The Sorcerer's Guide

Walt loved trains! He knew he had to have one in the park, so when plans were drawn, it was included from the beginning. Its first test run was on July 10, 1955, just days before the park opening. Original Main Street Station The route was set up a little differently back then. Plans were made for two trains to take guests on a “grand circle tour of the Magic Kingdom.” But unlike today, each train stopped at only one station. A passenger train pulled by the E.P. Ripley only stopped at the Main Street Station, while a freight train pulled by the C.K. Holliday only stopped at the Frontierland Station (now the New Orleans Station). The track split at those 2 stations so the trains could pass each other. This lasted about a year before the trains began stopping at both stations. The Frontierland Station was rebuilt in 1962 to make room for New Orleans Square and the second track was removed. The Main Street Station still has the original 2 sets of tracks though. Original Frontierland Stati...

Welcome back to Part 2 of taking a baby to the park. I have a few more tricks to make your visit to Disneyland with a baby just a little smoother. Take advantage of the baby center Look for this symbol on your park map. Every Disney park has a baby center . It has changing tables, high chairs, a toddler sized toilet, and even a rocking chair behind a curtain so you can breastfeed your baby privately. They also have a bunch of supplies you may have forgotten that you can purchase: baby food, diapers, wipes, sunscreen, etc. It’s a nice place to give your baby some quiet time. Next time you’re in the park, go in and see. They are great! Bring a few different outfits You always want to have an extra outfit in case of spit ups or blow-outs. You’ll also want to have warmer clothes in case it rains or gets cold. While we were there it was a nice 75-80 degrees, but by 7 at night it was getting pretty chilly. It was nice to have an extra pair of clothes to keep her little legs warm. Of course, ...

World of Color debuted to the public on June 11, 2010. As luck would have it, I happened to be at the Disneyland Resort that weekend and got to see it. I remember watching it the very first time and honestly, it took my breath away. It’s amazing how they can just take fountains and turn them into something so beautiful. Here are some fun facts and a little history about the show. Enjoy! Disney decided, back in 2004, they wanted to add some kind of new attraction to California Adventure. California Adventure had only been open since February 8, 2001 but it was not bringing the attendance Disney executives had hoped. They knew they needed some big changes to turn the park around. In 2007, Disney CEO Bob Iger announced these changes, including World of Color, Cars Land, and the new park entrance. It took 5 years of planning, start to finish, with 15 months of installation and testing. There were many different versions and many different concepts before they finally settled on a water sho...

There have been several articles this week about how Galaxy’s Edge ended up on Batuu rather than Tatooine. Based on an interview with Dan Cockerell, these articles portray the decision as a one-sided attempt to from Kathleen Kennedy to “carry Star Wars into the future!” They lament that we almost had Mos Eisley, complete with the cantina we all know from the movies. Part of me has to ask exactly how different that version would have been. There’s still a central, round bar at Oga’s, with alcove tables. There’s a docking bay. The town is small. The Droid Depot easily could have been replaced with Watto’s workshop. But I want to clarify what these articles have been saying: it was not a one sided decision driven only by Kathleen Kennedy that took Tatooine out of Galaxy’s Edge. It’s true that there were two versions of Galaxy’s Edge planned. It’s not uncommon for Imagineering to have multiple ideas they’re working on. They don’t just come up with an idea and build it. Imagineers make and ...

Did you know you can’t take your baby on Astro Orbiter unless they have shoes or socks on? Well, neither did I. That’s why I found myself digging through the diaper bag trying to find socks. I thought I was prepared to take my 4 month old to Disneyland. I’ve been to Disneyland a hundred times, I’d read blogs, I did everything I thought of to be ready. But of course, you can never be completely prepared. So here are a few things that made our trip a little easier. Have realistic expectations To start, you have to set the right expectations; you are going to be a lot slower than you used to be without having kids or a baby. My husband and I used to be able to do at least 25 rides a day. With our baby in tow we slowed down to about 15. You have to go much slower when you have to take the time to park the stroller and take the baby out, or wait with the baby while the rest of your party rides an attraction and then use the rider switch, and of course taking the time to feed and change diap...

Have you ever heard of the Moonshine Express? It would have been an awesome attraction. 30 years ago, before Splash Mountain came to Critter Country as a part of Disneyland, there was Bear Country. It was the same outdoors, woodsy theme, but there weren’t any little critters in town – only bears. This was the home of the Country Bear Jamboree – including its seasonal overlays – and Teddi Barra’s Swinging Arcade. When the Imagineers decided they wanted to build a log flume at Disneyland, they picked a spot in Bear Country. To fit the bear theme, the flume was going to be filled with bears. It was called the Moonshine Express. The idea was that you had the civilized bears just on the outskirts of New Orleans Square. These were the bears that performed in the Country Bears theater. But if you went deeper into the forest, you found the meaner, rough-and-tumble moonshiners. The bear sheriff enlisted the riders’ help in going after the moonshiners. Each rider was given a rifle to shoot the s...

Marty Sklar passed away at his home in Hollywood Hills in July of 2017 at age 83. He was an Imagineer for 54 years and remained active in the Disney community after his retirement. He has received many awards from the theme park industry: The Buzz Price Award for Lifetime Achievement (Themed Entertainment Association, 1995). Disney Legend (2001) Window on Main Street in Disneyland (2001) International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA) Hall of Fame Inductee (2008) Diane Disney Miller Lifetime Achievment Award (The Walt Disney Family Museum, 2016) Career Marty was hired to work at Disneyland part-time by Card Walker. His first assignment was to write The Disneyland News. He wrote speeches and marketing materials for Walt. Many quotes we think of as being from Walt were actually written by Marty: I hope that we never lose sight of one thing – that it was all started by a mouse. We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we’re curiou...