The Disneyland Book of Secrets 2014: One Local's Unauthorized, Rapturous and Indispensable Guide to the Happiest Places on Earth (213 page)

Celebrities

It seems as if e
veryone loves
Disneyland
–including celebrities and royals.  Sometimes these luminaries visit the park after hours or for special, closed events, but there’s every chance you might run into famous people and their families strolling down
Main Street
or riding
Pirates of the Caribbean
.  Celebrity-spotting etiquette at
Disneyland
:  Naturally you’ll be excited to see someone famous, but enjoy the thrill
from a distance
.  Famous folks are there to enjoy the resort
just like you are
.  Don’t rush them, crowd around them, snap photos, or ask for autographs.  Over the years,
Disneyland
has welcomed notables as diverse as Jason Alexander,
Julie Andrews
, Babyface, Kobe Bryant,
Nicholas Cage
,
Miley Cyrus
, Jon Favreau, Sarah Ferguson (Duchess of York), Michael J. Fox, Jennifer Garner,
Whoopi Goldberg
, Harry Hamlin, Tony Hawk, Billy Idol,
Michael Jackson
, Magic Johnson, Greg Kinnear, Henry Kissinger,
Jessica Lange
, Jennifer Lopez, Matthew Perry, Michelle Pfeiffer, Princess Anne of Great Britain, Princess (later Queen) Margrethe of Denmark, Rainier III (Prince of Monaco), Ving Rhames, Mickey Rooney, Arnold Schwarzenegger,
Britney Spears
, Gwen Stefani,
Ashley Tisdale
and
Oprah Winfrey
to name just a few.  And sometimes celebrities
are
at the park to work; on February 29 and March 1, 2012, for example, portions of
Disneyland Park
were cordoned off so that the cast and crew of
ABC
’s extremely popular
Modern Family
could film an upcoming episode.  It was delightfully surreal seeing
Sofia Vergara
,
Julie Bowen
,
Reid Ewing
and the show’s other stars filming in front of
Main Street
’s
City Hall
.  In mid-December 2012,
Krysten Ritter
, star of
ABC
’s
The B- In Apartment 23
, turned 31, and she celebrated her birthday at
Disneyland
.  She and three friends passed the author their way to the
Haunted Mansion
.  No security, no entourage, no fanfare–just
Ritter
and three companions.  And no one pestered her, because it’s
Disneyland
.  Everyone’s special at
Disneyland
, and everyone’s just there to have fun.  The only sign of
Ritter
’s celebrity was that she got to jump the line; if celebrities stand in line, some Guests who
don’t
know the protocol might hassle the stars for photos and autographs.  Of course, the biggest celebrities of all are at
Disneyland
every single day: 
Mickey
,
Minnie
,
Donald
,
Pluto
and
Goofy
!  And you can get their autograph and pose for photos with them to your heart’s content.

Characters

Disney
characters have been known and loved the world over since
Mickey Mouse
made his big splash in
Steamboat Willie
in 1928.  When visiting the
Disney Theme Parks
, one of the things that Guests look forward to with the most anticipation is being able to see and even meet three-dimensional representations of their favorite
Disney
characters.  For little ones, the characters they meet truly are
Mickey
,
Minnie
,
Goofy
, or
Princess Aurora
!  SPOILERS:  Some characters wear full-body suits, with their heads covered by elaborate (and often heavy) character masks.  These include
Mickey
,
Minnie
,
Donald
,
Goofy
, and
Pluto
.  These characters never speak (except for the new, high-tech, talking and blinking
Mickey
and
Minnie
), because the difference between the Cast Members’ voices and the actual characters’ voices might be too jarring for Guests, particularly little ones.  Cast Members’ vision is sometimes restricted by the masks, and their movements are restricted by the costume, so they are often attended by other Cast Members who act as their guides. 
Watch your children when they meet with these characters
; be sure the characters and their attendants can see you children at all times.  Although they can’t speak, these characters use expressive movements and gestures to communicate a range of emotions. 
Face characters
like
Alice in Wonderland
or the
Disney Princesses
are Cast Members who resemble the character they’re portraying and are coiffed and costumed to resemble them even more.  They’re coached in how to sound like the characters, and they are permitted to speak to Guests. 
Face characters
have better vision and greater range of movement than their masked counterparts, so there is less danger they might not see your child.  However,
all
characters attract crowds, and create excitement when they appear, so watch your small children to be sure they’re not jostled or trampled in all of the hubbub.  Sadly,
Disney characters
have always faced the challenge of rambunctious children or adults physically assaulting them with punches, kicks, etc.  Sometimes the characters’ attendants have had to become body guards!  Speak to your children and teens in advance and remind them that any
Disney
characters
they encounter in the park should be treated gently and courteously.  Of course, that cuts both ways; even the villainous
Disney
characters like
Captain Hook
or the
Evil Queen
are trained to behave gently and appropriately with all Guests.  Characters sometimes roam story-appropriate areas of the resort (you might see
Pinocchio
strolling through
Fantasyland
, for example), and the more popular ones appear at special character breakfasts at resort restaurants, and at designated times and locations within the park where Guests can meet them, get their autograph, and have a photo taken with them–memories for a lifetime.  Speak to a Cast Member or check the park’s
Entertainment Times Guide
or your
Disneyland
mobile app to find out where and when you and your family can meet your favorite characters.

Child Care

If you want to spend some time without your wee ones, the
Disneyland Resort Hotels
offer in-room child care service (baby sitters) for a fee.  Contact your Front Desk/Concierge for details.  Additionally, the
Grand Californian Hotel
has a group child care facility called
Pinocchio’s Workshop
.  Open from 5 pm until midnight,
Pinocchio’s Workshop
accepts children aged five to twelve years old, and provides child care by competent, trained Cast Members who are CPR-certified and have passed background checks.  Parents are given pagers so that
Pinocchio’s Workshop
can contact them immediately in event of an emergency.  The workshop offers plenty of activities to pass the time; children can read, solve puzzles, make crafts, play videogames, and watch
Disney
-themed movies.  Siblings or cousins left here will have a ball; lone children, unless they’re unusually sociable, might feel a bit shy.  The hourly fee includes snacks; dinner can be purchased for an additional fee of $5.  Call in advance to reserve space(s) for your child(ren):  (714) 635-2300.

Child Safety

On trip
s to
Disneyland Park
, you will witness some of the most ill-advised Guest behavior you’ve ever seen.  Among the most egregiously foolhearty moves that the author has seen:  a grandmother and granddaughter switched seats in a
Pirates of the Caribbean
boat while it was moving, literally seconds before it plunged down the first flume drop.  They were lucky they weren’t hurled out of the boat and seriously injured.  A father held his infant son high up in the air when the
bateau
plunged down the flumes.  Guests of all ages lean out of their boats and drag their hands in the water at
Pirates of the Caribbean
and
“it’s a small world”
and most other water attractions–yes, in the water, where the conveyer belts and pumps and machinery are.  Given the size and thrill of
Disneyland
, it’s hard to believe how few injuries and fatalities it has seen over the years.  The resort’s safety record is a testament to the diligence of
Disney
Management and Cast Members, and how seriously they take Guests’ safety.  When Cast Members are trained, they learn the four key
Disney
values
of
safety
,
courtesy
,
show
, and
efficiency
.  Notice that
safety
is first.  It’s therefore not surprising that almost every case of serious injury within the resort is due to Guests’ ill-advised behavior. 
Disney
engineers, maintenance staff, and planners do everything possible to make Guests safe when building, installing, and maintaining attractions.  But safety also lies in the Guests’ hands, in the choices we make, in whether we do or do not follow the many safety instructions and warnings that are delivered verbally and posted all over the resort.  Often Guests don’t mean to be reckless; they’re simply distracted by the hyper-stimulating environment.  But the results can be tragic.  Common injuries include slip-and-falls when entering or exiting the resorts’ water craft, and crushed or amputated fingers when Guests place their hands between a boat and a wall or dock. (One reason newer boats sport bumpers is to minimize the chance of such accidents.) Injuries can happen any time that common sense lapses.  On one trip, I saw a father abruptly stop the stroller he was pushing, because he’d dropped his park map.  When he stopped the stroller, his adorable little daughter (probably four years old) flew out of the stroller and face-planted on the pavement.  He didn’t notice, because he was bending down, with his back to her, picking up his map.  Luckily the child appeared unhurt, although startled and teary.  The father picked her up and calmed her.  I’m going to go out on a limb and assume that he’s a working dad who doesn’t spend a lot of time with his daughter and isn’t used to pushing a stroller.  He probably loves the heck out of her and the
Disneyland
trip is a great chance for him to bond with her.  But from a safety standpoint, he’s not used to having a child in tow, and that can be dangerous; he seemed clueless about a) the importance of securely fastening a child into its stroller and b) the danger of abruptly stopping a stroller. 
Disneyland Resort
trips are often times for family members who don’t see each other often to connect.  That’s beautiful, but if you’re handing over your little ones to the dad, mom, auntie, or grandpa who hardly ever sees them, make sure to give the novice caretaker some safety tips and show them how to operate the strollers.  It’s something you might not think about in all the joyful excitement of the park visit, but remember that no one knows your kids and how to keep them safe like you do.  What seems like routine and common sense to you could be a mystery to a relative or family friend.  Child safety also means keeping an eye on your kids.  On one trip I witnessed a mother lose track of her toddler near the
Rivers of America
, and as recently as autumn 2013 I witnessed an incident where parents left one of their children behind at
Pinocchio’s Daring Adventure
; alert Guests who spotted the child shouted to the family—which was heading out of
Fantasyland
, not even knowing the boy was missing—and returned the child to them.  Also in autumn 2013, a small boy step around a
Radiator Springs Race
safety gate as it was swinging shut, placing him inches from toppling into the path of a racer vehicle.  His parents were chatting with each other.  Cast Members were chatting with each other.  Luckily—very luckily—the little boy slipped around the gate again, back to safety,
on his own
.  You don’t want to be hyper-vigilant and smother your kids with attention every second—it’s a vacation after all—but just keep your eyes on your kids during
key moments
like boarding and exiting ride vehicles, crossing streets, and whenever you’re in heavy crowds.  If the mother who misplaced her toddler by the
Rivers of America
had been that inattentive during a crowded
Fantasmic!
or fireworks show, the toddler would have disappeared into a teeming crowd of tens of thousands in the near pitch dark.  During a 2012
Disneyland Candlelight Procession
, the little tot seated in front of me was so enthralled by the music that he stood up on his chair, waving his arms and dancing wildly.  Sure enough, the little guy suddenly executed a wild dance move and started falling over the back of his chair.  I reached out to catch him if needed, but his father grabbed his collar at the last minute.  Both parents looked shaken and stunned that their child had almost fallen—even though he had been doing everything but break dancing.  You’ll hear it over and over again when you’re in the parks:  “Parents –
watch your children
.”  And it’s not just inside the parks that you have to be careful.  Other key moments when you want to keep your eyes peeled are amidst the crowds of
Downtown Disney
, and when you’re boarding and riding the trams that ferry you to and from
Mickey and Friends Parking
.  If you’re at the resort for a day trip, or are staying at an off-site motel or hotel, you might find yourself crossing
Harbor Boulevard
just outside the resort’s eastern limits. 
Harbor
is lined with restaurants, snack shops, motels, and hotels, and is busy and congested all day and for much of the night. 
Harbor Boulevard
near the
Disneyland
entrance is a perfect storm of heavy traffic, busses, shuttles, cars, distracted out-of-town drivers, distracted pedestrians–especially kids–everyone focused on
Disneyland
and recreation, almost no one focused on safety and common sense.  Guests finishing blissful hours at the resort stand at the intersection in a sort of daze, parents obliviously talking or texting as their kids goof around on the curb while buses and cars zip past mere inches away.  Bad things can happen.  For example, on October 1, 2011,
ABC
Channel 7 reported two pedestrian fatalities just outside the resort.  The pedestrians were struck by a van on
South Harbor Boulevard
near the
Disneyland
entrance at 4:10 am, and were pronounced dead at the scene.  Note that 4:10 am is not even a peak traffic time for this area. 
Harbor
was closed between
Disney Way
and
Manchester
while officers investigated.  A pedestrian fatality on
Harbor
is sad but not shocking.  Perhaps because it’s a busy tourist destination,
Anaheim
’s fatal accident statistics tend to be at or often above the California average [see
www.city-data.com/accidents/acc-Anaheim-California.html
]. 
So the bottom line is this:  Be in “vacation mode” and have fun, but snap into “alert mode” at those key moments when you’re boarding or exiting ride vehicles, in crowds, and when you’re waiting to cross streets.  And as
Disneyland
advises, endlessly, please “Watch your children.”