Disneyland really is the happiest place on Earth for all beings, cats included. I’d heard rumors of this but I never thought it was true: Disneyland employs an “army” of feral cats to keep the park rodent-free. Alley Cat Allies, a national organization for the protection/understanding of feral cats, reports on the details. No one knows exactly when the feral cats moved into Disneyland; they weren’t put there intentionally. They’ve definitely been there for at least 25 years, and some think they’ve been there since the park opened in 1955. Perhaps it was built on land on which feral cats … Continue reading →

Disneyland and Disney World aren’t identical. One of the big ways they differ is in size; Disney World is much larger than Disneyland. Because of this there are far fewer hotels at Disneyland than Disney World; I can think of dozens in Orlando, but Disneyland has only three: the Disneyland Hotel, the Grand Californian, and Paradise Pier. Disneyland makes up for that by teaming up with several local Anaheim Hotels as part of its Good Neighbor program. A Disneyland Good Neighbor Hotel isn’t officially a Disney hotel. Anyone can stay at them without going to the park (though I suppose … Continue reading →

I’ve come to a conclusion: the Disney parks are almost like a living organism. They’re constantly changing and evolving. Maybe equating them to something that’s alive is a bit of a stretch, but the idea that they never stay the same, that there’s always something different or new happening or in the process of doing so: that’s definitely accurate. When the famous founder of your illustrious company was known for his innovation, you don’t have much choice but to constantly do the same if you want to uphold his legacy. The latest update announced for Disneyland, not long after the … Continue reading →

I made a strange assertion in my article about the girl kicked out of Disney World for wearing a Tinker Bell outfit: that a lot of people like to sue Disney. It’s something I said because, following Disney news professionally for the past 3 years, I’ve noticed a few lawsuits brought against the parks for one reason or another. Apparently I’m not the only one to notice the trend; The Orange County Register recently published an article focusing on how two southern California amusement parks, Knott’s Berry Farm and Disneyland, are frequently the targets of lawsuits. The most recent involved … Continue reading →

Radiator Springs is officially open for visitation on June 15. That’s the date that Disneyland’s newest park, Cars Land, is open to the public. The official Disney Parks blog has been posting a lot of pictures from Cars Land lately, but what I’ve actually found most informative about the forthcoming park is its own website. I want to refer to Cars Land as Radiator Springs because that’s basically what it is: guests walk right down Route 66 into the small town and they can visit all the shops and residences of the cars that live there. Swing by Fillmore’s Taste-In … Continue reading →

When I wrote about One More Disney Day I made an oversight: I didn’t check to see if the event was exclusive to Disney World or if it’s happening at Disneyland as well. My article on the subject only mentions the Orlando park. Thanks to The Orange County Register I’ve found out that Disneyland is also celebrating Leap Year by keeping its gates open for a full 24 hours. In fact, the event is going to be basically the same as in Orlando: the fun starts at 6 a.m. on the 29th and will continue to that same early hour … Continue reading →

After exploring the Hidden Magic of Disney World I decided to start a new recurring column: uncovering secrets of the Disney Parks. Today focuses on a special ride at Disneyland: the Mark Twain Riverboat. The ship sidles its way for twelve minutes around the Rivers of America attraction, taking guests for a short scenic cruise. Horns and bells are used to signify the arrival and departure of the Riverboat, and also to communicate specific messages to other crafts also sluicing through the waters, the Rafts to Pirate’s Lair and Davy Crockett’s Explorer canoes. What’s so special about the Mark Twain … Continue reading →

Normally I try not to post about events at the Disney parks, especially for holidays, until right before they happen. We’re on the cusp of Halloween, so it seems silly to talk about a holiday that won’t come until a month after that. But sometimes I do have to mention events early, as tickets go on sale in advance. Writing about a Thanksgiving dinner open to the public at Disneyland might be timelier in late November, but by then all of the tickets will be sold and any interested parties will lose out. According to the official Disney parks blog, … Continue reading →

This year Disneyland’s doing something a little different for Halloween. Sure, both parks are throwing the usual parties, but this time Disneyland has a little something special for the holiday on its website. Travel over to Disneyland’s Halloween Time and see what I mean. The main focus for Halloween Time is the Disney Villains, which makes sense. The flash animation on the site rotates between each of the most popular baddies, and users can click on them to read a tidbit about the character. Then they can vote to crown their favorite with the Gooiest Apple Award. But rather than … Continue reading →