The Bridge to Paradise Pier

Of the two entry paths to Paradise Pier, the main bridge delivers the most dramatic and fun sense of traveling back in time to an old-fashioned boardwalk. As you pass under the welcome sign, the atmosphere invites you to slow down, enjoy the moment, and pause to watch the coaster launch a few screaming trainloads up its first peak.

Disneyland Resort, due to its compact size, doesn't get a lot of opportunities to play with wide open spaces. Paradise Pier is an exception: it's one of the few spots on property where guests get a good look at an attraction (in this case, California Screamin') from a distance as they approach.

Once considered by many to be the worst idea ever shoehorned into a Disney park, Paradise Pier has blossomed into a charming, relaxing and beautiful corner of the resort. With room still available for another big attraction or two, the Pier's future looks brighter than ever.

From Paradise Pier Hotel to the Park Gates

Yesterday, we covered the pros and cons of staying at the Paradise Pier Hotel. Today, we've got a photo-tour of one important factor most first-time guests ask about: Just how long is the trek from Paradise Pier Hotel to the Parks? Your best bet is to take the shortcut through the Grand Californian. The journey goes like this:

As you exit the Paradise Pier Hotel and turn left, this is what you'll see. That's Disneyland Drive, a public street, on the right. We proceed along the sidewalk to the corner...

Beast Says...

Organized meet n' greets have their place, but I prefer to see the characters out and about in the parks, intermingling, chatting and goofing around with the guests. In this lovely shot I took of a bunch of guest's heads a couple of years ago, Belle had begun an impromtu game of "Beast Says" with a group of children. She was so earnest and delightful that even Cinderella paused to watch the fun.

Beast played along like a big, genial goof as Belle called out things like, "Beast says, 'Cover your eyes!'" and, "Beast says, 'Stand on one foot!'"

It would have been awesome if the game had ended with "Beast says, 'GET OUTTA MY CASTLE!!!!'" -- and then have Beast chase everyone around...but that didn't happen.

Next to the Fab Five, Belle and Beast are my favorite park characters. I'm certainly glad they let Beast stay Beast, instead of Mr. Learned-His-Lesson-Prince from the end of the film. If they had went with the human dude, everyone in the parks would be saying, "There's Belle and...some guy..."

Downtown Disney: Getting Better All the Time

In the "old days" before Downtown Disney, most family's Disneyland visits began with the tantalizing view of the main entry across the vast expanse of the parking lot (now the site of DCA).

I still miss the fun of approaching the park from the front, but I must admit that the new entry route through Downtown Disney is growing on me. It really is a beautiful and lively creation, and it actually provides a smooth transition from the real world to the fantasy realms of Disneyland and Disney California Adventure.

And it definitely provides a more enjoyable walk at night than the old parking lot ever did.

VALENTINE SEASON FUN -- Be sure to check out This Happy Place Blog, a truly terrific site where Estelle Hallick is presenting the Disney Love Meter -- a series in which different writers present their thoughts on some classic Disney couples. I feel very honored to have been invited to contribute, and my look at Johnnie Fedora and Alice Bluebonnet can be found there right now. I can't wait to see the rest of the entries!

Rare Characters: Governor Ratcliffe

Governor John Ratcliffe still appears in the Walt Disney World version of Fantasmic, but out West in Disneyland, Pocahontas's arch-foe hasn't been seen in quite a while. He's not the most memorable of Disney's animated villains, but he certainly made an impression as a walk-around character.

My encounter with Ratcliffe at a 1995 Disneyland Hotel Character Breakfast was definitely not like a meet n' greet with Mickey or Goofy. When the Governor reached our table, he halted and pointed an accusing finger at my Pocahontas button (handed to every patron at the door). He unfastened it, examined it, then dropped it into my scrambled eggs. With gestures, he asked to borrow my napkin. He blew his nose in it, then rubbed it into my hair, much to the delight of every guest around us. Then he posed for a picture and shook my hand for being a good sport. As he turned toward the next table, the waiting family braced themselves, laughing nervously.

I suddenly realized how much fun playing a walk-around villain in the Disney parks must be. What other cast members get to be rude and surly -- and leave happy guests in their wake? Timing and an instinct for reading the audience are essential to pulling it off, and the cast member bringing Ratcliffe to life that day managed to turn a relatively minor Disney villain into the most popular character of the morning.

Phineas & Ferb Keep Summer Alive at DCA

Christmas draws near, but in the world of Phineas & Ferb, every day is summer -- even though they've added a bit of Holiday music to their Rockin' Rollin' Dance Party. Here we see them dancing away their cares (backed by a chorus of helpful Fireside Girls) at the edge of Paradise Pier.

Phineas (in the striped shirt) looks almost frog-like from the front, which is why he's rarely seen from that angle in the TV show. All things considered, however, the characters translate to walk-around costumes surprisingly well.

It's still startling to see these two at first. Aren't they a bit tall to be ten-year-olds? Yes. Yes they are. The performers do such a great job of bringing the stepbrothers to life, however, that children buy into the fantasy instantly, and it only takes slightly longer for the adults in the crowd to get caught up in the fun.

The Rockin' Rollin' Dance Party, which has been a hit since the day it launched, must be an exhausting workout for the characters. I imagine they embrace the cooler days of fall and winter as a welcome relief after dancing through the show several times a day during the blazing heat of summer.

Rare & Retired Characters: Talespin Baloo & Don Karnage

Remember Talespin? It had an odd premise (Jungle Book meets Casablanca with a little bit of Cheers and lot of Jules Verne), but turned out to be a great family adventure series. Its best episodes (anything involving the Sky Pirates, ghosts or thawed-out WWI pilots) are still remembered by fans as some of the most entertaining television Disney's ever produced.

In 1991, Disneyland guests could meet "Higher for Hire" cargo pilot Baloo and sky pirate Don Karnage on Disney Afternoon Avenue, located near It's a Small World. Both character costumes were amazingly well-done.

After meeting the ace pilots, guests could take a ride through Gummi Glen on the re-themed Motorboat cruise, try out the Rescue Ranger Raceway (Fantasyland Autopia) or pose for photos in front in plywood replicas of key locations from Ducktales. Mickey's Toontown was two years away, but Afternoon Avenue served as a very pleasant temporary stand-in.

A Beautiful Day For Park Hopping

 

Frequent Park Hopping -- switching from one park to the other multiple times in a single day -- has become a natural part of a Disneyland Resort vacation. In the shot above, we see the Monorail passing above guests as they cross the Esplanade from Disneyland Park to Disney California Adventure. The trek takes only a minute, for Park Hopping here is as easy as the stroll down Main Street U.S.A.

Since the opening of Cars Land and Buena Vista Street, there seems to be an increasing tendency among visitors to tour Disneyland and Disney California Adventure as if they're two halves of one gigantic park. After all, to a guest standing at Disneyland's Main Street Railroad Station, It's a Small World and Cars Land are just about the same walking distance away!

Temporary Ride Shut-Downs Can Be Fun

Like most complex new rides, Radiator Springs Racers experiences occasional temporary shut-downs due to technical issues. When this happens, the cast members help riders step safely out of the vehicles and escort them to the nearest exit, issuing Fastpasses to each guest who did not receive a complete ride. The park's operators and technicians work swiftly to get the ride up and running again as quickly as possible, usually in less than half an hour.

My family experienced a ride shut-down only once in our eight trips on Radiator Springs Racers during a recent visit to Cars Land. And it was awesome. Why? Because we experienced the best of all possible scenarios: the ride stopped after our vehicle had completed 99% of the adventure; we were literally just a couple of car lengths from the unloading zone. After the friendly cast members helped us step from our vehicles and walk to the exit area, we received Fastpasses good for any DCA Fastpass ride (these special passes admit up to six people in a group).

So, we ended up with a basically complete ride-through, the novel experience of exiting the vehicle in an unusual spot, and a pass to re-ride the Racers again with very little wait once the attraction returned to normal operation (it was functioning perfectly within twenty minutes). As a bonus, the special pass allowed some of our group who hadn't yet ridden to join us.

Disneyland Resort fans tend to embrace the unexpected; sometimes ride shut-downs work to your advantage!