Showing posts with label DISNEYLAND. Show all posts
Showing posts with label DISNEYLAND. Show all posts
Friday, August 5, 2016
Thursday, August 4, 2016
Theme Park Thursdays: The Happiest Place on Earth Gets Bigger
"Dad's vision called for this, for DISNEYLAND, to be something that could grow more beautiful every year, and it has."
-Diane Disney Miller
The one constant at DISNEYLAND has always been change. Walt Disney knew that if he could get the place open the world would fall in love with it. His guests would allow him to build and grow his Magic Kingdom.
The map above depicts DISNEYLAND in 1960. At that point, parts of the vast parking lot were still being used for agriculture. The first big expansion occurred at #1- New Orleans Square. It began as just a section of Frontierland and became a magical place of its own, spawning Bear Country, now called Critter Country.
The second big expansion happened in two phases decades apart. Marked by #2, the first expansion occurred in 1966 when the road that's still visible in the picture was closed and it's a small world opened. The second part of the expansion occurred in 1992 when Mickey's Toontown opened.
In 1981, the non-Disney owned Emerald Hotel opened at spot #3, eventually becoming the DISNEYLAND Pacific Hotel in 1996, then the Paradise Pier Hotel in 2001.
2001 was a huge year of expansion with Disney California Adventure taking over the parking lot (#4). The admission free entertainment district Downtown Disney (#5) also opened, with the five star Disney's Grand Californian Hotel (#6) capping a year of expansion.
So where do the guests park? Most of them park their cars at the Mickey and Friends parkade, shown above at #7.
One of the biggest expansions in DISNEYLAND history is currently taking place at #8- the future Star Wars Land.
"It's something that will never be finished. Something that I can keep developing...and adding to."
-Walt Disney
Wednesday, August 3, 2016
Tuesday, July 26, 2016
Sunday, July 24, 2016
RetlawYensid.Com Statement about the Tower of Terror retheming
I have been posting several ridiculous sounding "re-themed" attractions this weekend because of my unhappiness towards the recent decision to close the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror and re-theme it as a Guardians of the Galaxy ride.
Contrary to what I've read online, many of us who are against this re-theming aren't against any changes; as a matter of fact, I have been quite supportive of most past changes. However in this instance, the Tower of Terror is not being replaced because it is no longer attracting crowds or has become irrelevant to guests; it is solely being changed because somebody at Disney Corporate must have proclaimed that Marvel characters needed to be shoehorned into the parks and this was the cheapest way to do it.
What makes this even more ridiculous is that Guardians of the Galaxy would be an even better fit in DISNEYLAND's Tomorrowland, which features several abandoned buildings and attractions. Sure, it might take more time and expense to utilize, repurpose or expand those facilities, but the fact is, those things are going to need to happen sooner or later. Sadly, the company has focused on just about everywhere else in the parks instead of finally tackling the one section that is desperately in need of a remodel.
"Fixing" an attraction that doesn't need to be fixed and whose popularity has grown since it was first built is ridiculous. If this was the best option they had for introducing Marvel properties into the parks, then maybe there isn't much imagination left in the world. (Or at least at Disney.)
Saturday, July 23, 2016
Bad Ideas For Disney Re-Theming
With Guardians of the Galaxy being shoehorned into Disney California Adventure, we present some equally worse ideas...
Friday, July 22, 2016
FAQ Week: What are your best tips for DISNEYLAND?
Tip 1: If faced with a line that splits in two, always go left- EXCEPT for Pirates of the Caribbean, where you should go right. If you're going into a restaurant, always try to get in the line that's furthest away from the entrance or is to the left.
Why do this? Since most people are right handed, they will typically choose the line on the right side. Going left will save time, except at Pirates of the Caribbean. The right side line goes up the ramp and right into the door. The left side wraps around the side of the building.
Tip 2: When is it less crowded in DISNEYLAND? The months of January and September, the first two weeks of November and the first week of December.
Monday, July 18, 2016
DISNEYLAND: The Day After
While opening day was challenging, everyone who was in the park that day was comped. Sure, it was crowded, but would paying customers head out to Anaheim to see what Walt had built? They certainly would.
50,000 guests streamed into the park, proving that this Magic Kingdom was no fluke. Among the guests that day- a young Steve Martin, who rode his bike down Harbor Blvd and a young George Lucas, whose doubting father became a convert after viewing the July 17th special on ABC. He had originally told his family that they would not be visiting DISNEYLAND; yet he woke everyone up early the next day and drove down to Anaheim from Modesto.
DISNEYLAND would host the first of over 650 Million guests that day. An amazing feat for a park the "experts" said would never last six months.
FAQ Week: Why do you type DISNEYLAND in all capital letters?
One of the most common questions I get asked about the site is why I insist on typing DISNEYLAND in capital letters. The answer? It's something that Walt Disney did:
DISNEYLAND Guest Relations continued the tradition up until recently. Since typing in capital letters is now considered to be yelling on the Internet, the park now uses italics- Disneyland. We continue Walt Disney's tradition here by using all capital letters.
Sunday, July 17, 2016
Happy Birthday, DISNEYLAND!
"Every day in some small way, we are a part of Walt’s dream, whether walking through the park, watching amazing movies or television, or just spending time together. It all started with a young cartoonist landing in Los Angeles, his friend Mickey Mouse in his heart, a trunk full of dreams and ambitions, and most importantly, a lifetime of stories to tell.”
-Noah
"I grew up with DISNEYLAND. I can't imagine my world without it. Walt put it best when he said 'DISNEYLAND is a work of love'. And like all happy endings, it will be ours to treasure forever more."
-Neil Patrick Harris
"DISNEYLAND proved to me that if you’ve got enough guts and intelligence and drive you can accomplish anything.”
-Marvin Davis
"I think that it really explains a lot about Walt. He was a caring man. He cared about people which explains why DISNEYLAND is still a happy place and it will be a happy place for years and years and years to come."
-John Hench
“The greatest thing about DISNEYLAND is that its magic stays with you forever.”
-Ralph Castaneda
"Yesterday, a man walked up to me and said, ‘Isn’t it a shame that Walt Disney couldn’t be here to see this?’ and I said, 'He did see this, that’s why it’s here.'"
-Art Linkletter
"Just imagine- if you were standing right here over 60 years ago, you'd be standing in the middle of an orange grove. One visionary man stood right where you are now, but instead of orange trees, he envisioned a Magic Kingdom. This man's name was Walt Disney. And his dream would be called DISNEYLAND."
The Magic Kingdom Opens
"I was standing next to Mr. Disney at the window, watching the guests come through the gates. When I looked up at him, he had his hands behind his back, a grin from ear to ear, and I could see a lump in his throat and a tear streaming down his cheek. He had realized his dream."
-Sharon Baird
DISNEYLAND is dedicated
"To all who come to this happy place- welcome!
DISNEYLAND is your land. Here age relives fond memories of the past,
and here youth may savor the challenge and promise of the future.
DISNEYLAND is dedicated to the ideals, the dreams and the hard facts that have created America. With the hope that it will be a source of joy and inspiration to all the world."
Saturday, July 16, 2016
DISNEYLAND Birthday Week
61 years ago on this day, workers were frantically making the impossible possible.
They were on a race against time to complete Walt Disney's dream come true by the next day. ABC was bringing out miles of cable to televise the next day's opening ceremonies to an audience that would top 100 Million.
We can only imagine the excitement Walt Disney must have felt that day 61 years ago. His dream was coming true, but would the world like it? Would anyone show up? Would he succeed or would he go broke like everyone in Hollywood predicted?
Mr. Disney was a confident man, but even he was prone to periods of doubt. Regardless of whether he would succeed or fail, however, he would get his answer the very next day- July 17, 1955.
Friday, July 15, 2016
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