Arriving at Disneyland Paris

No matter how guests arrive at Disneyland Paris (be it by car, bus, train or on foot from the resort hotels), everyone has the same arrival experience, designed to slowly remove you from the ordinary world and immerse you in the fantasy environment of the park.

Passing beneath the "Welcome" arch, you enter Fantasia Gardens, a spectacular area filled with flowers, trees, streams, fountains and gazebos. The garden culminates with the traditional floral Mickey Mouse at the threshold of the magnificent Disneyland Hotel.

The first hotel to be built at the entrance of a Disney Park, the Disneyland Hotel takes its Victorian design inspiration from nearby Main Street, as well as the Hotel Del Coronado in San Diego. The pink hues were specifically selected by Imagineer John Hench to evoke feelings of warmth and comfort, even in the sometimes chilly and overcast Parisian weather (Personal note: We were actually blessed with sunny skies and temperatures in the 70s during our visit!).

The Disneyland Hotel is certainly grand and ornate, but it also sports a number of fun, Disney touches. A large Mickey Mouse clock graces the front of the building (note the Roman numeral "4" is written IIII as it was in the Victorian era), and perched atop the highest peak is a golden Tinker Bell, sprinkling her pixie dust on all who pass below.

Passages beneath the Disneyland Hotel lead to ticket booths and out to an entry plaza on the other side. The additional space here not only serves to further separate the guest from the outside world, but also helps distance the hotel from the park a bit, so as not to overwhelm the architecture of Main Street, U.S.A.

The view from the entrance plaza is of Main Street Station, depot for the Disneyland Railroad, and the portals into the park itself.

Above the portals (and on lampposts along Main Street) are graphic statements representing the current promotional campaign at Disneyland Resort Paris, the Magical Moments Festival. Highlights of the festival include the addition of new entertainment offerings in both parks, along with enhanced photo opportunities and character greetings.

Look past the Magical Moments Festival decor, and you'll notice a few other details on the Main Street Station. Beautiful stained glass windows in the station depict iconic scenes from the park: Captain Hook's galleon in Adventureland, Sleeping Beauty Castle in Fantasyland, Mark Twain passing Big Thunder Mountain in Frontierland and the Orbitron in Discoveryland.

Take a closer look, too, at the symbol worked into the iron railing. You can make out the letters "EDRR." It stands for Euro Disneyland Railroad, the original name of the attraction, and it's one of several places around the resort where the Euro Disneyland moniker can still be seen.

Just before we step into the park, though, let's pause at the edge of the portal to take note of a familiar plaque, much like those found in other Disneyland-style parks around the world:

In both French and English:

Here you leave today

and enter worlds of history,

discovery and ageless fantasy.

No Foolin'

Today is Friday, April 1 - April Fool's Day - a day when many a Disney website or blog runs phony stories about developments in and around the Walt Disney Company. Well... I won't be doing that. Instead, I present to you this week's final series of vintage Disney Parks photos. Each tells a story that, if not for the photographic evidence, might seem just as far fetched as an actual April Fool's Day prank. Enjoy.

Epcot replaces Disney Characters with

Larger-than-Life People of the World

When EPCOT Center opened in 1982, it was the first Disney Park designed outside the Disneyland mold. To help further differentiate the park from the Magic Kingdom, it was decided the traditional Disney characters would not appear in EPCOT Center (it was actually this decision that led to the first wide-spread use of "Hidden Mickeys"). Instead, the new park would feature a cast of characters all its own, from Dreamfinder and Figment in Future World to the People of the World in World Showcase. These oversize, doll-headed characters were adapted from America on Parade, which ran at the Magic Kingdom in the mid-70s. Brought to EPCOT Center, they were dressed in international costumes and set out to pose with guests around the World Showcase Lagoon. It wasn't long, though, before visitors to the park expressed their expectation that Mickey and friends would be on hand, and the People of the World were retired in favor of the Fab Five in "futuristic" silver jumpsuits.

"Three Little Pigs" Musical Added in Expansion

of Fantasyland at Magic Kingdom Park

As part of an early effort to add extra offerings to the Magic Kingdom (significantly more modest than the current park expansion), the Fantasy Faire Stage was created in the back of Fantasyland to host musical performances starring popular Disney characters. Various shows telling stories ranging from "Winnie the Pooh" to the "Three Little Pigs" graced the stage over the years. Even as recently as the mid-90s, this spot was home to Disney Magic Music Days guest performers and Miss Minnie's Country Christmas during holiday events. The Fantasy Faire Stage closed for good in 1996, to be replaced by Ariel's Grotto, and the site is now being transformed once again into part of Belle's village for New Fantasyland.

Disneyland Rivers of America Run Dry

You're not seeing things. This is the dry riverbed of the Rivers of America in Frontierland at Disneyland, with the guide rail for the Columbia and Mark Twain visible on the ground. This level of refurbishment on the park's main river has only been undertaken a handful of times. This particular photograph is from early-1992, when the original infrastructure was added for a new Disneyland nighttime spectacular set to debut that spring - Fantasmic!

Goofy Seen Water Skiing on Seven Seas Lagoon

In the early years of the Walt Disney World Resort, when the Magic Kingdom was the only park to visit, guests crossing Seven Seas Lagoon were often treated to surprise appearances by the Disney characters. Favorites like Goofy and Mr. Smee could be seen water skiing alongside the ferries on their way to the park. More than just entertainment value, these stunts also served as a promotion of sorts of the resort's varied recreation offerings, something new that had never been available at Disneyland.

Replica of Mos Eisley Cantina Built at Entrance

to Star Tours at Disney's Hollywood Studios

It's true! Full disclosure, though: The cantina structure was temporary, only built for the official grand opening ceremonies for Star Tours held on January 14, 1990. Look closely at the photo, and you can see the band playing (that's Figrin D'an and the Modal Nodes for you die-hard Star Wars fans out there). Michael Eisner and George Lucas presided over the day's events. Star Wars stars Mark Hammill and Carrie Fisher were also in attendance. Even though Darth Vader and his Imperial Guard made an appearance atop the attraction building to try and stop the proceedings, everything opened according to plan. Now, twenty-one years later, we await the debut of the next chapter with Star Tours: The Adventures Continue, opening May 20.

Morning at The Happiest Place on Earth

Starting today, we'll be taking a walk through the parks of the Disneyland Resort, Disneyland and Disney California Adventure, stopping to look at some of the details and interesting sights along the way. We begin, of course, in the esplanade outside the gates to Disneyland. It's early, so the park isn't open just yet, but we can already admire some of the HalloweenTime decor, including giant pumpkins and gourds in the form of our favorite Disney characters.

Just through the gate is the famous Mickey floral and Disneyland Railroad station, sights that have greeted Guests here since 1955. The thing that makes Disneyland truly special is its history. This is the only one of the eleven Disney Parks around the world to bear Walt Disney's personal touch. That presence can still be felt 55 years later.

With a flourish, the gates open, and we're on our way into the Happiest Place on Earth. The turnstiles welcome each Guest with a tinkling of Pixie Dust. Just ahead, the Disneyland Band is playing familiar tunes. Look closely, and you'll see that even they have gotten into the spirit of the season with orange and black accents to their costumes. There's even a spiderweb motif on Bandleader Ray's cuffs.

From this point, we also get a closer look at the front of the Disneyland Railroad station. The sign across the building appears very much as it has for nearly six decades, with two exceptions. The square placard once identified the Santa Fe Railroad as sponsor of the Disneyland trains, and the population has increased significantly. Listed at an optimistic 5 million on opening day (a number reached before the end of the park's first year of operation), this part of the sign was last updated in 2004 when Bill Trow of Australia became the 500 millionth Guest to visit Disneyland.

The little yellow handcar sits on the siding in front of the Main Street Station, where the train from Frontierland would once pass its Main Street counterpart. The handcar was a gift to Walt Disney from the Kalamazoo Manufacturing Company of Michigan. As we stand here admiring the station, a whistle blows to signal the arrival of the E.P. Ripley, one of the two original engines of the Disneyland Railroad, built at the Walt Disney Studios for the opening of the park. Ripley, the engine's namesake, was an early President on the Santa Fe Railroad. For more on the history of the Disneyland Railroad, be sure to check out this article over at DisneyShawn.com.

"The E.P. Ripley now departing for a grand circle tour of Walt Disney's Magic Kingdom. Booooaaaarrrd!"

Our journey through Disneyland has begun. We step through the portal beneath the Railroad tracks and into another world. Be sure to check back every day this week, as we explore Main Street, U.S.A. and the rest of Disneyland.

The Ferry Best Way to Go

From the Transportation & Ticket Center, Walt Disney World Guests have a choice of ways to get to the Magic Kingdom. While many forge straight ahead up the ramp to the Monorail station, I often prefer to take the Ferryboat instead (saving the Monorail for the return trip in the evening). Both take about the same amount of time, but for me there's just something about making that trip across Seven Seas Lagoon that makes the experience complete.

Since 1971, the Magic Kingdom has been served by a fleet of watercraft, although the Ferryboats we know today weren't among them. Originally, a pair of side-wheel steamers (Southern Seas and Ports of Call) traversed the lagoon, but they were quickly deemed too small and unreliable to handle all the Guests coming to the park.

In 1972, a pair of Staten Island-style Ferryboats (dubbed Magic Kingdom I and Magic Kingdom II) were introduced to help handle the demand. They were joined in 1976 by a third, Kingdom Queen, which was also outfitted with wet bars, restrooms and an upper-level dance floor so it could be rented out for charter excursions in the evening.

The three Ferryboats were re-christened in 1999 and named for key individuals who contributed to the development of the Walt Disney World Resort. Magic Kingdom I became the Admiral Joe Fowler. Magic Kingdom II became the Richard F. Irvine, and the Kingdom Queen was renamed General Joe Potter (around this time, the facilities on board were also removed, since the boat is now used exclusively for transportation).

The Ferryboats are very similar, but do sport some differences. Most noticeably, Admiral Joe Fowler has green side panels. Richard F. Irvine has red panels, and there are blue panels on the General Joe Potter. That third boat, built later by a different contractor, is also the only one with two smokestacks.

Once aboard, head up top or out front for the best views. Crossing the lagoon, it's as if each scene plays out one at a time: the tropical paradise of Disney's Polynesian Resort, the Victorian luxury of Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, the majesty of Disney's Contemporary Resort and Bay Lake Tower. All along the way, the water, islands, landscape and wildlife you encounter make it hard to believe that the whole thing is man made.

Of course, the best part of all comes as the Ferryboat rounds a bend and the Magic Kingdom comes into view. No matter how many times I've experienced it, the sight of Space Mountain and Cinderella Castle on the horizon puts a smile on my face.

Highway in the Sky

When Walt Disney introduced the Disneyland Alweg Monorail at Disneyland back in 1959, it was the first of its kind to operate in the United States. He intended it to be more than an attraction. His goal was to showcase the technology as a mass transit solution for the future. Over the years, the Disney monorails were upgraded several times from that Mark I original, but the idea never really caught on beyond the Disney Parks.

Upon the opening of Walt Disney World in 1971, the Mark IV Monorail took a leap forward as a mass transit system, carrying thousands of Guests each day between the Magic Kingdom Park, Disney's Contemporary Resort, Disney's Polynesian Resort and the Transportation & Ticket Center.

The Mark IV Monorail introduced the sleek white styling and colored stripes, a style that still looks futuristic today. Those original trains served the Walt Disney World Resort for twenty years, before being upgraded in 1991 for higher-capacity Mark VI Monorails (the Mark V designation went to an upgrade of Disneyland's Monorail in 1985).

The Mark VI trains are still in operation and still sport the traditional Walt Disney World "D" logo with Mouse Ear globe. The key differences introduced with these trains allowed them to operate more efficiently and carry more passengers. Where the Mark IV Monorails had doors that were each closed manually and opened on tightly-arranged bench seating, the Mark VI brought automatic doors and plenty of standing room.

In 1982, the Walt Disney World Monorail was extended with the addition of a separate line serving Epcot. Other changes over the years have included the addition of the Grand Floridian station to the Magic Kingdom Resort line in 1988 and graphic enhancements to the monorail fleet in honor of special events. Images of Stitch were placed on the front of trains for the opening of Stitch's Great Escape! in 2004. Swirls of color graced the front cabs during the "Year of a Million Dreams" celebration in 2007, while 2009 brought bouquets of balloons for "What Will You Celebrate?" To generate excitement for the upcoming film TRON: Legacy, one of the trains on the Epcot line is currently wrapped in a design that gives the impression of Light Cycles racing along the monorail beam.

Even with all the changes that have occurred, the Walt Disney World Monorail system still generates excitement. Seeing a train pass by is one of the quintessential signs that you have arrived at the Walt Disney World Resort, and if you're driving up to Seven Seas Way or Disney's Contemporary Resort, consider it good luck if you happen to pass under the beam just as a monorail is passing overhead.

As for the narration on board, it has been rerecorded time and time again, but one piece of the original remains intact. For many, Disney wouldn't be Disney without hearing the voice of Jack Wagner intone, "Please stand clear of the doors. Por favor manténganse alejado de las puertas."

The Vacation Hub

Before the Walt Disney World Resort expanded to what it is today, the Transportation & Ticket Center (TTC) was the central hub of the entire property. It was here that visitors left their cars - and the real world - behind and turned themselves over to the magic of Disney. For day Guests heading to the Magic Kingdom, the TTC still creates the same effect.

The Magic Kingdom Guest Parking Lot, still the largest on property, has space for more than 12,000 cars. To help you find your car at the end of a long day in the park, each section of the lot is coded by character (Chip & Dale, Minnie, Pluto, Goofy, Donald, Daisy, Sleepy, Dopey, Happy, Grumpy, Sneezy and Bashful), row number and colored poles along the tram route. Even if you can't recall any of those details, the Parking Cast can track down your car based simply on an estimate of when you arrived that morning, since they keep track of what section is parked at what time.

Once you're parked, it's time for a short tram ride to the TTC itself. All the way along, you'll notice that everything is coordinated to create a seamless experience. This even extends to the colors and graphic design of the Main Entrance arch, road signs, parking lot, trams, buses and the TTC. It all works in unison to let Guests know they've arrived and will be well taken care of.

Stepping off the tram, you're drawn forward to the colorful signs and banners of the TTC. Directional graphics guide you to your next destination, and Vacation Planning booths are available for those who may still need some help putting together all the options.

Once you've created your "Magic Your Way" vacation, it's time to get started. Mickey and Minnie appear in graphic form with open arms on the gates ahead, welcoming you to the transportation concourse where the fun really begins.

It's here that ferries, monorails and buses (once referred to as "motor coaches" in an attempt to make them seem apart from the ordinary) await to whisk you to your destination of choice. In theory, one could still utilize the TTC as a Walt Disney World hub, since the transportation services here provide access to all four theme parks and several resorts. Today, though, many opt instead for the convenience of parking closer to wherever they're going for the day.

Just as the TTC provides that conduit for Guests arriving to the Magic Kingdom in the morning, it's also the place where they return once their adventures are through. All the transportation options, which some may perceive as overkill by day, become welcome relief for tired feet at night.

It's at the end of the day when the TTC offers one last convenience in the form of Mickey's Gift Station, providing that one last chance to grab a souvenir or a present for someone back home.

Sounds & Sights Along the Way

In the early years of Walt Disney World, that trip up World Drive to the Magic Kingdom offered little to see but trees and the occasional sign. Even the Auto Plaza was fairly nondescript. The fancy pink and purple Welcome statement that's there today only dates back to the 20th anniversary in 1991 (Interesting side fact: the arch across the top that holds the words "Magic Kingdom" was once part of the marquee for the Wonders of Life pavilion at Epcot).

Keeping Guests entertained and informed during the drive was a limited-range radio station (broadcast from a space inside Cinderella Castle that's now part of the Castle Suite). One of the first signs encountered on Disney property invited you to tune your AM dial to the station, where you could hear information on park hours, show times and special events, along with a selection of popular Disney tunes. Until it was discontinued in the mid-90s, the Walt Disney World radio station was a key element in creating that sense of "arrival."

While the '90s silenced the radio station, other forms of Disney promotion found their voice. With rare exception, Walt Disney World never used to directly advertise itself, opting instead to rely on word of mouth and the "free advertising" that resulted from regular press events. Today, those are still key to Disney's marketing strategy, but the company has also entered into television and outdoor advertising in a big way.

Billboards touting Disney Parks and attractions have become part of the landscape along Interstate 4, International Drive and other Central Florida roadways, but the most special examples are found within the borders of the actual resort. The entire entrance to Disney's Hollywood Studios is a giant Streamline Moderne and film strip statement, promoting some of the newest and most popular elements of the park.

Nearby, a billboard for The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror looms over World Drive, bringing the excitement of the attraction to life with animation and lighting effects. This particular billboard, one of the first to land on Disney property, has been in place for nearly fifteen years. It debuted shortly after the Tower of Terror's 1994 opening and has even been altered slightly over the years with the introduction of each variation to the attraction.

Elsewhere, dimensional billboards promote Disney Vacation Club, Mission: Space at Epcot (with glowing rocket flare) and "It's Tough to be a Bug" at Disney's Animal Kingdom (complete with a smoke effect emanating from the rear of stinkbug Claire de Room).

On-property advertising has certainly come a long way from that quaint little AM station, and it just goes to show that even when it comes to something as everyday as highway billboards, nobody does it quite like Disney.