Disneyland

Hidden Mickey

It’s a real thing.  At least as far as the public goes.  Disney has yet to officially acknowledge the Hidden Mickey phenomenon, although they do sell Hidden Mickey books in their gift shops.  hmmm….

Apparently it all started when EPCOT was being planned as more of an adult-targeted park including the sale of alcohol.  Since Disney characters and alcohol were taboo together it was established that none of the characters, especially Mickey, would ever be seen inside that park.  Well, the Imagineers took it as a challenge and started incorporating them into everything they could.  Voila!  Hidden Mickeys.

The general rule is that if it’s not associated with Disney then it’s not really an “official” Hidden Mickey.  It’s still fun though.

Not so hidden, but it makes for a great image. | Order a print of this image.

Not so hidden, but it makes for a great image. | Order a print of this image.

Customer Experience

“Adults are only kids grown up, anyway.”

– Walt Disney

If I’ve learned anything from any of my trainings throughout my entire life, it’s that successful businesses get that way by putting the customer experience at the top of their priority list.  The two companies that immediately come to mind for me are Apple and Disney.  Sure, they’re for-profit companies, but their ultimate goal is to deliver a customer experience like no other.  When you can put aside that “I’m gonna get rich doing this” attitude and focus on being creative and innovative it all tends to work itself out.  And Disney is exceptionally good at it.  To watch my dad over this past weekend was pretty cool.  At almost 80 years old, he enjoyed that park every bit as much as any of the adolescents who were experiencing it for the first time.

There were a lot of ways I could have gone with today's post, but this image worked no matter which way I went.

There were a lot of ways I could have gone with today’s post, but this image worked no matter which way I went.

Forward Thinking

“Times and conditions change so rapidly that we must keep our aim constantly focused on the future.”
– Walt Disney

Even Walt Disney knew where TV & movies were headed. Even back in 1955!  Wink, wink.  Nudge, nudge. 😉

Even Walt Disney knew where TV & movies were headed. Even back in 1955! ;)

In Character

The employee (aka cast) culture at Disney Parks fascinates me – specifically the characters.  I seem to only remember the fully costumed characters when I was young and visiting Walt Disney World.  You never actually saw a real person.  But times, and culture, have changed.  Now there are real life people portraying the Disney characters in the park, which creates an entirely different dynamic for interaction.  I never used to hear the characters make any sounds (especially speech) at all.  Now you can have an entire conversation with them.  The added fascination for me is the fact that now the real-life characters need to work harder to remain in character.  They can no longer hide behind the comfort of being silent and not being seen and can simply use body language to remain in character.  It’s just fascinating – which probably explains why I have a degree in psychology.

btw – this photo is horrible, but Alice is the one who prompted this post and this is the our selfie with her (which is technically really a “groupie”).

So we asked Alice if she knew what a selfie was. She responded "Why yes, a self-sufficient photograph." Awesome.

So we asked Alice if she knew what a selfie was. She responded “Why yes, a self-sufficient photograph.” Awesome.

Fourteen

I’ve seen this back home in Winchester and I’ve seen lots of discussion threads because of it out here in CA.  Still can’t find a solid reason for it.  Why a 14 mph speed limit?

  1. It’s different and catches your attention
  2. 15 mph is too fast (and sounds too much like 50 when spoken with certain accents)
  3. 13 mph is too slow (and unlucky)
  4. 14 is a multiple of 7 so it’s twice as lucky
  5. 14 mph is the speed of a horse-driven carriage at a “furious” pace
  6. The trams travel at 15 mph so theoretically a car should never overtake a tram

And so on and so on and so on.  I tend to fall into the reason #1 group, but I like them all.

IMG_1653

The “World” Has Spoiled Me

There’s obviously a lot that’s different between the two parks.  After the location (obviously) the biggest difference is simply the size.  There’s just more real estate in Florida.  But after today’s adventures, the biggest difference for me now is the Disney experience.  You get more of it in Florida.  I’m not knocking the parks in California – don’t get me wrong.  I enjoyed my first day in Disneyland.  It’s fascinating to pick out the similarities and differences between all the rides.  For instance, in Florida it’s the Swiss Family Robinson Tree House.  In California it’s Tarzan’s Tree House.  Neat.  Anyway, where was I?  Oh yeah, right smack in the middle of Anaheim.  That’s the biggest difference for me – the fact that you’re navigating through a city as well as the parks in California.  The public transportation is Anaheim’s.  In Florida, you’re completely immersed in all things Disney (that is, of course, if you stay “on campus”).  The public transportation is Disney’s.  Walt Disney World has a sprawling 43 square miles (or 27,258 acres) of real estate whereas Disneyland operates on about 160 acres.  So you see, the “World” has spoiled me.

The nightly fireworks show at Disneyland Park.

The nightly fireworks show at Disneyland Park.