Disneyland Secrets

[kgwoozle]

And one correction from above....
The Columbia is actually a replica of the Lady Washington. This tall ship still sails and takes trips up and down the west coast for people to enjoy. Ladywashing.org. This ship has also made an appearance in a Star Trek movie...I can never remember the names, but I think it's Generations. It's the one where Kirk and Picard meet up in the Nexus.

Ummm correction to the correction

"Lady Washington was built over a two-year period. She was launched (her birthday) on March 7, 1989. Then she was rigged over the next two months and set sail on her maiden voyage in May. She was rerigged within a year and has been sailing since"
-FAQ Lady Washington Home Page


Sailing Ship Columbia was added to DisneyLand in 1958. So can't She be a replica of the Lady Washington.

Sorry

 

[bonzie1]

Thanks for sharing the Disneyland Magic! Reading this thread has been great!

 

[RIFamily]

Wanted to bump this to the top just in case anyone has anything else to add!

 

[Major.Nelson]

I've never been to disney land but i heard that theres a penny glued to the floor of the castle in the Exact center of the park. Boy i bet that made a lot of people mad. But im sure somebody was able to get it up by now

 

[Albertan mom]

You can 'pilot' the Mark Twain! Be the first on up to the captains door and knock politely - or ask the cast members that are on duty there to let you pilot the boat. You'll ge to pull the whistles and horns, use the huge wheel, and take the whole trip around the river up there! There is even a guest log book to sign in on.
!

Thanks to this tip---we got to do this today!!
My kids thought it was so fun!!
Thanks!

 

[Redcon1]

Albertan Mom-
Did they get the pilot's license afterward? That makes a great souvenir!

 

[snowwhitesmom]

More, please!!!

 

[Albertan mom]

Albertan Mom-
Did they get the pilot's license afterward? That makes a great souvenir!

Yes, they did.
They were especially impressed that it had Walts 'real' signature on it!!

 

[shellncesar]

Hey all,
I heard one time that they actually pipe smells around certain areas of the park to make you crave certain foods such as churros and waffle cones as well as many others. If you stand in certain areas, you can smell all the good foods when you are not near the restrant!

 

[pink elephants]

Wanted to bump this to the top just in case anyone has anything else to add!

Could this thread be flagged so that it's always at the top? It's a great read for anyone travelling to DL.

 

[CrowleyFam]

There is a thread on the WDW theme parks forum for WDW secrets. I thought I'd add what I found on Disneyland's secrets from an article printed in the San Francisco Chronicle. Please share your finds of Disneyland secrets, tips and tricks!!

Main Street is based largely on the town of Marceline, Mo., where Walt Disney spent part of his childhood—a whistle stop on the old Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe rail line between Chicago and Kansas City. The town named a swimming pool and elementary school after its most famous son. The latter is the only place outside Disneyland authorized to fly the official flag.

Main Street is actually based on Fort Collins, Colorado. The comparisons are shown in our local museum and I clipped the following out of the "Citysearch" website:
"Walt Disney wanted Main Street to be based on his hometown of Marceline, Mo., but instead borrowed designs from Fort Collins, Colo"

Having lived here and been to DL many times, I see the buildings that are represented on Main Street!

 

[LittleBoPeep]

Bump!

 

[cgbsilver@hotmail.co]

subscribing

 

[eclipseSD]

Going to DLR pretty soon for President's day.

I'm curious - Does anyone know of a checklist or something where all of these secrets are categorized or something?

I really want to see these when I'm at the park, but it would be easier to have a list then a seven page thread.

Does anyone know if the Sleeping Beauty walkthrough ever re-opened? I know it shut down after 9/11, but I never heard about it after that.

Oh, Inside Disney by Randy Bright and The Nickel Tour are two of the best park history books that have oodles of Disney secrets and trivia. Try eBay for Inside Disney though, its been out of print for a while.

Here's an excerpt from Randy's book about the discovery of cats in the Castle by Walt Disney, Ken Anderson, and Emile Kuri:

"Meanwhile, Kuri, dressed in an immaculate white suit, had moved ahead of the group and was poking curiously around the premises. It seemed that everywhere he poked, he discovered cats. There were cats on the beams, cats on the walkways, and cats underfoot with practically every step. And they were wild, not friendly in the least. It seemed that they had probably taken up residence in the castle sometime during the construction period two years earlier.

Kuri jumped over a partition to a spot where a large cardboard box rested with a gunnysack over it. In the dim light, he picked up the old gunnysack. Suddenly, shockingly, his sparkling white suit turned gray. He let out a half-scream, half-cry for help and began jumping up and down violently. In desperation, he ran toward Disnry and Anderson.

"We were covered with fleas," remembers Anderson. "It seemed the whole area was so filled with cat fleas that they were happy to see people! We were slapping ourselves and rolling up our trousers when Walt said, 'Don't worry, fellows. I've got a phone here!' Disney made a quick call and said, 'Hello, this is walt.' There was a pause. 'Walt Disney, that's who!.'"​

​

 

[GreenGirl8]

Keep the secrets and tips coming! My DSister-In-Law went in July and said there were Happiest Celebration Hidden Mickeys, 50 in all of DL park for the Golden Celebration (not sure if they carried it over to DCA). Anyone happen to gather a list of the areas they can be found in? Or maybe a photo to post so we all can search?
TIA

You can get an official list from Guest Relations when you visit the park.

 

[pixleyyy]

What a wonderful thread. My husband and I both got a huge chuckle out of them! And we're both determined to let the kids "Pilot" the Mark Twain. Do you know if there is a party limit for that? We have 7 in our party but could have one of us and the 3 kids go if they don't allow all 7.

 

[got2travel]

No official list of all these secrets. Then they wouldn't be secret now would they???

No, the Sleeping Beauty walkthrough has not re-opened. The rumors say it had to do with safety concerns around Sept 11. But if you ask a cast member they will say that it was because of the accessability rules in CA. There was no way to make it wheelchair accessable.

The Mark Twain probably couldn't hold 7 people in the wheelhouse. I'm not sure of the exact number. But the last time my son and I did it, we actually shared with another family because two different cast members said ok to 2 different families. Anyway, with the pilot, me and my son and 3 other kids, it was a pretty tight fit.

 

[Rapunsel]

We fit 4 adults and 2 kids in the Wheel house of the Mark Twain with no problem at all. We had an awesome time!

There is even a chair to sit in. if everyone does not fit up top there are 'seats below'.

 

[SueM in MN]

No, the Sleeping Beauty walkthrough has not re-opened. The rumors say it had to do with safety concerns around Sept 11. But if you ask a cast member they will say that it was because of the accessability rules in CA. There was no way to make it wheelchair accessable.

I just wanted to point out that even though cast members might be saying that, things are not closed just because they are not wheelchair accessible. The ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) requires things to be made accessible if possible, but there are places that are not possible to make accessible. If that's the fact, the ADA doesn't require they be closed; they are just not accessible.

 

[LittleBoPeep]

bump!