The Disneyland Book of Secrets 2014: One Local's Unauthorized, Rapturous and Indispensable Guide to the Happiest Places on Earth (159 page)

When I visit the park with first-time Guests, I always suggest
Soarin’
.  For example, in 2012 I guided one of my best friends, who hadn’t visited the resort in decades, and on another occasion my mother and her best friend, who were first-time Guests, on jaunts through the parks.  While none of them knew what to expect from
Soarin’
–you can’t really comprehend it from someone else’s description; you have to experience it–they were all moved and considered it one of the best parts of their
Disneyland
visits.
Did You Know?
  Is there any connection between
Walt
and aviation?  Emphatically, yes! 
Walt
loved transportation of all types, not just trains.  In the 1960’s
Walt
convinced
Roy
to invest in a small company plane so that
Disney
execs and performers could fly around the country for business, entertainment gigs, and research trips. 
Walt
had the numbers crunched, and it made financial sense for
Disney
to have its own small private plane instead of always booking commercial flights.  But beyond the financial prudence of having a company plane,
Walt
just purely loved to fly.  He never earned a pilot’s license but he spent a lot of time in the cockpit talking to the pilots and asking questions, and was sometimes allowed to take over the controls, much to wife
Lillian
’s chagrin.
Walt
flew all over California and around the country in the company plane.  When he was scouting potential sites for his
Florida Project
(eventually to be known as
Walt Disney World
) he spent a lot of time flying low over the land, observing and analyzing features, weighing pros and cons.  If
Walt
could ride
Soarin’ Over California
and see the way it exhilarates and moves Guests, no doubt he’d be proud indeed of
Sumner
and the
Imagineering
team!
Did You Also Know?
 
Soarin’
s soundtrack was composed by renowned composer
Jerry Goldsmith
, who’s no stranger to composing high-flying scores.  He won a Golden Globe for his “Star Trek Voyager” score.  He was nominated for an Academy Award and Golden Globe for the score for “Star Trek:  The Motion Picture,” and a Golden Globe for the score for “Alien”.  Non-flight-related triumphs include scoring “Patton,” “Chinatown,” “Hoosiers,” and “L.A. Confidential”. He also scored
Disney
’s animated feature
Mulan
.
Hidden Mickey:
  Watch the fireworks over
Disneyland
carefully; see if you can spot the fireworks that seem to form the head and ears of
Mickey Mouse
!
Single Riders:
  If the other members of your group decide to give
Soarin’
a pass, that’ll mean a shorter wait time for you.  Enter via the
FastPass
entrance and tell the Cast Member on duty that you’re a
Single Rider
.  They’ll give you a
Single Rider
pass or simply wave you forward.  Follow all signs and tell all Cast Members along the way that you’re a
Single Rider
.  They’ll place you in the first available empty seat; you’ll be soaring over California in no time!
FastPass:
  Yes.  As
DCA
’s most popular attraction,
Soarin’
is linked to the park
FastPass
system.  This beautiful experience rewards multiple rides, so arrive early in the morning, when the line is short, and then pick up a
FastPass
for another ride later.  Take heed:  During peak days,
FastPasses
run out by early afternoon. 
Kid’s Eye View:
  It’s really fun, but don’t wear flip-flops.  If you do, put them under your seat, or don’t kick your feet or you’ll lose them. 
Teen’s Eye View:
  The details in [this attraction] are amazing.  You really feel like you’re soaring over California.  They even have the scents and sounds to a “T”.

Condor Flats
Gear and Grub

Gear:

Fly n’ Buy

[
FastView:
 
Great theming, and a hangar’s worth of auto and aviation-themed merchandise.
]

Across the tarmac from
Soarin’ Over California
and the
Taste Pilots’ Grill
, set among vintage gas pumps, rusting oil drums, hubcaps, and road signs, is the aviation-and-auto-themed
Fly n’ Buy
shop, which has been around since the park opened in 2001.

This compact space
is modeled after a small airfield office and has the gritty, worn feel of an office at a service station or an old-time airfield.  Every element of the décor–from the tools, oil cans, and spare parts to the hot rod suspended from the ceiling–jets you back to the heyday of California air and auto pioneers.  For transportation
aficionados
who love the feeling of wind in their hair and the smell of high octane fuel in the morning, it’s a delight!

Looking for
Disney
caps with
Cars
or
Planes
or
Soarin’
logos?  Looking, in fact for anything related to
Cars
or
Planes
or
Soarin’
, from T-shirts to pins to vehicles?  How about a handsome leather
Disney
flight jacket?  Model planes?  Classic aviator hats with ear flaps?  Pilot’s goggles?  T-shirts with scenes from pioneering
Mickey
cartoons in the 1920’s and 30’s?  Affirmative!  It’s all here!

Need-for-speed Guests who’ve patiently accompanied loved ones to the resort’s china and crystal shops and princess dinners will finally be in their own element here. 
After visiting the
Fly n’ Buy
, you used to be able to step next door to the canopied service area where
Lightning McQueen
and
Tow Mater
appear for meet-and-greets; now you’ll find
Cars
celebrities over in
Cars Land
.
Did You Know?
  Look for the 1947 calendar with “October 14” marked, and, above it, the broken clock stalled at 10:27.  That’s the
Imagineers
’ subtle tribute to the time and day that pilot Chuck Yeager flew Mach 1.07 and became the first pilot to break the sound barrier.  U.S. Air Force Captain Yeager, then only 24 years old and nursing two broken ribs from a spill from a horse at pilot Pancho Barnes’ nearby ranch, made his historic flight in a Bell X-1 plane over California’s
Mojave Desert
.  Yeager’s life has been a series of bold and important milestones in aviation advancement.  It’s this spirit of adventure and innovation that
Condor Flats
honors.  Brigadier General Yeager is still active in the aviation community.  In October 2009, he kicked off the Edwards Air Force Base Air Show with a sonic boom from his F-16.  And on October 14, 2012, Yeager broke the sound barrier over the
Mojave Desert
in an F-15 at 10:24 am, commemorating the 65
th
anniversary of his feat.  Yeager was 89 years young at the time!

Grub:

Taste Pilots’ Grill
(B, L, D, S)

[
FastView:
 
Burgers, chicken, fries, and shakes; efficient lines and plenty of seating.
]

Just east of
Soarin’ Over California
you’ll see the hangar that houses the
Taste Pilots’ Grill
.  It’s the only restaurant in
Condor Flats
, so it’s large, and you can’t miss it.  Time was, you couldn’t miss it because of the bright red plane bursting out of its second story façade–but the plane was removed in 2012.  (A bright red plane bursting from the front of the building didn’t mesh well with the new 1920’s land,
Buena Vista Street
, next door.)

Condor Flats
is all about speed, motion, and flight, and the
Taste Pilots’ Grill
is aeronautically themed, a large hangar complete with exterior tarmac lights and, once upon a time, that striking plane frozen mid-flight.  (Even the names of its dishes sounded aeronautical until a recent menu refresh.)

Inside the hangar
, jet engines, fuel tanks, and mesh cages brimming with spare parts are suspended above the diners.  Some of the chairs resemble pilots’ seats.  Framed aeronautical photos and memorabilia decorate the walls.

One would expect fly-by-the-seat-of-their-pants pilots to chow down on hearty fare, and that’s what the
Taste Pilots’ Grill
offers.  Yes, there’s the reasonably healthy
Grilled Chicken Salad
for $9.50, but that’s not the headline at this eatery.

Of course, even the Taste Pilots’ Grill has become healthier in the last year or two. 
This used to be the only place in the park where you could find ribs.  The
X-3
and
X-5 Rocket Ribs
(barbecued pork ribs) were $9.99 and $12.49 respectively, including sides of
Flyby Fries
and marinated slaw—but by 2013 the ribs had flown out of the hangar and off into the wild blue yonder—probably for good.

But you paleo-car
nivores still have plenty of choices here.  There are
Chicken Breast Nuggets
for $9, and that
Grilled Chicken
Sandwich
for $9.50.  The chicken is tenderer and more flavorful these days.

There are
also three types of 1/3 pound
Mach-3 Angus Burgers
:  The
Blue Cheese and Bacon Burger
($11),
Chili Cheeseburger
($11), or
Classic Cheeseburger
($10).  The burgers here have a nice char on them, a nice smokey flavor, and like the chicken are moister and tenderer these days.

Vegetarians can order the
Garden Vegetable Burger
with brown rice ($10); if you’re vegan, ask servers to hold the Monterey Jack cheese.

All sandwiches and burgers
are served with Guests’ choice of French fries or zesty cole slaw.

Just looking for a filling snack? 
French fries can be purchased for about $3. 
Onion Rings
are still modestly priced at around $3.50, and
Chili Cheese Fries
are $5.50.

Children choose from three different kid’s meals: 
Chicken Breast Nuggets
for $6.50,
Kid’s Hamburger
for $6.50, or the
Kid’s POWER Pack
(crackers, fruit, veggies, and yogurt) for $6.  The burger and chicken nuggets come with apple slices and carrots, and all kid’s meals are accompanied by a small juice, milk, or water.  The
Toddler meal
for Guests younger than three is
Yummy Cheesy Macaroni
with applesauce and a small beverage, a bargain at $4.50.

Liquid Fuel
, aka beverages, are the usual park offerings of cocoa, coffee, juice, milk, soda, tea and water with prices ranging from around $2 to $3.50.  Guests with a sweet tooth can opt for one of the
Grill
’s various desserts, or a tasty, thick
Sound Barrier Shake
, in chocolate or vanilla, liberally crowned with whipped cream, for about $4.50 each.  I don’t know how they engineer it, but their shakes have that classic 50’s-diner taste.

Since
DCA
allows the sale of alcohol, most restaurants at the park sell some type of alcoholic beverage.  At the
Taste Pilots’ Grill
, Guests of legal drinking age can order
Budweiser
or
Bud Light
for around $6 or a
Karl Strauss Handcrafted Beer
for $7.25.

Taste Pilots’
Grill
used to serve breakfast too (a
Breakfast Burrito
,
Egg White and Spinach Burrito
,
Sausage Breakfast Burrito
, and
Oatmeal
), as well as cereals, fruit, muffins, rolls, and yogurt parfaits.  Perhaps because so many Guests now break their fast at the nearby
Fiddler, Fifer & Practical Café
, breakfast at the
Taste Pilots’ Grill
has been grounded.

But for lunch and dinner, it’s still very much “clear
ed for takeoff”!  For Guests who are hungry and want to sink their teeth into some substantial, gooey, tangy, and sweet vacation fare, the
Taste Pilots’ Grill
is one of your best (and most economical) bets at
DCA
.

There’s plenty of seating, both inside and outdoors.  If it’s a particularly hot or cold day you’ll want to eat inside; if the weather is pleasant
outdoor dining is recommended, especially for people-watchers.

One of the advantages of sitting at the outdoor tables is that
you’ll dine within eyeshot of the crowds of Guests pouring into
Condor Flats
on their way either to
Soarin’
or to nearby
Grizzly Peak
, and within view of the strangely pretty desert rock formations that border
Condor Flats
.
Did You Know?
  California was instrumental in the advancement of aviation, thanks to test pilots like tycoon and aviator Howard Hughes, who financed, designed and tested innovative aircraft, and Chuck Yeager, the first man to fly fast enough to break the sound barrier.  California has always attracted dreamers and daredevils, and the
Mojave
’s flat desert expanses have always provided the space and privacy for military and commercial operations to test their experimental aircraft.  As anyone who’s seen the film “The Aviator” knows, Hughes once famously crashed in a residential area when he tested his XF-11
not
over the desert, but over Beverly Hills.  He was trying to make an emergency landing at the Los Angeles Country Club but didn’t make it.  Three houses were damaged, one of which was incinerated, and Hughes was severely injured but he survived.  The sometimes reckless grit and bravery of California test pilots made modern air and space travel possibly.

Condor Flats
Character Meetings and Performers

If you’re a
Minnie Mouse
fan, you’ll want to visit
Condor Flats
.  On February 17, 2012,
Minnie’s Fly Girls Charter Airlines
took flight.  In the shadow of the control tower near
Soarin’ Over California
, in front of the
Fly n’ Buy
store,
Minnie
and friends sing tunes from the 1940’s – 1960’s.  Guests can join in the musical fun, as well as meet the famous mouse! 
Minnie
is dressed head-to-toe in Valentine-red aviatrix gear, and conducts meet-and-greets prior to each performance.  She does not speak during meet-and-greets, but when she performs, new technology allows
Minnie
to blink, speak, and sing.  For decades, masked
Disney
characters never spoke, but
Minnie
sings like a dream with the
Fly Girls
.  As the old song says, “Come fly with”
Minnie
and her pals!  Review the
DCA Times Guide
for the performance schedule during your visit.

Grizzly Peak

Grizzly Peak At-a-Glance

Attractions:
 
Grizzly River Run
(FP) (S),
Redwood Creek Challenge Trail

Gear:
 
Rushin’ River Outfitters

Grub:
 
Snack Carts
(S)

G
rizzly Peak Introduction

For a young man,
Walt
had already seen a good deal of the world by the time he moved to the Golden State.  He had lived in the Midwest, the east coast, and France.

During his lifetime
Walt
traveled to South America as a goodwill ambassador and filmmaker.  He traveled to Alaska.  He visited Europe frequently, often with
Lilian
, both for enjoyment and for business.

But as much as he enjoyed travel, California became his home. 
What many people don’t realize is that while we can easily picture
Walt
in a suit (at his theme park, his studios, in business meetings, and at glamorous movie premieres), he had a deep connection to California’s nature and wilderness regions—California’s unspoiled mountains and forests and desert spaces.

Walt
liked to retreat to his
Golden Oak
ranch.  And from proposed projects that were never realized, like
Walt
’s
Mineral King
mountain resort, to dreams fulfilled, like
Walt
serving as
Pageantry Chair
for the 1960
Winter Olympics
in Squaw Valley, meaningful parts of his life and career unfolded in the wilderness of California.

This is the connection between the
Grizzly Peak
district of
DCA
and
Walt Disney
the man.

When
DCA
opened in 2001, it included a large land called
Golden State
that had multiple subdistricts.  In 2012, as part of
DCA
’s billion-dollar renovations,
Golden State
was carved into three distinct locations,
Grizzly Peak
among them.

Grizzly Peak
celebrates California’s wilderness, Native American history, and natural resources. 
Grizzly Peak
is a shady, tranquil escape from the hustle and bustle of the rest of the park.  There are forests, trails, bird songs, scenic overlooks, and the sound of rushing waters, the
Grizzly River Run
(a rafting experience), and a woodland outfitter.  Above this land looms a majestic granite peak, its shape suggesting a roaring grizzly bear.

Guests who visit
Grizzly Peak
and the
Grand Californian Hotel
that flank it are walking in the footsteps of
Walt
.
Did You Know?
  In January of 1935,
Walt
and
Lillian
visited the Gilbert Underwood-designed
Ahwahnee Hotel
at Yosemite.  The famous
Ahwahnee
was the last word in wilderness luxury.  There’s a terrific photo of a young
Walt
and
Lillian
standing in the snow near the hotel.  The
Ahwahnee
’s opulent architecture, with its focus on natural materials and natural light, was a vital inspiration for
Disneyland
’s
Grand Californian Hotel & Spa
, which opened in 2001 and has a private entrance to
DCA
’s
Grizzly Peak
district.  In such ways does
Walt
’s love of California wilderness live on well beyond his lifetime.

G
rizzly Peak Attractions

Grizzly River Run
(FP) (S)
Must be 42” or 107 cm tall to ride
.