Yesterday, we reported on the 10 year anniversary of the DCA version of the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. Many could hardly believe that it had been 10 years, including us! But to sell just how long ago it was or to show just how far Disney California Adventure park has come in a relatively short amount of time, depending on how you look at it, I’ve compiled a list (thanks to the folks at yesterland, MiceChat and davelandweb) of 20 things available to guests about to ride the brand new E-ticket attraction!
1. The Timon and Pumbaa parking area was an option for guests
Today marks the 10th anniversary of one of the most popular attractions in all of the Disneyland Resort: “The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror”!
Opening 10 years after its original counterpart, the Tower of Terror possesses all the things that make a great Disney attraction. From every cob web to every leaky pipe, the details are fantastic.
I would now like to share with you a few photographs we have taken over the years showcasing the grand hotel in all its eerie glory.
Details. Details. Details. Disneyland is all about the details. One might think when starting a project from scratch that uniformity is key to telling a narrative story. When I cut a video, I need to make sure that all the graphics flow, fonts match, sizes match and are aesthetically pleasing. The key to my work is not to be noticed. Disney took this to the next level when creating a park with many different lands, messages, and simultaneous stories.
Today, I’d like to point out the amazing signage at the park. In just under 20 minutes, I captured so many different signs in the park. From Tomorrowland restrooms to New Orleans Square, one is bombarded by messages pointing in one direction or another. These signs are so perfectly themed that one might not even notice them.
Baby Changing Station
I don’t know what it is but these 19th century signs just make my day. Super simple and unique yet effective. It really matches the theme of the First Aid and Lost and Found offices over on Main Street USA which is also modeled after a late 19th century town. This sign was found in Tomorrowland but draws the connection to this particular storyline.
My Favorite Restroom Signage 1My Favorite Restroom Signage 2
These restrooms look almost untouched since 1955. They’re tucked away between Innoventions, Autopia, and the Tomorrowland train station. Starting with the signage up top, I think it’s the yellowing of the plastic sign, the font size and shape as well as font color that give it away. In addition to its tucked-away nature, I like to think that this building looks just as it did when the park first opened (even though its adjacent attraction, Carousel of Progress, didn’t open until 1967.)
The lower sign suggests a future when alien and human life might live together. I particularly love the Women’s signage as the taller alien woman looks to be wearing a dress but upon further inspection, she’s got some kind of tentacle/scale motif going on. Nice touch. Even the alien language here continues the theme in a more cerebral way. By far one of my favorite park details.
Speaking of Autopia…
Check out this Autopia sign in Tomorrowland. Complete with pistons supporting the letters and a checkered flag, one could see this sign without knowing there was a ride and “get it.” Ingenious.
No dancing!
There are plenty uses of this sign around the park. The first time I noticed it was on Haunted Mansion and it was pointed out by a buddy of mine. Since then, I have noticed it in every park I have been to. While it’s standard safely protocol and less about the imagineers trying to tell a story, storytelling seems to be inherent in the guests now as we make our own stories for standard signage. We like to think that one must remain seated and not dance on the rides. Seems to stand true, in a sense.
“Welcome, foolish mortals…”
From the font to the color scheme, the imagineers nailed it with this attraction. The wait-time board matches the attraction signage which matches the look and feel of the attraction. And, while I could have desaturated the colors in this photo and made it look more cold and “scary,” I chose to really keep it true to how it appears in person because even then, the sign itself “betrays an aura of foreboding…” The imagineers hit a home-run with this attraction’s signage and trend-setting font.
We miss you, Country Bears!
Finally, we take a look at a reference to an old attraction. The Country Bear Jamboree, while gone from Critter Country at Disneyland, is alive in plenty of references throughout the current Critter Country. Even the Winnie the Pooh attraction has some of the old animatronics from the old show. But in this sign from the Hungry Bear restaurant, we see our cast of misfit critters thanking us for visiting. Not sure if the kids will get it but it still fits within the theme of the land and parents will get a smile remembering the attraction that used to be. Luckily, the parents can still take a trip to Walt Disney World and show their kids a version of the show that still operates daily in Frontierland.
While we only touch on some of the great signage, take a look around next time you’re at the parks. There are details all around you that you may take for granted — and that’s their job!
I saw an interesting thing on a Disney blog where someone’s comment signature was a running count of the most rides accomplished in a day. I have never thought to keep track but I now have a mission — to not only meet their record but to smash it.
Have any of you ever counted the number of rides in a day? I would assume that riding something multiple times would count as a line is a line is a line. I do, however, consider having a handicap pass to be in another category.
Let’s create a bracket and set the record for most rides ridden in a day as a normal guest, as a guest with a handicap pass, and perhaps as a guest with a plaid cast member.
[table id=1 /]
Let’s start filling this in. We obviously have to use the honor system but pictures and stories are encouraged! I’ll update this as we find out more. This sounds like it could be fun!
***UPDATE #2:
I think I found a solution to the issue. Let us know if all makes sense to you. Happy riding!
***UPDATE #1:
Should we include semi-queue-based attractions such as Lincoln, Tiki Room, Muppets, etc. as they are not “rides” (a word I specifically used in leu of “attractions”)? Let us know in the comments below. Thanks!
After a lengthy refurbishment, the Matterhorn as returned to thrill guests of the Magic Kingdom!
The Mountain is Back!
The biggest change were the bobsleds themselves. No longer will passengers be able to sit in the lap of a loved one. Each seat is individual now. Unfortunately, the single seats are very small. I’m only 5’10” and I had a hard time being comfortable inside. With the old bobsleds, I could extend my legs all the way. But I assume the bobsleds are safer now which is always a good thing.
The All New Bobsleds
Once inside the Mighty Matterhorn, you will notice an updated audio system. The roar of the abominable snowman is booming now. It really makes you fear for what you know is coming. The abominable snowman for the first time really scared me. I loved it. Also, since the audio is so loud, we can once again hear the roar throughout Fantasyland and Tomorrowland. I have always loved hearing that while walking through the park. When we see the abominable snowman himself, you will notice some lighting changes to really amplify his presence. He looks great.
The Abominable Snowman
Now we all know that the Matterhorn was repainted during this refurbishment and it looks amazing. This is the best I have ever seen the Matterhorn look. There are wonderful contrasts and details of snow throughout the mountain.
Looks Great!
Now for a blast from the past! Once again, there are people scaling the mountain! It is a great sight to see these people swinging down the majestic peak. To go along with the Matterhorn climbers, there is also a yodeler! A man stands on the edge of the mountain and yodels while playing an accordion! At one point, I also saw him blow that giant horn that swiss people do. RICOLA!
Preparing for their Descent
Can You Find the Yodeler?
How about now?
So while the new bobsleds themselves are a bit of a let down, the attraction looks better than ever. It is a classic Disney attraction in every sense of the word and it really deserved this lengthy refurbishment. With the return of the climbers and yodelers, the Matterhorn is really back as the king of the Disneyland Mountain Range!
Well, yesterday was the highly anticipated Disney24 event “One More Disney Day.” Disneyland Park in Anaheim, CA and The Magic Kingdom at WDW in Florida were open from 6am on the 29th of February to 6am this morning for the leap year… and we have questions.
Did you get in?
We here at RSP tried, like much of the rest of Southern California, to go for the night after work yesterday and we were met by gridlocked traffic and a lot of “shave and a haircut” horn-tooting with other frustrated Disneyland hopefuls. Since we had to work both yesterday and today, we planned to head down after work for a few hours, have some dinner, catch the 1am Fantasmic! show with some friends, and head home around 2am. We, however, sat in 3 hours of traffic while – on the resort grounds – a worse picture was being painted by the twitterspere.
photo credit: @btr0n
Long lines, capacity signs, and the almighty APs all met for a pow-wow in the esplanade between DCA and Disneyland at 8pm and it never seemed to die down from there. Ticket booths were packed, cell phones were dying, and, as I can imagine, people were really upset. “One More Disney Disaster” was a potential headline thrown out by a few Disney-fan twitter feeds. Had we planned on staying until 6am, we may have stuck it out, but it was 11:15 and we hadn’t crossed Ball Rd. yet after exiting the 5.
Not everyone was waiting in 3 hours of traffic though. “[We got there at] 11:50pm. Took [an] hour to park. We bypassed the [trams] and walked to the park. My pass was scanned in around 1:10am” says annual passholder Tiffany B. “Would I do it again? Probably not. Its been crossed off my to do list.” Jenene C. from Los Angeles said, “I got there at 9 o’clock tuesday night… we waited outside for about 9 hours. The only real problem was with the charging lockers. [They] malfunctioned and people’s phones were stolen.”
Why wasn’t DCA open?
photo credit: @CharlieSpillers
I just don’t understand what the logic here was? Perhaps it was a staffing shortage to have both parks fully staffed for 24 hours straight with normal operating park days bookending the event, but one would think one would have planned for that when planning an event of this magnitude. One park guest said, “The real insanity started after 7pm a lot of people came after they got off work to stay the night, the wait times more than doubled in a matter of minutes…” This is when DCA closed and just as all the APs and SoCal residents coming straight from work descended upon the resort. Keeping DCA open just makes sense. From what I read, people were left in the esplanade with nowhere to go but home while waiting for the chance of the park to re-open to first-entry guests.
And by many accounts, the ticket booths were still crowded at 2am! Everyone wanted to take part in the promotion whether it was for a few hours or the entire 24 hours and whether they were APs or not.
Why did we all want to go?
photo credit: ocregister.com
This isn’t something new — at least it wasn’t for me. In fact, I remember when the #disney24 tweets started and there was a great video promotion and whispers of a great announcement. Robert tells me, “They think there’s going to be a 24 hour party at Disneyland.” To which I responded, “That’s the stupidest promotion I have ever heard of.” Cut to: 2 months later, I am sitting in 3 hours of traffic only to turn around and go to In-n-Out in La Mirada, CA. What was the draw? I wasn’t excited about any of the mercy or food or pins, I just wanted to go to Disneyland overnight. But where have I heard of that before?
Oh yeah, Gradnight. High school, people! Still, Tiffany B. says of one of the highlights “…it was awesome to see the sunrise from the park!” But Disneyland also did a similar event when Star Tours opened in 1987 — the park was open for a full 60 hours just so guests could ride the new attraction.
So if we all have passes, go to Disneyland whenever we want, and for the most part have been to Gradnight or Disneyland at night, what was the draw? The merchandise? Why did we all feel the need to take part in this event which, for some, was so disastrous? Some guests weighed in on the subject. “it wasn’t worth the hype, just like a crowded Disneyland trip that started at 1a versus 5pm”, “it doesn’t seem like they were prepared enough for the huge crowds”, “people began to clear out of the park after [Fantasmic!] at 1am then again around 4am by 6am there weren’t that many people left in the park for the sunrise over the castle.”
But to some, it was a different story. “It was something different to experience.”
What was open and what was closed?
photo credit: ocregister.com
I haven’t been able to get a solid answer on this one yet. One of our biggest peeves with the park here at RSP is how early the restaurants close. Last night, we were to meet up with friends at the Café Orleans for a 12:20am “breakfast” which was awesome to be able to go to eat that late in the park — but what else was open and what was closed?
One of our friends in the park said, “They should have kept more food places open because the ones that were open had very long lines for them as well.”
Was all the hustle and bustle worth it?
photo credit: @MousePlanetAVP
Among the list of offerings from the park for this event were special edition mouse ears, a t-shirt, sweatshirt, watch, pin, and food stops. With all that said, it seems a majority of the people came after all of these offerings were gone. “In all my time at Disneyland for this event seems much like a very crowded summer day at the park.” says Alexandria who drove to the park that evening to only get in after 1:30am. “Was it worth it for me to go? Sure!… [however] I would have to pass [on] any kind of future event like this. I’ll just stick to going on Sundays during the fall/winter with my pass.”
“I don’t feel like they focused on making people happy because I don’t think anybody enjoys being at the park when it’s that crowded.” says Michelle H. who travelled to the park from the Santa Clarita Valley. “I don’t think it was worth it at all. I wouldn’t go again.”
The most consistent take-away we got from the 10-or-so people? “Any cast member I interacted with were quite friendly.” It’s their job and even with all the craziness, they should all be commended. I am sure the angry crowds outside didn’t make it easy to wear a smile all night.
Were you there? Did you try to go but gave up? How did it go for you?
Here comes the beginning for a series of great videos I came across while researching stock footage at work. I will post some of the best video footage of these pre-Disneyland theme parks here for your enjoyment. See what inspired some of our favorite Disney attractions!
First up: Coney Island
Coney Island was probably the most well-known amusement park in the world in the first half of the 20th century. Here’s a look at what came before the magic kingdom:
What’s better than Disneyland on one’s birthday? Going the day BEFORE your birthday and reaping all the perks of it being your birthday. However, since this was a Saturday, we had to be strategic.
We showed up to the parks relatively early at about 1pm and took some great pictures of the halloween decor basking in the daylight of this warm October day. Boy do those colors pop!
My wife, Suzi, headed over to City Hall to grab a birthday pin for me and to try to get us a couple seats on the Lilly Belle while I headed over to Ghost Galaxy to get a fastpass for the evening. While she had no luck with the Lilly Belle seating, I was able to snag some 10pm fastpasses as well as this neat Captain EO preferred seating pass.
I had never seen these before but I love that they do surprises like this from time to time at the fastpass queues.
We then met up at Big Thunder Ranch BBQ for a little birthday lunch. Since most of our park visits are during the evening, we never get to eat at this daytime eatery but today was my special day and I wanted to gorge. And gorge we did! But not before our 45-minute wait time for a table. So, we used our time wisely and checked out the amazing pumpkin carving and goats next door at Big Thunder Ranch Halloween Roundup. There will be a post soon with all of the great pumpkins we saw but here’s a little sneak peak!
Just before we were sat for lunch, I admired the Norman Rockwell halloween art that was set up around the restaurant. I really love his style and I think this halloween work is among my favorite of his! It really captures the imagination and wonder and most importantly the emotion of the holiday through the eyes of these almost cherub-like children. Absolutely an amazing touch!
We were soon anxiously awaiting out meals with some great cowboy-style entertainment. The trio that was performing we had seen a couple years ago when we came over to the BBQ and they had some really great halloween tunes to share with everyone. It was really well organized and paced and the food was equally as amazing! This is definitely a once-a-year type of meal but wow what a meal! I even got a flour-less chocolate cake for dessert!
After lunch, we planned on riding Big Thunder Mountain Railroad but unfortunately it was closed! Not sure what the problem was but we then headed over to Disney California Adventure. The construction in front is coming along nicely and the detour is becoming increasingly tolerable. The first attraction to which we headed for a fastpass was the appropriately halloween-y Tower of Terror. I am a new iPhone user so today, the MouseWait app was in full effect and super useful! Luckily it was only an hour wait so we headed into A Bug’s Land.
Suzi and I have planned for years to use the “Thank You” Chinese food box on Flick’s Flyers as our wedding gift “Thank You” cards. This is really well done for such a run-of-the-mill attraction. The details were on-point and the cast members, while chatty, really seemed to enjoy their jobs. They did some fun voices over the intercom system and even took Suzi and my photo in the Thank You box for us before take-off!
Just before we lifted off, the cast member controlling the ride made sure everyone in line and on the ride know that “today [was] a special day in A Bug’s Land because it’s David’s birthday!!!” It was really a nice touch and away we went for a circular tour of this corner of the land. It had some great views of the Tower at angles I had yet to see so I snapped a few shots off before we landed.
We then headed over to the Blue Sky Cellar to check out the new exhibits and new imagineer video. I really liked how this one was done — it was more of a forma documentary style and the filmmakers used a slider and some great voiceover for profiling each imagineer. And I am not sure if it’s new but the screen on which they show the film looked incredibly clear and vibrant! It was probably the best looking HD monitor I have ever seen.
After a tear-jerker of a cinematic experience, we wandered over to California Screamin’ when suddenly Suzi spotted Hollywood “celebutant” Ryan Philippe (I Know What You Did Last Summer, Flags of our Fathers, Cruel Intentions) who was there with his son. It was nice to see him without a plaid vested cast member — he was just out an about on his own. Screamin’ had quite the wait but we rode and it was great. Cars Land is really coming along and Screamin’ really offers some great views of it!
We then headed over to Suzi’s favorite DCA attraction, The Silly Symphony Swings. This is so fun at dusk because the sunset behind the Paradise Pier Hotel is always stunning — especially on a chilly autumn evening. The oranges and ambers really embody the Halloweentime spirit!
Before heading back to Disneyland, we redeemed our Tower of Terror fastpasses. One thing I always notice now is the ceiling of the tower and how clean it is compared to the walls and everything else. A co-worker pointed this out when she rode for her first time last year and it has stuck with me ever since. She put it this way, “… if Walt had created this attraction, he would have paid attention to every detail — including the ceiling of the Tower’s lobby scene!” I couldn’t agree more.
While riding, I saw one of the coolest things I have ever seen on the ride. Usually I hate when peiople bring on things that glow or a sword that lights up or something like that, but the girl in front of my just had one of those glowing necklaces. It didn’t blink, it wasn’t too bright, it just glowed green. When the mirror scene happened, we all disappeared into the 5th dimension, her necklace remained seemingly floating in place! It looked more like we had all become ghosts and one of the invisible ghosts was wearing a glow-y necklace! It was really neat and I would love to try it with a glow-y hat and glasses!
We then headed back over to Disneyland and went straight to redeem our Ghost Galaxy fastpasses. The fastpass line went all the way out past the Captain EO queue! It was so bazaar but after about 15 minutes, we were boarded. It was a great ride and as Robert had predicted, the hand that follows you has been put into place and follows along perfectly!
Unfortunately we were unable to ride Haunted Mansion Holiday, Indy, and even Jungle Cruise due to the crowds, but we were able to walk right into Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room. How was I wrong for so many years about this incredible attraction? Unfortunately, there was no Maynard on duty for the evening but a terrific show none the less and the perfect cherry on top of our wonderful visit to the happiest place on earth!
