Chuck  [00:00:52]:

Greetings and salutations! Welcome to Project55 your gateway to the past, present and future of the Disneyland Resort. I'm Chuck Rendon and I'm joined by Amy Naluai. Amy, how are you?

Amy  [00:01:00]:

I'm great, how are you doing?

Chuck  [00:01:02]:

Good. This is our first show in the studio. Last week, of course, we were at Disneyland celebrating Disneyland's 68th anniversary. Which was a lot of fun. It felt appropriate. First episode of the show. Of course we had to be at the park that we both love and of course was the source of inspiration for this show. But we're here back in the studio now and I'm excited for today's topic because it's all about summertime and the heat at Disneyland. It has been known to get rather hot during the summer. You know, those SoCal summer days, especially as you get into August and September. They can be brutal sometimes.

Amy  [00:01:50]:

Definitely, yeah. The heat seems to crank it up even well into the early fall down here.

Chuck  [00:01:58]:

That's true, that's very true. So with the heat in mind, something we love doing here is a top five list. You know the Fab Five as we like to call it. So let's say we count down our five favorite places to beat the heat in the Disneyland Resort.

Amy  [00:02:14]:

Let's do it. What's number five?

Chuck  [00:02:19]:

So coming in at number five is Golden Horseshoe review at Disneyland. Honestly, for me this is a perfect spot, although I wish it had some live entertainment still, that would make it that much better. As of now, it's just a glorified place to grab a root beer float or something, but it does have ample air conditioning. So I think for that fact alone, it's a great place to kind of duck the heat. And there's worse ways than sitting in an air conditioned room and enjoying some ice cream or something. Right. I feel it's a good way to pass the time.

Amy  [00:02:57]:

You can sometimes catch the Golden Horseshoe piano player in there various times throughout certain days. But yeah, it's a scenic little spot. I don't know, I feel like it makes you feel like you're stepping into a different time a little bit. Just even with the lighting and the fixtures and the stage and I don't know, it has a vibe. It does, it's a whole thing.

Chuck  [00:03:27]:

It does. And it does kind of transport you back to the early days of Disneyland. You can sort of feel some of the early Disneyland history in there as well, which is always cool. All right, so that's our number five. What do we have for number four?

Amy  [00:03:42]:

Well, coming in at number four, we're going to take a little hop over to Disney California Adventure Park for this one. It's the Paradise Garden Band Stand.

Chuck  [00:03:53]:

I like it.

Amy  [00:03:54]:

I like a nice if you're looking for something more outdoorsy, but a nice little spot to kind of get out of the direct sunlight. There's lots of trees, you can find a table to sit at. And there's just this nice little sort of gardeny setting around you as you sit underneath these big trees and the band stand, depending on the day and time, you can sometimes catch some great live entertainment. There are some fantastic little bands and groups that perform on the stage there, and you are very conveniently located to some delicious food and beverage options. So you can go grab something to eat and drink and sit and relax. And there can be a nice, breezy afternoon spot for you to kind of hang out and escape that direct sunlight. Like I said, it's just a pretty little spot back there.

Chuck  [00:05:03]:

Well, you mentioned some of my favorite activities, so delicious foods, of course I'm there. shade, sitting, and live entertainment. I think that combination there. You're having a good time.

Amy  [00:05:16]:

Yeah, you got all the bases covered. That's pretty great.

Chuck  [00:05:21]:

All right, so coming in at number three, this is one of my favorite attractions. Great moments with Mr. Lincoln. Right on Main Street USA, Disneyland. This is honestly, I love this area, but it's perfect for a hot day. You could just go in, you can scope out some of the Disneyland's relics of the past, some history. You can watch the Disneyland 1st 50 Magical Years video, and of course, take in great moments with Mr. Lincoln. So the nice thing, though, is between the lobby and the show, you can literally spend probably like, 30 plus minutes in there. So it's a good time suck if you want to just get out of the heat. But it's fun, too. I mean, I still marvel at animatronic Abe Lincoln. It's definitely a top choice for me. If you're looking to duck the heat.

Amy  [00:06:17]:

Nice. Number two on our list is none other than Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room.

Chuck  [00:06:24]:

Yes. Yes.

Amy  [00:06:26]:

It's a great little spot to grab a nice pineapple Dole Whip or pineapple juice from the Tiki juice bar and take your treat into the Enchanted Tiki Room and enjoy, what is it, about 15 minutes?

Chuck  [00:06:47]:

Yeah, give or take roughly about 15 minutes.

Amy  [00:06:51]:

15 minutes of the tiki birds singing you some melodic tunes and giving you some tropical vibes. Like I said, it's a great place just to sit and get out of the sun. Usually the air conditioner is going. And like I said, you can take those treats inside with you. You're able to eat and drink inside, which is nice, but just to get out of that heat and enjoy some vintage Disney magic.

Chuck  [00:07:21]:

Yeah, totally.

Amy  [00:07:23]:

As Jose and his friends Serenade you, you get to see some of Walt's you know signature work take... What's the word I'm looking for?

Chuck  [00:07:35]:

Not take flight.

Amy  [00:07:37]:

Yeah, take flight. But don't worry, the Tiki Room doesn't fly away, as they say.

Chuck  [00:07:46]:

Dude. Yeah. Enchanted tiki room. It's always a good time. And, yeah, it's the perfect way to duck the heat. And you pair that with a Dole Whip, and man, you're having a good time indeed.

Amy  [00:07:59]:

It's a great little place to I don't know, the songs just make me smile, so got to love it.

Chuck  [00:08:06]:

Yeah, definitely. It puts you in a good mood for sure. Okay, so number one, we've arrived to the big time here. And honestly, you know, all the attractions we've mentioned up to this point have been awesome. But when I think places to duck the heat, this is usually the first one that comes to mind. So for number one, we're heading back to DCA disney's California Adventure, and we're going to the Animation Building, which is really four attractions in one. But yeah, the moment you walk in here, you're just immediately greeted with just this blast of cold. It's so cool in when you're in there and when you've been walking around the heat all so, so nice and welcoming.

Amy  [00:08:49]:

I mean, if you're a fan of Disney's animation and the music, it's just visually and audibly one of the coolest places to hang out.

Chuck  [00:09:03]:

It really is. I mean, you're literally wrapped in Disney history and magic there.

Amy  [00:09:08]:

Yes, it's amazing. And then, like you said, you've got different options while you're inside. So you can sit in that lobby area and just enjoy the music and the video footage. That's a 360 experience in and of itself. Or you can go and explore the other options. You've got what? You got? Turtle talk with Crush.

Chuck  [00:09:38]:

Righteous.

Amy  [00:09:39]:

Yeah. You so totally rock, dude. But you can ask your questions to Crush and have your curiosities met there with some turtle wisdom.

Chuck  [00:09:54]:

Yeah, and it's fun because the show is different every time.

Amy  [00:09:58]:

Oh, yeah. It's always entertaining. It's pretty funny. There's something different that happens every time I've gone to experience Turtle Talk. There's the Animation Academy, which I tend to be my own worst critic when it comes to drawing, but every once in a while, I learn something new. There you have your option of a whole day's worth of different characters and offerings to draw to learn how to draw from a Disney artist there. And I don't know, there's something about taking a class that makes me feel like I'm doing something productive, even if it is just learning how to draw Minnie or Mickey.

Chuck  [00:10:40]:

It is fun. And usually it's pretty funny for me because by the time we're done, my drawing typically looks nothing like the character because I'm a notoriously bad drawer. But, yeah, it's certainly fun trying. And it's one of those things too. Like, you have a fun little keepsake as well.

Amy  [00:11:02]:

Yes, you do. A magical memory, if nothing else.

Chuck  [00:11:06]:

There you go. There you go.

Amy  [00:11:08]:

Yep. You can also make magical memories meeting Anna and Elsa at their royal welcome. You can get some pictures with Arendelle's finest.

Chuck  [00:11:18]:

Right?

Amy  [00:11:19]:

And you can also continue your animation education in the Sorcerers Workshop and see different examples of stop animation and do a scene where you make one of Mickey Mouse balloons fly or I forget what the other ones.

Chuck  [00:11:38]:

Those are always fun.

Amy  [00:11:40]:

Yeah. And the Beast library is still there. You can go and explore in there. Yeah, it's a fun little spot.

Chuck  [00:11:50]:

What I love about this is there's no time limit here. You can literally spend all day if you want. You can spend ten minutes. So if you really want to duck the heat, this could certainly suck up plenty of time. And you'll have all these things to do, so it's not like you're just sitting there. But even if you just want to sit out in the lobby, there's tons to look at. Ask my dad. It's a great place to take a nap.

Amy  [00:12:14]:

It's a great place to take a nap if you have little ones. The music and the lights in that lobby area is so entertaining. Last time I was in there, there was a little kid who was just having the time of their life chasing the little lights and projections on the floor. And it was the cutest thing to see. But definitely a great place to kill some time out of the sun, especially if it's just like one of those days where it's miserably hot. It is a really fun place to duck out of that hot, scorching summer sun.

Chuck  [00:12:51]:

Yeah, very true. So there you have it. That is our fab five places to beat the heat at disneyland resort. You know, we have Golden Horseshoe, the Paradise Garden Bandstand, great moments with Mr. Lincoln, Walt Disney's enchanted Tiki Room, and of course, topping the list DCA's animation building. So if you're looking to duck the heat next time, give one of those a try. I guarantee you, you won't regret it. All right, now, moving on from list to something else that is near and dear to our heart, food! eats and treats.

Amy  [00:13:29]:

More things that I don't ever regret. I love them oh so very much.

Chuck  [00:13:32]:

Oh, definitely, man. I feel know my Disneyland trips are literally planned around what I'm going to eat. So this is a topic that's near and dear to my heart. Yes, eats and treats. And in this summertime edition, let's talk about a few of our favorite cool treats you know, something that we enjoy to kind of quench our thirst or just to beat the heat a little bit. So, Amy, what are some cool treats?

Amy  [00:14:01]:

Oh goodness I, you know, mentioned it when we were talking about the Tiki room, but I love me some dole whip.

Chuck  [00:14:07]:

Can't go wrong.

Amy  [00:14:08]:

There's something about that pineapple soft serve that hits the spot. It's so refreshing. It's dairy free. I believe it's vegan, actually. So if you've got dietary restrictions of whatever kind that might fit into what you can have, you can pick it up at the Tiki Juice bar or at the Tropical Hideaway. You got some other flavor options there, but it's a quick, easy grab. You can mobile order at the Tiki juice bar. I don't think they have mobile order at the Hideaway, but you've got some more options for flavors and different things there. It's just a delicious, cool, little simple treat. It's one of my favorites. What's another go to cool treat? I also am a Gibson girl girl.

Chuck  [00:14:59]:

Okay.

Amy  [00:15:00]:

Take me to the ice cream. And I'm pretty easy going. I usually do the waffle cone. I think it's because it's that smell. You know the smell I'm talking about you're out on Main Street. You can smell the waffle cone. It just wafts through the air. So I usually do a double scoop at Gibson Girl. Cookies and cream and chocolate chip cookie dough is usually my go to. Now, Rainbow sherbet's not there anymore, which I'm a little heartbroken about, but it's okay. I still have options.

Chuck  [00:15:35]:

That was a great summer flavor, too.

Amy  [00:15:37]:

That was the best. But, yeah, it's a nice little refreshing treat. And I just love me a waffle cone. So Gibson Girl is always a good choice. Another one of my favorites is and this is going to sound super weird because it's not even a Disney, like, Disney exclusive treat of any kind or anything, but it's those minute made frozen lemonades that come in the cup okay. Particularly, I love the raspberry. They're I don't know, it's less than $6 to get one. But the great thing about them is that when you first receive it, it's like frozen solid. Like a frozen solid brick.

Chuck  [00:16:19]:

It's literally like a block of ice almost. It feels like.

Amy  [00:16:21]:

Yeah. And they even warn you to be careful because it's really frozen. But that's like the best part, though, is that you get to hold this incredibly cold thing and just holding it. And I'll usually stick it, like, on the side of my face, kind of cool off a little bit when you're hot and flushed. So then that starts to warm up and melt, so then I can actually start eating it.

Chuck  [00:16:51]:

I just picture the children like, mommy, what is that lady doing with her lemonade?

Amy  [00:16:56]:

It's multifunctional, friends. It's multifunctional. But that's for some reason one of my favorites. If you're back in Star Wars land visiting Batuu, you got some fun choices back there as well. Are you a blue milk or green milk person? But beyond that, you head to the docking bay seven. There is this drink there. I don't know why I like it so much. Anytime I'm back there, I have to get one because it's now one of my favorites. And I don't know if I'm pronouncing it correctly or not, but I think it's called the Phattro.

Chuck  [00:17:40]:

That's how I pronounce it.

Amy  [00:17:42]:

P-H-A-T-T-R-O-I don't know. Anyways, basically, it is the Gold Peak unsweetened iced tea with minute made lemonade. So we've got some, like, Arnold Palmer action going on, but then they add this desert pear flavoring syrup to it and it's just...

Chuck  [00:17:58]:

that's where the magic is.

Amy  [00:18:02]:

It's magic. And then their ice is like, that fun. Kind of like beady, weird textured ice.

Chuck  [00:18:08]:

That barrel ice.

Amy  [00:18:10]:

Yeah, it's so good. So it's the combination of enjoying the drink, which is super tasty and refreshing, and I love it so very much. But then you get the awesome ice as well. So it's like two treats in one.

Chuck  [00:18:24]:

I love it, and I love the Phattro. It's such a great, refreshing drink. So, so good.

Amy  [00:18:31]:

Yeah. Last thing that comes to mind is actually a cold treat that I got on my last Disneyland trip, and it was a root beer float from the golden horseshoe. I had had a conversation literally, like, 20 minutes earlier with one of my friends about trying not to drink soda anymore. And then we walk into the golden horseshoe, and I'm looking at the menu and I'm like, man, a root beer float sounds so good right now. And yeah. So I ordered a root beer float.

Chuck  [00:19:08]:

Nice.

Amy  [00:19:09]:

And I don't know what it was. It hit the spot. It hit the spot. Something about a root beer float. It's so simple. But, yeah, it was tasty, refreshing, nice little escape from the warmth of the day. And I don't know, it just felt appropriate to be sitting in the golden horseshoe having a root beer float. And it made my day. So those are just a few of the cool treats that I enjoy when I hit up the parks. But how about you? What are some of your favorites?

Chuck  [00:19:44]:

So, like you, have to be the top of the list. Dole whip. Right? And I think any variety, but specifically, my go to the one I absolutely love, tropical hideaway the chili mango dole whip. This is just so delicious. It hits, like, my flavor profile spot on. You get the mangoes and you get the tajin sauce, and it just all goes so well together. It's kind of that nice, sweet and spicy sort of mix that I love. And yeah, it just hits the spot every single time. So chili mango, dole whip. But really, any dole whip, frankly, I'm not going to complain.

Amy  [00:20:28]:

Any dole whip is a good dole whip.

Chuck  [00:20:30]:

Exactly. Another favorite of mine. So going over to DCA. Clarabelle's hand scooped ice cream parlor. The mint chocolate chip sundae. In specific, I love mint chocolate chip, and this is fun. So you have two scoops of mint chocolate chip. Of course, it's in a waffle cup, and they add whipped cream. And you get these, like, chocolate mickey shaped sprinkles on. You know, we've talked about mickey shaped food. There's just something magical about it.

Amy  [00:21:04]:

Tastes better. It definitely tastes better.

Chuck  [00:21:07]:

And then, of course, it's topped with a cherry. So the perfect Sunday. I know Gibson girl also has something similar. I believe it's like their firehouse dalmatian sundae. You just don't get the mickey sprinkles on that.

Amy  [00:21:23]:

Okay, okay.

Chuck  [00:21:25]:

But yeah, the mint chocolate chip sundae from Clarabelle's is always a staple for me. I love it. Always a go to. And you know, as something refreshing still kind of sticking in DCA. I also really love the mango madness smoothie at Schmoozies.

Amy  [00:21:42]:

Oh, yeah, that is good.

Chuck  [00:21:43]:

It is so refreshing. So good. And you can see a trend, right? Mango. Mango and me just go together for some reason. Love the flavor. But, yeah, this is just a perfect quencher for summertime. You're there in the heat. Like, mango madness smoothie just hits perfectly for me. And then Galaxy's edge, the milk stand, blue milk. But I'm kind of one of those weird people that I can do blue milk or green milk. I like them both.

Amy  [00:22:13]:

Okay.

Chuck  [00:22:14]:

I don't know what that says about me because most people I know, it's one or the other, and it really heavily skews towards blue.

Amy  [00:22:21]:

Well, and I don't know. I just don't know that I think most people are very passionate about whichever is their favorite.

Chuck  [00:22:27]:

Is their favorite, I guess, and they.

Amy  [00:22:30]:

Don'T like the other one.

Chuck  [00:22:31]:

Maybe I'm just the ultimate diplomat. I don't know. But I do literally enjoy both of them. I want to say, though, different times, different seasons for different flavors. Blue is probably more like kind of if I'm going for something that's cool and kind of more of a desserty flavor, for me, the green milk is more kind of refreshing. I don't know. It kind of has a fresher kind of fruity taste, I guess, to it.

Amy  [00:22:59]:

Interesting.

Chuck  [00:23:01]:

I don't know. I'm a conundrum, I guess

Amy  [00:23:04]:

I'm team Blue, but I can have green if I add blue to it, which I don't know what that says about me.

Chuck  [00:23:15]:

That'S. Yeah, that's a whole other conversation, maybe. I don't you know, it's actually funny because when I was there opening night of galaxy's edge and I had the green milk, I engaged in a conversation with Rey as she was walking around, and she asked me, like, oh, do you know where they get the green milk? And we had to have that fun conversation because, yeah, it's rather interesting if you haven't seen Last Jedi yet, where the green milk comes from. Yeah, maybe that's why people don't like the green milk. I don't know. But, yeah, green or blue milk, I love them both. So it's always a refreshing treat for me. Always hits the spot.

Amy  [00:23:59]:

Love it.

Chuck  [00:24:00]:

So to wrap it up, though, you mentioned root beer float, and honestly, root beer float is on my list as well, but I usually get it from the Gibson girl.

Amy  [00:24:10]:

Okay.

Chuck  [00:24:11]:

Root beer float. It's kind of like that classic sort of americana dessert. It just seems like they go hand in hand. So I love getting a root beer float on Main Street. You know, I'm curious, though, because I've actually never had one from golden horseshoe. Have you had them from both places? Is there a difference?

Amy  [00:24:30]:

I haven't had one from Gibson girl, but I don't know if you remember back in the olden days when there used to be the smaller secondary ice cream location in between. What's now? Starbucks and Disney clothiers.

Chuck  [00:24:47]:

Oh right, right.

Amy  [00:24:48]:

There used to be that little window there. I used to get root beer floats from there all the time and they actually used to do you could get it with like orange soda or root beer. You could basically whatever soda you wanted and those were delicious. But I don't know, I'll have to try the Gibson girl one. I'm OK with that experiment. I'll have to try.

Chuck  [00:25:11]:

Yeah. So you take one for the team. I'm just curious if there's a cause I I've never had one from Golden Horseshoe. Believe it or not.

Amy  [00:25:19]:

We'll have to do a blind taste test the next time.

Chuck  [00:25:22]:

There you go. That's a future episode at the making. I'm here for it.

Amy  [00:25:30]:

Well, all this talk about root beer floats and the good old days reminds me a lot about our topic for our resort rewind today. And our resort rewind has us looking at the carnation Plaza Gardens and the band stand there that used to host the swing dancing. It was this neat little spot kind of tucked just to the side of the sleeping beauty castle. Did you ever go there when it was open?

Chuck  [00:26:08]:

Oh I did, yeah, many times. It always caught my eye, especially when the swing dancing was going on because it just looked like the place to be. There was just so much energy there. It was great.

Amy  [00:26:20]:

Yeah, there was the swing dancing in the evenings and during the day they would often host different high school band performances or choir performances, orchestra performances, different things going on throughout the day. But when I was a kid there was also not just the band stand, there was a whole like it was basically a quick service restaurant. That's right, yeah. Obviously it featured all the carnation ice creams so you could go and that's the one thing I remember getting there all the time is the root beer floats and the souvenir. They had these tall souvenir mugs and the design on the mug would change every once in a while. Like there was one that had the Disneyland castle on it and said Disneyland. And there was one that had the different poses of Mickey Mouse kind of around the cup. But I don't know, something about a root beer float in the souvenir cup. Like it just tasted different.

Chuck  [00:27:26]:

you know it did. There was always something about a souvenir cup when you were a kid because you got to take the magic home with you. Right. The next time at home when you would fill that cup, you're like, oh I had this at Disneyland.

Amy  [00:27:39]:

Exactly. But yeah, I remember getting my root beer float and they had your basic like hamburgers and hot dogs and french fries and your basic food.

Chuck  [00:27:51]:

Basic theme park food.

Amy  [00:27:52]:

Yeah, basic theme park food. But you go and get your little treat, go sit down and just enjoy that atmosphere. It was one of my favorite things to do was to watch the big bands play and all of the people who had come to dance. And I think as someone who frequented that spot often on a weekly basis, you would see so many just the cutest couples that were also regulars that would come and dance every weekend.

Chuck  [00:28:28]:

It created like a whole culture. Right? This was something like the whole kind of swing culture that happened there and carried on kind of from the 40s and everything. Yeah, it was fun to see.

Amy  [00:28:39]:

But you would see people of all ages dancing and I think that was what was so cool is people who actually were young in the 40s that created that style of dance would be there still dancing together with the younger generations. But just to see everyone out on the dance floor together and as corny as it sounds, it was magical on that dance floor, like watching everybody dance.

Chuck  [00:29:10]:

It was for me, it was Disneyland in a nutshell. Know, the whole goal behind Walt Disney opening Disneyland was to create a place where the old and young could play together, right? And sort of see all those generations coming together enjoying some dancing.

Chuck  [00:29:26]:

What's more Disneyland than that? I mean, it was just such a perfect match.

Amy  [00:29:29]:

Yeah.

Chuck  [00:29:30]:

Speaking of the Carnation Plaza Garden, you know, of know, I'll inject a little bit of history here because it is a rather interesting know, it's one of those that the area itself. It originally started as sort of this gazebo bandstand, the actual Carnation Plaza Gardens. It opened, I believe in August of 1956 and at the time, as you mentioned, they were mainly hosting like high school choirs and they were doing like character shows and kind of meet and greets and things like that. But in the summer of 57 that's when things really kicked into full gear with the place. That's when they introduced the date night at Disneyland, the Friday and Saturday nights which ended up being a huge success for the park. And it attracted all kinds of college and high school students they originally liked about it was that of course at that time you probably couldn't say that today, but at that time, Disneyland, it was a relatively minimum cost for them to get in there. They also liked it because there was no alcohol. So it was just this fun and safe place and there was all this variety of music and experiences they could do. So the date night would really appeal to younger people and it was hugely successful. And in fact, some local newspapers at the time reported that nearly 8000 young people which happened to make up 70% of the overall attendance at the Plaza Gardens each weekend, but 8000 people, young people visited the Plaza Gardens every Friday and Saturday night.

Amy  [00:31:06]:

Wow.

Chuck  [00:31:07]:

So if you think about like back in the 50s that's a whole lot of people like going to Disneyland to dance. So that's just an idea of how successful this date night and the date night you've probably heard the theme. They currently have it playing in the esplanade right now to celebrate the 100 years of the company. I'm sure you know the tune the Date Night at Disneyland.

Chuck  [00:31:37]:

There you go.

Amy  [00:31:38]:

Good times.

Chuck  [00:31:39]:

It's a toe tapper for sure. This was so popular, in fact, shortly after in the summer of 58, they decided to start doing the dancing seven nights a week instead of just the Friday Saturday. So it expanded to basically every night during the summer. You could come and dance the night away at Disneyland Park. And yeah, it was just so popular. And part of what made it popular was some of the popular teen stars of the day, like Annette Funicello and the Osmond brothers would show up there. There's even some iconic pictures of Walt Disney dancing there with Lillian Disney. So those early days, you didn't know who was going to show up there, so you just wanted to be there. You felt like this was the spot, right?

Amy  [00:32:31]:

it was the hot spot, the place to be yeah.

Chuck  [00:32:33]:

Yeah, it really was. It just would host some of the biggest names and big bands during that time. And you know what's interesting as we sort of alluded to at the top here, this big band swing movement. The popularity of it started to wane in the 40s, but it continued on into Disneyland, Carnation Plaza Gardens. It basically became the hub for swing and it carried over well into the 90s. it created like a culture. Right. Like this is where people wanted to go to swing dance. And it just became this thing, this movement almost sort of celebrating the past but also embracing the future. And just again, that perfect Disneyland kind of combo. And then like you mentioned, they did serve the food, the carnation ice cream and kind of the burgers and the hot dogs and French fries, which I believe the food actually ended in 1999. They closed that down to eventually they created the walkway, the pass through to Frontierland, the Rancho del Zocalo, which opened in 2001. So unfortunately that took away the root beer floats, took away the hamburgers and everything.

Amy  [00:33:46]:

Yeah, they added a lot more seating. And they did, they put in one of those family companion family restrooms.

Chuck  [00:33:55]:

Restrooms, yes.

Amy  [00:33:56]:

Yeah. And made that little walkway that connected the pathway to where Rancho del Zokalo is. Yeah.

Chuck  [00:34:05]:

Even after the closure of the quick service food, the dancing itself continued on. In fact, last operating day was April 30, 2012. And that's when it finally closed and they decided to begin work to transform the area into Fantasy fair, which is what exists today. Kind of the extension of fantasyland. But they did promise that the swing dancing would return and I think for a short time they were actually doing it out in downtown Disney, if I remember correctly, on the weekends. And then when they finally did open the Royal Theater and Fantasy Fair they did actually have for a while the Royal Swing Big Band Ball which continued the tradition of swing dancing that currently is closed right now but many folks are hopeful that it will return at some point to continue the swing dance tradition at Disneyland.

Amy  [00:35:06]:

Well if nothing else we at least have some magical memories. I'm sure that there are plenty of great photographs and I don't know, the only bummer is I feel like cell phone videos weren't quite as big back then but it'd be fun to see some video footage of what it was like at the swing dancing. I don't know, I have memories. I can close my eyes and picture it and hear the music and yeah it was a neat place and I'm glad that we got to revisit it for our resort rewind today.

Chuck  [00:35:45]:

To this day it's still one of those places I remember very fondly, disneyland. It's classic Disneyland for know, just going there on the weekends and seeing the swing dancing and even I, I can't dance for anything. It was still fun to kind of get caught up in the energy of it and just kind of watch and you wanted to be there similar to other live entertainment. I mean to me that kind of stuff is what makes Disneyland right. You have the attractions which are awesome but those sort of experiences it just kind of is next level so hopefully it returns in Fantasyland or the Royal Theater at some point.

Amy  [00:36:28]:

They've had some sporadic events from my understanding but yeah it would be great. Maybe even just like a summer series.

Chuck  [00:36:40]:

Hey I'm all for it.

Amy  [00:36:42]:

Or just bring it back for like a season as good old limited time magic or something like fun. It would be a lot of fun.

Chuck  [00:36:53]:

Yeah, no it definitely would.

Amy  [00:36:56]:

If they were to bring back the date nights to Disneyland think of how crazy that would be. Yeah, I feel like that would be a draw.

Chuck  [00:37:05]:

It would be interesting. Did they purposely choose to include that date night at disneyland theme, I mean are they trying to kind of get that back in the people's mind but who knows? Who knows what they'll do? But all I can say is I agree with you. I just want to see dancing return, the swing dancing return in that area or some area in Disneyland. I feel it's such a staple to the park. We need some swing dancing in Disneyland.

Amy  [00:37:34]:

I'm always a fan of music and dancing so yes.

Chuck  [00:37:39]:

All right, well why don't we transition to our deep dive conversation and I have a feeling this one's going to be pretty fun. So for this conversation we've tasked ourselves with coming up with our ideal summer day at Disneyland and that can be whatever you want it to entail. I'm very curious, just to see if our ideal days are different similar where we diverge, since you're a local and I am not a local anymore, so I don't know, we'll see. Maybe we approach it differently, but Amy, walk me through your ideal summer day at Disneyland.

Amy  [00:38:17]:

My ideal summer day at Disneyland probably wouldn't begin until like, 06:00 in the evening if I had my way. Yes, I'm historically what I would refer to as a nocturnal Disneyland visitor.

Chuck  [00:38:33]:

I was right there with you when I lived there. Yes, absolutely.

Amy  [00:38:37]:

Yeah. There was something great about being able to just show up once the sun went down and it wasn't quite so hot. But if we're talking, like, the all day experience again, I'm not a not a rope dropper. Like I like to sleep. Probably my perfect summer day at Disneyland would allow me to sleep in a little bit. I would probably get to Disneyland around maybe, like, 930.

Chuck  [00:39:18]:

Okay that's still relatively early

Amy  [00:39:19]:

Right? Early enough that the first thing on my agenda would be to probably knock out Star Wars land first thing, just because.

Chuck  [00:39:29]:

Okay, so you're doing like, rise of Resistance.

Amy  [00:39:31]:

Yeah, I'd probably do rise first. And I would probably honestly, depending on what the queue was, like, I would probably splurge and get Lightning Lane it because it can get pretty crazy and there's not shade. Like, there's no real shade.

Chuck  [00:39:47]:

That's not a fun queue to wait in during the heat.

Amy  [00:39:50]:

No. So definitely would probably do lightning. Lane. The one thing about being there early would mean that I could hit up Ronto's roasters for the breakfast Ronto wrap, which they only have before, I believe, 1030. And it's so good. I love it, but I'm never there early enough to get it. So the perfect summer Disney day. Yeah, the perfect summer Disney day would no doubt have to include a stop for a breakfast Ronto wrap. And then since I was back there, I'd have to get the Phattro too because, you know, it just has to happen, right. So I'd probably spend my morning doing, like, Star Wars land. If there were any of the classic fantasyland attractions that I wanted to do, I'd probably spend most of my time doing those things in the morning hours.

Chuck  [00:40:43]:

Okay.

Amy  [00:40:44]:

For lunch, I do first lunch, second lunch.

Chuck  [00:40:50]:

I'm loving this already.

Amy  [00:40:52]:

And this is my perfect Disneyland day. So I'm just going to focus on being just at Disneyland. So if I was able to get a reservation for lunch, I would probably do a lunch reservation at the riverbell terrace.

Chuck  [00:41:06]:

Okay.

Amy  [00:41:07]:

Because the indoor seating there is air conditioning in there and they have it's the brisket burnt ends, grilled cheese. That is delicious. And I can always go for that. So if I could get a reservation, I would probably do that.

Chuck  [00:41:23]:

You could get potato bites there, which is always a plus.

Amy  [00:41:26]:

Yes, potato bites are always a win, which is also why I might do second lunch or like pre lunch at Red Rose Tavern because they have potato bites there as well. Just sort of depends on the agenda. But another option would also be Hungry Bear. If we were still back in Star Wars land area, we could sneak out and go to Hungry Bear, which has plenty of patio seating that's at least partially shaded, so that's always an option as well. So there's into the hottest part of the day, I'd probably save the attractions like haunted mansion, pirates of the Caribbean, things that are going to be more indoor queues or at least have, if they do have an outdoor queue, have long enough escape inside where it's well air conditioned and a moment to kind of recoup and escape the heat.

Chuck  [00:42:21]:

Feel like Pirates of the Caribbean these days. You got to be a little careful of that because sometimes in the midday that queue gets a little crazy. It can spill out, yeah, but it does move typically. It moves pretty fast, pretty quickly.

Amy  [00:42:34]:

Yeah pretty quickly. And yeah, if I was splurging on Lightning Lane, then that would also sort of affect the order in which I would choose to do things. But I'm just talking in relative terms here. But yeah, things like Haunted Mansion, Pirates, it's a Small World, maybe throw in star tours or Space Mountain and things like that, depending on the lines. I would do those types of things and throw in a stop at the Tiki Room for a Dole Whip or classic Buzz Lightyear Astro Blaster, just something to kind of break it up so that I'm out of the sun for a little bit. And then I would choose to watch the second parade of the day on the shadier side of the street. If there's a night parade, like, I'm a big fan of the night parades, but with the summertime change, the second parade is not really at night anymore. But I do like me a night parade. But I'd probably go with that second parade viewing where it's just a little bit cooler. It's finally starting to cool off. I would probably make sure to avoid any of the heavily treed areas during preevening, like basically 04:00 on.

Chuck  [00:43:59]:

Are you talking about Hour of the Crow?

Amy  [00:44:01]:

Yes, because oh, my gosh, the crows are everywhere.

Chuck  [00:44:05]:

Yeah, they get intense.

Amy  [00:44:06]:

Yeah. So you just got to watch out for those crows. Unfortunately. They love the trees, and the shady trees are where I always want to be. So just be forewarned.

Chuck  [00:44:15]:

It's very ominous, too, by the way. Yeah, you really feel like you're in the Birds or something movie.

Amy  [00:44:21]:

It's like a scary movie come to life. But I'm at my happy place, so how could this be?

Chuck  [00:44:27]:

They're happy crows. Happy crows.

Amy  [00:44:29]:

They are happy crows. Oh, my goodness. And then my evening would probably entail if we're talking like, perfect summer day at Disneyland. I don't know. It'd be nice to maybe have dinner at Blue Bayou and get a cocktail or sneak back to Star Wars land and hit up Oga's Cantina for a nice beverage.

Chuck  [00:44:56]:

Nightcap. There you go.

Amy  [00:44:57]:

Nightcap. Yeah. I don't know. I don't have any particular place. Like I have to do dinner when I'm there. I'm pretty flexible. It kind of is like whatever sounds good. But my evening would most likely include a dole whip of some kind.

Chuck  [00:45:13]:

Got it. Got to have it.

Amy  [00:45:15]:

Yeah. I would say either a dole whip or an ice cream of some sort. And then the evening fireworks and then I am a fan of Thunder Mountain at night. I just think It's more fun. It feels like you're going faster at night. It's nice to not be like, cooking the entire time you're going through the ride.

Chuck  [00:45:36]:

That's true.

Amy  [00:45:37]:

Yeah. So Thunder Mountain at night is like a two thumbs up for me if the Mark Twain is available at night. There is something super magical about riding the Mark Twain at night and the reflection of the lights on the water. I absolutely love it. So those are probably two things for sure that I would do in the evening hours. I'm also a huge fan any time of the day. Escaping to the Disneyland railroad as an option to kind of get off your feet for a little while. But again, one of my favorite things to do is to ride it in the evening. Seeing the park lit up at night, doing the grand circle tour in the evening. I don't know. I'm a fan. You and I are fans of the sweeper train and they can get the last experience of the night. Like that is the perfect way to end the evening. Although I've discovered I don't know if I'm young enough to survive that late anymore. I can't think of the last time I made it to Disneyland closing.

Chuck  [00:46:42]:

that's how you measure your age. Can I make the sweeper train?

Amy  [00:46:48]:

No joke. But really, if we could throw in a little bit of evening porch, sitting on the porch at night on Main Street, people watching, that's always fun.

Chuck  [00:47:01]:

Oh, yeah.

Amy  [00:47:02]:

I enjoy that so much. Just watching everybody taking it in, having a fun conversation with friend or meeting a new stranger and having a fun conversation with them. It's just a neat little spot and the perfect way to end the evening. I am pretty easy to please when it comes to my Disneyland days, but that right there in a nutshell kind of sums up the perfect summer day at Disneyland for me.

Chuck  [00:47:31]:

I like it. You threw in a lot of classics in there. You got first and second lunch, which I can always get behind. I'm always going to be behind. Any way we can work in more food into the day, I'm usually going to be about that.

Amy  [00:47:48]:

Yeah. I feel like you could make an entire weekend of nothing but just eating your way through the park.

Chuck  [00:47:53]:

you really really could. Case in point, my last trip to Disneyland was mostly food. So there you go.

Amy  [00:48:06]:

There you go. That's the life, right?

Chuck  [00:48:10]:

I love it, I love it. Uh, I took kind of a similar approach to you. I sort of mapped out my perfect day sort of with the idea that I'd be getting there in the morning and kind of taking it through the afternoon and the evening. So for me you know my ideal Disneyland summer day. Now, of course, I'm not local anymore like you. If I was still local, then I'd probably be showing up at dusk because the easiest way to beat the heat is to just not be there during the day but, you know, since I don't have that luxury these days, I would get there at opening. I'd probably be there for rope drop. As soon as the rope dropped, I would probably head right to fantasyland, right through the castle, hit up Peter Pan. I would do, Mr. Toad, as well as I would head over to Alice in Wonderland as well, because those typically fill up, and they're not exactly well, at least in the case of Peter Pan and Alice in Wonderland. They're not exactly fun cues to wait in, especially when it's hot. Because you're very close, confined with people. And that body heat, man, it gets bad. So I would do those, hit up the fantasyland, and then I would go do breakfast at Red Rose Tavern, mainly to get the Mickey Mouse shaped pancake because again, got to have the Mickey food. And this is a perfect way to start the day. And naturally, I would get a side of potato bites because it's never too early for potato bites. It can be breakfast, lunch, or dinner food.

Amy  [00:49:49]:

Indeed, yes.

Chuck  [00:49:51]:

So that would be my experience. And then as soon as I'm done with breakfast, I would probably just hit up Snow White and pinocchio because why not? I'm right there and there's probably going to be no line. But after that, then I would make my way back through the castle down to Main Street. And this would be where I'd probably spend the bulk of my early afternoon kind of midday, where it starts to get kind of hot. Of course, I'm going to duck right into great moments with Mr. Lincoln. We already mentioned that one of my favorite experiences, and it's a great way to beat the heat. So I would go in there. I'd probably spend a good portion of time probably tearing up a little bit. That's just me, probably. But I just have a lot of nostalgia wrapped up in that attraction. I'm sure we'll get into that one day. But great moments with Mr. Lincoln. After that, I would probably grab a snack. Knowing myself, it'd probably be a pickle. And then I would probably head into Main Street cinema for a bit, eat my pickle, watch some classic Mickey Mouse shorts. Again, duck in the heat you know, typically like, you know, it's usually not full, although I feel like the secret's out. Some people will still go in there now because of the air conditioning, but it's a good place to eat a pickle. So there you go. After I've enjoyed said pickle and the Main Street Cinema, I would probably stroll into DisneyAnna right there, look at all of the stuff there. Probably figure out what I'm going to drop all my money on because usually that place takes a good chunk of my cash for the day. So I'll figure that out. Usually that's kind of what I like to do. I sort of figure out what I want to buy, and then I'll usually return later in the day to buy, you know, air condition. And I get know, peruse with my wallet, which Disney loves.

Amy  [00:51:55]:

Yes, they do.

Chuck  [00:51:59]:

You know, after that, I would just stay on Main Street for a little while, take in some of the atmosphere. Maybe if it's open, hit up the Main Street porch and just kind of chill there for a bit and do some people watching, because that's always entertaining. And it's a classic Disneyland trip for me. Then this would be about lunchtime. So I will assume that I will have had the forethought to make my dinner reservation or lunch reservation 60 days in advance. So this would be at the Blue Bayou. I would head over that way because, again, air conditioning. And there's just something amazing about the Blue Bayou atmosphere. I just can't get enough. It just puts me in this great Disneyland mood, I guess. And it's just a perfect way to kind of chill out from the day. I feel like lunch is just perfect. You know we've already had some stuff going on for the day. Like, this is kind of my time to wind down, kind of refresh, get ready for the second half of my day. So Blue Bayou, I would probably get like some pasta. Usually they have some great pasta there. At least that's been my experience. And of course, mint julep. Got to have a mint julep If I'm in New Orleans. So New Orleans square. So after Blue Bayou, depending on the line, I would probably do Pirates of the Caribbean, because why not? It's right there, right? So I would go on that, and then I would take a look probably at Jungle Cruise to see basically, I would just look if the line is on the top platform, not doing it. If the line's not up there, then okay, cool. I might think about it. But yeah. Jungle Cruise. That top area. If that's open in the line, I'm not a fan. Not a fan at all, especially when it's hot.

Amy  [00:53:50]:

yeah.

Chuck  [00:53:52]:

So Jungle Cruise, yay or Nay would just be dependent on that Second floor of the line is open. Otherwise, I'm making my way over to the Tiki Room, grabbing a dole whip, enjoying the Tiki Room. You mentioned it as well. I feel the Tiki Room is just perfect and pair that with the Dole Whip. I'm in heaven, right? It's just.. a perfect day for me of course has to involve a Dole Whip. After that I'm probably going to make my way over to the Mark Twain River Boat and take that around rivers of America because I just enjoy that. Yeah, you just can't beat a trip across rivers of American. It's just so iconic and I love it. So after this it'd be kind of the evening time. I'd start thinking about dinner and this is where I would head to Galaxy's Edge. I'd go to Docking Bay Seven and for me although Disneyland I give myself permission to basically eat whatever I want but I try,I try to eat some plant based when I can. So this is where I would do the Felucian Kefta and Hummus Gardens spread that they have there which is basically impossible Meatballs with some hummus. If we're getting down to Brass tax this is actually pretty good and what I like about it, it's very refreshing. It's not too heavy so I feel like it would be a perfect kind of summertime sort of meal. It pales in comparison to the IthorIan garden loaf they used to sell there. Yeah, but that's a whole other sad tale .

Amy  [00:55:29]:

Don't get me started on that.

Chuck  [00:55:31]:

So delicious. Never will understand why they got rid of it. But I'm left with some meatballs. I can take it, it's refreshing. And of course you pair that with the Phattro drink which as you mentioned one of your favorite cool drinks. So refreshing. And again it's just the perfect drink for summer. I love it. After my dinner, Docking Bay Seven I would then kind of head out back around to Fantasyland. I would specifically go towards small world. I would ride Small World and then of course after Small World I would kind of set up camp there to catch the 630 viewing of Magic Happens the Parade. And then after the parade I would probably hit up Star Tours or Buzz Lightyear, whichever one of those. Probably Buzz Lightyear if i'm being honest because it probably wouldn't have a line although Star Tours would probably be my preferred choice but one of those. And then after that I would head back to Main Street where I'm grabbing a table at Jolly Holiday to prepare for the fireworks. Then I would also once said table is grabbed I would go to Gibson Grill to get my Root Beer Float. I know it's kind of more ice cream. I had the Dole Whip earlier but you know what? This is my perfect Disney day so we're doing all the desserts. It doesn't matter.

Amy  [00:56:52]:

Yes.

Chuck  [00:56:54]:

So I would have my root beer float. I would enjoy Wondrous journeys because of course I've already experienced it on Main Street and to me there's nothing better than sipping on a root beer, being able to sit, watch the fireworks and just kind of take in the music and everything so perfect for me. After that, I'd wait for the crowds to disperse because there's always that craziness where everybody thinks the park is closed after fireworks for whatever reason, so they leave. And once the crowd kind of disperses, then this is where I would head back to the west side of the park and I would hit up Big Thunder Mountain as well as Haunted Mansion. And then after Haunted Mansion, I would head right to the New Orleans train station, hop on the train, take that around, and then again stay on the train, basically until it's the sweeper train. What I love about the sweeper train is it's just so cool, like going around Disneyland when it's like it's just such a different vantage point than what you're used to and seeing, especially when you're in tomorrowland and you're seeing like, autopia shut down and it's just quiet, it's just very serene. I don't know, it's very reflective for me. So that's why I love kind of like that last grand circle tour. And for me, it's just a great way to kind of say goodnight, to end the day, end the trip. So after the train trip, I would exit, go on Main Street, go back into DisneyAnna, buy all of the stuff I scouted out. You know, I would have no money left, of course, and I would probably just sit on a bench until they kicked me out, just taking in the Main Street atmosphere. And, yeah, then I would leave. And that, for me, is my perfect day. Perfect summer's day at Disneyland.

Amy  [00:58:52]:

Nice. Definitely is a good day. And now that you've heard from us, we would love to hear from you. So hop on Instagram, look us up. We are at HelloProject55, and share with us what your perfect day at Disneyland would look like. We can't wait to hear from you.

Chuck  [00:59:14]:

I, for one, can't wait because who knows? There might be a new tradition that I incorporate into my summer trip, something I didn't think about. So I'm always excited to hear new ideas.

Amy  [00:59:24]:

Yeah, can't wait.

Chuck  [00:59:27]:

And with that, I think that about does it for this week. So now it's time to say goodbye. But on behalf of Amy and myself, if you've enjoyed your time with us today, the best way to continue the adventure is to make sure you subscribe and follow the show. You can find out how to do that at helloproject 55. Com. And until then, we'll be back next week with more exciting Disneyland experiences. Take care and we'll see you real soon. Tata.

Amy  [00:59:54]:

Tata For now