland has appointed special employees to pick random visitors to stay for a night in the Dream Suite, and some families have been featured in Disneyland's Backstage Pass magazine to share their experience.

The Dream Suite includes two bedroom, two bathrooms, a living room, and an open-air patio that overlooks the park, each with it's own Disney theme. From the balcony, guests have the best view "in the house" of the Fantasmic water show.

Each winner of the giveway is given a free dinner at the Blue Bayou restaurant, act as the Grand Marshal of the parade, and also get a two-hour tour of the park after it is closed.

For those of you who want to see more of this $3 million project, here's a video tour for Disneyland's new (and gorgeous) Dream Suite.

Summer Nightastic

This summer Disneyland and California Adventure are upgrading a few of their existing shows and events for 10 weeks. Starting June 12, Disneyland will transform Fantasmic and the Electric Parade by adding more lights, fireworks, and adding new villians.

Maleficint will now evolve into a 40 foot dragon in the Fantasmic water show, and they are also bumping up Ursula's eels, Flotsam and Jetsam, to 34 feet long. Viewers will also notice the digital projections on the water are now in high-definition.

Disneyland have now added even more lights to the Electric Parade and adding a brand new opening scene starring Tinkerbell, and about 25,000 lights, to lead this classic through the park. Also the addition of two original Electric Parade scenes, the Seven Dwarfs' diamond mine and Pinocchio & the Pleasure Island Boys, will bring the parade to a grand total of 500,000 lamps and 5 miles of wire.

And, last but not least, the Summer Nightastic will showcase a new fireworks display that will now include Dumbo, a light display in Disneyland's new Pixie Hollow, and the TLT Dance Club in Tomorrowland.

"That's definitely an E-ticket ride!"

Once upon a time, Disneyland used to require tickets to get on the the rides and attractions located inside the park, something that we are used to with carnivals and fairs. I stumbled upon some very old booklets of tickets that once belonged to my mother and found it difficult to wrap my head around the fact that on top of the admission fare, visitors once had to pay extra money to get on the rides.

These tickets, or "coupons" as Disney liked to call them, were given with the admission ticket and guest could purchase more individual tickets or couponse if needed. The tickets ranged from "A" to "E," with "A" being the least expensive and "E" being the least. The E-tickets were for rides that were more popular or that were newer attractions. The Fastpass system that is now used gives you tickets for guests to skip ahead of the line during certain time slots, and is used on rides that would have required E-tickets to get on.

Even though Disneyland stopped using the "coupons" in 1982, it is still common to hear some describe rides as "E-ticket rides" today. At least my mother still uses that phrase anyway.

God Bless Us! Every One!

Disney has outdone themselves once again in preparing for the release of A Christmas Carol, directed by Robert Zemeckis. Disney will kick off A Christmas Carol Train Tour, on May 22 at the Los Angeles Union Station. The tour will give visitors a behind the scenes look at Disney's latest film, which opens in theatres November 6.

The train will travel more than 16,000 miles across the country, stopping at 40 cities along the way, and will end at Grand Central Station in New York just in time for the movies release. The train tour will allow visitors to take a sneak peek of the 3D film, and they can also participate in giveaways and listen to the music of Christmas carolers. The train itself will feature four custom-designed vintage rail cars, which will house actual artifacts from Charles Dickens Museum of London.

Not many details have been released about the actual movie itself, but Jim Carrey will be playing the infamous Scrooge, along with seven other characters, and he is joined by Gary Oldman and Colin Firth.

www.christmascaroltraintour.com

Walt's Home Away from Home...

When entering Disneyland, before stepping onto Main Street, visitors pass several buildings. What many don't know is that one of Walt Disney's apartments was located above the fire department inside Disneyland. Disney wanted to keep a close eye on the constructions of Disneyland while it was being built, and since his hometown was far away from Anaheim, he spent many nights there.

The apartment was designed with to look like a firehouse and included a kitchen, a bathroom, and a back patio area. Disney watched from the window in his apartment on opening day of Disneyland with his family. There are many pictures of the inside of the apartment, however, only one picture of Walt Disney inside of it.

Although, Disney did relocate to a new apartment above the Pirates of the Carribean ride later on, which was said to be his favorite ride, most of the original furniture remains inside the first apartment. At night, the Disneyland staff keeps the desk lamp on by the window in memoriam to Walt.

The Devil Went Down to Georgia...

I'm not usually one to sit and listen to bluegrass-country music, but that all changed this past Sunday while I was at Disneyland.

While meandering through Frontierland to get over to the Haunted Mansion, I heard loud music and commotion coming out of the Golden Horseshoe Saloon. I decided to take a peak inside to see what all the fuss was about and practically died laughing when I saw what looked like 4 inbred hillbillies playing their fiddles to a packed room.

They went on to introduce themselves as "Billy Hill and the Hillbillies." I decided I had to stay for the ENTIRE show because I was so enraptured with whether or not Billy Hill's teeth were real. He was someone in serious need of braces, or at least a dentist.

I was not disappointed. The show was very entertaining, and to top it off, they ended with one of my all time favorite fiddle-songs, The Devil Went Down to Georgia.

I have not once on any Disneyland trip stumbled upon what I now call my "new favorite bluegrass band," but it turns out that they have been performing there since 1986. After a four-year stint in Critter Country, they were relocated to The Golden Horseshoe.

I highly recommend stopping by on your next Disneyland trip, in the very least to find out the truth behind Billy Hill's teeth. I can't give away ALL of Disneyland's secrets on here. Personally, I am going to make it a point to catch a show everytime I go.

The Real Tink...

Although Tinkerbell bears a striking resemblance to Marilyn Monroe, with the curvy figure, blonde hair, and "sex appeal" (if it's possible for a cartoon to have "sex appeal), it may suprise you that the man who drew her did not take inspiration from Monroe when he put his pencil to the sketchpad.

Marc Davis, the animator of Tinkerbell, actually used an actress named Margaret Kerry as the basis for the hot-tempered fairy. Kerry, who had to audition for the "role," was asked to act out the different moods and movements of Tinkerbell in order to bring this fictional character to "life." Kerry was sometimes given large props to use while acting out different scenes that would later appear in Disney's cartoon version of Peter Pan.

It was very common for Disney animator's to have people act out scenes in Disney cartoons while they were drawing them out, and they often used the actors and actresses who did the voices for the characters themselves. Unfortunately for Kerry, Tinkerbell did not speak. However, they did use her again to act as the red-headed mermaid that is seen in the lagoon in Peter Pan.

Crocs: The Disney Statement Shoe

I am an avid reader of fashion magazines. You'll find my coffee table littered with Vogue, W, Vanity Fair, and Elle. It's safe to say I know a thing or two about fashion. What designers are calling the "statement shoe" has been an increasing trend over the past year. It seems that fashion is ALL about the shoes this season, and being a person with a heel "fetish" (my mom's words, not mine), I could not be happier.

So, you can imagine how much it pains me to go to Disneyland and see these

on the feet of men, women, and children.

Ok. Maybe the kids can get away with it. My little sister has a pair and I think she's cute enough to pull off anything. However, I gave my mom hell when I found out she bought a pair for her and yelled at her when she tried to buy a SECOND pair in front of me.

But I can not bear to look at full grown adults in these shoes. I am sorry if I offend, but why would you do that to your feet? What is wrong with good ol' fashioned tennis shoes or flip flops to trot around Disneyland in. Not only do they look extremely uncomfortable to walk around in all day, but they are just an eyesore for people like myself, who like to think of wearing shoes as an art form.

Not only do I see Crocs on a good 30 to 40 percent of the people at Disneyland, now they are selling Disney Crocs that have Mickey Mouse shaped holes in place of the boring old circles. Leave it to Disney to take Crocs to the "next level."

Please do everyone a favor.

Respect your feet. Respect fashion. Dump the Crocs.

Jambalaya, Crawfish Pie, Me Oh My Oh...

I am absolutely enthralled with the South. Ever since I was little I have had this complete fascintation with anything Southern. I've made my cousins cook gumbo with me while drinking mint juleps and listening to French creole music in the background. I even dressed as Scarlett O'Hara for Halloween when I was in 4th grade.

Therefore, it is no suprise that my favorite area in Disneyland is New Orlean's Square, which is home to the Pirates of the Carribean and the Haunted Mansion. The area is fashioned after 19th century New Orleans. The attention to detail that Disney's Imagineers put into creating the streets and building of New Orleans Square is enough to make you feel las if you've left Anaheim, CA and ended up in Louisiana.

Beside the beautiful architecture of the faux-homes that line the "streets" of New Orleans Square, visitors can take the Southern experience one step further by catching Mardi Gras beads thrown by Queenie and the Jambalaya Jazz Band. Keep your shirts on though, this is Disneyland after all.

To top it off, you can make reservations at the Blue Bayou Restaurant, which serves cajun-creole meals such as jambalaya and gumbo. The restaurant is located in the Pirates of the Carribean and feels as if you are dining by moonlight next to a southern bayou. The sound of a banjo, crickets, and frogs add to the ambience.

So while Disney's version of New Orleans may not be exactly what you'll find in the real city today, this is as close as a poor college student is going to get to living out my "Southern belle dream" for now.

The Things that Nightmares are Made of.

I am a huge fan of classic Disney cartoons. Let's face it, the cartoons that Disney cranks out these days are not quite the same caliber as the ones made 50 years ago. The films today seem to be missing something. On of those "things" is the dark undertones in the films of yore. Anybody remember the demon in Fantasia?



That's enough to give you nightmares. Or how about Sleeping Beauty's Maleficent. The villians in these classic Disney films don't have the goofy characteristics you see in today's villians. They are simply downright scary. Honestly, I'd much rather run into Hades from Hercules than the Queen/Witch in Snow White.

Just take a walk though Disneyland's Fantasyland, which is filled with rides based on the classics. My mom absolutely refused to let my three-year-old sister on a good majority of them for fear that she will incur permanent psychological scarring. Initially, I ridiculed my mom for being "dramatic" and "overprotective." Turns out, moms have this funny way of being right (most of the time).

On one Disneyland trip with my family a few months back, I suggested Mr. Toad's Wild Ride since the wait was only 20 minutes. My parents were hesitant but caved in. How scary can a 4 minute adventure with a frog be? Well, Mr. Toad's journey ends with him being sentenced to an eternity in hell by a judge that bears a striking resemblance to Satan. Who knew?

I wasn't allowed to pick out rides after that.

Afterwards, I decided to go on all the rides in Fantasyland at night after most of the kids had cleared out of the park. I learned that those of you with young children want to avoid the rides in Fantasyland that have the shortest lines (i.e., Snow White's Scary Adventure, Pinocchio's Daring Journey). Parents aren't taking their kids on these rides for a reason.

Monorail: The New "Walking"

I have recently stumbled upon a semi-secret entrance into Disneyland. And yes, by "stumbled" I mean "my mom told me" (I swear. I don't know what I would do without her.) For those of you who purchase your Disneylannd tickets before or have an annual pass, there is a monorail stop by Rainforest Cafe in Downtown Disney. It comes and goes every 15 minutes and there is usually a shorter line than the front entrance of Disneyland park.

After a semi-shakey trip halfway around the park, you get dropped off by Finding Nemo in Tomorrowland. You also get a brief glimpse at the backside of Disney (you may want to cover your childrens eyes as to not ruin the magic). The monorail also has another stops, whether your coming or going, in the Grand Californian Hotel.

If your lazy and impatient like me, you'll opt for the monorail. It sure beats trying to get around the "sunday strollers" in Downtown.

Rancho del Zocalo

This restaurant, located in Frontierland, has recently replaced Cafe Orleans as my favorite place to eat in Disneyland. I had never really noticed it before because it's relatively hidden behind the faux shooting range, or maybe I'm just not that observant. However, once again, I can thank my mother for pointing out something "new" to me in Disneyland, which is quite difficult to do since I've been going for about 20 years now.



This is about as "authentic" as you can get while within the walls of Disneyland. To be completely honest, I have only tried the chicken soft tacos, which are a lot more like fajitas than tacos. The come with a mixture of bellpeppers and onions w/a side of rice and beans. I recommend giving them a shot next time you go.


Rancho del Zocalo's prices are pretty much consistent with the majority of Disneyland's restaurants. On average, you'll pay $10 to $20, depending on whether you get a drink or not (beware: refills will cost you extra, in true Disneyland fashion).


Tip: Splurge on the tortilla chips with the hint o' lime and guacamole.

Shootin' Hoops in the Matterhorn

Disney's hidden basketball court in the top of the Matterhorn was brought up in class so I thought I'd share with everyone the reason for this.

Originally, I had read from several different sources online that the basketball court was put in the Matterhorn as a way to bypass height regulations for the city of Anaheim. Allegedly, the city had banned buildings to exceed a certain height unless they were housing sports.

However, according to snopes.com, this is completely false. What is called a "basketball court" is actually a tiny area with a hoop that is smaller than a half-court. They state that there used to be climbers who went up the side of the Matterhorn, for entertainment purposes, and this was their "backstage" area. One of the climbers installed the hoop and backboard to pass the time in between hikes.

I'm sure if there were strict height regulations during the construction of the Matterhorn, Walt Disney would have come up with something far more clever than an "almost half-court" to outwit the city's regulators. Or, he would have just paid them off.

Disney's Wine Festival

Disney's California Adventure park will host the annual Food and Wine festival from April 24 to June 7. The festival includes signature, which range anywhere from $55 to $450, and complimentary events. The complimentary events include wine tasting seminars, cooking demonstrations, and a junior chef class.

The signature events have much more to offer, but of course, are going to cost you extra and you have to reserve your spot online ahead of time. There are the general dinner and wine tasting you can go to on a few days, but you can also pay to spend the evening with famous chefs such as Guy Fierri, Keegan Gerhard, and Tommy Lasorda. That's right. Tommy Lasorda, a former major league baseball player turned wine connoisseur, who now apparently has a collection of wines.

However, what I think is the most exciting (and the most expensive) event, is the Napa Rose cooking class taught by an executive chef. There are several dates for the classes but only 14 spaces in each class, so you can imagine they will fill up quickly. If you have an extra $450 lying around, this may spark your interest.

For more information on dates, events and prices click here:

Club 33

I'm sure all of you have passed by the "top secret" Club 33 several times when being at Disneyland. Most of you probably know that it's exclusive club that does not allow all Disneyland goers inside. I decided to find out a little more about it in hopes that I can somehow get myself inside there, whether that be via membership or tour.

Unfortunately, my chances are very slim of either ever happening.

Turns out, membership costs range from an expensive designer dress to an average priced car. The different membership levels are Corporate Membership, Limited Corporate Membership, Gold Membership, and Silver Membership. The prices of these memberships range from about $4000 to $28,000. Oh, and there's a 14 year waiting list.

The club was initially made for the corporate employees of Disneyland, but was later extended to others after Walt Disney's death. Club 33 got it's name from what would technically be it's "street address," 33 Royal Street, which it needed in order to obtain a liquor license. It is the only place inside Disneyland where you can get alcohol.

I don't foresee myself getting into the historical club anytime soon, but I still always linger on by the door whenever someone is going in to try and get a look inside.

Sex Ed...Disney Style.

Here's a video of Disney's "The Story of Menstruation." It was made in 1946 for an educational video company. For those of you who need a refresher course, take a look. Sorry, you won't find Ariel or Cinderella in this cartoon nor a big musical number halfway through.

It's A Small World Re-opens.

It's A Small World re-opened February after it had been shut down to undergo some renovations. And some people are a little pissed. Particulary the offspring of the original ride's designer, Mary Blair. They new and "improved" ride will now include Disney characters placed throughout the "small world" and are replacing the New Guinea section with a section for the United States. Many feel that inputting Disney characters is taking away from what the ride's original meaning of peace and acceptance. I think that adding Jack Sparrow to Pirates of the Carribean didn't ruin the ride. If anything it may have made it more exciting for the younger generation that have come to associate him with Pirate's. I think the same will go for Small World. Although, many of the older generation would like to keep Disneyland as they remember from their childhood, updating the rides every once in a while isn't going to "ruin" Disneyland.

Obama...modern day Robin Hood?

So I think I'm the only person in the US that has yet to watch the State of the Union Address. Thank God for Tivo, because with my hectic schedule I never get to watch television in real time. Unless "real-time" is 5 days after it aired...

I love Michelle Obama's dress by the way!!

Here come's the Cabinet. Hillary Clinton is wearing bright Barbie pink...a little harsh on the eyes. The Secretary of State should know better than to wear that.

I have to admit, relating the State of the Union to Disneyland might not be as easy as I'd hope, but I'm going to give it a shot. I've been avoiding news coverage of this all week so I could be "suprised" when I actually got to watch it.

Obama just walked in and he looks so happy! It's almost cute. As if he was at Disneyland. It's actually putting a smile on my face.

There's this crazy paparazzi-esque guy on Obama's back and I just watched him take 4 pictures of the back of the President's head. Creepy.

I think Obama just said "Thank you" 20 times. Sounds like he's getting slightly irritated with his standing ovations.

I wonder if Disneyland has felt any impact of the recession?? Everytime I go it seems filled to the brim with people from all over the place. I guess there's always money for Disneyland.

Disneyland has definitely done it's part on job creation for us. Just found on disneydreamer.com that the Disneyland resort has a work force of 21,000 people.

"Nobody messes with Joe." That would make a good bumper sticker.

I think VP Biden just fell asleep...oh wait, there he goes.

Saving $2000 per year on mortgages means you can go to Disneyland about 20 times...and get a souvenir.

No more private jets and "fancy grapes" for the CEOs. What is a "fancy grape"? I bet Bob Iger (Disney CEO) doesn't use taxpayers money for his private jet.

I wonder how much it would cost Disney to change everything to solar power?

Glad to hear Obama plans to help the auto industry...I just bought 100 shares in Ford.

Did Obama just promise a cure for cancer?? That man is amazing.

Education reform. Hope that applies to CSUF. Lower tuition?? No more courses dropped?? Dare I mention...A reasonable price for a parking permit?? A girl can dream.

Seems the Disney Corp. isn't immune to the recession after all. Here's a chart of their stock price over the past 5 years. Noticeable decline.

Tax increases for the rich? That's why FoxNews has been calling Obama "Robin Hood" all week. I don't agree with this at all, but since I'm not making over $250,000, I'll keep my mouth shut.

Damn. My Tivo just cut off at the end of the address.

A Very Merry Un-Birthday to You!

This year Disneyland is giving out free admission tickets for your birthday. I'm sure we've all seen the commercials by now. Just reminding you to sign up for your free ticket. If you have an Annual Pass then you get to choose from either a fastpass to use throughout the park on your birthday, a giftcard that is supposed to be about $80, or a free admission ticket to use anytime throughout the year. Take advantage before Bob Iger realizes how much money their losing!!

Here's the link to register yourself:

http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/disneyparks/en_US/WhatWillYouCelebrate/disneyland/index?name=CelebrationsDLRFreeOnYourBirthdayPage

The Little Mermaid Ride...Finally!

California Adventure is undergoing some construction to revamp the park, which is supposed to include new rides and attractions. Apparently, California Adventure didn't attract the crowds the way the imagineers thought it would so they are giving it another shot. I've been reading for about a year that this is to include a Little Mermaid ride in the lagoon area and have seen concept art in articles. Now they have released a simulation of how the ride is supposed to be on the Little Mermaid DVD special features. The ride should be done sometime within the next couple years and has a $100-million budget. It's about time!

My Mom...the Journalist.

My mom tried her hand at journalism last weekend after we spotted Sharon Stone with her kids at Disneyland last weekend. While my mom, my little sister, and I patiently waited for our turn on Alice in Wonderland, Sharon Stone & Co. sauntered right past us to the front of the line and began their adventure in Wonderland. My mother, who decided she wanted in on the action, began to bombarde the ride operator with as many questions as she could fit into the 30 seconds it took us to load into the hookah-smoking catepillar.

Here are my mother's findings:

The Rich and/or Famous often pay extra money to have body guards follow them and their children around the park, and are not forced to stand in line with the "common folk" so as to avoid crazy fans, paparazzi, and nosy people like my mother.

Unfortunately, my mom, being an amateur journalist, failed to ask two important questions: "How much?" and "Where do we sign up?" However, she is insistent that she will find out and report back to me as soon as she does.

No...Leave the Lights On...

Space Mountain may not be considered a "roller coaster," but it's the closest I'll ever get to getting on one. However, it loses some of it's magic when the lights are on. Probably because it feels a lot less like your in outerspace and more like your on a roller coaster prototype.

Disneyland in the rain...

...is overrated. Sure the crowds are small and the average wait time in line is about 20 minutes (sometime shorter), but my idea of getting on every good ride in the park in two hours and getting out of there backfired in my face on Friday. Instead, I ended up stuck on the first ride I went on, Indiana Jones, for about 30 minutes, while the ride operator assured me that we were just having some "jeep trouble" and would be off on our adventure in no time. By the time they figured out that they were shutting down the ride, I came out to pouring rain and people in yellow rain parkas hiding under umbrellas. When I got back to my car the bottom half of my pants were drenched and my hair was plastered to my head. However, I did come out of the fiasco with a free fast-pass for being held against my will in Indiana's broken jeep (the seat belt wouldn't unbuckle, I swear).

I am a HUGE fan of Disneyland. It really is my "happy place." I am an annual pass holder and go there as often as I can and never get tired of it. It is the place where I can go to get away from reality and just completely enjoy myself. I'm always able to find something new there that I have never noticed before. However, just like everything else, you have to take the bad with the good.