The Disneyland Book of Secrets 2014: One Local's Unauthorized, Rapturous and Indispensable Guide to the Happiest Places on Earth (49 page)

As wildly popular as
Fantasmic!
has been over the years, periodically the
Imagineers
find ways to
plus
the experience with new features.  In addition to
Maleficent
, the 2009 refurb introduced substantially improved technology:  The images on the gargantuan mist screens are now projected in digital high-definition (HD) format, for an even crisper, more vivid appearance.  The cronies of evil
Ursula
(
The Little Mermaid
), electric eels
Flotsam
and
Jetsam
, appear in giant form (each eel is almost 35 feet long), and the
Peter Pan Crocodile
is now a whopping 12 feet in length.

Fantasmic!
does have a significant drawback, in that it attracts swarming crowds.  Show times can change or even be cancelled due to the weather, but as a general rule
Fantasmic!
runs at 9:00 pm and 10:30 pm every summer night.  On incredibly crowded nights (like the final nights of
Disneyland
’s
Summer Nightastic!
celebration) park management sometimes authorizes an additional 11:30 pm show, but you can’t count on it.

Crowds for both shows gather at least
an hour ahead of time and clog the tiered concrete river banks along
New Orleans Square
.  With the usual
Disney
efficiency, Cast Members rope off certain areas and use neon-bright crowd-control wands to direct the flow of foot traffic, but valiant as the Cast Members are, even before show time, the area is a wall-to-wall mob scene.

If you want to see
Fantasmic!
you and at least one other person in your group should stake out an area at least an hour before the show is scheduled to begin.  Whoever is chosen for space-saving duty should have a calm, good-natured demeanor and tolerate crowds well.  Let the others in your party know at least generally where the space is; once the crowds build, your party will never find you in the dark, in the mob, unless they know where to look for you.

Chairs are not provided for the crowds, so have blanket
s, sweatshirts or beach towels on hand if you’re saving spaces.  Stow them in a locker earlier in the day so you’re not lugging them around during your visit.  You and whoever is helping to save the space can take turns guarding the space while the other one goes for snacks at one of the many nearby eateries or snack carts or uses the rest rooms adjacent to the
New Orleans Station
of the
Disneyland Railroad
.

It used to be that you could arrange in advance, for a fee, to view
Fantasmic!
from a charming
New Orleans Square
balcony.  Not only did you and a small coterie of Guests have an unobstructed view of the show, but you were served beverages and desserts.  Alas, that option is no longer offered.

However, you
now can request
Fantasmic! Premium Seating
up to 30 days in advance by calling (714) 781-SHOW.  You and a small number of Guests will sit in elevated areas with terrific waterfront views of the show, enjoying beverages and desserts.  The price is about $60 for Guests ages ten and up, and about $50 for Guests ages three to nine.  Little ones younger than three enjoy the show for free.  If you can swing the cost, it’s well worth it for the view, comfort, and treats.

If that’s just too rich for your blood, consider catching the later show (usually 10:30
pm), which, while still crowded, usually won’t be the madhouse that the earlier show is.

Because
Fantasmic!
attracts flocks of Guests, it significantly affects the attractions, restaurants, and lands that it borders.  For example, you’ll want to avoid
New Orleans Square
after 8 pm at night unless you don’t mind pressing your way through crowds and
really
want to shop or eat in that area, or in adjacent
Critter Country
.  With all eyes on the waterfront, this is actually a prime time to ride
Pirates of the Caribbean
,
Haunted Mansion
,
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
or
Splash Mountain
, and to eat at
Critter Country
’s
Hungry Bear Restaurant
.

Given that it’s a staging area for characters, vessels
, and technological effects,
Tom Sawyer Island
is, of course, closed before, during, and after
Fantasmic!
  The island generally closes in the late afternoons; if you’re going to visit it, be sure to check the posted time or check with a
Cast Member
re: the last raft from the island back to the mainland (usually around sunset).  Don’t worry; Cast Members make sure no one pulls a
Tom
or
Huck
and gets stranded.

Thinking of hopping onto the
Disneyland Railroad
at the
New Orleans Square Station
around 9:30 pm or 11 pm?  Think again, matey.  After each
Fantasmic!
performance concludes, the railroad station and the winding lanes that lead to it are glutted with departing Guests, and although multiple trains are run through close together, it might be awhile before you and your party can board; even then your train will be incredibly crowded.

It
’s impossible to exaggerate how jammed the walkways in and around
Frontierland
and
New Orleans Square
become after the show ends and everyone tries to leave at once.  It’s a writhing, pushing, sweating, sometimes cussing tapioca of humanity.  You will be (inadvertently, mostly) shoved and rammed by strollers.  Especially after the first show, which is the most crowded, when the ambient lights remain off so that the
Magical Fireworks
show to greater effect, it’s not only a zoo, it’s a very dark zoo.  Hold on tight to your little ones; keep them in your arms or secure them safely in their strollers.

Your best bet for departing
New Orleans Square
and
Frontierland
after a performance is to stay in the general vicinity, but get out of the crowd to ride out the worst of the mass exodus.  Duck into
Pirates of the Caribbean
or queue up for the
Haunted Mansion
.  Pop into the
Golden Horseshoe
for a slice of chocolate cake.  Bottom line?  Fighting crowds is worth it to see
Fantasmic!
  If you’ll be at
Disneyland
for at least a couple of days, plan to catch the show. 
Fantasmic!
is signature
Disney
and one of the most mesmerizing experiences in the park. 
Did You Know?
  During the first few nights of the new 2009
Fantasmic!
show, one of the stars was missing, none other than the 40-foot tall fire-breathing
Maleficent
!  According to a Cast Member at
Pooh Corner
, the dragon’s neck was “hurt” (meaning broken or malfunctioning, but Cast Members are trained to discuss park characters as if they’re living entities, to keep the
Disney magic
alive).  Despite the absence of the highly-publicized dragon (which had appeared in dark splendor on the cover of
Disneyland Resort
’s Summer 2009 issue of
Backstage Pass
) Guests thronged the river banks and seemed thrilled with the new show. And very soon
Maleficent
’s “hurt” neck was repaired, and it took its place as one of
Fantasmic!
’s stars.
Night Vision:
 
Fantasmic!
is performed only at night during summer and the holiday season.  There are typically two shows each night at 9 pm and 10:30 pm.
FastPass:
  No.  This is a live show so the
FastPass
system doesn’t apply.  However, some viewing areas are far superior to others, so stake out your viewing turf early and guard it.  Or call (714) 781-SHOW 30 days in advance to book your
Fantasmic! Premium Seating
at about $60 per Guest. 
Kid’s Eye View:
  I haven’t seen it yet.

Frontierland Shootin’
Exposition

[
FastView:
 
Old West meets high tech at this entertaining shooting game.  50 cents per play.
]

A minor
Frontierland
attraction, the
Shootin’ Exposition
is situated on
Frontierland
’s main drag, northwest of the
Westward Ho Trading Company
and southeast of the
Rancho del Zocalo
restaurant. This spot has housed a shooting gallery since 1957.  There have always been plenty of rifles available for Guests wanting to prove their shooting prowess, a total of 18 rifles at present.

Over the years the name
of this attraction has changed, and the original pellet-shooting firearms were replaced with electronic infrared equipment, not only making the attraction safer, but eliminating the need for nightly re-painting of the targets.

The new equipment also enhanced
the payoff for hitting the stationary and kinetic sensor targets; the results of a “sure shot” have been enriched by better and better effects.  For example, when you hit the sensor near the lantern, the lantern twitches; when you hit the sensors near headstones, some of the headstones rise up and reveal humorous conclusions to their epitaphs.

Still,
this attraction remains an arcade game, albeit a
Disneyland
arcade game.  And it still takes quarters–it costs 4 bits (that’s 50 cents to tenderfeet!) per play.  No quarters on you?  Not a problem; there are change machines available.

The rifles are tethered to the counter so no one can run off with them, but heavy as they are, that’d be some feat.  Smaller children might need mom or dad’s help to hold and aim the
heavy guns.

So i
f you have quarters burning a hole in your pocket and want to take aim at some Boot Hill targets, belly up to this shooting gallery. 
Did You Know?
  In the first decade of
Disneyland
’s existence, both
Main Street
and
Adventureland
also had shooting galleries. 
FastPass:
No.  This is a step-right-up, first-come-first-serve, wait-your-turn attraction.  With 18 rifles to choose from, however, Guests seldom have to wait long, or wait at all, for their chance to shoot.
Kid’s Eye View: 
It’s OK, but it makes you frustrated if you can’t hit the target.  It’s fun when you hit them!

Golden Horseshoe
Stage 
(
Opening Day
Attraction)

[
FastView:
 
A lovely old West theater and restaurant designed by production genius
Harper Goff
.  One of
Walt
’s favorite places in the park.
]

No frontier community would be complete without a music hall, and the
Golden Horseshoe Stage
has ably filled that role in
Frontierland
since opening day in 1955.  Just south of
El Zocalo Park
and across the road from the riverboat landing, the
Golden Horseshoe
serves up hearty fare that includes chicken strips, chili, fries, sundaes, and slices of rich chocolate cake.  Portions are generous, so Guests on a budget can share (it’s a counter service restaurant so there’s no split-plate fee).

The food is good, but it’s the old West entertainment, not the dining, that puts the
Golden Horseshoe
on the map. 
Walt
was first and last a storyteller and showman, and it would have been inconceivable for him to launch a land dedicated to the American frontier without including a venue for the songs and comedy of that bygone era.

Walt
was so fond of this attraction, that on July 13, 1955, just days before the park was to open, he and wife
Lillian
celebrated their 30
th
anniversary with dinner and a show at the
Golden Horseshoe
.  300 guests–including family, friends, and celebrities like Cary Grant and Spencer Tracy–attended.  After surrey rides down
Main Street
and mint juleps on the
Mark Twain
, guests enjoyed entertainment, food, and a giant, tiered cake at the
Golden Horseshoe
.