Disneyland Surprises from a Walt Disney World Pro by Guest Blogger Erika Tedesco
I recently got to visit the Disneyland Resorts for one day only. It was a bucket list trip! I visit Walt Disney World often and so there were a few surprises waiting for me at the California parks.
First, I knew that Disneyland (DL) and Disney’s California Adventure (DCA) are close to each other, but I didn’t realize how close. Strangely, both parks require separate admittance which seemed silly when going across a courtyard to the other park. This is the Walt Disney World equivalent of having Epcot split into two parks and requiring separate entrance to World Showcase.
(Panorama shot of the entrance to DLR – California Adventure to the left and Disneyland to the right)
Next, it was jarring to see Cast Members walking into work and around the park. Disney historians know that Walt didn’t like to see Cast Members from Future World walk into Frontierland, which was why he created the Utilidoors in Walt Disney World. Good call, Walt.
Seems silly, but I also didn’t expect the outdoor queues. Florida weather is hot and sometimes rainy, and although some queues are outdoors, many are inside offering an opportunity to be shielded from the rain and sun. The DL and DCA queues were mostly outside- interesting because you could actually see how long lines were before you entered.
I was also surprised at how friendly the California Cast Members were! I know, I shouldn’t have been, but they were very personable and helpful when I asked questions.
My most delightful surprise was seeing characters outside, mingling with the guests, like in the early days of Walt Disney World. I even found Mickey standing on a street corner with only two people waiting to talk to him! It was a lovely reminder of Walt’s vision.
Erika lives in Louisville, KY with her family- husband, Chris, and sons Jackson and Parker.
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Adam Frankel, Double oops, DCA has two gates as does AK. A big mistake made by Imagineers when building Cars Land, you can see the superstructure of Cadillac Mountain from outside the park something Walt never would have allowed. Backstage is to remain unseeable by the guests.
boy do you have a lot to learn about the disneyland resort!! 2 gates are 2 gates, pretty simple concept.
Adam if you feel you can do better TMSM is always looking for guest bloggers 🙂