The Disneyland Book of Secrets 2014: One Local's Unauthorized, Rapturous and Indispensable Guide to the Happiest Places on Earth (60 page)

Note that d
iscounts of 20% are available for
Annual Passholders
, AAA members,
Disney Vacation Club Members
, and
Disney Visa
cardmembers.  Collectible pins are issued for some tours; wear them with pride and joy!

Guests can arrange tours in advance by calling (714) 781-
TOUR.  And for a concierge-level tour with additional amenities,
VIP Tour Services
can be arranged by calling (714) 300-7710.

First Aid

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On-site treatment for minor ailments.
]

Located behind the
Main Street Photo Supply Co.
near the
Baby Care Station
,
Disneyland
’s
First Aid
provides treatment for minor illness and injuries, and staffers there will arrange for treatment and transport for more serious conditions.

Should you or a member of your party suffer serious illness or injury within the park, you’
re well advised to call 911 and/or alert a Cast Member who will call 911.  In an emergency, don’t take the time to run to
First Aid
!  Do let Cast Members know if you’ve called 911 so they can ensure a proper welcome for and coordination with emergency responders.

Guests should carry a sm
all first aid kit in their packs; you can pick up a basic kit for $2 at drug stores and customize it to suit your needs.  However, if you don’t have a first aid kit but need a bandage, aspirin or other simple first aid item, you can visit
First Aid
or purchase them at most stores at the resort.  Because such items would shatter the period atmosphere or theme, those supplies usually are kept behind or under the counters.  Simply tell a Cast Member what you need, and they’ll retrieve it.

Lost Children

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A safe waiting area at the
Baby Care Station
for children 10 or younger who have become separated from parents or guardians.
]

If your child is aged 10 or younger and you become separated, alert the nearest Cast Member.  Answer their questions and follow all Cast Member instructions.  They are trained to handle these situations; they know whom to contact and how to set the search wheels in motion.

You might be
brought or directed to the
Lost Children
area, which in
Disneyland Park
is the
Baby Care Station
behind the
Main Street Photo Supply Co
. and next to
First Aid
.

Above all, when you notice your child
is missing
keep as calm as you can
.  If you can’t find them, report it to a Cast Member right away.  Remember that
Disneyland
Cast Members have routines for handling precisely this type of situation.

It’s a good idea to plan in advance for the off-chance that you might become separated from your child. 
If they’re old enough to have a cell phone, make sure their cell number is programmed into your cell, and your number into theirs.  Make sure all family phones are fully charged.  And pick a meeting place where you all agree to gather if you become separated.

Be prepared to describe your child’s appearance and apparel. 
Some families wear the same color shirt, hat, or other accessories, or outfits with a particular theme or design, during their visits.  For example, you might all wear red shirts, or
Star Wars
shirts, or
Grumpy
caps, etc.  This theming is fun during your visit, and should a child become lost, it makes it easier for you to remember what your child is wearing and describe them to Cast Members.  Another thought:  Snap cell photos of your kids in the morning, so if you become separated, you can show Cast Members exactly what the child looks like and what he/she is wearing.

If your missing child is older than 10, alert a Cast Member and check for messages at
City Hall
, where lost children older than 10 can leave messages for their parents.  A sign outside
City Hall
even proclaims “Lost Parents—Inquire Within”.

Main Street Attractions

Disney Gallery

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An elegant yet cozy venue for viewing and ordering
Disney
art work.
]

Housed in a beautifully renovated space in the
Main Street Bank
at the southeast corner of
Town Square
(the former location of an
Annual Passport Processing Center
), the
Disney Gallery
presents high-quality paintings, figurines, books, and accessories based on
Disneyland
and
Disney
themes.  Collections change every few months, and have included railroads, castles, and a look back at the
Tiki Room
.

Disney
art work used to be displayed in a gallery above
Pirates of the Caribbean
in
New Orleans Square
, in the quarters that would have been
Walt
’s new apartment if he’d survived past 1966.  That gallery space was transformed into the
Disneyland Dream Suite
in 2007, and the art was quartered temporarily in a corridor between
The Mad Hatter Shop
and the
Opera House
.  Cast Members did their best with that temporary space, but it was too small to do the art justice.

Now
on view in a more spacious venue, the
Disney
art is beautifully displayed once again.

T
he new space honors its rich history by retaining interesting features from the
Main Street Bank
, including the vault. From
Opening Day
until 1993, the site was a genuine
Bank of America
where Guests opened accounts, cashed checks, and even banked on Sundays!  After
Bank of America
left in 1993, the
Main Street Bank
was primarily used as an
Annual Passport Center
.

Now,
Guests roam through several rooms of art, including the bank vault which has been preserved.  Works of art are clearly labeled and some are priced for sale.  Guests interested in purchasing art should see a Cast Member for details or use the touch-screen computers.

Some works are for display only.  All
of them imaginatively capture, in a wide range of styles, elements of the park, the attractions,
Disney
characters and themes, and
Walt
himself.  Everything is intelligently organized and grouped, and clear signs explain the historical or artistic significance of the creations.

As an added bonus,
Main Street
’s
Disneyana
shop moved into the front room here in summer 2013, bringing its charming
Disney
wares, and its artist, who creates
Disney
magic while Guests look on.  Events like author and artist signings are held here too.

Part gallery, part museum
, and part gift shop, the
Disney Gallery
should be on the “must” list of all
Disney
fans who visit the park.  Doors open into the lobby of the
Opera House
, where fascinating models of
Disneyland
at various stages of development,
Disneyland
artifacts, and the informative and funny film
Disneyland:  The First 50 Magical Years
are on display.
FastPass:
  No.  The
Disney Gallery
is a self-guided experience, and after the crush of curious Guests that fill any refurbished and relocated attraction after it first opens, crowds thinned to a manageable level. 
Kid’s Eye View:
  In the old gallery [above
Pirates of the Caribbean
] there was a little fountain, chairs, and patio.  It was so cute!

Disneyland Fire Station
 
(
Opening Day
Attraction)

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The spirit of
Walt
—who once lived above the fire station—is strong here.
]

Ask any
Disney
fan, even those that haven’t yet visited
Disneyland
, “Who lived over the
Fire Station
?” and they can answer you correctly and immediately.  It was
Walt
, of course, and his family.  They didn’t live above the
Fire Station
full time, but there was a comfortable, cozy apartment where
Walt
stayed during the park’s construction and after it was built, and where he often was joined by his wife, kids, and grandchildren.

Walt
loved
Disneyland
.  He loved his animated cartoons and features, and his many projects and achievements beyond the
berm
, but he had a special place in his heart for this fantastic kingdom which would never be complete and where anything was possible.  Especially as he grew older, he spent less time at the studio and more at the park.  He stayed at
Disneyland
frequently and in the early morning hours exited the apartment by sliding down the fire pole with all the energy and enthusiasm of a kid–at least, he did until an overly enterprising Guest climbed up the fire pole and peeked into the apartment, which resulted in its being sealed off!

Anecdotes are plentiful of
Walt
roaming the streets of his domain, greeting Cast Members, greeting Guests, driving the
Disneyland Fire Truck
or the
Carnation Milk Truck
up and down
Main Street
, asking questions, picking up litter, making observations, and sometimes signing autographs for wide-eyed children.  He was everywhere and anywhere,
backstage
and
onstage
.

In his
opinion, you could only tell if Guests were happy and if everything was running smoothly if you were out in the park.  He didn’t want park leaders sequestered in offices; he wanted boots (and eyes and ears) on the ground. 
Walt
also preferred to keep
backstage
and administrative costs contained while pumping the lion’s share of resources into the
onstage
Guest experience.  It was all about the Guests.

The original administration center in the southeast quadrant of the park was composed of two houses. 
It was only due to the compelling necessity of having some type of
backstage
administrative facilities that
Walt
eventually allowed the construction of a new, larger administration building in the southeast area.

This larger structure
opened in 1966, camouflaged with a tunnel housing the giant new
Primeval World Diorama
, and contained Administrative, Cast, Costume, Legal, PR, and Security services. Construction, Entertainment, Maintenance, and Restaurant functions were scattered in secret pockets elsewhere throughout the park.

In the present day,
Finance, Marketing, and Entertainment management is based in the gorgeously chromatic
Team Disney Anaheim
building designed by famed architect
Frank Gehry
and erected in the mid 1990’s.  Situated just north of
Disneyland
, the facility’s distance from the resort sparked concern that decision makers would not be as connected to the Guest experience as they were when
Walt
stayed on site and enforced his lead-from-the-park philosophy.

But not to worry;
the
TDA
building is barely a stone’s throw from
Toontown
, just behind those cartoon hills.  And leaders like
Tony Baxter
,
Disneyland Park
’s
Creative Director
, spend a lot of time on property, immersed in
Walt
’s kingdom. 
Baxter
began his career as a
Disneyland
ice cream scooper, and truly understands that it’s all about making Guests happy.  He has commented online that he’s in the park at least four times a month; as
Walt
knew, that’s the way to continually
plus
Disneyland
.