At Disneyland, 4th of July celebrations actually last about a week. Now through July 3, the resort is hosting special celebrations to drum up excitement for Independence Day. Disney encourages visitors to wear red, white, and blue to the park, and both Disneyland and California Adventure have special performances happening throughout the day. Photo: Disney […] Read more…
 Source: Disney Pal May 1998 – January 2010 LOCATION Tomorrowland – Honey I Shrunk The Audience! used the Tomorrowland theater, located beneath Space Mountain. Today, this theater space routinely changes between Star Wars film clips, Disney movie trailers, and limited-time releases, including the return of Captian EO. BACKGROUND Honey, I Shrunk The Audience! began in […] Read more…
This week, Disneyland rolled out a brand new upgrade to fast pass: digital scanning! This is the first step in preparing for the MaxPass system, which will be arriving in the park sometime in the near future. Paper tickets are not going away. Instead, when you scan your ticket or annual pass, you’ll get a […] Read more…
Tomorrowland has the most active skyline of any land in the park; around every corner you’ll see flying rockets, a mountain, towering tracks, and lots of geometric architecture. But you may notice one structure flying high above the rest: the Moonliner! This rocket is a 2/3 replica of the original Tomorrowland Moonliner, which stood at […] Read more…
 Source: Passporter February 2001 – June 2009 LOCATION Paradise Pier – Souvenir 66 was the old-fashioned souvenir shop along the waterfront, across from the Golden Zephyr. Today, the structure remains, but has been rethemed as Seaside Souvenirs. EXPERIENCE Details: Merchandise – Assorted Disney collectibles, including pins, toys, hats, books, etc. Unique Features – Lighthouse roof, […] Read more…
One of my favorite lands to photograph has to be Fantasyland; every angle is gorgeous, with mountains, turrets, flowers, trees, and gold detailing in any direction you look. Between racing from attraction to attraction, I always stop to snap some pictures as I explore this beautiful section of the park. Here’s a little tribute to […] Read more…
Source: Matterhorn 1959 July 1955 – January 1997 LOCATION Main Street USA – Carnation Ice Cream Parlor occupied prime real estate on Main Street, at the corner intersection where the road opens up into two alleyways. Today, this space is used by the Carnation Café. EXPERIENCE Details: Service Type – table service Seating – indoor […] Read more…
June 2012 – present LOCATION Cars Land – Radiator Springs Curios sits toward the end of the main roadway in Cars Land. If you walk down the street, toward Radiator Springs Racers, you’ll see Radiator Springs Curios on the left, just before Luigi’s Rollickin’ Roadsters. EXPERIENCE Details: Merchandise – Cars-themed collectibles (pins, vinylmation, tsum tsums) […] Read more…
Disneyland is the happiest place on earth, but sometimes, it lets you down. Maybe the park is way more crowded than you thought it would be. Maybe your favorite attraction broke down, and has stayed down. Or, maybe you had a bad experience with a rude cast member. Whatever the case may be, having a […] Read more…
June 1986 – February 1996, April 2004 – January 2016 LOCATION Frontierland – Big Thunder Ranch Barbecue drew in visitors wandering between Fantasyland and Frontierland, on the trail circling Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. Today, this space is part of the entryway into Star Wars Land. EXPERIENCE Details: Service Type – table service (buffet style) Seating […] Read more…
Hollywood Land is pretty busy during the daytime, but it gets a whole new vibe at night. The neon lights reflect off the street and trolley tracks, and the land suddenly feels like the famous umbrella scene from Singing In the Rain. It’s quiet, but vibrant, and there’s an extra dose of that old Hollywood feeling on […] Read more…
Welcome to Ask The Duchess Vol. 19, a monthly Q&A post covering a variety of resort-related topics. Ask The Duchess answers questions submitted by readers. If you have a question you’d like answered, send me a message here! 1. I am a mug collector. Where should I go? (submitted by Susanna) A lot of gift shops have mugs with different theming, but […] Read more…
Oh boy. If ever there were a month for which I did NOT want to do a recap, it would be this one. Disneyland drama comes in waves, and this month’s wave flooded the beach. So let’s take a deep breath, and try to sort out the chaos of May 2017. If you stick with […] Read more…