Disney Enters Its Second Century with More Magic

One year ago, Disney celebrated its 100th anniversary. What began as a storytelling enterprise that sprung from the fecund imagination of Walt Disney evolved into what should be considered the most successful entertainment brand in human history. As its second century launches, we can only wonder what thrills and evolutions will emerge from the Magic Kingdom.

Already, a number of “wow” elements are integrated into the multiple touch points a visitor will have to a Disney destination. Recently, my family and some friends ventured to Disneyland to experience the new and old of the Southern California theme park. The visit took place about a year after we spent time at Disney World and Disney Hollywood Studios in Orlando, Florida. So, memories were fresh, and comparisons were easy to make. There are similarities to the Disney experience that carry through the parks, and in some cases the Disney Cruise Line, too.

Disney Powers Forward with High Tech

Getting to most out of any Disney adventure requires knowledge of the technology associated with the brand. With the theme parks, a Disney app is essential for saving time. Whether you’re at Disneyland or Disney World, you can download an app for the specific theme park. With it, you receive wait time for rides and can purchase a Lightning Lane option ($30 USD per ticket, per day) that allows you to skip the lineups. That’s a potentially massive time-saver when you want to experience the most popular rides — such as Star Wars’ Smugglers Run that allows you the chance to sit in the cockpit of the Millennium Falcon as you zoom through an interstellar adventure. With Lightning Lane integrated into your Disney theme park app, you can reserve a time for the ride of your choice, if it’s not been fully booked for the day of your visit. The problem with Lightning Lane is that you can’t reserve a time for another ride until you’ve completed your most recent booking, which can be hours ahead in the day. So almost inevitably park guests will find themselves stuck in a queue for at least one ride they desire.

Despite its restrictions, Lightning Lane does work. Your phone is effectively your ticket and you simply tap it against an electronic reader that confirms your reservation and you can then enter the ride of that you reserved.

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The theme park apps also alert you to performances, character encounters, and availability at restaurants. There are maps and a number of tips that help guests efficiently tour Disney. Photos can be uploaded with special effects added to embellish the fantasy elements of the park visit. For example, my son and his friends received a photo showing them surrounded by TRACE-E bots — the mini arachnid-looking robots that are part of the “Spidey & His Amazing Friends” animated series.

Other apps to get to know include the Disney Cruise Line (DCL) Navigator app, which is a must for managing your on-board experience, including pre-arrival check-in. It’s particularly handy for those wanting to get a cabin on the Disney Destiny, the newest DCL ship that launches in September with a sailing to the Caribbean. [Read about the Disney Wish holiday experience.]

Disneyland Connects with Nostalgia

What I found remarkable on my visit to Disneyland was how much a part of the neighbourhood the park feels. Unlike the Orlando parks, where driving is necessary if you’re not staying at an on-site resort, Disneyland is within walking distance of unaffiliated and economical hotels — as well as Disney-branded properties.

While there are people-moving shuttles that carry guests around each park, it’s not difficult to walk the entirety of Disneyland and Disney California Adventure in a single day, depending on the number of people in your family and how much you want to see. Our group had children who were between three and six years old, and who weren’t tall enough or mature enough for all of the rides. So managing their schedule was much easier than if they were older and wanted a turn on all of the most popular rides.

It was the spellbinding quality of being there that kept the kids rapt. The smallness of Disneyland, compared to its Orlando cousins, appealed to me because of the ease of navigating through the day but also because of the nostalgic features of the park. There’s a sense of Disney from its nascent days, before its global domination. The Anaheim version of Cinderella’s castle is 77 feet tall, less than half the size of Disney World’s 189-foot version. While there are new rides, there are a significant amount of classics and experiences that make you feel the quaintness of Disney, which makes the escape from the busy streets beyond the gates all the more endearing.

There’s also Downtown Disney, a half-mile stretch of about 30 attractive retail stores and restaurants that separates the original Magic Kingdom from the newer Disney California Adventure theme park. That latter park is where Marvel fans will find the Avengers Campus, a superhero-themed section that includes Spider-man doing high-flying acrobatics before leaping down to greet fans.

Disney Appeals to Grown-ups

A significant part of Disney’s most recent success has been its ability to broaden its appeal to accommodate adults and their tastes. During my visit, there was a celebration of California wine inside the theme park, which allowed parents and grandparents to have a moment of connoisseurship amid all the action of the rides and the fantasy of the character meet-ups. There’s also a permanent beer garden where craft brews from the state are served. In the theme park and in Downtown Disney, restaurants offer better fare than kid-friendly pizzas, hot dogs, and chicken strips. Star Wars fans will adore Oga’s Cantina, which features galactically good cocktails.

The culinary ambitiousness is increasingly a trend for Disney. Many of the cruise ships now have restaurants connected to Michelin-starred chefs and some that cater to adults only. At Disneyland, acclaimed Din Tai Fung, the Shanghai-based dumpling restaurant that specializes in xiaolongbao, opened on July 1, adding to the dining choices in Downtown Disney.

No matter what tech gizmos and new adventures Disney dreams up for the rest of the 21st century and beyond, the sense of togetherness that the company has managed to foster among families seems certain to remain firm and ever present. More than anything, even Mickey Mouse’s iconic ears, that’s the mark that Disney has successfully managed to leave for its first 100 years — spinning the idea of fun into moments that somehow manage to transcend the artificial and make connections between young and old that feel real and binding.

 

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