The Disneyland Book of Secrets 2014: One Local's Unauthorized, Rapturous and Indispensable Guide to the Happiest Places on Earth (45 page)

The
Imagineers
missed no detail in
Frontierland
.  Your sneakers thud on the wooden planks of
Frontierland
’s sidewalks.  As you tread
Frontierland
’s main street, take a moment to
really
observe it.  The ground has the textured look and feel of hard-packed earth or mud, and it’s laced with boot prints and impressions of horseshoes.  This
Themed Paving
, whether or not you consciously notice it, adds to the frontier ambiance.

Like many an early throughway in the old
West,
Frontierland
’s main drag has no official name on the official park maps, although I’ve seen it referred to as
Frontier Street
.  Angling northwest from the entrance, it’s lined with old-fashioned shops like the
Pioneer Mercantile
,
Bonanza Outfitters
, and
Silver Spur Supplies
on the left, and the
Westward Ho Trading Co.
on the right, as well as the
Frontierland Shootin’ Exposition
, a pay-as-you-play frontier-flavored but electronic shooting gallery (bring quarters if you want to use this attraction).

The street terminates in
El Zocalo
(“the square”)
Park
, with
The Golden Horseshoe
musical hall, the
Stage
Door Café
, and the
River Belle Terrace
on the left, and the
Rancho del Zocalo
restaurant and
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
entrance to the right.  Dead ahead are the
Rivers of America
and the
Frontierland Dock
where the
Mark Twain Riverboat
and
Sailing Ship Columbia
are often moored, and across the waters lies the verdant gem of
Tom Sawyer Island
.

Cast your eye
southwest along the river banks for a view of the sweeping
Esplanade
and Franco-Spanish architecture of
New Orleans Square
.  Gaze northwest along the river to appreciate
Splash Mountain
’s silhouette and the deep backwoods of
Critter Country
.

The river itself is gorgeously scenic, alive with water birds, the might
y
Mark Twain
, the elegant
Columbia
, rafts, and canoes.  It’s easy to feel that you’ve stepped back in time to a busy Mississippi River frontier port, with its early American mix of the rough and the sophisticated, wilderness and civilization.

Walk north along the river, up
Big Thunder Trail
, for lovely water and forest views on your left, and ravishing vistas of
Big Thunder Mountain
’s freshly painted orange-and-gold buttes and spires on your right.  A short stroll past one of the park’s few designated
Smoking Areas
brings you to
Big Thunder Ranch
, with its barnyard petting zoo featuring goats and other critters, and its log cabin, a replica of a typical settler’s cabin that both kids and adults will find interesting.

Just up the trail a piece, on the
Fantasyland
border, is the
Big Thunder Ranch Barbecue
where you can take in Western-themed musical performances, and purchase seriously delicious barbecue meals including beverages, fixin’s, and desserts.  You might even see
Woody
or
Jesse
from the
Pixar Toy Story
films.

Though you’ll no longer encounter
Zorro
in
Frontierland
, keep your eyes peeled for “that masked man,” none other than the
Lone Ranger
. 
Disney
rebooted the venerable and venerated franchise with a 2013 summer blockbuster film,
The Lone Ranger
, starring
Armie Hammer
as the iconic hero and
Johnny Depp
(a
Disney
go-to star) in an instantly classic interpretation of
Tonto
.

The Lone Ranger
premiered at
DCA
—not
Disneyland
—on June 22, 2013.  Tickets cost $1,000 each, benefitting the American Indian College Fund.  Attendees saw
Silver
(the
Lone Ranger
’s trusty steed) and a rail car used in the film, and were able to roam
Cars Land
as part of the event.

In the days that followed, Guests were able to view the giant locomotive engine that appears in the film; it was parked in
DCA
’s
Hollywood Land
, big as life, and Guests posed in front of it for keepsake photos.  (Probably for safety reasons, Guests could not board the grand locomotive.)

Annual Passholders
who arrived early enough were able to view
The Lone Ranger
, for free, in the
Muppet
movie palace.  Shops in
DCA
and particularly in
Disneyland
’s
Frontierland
began selling
Texas Ranger
badges,
Tonto
costumes, and
Lone Ranger
and
Tonto
action figures.

The
Lone Ranger
premier was held in
DCA
, but in spirit the masked hero more properly belongs to
Frontierland
, to the land
Walt
built to keep our frontier history and heritage alive.  Through the production of movies like the
Lone Ranger
,
Disney
keeps its long-standing connection to western entertainment fresh and vital.

For every
Guest who ever watched
Davy Crockett
or “Gunsmoke,” “Dodge City,” “The Lone Ranger,” or
Zorro
, who played cowboys as a kid, who read “Last of the Mohicans” or “Tom Sawyer” or “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,”
Frontierland
is
your
land.  They’re keeping a lantern lit for you in the stockade window. 
Did You Know?
  Because it represents the old West,
Frontierland
was built on the western side of
Disneyland
. 
Did You Also Know?
  In
Frontierland
,
Imagineers
designed and embedded many details authentic to and evocative of the first century of the American west, from about 1790 – 1880.  Look for gems like the old-fashioned lanterns, hitching posts, and the period-style posters and signage.  The resulting illusion of being on the American frontier is nearly seamless. 
Night Vision:
 
Frontierland
and neighboring
New Orleans Square
host night-time extravaganza
Fantasmic!
, a combination of music, animation, fire, dozens of live-action character performances, hand-to-hand combat, ships, and a 40-foot tall
Maleficent
in dragon form, all playing out on the
Rivers of America
.  Shows are twice nightly during the summer and Christmas seasons (see the park’s
Entertainment Times Guide
or check online or with Cast Members for show times during your visit).  The river banks become crowded prior to each performance, but this constantly enhanced show is a Guest favorite and worth the wait and the crowds.  During the off-seasons, when
Fantasmic!
isn’t presented, there isn’t a bad night view from the banks of the
Rivers of America
.  The illusion of being in times past is complete when darkness falls.  Gazing across the dark waters at lantern lights, gas lights, candle lights, and early electricity, one truly feels a part of days gone by.

Frontierland Attractions

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
(Refurbished 2013 – 2014) (FP) 
Must be 40” or 102 cm tall to ride.

[
FastView:
 
Part roller coaster, part dark ride, all amazing.  Extensively overhauled, this attraction will be more popular than ever in 2014.  Target reopening date is February 2014.  Hang onto those hats and glasses, pardners!
]

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
is going to be one of the blockbuster attractions of 2014.

A
lready a popular
Disneyland
coaster, it was closed in January 2013 for a major refurbishment.  Guests were told not to expect it to re-open until autumn 2013, which, quite naturally, built intense anticipation for its return. 
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
has a lot of fans.  A lot.

The
substantial overhaul and rehab included new coaster cars, new tracks, upgraded lighting and audio, the reconstruction of
Rainbow Ridge
, and extensive re-painting.  No mere touch-up, this.

During th
e spring of 2013, Guests watched curiously as construction fences and tarps sealed
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
—the queue, the loading area, the coaster, the mountain range, the little town of
Rainbow Ridge
—from the inquisitive eyes of civilians.  Of course, that didn’t stop Guests from peeking through gaps in the tarps and fencing, trying to see what on earth was happening at the work site.

N
o fence could soar high enough to hide the dizzyingly tall crane that dominated the
Big Thunder Mountain
work site for months.  At
Disneyland
(where anything is possible) that giant crane literally lifted and moved mountain tops and sections of track.

By
April 2013, it became clear that revamping the attraction and its queue was going to be a slow process, maybe more drawn-out than
Disneyland
had anticipated.  In April, a
Frontierland
Cast Member predicted a Halloween re-launch for
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
—meaning Halloween
at the earliest
.

Summer 2013 rolled along, and for awhile construction closed down
Big Thunder Trail
, forcing Guests in
Frontierland
to circle around through
Fantasy Faire
and the
Hub
to reach
Fantasyland
(and vice-versa).  Then, just when Guests got used to
Big Thunder Trail
being closed, the path was reopened by late summer.

One of the most jarring sights that summer
of 2013 was the absence of
Big Thunder Mountain
’s candy-colored spires.  That clear blue sky, unpunctuated by
Big Thunder Mountain
’s peaks, looked mighty empty.

By early autumn the mountains
rose again, looking new and fresh.  (See the “Photos” chapter near the end of this book for a striking image of the spires.)  But would
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
thunder along the tracks by Halloween, as anticipated?

As autumn
progressed,
Disneyland
remained mum about delays, continuing to promise a vague “Fall 2013” re-launch.  The online travel agent resource “
Disneyland Resort
Refurbishments Update” continued to list a reopening date of October 30, 2013, but multiple
Disneyland
fan sites were abuzz with a rumor that the re-launch would be delayed until February 15, 2014.

W
ith all new tracks and all new coaster cars (
Disneyland
indicated the coasters would still look like the original
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
train cars), with all the wiring and lighting to replace and ugrade, and the
AA
animals, and the complex route the tracks carve through multiple mountains, caves, tunnels, and mine shafts, this is the kind of project that requires time to do right.  This is the attraction’s first rehab on such a grand scale, and safety officials will need to sign off on it before it can reopen; better to take it slow and sure.

During
Halloweentime
2013 at
Disneyland
, a
Frontierland
Cast Member confirmed that
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
will not reopen until
February 2014
.  Although not definitive, Cast Members usually have a much better (much more reliable) insight into attraction scheduling than Internet rumors. 
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
fans making vacation plans should check the resort website or call
Disney Vacation Planners
for the official word, but keep the February 2014 date in mind.