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Top Reasons You NEED to Visit Disneyland – Up the Waterfall Episode 32

22 July 2020 by Suzannah Otis Leave a Comment

Disneyland recently celebrated its 65th anniversary, and we thought we’d mark the occasion with a podcast episode sharing all the reasons why we love Disneyland park so much. This episode is an expansion of my Disneyland Difference post from the 60th birthday celebration. Now Scott can add his 2 cents and I can elaborate on my feelings 5 years later. Together we share the reasons why WE love Disneyland so much, and why you MUST visit if you haven’t yet.

Disneyland Christmas birthday — The first holiday visit we mention on the show, for my birthday!

Throughout the episode, we take turns sharing our top 5 picks for what makes Disneyland stand out above other theme parks. It’s sort of a top 10, but we lost count so it may be a top 17? You’ll have to watch and listen and count. Whether it’s the music, the atmosphere, the history swirling around you, the attractions themselves, or the cast members you encounter, Disneyland is just different.

We hope you enjoy watching or listening, and please, share your favorite reasons with us below or wherever you’d like the share a comment with us. Did we forget something in our lists? Did you disagree with any of our picks? Let us know!

Don’t forget to keep an eye out for our LIVE show, starting Monday, August 3, 2020. We’ll be broadcasting live from the Zannaland facebook page, so be sure you are following along there and like the page to be notified when we go live!

As always, we thank you for watching and listening! If you enjoyed, please share with a friend so more folks can learn about our growing podcast! Thank you!

Listen to Up the Waterfall:

You can listen anywhere you download and listen to podcasts, including:

(If there’s a podcast service where you can’t find our show, let us know and we’ll get it added there!)

Watch Up the Waterfall:

Head to our Up the Waterfall YouTube Playlist – where you can see our opening sequence and see some unique images during some episodes.

Feel free to comment below with your opinions on ANY of these hot button topics, any questions or info you’d like to add, or if it’s easier, head to the Zannaland Facebook page and join the discussion there with fellow Disney Parks fans!

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The Disneyland Difference

17 July 2015 by Suzannah Otis 2 Comments

I’ve wanted to write a post with this title since my first visit to Disneyland in 2011. I will probably still write about the different types of Disneyland differences in future posts, but today, it’s all about the intangible.

The date of my first visit is actually embarrassing to admit – a lifelong Disney fan such as myself only visiting the original park that started it all, just 4 short years ago. And yet, I feel such love and devotion to this place, it’s almost as if I’ve now edited it into my childhood memories and have meshed its history with my own. How can that be, you may wonder? How can a theme park in the former Anaheim orange groves, a place with rides and parades and corn dogs have so much impact on a girl that grew up in the 70’s and 80’s in New England?

Well, the answer to that question could be found at the Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco. Oddly, I didn’t visit that spot until last September, but after roaming through its rooms and soaking up every chapter of the Walt Disney story on two different visits now, I had so much more respect, love and reverence for the man behind the name. The why of Disneyland can be found there. The how of Disneyland can be found there, along with all of Walt’s history and accomplishments. Of course I knew Walt’s story before I went to Disneyland, visiting the museum just expounded that knowledge and respect. So is that the answer? Is Walt himself the “Disneyland Difference”? In a word, yes. In many more words, continue reading…

Obviously, Walt is no longer walking down Main Street, or spending the night in the family apartment above the firehouse. But the fact that he did, the fact that he put so much of himself into his park and in turn into its stewards, is truly the definition of a legacy. Much like oral traditions passed down from family to family, the Walt Disney story, the Walt Disney philosophy and work ethic and determination and desire to make families happy and entertained – has lived on and spread like the unfurling roots of a great tree.

As with all great figures in history, Walt had his own disciples to spread his good word over the years. I don’t mean that in an irreverent or sarcastic way, I mean it very seriously. Walt had a different way of doing things from the very start. If he had an idea, and he couldn’t make it work, he didn’t give up on it, he figured out a new way to make it happen. That could mean a completely new way of creating and sharing animation, it could mean hiring great people to make his ideas come to pass, or it could mean a completely new way of designing and building a family amusement park. Because of his ideas, and his ideals, as his reputation grew, so did people’s desire to work with him. Animators led the way for Imagineers, and together they carried on the work, as well as the quality of work, that Walt established from the start. In addition to the way Walt did things, he had a very particular way of telling the story he wanted to tell. And those two combinations are forever etched within the walkways and walls of Disneyland. While the park has changed over the years, there are still stories which will never evanesce from the grounds, no matter how many other things may.

Walt did not just want to have us ride a merry-go-round or a train, he wanted to take us on an adventure, and be a part of the story along the way. As a result, we do leave the world behind and enter into a world of yesteryear, fantasy, adventure, or tomorrow. Walt found the perfect equation to make everyone happy in his park, with the caveat that it would never be finished. The initial fear from investors that the idea would be a flop and fail within weeks was proven wrong within days. Turns out we did want to remember the past and hope for the future, and we wanted to do it again and again.

When Walt was no longer around to tell his stories, others passed on the tradition. When you get a corn dog from the Little Red Wagon, or board a pirate ship to fly over London, you may be helped by someone who’s mother worked in the same park, or who’s grandmother remembers the time she visited the park and Walt was there, waving to guests. The stories, the legends, the myths, are passed on. We are lucky enough to still have some of those first-hand stories shared by original Imagineers, or Disney Legends like Richard Sherman. I think any of us would happily sit in a room and listen to them talk for hours, still fondly remembering the man and his ideas, as if Walt had just walked out of the room a minute before.

The spirit and energy that has been there since day one hovers over the park like an invisible cloud, enveloping the park and all within it. From the crowded moments when you just want to get a FastPass to ride Space Mountain one more time, to the quiet moments of solitude, when it’s just the music, the twinkling lights, and the faint scent of popcorn; it’s all still there. The simple joy. The memories. The promise.

Some of those same experiences may be felt in Walt Disney World and other Disney parks, but none of them will ever duplicate the uniqueness, the charm, and yes, the comfort that is Disneyland. Perhaps that is why this little girl who grew up in far off Massachusetts and had only ever visited Walt Disney World in its vast expanse of family fun, felt instantly at home, walking down the very first Main Street, U.S.A. Much like putting on prescription glasses for the first time and seeing every leaf – vibrant and crisply outlined on every tree; Disneyland is concentrated, amplified Disney magic. Which I know, sounds corny and cliched, but there is no other way to describe it: the perfect storm of all the senses coming to life, even the ones which lie hidden within our hearts and our minds and cannot be put into words (despite my feeble attempts to do so).

If you were to take away all of the walk-around characters, all of the merchandise and specialty-anything at Disneyland today, it would still be the Happiest Place on Earth. That moniker does not come from profits or stockholders or board room decisions. It comes from the heart of the park, which is, in fact, the heart of its guests, and in turn its cast members. Walt knew that, and succeeded at putting hopes and dreams behind a turnstile, where you could visit them any time you wanted. Disneyland itself became our best friend. Our first love. Our stolen kiss under the stairs. Our tears of remembrance. Our hope for a better tomorrow. Our happily ever after.

Happy Birthday, Disneyland. It may have taken me a while, but I found my way to you. And much like the person who guided me to you on my first visit, you were worth waiting for.

Here’s to 60 times 60 more years of memories to come.

New Sweepstakes Offers D23 Members the Chance to Win a Once-In-a-Lifetime Tour

17 July 2013 by Suzannah Otis Leave a Comment

Hot off the presses, check out this latest bit of news from D23 – a sweepstakes for the ultimate Disney fan (that’s you!) —

In celebration of Disneyland’s 58th anniversary today, D23: The Official Disney Fan Club has launched the “Off the Map Sweepstakes.” Twenty-five lucky D23 Members and their guests will be invited to Disneyland Park to visit four of the park’s little-seen but widely heard of locations: Walt Disney’s private apartment, the Lilly Belle VIP parlor car on the Disneyland Railroad, Circle D Ranch, and the Disneyland Dream Suite.

“Our friends at Disneyland will give the winning D23 Members a special glimpse at some of the park’s most amazing hidden gems, special places that most guests never get to see,” said Steven Clark, Head of D23. “Our first ‘Off the Map’ member event in 2012 was such a huge hit that we wanted to reprise it with this special sweepstakes so even more of our members have a chance to visit these truly magical and historical Disneyland locations.”

Winners will be able to explore:

· Walt Disney’s private apartment: Built during the initial construction of Disneyland, Walt Disney’s private apartment is a quaint studio dwelling, filled with Victorian decor, family photos, and antiques selected by the Disney family.

· Lilly Belle VIP parlor car: Disneyland guests have long taken grand circle tours on the Disneyland Railroad, but few ever enjoy the ride from the elegant Lilly Belle VIP car parlor. Named after Walt’s wife, Lillian, the Lilly Belle is truly a piece of history, built in 1955, and refurbished to its modern state of luxury for America’s bicentennial celebration in 1976.

· Circle D Ranch: From the friendly goats at Big Thunder Ranch to the horses who carry guests down Main Street, U.S.A., Circle D Ranch is home to Disneyland’s beloved “four-legged cast members.”

· Disneyland Dream Suite: This private space above Pirates of the Caribbean was originally planned to be another apartment for Walt Disney, but he passed away before its completion. In 2008, Imagineers used some of Walt’s original ideas and some truly magical surprises of their own to transform it into a fantasy villa like no other.

D23 Members may enter the sweepstakes beginning today through August 23 at D23.com. The tour will take place on Wednesday, October 2. Winners will be able to attend with one (1) guest. For complete rules, details, and eligibility please visit D23.com. No purchase required; guests may join D23 for free at D23.com.

Reflections On Limited Time Magic

8 May 2013 by Suzannah Otis 4 Comments

When “Limited Time Magic” was first announced back in October of 2012, it was met with great enthusiasm and high hopes. I know I was not alone in thinking of our distant sister parks, Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo Disney Sea with their various seasonal themes, special merchandise, food, and shows. It also reminded me a bit of what makes Disneyland in California so magical, there are special things that happen throughout the year and then disappear, making them all the more special while they are around. I was truly excited that, as a local to Walt Disney World, we would get a taste of these kind of moments and make our 43 square miles feel a little bit smaller, a little more like the memories I had grown up with.

It’s not quite six months into 2013, and we, as Disney Park fans on the east and west coast of the United States, have been treated to quite a few doses of “Limited Time Magic.” Some, have been incredible successes, as judged by Disney social media fans and critics. Others, have gone by with little fanfare or appreciation. What sparked my desire to write this post was the most recent installment of Limited Time Magic: Disney’s Hollywood Studios “May the 4th Be With You” event, celebrating Star Wars Day as it has come to be known. This was, without a doubt, the greatest Limited Time Magic event to date, in my opinion. But why was this day such a success?

Well, let me first note that some of the past Limited Time Magic days have also been well-received; Long Lost Friends Week both at Magic Kingdom and Disneyland was lots of fun, True Love Week was also a unique experience, the Easter Week egg hunts were a great success as well. Other offerings of limited time merchandise, ear hats, t-shirts etc. may have been a fun addition, but certainly not to the extent that these other events have been. What’s the magic formula? And more importantly, what can Disney DO with these experiences to improve future park experiences for guests?

I think the most important key to these Limited Time Magic successes is this: community. Sure, you can bond with other folks in line for a t-shirt or a pin that you have to collect, but what better way to feel a part of the Disney community than dancing down a walkway with your favorite character, or standing in a group of fellow fans as you ooh and ahh to fireworks created especially for you? I arrived at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in the late afternoon on May 4th, but I still felt instantly a part of the special community. We all had on our Star Wars t-shirts, with smiles on our faces as a legion of Stormtroopers marched down Hollywood Blvd, or Chewbacca stood in line for Star Tours with the rest of us. A dance party is fun, but a dance party with a DJ playing real hits, where Chewie and Greedo dance in the crowds? Amazing. We all felt a part of this wonderful Disney-Star Wars family, and as a local that may or may not experience burn-out visiting the parks so frequently, it was wonderful to have something new going on that brought us all together.

In my personal opinion, I think something like May the 4th is 10 times more successful than Long Lost Friends Week, where guests may have been excited to see old characters, but really it created long lines and offered little more than a photo op and a souvenir autograph card. Fun, but not amazing. The special Limited Time Magic songs that have been created for Long Lost Friends Week and True Love Week were nice, but seemed a bit forced vs. just letting the experiences speak for themselves. Would these weeks that involve character meet and greets work if the characters were just roaming the parks as they did on May the 4th? I’m not sure, certainly I’m no expert in park logistics, but why not give it a try? I think guests would be surprised and delighted by the experience. Part of what made the Easter Week egg hunts so fun is the community aspect of interactivity. Groups of folks were all searching for the same things, finding fellow guests along the way to share experiences with. Who doesn’t love a good scavenger hunt?

Other parts to the Limited Time Magic offerings have been special food items, which, on their own, may not be too exciting, but when combined with enough other activities to make it part of the fun, can be a great addition. I dined at Kona Cafe a few weeks ago and saw the little cupcake with the smiling strawberry. I had been out of the Limited Time Magic Loop and had no idea this was a “Limited Time Cupcake“, but I thought it was adorable and unique and it made me smile. THAT’s the kind of little, un-looked-for magic that takes me back to the Walt Disney World I grew up loving – proving that it doesn’t have to be a huge character line-up or special show to make a difference.

Which brings me to my next point, what can Disney DO with all of these experiences? Will they end after this year is up? Will we never see a “Long Lost Friend” again now that that week is over? Will Disney stop creating unique new dessert or dining options because this campaign has ended? I certainly don’t think so on the food side of things. Disney fans are so on top of any new cupcakes or other desserts that come out and I think that will always be a way to excite guests and create buzz. But what about the rest of the park experiences?

Seeing fireworks over Disney’s Hollywood Studios was in a word, spectacular. The Star Wars music and amazing fireworks were the perfect mix. They put a smile on my face and made me proud to be a part of this Disney community, experiencing this special event first-hand. Would they be less special if those fireworks happened every Star Wars Weekend? I don’t think so. I’d definitely stay in the park later, and more than likely spend more money on food, drinks, or merchandise because the park was open later. And after seeing those fireworks, I would most assuredly make a special trip back to see them again. I’ve missed Sorcery in the Sky and I think a fireworks display is just what that park needs. Every other weekend? Once a month? I’ll take it!

These are the moments that make great vacations. These are the moments that create memories and cause little kids and grown-ups alike to go back home and spread the gospel of Disney out amongst their friends and family. I can just picture it now, a little boy or girl saying to their friends, “And then, a Stormtrooper walked right by me and stopped and we battled with his blaster and my light saber!” (or a grown up telling his or her friends the same thing 😉 ) Is that memory not so much more powerful than “and then we stood in line and got a photo with the three little pigs.”? Sure, that photo may be a treasured memory, but the former experience was an active memory rather than a passive one, which put the guest in the middle of the story. It wasn’t planned, it wasn’t staged. It was a spontaneous moment and exactly what makes Disney so magical.

My hope is that Disney takes these Limited Time successes and translates them into changes across the parks. Spontaneous character interactions should be the norm, not a one-time experience. Getting the community to rally around a show or fireworks IS possible if it’s done right.

Seeing the Dapper Dans sing boy band songs, while amusing, isn’t something that will create memories that last a lifetime. In fact, if such a big deal hadn’t been made of the Dapper Dans singing boy band hits prior to that week, it probably would’ve had a much bigger impact. I could see a much bigger buzz having formed around a spontaneous rendition of “Bye, Bye, Bye,” with viral video happening and social media channels reposting all over the place. But knowing it was coming, it was just like, “Oh, ok. Cute.” At least that’s how I saw it.

Having a new set of ear hats, while cool and fun, isn’t what will form the moments that make lifelong Disney fans and guests. Keep ’em coming, the designs are great. But don’t call them “Limited Time Magic” when we all know they are just new merchandise for us to buy. (And don’t get me wrong, I LOVE merchandise. It’s where I got my start with Disney, selling merchandise on Main Street, U.S.A. – and some of the new t-shirt and other designs have been absolutely fantastic lately. But keep it separate from something that’s meant to create excitement about the parks themselves.) Keep the “magic” alive by not watering it down with experiences that happen every day anyway. Characters roaming through a park without a line to stand in? Magic. Fireworks in a park that never sees them? Magic.

Disney has had some incredible successes lately from the food booths at the Flower & Garden Festival, to New Fantasyland, to the promise of a new parade at Magic Kingdom. The most successful Limited Time Magic events have been those that truly create magical moments, instigate buzz, and make lifetime memories with guests. The kind of thing where you can say “I was there for…” such as the next major Limited Time Magic event – Disney Parks on both coasts being open 24 hours. I was there for the One More Disney Day event, and it was a unique experience like no other. May 24th is right around the corner and I know I’ll be at the Magic Kingdom all 24 hours.

I know Disney has it in them to translate these limited moments into future guest experiences that create lifelong Disney fans and supporters. I hope the decision-makers take a look at what the response has been and work on ways to make Limited Time Magic a little less limited and a little more magical. I had such a wonderful time at the May the 4th event, it made me super excited for Star Wars Weekends, but I hope some of that intimate, community feel of May the 4th can translate into not only Star Wars Weekends, but the rest of the parks as well.

What are your thoughts? What have your favorite Limited Time Magic moments been and what would you most like to see in the future?