By Debbie Olsen
When Walt Disney was asked how he dreamt up the idea for Disneyland, he had a simple reply: he thought there ought to be a place for parents and children to have fun together. But he seldom spoke about the challenges he faced while building his dream park.
Disney had a vision for something that had never been done before. It was a dream — and an expensive one at that. In 1953, the price tag to build the Disneyland theme park was $17 million and he couldn’t find anyone to finance it.
"I could never convince the financiers that Disneyland was feasible because dreams offer too little collateral," Disney once said.
Disney and his brother Roy mortgaged everything they owned to raise most of the money to build Disneyland.
ABC-TV made up the remaining $6 million by guarantying a loan in exchange for part ownership of the park and a commitment from Walt Disney to produce a weekly television show.
On May 1, 1954, construction began with a seemingly impossible deadline of July 1955 for completion before the funds would run out. Like all construction projects, there were many mishaps along the way, but the park was completed barely in time for opening day.
The nightmarish opening day saw thousands of uninvited guests storming the park with fake tickets. There were no working water fountains, rides broke down, and the freeway had one of its worst-ever backups. The newly laid asphalt melted under extreme temperatures.
Many reviewers assumed the park wouldn’t be around long.
Those predictions probably would have been right if it weren’t for the fact that Walt Disney and his staff were constantly changing and improving the park.
"Disneyland will never be completed as long as there is imagination left in the world," Walt Disney said.
More than half a century later, Disneyland is still evolving and changing. When you have the reputation of being one of the most magical places on earth, you have to constantly improve if you want to keep the magic fresh.
New at Disneyland
World of Color: The latest and greatest news from Disneyland theme parks is a new nighttime spectacular at Disney’s California Adventure Park called World of Color. The show uses more than one thousand fountains, as well as projections, lasers, fire, and music to bring to life some of Disney’s most beloved animated movies.
The show is popular, but free fast-passes are available for the best viewing areas by visiting the fast-pass kiosks located by the Grizzly River Run ride in Disney’s California Adventure. For the moment, you need to get up early to get one.
Online fun: World of Color is going on the road and visiting four different California cities in July. Part of the show will be projected onto famous landmarks in San Francisco, Sacramento, San Diego and Los Angeles. People around the world can watch live broadcasts of each show online and get a taste of what the Disneyland California show is like. For online show dates or to view the show, visit disneylandevent.com/woc/.
What to watch for: Disneyland’s Star Tours ride will be closed on July 26, so 3-D elements can be incorporated, and will reopen in 2011. A new attraction called Little Mermaid — Ariel’s Undersea Adventure will also debut in 2011 at Disney’s California Adventure Park.
Tips for saving on a Disneyland vacation
With the strong Canadian dollar, many Vancouverites are planning trips to the U.S. this summer. Here are a few travel tips to save you money on a Disneyland trip.
Kids Fly Free with WestJet Vacations: When departing from Vancouver, one child flies free for every adult traveller when you book a minimum five-night vacation package that includes accommodations and a five-day Disneyland Resort Park Hopper Bonus Ticket for the price of a three-day ticket. You must book by July 28 and travel before September 30 to get this deal. Call your travel agent or WestJet Vacations at 1-877-737-7001 to book.
Tickets: The most expensive place to purchase tickets is at the park.
You can save money by purchasing your tickets in advance through a travel agent or online at www.disneyland.ca. Current specials include five-days for the price of three and $20 off per person when purchased online. If you plan to visit Disneyland along with several other Southern California attractions, consider purchasing a Southern California CityPASS. CityPASS includes a three-day Disneyland park-hopper ticket, a one-day ticket to Universal Studios Hollywood, a one-day ticket to SeaWorld San Diego, and a one-day ticket to your choice of either the San Diego Zoo or the San Diego Zoo’s Wild Animal Park. The total cost represents a 30 per cent savings over the cost of individual tickets, or about $110 per adult. CityPASS can be purchased through a travel agent or online at: http://www2.citypass.com/southern-california.
Strollers: Stroller rentals cost $15 per day at Disney Parks and the rentals can be fairly uncomfortable for kids.
You can save this expense and make your child more comfortable by bringing a stroller from home (most airlines don’t charge additional fees to check strollers and car seats and you can easily pack them with garbage bags and duct tape). Another option is to stop at a department store in Anaheim and pick up an umbrella stroller for use during the trip. There is a large Target store close to the parks.
Food: It’s a good idea to bring water bottles and healthy snacks with you to the parks. These can be carried in a small backpack or diaper bag. If you want to prepare a picnic lunch, coolers can be stored in lockers just outside the park gates.
Disney hotel deals: Disney has two offers that can save you money on a summer visit. The first deal gets you two nights free when you purchase a three-day package that includes park tickets and accommodations at one of the three Disneyland hotels or at several Anaheim-area hotels. Basically, you pay for three days and get to stay for five. The other offer is up to 40 per cent off a Disneyland hotel stay. These offers must be purchased by Sept. 1 and travel must take place by Sept. 26. Vacations may be booked through travel agents, online at: www.disneyland.ca, or by calling the Walt Disney Travel Company at 1-800-854-3104.
More cool history about Walt Disney
If you like history, try a "Walk in Walt’s Footsteps" tour at the Disneyland Park. On the tour, a guide will point out the apartment that Walt Disney built for himself inside Disneyland on Main Street USA. You’ll also hear interesting stories about the building of the park. For example, when the Jungle Cruise was created, Walt Disney felt it was so important that the plants be exactly like those in a real jungle that he smuggled native plants seeds into the country inside the cuffs of his pants.
Vancouver Province
