The Disneyland Book of Secrets 2014: One Local's Unauthorized, Rapturous and Indispensable Guide to the Happiest Places on Earth (87 page)

If you’re hungry, it’s a better
(and healthier) value to order a light meal—one of
Clarabelle
’s
Moo Plate Specials
.  The filling
Fruit Salad
is $7, the
Chef Salad
is $9, and the
Turkey Club Sandwich
is less than $9, including a bag of chips.

Children
can order the
Kid’s Power Pack
(apples, banana, carrots, crackers, and yogurt) for around $6, accompanied by juice, milk, or water at no extra charge.  The kid’s pack is a healthier and possibly more filling choice than an ice cream bar for almost the same price.

Expect long lines at this narrow counter on crowded days.  While some of your
companions handle the ordering, others can be dispatched to snag one of the many tables at the food court and adjacent civic district. 
Did You Know?
 
Clarabelle Cow
was never a star, but she was a faithful
Disney
bit player from the beginning.  She appeared in the first
Mickey Mouse
cartoon ever drawn, 1928’s
Plane Crazy
. 
Hidden Mickey:
  When
Clarabelle
’s is closed in the early morning hours, take a careful look at the cow-patterned door that covers the restaurant.  You’ll find a silhouette of
Mickey Mouse
.

Daisy’s Diner
(L, D, S)

[
FastView:
 
Pizza.
]

The menu doesn’t get much simpler than it does at
Daisy’s Diner
, but if you or your little ones are pining for a beverage and a slice of pizza pie to hold you over for a bigger meal, this diner takes the cake.

When my siblings and I were kids, it was all about hot dogs and hamburgers, but
many little ones these days are often hankering for a slice of pizza or taco more than a dog or burger, so it’s good that this was included in the roster of
Toontown
eateries.  Like
Clarabelle’s
and
Pluto’s Dog House
,
Daisy’s Diner
launched on
Toontown
’s
Opening Day
.

Wedged between
Pluto’s Dog House
and
Goofy’s Gas
,
Daisy
’s offers the usual beverages (juices, milk, sodas, and water) from about $2 to $3.50, and you’ll find an assortment of cookies, brownies, or crispy treats for purchase at the counter.

But the stars here are the personal pizzas (big enough for tiny ones to share), your choice of
Daisy’s Special Pepperoni Pizza
or
Cheese Pizza
for around $8 each, served up with sliced apples on the side as a healthy snack.

On crowded days and
at peak meal times, you’ll find the lines long, but once you have your food there’s plenty of seating at the nearby tables in
Toontown
’s civic district, or on benches at the little parks in the west and east quadrants of
Toontown
.

On a tight budget?  Instead of buying fresh beverages, refill your water bottles at the
Goofy’s Gas
drinking fountains.  They’re right next door to
Daisy’s
and are programmed to engage in goofy antics, as well as provide water.  Save money
and
be entertained! 
Did You Know?
 
Daisy Duck
is
Donald Duck
’s sweetheart.  She first appeared in 1940’s
Mr. Duck Steps Out
.  An earlier version of a love interest for
Donald
was
Donna Duck
, who appeared in 1937.

Pluto’s Dog House
(L, D, S)

[
FastView:
 
Hot dogs, with turkey dogs or turkey sandwiches for tots.
]

There’s limited selection but plenty of simple satisfaction at this little stand between
Clarabelle
’s and
Daisy’s
, near
Toontown
’s
City Hall
.  A large hot dog, mini bag of chips
and
icy cold bottle of water for about $10–that’s hard to beat for a quick, inexpensive lunch, supper, or snack on park premises!

The
Hot Dog
is around $6.50 and includes sliced apples or chips.

Kid
s dine on a
Turkey Dog
or
Turkey Sandwich
for $6.50 each, including apple slices, carrots, and juice, milk, or water.  Toddlers (aged three or younger) can nosh on
Yummy Cheesy Macaroni
with apple sauce and juice, milk, or water for only $4.50.

There’s also a wide assor
tment of beverages from about $2 to $3.50, and choices of cookies, brownies, crispy treats, or fruit if you want dessert or something to snack on later.

Be prepared to be patient if it’s a crowded day, as there are only two order windows, but expect to find somewhere to sit and eat given the many tables and benches in the food court area and throughout
Toontown
.  Even if you have to wait in a long queue, when it comes to a satisfying light meal or snack at a great price, you can’t beat
Pluto’s Dog House
! 
Did You Know?
 
Pluto
’s first cartoon appearance was in 1930’s
The Chain Gang
, but he wasn’t’ named
Pluto
until 1931’s
The Moose Hunt
.  Unlike the rest of the
Fab Five
(
Mickey
,
Minnie
,
Donald
, and
Goofy
),
Pluto
isn’t humanlike.  He doesn’t walk on two legs (except in the parks), or wear clothes or speak.  He gets into mischief, but it’s pure canine mischief.  Why does a mouse that talks and acts like a human own a dog?  Why does one dog (
Pluto
) act like a dog, and another doglike creature in the same cartoon pantheon (
Goofy
) act human?  The latter question has been often debated and was discussed at length by the youthful characters of “Stand By Me;” they reached no satisfying conclusion.

Toon Up Treats
(S)

[
FastView:
  Toontown
’s fruit & vegetable stand.  Get your healthy treats here!
]

If you’re hungry in
Toontown
when this land opens in the morning, this is your only choice for food.  Serving fruit, pickles, beverages, and healthy snacks,
Toon Up Treats
is an adequate breakfast venue if you’re a light morning eater.  But if you need heartier breakfast fare, chow down before you enter
Mickey’s Toontown
.

Toon Up Treat
’s display concept is visually playful and fun: Food and beverages are arranged in a series of colorful bins outside
Goofy’s Gas Station
near the center of
Toontown
.

Snack and beverage prices at
Toon Up Treats
range from $2 to $4.50 each, and include juices, water, berry bowls, chips, hummus, trail mix, veggie cups, and whole fruit–the offerings you’ll find at all
Disneyland
fruit carts.  If you’re looking for healthy fare to energize your little ones, this stand will really “tune them up”. 
Did You Know?
  The drinking fountains at
Goofy’s Gas
near
Toon Up Treats
are fun, cartoon-like drinking fountains.  The water behaves in
very
unusual ways.  Go ahead and take a sip–see what happens!

Mickey’s Toontown Character Meetings and Performers

The
Disney
Character
offerings in
Mickey’s Toontown
are the most self-evident in the park.  It’s in
Mickey’s Toontown
, naturally, the residential playground of the famous
‘toon
set, that you can meet the
Fab Five
: 
Mickey
,
Minnie
,
Donald
,
Goofy
, and
Pluto
, and less popular but still beloved
Disney
characters like
Chip ‘n Dale
and
Daisy
.

Some of the characters roam the area free range–you never know what famous cartoon character you’ll run into in
Toontown
, and that’s part of the surprise and excitement!  You might even see
Roger Rabbit
near his
Car Toon Spin
on the east side of
Toontown
!

I
cons
Mickey
and
Minnie
, have scheduled times to meet Guests, sign autographs, and take photos.  Check online, talk to a Cast Member, or check that day’s
Entertainment Times Guide
, available at the entrance turnstiles, for details.

Mickey’s Toontown
was specifically designed as a home for
Disney
’s famous
‘toons
and a warm, lively space for them to mix with their human fans.  So if you’re a big fan, head up to
Toontown
for a bounty of character meeting opportunities!  It just might be the highlight of your trip.

New Orleans Square

New Orleans Square At-a-Glance

Attractions:
 
Club 33
(Private),
Court des Anges
(Closed 2013)
,
Disneyland Dream Suite
(Private),
Haunted Mansion
(FP October through New Year’s),
Pirates of the Caribbean

Gear:
 
Cristal d’Orleans
,
La Mascarade d’Orléans
,
Le Bat En Rouge
,
L’Ornement Magique
,
Mlle. Antoinette’s Parfumerie
,
Parasol Cart
,
Pieces of Eight
,
Portrait Artists
,
Port Royal Curios and Curiosities
,
Royal Courtyard
,
Royal Street Sweets

Grub:
 
Blue Bayou
(L, D),
Café Orléans
(L, D),
French Market
(L, D, S),
Mint Julep Bar
(S),
Royal Street Veranda
(L, D, S)

New Orleans Square Introduction

New Orleans Square
is a charmingly confusing maze of sinuously winding streets with delicately wrought iron balconies and striped awnings. It is a necropolitan land in which we cross the frontiers between ambition and greed, the visible and the hidden, the living and the dead.  Because this is
Disneyland
, these journeys are, of course, accomplished with humor and good taste.

This was a land
very close to
Walt
’s heart, and although he died in December 1966, scant months after
New Orleans Square
opened in July 1966, his fingerprints are all over the area and its main attractions.  This was the last land
Walt
designed.  How much do Guests adore beautiful, mysterious
New Orleans Square
?  A couple of fan posts on YouTube say it all:  “I would live there if I could” and “the best land in the park”.

Although
Pirates of the Caribbean
and the
Haunted Mansion
didn’t open until 1967 and 1969, respectively,
Walt
was heavily involved in their conception, design, construction, and trial runs prior to his passing.  There are project notes and Cast Member recollections detailing his in-depth involvement in all the plans, and there is footage of
Walt
on
Disney
TV programs explaining upcoming attractions like the
Haunted Mansion
,
Pirates
, and
New Orleans Square
itself;
Walt
looks as pleased as a small, twinkling-eyed child as he and his team of
Imagineers
explain these upcoming elegant and spooky delights.