20050514..May 14, 2005...Official Check in Disney's 1st 14 Day thru Panama Canal Part 4

[DisneyDreamer8]

Well guys.....

I'm outta here!!!!!!​

See you Saturday!!!!!!!

Everyone have a safe trip.............

 

[moocow35]

Some trivia for Peter (Peter I hope you find this ) that my friend emailed me:

Here are some interesting Disneyland facts, to prepare you, for the
upcoming visit of your Disney fan friends.

Subject: Disneyland - 50 little-known facts

for when you have time to read them all..

1. Disneyland's original Tinker Bell was a 71-year-old Hungarian circus
performer named Tiny Kline. The first to fly off the top of the
Matterhorn on a zip line, she previously worked as a stunt aerialist,
hanging from a flying airplane by her teeth.

2. High up inside the hollow Matterhorn, there's a basketball court.
It's part of an employee break room. Los Angeles Lakers' center Vlade
Divac has been up there to shoot hoops.

3. Many of the faces of the pirates in Pirates of the Caribbean are
modeled on those of the "Imagineers" (Disneyspeak for the park's artists
and engineers) who created the ride. There's evidence one face was
modeled on Walt Disney's.

4. Ron Ziegler, Richard Nixon's press secretary during the Watergate
scandal, once worked as a skipper on the Jungle Cruise ride.

5. The spooky voice that narrates the Haunted Mansion ride is that of
the Pillsbury Doughboy. An actor named Paul Frees, who was to Disney
what Mel Blanc was to Warner Brothers, supplied the voices for both, as
well as many of the pirates in Pirates of the Caribbean and most of the
characters in "Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln" (except Abe himself). He
was also the voice of John Lennon in the old Beatles cartoons and Boris
Badenov.

6. The sailing ship Columbia, which is supposed to be a replica of the
first U.S. ship to circumvent the globe, actually was built in large
part from the plans for the HMS Bounty, of mutiny fame. Disney's
shipbuilders couldn't find plans for the original Columbia, so they
relied heavily on those of Capt. Bligh's ship, which had similar
dimensions.

7. Children's Fairyland in Oakland was one of the major inspirations for
Disneyland. Walt Disney even hired Fairyland's first director, Dorothy
Manes, to work at his park.

8. From groundbreaking to opening, Disneyland was built in just 365
days.

9. Perhaps inevitably, Opening Day -- July 17, 1955 -- was a disaster.
Asphalt poured just hours before guests arrived hadn't fully dried, and
women's spiked heels sunk into Main Street. VIP passes were widely
counterfeited, and double the expected number of people showed up. Rides
broke down. Because of a plumber's strike, Walt Disney had to choose
between drinking fountains and bathrooms. He opted for the latter,
telling a reporter, "People can buy Pepsi-Cola, but they can't pee in
the street."

10. Fittingly, one of the original Tomorrowland attractions was Crane's
Bathroom of Tomorrow.

11. Frank Sinatra showed up on Opening Day and took a spin around
Autopia.

12. Disneyland cost $17 million to build in 1955, about $116 million in
today's dollars. The Space Mountain ride, which opened in 1977, cost
more than half that amount (in constant dollars.)

13. ABC was one of the original financial backers, and for years owned a
share of the park. Now, of course, the Walt Disney Co. owns ABC.

14. On Opening Day, Walt Disney had his gardeners cover up bare patches
of dirt by replanting weeds from the parking lot and labeling them with
long, horticultural-sounding names.

15. Disneyland is home to feral cats -- nobody knows how many -- that
come out at night, after visitors leave. Years ago, more than 100 were
discovered living inside Sleeping Beauty's castle.

16. If the voice of the droid-pilot in Star Tours sounds a little like
Pee-wee Herman, it's because both are voiced by comedian Paul Reubens.

17. At least three babies have been born at Disneyland.

18. Walt Disney kept a 600-square-foot studio apartment above the
firehouse on Main Street. It's maintained as a shrine to the park's
founder and kept just as he left it, with Victorian antiques, red velvet
carpeting and a device for making grilled cheese sandwiches. Outsiders
are rarely allowed inside. A light shines from the window at all times
as a symbol of Disney's eternal presence.

19. Untold thousands of the old A, B, C, D and E tickets are still in
circulation, moldering away in people's drawers. From time to time
guests still show up at the park with them, and they're given the face
value of the ticket. (At their most expensive, individual E tickets went
for 95 cents.) A better bet is to sell them on eBay, where they fetch
many times that amount.

20. On Splash Mountain, high-spirited women sometimes lift their blouses
for the cameras that snap souvenir pictures. These girls-gone-wild
photos are usually destroyed by park employees, but more than a dozen
were smuggled out and posted on an Internet site called "Flash
Mountain."

21. As a teenager, Steve Martin worked in Merlin's Magic Shop in
Fantasyland.

22. Walt Disney wanted to populate the Jungle Cruise with live animals,
but zoologists convinced him they'd be asleep during most park hours. In
the early days, though, live alligators were kept in a pen near the
turnstiles; they occasionally escaped into the lagoon.

23. In New Orleans Square, near the Pirates of the Caribbean exit, a
door marked "33" leads to an ultra-secret, ultra-exclusive private club.
Club 33 is the only place in the park that serves alcohol (including a
Chardonnay specially bottled for the club by Fess "Davy Crockett"
Parker.) Its 480 members pay an initiation fee of from $8,000 to
$27,000, and yearly dues of $4, 000 to $15,000. The current waiting list
for membership is said to be seven years long.

24. An early Tomorrowland attraction was Monsanto's House of the Future,
made entirely of plastic. It had the requisite picture phone and other
Jetsonsonian appliances, but the most talked-about feature, according to
"Mouse Tales," was the microwave oven. "Nobody believed you could bake a
potato in 3 minutes," said attendant Dick Mahoney. Years later, when
Disneyland tried to tear down the plastic house, the wrecking ball just
bounced off it.

25. On Star Tours, the short, squat robots you pass while waiting in
line are the audio-animatronic ducks from the old "America Sings"
attraction, with their feathers and skin yanked off. One still has its
webbed feet.

26. To create the illusion of size on Main Street, designers made the
ground-floor buildings nine-tenths scale, the second floors
seven-eighths and the third floors five-eighths.

27. Sleeping Beauty's Castle is based largely on "Mad King" Ludwig's
Neuschwanstein Castle in Bavaria, but with one big difference: The top
is on backward. Disney didn't want it to look too much like the real
thing.

28. Originally, Mr. Toad did not appear in Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, nor did
Peter Pan or Snow White feature in their own rides. Disney's idea was
that riders would view these attractions from the lead character's point
of view. Hardly anyone understood this concept, and now each character
makes a brief appearance.

29. If you buy a Mickey balloon and it pops or flies away while you're
in the park, they'll give you a new one -- as long as you've got a
receipt.

30. Late at night, on rides such as Pirates of the Caribbean and It's a
Small World, amorous couples regularly try to make the Happiest Place on
Earth even a little happier. They're apparently unaware that virtually
every inch of every ride is observed by security cameras or hidden
employees. Sometimes they're startled by a warning from a loudspeaker;
occasionally they're greeted at the exit by applauding employees.

31. In the early days, Walt Disney had an agreement with the city of
Anaheim that no outside buildings could be tall enough to be visible
from within the park.

32. At the end of the Star Tours ride, just as your Starspeeder is about
to crash into a fuel truck, a man in the control booth ducks down, then
stands up and picks up the phone. The man is George Lucas.

33. Ron Dominguez, the top executive from 1971 to 1994, grew up on one
of the Anaheim orange groves purchased by Disney for the park. "My house
was right about where the grist mill on Tom Sawyer's Island is now," he
said. Dominguez spent his entire career at the park, starting as a
ticket-taker on Opening Day and working his way up to the top spot.

34. The names painted in gold leaf on second-story windows along Main
Street are Disneyland's Hall of Fame. They honor important people in the
park's history, usually with an inside joke. Dominguez's window, for
example, reads, "Orange Grove Property Mgt. -- We Care For Your Property
As If It Were Our Own."

35. Attractions that never made it off the drawing board: Lilliputian
Land, a Monstro the Whale water slide and, according to Mouse Tales, a
"child- sized medieval torture chamber."

36. There were no A, B, C, etc., coupons when Disneyland opened.
Instead, visitors bought carnival-style tickets from booths in front of
each attraction. When the lettered coupons were introduced in late 1955,
C was the highest level. D tickets didn't come until the following year,
and E tickets until 1959.

37. Conspicuously missing on Opening Day: the Matterhorn. In its place
was a two-story-high pile of dirt from the excavation of the castle
moat. It was billed as "Lookout Mountain." The Matterhorn didn't open
until 1959.

38. Tomorrowland was originally meant to represent the futuristic year
of 1986, when Halley's comet was due to make its next appearance.

39. The soundtrack on Space Mountain, "Aquarium" from Saint-Saens'
"Carnival Des Animaux," is played by 1960s surf guitar legend Dick Dale.


40. Nikita Krushchev was never turned away at the front gate by Walt
Disney, as is popularly believed. Disney was eager to show the Soviet
premier his submarine fleet, at the time the world's sixth largest. It
was the U.S. State Department that nixed the visit, saying security
wasn't adequate.

41. It's a Small World was originally built for the 1964 New York
World's Fair. It was later boxed up and shipped to Anaheim, where it
reopened in 1967. People who rode it in New York, including this writer,
have had that song stuck in their heads three years longer than everyone
else. (Other New York World's Fair attractions that migrated west:
"Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln," the G.E. Carousel of Progress and the
robotic dinosaurs you pass on the Disneyland Railroad.)

42. The telegraph in the New Orleans Square railroad station continually
taps out part of Walt Disney's Opening Day speech in a variant of Morse
Code once used by railroads. For years it had it slightly wrong, until
an amateur ham radio operator deciphered it and discovered the mistake.
In the park's early days, according to "101 Things," the telegraph
tapped out a "ribald message." It was quickly changed after Disney
casually mentioned that his wife knew Morse Code.

43. Main Street is based in large part on the town of Marceline, Mo.,
where Walt Disney spent part of his childhood -- a whistle stop on the
old Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe rail line between Chicago and Kansas
City. The town named a swimming pool and elementary school after its
most famous son. The latter is the only place outside Disneyland
authorized to fly the official Disneyland flag.

44. When it opened in 1967, Pirates of the Caribbean used real human
skeletons as props. In an upcoming book, Imagineer Jason Surrell writes,
"Because the original Imagineering team felt that the faux skeletons of
the period were just too unconvincing, the grotto sequence originally
featured real human remains obtained from the UCLA Medical Center. The
skeletons were later returned to their countries of origin and given a
proper burial."

45. It's widely believed that the horse-drawn hearse parked outside the
Haunted Mansion was the one used to carry Mormon leader Brigham Young to
his burial place. But this is one of many urban legends associated with
Disneyland. No hearse was used at Young's funeral.

46. Designers frequently leave their signatures on attractions. On Star
Tours, the lettering on the industrial pipes near the entrance are the
initials and telephone extensions of the creators; on It's a Small
World, one of the dolls wears the signature poncho of designer Mary
Blair.

47. The Disneyland-Alweg Monorail was the first daily operating monorail
in the Western Hemisphere.

48. The unforgettable -- no matter how hard you try -- theme song for
It's a Small World was written by the same team, Richard and Robert
Sherman, who wrote the Annette Funicello novelty hit "Pineapple
Princess." (They also penned many Oscar-nominated songs for Disney
movies.)

49. When you enter the Star Tours ride, a voice over the loudspeaker
asks for an "Egroeg Sacul" to come to the booth. That's "George Lucas"
spelled backward.

50. Once and for all, Walt Disney is not frozen cryogenically at
Disneyland or anywhere else. He did have an interest in the technology,
but he is in fact spending eternity at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Glendale.


Robin

 

[bonzie1]

KAY!!!

I'm glad your DH is okay! How awful! You're right... that is no way to start a vacation.

Jen... It's kinda lonely with EVERYONE LEAVING!!! I still have to work tomorrow!!! There is still only one suitcase packed

Did anyone get to see the Fab 4 in the tank at EPCOT???

Today's Thursday... BUT Saturday's coming!!!

 

[moocow35]

KAY!!!

I'm glad your DH is okay! How awful! You're right... that is no way to start a vacation.

Jen... It's kinda lonely with EVERYONE LEAVING!!! I still have to work tomorrow!!! There is still only one suitcase packed

Did anyone get to see the Fab 4 in the tank at EPCOT???

Today's Thursday... BUT Saturday's coming!!!

Hi Georgie! Hang in there! Sorry you will be working tomorrow. I'm almost packed, and hope to go to sleep early tonight.

Hi Kay! I'm sorry to hear about your DH accident. I'm glad to hear that he is okay though.

See you all soon!
Robin

 

[webray]

Hey wait a minute I still have to work tonite!

You aren't alone..Bob came home, grabbed supper and back to work. Hopefully he will be done before tomorrow morning..lol.

 

[bonzie1]

Wow Robin! You're still here too! Thanks for the list about Disneyland!

Renae... rest up and take care of yourself! I just packed some more Airborne!

 

[DisneyPinDiva]

Kay,

I'm sorry you got it too! I went to 4 places after work and they were all out of airborne, so I'm just dealing with symptoms until tomorrow morning... Walgreeens told me they will have some then and will put it in back with my name on it. Chicken soup and sleep for me tonight!

Renae

Renae Wal-Mart SuperCenter in Ocoee has tons of it. Orange only though. I thought you would have it by now or I would have picked some up for you!!!

Back from Epcot... got to see Scott & Lynn in the tank... Ken and Shari too.. didn't realize those two were there also... I know.. it was probably on here but hey... just call me Dory!! Also saw Turtle Talk with Crush... totally awesome dude!!

 

[TDC Nala]

RE United: No news is good news. I think they're still in court.

I really need my club fix Friday night before I leave the country.

 

[DisneyPinDiva]

Georgie: Your poem was fabulous...brought tears to my eyes... laughing about the airborne (Joe and I both took it today too... I think we all have stress induced lowered immunity!!) and misty eyed about the other stuff.

Okay you people who have 10 (or more) pairs of shoes packed... I thought I was out of control with 5!!!

Robin: Thanks for the 50 facts.. really great! Study them pin people.....

 

[bonzie1]

Leslie... wish My Joe + I were there too! So Glad you're haveing a great time!

 

[auntrenae]

Oh Kay, I'm so sorry to hear about your DH! One more thing you guys didn't need... If (when) the aches and pains come, tell him to get in the hot tub with ice packs on, and he'll forget all about it... at least we hope so.

Renae

 

[Regina]

Yikes Kay! That's terrible. I hope that he doesn't start hurting. If he does, park him in a hot tub and we'll take turns bringing him drinks.

That was a fun list Robin.

I'm still here until tomorrow. After all of this time, it's hard to believe that it's finally here.

 

[cotomom]

Ok girls... At least I think it's only us girls left here...

I'm going to peace out at this time. Got my suitcases packed, trying to pull the toiletry/misc. CRAP bag together. Got to get up at oh dark thirty to get to United and HOPE they are still working! Wish us luck!

See you gals SSSSSOOOOOOOONNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!!!!!

Kendra

 

[myfairygodmother]

I just couldn't wait until in the morning so I went and picked up the rental car tonight ... It's now all packed and ready--just have to pick up Mechelle around 8am. It's hard to believe that we are this close after spending a whole year planning!

Liz

 

[DisneyPinDiva]

Kay.. so sorry to hear about your DH's accident. Hope he remains pain free. Tell him to take some pro-active ibuprophen!!

Georgie: Wish you were HERE too! Not much longer though.. so hang in there!

We are SOOOOOOO ready for this trip. Not packed ready though..now that I've ripped everything open to rearrange and add stuff..... Joe just rolls his eyes....

You should have seen Scott in the Living Seas tank.. wish I would have had a camera... (ANOTHER looooong story) but he was blowing bubble rings.. Scott.. How'd you DO that??

 

[SandraLee]

I'm still here! I nearly have *everything* packed. Just have the electronics and 'junk' bag left. I'll do that in the morning. Oh, and the overnight at MCO bag, too.

I think we'll head over to Downtown Disney or the Boardwalk around dinner tomorrow. I've never been to the Boardwalk and want to check it out. Then, Hyatt for the night and over to port!

Good luck everyone!

 

[2canadianfans]

OK - THIS IS NO WAY TO START A VACATION

DH WENT BOWLING TONIGHT AT 5 PM AND I TOLD HIM TO TAKE MY CAR SINCE WE HAVE EVERYTHING READY and packed and I backed his car into the driveway - and away he went in my car.

He calls 15 minutes later - he was rear ended by two cars. Now I have to deal with my car when I get back and put in shop.

Not a way to start my vacation.

He says he is okay, but you know how the aches and pains come later. Now I have to make sure he stays well while we are away.

I am so upset. At least he didn't have to go to the ER - I have to be thankful for that.

Just my tale of woe for the night................

So glad your hubby is okay..what a scare..not exactly what you both need tonight ! We are still kicking around here...just waiting to go..I think its going to be another sleepless night..reading the boards makes time go abit faster..at least I know we are not the only ones still at home..will say good-bye alittle later...sharon

 

[Janis]

Yay! My first TOP!!!


Seems there are still a few of us left. Georgie, are you and I the only ones leaving on Saturday? Wish I could leave now!

Kay, sorry to hear about hubby's accident. Hope he's okay.

I don't know how I'm going to make it through work tomorrow! At least I'm only working a half day. Packing is almost finished, just need Ron to get home from his business trip so I can finish up.

Can't wait to finally meet you all!!!


Jan

 

[bettemom]

Hi Guys,

New Hampshire checking in, just got home, 2 manicures, 2 pedicures, 2 haircuts and 1 hair color. Now I have to finish packing.

We will sign off when we leave tomorrow...

Bye, Kim


P.S. Kay, do you need some bubble wrap for hubby ??? You guys take care.

 

[AuntyBrat]

I am doing the 100 day dance....99 until my vacation starts and 100 until my cruise....I better get off of here and get packing!!! I don't have much time left!!!

Laura