No matter how many times we walk into Disneyland, it always excites us and delights us. Whether we’re making new memories with our family or recalling our own childhood visits, it truly is the happiest place on earth. It’s a wondrous experience, and we’ve found a way to make it even more so. Our intrepid reporters have uncovered a treasure trove of secrets, fun facts, and trivia about Disneyland, most of which are not known by the general public. They found hundreds and we have pared them down to the most fascinating and least known. Read on and you too can be “in the know.” But please, shhhhhhhhhhh!!!! It’s Disneyland Confidential!

 

TRIVIAL TIDBITS CONFIDENTIAL

 

Disneyland opened in 1955 at a cost of $17 million. It was an unfathomable amount at that time, but in today’s dollars, that number would skyrocket to more than a $billion.

Ever wonder why Disneyland’s streets are impeccably clean? Every day after closing, they are washed and steam cleaned. Also, 1,000 brooms, 500 dust pans, and 3,000 mops a year keep Disneyland clean.

Cleanliness is a big part of Disneyland’s story. You may notice the trashcans seem to be placed at equal distances from one other – 27 paces to be exact. That’s because while building Disneyland, Walt Disney visited other amusement parks to study how far visitors would walk to dispose of their trash. He found that more than 27 paces would lead people to drop their trash on the ground, and thus the 27 pace distance at Disneyland was established. 

Ever notice how the street lighting at the entrance to Main Street, U.S.A. begins with old-fashioned gas lamps, but finishes with the new electric lamps near Sleeping Beauty Castle? Electricity has arrived!

How can you see Disneyland from the FRONT SEAT of the Monorail? Just let a Cast Member at any boarding station know you’d like to sit in the pilot’s cabin, which seats up to five passengers. You’ll board at the first available opportunity, usually the first or second Monorail to arrive. You and your kids will love this totally cool way to see Disneyland! 

 
Lose your balloon? No problem! Just ask any balloon vendor for a new one and it will be handed to you free of charge!

If you break a souvenir and still have your receipt, you can get a free replacement. Guests can also change their mind about a purchase they made in one shop if they’d like to exchange it for something else in another shop. Just show your receipt and pay any price difference.

 

Coffee lovers, start your day at Disneyland with a visit to the Market House on Main Street, U.S.A. When you’re ready for a refill any time during the day, enjoy it free again and again by presenting your original receipt with that day’s date.

I Don’t Want to go Home! Very few guests ever want to leave Disneyland at the end of the day, and this is one of the best secrets of all! Disneyland is actually open for one hour after the published park closing time to allow guests to do last-minute  shopping on Main Street, U.S.A. and letting you take a few more rides during that last hour.

An Exceptional Seat Awaits on the Disneyland Railroad. You and a guest can sit in a special seat for two on the Tender, the car right behind the Engine! You can even meet the Engineers and get an up close look as they operate the engine. Just make your request to a Conductor at the Disneyland Railroad Station in the Town Square. You’ll receive a private escort past the security gate to the front of the Tender. Temperatures close to the engine can climb to 130 degrees, so seating availability is subject to weather conditions.

What’s Forced Perspective? Look closely at the architecture and facades of the buildings on the Town Square and Main Street, U.S.A. for a secret trick of the eye. They were designed and built with an optical illusion called "Forced Perspective."  This clever trick makes buildings seem taller and larger, by building the second story slightly smaller than the first, and the third story even smaller. Smaller, shorter windows also add to the illusion of height. Take a look at Sleeping Beauty Castle. You’ll see that the “stones” at the base are much larger than those higher on the castle. Then check out the Matterhorn and you’ll find your eye has been tricked again!

How It All Began… This next secret goes unnoticed everyday. Walt Disney used to take his daughters to the Griffith Park Merry-Go-Round in Los Angeles, where they loved to ride the carousel with colorful horses. Walt sat on a park bench one day watching his daughters and wondered why parents couldn’t join their children in all the fun. At that moment…on that park bench…he got the idea for a new theme park, a place where families could experience magical rides and attractions together…a place he would call “Disneyland”. The secret continues… Inside the entryway of “Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln,” there’s a park bench. This is the actual park bench Walt Disney sat upon when he first dreamed of the idea of Disneyland.

 

Veterans are Honored Daily as they take part in the patriotic Flag Retreat Ceremony in Town Square. Just stop by City Hall to inquire about participating. Each evening at 5:00 p.m., Disney officials escort a single guest to the flagpole in the center of the Square for an honorary lowering of the flag, which lasts about 15 minutes.

Ever notice the lit lamp in the middle upstairs window at the Disneyland Fire Station? While Disneyland was being built, Walt was in the Park overseeing every aspect. To allow for more time in the park and with his family, he had an apartment built on the second floor of the Disneyland Fire Station. Everyone soon realized if the lamp in the window of Walt’s apartment was lit, it meant Walt was in the Park. The lamp remains lit to this day as an homage to Walt and to give a sense that he is somewhere in Disneyland, directing another part of its unfinished story.

 

The Honor of a Main Street, U.S.A. Window. Take a close look at the windows in these buildings, and you’ll see people’s names on them. Even though Disneyland is the vision, genius and determination of Walt Disney, it would have been an impossible task for him to bring to life by himself. Disney Imagineers, Cast Members, artists, architects, actors, singers, songwriters, costumers, and more helped him realize his dream and keep it alive for him. Many of these people are paid tribute with a window on Main Street, U.S.A. or elsewhere in the park. It’s considered one of the highest honors in the company.

 

ADVENTURELAND CONFIDENTIAL

 

One of the very first areas of Disneyland still exists today. Head to the Jungle Cruise for your own Adventureland Confidential voyage into the past. Part of Walt Disney’s brilliance was his story-telling ability. In designing the Jungle Cruise, he knew that the foliage was a key part in creating a believable jungle experience. Newly planted trees, bushes and shrubs separated by bare soil would NOT provide the authentic experience. To achieve the perfect setting, one of the very first projects was the planting of the Jungle Cruise foliage to ensure an entire growing season before opening day.

If you thought Tarzan’s Treehouse was just a walking and climbing attraction, you couldn’t be further from the truth. Climb the stairs to the rope bridge and up into the branches for a Top of the World View of Disneyland. There you will find unbelievable aerial views of the Haunted Mansion, Tom Sawyer Island, Splash Mountain, Adventureland and more from high in the tree.  

This secret requires the help of a Cast Member. Indiana Jones Adventure was built on the old Eeyore parking lot. As a reminder of the old lot, Imagineers hid one of the Eeyore parking lot signs in the queue. It’s difficult to find, so as you approach the front of the “projector room,” ask the Cast Member to show you the hidden Eeyore parking lot sign. Follow the flashlight, and you’ll see the sign, up near the roof, behind the projector. Next, pay close attention as you enter the “skeleton room.” To your left is a skeleton against a wall wearing Mickey Mouse ears. The name stitched into the hat truly reflects his physical state – “Bones!”

 

 

NEW ORLEANS SQUARE CONFIDENTIAL

Yes, there’s a SECOND pet cemetery at the Haunted Mansion, and you are one of the few who know. As you leave, look for a small walkway that turns left from the exit path just before the stairs and heads along the north wall of the building. There, just beyond the shrubbery, is a second pet cemetery containing the beloved pets of the ghosts of the Haunted Mansion. Boo!!!

 

 

Just where does that plain door lead? You know, the one right next door to the Blue Bayou Restaurant in New Orleans Square. The address is “33 Royal St.,” and most everyone walks right by it. But those in the know, know it’s the entrance to the world-famous “Club 33”, Walt Disney’s exclusive “members only” club. Celebrities, Disney executives, and even regular guests wait years to join, and it all comes with an expensive initiation fee. Those welcomed as members receive one of a kind dining and membership benefits in an exclusive Disneyland setting, all behind this plain door.

FRONTIERLAND CONFIDENTIAL

Ever want to pilot the Mark Twain Riverboat? This secret tells you how. When you board the Mark Twain Riverboat, ask a Cast Member if you can join the Captain in the wheelhouse to pilot the riverboat. You’ll help steer, ring the bell and even pull the cord to blow the steam whistle. Upon docking, your very own Mark Twain Riverboat Pilot’s Certificate will await you.

The western buildings you see on the hill above Big Thunder Mountain Railroad are a piece of Disneyland’s history that tribute to and remind longtime visitors of a past attraction. They originally comprised the mining town of Rainbow Ridge, which opened in 1960. Here guests boarded the Mine Train Through Nature’s Wonderland and journeyed through Beaver Valley, Bear Country, the Living Desert and Rainbow Caverns, showcasing America’s wilderness and the untamed West. It closed in 1977 to make way for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad rollercoaster. As you leave, look right across the pathway and you’ll see an abandoned railway tunnel, and just steps to the right, there’s another tunnel across Beaver Valley Pond, both originals from the old Mine Train Through Nature’s Wonderland.

Riding Big Thunder Mountain is pretty wild just by itself. But this secret makes it even better. As you enter the line, ask a Cast Member if you may sit in the back car of the attraction for the "wildest ride in the wilderness.” Hold on tight!

FANTASYLAND CONFIDENTIAL

 

As you go out the back of Sleeping Beauty Castle, follow the pathway on your immediate right and you’ll find Snow White’s Grotto. Few people know this, but the romantic beauty of Snow White’s Grotto and the nearby Snow White’s Wishing Well have made them the most popular place in Disneyland for marriage proposals. 

 

Many Disneyland Secrets are missed by those in a hurry, and these next two secrets are no exception. Look up to the large window above Snow White’s Scary Adventures. Wait for just a moment and you’ll see the curtains part to reveal a quick glimpse of the Evil Queen before closing again! Next, step into the queue and find the bronze book and shiny apple at the entrance. Reach out and touch the apple, and you’ll hear a loud clap of thunder and the menacing cackle of the evil witch!

“Who are U?” This next secret comes and goes, so to speak. Step into the nearby Mad Hatter shop in Fantasyland and watch the mirror on the wall behind the cash register. Do you see him?  He’s very faint and appears only briefly, but he’s there, grinnin’ like the Cheshire Cat!

A True Urban Myth… Here’s a cool secret, perhaps one of the most unique. Cast Members play basketball somewhere within Disneyland. You might imagine them playing on a special outdoor employee court. But no, this is one of the best kept secrets of all. They play inside the Matterhorn!  The top third, the pointed part of the Matterhorn, is an open area with storage space. When the Matterhorn was constructed, Walt asked his employees if there was anything special they’d like to have in that open space. They said, “We like to play basketball,” and that was all he needed. He had a small half-court built, and to this day, hoops are shot as bobsleds careen down the Matterhorn!

We hope you’ve enjoyed Disneyland Confidential. You are now “in the know,” but you’ll still enter the park, leave behind the “outside” world and become part of all the imagination. One last secret… Walt designed a special berm that encircles the park, capped with the Disneyland Railroad so the outside world could not be seen from anywhere within Disneyland, ensuring all who enter “…

Leave Today and Enter the World of Yesterday, Tomorrow and Fantasy.”