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D-lander 1956
01-23-2005, 05:20 PM
I'd sure love to hear about everyone's behind the scenes experiences of the attractions. You know, all those areas most of the public don't get to see too often.

Well, this is probably not too exciting but about 5 years ago, my daughter and I were in the Haunted Mansion and were the last to exit the elevator. As the young man CM flirted with my daughter, she asked if we could ride the empty elevator back up with him and he said sure. As he closed the doors, the elevator lit up brighter than usual, the room literally creaked as it went back up, and the stretching photos rolled back up into their frames in dead silence. I have to tell you that it was much creepier being in there with no music or narration.

OK, your turn, let's hear some good stories. :)

sdfilmcritic
01-23-2005, 05:31 PM
I got to ride the entire Space Mountain ride with the lights on. It was an interesting experience to be riding an indoor roller coaster that looks like it resides in a huge metal wearhouse.

Captain Josh
01-23-2005, 05:37 PM
A few years back, when my mom worked at Plaza Inn, I stayed at DL all day, and when it came time to come home, it was time to get a ride from mom. Now, in order to do this, I had to walk to the parking lot with mom.

This entailed meeting my mom when her shift was up, and much to my shock, walking with her backstage to the cast member check-in station and boarding the shuttle to the Katella lot. I got to walk backstage, see the kitchens, then see the rather unassuming "backlot", walking past the back Space Mountain, and, here's the worst part, I looked upon rows and rows of character heads on shelves through the windows of the costuming department.

It was really something. At the time it sorta depressed me to see all the "magic" like that, but I'm better now.

Werner
01-23-2005, 05:41 PM
I had a few minutes left in the Park before I was supposed to get back to the Disneyland Hotel via monorail to meet my Dad and take off via taxi to the airport. We were on a tight schedule, but, the line to Peter Pan was minimal so I decided to squeeze in one last flight. But within seconds of swinging out of the bedroom window, all galleons came to a stop and the house lights came up, and the soundtrack was muted to a small percentage of its normal volume.

It was truly bizarre seeing the city of London without the veil of ultraviolet light. As I dangled above it for a few minutes, then ten, then fifteen, I was at once worried about my Dad standing anxiously at the Hotel Monorial platform, in a panic that we may miss our (jet powered) flight, and yet fascinated by the spectacle of what lay below and around me. Plastic bags looking like those you get from dry cleaners were unceremoniously spread around for "fog", while all the fiber-optic "stars" were revealed on their stalks reaching up towards the "sky". Perhaps the most surreal sight: maintenance men marching through "London" like so many Godzillas.

Well I finally made it after my "layover", and although my Dad was fittingly worried, we did make it on board our jet and got home safe and sound. Although in all the excitement, I did forget to retrieve the contents from my rented locker -- but I called the Park from the airport, and promised to mail back the small key. Then, within days, I received a large padded envelope with all of my personal belongings intact.

Quite the memorable trip!

Mooshu
01-23-2005, 07:13 PM
A couple of years back my sister and I were in the Haunted Mansion when something got stuck and we had to ride the elevator back to the top. The lights came on and we started going up...it was very wierd seeing everything in reverse.

I Heart Disneyland!
01-23-2005, 07:27 PM
A few years ago, my husband was doing work for a company that did business with Disneyland. He had to meet engineer there and they had something to do inside of the Matterhorn, so, he went in the underground tunnels, and up inside the Matterhorn where they were painting and doing stuff inside. We got free Disneyland passes for his help! :) Not a bad deal. Too bad he doesn't have that job anymore! ha!

SCUBAbe
01-23-2005, 08:22 PM
we got stuck on pirates and had to exit via backstage. I remember a coke machine and stairs...nothing to write home about...LOL

Flint
01-23-2005, 08:31 PM
I worked as a CM in the summer of '96, and one of our pre-staging areas was right next to the Carousel Theatre in Tomorrowland. It was just this huge empty shell. That always made me sad, for I had only been inside of it once, circa 1979/80. And had very little recall of the show.

Going into the character shop was really neat, though. I was Baloo for a shift, and I have nothing but the utmost respect for character performers after that. Kind of spooky looking at all the heads, though.

Disney Vault
01-23-2005, 08:43 PM
A couple of years back my sister and I were in the Haunted Mansion when something got stuck and we had to ride the elevator back to the top. The lights came on and we started going up...it was very wierd seeing everything in reverse.
That would feel really weird because it probably looks like the room will keep shrinking and you would get squished.

BlkPearlCptn
01-23-2005, 09:00 PM
My behind the scene's memory happened a number of years ago (early '90's). My best friend and I were with another friend who is a supervisor at the Park. It was about 2:30 a.m. in the morning and she managed to get us back stage (one dream realized) and was walking us out of the park after it had closed. We were just going through the castle from Fantasyland and was almost on the drawbridge when we saw it. Or him. In front of us, almost to the street in front of the castle was a slender older gentleman, dressed in a light grey suite from about the 1950's. We stopped and stared as he stopped, turned and smiled... turned back towards Main Street and slowly faded from our view. We all three saw him, and recognized him. We stood quite a while in silence before any of us could say anything. I know that he was a crystal clear as anyone I have ever seen standing in front of me. All of us saw the same image at the same time. Up until then we hadn't really belived in spirits. We defintely do now. Magic. Absolutely. People believe us? I dont care I know what I saw. And it was the most incredible, magical, beautiful moment I have ever had at Disneyland. :)

I Heart Disneyland!
01-23-2005, 09:27 PM
Magic. Absolutely. People believe us? I dont care I know what I saw. And it was the most incredible, magical, beautiful moment I have ever had at Disneyland. :)

BIG TIME CHILLS HERE!!!

Flint
01-23-2005, 09:39 PM
Disneyland after closing is a very interesting and special thing. We had our rehearsals in the early AM hours and it was sooo neat to be running around as the only people in the park (aside from the maintenance crews).

Opus1guy
01-23-2005, 09:45 PM
I don't care what anyone sez...I saw Bigfoot at Disneyland one night!

I Heart Disneyland!
01-24-2005, 12:04 AM
I don't care what anyone sez...I saw Bigfoot at Disneyland one night!

But did you see the Lochness Monster in the lagoon? Huh smart guy? :p

oregontraveler
01-24-2005, 04:41 AM
I took the Holiday tour last November. Because one group member was in a wheelchair, we got special treatment at HMH. They let us ride from the exit backstage to the beginning, we also took the elevator back up.

MrsG
01-24-2005, 10:14 AM
We all three saw him, and recognized him. We stood quite a while in silence before any of us could say anything. I know that he was a crystal clear as anyone I have ever seen standing in front of me.
Goosebumps! I'm glad to know he is still there. Of course he would hang around DL; it's his home!

sdfilmcritic
01-24-2005, 02:14 PM
But did you see the Lochness Monster in the lagoon? Huh smart guy? :p
Actually it was I who saw Mr. Ness in the Submarine Voyage lagoon. Get your story facts straight! :p

Opus1guy
01-24-2005, 04:45 PM
Goosebumps! I'm glad to know he is still there. Of course he would hang around DL; it's his home!

I think he was talking about Maynard.

:)

yummy mummy
01-24-2005, 08:25 PM
I got a tour of the fire hall. The real one....with the fire trucks. The chief gave me a tour and even invited me for lunch with the guys. I declined but on the way out (unescorted) I saw an empty Minnie costume. It was just sitting there...strange to see it there...a bit sad actually. Then an evil thought came over me.... I could jump in the costume and meet up with my df.

:D

I chickened out by the way

MammaSilva
01-24-2005, 08:52 PM
While we've never dined at Club 33 I have been in the kitchen for the club...several times as a matter of fact. We've been 'behing the scenes' on the HM and ride up the stretching room every time we ride that attraction. That's really the only "behind the scenes" stuff I've experienced. Miss B and her cousins and Uncle got walked off Splash Mountain once...thankfully at the bottom of the drop so she got to go wheewwwww down chickapin hill.

hbquikcomjamesl
01-25-2005, 07:44 AM
I was one of the lucky few to get in on the experimental DL backstage tour that was offered for just a week or two, some years ago. (Yeef! They'd put together lots of nice printed materials, and costuming was even working on something, when the whole program was cancelled!)

We got to go into the bowels of HM (see the "ride HM all the way around" thread), and see the underside of the Omnimover track, and the control tower. We also got to go back to the Roundhouse, and ride the Lilly Belle (the DRR business car, not Walt's live steam locomotive!) for a complete circuit around the park. The tour ended with a look into the control tower at Space Mountain.

At various times, the "Walt's Footsteps" tour has included various backstage and quasi-backstage moments. At its inception, it included the Lilly Belle; as of last July, it included a quasi-backstage A-A demonstration in the Tiki Room, and a look at the downstairs lobby (and ONLY the downstairs lobby) of Club 33.

I've also been to passholder parties that included backstage and quasi-backstage events. Once, party guests were given a tour of the Country Bear stage; another time, we got a close look at the Team Disney building. I think one passholder party included Space Mountain with the worklights on; I can't recall whether I did it, or whether my back was bothering me at the time.

WDW, of course, has a well-developed backstage tour program, and I highly recommend the Backstage Magic tour.

kbanmen
01-25-2005, 11:32 AM
Everytime I go backstage and see a disney character walking around without their heads on, I get soooooo depressed..my disney magic has come for a little while..sigh

Gouru
01-25-2005, 11:44 AM
Well, not so 'backstage' but I remember the time we went to see the Cast production of a melodrama on the Mickey Mouse stage in Fantasyland. It was after hours at night, and the walk down Main Street with just a few worklights on was eerie at best. Don't remember the name of the melodrama, just that it was written by Wally Boag, and Rod played piano for it. The big evil guy's name was Barry. Black Barry. And the number of Barry puns throughout the show was just attrocious.

The only other semi-backstage moment was when my wife and I got a chance to ride in the wheelhouse of the Mark Twain on a Fireworks run. She sounded the horn, and we still have her Riverpilots license signed by Walt Disney.

Fun times :)

smd4
01-25-2005, 01:57 PM
On a cool fall day several years ago, a dream of mine came true. A friend with connections had arranged for me to go to the Roundhouse to witness the "steam up" of the trains of the Disneyland Railroad.

I met my friend outside the gate around 6:00 am that Sunday morning. We drove past the guard shack, and parked the car near the Roundhouse Facility. The Small World show building was off to our left. I got out of the car and couldn't believe my eyes. Here I was, back stage, at "Mecca" for Disneyland Railroad fans.

I slowly, almost reverently, walked towards the front of the Roundhouse. The main doors were opened, and the golden interior lights wrapped the shiny locomotives parked just inside in a warm, inviting glow. I was in heaven!

My friend was busy "bribing" the skeleton staff there with a box of donuts he had brought for just such a purpose. There were only one or two "laborers" as well as a single shop crewman present. I was introduced to the lead, who, much to my utter surprise and amazement, told me to feel free to wander around everywhere! I could climb on the engines, wander the "Lilly Belle," or sit in the engineer's seat! Cautiously, I began, not wanting to seem overly enthusiastic.

My first stop was my favorite locomotive, the E.P. Ripley. I had ridden in her cab many times, but always from the tender seat cushion. I grabbed the polished brass hand rail on her cab, and stepped up.

I checked her steam gauge. She was still showing about 100 psi, down from her operating pressure of 125. But she was completely silent! Nothing like the hissing, huffing beast she is when hauling a train on the line. She simmered quietly while I inspected her cab fittings. The brass rimmed gauges. The white insulation-wrapped steam pipes. The polished copper air lines that wound their way from the floor to the blow-down valve. I sat on the engineer's right-hand seat, placed my hand on the throttle, and dreamed. Then my friend took my picture while I made like an engineer.

I stepped down, and wandered over to visit the next engine. The Fred Gurley is a personal favorite of many crew members for its sure-footedness and reliability. Again, I grabbed hold of the brass hand rails and stepped through the small-ish door of her cab. The Gurley's cab is completely enclosed, making it very cozy. I closed the door just to say that I did. I also played with the sliding glass side windows. The seating is a little sparse, consisting only of small padded seats that fold down from the cab sides. Another interesting thing is that the air compressor sits on the floor on the fireman's side. I took several pictures and climbed back down.

Next, I examined the C.K. Holliday, the fraternal twin of the E.P. Ripley. I sat in her cab as well, and imagined myself firing a locomotive just like this on the Transcontinental Route 100 years ago. The smell of grease and steam were overwhelming.

No. 4, the Ernest S. Marsh, was being rehabbed that day, and her tender had been disconnected and re-positioned in front of the engine for easier access to the cab. The driver wheels had been removed, and the little steamer rested on a pair of tiny wheels that would normally be used in the "pony" truck (the small wheels in the front of the engines). Since she was being worked on, I couldn't get too close.

I wandered back into the depths of the roundhouse. The silent but ready passenger cars continued resting before being called to duty, hauling throngs of giddy guests. Various hoses and equipment hung on the roof support poles between the train sets. Near the back, I came across several passenger car trucks that were being worked on. They appeared huge when taken out from under the cars! Also near the back, standing silent and alone, was the "Lilly Belle." Out for a rehab, she was mine! I climbed her maroon steps, and entered the car through her arched Chinese red door. With the interior smelling faintly musty, I wandered her length. I caressed her marble tabletops, and sat in the crushed-red-velvet upholstered settee.

I couldn't sit for long, however. The day was progressing rapidly, and engines had to be steamed! I left the Lilly Belle, taking a few more pictures, and made my way back to the front, near the engines. There, the lead was prepping the Ripley to be fired. He opened the blower line so that condensed water would be blown out. He stepped back in the cab and slowly opened the blower valve. Water gushed forth from the blower near the front of the engine, but soon only steam showed. The lead then went and closed the line, diverting a jet of steam up through the smokestack to aid in drafting the fire. Then he climbed back into the cab and slowly opened the fuel flow valve. Next, he ignited a wad of cotton waste, opened the firebox door, and WHOOSH!!, the fire came to life. Stepping from the cab, the lead then filled the air compressor oil reservoirs with thick, honey-like steam oil. Once finished, he stepped back into the cab, and slowly turned on the valve to the compressor, allowing the pistons to be gently warmed and greased before applying full steam. A minute or two later, and the valve was opened full, resulting in a very loud "THUMP THUMP THUMP" as the air pressure built. Now the engine sounded alive, like she should. Blower rushing, compressor pounding, fire roaring, it was time to wake up, and "stretch" a little.

A couple of the shop crewman climbed into the cab, and the engineer gave two whistle blasts, indicating his intention to move forward. He placed his hand on the polished throttle valve, squeezed the latch, pulled the throttle out, and slowly, the locomotive inched forward, her soft chuffing sending a nearby flock of pigeons into flight. The engine had been disconnected from the train set the night before, and was running light. Thirty feet from the open roundhouse door, the engine stopped. As I walked near the left side of the engine, I viewed the locomotive from the viewfinder of my camera, angling for just the right picture. As I took another step, I was almost engulfed in white-hot steam! The crew in the cab had begun to "blow down" the engine, sending a roaring 50 foot jet of steam and water right into my path! I jumped back with a start, but was none the worse for wear.

Following he traditional three whistle blasts noting rearward movement, the engine backed slowly to her awaiting train, as a crew member on the ground guided her in to a smooth coupling. Hoses, electrical connections and safety chains were connected. Yet another crew member took a coffee can of sand out near front of the train, and laid down a layer of the traction-increasing grit on the rails directly in front of the engine. Two more whistle blasts, and off she went, train in tow, to the main line, ready to entertain passengers for the next 15 hours.

After this excitement, my friend found me, and took me upstairs for a brief look at the Monorail shop. My heart was still racing with the excitement of watching the steam up, and I guess my heart just wasn't in it. I wanted to be back down stairs, with the trains!

The C.K. Holliday was the next engine steamed, and then the Gurley. The procedures were the same, but I was still enthralled. As the Holliday, and then finally the Gurley, made their way to the main line, I was struck with the sudden realization that my time here was drawing to a close. I knew there would never be another day like this, unless I got a job here. My friend eventually pried me away. I shook the hand of the lead who had been so generous and trusting of me, and I thanked him profusely. We got in the car, and my friend drove us around for a brief tour of the complete back stage area. I even got to see the original roundhouse, with tracks still embedded in the black pavement.

The sun was now higher in the sky, and the day getting warmer. I got home around 10:00 am, exhausted from getting up at 4:30 that morning. I tried to take a nap, but of course, sleep was the farthest thing from my busy thoughts. I had just been to the Disneyland Roundhouse, a day unlike any other I would experience, either before or since. Sleep would just have to wait!

uvsc_wolverine
01-25-2005, 10:48 PM
Wow.