Route 66 Welcome To Radiator Springs Cars Land California Adventures
Red Car Trolleys Singing Down Buena Vista Street in California Adventures
Last month while I was exploring the new and improved California Adventures on the Brave Red Carpet Press Trip, I saw so many new things on Buena Vista Street. One of them came singing at us right as we walked into the park. The new Red Car Trolley pushed it’s way towards us singing a song that reminded me of the Newsies with Mickey Mouse riding along in the back.
Red Car Trolleys Fact Sheet:
· The Red Car Trolleys are inspired by Los Angeles’ historic Pacific Electric Red Cars from the 1920s and ‘30s.
· Two Red Car Trolley cars operate daily, traveling from Buena Vista Street through Hollywood Land and on to the Twilight Zone™ Tower of Terror. The trolleys traverse back and forth, making several stops along the way
· The Red Car Trolley route passes the new icon of Disney California Adventure, the Carthay Circle Theatre, inspired by the site where Walt Disney premiered “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” in 1937.
· Two conductors operate each Red Car Trolley, engaging riders with fun details about Disney California Adventure, including architectural, design and historical facts about the Red Car Trolleys and Carthay Circle Theatre.
· The trolley interiors showcase the soft green and cream colors of the time period. Guests also find vintage-looking ads highlighting food locations and shops in the park.
· Each Red Car Trolley has a bell and a whistle, adding to the melodic sounds of the street.
· The “Red Car News Boys” roll into town on one of the Red Car Trolleys singing “California Here I Come!” and other fun songs inspired by the spirit and style of Disney’s Broadway show, “Newsies.” Even Mickey Mouse joins the show.
· From the Red Car Trolley, guests can wave to “citizens” of Buena Vista Street, resplendent in their period attire and filled with the optimism of the era.
· The Red Car Trolleys are 26 feet long, 8 feet wide and 11 feet tall. They seat 20 passengers with an additional space for a wheelchair.
· Each Red Car Trolley has a number. The 623 car, with “23” as a nod to the year 1923 when Walt Disney arrived in California, is based on the 600 series of trolleys built by the St. Louis Car Company in 1922. The 717 car is inspired by the 700-750 series manufactured by the J.G. Brill Company in 1925 (7-17 also refers to the birthday of Disneyland Park, July 17, 1955).
· Catenary lines – the classic above-vehicle electric cabling – have been added above the trolleys to enhance authenticity. The trolleys are actually powered by onboard 12-volt batteries and they are fully recharged in the Red Car barn each night.
· The Red Car Trolleys were engineered from the ground up to meet today’s industry standards, operating efficiently with steel wheels on steel rails.
· When necessary, the trolleys recharge at one of the stops using inductive power transfer. This technology is used on Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage and also used to recharge consumer products such as cell phones.
Photo and information provided by Disneyland.
Traveling Through Downtown Disney District California to California Adventures
I walked over 12 miles while I was exploring California Adventures, our hotel and Downtown Disney. We actually traveled the 300,000-plus square-foot Downtown Disney District quite a few times walking back and fourth from California Adventures to our hotel. There are so many different stores and attractions to explore free of charge once you’re on the Disney lot. Downtown Disney District includes such distinctive locales as ESPN Zone, House of Blues, La Brea Bakery Café, LEGO Imagination Center, Rainforest Café, Ralph Brennan’s Jazz Kitchen, Build-a-Bear Workshop, AMC Theatres, World of Disney and coming this summer, Earl of Sandwich. Other dining highlights include the Mediterranean-inspired Catal Restaurant & Uva Bar; Tortilla Jo’s, offering tempting Mexican specialties and music; the festive Naples Ristorante e Pizzeria, featuring the famed cuisine of southern Italy; and Napolini, a gourmet Italian deli.
Downtown Disney features more than 50 shops, restaurants, boutiques and snack locations, plus a travel center with offices for the Walt Disney Travel Company, Travelex and Alamo Rent-A-Car. Other Downtown Disney venues include favorite snacking stops as well as boutiques for jewelry, fashion, sunglasses, fragrances, art, gifts, food items and souvenirs:
· Build-A-Bear Workshop – Guests create their own stuffed animals as they “choose, stuff, stitch, fluff, name and dress” their way through a series of bear-making stations.
· D Street – A fusion of urban chic with Disney flair. D Street is the place guests find trendy, modern apparel, merchandise, artwork and vintage inspired apparel.
· Disney Vault 28 – This couture boutique features notable designs from Mighty Fine, Tank Farm and Harajuku Lovers, offering guests the hottest handbags, jewelry and apparel.
· Fossil – Guests get a polished retro look from a variety of clothing, wallets, purses and classic Fossil watches.
· Häagen-Dazs – Guests enjoy famous premium ice cream, frozen yogurt, sorbet, gelato, brownies, cookies, soft drinks, juices and specialty coffee drinks.
· Jamba Juice – This shop celebrates the flavors of life while serving a variety of healthy and refreshing smoothies and juices.
· LEGO Imagination Center – Recently remodeled with more fun, this store offers a huge variety of the latest Lego imagination products that enable guests to create and build.
· LittleMissMatched – Here, guests “think outside the socks!” Creativity and color rein as they mix-and-match a variety of unique sock options, as well as totes, pajamas, hair accessories and t-shirts. Solving the mystery of the lost sock, all socks come in threes!
· Marceline’s Confectionery – Inspired by Walt Disney’s hometown of Marceline, Missouri, this nostalgic sweet shop is stuffed with freshly, hand-made goodies, candy and fanciful assortments.
· Pearl Factory – Guests create authentic pearl jewelry at the Pearl Factory, Hawaii’s Original Pearl-in-the-Oyster. This kiosk features more than 135 jewelry mountings for a one-of-a-kind treasure.
· Quicksilver – Offers hundreds of stylish goods from such leading designers as Billabong, Hurley, Ripcurl, Quicksilver, Oakley and more.
· RIDEMAKERZ – Guests design their own custom ride, choosing from hundreds of options to style their own toy car or truck from body types, wheels, sound effects, colors and accessories.
The diverse menu of unique retail, dining and entertainment options at Downtown Disney offers something for everyone. AMC Theatres is a nationwide operator of popular multiplex cinemas and entertainment centers. Its Downtown Disney locale features a 12-screen, Art Deco inspired megaplex theater, featuring stadium-style seating and the finest in moviegoer amenities.
Thank you to Disneyland for the day to explore California Adventures.
The New Buena Vista Street California Adventures
California Adventures had a facelift in a few areas. If you haven’t been in a while it’s the perfect time to go back and find all of the hidden Mickeys and changes they have made to the entrance and main street.
Interview with Lisa Girolami, Senior Director of the Buena Vista Street project.
“One of the main things we’re trying to do with Buena Vista Street is create an emotional connection for guests when they walk in,” explained Lisa Girolami, senior show producer and director, Walt Disney Imagineering. “We want people to take in the architecture and the color and the ornamentation, to know 
where they are and what time it is. The whole street comes alive to put you right there in the steps of Walt when he first stepped off the train in California, with all the optimism and opportunity he felt was there for him at the time.”
“What we decided was, um, for the main entry, is that we needed a stronger sense of place and time. We also needed a stronger kind of connection back to Walt. So it’s a two-part design of the street, with both of those things in mind. We also wanted to create a complement to Main Street in Disneyland. And with Main Street in Disneyland being patterned, the way Walt wanted to create a sort of idealized Marceline, Missouri, his home town. That’s what we hope you think about when going down Main Street in Disneyland or Walt Disney World and in Magic Kingdom.”
“Mortimer’s Market, for instance, is our fruit market. If you look up on the top, we’ve layered in little clues and little details that, for instance if you’re a kid, you just want to have a visceral experience. You know, kids don’t necessarily care about trivia, history and all that. They just want to see beautiful objects and characters as they run down the street and just kind of feel it. But the adults will see all the details and if they are true history buffs of Disney they will look at it and just Get It.
Entertainment to notice on Buena Vista Street
“The Red Car News Boys” roll into town on shiny Red Car Trolleys, singing “California, Here I Come!” and other fun tunes from the 1920s and ‘30s. The News Boys also deliver the latest “headlines,” in the Buena Vista Daily Bugle.
The citizens of Buena Vista Street – a cast of L.A./Hollywood “characters” out of the 1920s and ‘30s – interact with guests, creating impromptu laughs, smiles and memories.
· The musical group Five & Dime adds all that jazz to Carthay Circle “On the Sunny Side of the Street.” This ensemble of friends and relations, led by a vivacious singer named Dime, has travelled Route 66 all the way from Chicago in hopes of making it big. Like everyone who comes to Buena Vista Street, great things await them just around the corner.
Now I’m going to let you loose to find your own hidden Mickeys in the new Buena Vista Street in California Adventures.
Thank you to Disney and Disneyland for providing a day full of fun at California Adventures.
Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree in Photos Cars Land California Adventures
Everyone’s favorite tow truck, Mater, has corralled a herd of runaway baby tractors in his junkyard. Guests are invited to an old-fashioned “tow-si-do” in Mater’s salvage yard as they ride trailers hitched to the baby tractors. I’m the blond on the right in the back. That’s not my husband it’s a daddy blogger named Charlie.
Photo by http://miscfinds4u.com
Photos from Waiting in Line:
I found the ride to be a lot of fun and perfect for the kids. I think Zoe would be scared at first but would love it and want to ride it again. I wanted to ride it again. Disney doesn’t leave out a single details.
About the ride:
· Larry the Cable Guy (the voice of Mater from “Cars”) recorded seven original songs for the attraction, backed by favorite Disneyland park performers Billy Hill & the Hillbillies.
· Mater’s songs are played on his own special jukebox, made of rusty oil drums, hubcaps, car hoods, horns, mufflers and other auto parts he has collected along the road.
· None of the 22 tractors in Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree are the same. Like the individual cows in a herd, the tractors all have different markings, mouths and eye colors. They have one thing in common: They all love to dance.
· The baby tractors are new characters inspired by the movie and created especially for Cars Land.
· License plates on the baby tractors have letters that represent initials and birthdays of key contributors to the Cars Land project from Walt Disney Imagineering and Pixar Animation Studios.
· Minimum height requirement: 32 inches
Photography: Cars Land Disneyland California Adventures Stanley’s Oasis
Cars Land Disneyland California Adventures Stanley’s Oasis
Photography: Welcome To Carsland Disneyland California Adventures
