An A-Z guide to Disneyland on Home Services

Jan

An A-Z guide to Disneyland

posted by admin in Window Cleaning

A ADULTS. You wont find many at Disneyland - just kids of all ages. To make the most of Disneyland, leave your grown-up status at the entry gate - and dont just take it from me; thats what the nice man at US Immigration instructed.
B BABY STROLLERS. Used like Panzer tanks by over-zealous parents to clear a path through the crowded walkways. Along with motorised chairs (aka Electric Convenience Vehicles) for the inordinate number of very very large park visitors, theyre a certifiable hazard. Keep your distance, because they wont.
TIP: To avoid having to use a ECV on any future visits, take your own - healthy - snacks and stay clear of the ubiquitous stands selling churros (deep-fried pastry), candyfloss and popcorn. Fresh fruit is available but its considerably cheaper to take your own.
C CLEAN. Its part of the Disney legend that the two things you wont see at Disneyland are the cash being removed and the rubbish being removed. Disneyland is incredibly tidy - rubbish and recycling bins are everywhere - and dont be surprised to see suited Disney execs stop to pick up litter. C is also for CALIFORNIA SCREAMING, the superbly named rollercoaster at the heart of Disneys California Adventure, the adventure park and neighbour to Disneyland that opened in 2001. What it lacks in nostalgic value, Disneys California Adventure more than makes up for in thrills and spills.
TIP: Buy a three- or five-day Park Hopper pass, so you can easily go back and forth between parks.
D DUMBO THE FLYING ELEPHANT and the Mad Tea Party; two attractions that go back to Disneylands opening in 1955. Youll find them in Fantasyland, which is also home to the iconic Its a Small World - a triumph of mid 20th-century art direction.
TIP: According to Disneyland junkies, the plain purple tea cup in the Mad Tea Party spins the fastest.
E ENCHANTMENT. Perhaps Disneylands trump card over all other theme parks. Like the others, Disney has plenty to excite and exhilarate, but it also offers that rare ability to enchant.
TIP: Take a magical night flight over London in Peter Pans Flight - the ride might be 50 years old, but its simplicity and purity of design are breathtaking.
F FIREWORKS. Every night at about 9.20pm over Sleeping Beautys Castle. This staggering show - at a cost of over $40,000 each night - is a must. And its one attraction where you wont need a FAST PASS, the legit way to beat the lines. Many of the rides now feature a Fast Pass kiosk, where you enter your park ticket, and youll be issued a ticket giving you a return time, when you can go straight to the front of the line. It really is that simple - and saves hours of waiting. And yes, its free.
G GOOSEBUMPS. When youre heading through the entrance of Sleeping Beautys Castle stop and listen to the eerily beautiful %26quot;When You Wish Upon a Star%26quot; - the song from the film Pinocchio, which for years was used as the theme music for Disneys TV shows and films. Youll get goosebumps even on the hottest California day.
H HAUNTED MANSION. The parks third most popular attraction continues to spook the living daylights out of visitors, nearly 40 years after opening. From about October to January each year, the mansion is transformed into Haunted Mansion Holiday, based on Tim Burtons 1993 movie The Nightmare Before Christmas.
I INDIANA JONES ADVENTURE. Youll walk for what seems like miles to get on one of the parks most exciting and thrilling rides. Its worth every step.
TIP: Look out for the spiders.
J JAZZ For a taste of pre-Katrina New Orleans, visit New Orleans Square for jazz bands and a mini Mardi Gras.
K KEEPSAKES From Mickey Mouse ears to Tinkerbell T-shirts, and princess and pirate get-ups, theres no shortage of souvenir possibilities. There are hundreds of thousands of choices, but my pick for kids -after the essential T-shirts and mouse ears -are the make-your-own Mr Potato Heads and for adults, the Mickey Mouse wine bottle stoppers (practical and therefore not completely naff).
L LAIR. As in Pirates Lair, on Tom Sawyer Island. %26quot;Immersion%26quot; and %26quot;interaction%26quot; are two of Disneylands 21st century buzzwords; meaning instead of being passively involved in attractions - sit, scream, get off - you can now take part in some. Great for children - they can sharpen up their swashbuckling skills at Pirates Lair; learn to curtsey like a princess or swap their sword for a light sabre at Star Tours and fight like a Jedi warrior.
M MONEY. For New Zealanders travelling to Disneyland, head to your local travel agent for package deals on Disneyland accommodation and park passes - dont try to arrange it over the internet, where deals generally apply only to US citizens. Once youre at Disneyland, reduce costs by taking your own food and water - just no glass containers - bags are searched at the entrance.
TIP: There are scores of shops, so window-shop to start with, then return on your last day for those souvenirs you just cant go home without. See %26quot;K%26quot;.)
N NEMO. As in Finding Nemo, the Pixar movie behind Disneylands newest attraction, the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage. The ride, which opened last month, has seen Disneys original 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea submarine experience turned into a voyage under Australias Great Barrier Reef, and cleverly blends 3D sets with 2D computer animation featuring scenes from the movie. Now a cleaner, greener experience, the old diesel-powered submarines run on electricity, while 300 tonnes of recycled glass were used to paint the %26quot;coral%26quot;. Crowds were queuing for more than four hours during opening week to experience Disneylands take on Down Under.
TIP: Look out for the seagulls: %26quot;Mine, mine, mine…%26quot;
O THE OPERA HOUSE. If youre interested in art, design and/or model-making, or youre just looking for somewhere to escape the crowds, the Opera House at the top of Main St is where youll find original sketches, designs and models of Disneyland. Quietly fascinating.
P PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN. The ride that spawned the mega-million dollar Pirates of the Caribbean movie extravaganza. Johnny Depp spent four hours non-stop on the ride in preparation for his role as Captain Jack Sparrow. Another oldie but goodie, the 40-year-old ride is still one of Disneylands top attractions.
Q QUEUES. Accept youre going to spend time in queues, but there are ways to minimise the boredom. Dont visit Disneyland at the height of the US summer, when you could be jostling for position with more that 40,000 other people; September and October are quieter, and its still warm. And if youre staying at one of the three Disneyland hotels, you can gain entry to the park an hour earlier than the general public.
TIP: iPods and hand-held games are a great distraction for kids when queueing.
R RONALD REAGAN. The former US president hosted the official opening of Disneyland live on national TV on July 17, 1955, watched by 90 million people. Learn this, and other snippets of Disney history, on one of the parks guided tours.
S SPACE MOUNTAIN. After 30 years, still the parks most popular ride. Splash Mountain is the rollercoaster in the dark thats literally a scream from start to finish.
TIP: Go first thing in the morning to beat the queues.
T TIKI ROOM. Tucked away near the entrance to Adventureland, the Enchanted Tiki Room was the first Disney attraction to feature audio-animatronics, Disneys patented take on robotics. Here youll find talking and singing birds, flowers and totem poles, in kitsch classic Polynesian-inspired surroundings. See it to believe it.
TIP: Dont miss the Dole pineapple icecream and juice shack by the entrance.
U UNDERWATER. (SPOILER ALERT!) Worried youll be overcome by claustrophobia as you head into the deep on the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage? Dont. Youre no more underwater than Nemo is real.
V VIRTUAL Reality, as youd expect, provides the magic to many of Disneylands rides. Currently under construction is Toy Story Mania, which combines a fairground shooting gallery (using %26quot;virtual cannons%26quot; with the Toy Story characters, including Hamm, Mr Potato Head, Buzz and Woody. Its due to open in the middle of next year.
W WET. What youll get riding Splash Mountain. This log flume ride features a heart-stopping 15m sheer drop thats over as soon as its begun, but will stick in your memory for much much longer. As you start to inch your way up the track for the final descent, just remember all those %26quot;Final Exit%26quot; signs you blithely ignored while waiting to get on.
X X. Represents the unknown number of visitors to Disneyland each year. Its said that more than 510 million people have visited Disneyland since its opening in 1955, when it opened at a cost of $US17m, but if you want to know how much it brings in now, how many people visit, or even how much the new Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage cost to redevelop, your questions will be politely but firmly shut down.
Y YEAR OF A MILLION DREAMS. 2007 is Disneylands Year of a Million Dreams, where Disneyland visitors can win one of a million prizes from a prize pool worth $US17 million, ranging from exclusive Dream Fastpasses to Disney cruises or a nights stay in the newly opened Mickey Mouse Penthouse, an art-deco inspired delight at Disneyland Hotel.
Z ZIP-A-DEE-DOO-DAH. Part of the soundtrack at Splash Mountain (see above). Based on Disneys 1946 feature film Song of the South, Splash Mountain follows the story of Brer Rabbit, the mischievous rabbit who leaves his home at the Briar Patch to look for his laughing place. You can assume hes found it -watching the faces of Splash Mountains latest victims.