The Disneyland Book of Secrets 2014: One Local's Unauthorized, Rapturous and Indispensable Guide to the Happiest Places on Earth (18 page)

Heart
s pounding, Guests find themselves pulling up to the loading area where they recently embarked on their ill-fated treasure hunt.

Follow the long, mysterious
egress corridor to its termination along the banks of the
Jungle Cruise
; you just might spot one of the
Jungle Cruise
boats plying the dark green waters.

The path winds back to the
Indiana Jones Adventure
entrance and the exotic main street of
Adventureland
.  This is an adventure that will stay with you the rest of the day, and the rest of your life!  A perennial Guest favorite,
Indiana Jones Adventure
is
Imagineer
Tony Baxter
’s favorite attraction at
Disneyland
.  He helped to design it, and once it opened he was privileged to guide
Michael Jackson
, Janet Jackson and other Jackson family members through it.  The King of Pop was in awe–and you will be too!

Indiana Jones
Movies Through the Years

Did You Know?
  Introducing
E-ticket
extravaganza
Indiana Jones Adventure
to
Adventureland
was a big, big deal.  In addition to all the work of building the attraction itself, the entire land was re-themed with a 1930’s flavor, part of the parking lot (the
Eyeore
section) was eliminated, the
Jungle Cruise
gave up territory and was re-routed, and
backstage
streets and elements were reworked.  It was a massive endeavor, but the results are sterling.  On
Indiana Jones Adventure
’s opening day,
Disney
luminaries were on hand, as well as
George Lucas
and
Carrie Fisher
,
Harrison Ford
’s costar from the
Star Wars
films.
Fisher
’s connection to the
Indiana Jones
universe?  She wrote a 1993 episode of TV’s
The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles
. Her connection to
Disneyland
?  Her parents Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fisher were among the celebrities who attended
Disneyland
’s
Opening Day
.  (
Carrie
didn’t attend; she wasn’t born until more than a year after the park opened.)
Did You Also Know?
  Is there no end to the secrets this temple hides?  According to the awesomely fun website “The Happiest Potties On Earth,” one of the most secret rest rooms in the park is concealed near the elevator toward the end of the queue.  Can you find it?  Note:  It’s for emergencies only, and CM permission is needed to visit it.
Hidden Mickey:
  Reputable sources like
Steven M. Barrett
of
Hidden Mickey
fame report that one of the skeletons/mummies in the
Mummy
section is wearing a
Mickey Ear Hat
.  I’ve never been sharp-eyed enough to spot that as the jeep jolts past, but maybe you will!
Hidden Skeleton:
  Is there a skeleton hidden in a crevice near the beginning of the attraction’s enclosed queue?  You bet!  During the summer of 2012, my sister stumbled across a rumor of its existence.  We were determined to debunk or confirm it. 
Confirmed!
  Can
you
find it?  Hint:  For best viewing, bring a little flashlight.  And remember,
never
go into Cast Member areas or stray outside the queue.  The skeleton is “hanging around” in a small cavern in the queue close to the temple entrance. 
Eyeore Alert:
  The projection room where you view the safety film contains a hidden image of
Eyeore
. Can you find it? Eagle-eyed Guests will spot
Eyeore
on the wall through which they
entered
the projection room. Before you
exit
the room, turn and look high
above
the projector.  You’ll see a blue sign bearing a black-and-white
Eyeore
sketch.  This is one of the signs from the
Eyeore
parking lot which was demolished to make room for
Indy
; when
Imagineers
build a new attraction, they include a souvenir from whatever was there before–a hidden tribute.  In the dimness, you’ll see
Eyeore
as a large kidney-shaped patch of white–but that’s him! 
Like a Rolling Stone:
  How do
Imagineers
achieve the boulder effect without ever smooshing a single Guest? 
Imagineer
extraordinaire
Tony Baxter
worked it out after one of his inspired
eureka
insights.  As
Tony
explains in the DVD
Disneyland Resort:  Imagineering the Magic
, the basis of the illusion is the principle of the automatic car wash.  It only
looks
like the boulder is bearing down on you.  Actually, the boulder is rotating in place on a raised platform.  Your vehicle,
Indy
, the vine he’s clinging to and the walls are all pulled forward toward the boulder.  Yes,
Indy
and the walls are pulled too, which creates the illusion that it’s the boulder, not you and the vehicle, in motion.  It appears that you’re almost crushed by the great stone, but your jeep drops down the hill well before that happens.  Just another astonishing bit of
Imagineering
! 
Indy Movie Vision:
  So–Can we expect another
Indiana Jones
movie in the near future?  Not according to an article by Dorothy Pomerantz, staff writer at Forbes.com, on October 31, 2012. 
Disney
’s 2012 purchase of
Lucasfilm
includes the
Indiana Jones
franchise, but Paramount has
Indy
film distribution rights.  That means
Disney
will have to pay Paramount to distribute a new
Indy
film. 
Single Riders:
  This attraction offers a
Single Rider
option.  If the others in your party don’t want to journey with
Indy
, and you’re on your own, you can enter the attraction via the exit corridor.  Just tell Cast Members you’re a
Single Rider
.  They might issue you a
Single Rider
pass, or might just wave you in.  Either way, although it seems counter-intuitive, you should follow the exit corridor into the heart of the attraction.  Follow all posted
Single Rider
signage, and tell Cast Members along the route that you’re a
Single Rider
.  Cast Members in the loading area will get you into a jeep quickly. 
Single Riders
help them to fill in gaps in Guest loading, so you’re not only getting to enjoy the adventure sooner than other Guests, you’re also helping
Disneyland
!  Note that some Guests report that on crowded days or days when there are many disabled Guests, who load via the same route as
Single Riders
, the
Single Riders
queue can seem as long as the regular one. But
Disneyland
’s introduction of disabled boarding passes in October 2013 should cut down on the number of Guests who were abusing the disabled entrance process.
FastPass:
  Yes.  This is one of the most popular attractions in the park, and has the longest line after
Space
and
Splash Mountains
.  To avoid waits of up to 90 minutes during summer and holidays, visit
Indiana Jones Adventure
first thing when the park opens, or get a
FastPass
as soon as you enter the park, and then return later in the day to zoom past all those folks in the queue like a hotshot celebutante (or, to steal a phrase from one of the attraction’s short intro films, like “a member of the international smart set”).  The
Indiana Jones Adventure FastPass
area is between the
Jungle Cruise
and the
Indiana Jones Adventure
entrance.  All of these areas are shrouded with heavy jungle foliage, and can be confusing for
Disneyland
newcomers.  Sometimes people end up standing in the wrong lines and become irritated when they realize their mistake.  Hence, this is one of those
Disneyland
“pressure points” where tempers can fray.  Keep cool, find the right line, and ask
Disneyland
Cast Members if you are confused about anything.  Cast members are stationed near the entrances to all attractions, and at
FastPass
queues.   Off-season and on weekdays the line for the
Indiana Jones
Adventure
can be as short as 15 – 30 minutes–no
FastPass
needed. 
Kid’s Eye View:
I love it!  It’s so fun!  It’s not like a roller-coaster, it’s not super-scary, it’s cool. 
Teen’s Eye View:
It is currently my favorite ride!  It’s fast-paced and altogether awesome.  It’s fun, exciting, and full of “easter eggs” throughout the ride.  You will never get tired of it and will keep finding little hidden surprises (even in line) as long as you look hard enough.  It is very bumpy, and does shake you up a lot, but it’s so fun and crazy!  Very young children may find it scary if they’re afraid of reptiles or ghosts.

Jungle Cruise
  (
Opening Day
Attraction)

[
FastView:
  Disneyland
’s very first thrill ride, it seems relatively tame today, but it’s still packed with plenty of punchlines and adventure, especially for little ones.  Great family fun.
]

About halfway along
Adventureland
’s winding street is the entrance to the
Jungle Cruise
, one of the original
Disneyland
thrill rides.  Small craft originally inspired by the boat in Bogart and Hepburn’s popular film “African Queen” carry Guests and a wise-cracking
Skipper
deep into the wilderness along winding river terrain (designed by
Harper Goff
) that was inspired by the terrain of Africa, India, Asia,
Disney
’s
True-Life Adventure
productions, and elements from every
Tarzan
and exotic adventure movie ever made.

There are wild animals in and along the rivers, but don’t worry; although
Walt
originally wanted to stock his
Jungle Cruise
with
real
wild animals, the creatures’ inability to perform on cue scuttled that plan.  The beasts you see are all mechanical, their antics triggered by well-hidden sensors along the route, but none the less frightening at times, particularly when they charge the craft and the
Skipper
has to let loose with some pistol fire!

The voyage lasts about 7 minutes, long enough for you to feel you are really deep in the jungle, or at least deep on a
Tarzan
back lot.  There are plenty of surprises, some chills, a lot of genuinely funny sight gags designed by legendary
Imagineer Marc Davis
, and an abundance of corny jokes and patter (largely unchanged since the 1960’s) delivered by your
Skipper
.  Are the
Skippers
really piloting the boats?  No; the craft travel along an underwater track (not on wheels rolling along submarine trenches, as previously reported).  The
Skippers
do, however, manage the boats’ speed.