Special trinkets and experiences the average guest doesn’t know about
After visiting Disneyland one or two or three dozen times, most of us want to see attractions that might not be on the official park maps and take home souvenirs that are a little harder to come by. Here are a few unadvertised specials you might look into on your next trip:
Indy Cards
Disneyland’s newest treasure, which operators just started handing out again late last month, are Indiana Jones Adventure decoder cards. The hand-outs help visitors translate the Mara graffiti covering the walls of the queue. Unlike the slicker, AT&T-sponsored cards distributed when the ride first opened, these are simpler souvenirs-black print on tan paper. The design features the Indy logo in the top left corner, the words “Explorer’s Translation Card,” and in the top right corner a line drawing of the temple. A bamboo divider through the middle of the card separates the artwork from the translated script below. On the back is the Lost Delta Archeological Expedition logo (an eye in a pyramid) from the Indy truck.
The cards were intended to be given out in limited quantities, to correspond with a “Magic Moment” a cast member springs on an unsuspecting guest.
“The Indy crew usually will give them out if they give a guided tour, or to an excited little kid there for the first time, possibly a diehard Indy fan,” said one ride operator.
To get your own, he suggested, “If you are a diehard Indy fan, I would recommend asking politely, however some of the crew may not have them. Be patient, hopefully there will be more soon. Comments are always welcome and would probably help speed up the process if there were a demand for the cards.”
A co-worker advised asking for one as early in the morning as possible, since operators are each given a small handful of cards at the start of their day and usually exhaust their supply before too long.
Jungle Maps
The revival of the Indy cards was due to the success of handing out Jungle Cruise maps for Magic Moments, which began about a year ago. In fact, the temple pictured on the cards appears to be lifted straight off the maps.
The maps are 8-1/2 by 11-inch, black-and-white copies, usually printed on a light tan paper.
“They are actually pretty nice, designed and hand-drawn by one of our former leads,” related one skipper. “They are literally a map of the Jungle with a series of dots indicating the ‘safe’ path through. Honestly, they are probably going to be one of the harder-to-get items on your list, as we only have a limited quantity of them, but it isn’t impossible. Essentially any child picked to be a Junior Skipper or Navigator or anything of the ilk will most likely be given one. My recommendation to acquire a map is to go up to your skipper afterward, thank them, and mention that you had heard of the maps and would appreciate one. If the skipper isn’t helpful, you can always ask at the shipping office, located behind the counter to your left as you exit the boat.”
Another captain added, “The skips are somewhat protective of the maps and usually only give them to kids. They are always careful about Show, but if you ask nicely they may get you one. Just ask nicely; a smile and polite request may be your best bet.”
Wheelhouse Certificate
Occasionally, pilots will allow guests to ride the Rivers of America in the wheelhouse of the Mark Twain. The cozy compartment is neat to see, makes for an extra special trip around the river, and will get you a special certificate commemorating the honor.
To get an invite, cast members suggest arriving at the dock early and approaching the ride operator staffing the queue. Tell her you’ve heard about the pilot house and wonder if anyone has yet requested to see it for the next trip.
VIP Monorail Ride
There are precious few ways better to see Disneyland than through the nose cone or tail cone of the Monorail. The view’s terrific and, if you’re on the front end, you can chat with the often-loquacious driver.
To reserve the highly coveted spot, Monorail pilots suggest using the same tack as at the Mark Twain. Be nice-and patient. They’ll only admit a single party at a time, no matter how small.
Club 33
By far, the “hidden treasure” I’m most often asked about is Club 33, the private club/restaurant stashed on the second floor of New Orleans Square. Everyone wants to know how to get in. The company’s official response is that the club is open only to members.
Not entirely true. You don’t have to be a member to get in—just to make a reservation. The easiest way to get in is to have a member—or a Disney executive-make a reservation for you. Certainly most of us don’t know any of the few hundred individual members, but there are also many corporate members, from local law firms to national brokerage houses with branches in the area. Club 33 accepts reservation requests from any pre-approved employee from these companies. No one in your circle of friends may belong to Club 33, but maybe someone works for a company that does.
If you discover that any of your acquaintances is able to get in, ask them who got them in and how—:they might lead you to a contact of your own.
If you just want to see the Club, not eat there, Disney over the years has offered backstage tours that include a peek inside. I also know of several people who, in their younger, wilder days, “crashed” the club by mixing in with a large party waiting outside and wandering in with the group when the door opened. They were quickly found out, but played dumb (remarking that the Blue Bayou looked different than the last time they visited) and were politely escorted out.
An old acquaintance of mine devised a marginally more ethical way to get in. He placed his name on the waiting list to join. Since Disney only makes room for 450 members, you aren’t invited to be a member until someone drops off, keeping the waiting list at several years long. So, about 10 years later, the Club finally called to say his name had finally filtered to the top of the list and asked if he was ready to join. Informed of the steep initiation fee and annual dues, he said he would first like to try the place out before committing. He got to sample the restaurant, on his dime of course, then, surprisingly, declined to join.
If you have the right connections, you can also rent out the place for special occasions. My most recent trip to Club 33 was October 30, for a private party for Hollywood movers and shakers to promote a proposed movie starring Jason Alexander and Dave Foley.
Director, co-writer and executive producer Brett Tomberlin (far right) discusses his upcoming film in Club 33’s Trophy Room following the screening of a trailer during a recent private party, for which his production company rented out the entire restaurant.
Magic Kingdom Map
Okay, not everything for free is on the West Coast. A limited number of guests to Florida’s Magic Kingdom will have an opportunity to receive a free map of the park as it was when it opened in 1971—:as well as a free historical tour. The catch is that I’ll be giving this tour only once (security willing), at 10 a.m. Sunday December 10, 2006, and the guest list is already getting pretty full. If you’d like to join us, e-mail me at the link below and I’ll try to make room. Or at least show up, say hi, and I’ll give you a map.
The sharper among you may be asking yourselves, “What’s this? Didn’t David Koenig learn his lesson last year, when Disney security followed him around Disneyland as he tried to give a free “Opening Day” tour of Disneyland?” No, obviously he hasn’t.
But he has made sure there are two key differences between that incident and this one that should prevent any acrimony, interrogations or strip searches. First, last year’s tour was held after a booksigning in Downtown Disney to promote the Golden Anniversary Special Edition of Mouse Tales: A Behind-the-Ears Look at Disneyland. (Hint: Copies miraculously are still available from Amazon.com or autographed from MouseShoppe.)
This year, I won’t be promoting anything, especially not my forthcoming book, eight years in the making, due out in summer 2007, Realityland: True-Life Adventures at Walt Disney World. I absolutely, positively won’t mention it, hardly at all.
Second, unlike my rogue efforts last year, the Magic Kingdom tour will be just one of close to 100 different meets held that week as part of MouseFest. So far, more than 1,700 online Disney enthusiasts have signed on to attend the fourth annual confab, which will include a mini-Mouse Adventure, Hidden Mickey hunts, PodFest, trivia contest, and dozens of less formal gatherings. If you see me, please say hi. Hopefully, I won’t be wearing Mickey handcuffs at the time.
