The Disneyland Book of Secrets 2014: One Local's Unauthorized, Rapturous and Indispensable Guide to the Happiest Places on Earth (76 page)

The queue, which switch-backs along brass rails, looks long at times, but moves surprisingly fast.  Summer afternoons are usually the most crowded.  Even if the line moves quickly, during peak times you’ll be hard-pressed to find an empty table or seat once you have your treat; even though the premises were reconfigured in early 2012, there’s not a lot of seating here.  You might need to take your cone or dish and head north on
Main
to find a table at the roomy
al fresco
seating of the
Refreshment Corner
or adjacent
Plaza Pavillion
.

The best time to visit the
ice cream parlor is in the early morning, when most people are too busy rushing headlong into the park or jamming the queue at the
Carnation Café
next door to notice that no one is in line at the
Gibson Girl
.

The air
at the
Gibson Girl
is still deliriously sweet at all times with the scents of chocolate, vanilla, and warm, fresh waffle cones.  Time was, you could grab a seat in the back parlor, where an enormous green elephant statue contributed to the aura of a sugar-induced Victorian fever dream.  The Lucite elephant, with its gold-capped tusks and golden tasseled head-dress and saddle blanket, was purportedly a gift from
Disneyland Paris
and was named
Penny
, but that’s disputed on the Internet.  Ask a Cast Member for their take. It’s a moot point, at any rate, since the elephant was removed when the ice cream parlor was reconfigured.  Farewell, elephant–whatever your name was.
Kid’s Eye View:
It’s really cute and has a nice old-fashioned feeling and the best ice cream ever.  I recommend mint chocolate chip ice cream with whipped cream and a homemade soft cookie.

Jolly Holiday Bakery Café

[
FastView:
 
Practically perfect pastries, sandwiches, soups, and beverages with plentiful seating on the
Hub
.
]

In 2011, the venerable
Plaza Pavillion
was sequestered behind
Disney
’s famous
“Pardon Our Pixie Dust”
walls and
Go-Away-Green
tarps.  What was afoot?  Signs told Guests that the brand new
Jolly Holiday Bakery Café
was under construction.  Research revealed that
Main Street
’s
Blue Ribbon Bakery
would be closing to allow for expansion of the
Carnation Café
and reconfiguration of the
Candy Palace
and
Gibson Girl Ice Cream Parlor
.  Guests seeking delicious pastries and coffee drinks in 2012 would be directed to the new
Jolly Holiday Bakery Café
.

With its deep and gracious Victorian porches, and its charming gingerbread trim, the
Plaza Pavillion
certainly looks like the proper setting for a
Mary Poppins
-themed bakery and café.  One can easily picture
Mary
and her chimney sweep pal
Bert
, in their lovely summer outfits from the film’s chalk-drawing fantasy, strolling along the porches, greeting Guests and singing award-winning
Sherman Brothers
’ songs.  After all,
Mary
and
Bert
already spend a great deal of time on
Main Street
, singing, participating in parades, and making character appearances.

The author is happy to report that
the food and beverages at the
Jolly Holiday
adhere to the high standards set by the
Blue Ribbon Bakery
, and the
Jolly Holiday
’s spacious seating, beautiful premises, and warm customer service surpass those of the defunct
Blue Ribbon.
When you visit, you can indeed expect
supercalifragilicious
treats at the new bakery and café!

Guests entering the café choose between two brass-railed queues, one on the left, one on the right.  Straight ahead are the pastry cases, filled with colorful delights–frosted cupcakes, chocolate chip cookies, quiches, croissants, macaroons, and much more
, including healthier options like fruit.

In front of the pastry cases, an alert Cast Member directs Guests to the next available cashier, whether to the right or left of the pastr
y cases.  Please note:  Once you are in front of a cash register, you will no longer be able to clearly see the pastry case, so consider the treats and make your selections
before
you’re directed to a cashier.

Cast Members behind the counters are
as pleasant and efficient as superbly trained British nannies.  You’ll receive your baked goods, sandwiches, or soups in the twinkling of an eye (or, as
Mary Poppins
would say, “Spit-Spot!”).  The only potential delay is waiting for a specialty beverage (like a café mocha) but even the beverage Cast Members are right on point, serving up hot chocolate, mochas, and so forth more rapidly than the average Starbucks.

The
Mary Poppins
theming is subtle, pleasing without being overpowering.  The interior is, of course, rendered in a lovely Edwardian style with frosted glass chandeliers, ornate molding, floral tiles and wallpaper, and marble-topped counters.  Small murals celebrate the themes and songs of the award-winning film.  Glass cases contain visual nods to the movie, like porcelain merry-go-rounds and small porcelain sea captain figures.  The stained glass windows depict adorable penguin waiters.  Silhouttes of “MP”, “MB,” and “JB” adorn the wall–
Mary Poppins
,
Michael Banks
and
Jane Banks
respectively.  A medley of
Mary Poppins
’ Academy Award-winning music fills the air.

What’
s on the menu at the
Jolly Holiday
?  The usual assortment of drinks–juices, milk, sodas–ranging from $1.79 to $3.50, as well as specialty coffees (
Blended Mochas
! 
Caramel Machiattos
!) and cocoa beverages priced from $2.50 to over $5, and a
Practically Perfect Punch
for around $3.50.  The punch is a refreshing quaff with just the right balance of sweet and tart, and is one of the park’s best beverage values.

Assorted cookies, pastries
, and crispy treats can run up to about $5.00 each, and are worth every penny.

After 10:30 am the
Jolly Holiday
begins serving its full menu.  Salads include the
Angus Roast Beef Salad
($9),
Grilled Vegetable & Whole Grain Salad
($8), and
Jolly Holiday Salad
($7.5).  Salads are accompanied by fresh breadsticks.

Classic Chicken Noodle
and
Tomato Basil
soups sell for $5.50 each–perfect on a chilly day.

The roster of sandwiches includes the
Caprese
(
Tomato and Mozzerella
) or
Oven-Roasted Turkey
for $8.69; the
Chicken Waldorf on Brioche
($9), and the
Hot Angus Roast Beef on Onion Roll
($9.69).  Chips (potato chips, not French fries) accompany each sandwich.

Rounding out the offerings, the specialties of the house are the magnificent little
Ham & Cheese Quiche
with house salad ($7 plus), and the
Jolly Holiday Combo
(a toasted cheese sandwich with the café’s
Tomato Basil Soup
) for $9.

Children, as always, have their own menu: 
A
Turkey Sandwich
or
Macaroni & Cheese
for $6.50 each.  Kids’ meals include sliced apples, carrots, and choice of juice, milk, or water.  (Note that children’s portions really are sized for little ones, and will not be filling for most children ten years or older.)

What should you order?  Take your pick!  Particularly recommended:  The chocolate chip cookie–
magically
chewy
and
crispy; the
Matterhorn Macaroon
; the savory little
Ham & Cheese Quiche
; and the scones (correct British pronunciation: “scones” rhymes with “swans”) bursting with raisins and sprinkled with sugar.  Look for seasonal treats, too, like the
Christmas
(or
Christmas in July
)
Cupcake
with its rich green and red frosting, decadent chocolate cake core, and dusting of gold powder.

Seating is plentiful, and–dare one say it?–
quite jolly at the
Jolly Holiday Café Bakery
, and provides pretty views of the
Hub
and plenty of people-watching opportunities.  (The sole disappointment at the café is that when crowds are heavy, cleaning is delayed; you’re likely to sit down at a beautiful little table, with a beautiful view, to find the tabletop smeared with ketchup and spilled coffee and littered with crinkled straw sleeves.)

Interesting fact about the
Plaza Pavillion
:  The side that faces
Main Street
and the
Hub
has always been rendered in Victorian splendor to match the theme of the neighborhood, while the opposite side, facing
Adventureland
, has the thatched beauty of a South Seas long house.  Why?  Because
Disneyland
is all about seamless theming, and from 1962 until 1993 the side of the
Plaza Pavillion
facing
Adventureland
hosted the
Tahitian Terrace
, a paradisical restaurant featuring South Seas food, music, and dance.

By 1993 America’s
Tiki
craze was long over and
Aladdin
fever was high; the
Tahitian Terrace
was given a makeover and re-opened as
Aladdin’s Oasis Dinner Show
.  The dinners didn’t last long, but the popular stage show was expanded and became a long-running hit at
Disney California Adventure Park
.  Now, if you peer through the curtains of the rather forlorn
Aladdin’s Oasis
entrance, you can catch glimpses of the proud thatched roofs of the old
Tahitian Terrace
.  (In fact, sometimes
Aladdin’s Oasis
is open to give Guests extra seating; if it’s open during your visit, pop in and explore.)  Guests who still love
Tiki
ambiance can visit the new
Tiki
-themed bar and eatery at the
Disneyland Hotel
pool area.

If you’re a fan of
Mary Poppins
–or of good coffee, pastries, and soups–enjoy the
Jolly Holiday Bakery & Café
on the
Plaza Pavillion
’s
Main Street
side. 
Supercalifragilistic
! 
Did You Know?
  The 1964
Disney
film
Mary Poppins
, based on P.L. Travers’ much-loved stories, won multiple Academy Awards (going head-to-head with musical juggernaut “My Fair Lady”) and launched
Julie Andrews
’ film career. 
Andrews
was famously passed over for the film role of Eliza Doolittle in “My Fair Lady” even though she originated the role of Eliza Doolittle on Broadway.  But
Andrews
won the Best Actress Oscar that year–ironically beating Audrey Hepburn who had been given the plum “My Fair Lady” role. 
Andrews
has had a long and warm relationship with
Disney
, from starring in
Disney
films to voicing a
Disneyland
fireworks program.  One of the
King Arthur Carrousel
horses is dedicated to her–look for the horse with the golden bells.
Did You Also Know?
 
Disney
launched a musical stage version of
Mary Poppins
in London’s West End in 2004.  The award-winning musical was a smash hit and traveled to the U.S. and Australia.  My niece and I caught a Los Angeles performance in 2009.  The play’s book was written by by Julian Fellowes, best-known to American audiences, perhaps, as the screenwriter of “Gosford Park” and the creator of a television phenomenon called “Downton Abbey”.
Did You Also Know?
  One of
Walt
’s favorite songs was the sentimental
Feed the Birds
, written by the
Sherman Brothers
for
Mary Poppins
.  All
Walt
had to say to the brothers was “Play it,” and they knew what he wanted to hear. 
Hidden Mary:
  Wondering if the “wind’s in the east, mist coming in”?  For a quick check of local weather, glance at the
Mary Poppins
weather vane atop the
Jolly Holiday Bakery Café
.

Little Red Wagon

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FastView:
 
Fast service, simple menu:  Corn dogs, corn dogs, corn dogs.
]

One of the many venues along
Main Street
that looks vintage but is practically brand-new, the handsome
Little Red Wagon
has an old-fashioned design but first drove onto
Main Street
in 1995.

You’ll find this vivid red truck parked just south of the
Plaza Inn
and north of the
Baby Care Station
, on the eastern side of the
Central Plaza
(or
Hub
).  It’s a small truck, but you can’t miss it, on account of the long lines of Guests waiting to place their orders.  Slow service?  Not particularly; it’s the popularity of the truck that creates those long lines.  Cast Members are fast and efficient and keep the line moving.

The secret of success is often simplicity, and the
Little Red Wagon
has a minimalist menu.  It serves up sodas, bottled water, bags of chips, and
Hand-Dipped Corn Dogs
.  That’s it.  It specializes in corn dogs, and it makes them well.

Be prepared to pay about $
3 to $3.50 for soda or water, and about $3.00 for a bag of chips.  Corn dogs are a little over $6 these days, but are accompanied by apple slices or chips as part of the meal.  As of this writing, you can get a satisfying light meal of corn dog, chips, and bottle of water for less than $10, one of the park’s hard-to-beat bargains.