One man's observations today about the worlds of Yesterday, Tomorrow, and Fantasy.
THE UNOFFICIAL GUIDE TO WALT DISNEY WORLD 2010
Bob Sehlinger with Len Testa
864 pages
$19.99
For many Walt Disney World travelers The Unofficial Guide To Walt Disney World is simply known as the Good Book. For many years the Unofficial Guide has told you everything you ever wanted to know about visiting the Disney theme parks and resorts and a lot more. This is the essential book for trip planning and it is no wonder why it remains the best selling WDW book on Amazon.
Last year the book was enhanced with practical color photos. One series compares the crowd levels at different times of the day and another compares a Disney burger to one from McDonalds. You can see examples of the various Disney transportation modes, the Fastpass system, and what the differences are in amenities between a value, moderate, and deluxe resort.
They are “unofficial” for a reason as they pay for everything themselves. I have first hand experience witnessing this when visiting Disneyland with co-author Len Testa. Researchers wear logo shirts and are very talkative with other guests always asking questions.
There is balance and it is refreshing. The authors recognize that these trips are not inexpensive and you want to get the best value possible in these tough economic times.
The book is updated each year and the text does change. I have noticed in this edition they are especially critical about rising ticket prices, the bus transportation system, and the increase in dining prices. Much of the analysis is quantitative and measurable unlike other travel books. Want to book one of the in-demand dining spots? There is a chart that tells you how many days in advance each place gets filled. They even measure pillow fluffiness.
One of the first motorized vehicles to find a home on Disneyland's Main Street was the fire truck. Rumor has it Walt used to slide down the pole from his apartment above the fire station and would putter about in his bathrobe.
The little fire truck was designed by Imagineer Bob Gurr. It has completely modern mechanical parts wrapped in an old fashioned body. The truck is powered by a two-cylinder water pump engine. The horns, lights, and wheels are authentic. This is one of the earliest interactive attractions in the park as somebody in the back as to ring the bell.
You will experience a pleasant one-way journey down Main Street dodging pedestrians. The bell ringer has a real responsibility here. Scroll on down and take a trip on the Disneyland Fire truck.
© Disney
Casey Jr. was supposed to be the first "thrill" ride at Disneyland. Kind of a gentle roller coaster. But it didn't quite turn out that way. The end result is a delightful trip interwoven with the Storybook Land Canal Boats. From the Casey Jr. rolling stock, you can get an excellent glimpse at the highly detailed structures and perfectly scaled landscaping. 
"I think I can, I think I can, I think I can, I thought I could, I thought I could, I thought I could."
For a real thrill I suggest you ride at night.
Mickey Mouse's first film was Plane Crazy. But it wasn't until six months later, on November 18, 1928, that Mickey Mouse would become a household name when he made his synchronized sound debut in Steamboat Willie. 
Anne Bonny (March 8, 1700-possibly April 25, 1782)
Just as you enter the door, take a look to the right and tucked away is a painting of two women looking rather happy. One is Anne Bonny and the other is Mary Read. Their fame is due to being the only known women to be convicted of piracy in the Caribbean. What is known about Anne Bonny comes from Captain Charles Johnson’s A General History of the Pyrates. She stabbed a servant girl when she was 13, married a small-time pirate James Bonny, then moved to the Bahamas only to have an affair with another pirate named John “Calico Jack” Rackham. James wants her flogged for adultery but she and Calico Jack escape to become successful pirates. She hooked up with Mary Read and they made a go of it until they were captured in October 1720. She left jail under unknown circumstances and died at the age of eighty-two in 1782.
Mary Read (unknown-1721)
Sir Francis Verney (1584-1615)
Captain Jack Sparrow (Unknown)
Sir Henry Mainwaring (1587-1653)
While many pirates were products of poverty, Sir Maiwaring was born to an elite class. His family was contemporaries of William the Conqueror and his Grandfather was the Vice-Admiral of Sussex. He graduated from Oxford University at the age of 15 with a law degree. His sailing career began with a commission to hunt down a famous pirate. But he turned his weapons on anything Spanish. He was so dominant, the Spanish government decided to hire him and his fleet in exchange for a full pardon. Britain also granted him a full pardon and he went on to write a Discourse of Pirates in 1618. He was knighted in 1618 and became a Vice-Admiral. Not your typical pirate.
Captain Hector Barbossa
Charles Gibbs (November 5, 1798 – April 22, 1831)
Edward “Ned” Low (1690 – 1724)
Mademoiselle Greenwell
As part of the release of the second Pirates of the Caribbean film Dead Man’s Chest in January 2008, Disney held a “Become a Disney Pirate” contest. The winner was Jenifer Greenwell of St. Petersburg, Florida. As part of the prize package she would be flown to Imagineering’s headquarters in Glendale, get dressed in full pirate regalia, and pose for artist Jim Crouch. Crouch also created the Johnny Depp (Captain Jack Sparrow) and Geoffrey Rush (Barbarossa) portraits in a style consistent with the original Marc Davis drawings. She would be transformed into "Mademoiselle Greenwell". The unveiling was on January 29 and included the artist and the prizewinner dressed as pirates joined by local marauders in a comedy filled show. The portrait was to be removed in June 2009 but has stayed around.
As per new FTC guidelines, I purchased this book at Walt Disney World.
Not long ago, I was privileged to be a guest on the world famous WDW Today Podcast. I get my WDW news fix three times a week from Matt, Mike, Mike, and Len. The show topic was the design behind the arrival experience at each of the 4 parks. Making a great first impression is one of the hallmarks of the Disney parks. So let’s try and get into the head of the Imagineers and figure out why each entrance is unique but distinctly Disney.
To understand the Magic Kingdom arrival experience is to go back in time and visit the City of Anaheim in 1953.
After many years of thinking and dreaming, Walt finally decided to move ahead with his dream of a family entertainment facility and he called upon his good friend Harrison “Buzz” Price. Mr. Price ran the Stanford Research Institute, which later became ERA AECOM. Walt laid down some constraints such as not being near an ocean and with flat land so he could create his own mountains, valleys, and rivers. Mr. Price did some research and he found 160 acres of orange and walnut groves about an hour south of Los Angeles in the small community of Anaheim. It had a lot going for it. There was a new freeway being built that would connect Los Angeles to San Diego through the sleepy agricultural communities of Orange County. He thought there might be a small city with ambitions looking for industry to help out with the tax roles. Mr. Price was a numbers guy and what he crunched told him that this area would be the center of the Southern California population within 25 years. He was off by 4 miles.
So Walt gave the go ahead to purchase as much land as he could afford (which wasn't much) and the rest of the story is legendary. Disneyland was an instant hit as Walt predicted and the land values throughout the entire surrounding area shot up. Poor Walt. Disneyland was destined to be surrounded by motels, diners, and other assorted uses that did not meet his high standards. If you want to get a sense of what the Disneyland perimeter looked like back then I recommend visiting Anaheim Vacationland.
The arrival experience for most people consisted of driving down Harbor Boulevard, which was lined with motels, dining spots, tourist support services, and gas stations. The jumble of signs tried to compete with the iconic Disneyland gateway marquee. We Southern Californians know what I am talking about. You paid your parking fee, drove under the power lines, were guided to your spot by a friendly cast member, and walked a short distance to a tram. Whisked to the front you paid for your tickets and the experience becomes very similar in design as the Magic Kingdom from this point forward.
Walt always said that the Florida Project gave him “the blessing of size”. He went out and purchased 27,258-acres for $5 million through an amazing process of dummy corporations and secrecy. He instructed his Imagineers to put the theme park at the far north end, as far away from the main highway as the could go. This served two purposes. First, it became the "wienie" that would draw you through the property past his real dream - the City of EPCOT. He really knew how to move people about. He also wanted the arrival experience to be far different from that in Anaheim.
This time you would leave the safety of the new completed Interstate highway and drive north into a vast wilderness. According to the must have book Since the World Began, the Imagineers felt it was “critical that Cinderella Castle be seen from afar”. Remember, at the time of the park’s opening, visitors had a six-mile drive once they left the main highway. They needed reassurance that they were not just driving into a swamp in Central Florida. Another benefit of having a castle that was more than twice as tall as Disneyland's was it could be seen by all of the resort hotels, the monorail, and the ferries.
Walt encouraged the idea of a tall iconic design element for Disneyland but the implementation is much better at the Magic Kingdom. In Michael Broggie’s Walt Disney’s Railroad Story Walt is reminded his Imagineers “This is a magical place. The important thing is the castle. Make it tall enough to be seen from all around the park. It’s got to keep people oriented”.
Like a light bulb is to moths, Cinderella Castle is to the Magic Kingdom visitor.
But you just can’t hop on the tram and glide to the front gate like you could at Disneyland. The front gate was over a mile away and guarded by the Seven Seas Lagoon. You had to earn it. You parked, hopped on a tram, bought your ticket and then the adventure would really start. To get to the front gate, the Imagineers provided two uncommon forms of transport to choose from - the sleek futuristic monorail or the traditional old-fashioned ferryboat. Today, you can also take a bus from one of the resorts that goes under a canal. Next time you are visiting the park via the bus as you approach the Contemporary Resort watch for boats passing above you. It is an unusual site.
Once you have made it to the other side of the lagoon you become part of the cinematic experience that I describe in detail here and here. As you can see, by design and at great cost, the transition from the parking lot to the Magic Kingdom front gate is nothing like the Disneyland experience. Like a good movie, as you approach you are experience the same sensation that one gets from a watching the opening sequence of a good movie. The stage is set with a long shot of the train station as marquee and the top spires of Cinderella peeking out above a forest. As you move forward your view of the spires are continually deflected but come back in focus and reward you with the sensations you are getting close. The mid-view shot of the train station blocks the Castle right at the front gate. But this only heightens the joy once you have passed through the tunnels below the trains and get your first full view of the Castle with nothing blocking it. By this time the spires have become old friends but now the rest of the structure can make its emotional impact.
Even before the public arrived, Disney wanted to make sure that people knew that Walt Disney World was something much more than just another Disneyland. They were very keen on selling the entire resort experience. The promotional materials highlighted the attractions that were unique at the Magic Kingdom: Liberty Square, Country Bear Jamboree, The Hall of Presidents, Space Mountain, the Mickey Mouse Revue, and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. They were also heavy on the amenities such as boating, golfing, and other resort activities.
Lessons learned and lesson applied. That is the genius of the Magic Kingdom's arrival experience.
