A TRIP TO DISNEYLAND
Disneyland in Anaheim, California, billed as the Happiest Place on Earth, The lands spread over 80 acres Adventureland, Critter Country, Fantasyland, Frontierland, Main Street USA, New Orleans Square, Tomorrow land and Mickey’s Toontown . Amidst the panoply of superstar attractions, themed restaurants, entertainment arenas and eclectic stores, Mickey Mouse and the rest of the Disney group naturally got star billing.
Everywhere there is excited adults re-discovering the child in them, wide-eyed stroller-bound tots and amorous couples embracing in the shadow of Cinderella’s Castle.
New Orleans Square, one of Disneyland’s themed areas, the jazzy home of quaint shops and the classic Pirates of the Caribbean attraction. Along with boats full of other tourists, zoomed through cannon fire, burning buildings and decadent island ports. The action supplied by mechanical fearsome pirates and their molls who looked disturbingly human.
Disneyland at Anaheim was reportedly the only one that Walt built himself. And his vision was very different from the amusement parks around, at the time. Disneyland was the first theme park which parents could share and enjoy with their children. But Walt Disney’s extravagant vision almost cost him the fortune he had earned. He sold his vacation home in Palm Springs and borrowed against his life insurance policy to raise a part of the $17million needed to build his dreamland.
The opening day July 17 1955 was a nightmare. Rides broke down, one section had to be closed down because of a gas leak, the heels of lady guests got stuck in the freshly laid asphalt and the world media was out there in force. Ronald Reagan, who was to later become the president of the country, was one of the co-hosts of the ABC-TV special, covering the event, to record and write off the undertakmg as a disaster. Other amusement parks gloated and endorsed the view.
Despite the doomsday prophesies, the Disney magic endured and the park which started with 18 major attractions, today has more than 60, according to a press release signed by Goofy press and public relations! (If Uncle Walt were to return today he would certainly notice the most reassuring symbol of all—those lengthy lines of beaming families still snakmg around every attraction.) When Disneyland opened, Anaheim had five hotels and two motels with a total of 87 rooms. There were 34 restaurants in the city. Today, there are 150 hotels and motels with more than 17,927 rooms and well over 450 restaurants.
Other interesting sidelights mentioned in the press release include 14,000 men and woman comprise the cast in summer, and 12,000 in winter. More than 20,000 gallons of paint are used each year to give the park a new look and there are 19 million gallons of water in the 10 water bodies in Disneyland. The park employs 51 full-time electricians for maintainance and there are more than 100,000 light bulbs used in Disneyland including 11,000 rim lights which outline the buildings on Main Street USA. When a bulb reaches 80 percent of its expected life, it is replaced. The streets of the park are washed and steam cleaned each day after closure! Disneyland guests consume 4 million hamburgers, 1.6 million hot dogs, 3.4 million orders for French fries, 1.5 million servings of pop corn and 3.2 million servings of ice cream.
The most successful theme park in history has faced the challenge of keeping the magic alive. It has clones in Florida, Tokyo and outside Paris. Yet despite its maturity, it has not forsaken the child-like innocence of Mickey, Goofy and Pluto who still march in their daily parade. Disney created a star and Mickey receives the most telephone calls (around 7 million per year). Yet expansion continues to be relentless and the Walt Disney experience now includes such diverse activities as luxury cruising and a new 500-acre Animal Kmgdom, where guests will be whisked back 65 million years to witness the end of the dinosaur era. (Take that Jurassic Park!)
Fact File
Disneyland is located at Anaheim, south of Los Angeles, California. One can either drive there or travel by Amtrak (Anaheim station).
To enter the park you have to purchase an entry ticket called a passport. General admission daily passports cost $ 38 (Rs 1,596); child passports are priced at $ 28 (Rs 1,1 6), entry for children under three is free. Two and three-day passports are also available. Once you enter, all the rides and attractions are free. Senior citizens over 60 get special discounts. Also check out off-season discounts.
In summer, July to September, the park generally remains open from 8.00am to 1.00 am each day. The rest of the year it is open from 9 am to 6 pm.
It is best to browse around the park. But if you would like something more structured, opt for the Disneyland Guided Tour, A Walk in Walt’s Footsteps Tour or the Guest Relations Deluxe Tour.