You’ve undoubtedly noticed Disneyland’s railroad circling the edges of the original park. When people ask, “where does the train go?”, you can probably explain the route without skipping a beat. But have you ever wondered how far the trains actually travel? (Plot twist: the railroad is NOT Disneyland’s furthest traveling train!) Here are some quick […] Read more…
You’ll be hard pressed to find a crazier spot in Disneyland than Main Street at parade time. If you try to get through this area during a show, good luck winding through tiny roped off pathways with people anxiously racing in both directions. But if you’re lucky, you’ll get to skip this altogether. Sometimes, when […] Read more…
I was recently flipping through my Disneyland Encyclopedia, when I came across some super interesting stats. Inside the book, the author includes lots of trivia and lists. One of these lists measures distances around the park by football fields (100 yards or 91.44 meters). I found this list fascinating, so I thought I’d share in […] Read more…
If you’ve ever browsed any online Disney forums, you’re bound to have encountered a mysterious rumored park: the Dark Kingdom. This park, almost always proposed as a 5th Disney World gate (and once in a blue moon, a 3rd Disneyland or Disneyland Paris gate), would be an villain-centric park. I’ve seen threads related to the […] Read more…
Sleeping Beauty Castle’s magic comes from its details: the real gold plating along its turrets, the stained-glass windows, and the colorful stone. Walk across the drawbridge and you’ll see one of those details up close, just above the archway. This fixture wasn’t original to the castle; it was added in 1965. Many sources, including Wikipedia, […] Read more…
When you think of Disneyland, you probably have a mental image of the castle standing tall at the end of Main Street. But Sleeping Beauty’s home isn’t even close to the tallest structure at the Disneyland Resort. In fact, at 77 feet, it doesn’t even make the top 10! Here are the 10 tallest Disneyland […] Read more…
You can find all kinds of amazing Disneyland trivia from limitless sources – books, blogs, videos, Pinterest. But unfortunately, not all sources are made equal. Social media is incredible for sharing Disneyland tips and tricks…and for rapidly spreading urban legends. Here 5 pieces of Disneyland trivia that aren’t actually true. 1. MYTH: There is a […] Read more…
A few months ago, I wrote about Disneyland’s rooftop tricks and how buildings manipulate perception across the park. One of these buildings, what I call the “3 Land Building”, is one of the best examples of simple details transforming guests’ sense of space. Let’s take a closer look at just how Disneyland can create a […] Read more…
Every Disney park has tons and tons of set pieces by necessity, and most of the time, Imagineers DON’T want you to notice them. So how can they hide these towering fixtures, equipment…even entire walls? The answer is a very simple trick. Source: House Beautiful This color is called “Go Away Green”. It’s a special […] Read more…
Disneyland often feels like its own world. And for many years, that world had its own currency! From 1987 to 2016, Disneyland visitors could use Disney Dollars at the park and in Downtown Disney. The bills, which looked similar to US dollars, essentially worked like gift cards. Visitors purchased dollars in set denominational amounts, which could […] Read more…
At Disneyland, the scenery becomes critical to each land’s storytelling. Visitors believe they’ve been transported into another world because they’re surrounded by it; every shop, garden, and pathway works together to create an immersive experience. These tricks extend up above your sightline, to the very top of Disneyland’s staged worlds. The rooftops in Disneyland help […] Read more…
If you’re an observant Disneyland visitor, you may notice some slightly unusual creatures roaming Disneyland…and I don’t mean Wookies or Green Army Men. In addition to the princesses, villains, pirates, and other characters, a family of cats also call Disneyland home. Source: Pinterest No one knows exactly when the first cats arrived in Disneyland, but […] Read more…
What sets Disneyland apart from other amusement parks is its storytelling; each attraction takes riders into a new world, with a plot, major characters, and lots of detail. And while most attractions have a pretty obvious premise, there are some with backstories so subtle, they often go unnoticed. Here are some of Disneyland’s most subtle […] Read more…