Chat with the Chief Magic Official

[Justin M]

Justin:

Have a fantastic trip. I've never been to Disneyland myself, but hopefully some day. I was just to Disney World a few weeks ago with my 8 year old son and convinced him to have his picture taken with Snow White during the Pirate & Princess Party. The photopass photographers got great pictures of my son giving Snow White a kiss on the cheek and her returning the kiss and leaving bright red lip marks behind. What a wonderful memory that is! I'm enjoying reading about all the fantastic memories you're making during your year as CMO. I was another one of the people that fell in love with your application video and voted for you multiple times. Enjoy your time as CMO for all of us!

Thank you so much, missminniemouse! It sounds like that picture with your son is absolutely adorable! I don't think I'll have anything quite that cute to share, but I will try to come back with some great pictures to show you!

Thanks for your support!

 

[Justin M]

My flight is in just over 3 hours! I can't wait! Talk to you all soon!

 

[Justin M]

Hello!!! I'm back from an absolutely incredible trip to the Disneyland Resort. I will be headed out this afternoon to get my pictures off of my camera and into a format I can use. I'll try to get in here this weekend to start filling you all in on some of the incredible experiences I just had!

 

[Disney Brat]

Welcome back!! Can't wait to hear more about it!

 

[dounelisg]

Can't wait to here about it...I've been waiting for you to come home so I can live vicariously through you

 

[Dawn68PA]

Very cool! Thank you for sharing all this with us

 

[Mouse Skywalker]

I just found this thread. Justin congratulations! And thanks for keeping us all posted on your activities.

In another small world thing, I grew up in the Pittsburgh area too, played in the marching band, and when I was in high school was able to perform in a parade at EPCoT. It was in 1984 and EPCOT wasn't even open that long.

I can't wait to hear more about your activites.

 

[phisigprincess]

Ok . . . wow. Now that is a true "small world" story! Thanks for following the adventure! Where do you live now? We should get in touch!

As for what I'm anticipating the most, that's a very tough call. I can't wait to be in THE park that Walt built. I'm hoping that I'll have some time to explore and ride some rides, but I understand that these are working trips for me! I'd love to experience Mr. Toad's Wild Ride again, catch the Matterhorn Bobsleds, and experience the Indiana Jones ride for the first time. Most of all, though, I just want to soak in the experience and feel like I'm a more well-rounded Disney fan!

We're actually still in the North Hills, so we're right down the road. We should definitely try to get in touch - perhaps when you're more settled from your trip though!

I'm looking forward to hearing all about your DL trip. I hope you got to ride Indy - what an amazing ride!!! DH rode Mr. Toad for the first time ever while we were there and his analysis was "so what this ride teaches me is that if I'm a bad driver I'm going to go to hell???" I was so excited to ride the famous Matterhorn, but once was enough for us! The people on the platform probably got a good laugh out of watching the two of us - especially DH at 6'2" - cram into a bobsled. The poor guy's knees were into his chest.

Looking forward to your pictures and recap!

 

[tothesea]

Hey Justin! Welcome back! I can only imagine the time of your life that you just had...again! Can't wait to hear ALL about Disneyland and your adventures!

 

[jjk]

welcome back, cant wait to read all about it

 

[Justin M]

Hello! I will attempt to fill you in on my California excursion as quickly as I can. Please ask me any questions you have along the way. I'm happy to answer whatever I can!

For those of you who may be new to this thread or who may join us part way through (and please keep inviting folks to check it out - I'd love to share the magic with anyone we can!) I just returned from a 5 day trip to the Disneyland Resort in California as a part of my responsibilities as Chief Magic Official. I was there to meet many incredible people, participate in the opening ceremonies for the Innoventions Dream Home and Toy Story Mania, meet with members of the media and do some radio interviews, and spend time with the Dream Squad. It was an absolutely remarkable adventure . . . somehow Disney has yet again managed to exceed even my imagination.

So here we go . . .

 

[Justin M]

I flew from Pittsburgh to California on Sunday with about a 7 minute lay over in Denver. (I managed to make my connecting flight, but alas, my luggage did not). Once in beautiful southern California I had the pleasure of staying at Disney's Grand Californian Hotel. If you've never had the experience of a Disneyland trip, this is certainly a hotel to try while you're there! It's truly magnificent and you absolutely can not beat the location.

This is the view of part of the lobby . . . stunning.

Without any luggage and having arrived in California before my room was ready, I headed out to Downtown Disney to begin learning my way around and to find something to eat. While there are many similarities between the Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World, I actually found this trip to be somewhat disorienting at first. After getting my bearings though, I quickly remembered that there is nothing like the feeling of discovering a Disney park for the first time.

 

[Justin M]

Anyway . . . I found my way to a table at Ralph Brennan's Jazz Kitchen . . . a wonderful New Orleans style restaurant in Downtown Disney. My faith in Disney cast members was quickly rewarded when my wonderful waitress took the time to get to know me amongst her very busy schedule and even included an order of the most delicious beignets smothered in powdered sugar on the house after hearing of my missing luggage. Sitting in the warm California air, listening to live jazz, and enjoying these incredible treats is a great way to start a Disneyland trip!

After dinner I decided to head out and explore. I had been studying maps and guidebooks, but I really didn't know much about either park at the resort. Tonight was my only chance to learn my way around before I would need to be able to potentially help other guests and make my way to specific locations for interviews and jobs.

 

[Justin M]

I started in Disney's California Adventure and immediately began to take note of things that were familiar as well as attractions I'd never experienced.

The Original Soarin' attraction - - - still a wonderful ride!

The Hollywood Pictures Backlot section of the park - - - has some similarities to Disney's Hollywood Studios in Florida but also has several attractions (like the Aladdin show and Monster's Inc, Mike and Sulley to the Rescue) that aren't in Florida.

The park - like any Disney park - is full of picturesque spots.

Grizzly Peak - one of the icons of Disney's California Adventure - can be seen majestically keeping watch over Grizzly River Run.

Truly one of the delightful areas of the park for all members of the family is A Bug's Land.

 

[Justin M]

I took the chance to ride the Monster's Inc. attraction while I could. I wasn't sure how much time I'd have for rides this trip, so I wanted to experience as many of the things that were "new" to me as possible. As many of you know, Monster's Inc. is one of my favorite movies!

 

[Justin M]

I then headed toward the Paradise Pier section of the park to do some "research". This is where Toy Story Mania is located and I knew I'd be spending a good amount of time here during my week.

It really is a beautiful part of the park - especially at night. Unfortunately I wasn't able to snap any photos during the evening hours, but when the pier is lit up at night it really is a charming place.

Oh - for the record - California Screamin' is a wonderful coaster! (It's the large white coaster with the Mickey head on it.) Designed to look like the kind of wooden coaster you'd find at old seaside resorts, it is actually an incredibly fun, fast steel coaster that was much longer than I expected and immediately ranks amongst my favorite Disney coasters.

 

[Justin M]

The new Toy Story Midway Mania attraction is located along Paradise Pier sort of underneath California Screamin', and it is a perfect fit in this part of the park.

The amazing audio-animatronic Mr. Potato Head is outside of the attraction where he is perfectly positioned to enterain guests in the queue as well as draw guests who happen to be passing by into the story and experience.

 

[Justin M]

After my whirlwind circuit of Disney's California Adventure, I snapped several more photos and began to move toward the main entrance so I could head over and familiarize myself with Disneyland.

They have a version of the Tower of Terror in the Hollywood Pictures Backlot section of the park. Different from the Florida version but still A LOT of fun!

Here's a better view of the details of Grizzly Peak

 

[Justin M]

I need to run out the door to work for a few hours, but I will be back on later to keep the update going! I have several more pictures from my first evening to share and then we'll get down to the business of my actualy CMO responsibilities.

See you soon!

 

[Shmily1]

Yes, please keep posting!!! I always enjoy reading your updates!!!