KMABOO:Here's a list of
Disneyland secrets that I put together from various Threads on the DIS. SOME of these are no longer applicable....I looked for quite a few and found them but some no longer exist. For example, the 50 Golden "Hidden Mickeys" are no longer there.
Anyway, if some of these don't apply anymore, don't get mad at me, I only copied and pasted what I found on the DIS from other threads!!!
Disneyland Resort Secrets
A Guide to the Best Kept Secrets of the Happiest Place on Earth!
Disneyland Park
Main Street
--On Main Street look at the windows you will see tributes to many people who worked with Disney, at Disney and tributes to Walt’s Family
--Over the Fire Station next door to City Hall you will see a upstairs window, that is Walt's old in park apartment. It is still decorated as it was in his time. The light in the window is a tribute to Disney, in his day they would put a light in the window to let Cast Member's know he was in residence. It is always lit now since he is always at the park now, they say.
-The Disneyland Rail Road steam trains need to have water re-filled in them about every three revolutions around the park.
-Take the grand circle tour on the Disneyland Rail Road. It's a nice way to take a mid-day break…
-Go to the Main Street Train Station and ask the conductor at the station if you can ride the tender of the C.K. Holiday or the E.P. Ripley. If you are granted a ride you will essentially be riding in the locomotive with the engineer and fireman. Alternatively, ask the conductor at the Main Street Station if you can ride in the Lillie Belle. This is a private VIP car which was constructed from one of the original cars built for the Disneyland rail road. There is a cloak hanging in the car which they will tell you was left there by Mrs. Disney. If you are real nice the conductor will grant you a ride in this car.
- There is a vent that blows the smell of baked goods onto Main Street.
-The Partners Statue of Walt and Mickey at the centerpiece of Disneyland would be something that Walt would tear down; because he felt that the fantasy world should be separate from the mortal man that envisioned it.
-Watch the Flag Retreat Ceremony held daily on Main Street.
-Ride the Double Decker Bus down Main Street
-Listen to the Piano Player at Coke Corner.
-Listen to the Dapper Dans.
-Have a corn dog from the little red cart on Main Street and eat it on the benches located behind it. It's a character entrance/exit. They always take time to interact with whatever little kids are hanging out there. It's very cute, sometimes funny and always very sweet.
-Play a game of checkers at the little market on Main Street. It's a great place to stop and rest your feet. During the winter you can order a cup of hot chocolate too!
-Watch the nightly fireworks from as close to the hub as possible.
-Another fun little spot to sit and watch people on Main Street is on a front porch on the right (if you're facing the castle) where there are rocking chairs to sit in.
-Be sure to NOT MISS Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln (if the 50th anniversary tribute is gone) on Main St. Many pass this by and it's incredible.
-Lincoln from Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln was first seen at the '64 World's Fair, then moved to Disneyland as the first human audio-animatronic. That later led to the animatronics seen in attractions like Pirates.
-While strolling down Main Street, take a detour on one of the side alleys. Be quiet and listen. You may hear a piano lesson, a tourist waking up, or a dental appointment.
-The Main Street Cars are replicas of I think a 1903 Ferguson and were built specifically for Main Street so they are like 8/10ths scale or something. They are powered by 10 HP motors and many have been in service since the 1956, a year after the park opened and are still going strong. They max out at 3 MPH.
-Some LA and Orange Co. Maps and guides consider and classify Disneyland Main Street as a real street.
-Main Street uses "forced perspective" to make the buildings seem taller and larger and the entire street is a tribute to Walt's home town of Marceline, Missouri at the turn of the 20th century.
-Main Street has a wooden Indian. This is a tribute to the location of the old smoke shop that used to be one of Walt's favorites. There is another Indian in Frontierland also.
-The smell of vanilla is pumped through ground level vents along Main Street to tempt the taste buds of guests. During the holidays, the scent is changed to peppermint.
Fantasyland
-Watch Mickey climb the Matterhorn. He does this twice daily. (Not sure if he still does this or not...I never saw it and I was looking, too!)
-There is a bronze cast of the Abominable Snowman's foot outside of Matterhorn.
- Lined up pretty much between the Abominable Snowman’s footprint and Ariel's grotto is a vine-covered green concrete block. This is where the Montesano House of the Future used to stand and is all that remains in the park of that futuristic structure. This, by the way, had to be dismantled by hand because the wrecking ball just bounced off of it -- the house was made of plastic.
-The Matterhorn used to have a basketball half-court in the summit for the climbers while they were waiting to do their show.
- Before Matterhorn opened, Walt took it for a spin. Since the ride was not yet completed workers piled some hay at the end to stop the ride. Walt liked the feeling of way he collided with the hay so much he made the ride end to the same effect as the hay.
-Hang around Snow White Grotto and wait a little while to see if Snow White sings to you and the fish dance.
-There's a lovely little fountain/grotto/wishing well with Snow White and the 7 Dwarfs to the right of the castle. If you listen carefully, you'll hear her singing. Drop a coin into the wishing well and listen closely!
-The Wishing Well to the right of Sleeping Beauty’s Castle is also known as Snow White's Grotto. An Italian artist created statues of the 7 dwarfs and gave them to Walt Disney as a gift. They are on display in that area.
-Touch the apple in the queue line for Snow White's Scary Adventure in Fantasyland, then look up at the window when you touch it. You’ll see the Evil Queen peeking out at you! (The apple is no longer there on the book in the que line, but if you look up, you can still see the queen peeking out at you every few seconds!)
-Sword in the Stone is a great little show.
-The Nemo Submarine ride makes a reference at the very end to the old version of the Sub when the Captain says something about mermaids and a sea monster.
- The draw bridge to Sleeping Beauty Castle has only been raised and lowered once since opening day. That was when the castle was closed for a complete remodel of Fantasyland in 1982/83. During that remodel, King Arthur's Carousel, Dumbo, The Flying Elephant and the Mad Tea Party were all relocated within Fantasyland to where they all stand today.
-Also, when you are entering Fantasyland from the Main Street hub, and you pass under the castle, look down to find a gold stake in the ground that was driven into the ground by Walt Disney himself! This was to signify the exact center of the park!
-There is a plaque located on the ground in front of Sleeping Beauty Castle. Buried beneath the plaque is the Disneyland 40th Anniversary "Time Capsule" which was placed in the ground on July 17, 1995.
-The Mad Hatter Shop has the Chesire Cat in the glass behind the counter. Watch for about 30 seconds and he will appear.
-In Fantasyland - go into the Villain Shop and turn the key of the cage that holds the witch.
-Ride Small World. Look on the Eiffel Tower and you'll see a doll. This is a tribute to the original World's Fair attraction's doll designer, Imagineer Mary Blair.
-Every 15 minutes the clock tower on It's A Small World opens up and a parade of dolls marches out of the facade with music from the ride. At the end of the parade, the tower displays the current time.
-On Casey Jr. Train, the open cars are actually refurbished seats from the carousel.
-Originally, the Casey Jr. Circus Train was planned as DL's first rollercoaster ride.
-At the end of Tinkerbell's flight during the fireworks, she used the crash onto a platform by Casey Jr. Circus Train where several cast members were holding mattresses that were used to break her fall.
Tomorrowland
-A CM was decapitated in the building which houses Innoventions.
-Innoventions - You may recognize the voice of Tom Morrow. It is the actor Nathan Lane, who did the voice for Timon in The Lion King. Also, if you can't read the note in his pocket, it says "Buy 10 W 30". If you have the time, watch the robot after he gives his spiel and the other guests have moved on. He will move and act like a person who is bored and waiting for his next group of guests!
-Talk Stitch Exhibit - It's similar to the Turtle Talk with Crush over at DCA but more of a one on one experience. You start by signing up on a waiting list if you are interested in talking to Stitch. The wait will vary depending on how crowded it is but each 'visit' runs about 5 minutes each. When it is your turn, you are led to the area that is set up with a large 'video phone' system that allows you to talk to Stitch directly. Stitch is shown on the vid-screen while conversing with your party and it is completely different each time you do it. Stitch's conversations are completely improvised (by whoever is operating him) and directly dependent by what you ask, say, are wearing, etc. It's very entertaining. At the end of your visit, Stitch asks to take your picture and you get a souvenir card with a website/password to retrieve your pictures later (Stitch keeps a copy for himself).
-Watch the Trash Can Band in Tomorrowland
-Watch the Jedi Training Academy in Tomorrowland
-If the droid –pilot in Star Tours sounds a little like Pee Wee Herman, it’s because it is…both are voiced by comedian Paul Reubens.
-On the Star Tours ride just before your runaway star speeder exits the Space Station, keep your eye to the lower right corner of the screen: you flash past what looks like a giant electron microscope. This is homage to Monsanto's Adventure Through Inner Space, which was torn down two decades ago and replaced by Star Tours.
-At the end of the Star Tours ride, just as your star speeder is about to crash into a fuel truck, a man in the control booth ducks down, then stands up and picks up the phone. The man is George Lucas!
-While waiting to ride Star Tours, listen for the announcer to page Sacul Egroeg - that's George Lucas backwards.
-The R2D2 and C-3PO droids in the queue are of Star Tours were not built for the ride but are actual movie props.
-The two droids in the second room of the queue for Star Tours used to be geese in the America Sings attraction (take a look at G2-9T's feet).
-When you get off the of the Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters ride in Tomorrowland, stop at the kiosks in the exit queue, find your photo that is taken of you on the ride, and email it to yourself FOR FREE.
-Space Mountain is sunk into the ground nearly 20 feet so that it does not dwarf Sleeping Beauty's Castle
-On Autopia, there is a mouse-crossing complete w/ mouse holes in the curb.
Toontown
-Toontown is full of all kinds of surprises. Step on all the manholes and open all the mailboxes. Everything is interactive.
-When in Toontown, try to open the door by the Electric Company and see what happens.
-Mickey's House- When you enter Mickey's house, the first room contains a passport with stamps from everywhere a Disneyland is located.
-A child had his brain crushed on Roger Rabbits Cartoon Spin.
Adventureland
-Look for the parrot at The Jungle Cruise. You might even see the snake (while waiting in the queue lines).
-If you know where to look in the skeleton room in Indiana Jones you can spot a skeleton with Mickey ears on. The embroidery even says, "Bones."
-In the Indiana Jones line where you walk past the projection room and also by that small office cubicle, on the desk is a crystal cup that was put there to pay tribute to some woman who has apparently ridden the ride over 5,000 times, more than anyone else.
-There's a bent pole in the queue for Indiana Jones. It has a sign nearby warning "Do Not Touch" or "Pull" or some sort of warning. Pull on it and you'll hear some cool sound effects.
-Another one on Indiana Jones is in the projector room. The ride is situated where the old car park used to be (Eeyore section) and in the rafters is an old sign from the Eeyore section. It's high up but look hard enough and you will see it - it's blue.
-There's also a hidden Mickey in the Projector Room while waiting in line for Indiana Jones. It's right down the end on the far left hand side of the room on the wall. It's made up of cracks and wear on the wall
-The Tiki Room was the first use of audio-animatronics in Disneyland.
-The scientific name of the tree used for Tarzan's Tree House is Disneyodendron semperflorens grandis -- meaning: large ever-blooming Disney tree.
New Orleans Square
-When you are on the Haunted Mansion, you will hit the Birthday Party scene when all the ghosts are dancing around. On the table, are 3 plates shaped like a hidden Mickey, look fast.
- When riding the Haunted Mansion, look closely at the chair with the "demon" face on it. The face is actually an abstract of Donald Duck's face. It's hard to see at first, but when you catch it, it's impossible to see it as anything else!
-The spooky voice that narrates the Haunted Mansion ride is also the voice of the Pillsbury Doughboy! Paul Frees supplied the voice for these, as well as some of the pirates on the Pirates of the Caribbean and most of the characters in “Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln”, though he did not supply Abe Lincoln’s voice.
-When you go through the Haunted Mansion at the point where the car turns you around to face the dining room, if you look behind you, you will see an old fashioned wheelchair that belonged to someone who loved the ride. In order to see it though you really have to strain to turn around there so be careful!
-In the Haunted Mansion, the organ in the hall with the party is the one from 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.
-There is a private restaurant above New Orleans Square, meant to prop Walt friends, but it has become a club, Club 33, for the connected ones to dine.
-There is at least one real skull in Pirates of the Caribbean. In the 60s when the ride was being built plastics were not quite there yet to recreate real human bones so they improvised and used a couple real specimens. I hear a couple have been replaced over the decades but that the one in the bed with the red cushion over the bed in the Captain's Quarters. is still, to this day... A REAL HUMAN SKULL!
-On Pirates of the Caribbean, look for one of the people on the ride who's face mold was made from Walt himself! If you look at all the faces in the ride you will see which one is Walt. No hints, it's more fun to find him yourself! POC is very special because it is the last ride Walt directly was involved in before he passed away.
--On Pirates of the Caribbean, after the drop, as you pass the skeletons on the beach wait till you almost hit the curve to the steering skeleton, and turn around, the rock formation that supports the standing skeleton with the seagull hat, forms the head of Goofy.
Frontierland
-At Tom Sawyer Island, the guns at the fort really fire (make sounds). A little girl lost part of her finger jumping down from the gun because her finger was stuck. There is also no food on the Island!
-Check the calendar for Jack Sparrow's appearances at Pirate's Lair on Tom Sawyer Island. Wait for him to appear just before the start time at the exit to the rafts. Board the raft that he boards (another one that works best when the park is not crowded). He will not pose for pics or sign autographs until he gets to the meet-and-greet area on Tom Sawyer Island, but he will pose for pictures and talk to you while on the raft.
- The mill on Tom Sawyer Island is a real working mill, and at one time they used to have it open so you could watch grain being crushed.
-Catch a viewing of Billy Hill and the Hillbillies. A favorite of the Billy Hill performers are the ones who are there on Saturday and Sunday nights. If you see the guys who do "Puddleprance" and the lead singer puts on a "pros-teeth-is", then you have the right show.
-While waiting for the train to arrive at the Frontierland train station you can hear a teletype. The message that is being sent is Walt Disney's dedication speech from opening day.
-Someone was recently killed because a piece of metal broke off the Columbia ship while pulling away from the dock.
-The Columbia is a scale duplicate of the first American ship to sail around the world. There's a museum inside the ship where you can see how the captain and crew lived.
-The deepest spot on the Rivers of America is around 10 feet at Fowler's Harbor where the Columbia docks (in front of the HH and Splash).
-If you go on a weekday and crowds/kids are low, take a ride on The Mark Twain and ask to ride with the captain/pilot. Many people know about this one so odds are someone will beat you to it. But it's a nice ride in any case.
-When you take the back walkway from Frontierland to Fantasyland, just past Big Thunder Mountain, there is a little pond on the left where you'll see a cave with a tracks and a mine car. Those are the remnants of an early DL Mine car ride.
-On Big Thunder Mountain, the little village at the queue and end, and the rainbow caverns inside, are both remnants from an earlier train ride that used to be in the same place.
-You can get a GREAT spot for Fantasmic showing up about 20 minutes before show time. Head to the center of the Rivers of America and stand behind the tower that is not lifted off the ground (there are three total, you will see the ones on the left and right in the air and the center one on the ground). No one stands there because they think it will block their view. Well, about ten minutes before show time, that tower lifts up giving you the perfect view right in the center of the river. Everyone runs to get a spot here after the tower goes up. Just be sure to get there BEFORE it rises and you will be shocked at how great the view is.
Critter Country
-If you watch Fantasmic! from the Hungry Bear Restaurant Terrace, you get a nice "backstage" view. (if you can see Fantasmic! only once, go for the regular view!!!!!)
-On the Winnie the Pooh ride, if you turn around after you pass the scene where Pooh is pigging out on honey, you can see 3 animals that were from the Country Bear Jamboree (a tribute).
-When you get off Winnie the Pooh, look to the right, there's statue of a bear that's a salute to Country Bear Jamboree all by himself.
--Many of the Animatronics you see on the paddle boat in Splash Mountain are actually recycled characters from the old "America Sing's" that was put in the old "Carousel of Progress" (now Innoventions) building in the 70's and 80's.
Mouscellaneous
-The Haunted Mansion, Indiana Jones, Pirates and Splash Mountain are all actually on the OUTSIDE of the park.
-One of the Disneyland Rail Road trains (Fred Gurley) is the oldest piece of working machinery in any of the parks as it dates back to the 1890s and has been running at DL since 1958.
-The Disneyland Rail Road make about 13,000 loops annually.
-Walt's favorite train, the "E.P. Ripley" runs on bio-diesel since January 17th, 2007.
-All the "green water" - Rivers of America, castle moat, Jungle cruise river... are connected.
-Disneyland’s original Tinkerbell was a 71-year-old Hungarian circus performer named Tiny Kline. She was the first to fly offthe top of the Matterhorn on a zip line, and had previously worked as a stunt aerialist, hanging from a flying airplane by her teeth!
-From groundbreaking to opening, Disneyland was built in 365 days!
-Opening day—July 17,1955—was a disaster. Asphalt poured just hours before guests had arrived hadn’t fully dried, and women’s spiked heels sunk into Main Street. VIP passes were widely counterfeited, and double the number of people expected showed up. Rides broke down. Because of a plumber’s strike, Walt had to choose between drinking fountains and bathrooms. But despite all the opening day issues, the magic Walt had created drew the people back!
-Frank Sinatra was at Disneyland on opening day, and took a ride around Autopia!
-Disneyland cost $17 million to build in 1955, which equates to $116 million on today’s dollars. Space Mountain, which opened in 1977, cost more than half that amount (in constant dollars)!
-Disneyland is home to feral cats—nobody knows how many—that come out at night, after visitors leave. Years ago, more than 100 were discovered living inside Sleeping Beauty’s castle.
-At least 3 babies have been born at Disneyland.
-Conspicuously missing on opening day: the Matterhorn. In its place was a two-story-high dirt pile of dirt from the excavation of the castle moat. It was billed as “Lookout Mountain”. The Matterhorn didn’t open until 1959.
-The Rivers of America is actually filled with water from the main rivers of America (the great lakes, Mississippi river, etc), so it truly is the Rivers of America.
California Adventure
-Visit all the different areas of Animation Studio.
-I would go to the Animation building in DCA and do the character sketching session. Different Characters available for drawing have been: Mickey, Tigger, Donald, and Pooh. If you ask nicely at the end, the animator may give you his/her completed sketch. The charisma of the animators varies so if yours isn't especially magnetic, keep going back!
-In the Animation Building at DCA, check out the Villains' Lair and find out what character you are most like in the Beast's library. Also, do the recording when Ursula "steals" your voice in the area after you leave the library.
-Drawn to Animation in DCA is a must see! It’s near Monster’s Inc.
-Stop by and preview Golden Dreams (if you are interested in CA history)
-Find PUSH, the talking trashcan in DCA! He can usually be found by the bathrooms of the Golden Dreams Theatre or in front of the water wheel at Grizzly River Run. His favorite snacks are churro wrappers.
-There's a hidden Mickey on the golf ball Michael Eisner "swings" your way on Soarin'.
Disneyland Resorts/Downtown Disney
-If staying at a Disneyland Resort Hotel, you can request special things from Guest Services, like Priority Seatings at certain restaurants and events.
-Downtown Disney has a confectionery (candy chocolate shop) called "Marceline's Confectionary" as another tribute to the small Missouri town. If you look closely at the bag that is given to you with your purchase, you'll see a Hidden Mickey in the scrollwork on the bag!!
If you take the train you can see it from the train side.
