California Screamin's Single Rider Shortcut

DCA's California Screamin' is one of the park's most efficient crowd-movers. With the ability to run five trains on the track at once, the massive coaster's wait times remain reasonable even on the busiest days. If you're touring the park solo, however (or don't mind temporarily splitting your group), the Single Rider Entry can cut your wait to just a few minutes!

The Single Rider Entrance is to the left of the Standby Line. A cast member will direct you through to this area, which is actually the ride's unloading side. A moment later, you'll be directed to the right, where you'll take an elevator up to the queue's over-the-tracks bridge.

Alice in Wonderland's Curious Signage

There's nothing quite as Fantasyland-ish as an eyeful of Wonderland leaves. That's a nicely-designed sign, too. Although, sometimes these ride descriptions get a bit too literal...

Is it really necessary to point out that the ride vehicles are oversized caterpillars? I honestly don't think anyone in line is expecting to board a normal-sized three-inch-long caterpillar...at least, I certainly hope not. Ah, well, it's a fun bit of signage nevertheless.

Photo by Lana Whitham

Imagineering Awesome at Mouse on the Mind!

No regular post today, as Mouse Troop's gone visitin'! Today I have the great honor of taking part in a challenge set forth by Melissa Sue Sorrells at Mouse on the Mind! If you had the funds and authority to design any ride you wanted at any Disney park (it has to be based on a Disney film), what would it be?

I know darn well what I'd build, and the above image is a hint. Head on over to Mouse on the Mind to check out the details of my dream ride. You should head over there anyway, because it's an incredibly creative, fantastic site full of great Walt Disney World travel tips, editorials, reviews and much more!

When I See An Elephant Photosynthesize

"Kind of jumpy, aren't ya, Valiant? It's just Dumbo!"

With that line from Roger Rabbit, we're taking a look at the cutest little shrub in Fantasyland. This great topiary sits all by himself a few yards from a whole herd of airborne pachyderms. He dreams of freeing his mother from the greenhouse, where she was locked up as a "mad plant."

And he was the very last thing Jack Nicholson's character saw in The Shining. Okay, that's a lie--but you have to admit, it would have been a better ending.

Netflix Adds More Great Disney Animation

The Wind in the Willows, Paul Bunyan, Hercules, a lot of classic Mickey Mouse and rarely-seen gems like The Saga of Windwagon Smith are now available for digital streaming.

Today is a very good day to be a Disney fan with a Netflix account. The streaming service just added a boatload of fantastic animation, including films that haven't been widely available for ages!

Let's take a look at the lineup:

Treating Disneyland and DCA as One Big Park

Since last June, when DCA re-launched as a spectacular and satisfying park (at long last), many guests, particularly frequent-visitor locals and Annual Passholders, began approaching the resort with a new outlook.

Many folks now treat Disneyland and DCA as one enormous mega-theme park. With the two halves facing each other, separated only by a one-minute walk across the central Esplanade, it's an easy mindset to embrace! In this way of looking at the parks, the security bag check becomes the actual main entrance. The turnstyles at DL and DCA seem like mere formalities.

Dark Ride Loading: Pinocchio's Daring Journey

The five Fantasyland dark rides each have a unique style to their loading area, but all aim to provide a smooth transition from the (relatively) real world to the glowing black-light realms inside the building.

At Pinocchio's Daring Journey, we feel as if we're entering a picture book that's springing to life, with three-dimensional set pieces emerging from background paintings.