9 Things You Don’t Know About Disneyland Resort
Brought to you by Disneyland Resort in California
You know the theme park. But do you know these facts?
Only one attraction remains from the original Tomorrowland
That’s Autopia, the four-lane racetrack, and even it was upgraded in 2000. Tomorrowland has more experiences than any other land and has gone through three huge overhauls. The design was inspired by science fiction author Jules Verne and includes attractions such as Star Tours – The Adventures Continue and Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters.
A new ecosystem evolved inside the park
When the Jungle Cruise was opened in 1955, landscapers brought in plants to create the feel of a mysterious jungle. The canopy has evolved into such a complete ecosystem that ground plants which otherwise wouldn’t grow in Southern California can thrive.
Image: ©Disney
The park serves 2.6 million hot dogs a year
If you laid the sausages end to end, they would stretch for almost 400 kilometres. The resort deals in seriously huge quantities of food: each year it serves 860,000 Mickey-shaped pretzels, 3.8 million churros and 350,000 apples (not counting the one Snow White bit into).
The park is open every day
No matter the celebration, if you have a hankering to head to Disneyland, you can go (though attractions are closed periodically for maintenance). Some attractions even get a makeover for Christmas: The Nightmare Before Christmas’s Jack Skellington gives the Haunted Mansion his own twist.
There’s a focus on sustainability
Disneyland Resort has received several awards for environmentally friendly practices, including food recovery and water recycling. The water in Paradise Bay at Paradise Pier is recycled and recirculated constantly and the Mark Twain Riverboat runs on fuel made with cooking oil from the Disneyland Resort kitchens.
Image: ©Disney
It covers more than 200 hectares
That’s a huge jump up from the 65 hectares of orange groves Walt Disney purchased at the outset. The resort has expanded from the initial park to include Disney California Adventure Park (which opened in 2001), hotels, shops and dining.
The landscaping helps tell the story
More than 800 plant species grow throughout the resort and you can be sure the tree you’re looking at matches the land you’re in. In Mickey’s Toontown, the plants echo technicolour cartoons, while the Fantasyland flowerbeds imitate European gardens.
Image: ©Disney
You can get married at Disneyland
And even organise for the seven dwarves to carry your train! About 300 ceremonies are held at the resort each year and the Sleeping Beauty Castle is the most popular place for future grooms to drop to one knee.
Nearly 30,000 cast members work at the resort
They speak more than 40 languages and there are 1200 different costumes for the cast members to use. That’s one big Christmas party!
Top image: ©Disney
