The Sorcerer's Guide

  Walt and Lillian Disney celebrated their 30 th   wedding anniversary on July 13, 1955. Though Walt was spending hours preparing his park for opening day, Disney wanted to spend his anniversary at the park he had dreamed of building for so many years. With 300 guests in tow, the party took the maiden voyage of the Mark Twain Riverboat and enjoyed the unofficial first show in the Golden Horseshoe. Like most parties, there was a lot going on to prepare for that night. Admiral Joe Fowler, the man Disney put in charge of building the Mark Twain, was a little nervous. The ship had never gone around Tom Sawyer Island and Fowler later admitted that he had nightmares the night before that the river would dry up again like it had just a few weeks earlier. With an hour left until guests would start arriving, Fowler arrived to make sure everything was in working order. He was surprised to find Lillian Disney, broom in hand, sweeping the deck. With her help, the ship was ready to go when...

World of Color debuted to the public on June 11, 2010. As luck would have it, I happened to be at the Disneyland Resort that weekend and got to see it. I remember watching it the very first time and honestly, it took my breath away. It’s amazing how they can just take fountains and turn them into something so beautiful. Here are some fun facts and a little history about the show. Enjoy! Disney decided, back in 2004, they wanted to add some kind of new attraction to California Adventure. California Adventure had only been open since February 8, 2001 but it was not bringing the attendance Disney executives had hoped. They knew they needed some big changes to turn the park around. In 2007, Disney CEO Bob Iger announced these changes, including World of Color, Cars Land, and the new park entrance. It took 5 years of planning, start to finish, with 15 months of installation and testing. There were many different versions and many different concepts before they finally settled on a water sho...

  It's the start of summer, and the celebration of Disneyland's 70th anniversary celebration. Disney often uses anniversary celebrations as marketing campaigns to encourage more guests to come to the parks. this practice started in the early days of Disneyland's history (here's a link to a video of the 10th anniversary celebration). Disney is stepping up the attractions, with a new fireworks show for Disneyland, a new World of Color for California Adventure, and updates to a few attractions. The popular night time parade Paint the Night is returning, too. With more offerings, exclusive dining, and new merchandise, this is a great time to visit the parks. However, Disney is also offering ticket discounts for the 70th anniversary. This seems like a strange strategy, because discounts are typically used to encourage Park visitors during slower seasons. In the peak season (summer), there shouldn't be a need for discounts. Especially with the huge marketing campaign and...