The Original '55

Here at DF'82, if there's one thing we almost as much as windows, it's plaques throughout the Disney park. So, to add to the never-ending collection, let's take some time to look at the plaque that, possibly, started it all.
The plaque at Disneyland, California, which reads:

Disneyland
To All Who Come To This Happy Place
WELCOME
Disneyland is your land.
Here age relives fond memories of the past. And here you may savor the challenge and promise of the future.
Disneyland is dedicated to the ideals, the dreams and the hard facts that have created America. With the hope that it will be a source of joy and inspiration to all the world.
July 17 1955

Let's Take A Tour

A relatively newly advertised experience at the Disneyland Paris parks is the opportunity to take a guided tour. All the other parks have this, and so Disneyland Paris not to be outdone also has the tours for the general public - as well as the infamous VIP tours.

This leaflet shows you a little bit about the tour that you can experience.
And inside, in several languages, we find out more about the specifics:
Discover...some of the secrets behind the Disney magic on a walking tour of the Disneyland Park or Walt Disney Studios Park.

Your guide will share some of the history and many of the stories that make the Disney experience unique. Discover what inspired Walt Disney, why he chose certain themes and how we tell those stories in Disneyland Park. Hear about Walt's influence in the world of cinema and see behind the scenes of a working studio in Walt Disney Studios Park.

The tour costs €15 for adults, with children going free (aged under 12 and accompanied by an adult). If you are on your own, however, there is a €5 supplement. The price of the tour does not include the entry to the park.

DF'82 hopes to try this later in the year, and will give a full review when the Royal Family do!

Make The Most Of Your Time

Let's take another trip back to the windows at Main Street U.S.A. in Parc Disneyland, Paris. We have briefly looked at this window before, but I thought it would be nice to take another and closer look at it.

Situated just off Town Square, this window captivates all the fun and charm of the Imagineers:

Degelmann,
Janier
and
Kanally
Efficiency Experts
Thor Degelmann
Pierre Janier
David Kanally
"Are You Reading This Fast Enough?"

This window is mainly dedicated to those members of management who dealt with the daily operations of the park and the cast members that work there. Degelmann worked in the opening of Disneyland Paris, then EuroDisney, helping with the planning, concept, human resources and administration of the park. He now works with Mel Cecil, another previous Disney Company Cast Member, in their own Creative Planning and Management company.
Pierre Janier was the Vice-President of Human Resources during the opening of the Parc in April 1992. He worked closely with those Cast Members for the Paris park opening, spending several months in Florida before heading to Paris, and liked to stress that "Internal consistency is very important".

And finally, David Kanally also worked in Human Resources at EuroDisney, specialising in the Disney University training programmes. He had previously worked as the manager for World Showcase in Epcot, Walt Disney World.

This window is a great dedication to those Management Cast Members who worked to help provide the Paris parks with the most efficient cast members possible!

Have We Got Time?

Let's take a quick trip over to Disneyland Paris, and spend some time in both parks. But what time are all the shows and parades on at? Well, let's go back in time (only to last week!) and find out!

Enjoying A Moment... In Canada

Let's take some time to appreciate the beauty of the Canadian pavilion, over in the World Showcase in Epcot.

A Quick Bite At Casey's

Like some of the other Disney parks through the world, Main Street U.S.A. in Parc Disneyland, Paris, has the infamous Casey's Corner restaurant! Situated at the end of Main Street, overlooking the Chateau, Casey's has the similar theming of baseball!

It's a great quick service, counter restaurant to grab a bite to eat, whether it's a quick lunch or a snack while you're waiting to see the afternoon parade. Casey's Corner opens at 10am in the morning, and shuts about 30 minutes after the park closes. There is a seating area inside - which has a great selection of baseball memorabilia - or outside, with a great view of the Castle.

The fayre here is not too dissimilar to the food found at many sporting events - hot dogs, fries, etc. The restaurant is open all year round and a great place to pop into - especially with children. It is worthy to note, however, that there is no clear vegetarian menu on offer. Soft drinks and hot drinks are also available to take away.

Due to technically difficulties, pictures for this post will be added at a later date.

Ready To Taste

Welcome back to the second half of Chuck Canzoneri's delicious Club 33 at Disneyland report.

Taste

From the Menu, you have a choice between 6 different Main Entrée’s. You order your Entrée and your drink and then it’s off to the Buffet room. On one side is all your appetizers, ranging from Salads to Antipasta to Cold Shellfish. The Other side is breads, flavored olive oils and desserts.
The types of bread included flatbread, crackers and breadsticks and the olive oils were infused, so you’d have garlic olive oil, pineapple-citrus olive oil, saffron olive oil and so on.
The salads included chef’s, Cesar, and there was a special one, a cheese tortellini with little bits of steak in a creamy dressing. We all loved that one. I’d give it 4 1/2 HP. The rest of the food in general ranged in quality from ordinary to pretty good, but the sheer variety of options was outstanding.As most everyone knows, Club 33 is the one place in Disneyland that serves alcohol. There’s a full service bar near the buffet, plus the staff will happily bring you drinks. Sean and I took advantage of this and ordered… non-alcoholic punch. A special fruit juices mixture that was delicious.

The 6 entrée choices were...
Roast Monk Fish, Rock Lobster Bisque, Spiced Arugula Salad
Pan Seared Chateaubriand, Parsnip-Cipollini Onion Puree, Cabernet Demi
Organic Free Range Chicken, Truffled Mac & Cheese
Farmed King Salmon, Bloomsdale Spinach, Celery Root Jus
Colorado Lamb Chops, Apple Coffee Polenta, Lamb Mint Reduction
Fresh Pasta Three By Three: Goat Cheese Veloute, Mushroom Mariana, Short Rib Bolognese

I had the Chateaubriand because I’m a big fan of steak. It was good, but not even close to superb. The flavors were nice, but the meat was a little tough, a little chewy. I’ve had better. I’ve made better.
I also got to try the pasta, which was extremely underwhelming. The pasta was tough, and tasted anything but fresh. The Veloute was mostly tasteless. The mushroom marinara was better and the Short Rib Bolognese tasted best, but the sauce was sparingly handled so this was not a hearty bowl of pasta.
Around the Table, others enjoyed the Chicken and the Lamb Chops, but we all felt that the entrees were not as good as the appetizers and the Dessert Bar.

The Dessert Bar. Where do I begin? Like the Appetizer Bar, there’s such a huge selection of different treats – sponge cake, cheese cake, pie, torts, custard, crème puffs, coconut macaroons and 3 flavors of Pirouette cookies – that you’re guaranteed to fall in love with something.
For me it was the raspberry-chocolate boxes, a tasty sponge cake filled with raspberry jam and a thin chocolate wafer. I ate 3 of these which is saying a lot when you consider that I tried everything. (I’ve seen that they sometimes use blackberry which I bet is equally delicious.
The Coconut Macaroons are famous, and it’s easy to see why. Moist on the inside, dipped in delicious chocolate on the outside, they’re the 2nd best I’ve ever had. In fact I would give all of the desserts at least 4 Stars except for the crème puff, which was too dry and flaky.

Touch

And by this I’m talking about the special Disney touch. Just the sheer gall to have a restaurant with the reputation of specialness of Club 33. Afterwards, there’s a small gift cabinet with some exclusive overpriced souvenirs. Like Victoria & Albert’s over at WDW, It’s not the kind of place you want to go to over and over again. But it’s a definite once in a lifetime experience.

As for my wife who made it all happen. She’s working on getting us into Pixar.

Don't forget to listen to Chuck at the Disneyland Gazette. And if you want to read more about Club 33 from the outside, here is the previous DF'82 post.

The Trip Of A Lifetime

Or perhaps the trip of a dinner time...or a lunch time? We have had a short break here at DF'82, so I thought it was about time we came back with a bang!

To celebrate the return, our roving LA reporter Chuck Canzoneri brings us this exciting piece, taking us on a tour of one of the most infamous places in all of Disneyland. Don't forget to check out Chuck on the fantastic Disneyland Gazette.

There are 5 places on the West Coast every Disney Geek wishes to visit.

The Disney Dream Suite
Walt’s Apartment Above the Firehouse
The Basketball Half-Court at the Top of the Matterhorn
The Pixar Building in Emeryville
And Club 33

Last week I got to cross one of these off.

Club 33 is exactly everything you’ve heard about it, yet it feels completely different when you are experiencing it. I will divide my report into the 5 Senses.Hearing

Once you enter Club 33, it’s hard to believe you’re still in Disneyland. Sure you can look out the window and see the people below you, but if you just look out the windows, you see the themed balconies from the 2nd Floor of New Orleans Square. Like the great ride queues, you are now somewhere else. Every now and then I heard Tiana’s Jubilee band, but for the most part, all I heard was the sounds of Club 33.Sight

The rooms and walls are decorated in that Disney style, but contain pieces you’ve never seen before. Take for example the trophy dining room, which contains Adventureland-style pieces and small stuffed game birds. It’s one of the two dining rooms (the other substituting a specific theme for general opulence.)
The most striking portrait (interestingly set so that it’s impossible to photograph without glare) is an image of Walt, later in his life. He’s inside Club 33, having coffee and reading a newspaper, while outside his window the Mark Twain travels past. There’s something intimate and special about it, and it’s one of the few images I can think of that deliberately doesn’t portray Walt in his youthful prime.
My other favorite decoration is a painted map of the Caribbean. All around the border are many, many drawn images from the ride. They almost overlap each other. It’s one of those cool art pieces where you could spend hours spotting all the little details.
I’d also like to mention the antique piano positioned near the buffet lines. Underneath the top of the piano is an amazing colonial style painting. This is the kind of cool stuff you get to see at Club 33.
Smell

Not too much to say here. It’s good that the only thing you can really smell here is all the great food, which brings me to…

Taste

Join us here at DF'82 tomorrow to continue the rest of Chuck's fantastic report. Aren't you dying to know what there is to taste? Well you will just have to come back and find out!

DF'82 Will Be Back Soon!

Keep A Weathered Eye Out!