disneyland secrets

Here is a list of Disneyland Secrets you can impress your friends with while you are at the park. If you have an iPhone – you can access this list INSIDE of the MouseWait iPhone app – download it for FREE here! Feel free to comment below to add your own secrets – or lets us know if you think these are not true! We are adding to this list daily. PLEASE COMMENT BELOW!

• The Plaza Inn is one of the best food deals in Disneyland – their full fried chicken dinner is awesome and it is only $13.49 (that is how much an omelette costs across the street at IHOP if you can believe that). The Cast Members are always super friendly here, it has tons of seating, and the Christmas decorations are awesome. Also, you can get unlimited refills on drinks there (self-serve) and they will even give you to go cups when you are done. We go here all the time and use our Annual Passholder discount – the corn dog cart is next door for the kids!

• Photopass TIP (Updated Nov 12): Instead of buying individual pictures, buy the CD – they put all of your pictures on one disk for one price (I think it is $59 at this time) – this is a great deal because you can put an UNLIMITED amount of pictures on one disk! The Photopass card is good for 30 days, so if you are an Annual Passholder, you can load as many pictures on there as you want for 30 days, then put them all on one disk for one price! I also heard that if you wait for around 25 days to login to the Photopass site to see your pictures, you get an additional 30 days to load the card up! Great deal and the Disneyland photographers are the best!

• Nursing mother rooms: Did you know that at the end of Main Street on the right side next to the Little Red Wagon Corn Dog Cart, Disneyland has a nursing mother’s room called the Baby Care center that has a dark quiet room with rocking chairs, a feeding area with high chairs cleaned after every use, a changing room with multiple changing stations that are cleaned and sanitized after every use, and mini potty chairs for toddlers that are sanitized after every use. It is really an amazing setup.

• Did you know you can get WIFI inside of California Adventure (great for iPod Touch users)? Just sit in one of the inlets across from the Rushin’ River Outfitters and you can get on to the Grand Californian Wifi – it has a very strong signal, I was still connected walking all the way down past the Redwook Creek Challenge Trail. The key is to stay close to the hotel and you should be able to stay online.

• BALLOONS AND SOUVENIRS REPLACED: Also, if you buy a balloon and it pops or is damaged, any vendor will give you a free balloon (they should since they cost $12!) – we do know this is true because they replaced one of our balloons less than a month ago. Also, they usually will replace any souvenir that breaks – my son has broken many pirate swords while we were at the park. We just take the broken one in and they always replace it for us.

• There is a Magic Lamp in a store across from the Jungle Cruise – for a buck you can rub the lamp and hear funny jokes

• The Goofy Water in Toon Town (at the gas station) turns colors at night.

• The Matterhorn basketball court:  Some say that in an effort to pass a city ordinance, Disney had to install a full court basketball court inside Matterhorn mountain so it qualified as a sports facility.  Some even say it was certified as an official Olympic Stadium in 1984. According to Snopes, this is not true. They say there is only a small attic-like space near the top of the Matterhorn that does contain a half court complete with a hoop. This area is used as a rest area for costumed climbers. Check out the video proof of the Matterhorn Basketball court here

• Call Disneyland and get a live person: Did you know that you can call and get a live person at this number 714-781-4565

• Main Street is supposed to be set in 1910 and Tomorrowland is set for 1986. These years were picked because they were the years of Hailey’s Comet

• Prior to opening day, Walt visited a few of the local churches and invited a handful of the best behaved children from the Sunday School classes to attend the opening day festivities (source HiddenMickeys.org)

• Did you know you can ride in the front car of the monorail if you ask?

• Did you know you can ride in the front of the Disneyland train with the conductor too? (tip thanks to MickeyFan below)

• CAT HOUSES: Reportedly there are cat houses in Disneyland, one is behind the Hungry Bear restaurant and you can see them if you look to the right while on the train.

• Disneyland vendors will replace broken spray bottles, broken swords, pretty much anything you buy there, if it breaks, they will give you a new one.

• Everyone knows that Walt Disney had an apartment located above the Fire Station next to City Hall. The light in that apartment is always left on to remind everyone he is always there with him. However, this light is turned off when his daughters are in the park, out of respect for their loss. (Source: FindingMickey.com)

• Club 33 has been a part of New Orleans Square since 1967, it is the only place where alcohol is served and it supposedly has a 5 year waiting list for memberships. Membership fees range from $9500 to $25000 with annual fees of $3000+!

• The organ that was in 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea is presently located in the ballroom of the Haunted Mansion

• Johnny Depp frequently stays at the Grand Californian Hotel, some say here is there once every two months with his family.

• Smellitzers on Main Street: Candy Palace & Candy Kitchen – Main Street USA: A photo of the Candy Kitchen Cast Members hard at work. Under the window is a vent that sends the wonderful candy aromas out onto Main Street. Note: Invented at Walt Disney World by Imagineer Bob McCarthy, the Smellitzer, is akin to the famed artillery howitzer - used to launch smells instead of shells. (Courtesy of FindingMickey.com)

• Tarzan’s Treehouse: Take a good look around the kitchen area underneath Tarzan’s Treehouse. Mrs. Potts and Chip, from Beauty & the Beast, can be sitting on top of a wooden crate. (Source: FindingMickey.com)

• Raiders of the Lost Ark Mercedes Truck: Indiana Jones and the Temple of the Forbidden Eye: An interesting Disney detail is parked outside of the Indiana Jones attraction. The olive green truck appears to be the one from the famous Raiders of the Lost Ark chase scene, in which Indy chases after the Nazi convoy transporting the Ark of the Covenant. The truck’s body type, license plate and missing hood ornament, match features from the vehicle used in the famous Raiders of the Lost Ark stunt sequence. (Source: FindingMickey.com)

• Go to Toon Town right when the park opens, it isn’t as busy then.

• Eeyore Parking Sign in the Indiana Jones Ride: An old Eeyore parking sign is hidden up in the rafters high above the projection room (in the queue). The sign pays homage to the Eeyore Parking Lot, which gave way to the current Indiana Jones attraction. (Source: FindingMickey.com)

• Forced Perspective: Disneyland is famous for using a photographic illusion called “forced perspective”. This gives the buildings on Main Street the illusion of height. The second story windows, signs, and accessories of the buildings on Main Street are smaller than the first level. Also the buildings angle slightly inward which creates the illusion that the Castle is much farther than it actually is. When you leave Disneyland the reverse effect happens – it doesn’t look that far away so you tend to want to walk slower and visit the shops. The Matterhorn is also designed using forced perspective – larger trees are placed toward the bottom, but as you go up, the trees get smaller. Disney used two foot pinion trees at the treeline of the Matterhorn to make it look bigger than it actually is (it is only 147 feet).

• Lines are usually shorter at dinner time when people are eating.

• Start from Adventureland and go clockwise: This saves time because you are not criss-crossing throughout the park and most people seem to go counterclock-wise starting with Tomorrowland. (Source: DisneylandVacationTips.com)

• The Matterhorn line that wraps around the Tomorrowland side is usually shorter. Also the left track is a faster ride than the right.

This is a cool Disney Secrets tour of Frontierland:

We are adding more daily so check back!

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