The Disneyland Book of Secrets 2014: One Local's Unauthorized, Rapturous and Indispensable Guide to the Happiest Places on Earth (122 page)

Lunch
and supper at the
Tomorrowland Terrace
are pricier than breakfast, but still good values.

If all you want is a snack, the
Terrace
sells the delicious
Chocolate Chip Cookies
($3.29) that you find at most venues in the park, as well as
Carrot Cake
($5),
Chocolate Parfait
($5),
Dreyer’s Strawberry Whole Fruit Bar
($3.89), and a
Mickey Ice Cream Sandwich
($3.89).

If you want a full meal, your healthy choices include the
Chicken Sandwich with Avocado Salsa
for $9, the
Fish Sandwich with Chipotle Crema
for $10.50, the
Grilled Chicken Chop Salad
for $9.50, and the
Portobello and Vegetable Sandwich
for $8.50.

Heartier offerings are the
Angus 1/3 lb. Cheeseburger
for $9.50, or the
Angus 1/3 lb. BBQ Bacon Cheeseburger
for $10.69.  Lunch and dinner meals include sides of fruit or French fries.

If you have kids, this is one of the best places in the park to feed them, with its children’s menu, high-capacity seating
, and proximity to kid favorites like
Autopia
,
Buzz Lightyear
,
Finding Nemo
, the
Jedi Training Academy
, the
Matterhorn
, and
Space Mountain
.

Children’s meals are only $6
.50 each, and the choices are relatively healthy:  A
Hamburger
or the
Turkey Sandwich
.  The kids’ meals include apples and carrots, and one juice, milk, or water.  Toddlers luck out with a
Yummy Cheesy Macaroni
meal for only $4.50; it comes with apple sauce and milk.

If you find yourself in
Tomorrowland
and your crew is thirsty or hungry, this is one of your most economical and most fun bets.  Decent grub, good prices, and probably some kind of entertainment on the
Tomorrowland Terrace Stage
.  You just can’t beat that in
Tomorrowland
!

One of my favorite experiences at
Tomorrowland Terrace
was a summer breakfast several years ago with my family.  We were celebrating my birthday.  The
Matterhorn
’s snowy peak was very cheery against a pale blue So Cal summer sky.  We dug into our breakfast around lively conversation (we’re very lively conversationalists).  It was one of those simple but special meals that you remember.
Did You Know?
 
Tomorrowland
’s trees and plants are mostly edible, a nod to a possible future where decorative greenery will serve an additional function, feeding us as well as shading us and consuming our CO
2
.  See how many edible veggies and fruits you and your little ones can spot surrounding
Tomorrowland Terrace
.  But, please, just look–don’t eat anything you didn’t purchase at the
Terrace
!
Did You Also Know:
  What was the
Tomorrowland Terrace
before it was the
Tomorrowland Terrace
?  Well, not much of anything.  As near as I can piece together from old photos and descriptions, a 1965 Guest standing where the
Tomorrowland Terrace
was to be constructed would’ve seen a flat, paved area with some benches and decorative trees. 
Matterhorn Mountain
loomed to the northwest, the beautiful
Submarine Lagoon
to the northeast, the original
Space Bar
, with its angularly undulating Googie roof and its little white “Jetson” chairs to the east, and the
Tomorrowland Jets
(formerly the
Astro Jets
, soon to be the
Rocket Jets
) to the immediate southwest.  By 1967 the
Space Bar
was a tiny snack bar under the
Rocket Jets
and
People Mover
, and the crowds that had thronged the original
Space Bar
were dining at the sparkling new
Tomorrowland Terrace
. 
Disneyland
, and
Tomorrowland
in particular, will always be changing. 
Kid’s Eye View:
  I don’t like this restaurant.

Tomorrowland Character Meetings and Performers

Tomorrowland
is
Star Wars
central at
Disneyland
.  This is where you’ll see
Jedi Knights
,
Jedi Masters
,
Storm Troopers
,
Darth Maul
, and
Darth Vader
on a regular basis, usually during the
Jedi Training Academy
shows at the
Tomorrowland Terrace Stage
.

You might see
Buzz Lightyear
strolling through
Tomorrowland
with his usual heroic, purposeful stride, particularly in the neighborhood of the
Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters
attraction.

There was chatter at some point
about refreshing
Autopia
with a
Disney-Pixar
Cars
theme, but that faded when execs green lit an entire
Cars Land
at
Disney California Adventure Park
.  That 12-acre district opened in 2012.  Guests who want to meet
Lightning McQueen
or
Mater
will find them in
Cars Land
at
DCA
, not in
Autopia
at
Disneyland
.

Besides
Star Wars
characters and
Buzz
, other characters you’ll encounter in
Tomorrowland
are the
Trash Can Trio
.
They look like three custodians–three very cheerful custodians–walking jauntily through
Tomorrowland
, but suddenly, usually near the
Little Green Men Store Command
, the custodians begin to play their trash cans as if they’re drums.  The
Trash Can Trio
percussionists are crowd-stoppers and crowd-pleasers–their drumming is outstanding, and quite a large group of Guests will gather around them.  They typically give one brief, spirited performance hourly.

The
Tomorrowland Terrace Stage
hosts local bands and internationally known musicians, presenting several shows per night during peak seasons and on weekends during the off-seasons.  With its retractable stage, array of colored lights, and seemingly endless supply of dry ice, the relatively small
Tomorrowland Terrace Stage
gives performers a highly entertaining setting from which to deliver their music.  So Cal locals with
Annual Passes
often make a point of attending all the performances of their favorite bands, having a grand time and providing moral support to rising local talent.

During special events (sometimes closed to Guests) Hollywood and
Disney
superstars take the stage.  Consult your
Disneyland Entertainment Times Guide
when you visit to see who’s playing the
TLT
.

Parkwide Attractions

Parkwide Attractions:
Fireworks
,
Parades

Fireworks

[
FastView:
 
You must see the
Disneyland
fireworks once in your life.  You must see
Tinker Bell
(and sometimes
Dumbo
) fly.  There are great views in front of the castle, midway up
Main Street
, and on the
Main Street Train Station
’s upper landing.
]

Disneyland
fireworks are legendary.  The content of the fireworks shows change periodically, and there are special shows for holidays like Halloween and Independence Day, but no matter which show is unfolding in the skies over
Sleeping Beauty Castle
, the brilliant, booming bursts of light (audible for miles around) are often the perfect cap to a Guest’s perfect
Disneyland
day.

In summer 2009,
Disneyland Park
unveiled a stunning new nightly fireworks show, part of its
Summer Nightastic!
celebration. 
Remember, Dreams Come True
had been a popular fireworks show for years, but
Imagineers
felt Guest were ready for something fresh. 
Voila
! 
Magical Fireworks
, a 14-minute show that takes pyrotechnics to new levels of beauty and storytelling.  Incredibly successful,
Magical
returned in following seasons.

Fireworks viewing is crowded.
A Guest preparing to watch
Disneyland
fireworks for the first time might think they’ve stumbled through a wormhole into New York City’s CBGB mosh pit of the 1980’s, or even Woodstock circa 1969.  Your first time, you’ll want to watch the fireworks from
Main Street
, which is the only place in the park where you can see and hear the full show.  Which means, of course, that
Main Street
is the most crowded place in the park at 9:25 pm each night.

Hours before the show begins, Cast Members cordon off certain lanes and routes, making some paths one-way
pedestrian zones.  Cast Members posted along these routes provide instructions and answer Guests’ questions about how to get to wherever they’re trying to go.  Right before the fireworks,
Sleeping Beauty Castle
, the focus of the fireworks action, is roped off, as are the
Fantasyland
attractions just north of the castle, and
“it’s a small world”
.

Guests take over
Main Street
and
The Hub
, standing and sitting everywhere.  Cast Members keep the flanking walkways clear by routing Guests not watching the fireworks in one-way traffic patterns, with a few pressure outlets where Guests can dart across
Main Street
.

As a general rule,
if you need to get around the
Main Street
fireworks crowd, you’ll need to travel a one-way counterclockwise route.

If you’re going to be watching the fireworks, you might think “No way!” looking at the roiling crowd of tens of thousands stretching from
The Hub
to
Town Square
.  Take heart; it’s actually less insane within the crowd than it appears from the outside.

If you can snag a spot close to the
Sleeping Beauty Castle
, that’s going to provide the best view.  That location fills up quickly, of course, with Guests staking out their sites hours before the fireworks begin.

If you want
a slice of this prime real estate, work out a schedule with your group where a couple of you claim and guard your turf early, and other group members rotate in periodically to give them a break.  Bring sweatshirts and blankets with you and stow them in a locker during the day; retrieve them and use them as cushions for the fireworks show.

I’ve read that a prime spot to watch the fireworks is the
Plaza Inn
restaurant at the northeast corner of
Main Street
.  But when I put this to the test I found that although this is a lovely restaurant (one of my favorites in the park), its outside patio has very few tables with clear views of
Tinker Bell
,
Dumbo
, and other elements of the fireworks shows.

If you want to give this
viewing spot a try, purchase a meal and beverage at the
Plaza Inn
and then bring your tray out to the patio.  Choose a table with a clear view of the castle–
if
you can find one.  Here’s the problem:  Because of trees, hedges, other Guests, table umbrellas, etc. it’s difficult to get a
really
good view of the castle from this spot.  You can see and hear the fireworks and music, but you only catch glimpses of the castle light show and
Tinker Bell
, and you can’t see
Dumbo
at all.  (Yes, little
Dumbo
!  More on that below.)