With an overlooking view of the Rivers of America and the streets of New Orleans, the Disney Gallery sits high atop the Pirates of the Caribbean full of illustrated Disney history. So climb up those flights of stairs and get ready to feast your eyes on some truly wonderful pieces of art and sculpture. Truly. While you are up there, you may have a strange sensation of feeling at home. What do I mean? The Disney Gallery was originally intended to be living quarters but they never completely reached that stage due to the death of Walt the same year that New Orleans Square opened. Which brings us to today.

At least lately, the Disney Gallery has an ongoing theme. When the Pirates of the Caribbean movie came out there was a focus on Pirates. Lots of artwork and models from the attraction were all over the walls and gallery rooms. In one of the back rooms they had a lot of conceptual artwork from the upcoming movie as well as some models with the theatrical trailer playing. Right now there is a focus on the Haunted Mansion due to the Haunted Mansion Holiday which ended a few months ago and the Haunted Mansion movie (which is coming to home video soon). A lot of conceptual work from the film was up including masks and wardrobe pieces. The concept artwork for the attraction is some really cool stuff. Since the Haunted Mansion was originally going to be a walk through experience it's fun to see all of the concepts that didn't work out with the format that they have now. Before these more current Disney Gallery themes, there are some pieces that stick out in my memory. I can remember an internal model of Space Mountain that I always loved and a scale model of the Orbitron with my uncle's name on the plaque. How cool is that?

I always make an effort to visit the Disney Gallery. The displays are always great to look at if you are any kind of a Disney or Disneyland fan. If you haven't been, you should go. And not that you could miss it, but be sure to take some time in the Gallery Collector's room. There is a lot of cool stuff in there that you just don't want to miss. And just so you know, usually the gallery doesn't open until about noon.

This is a classic piece of Disneyland history. The Disneyland Railroad will take you on a clockwise journey around the perimeter of the park in style. I don't consider a trip to Disneyland complete without a complete ride around the entire park at some point in my day. I usually go at night to enjoy the park in its illuminated brilliance. There are four steam powered locomotives that have been around for decades. The crews of the railroad take their job very seriously and like everything in Disneyland, keep completely true to the original essence of the the attraction. You can almost feel Walt Disney taking a tour in the same train as you. Not much has changed with the Disneyland Railroad over the years. When Mickey's Toontown came into existence, a new station was added in the Toontown theme.

The main station is at Main Street. It's a beautiful station which is one of the first sights as you enter the park. The next stop is here at New Orleans Square. This simple station consists of an overhang and a ticket booth on the opposite side of the tracks. A Morse code message can be heard being tapped from the booth. Many don't realize that this is actually Walt Disney's opening dedication speech being typed out for those waiting. As you then journey towards the Toontown station, you pass through Critter Country catching a glimpse of the Rivers of America and a brief look inside the finale of Splash Mountain. The Toontown station is completely decked out in bright colors and exaggerations appropriate for the theme. The next stop is in Tomorrowland. On the way you pass behind It's a Small World and see a quick look at the botanical gardens. The Tomorrowland station also consists of a simple overhang. But the trip from Tomorrowland to Main Street is the highlight of the ride. As you travel, you enter a large diorama of the Grand Canyon, first looking at the Canyon as it appears today, and then as it may have looked during the time of the Dinosaurs. It's fun and even comes complete with a Tyrannosaurus Rex and Stegosaurus battle. I can remember the diorama from Disneyland visits decades ago. Ahhh the memories...

"When hinges creek in doorless chambers, and strange and frightening sounds echo through the halls... Whenever candlelights flicker where the air is deathly still... That is the time when ghosts are present, practicing their terror with ghoulish delight..."

Near the edge of New Orleans Square, there sits an ominous structure. Appropriate to the New Orleans theme, this mansion overlooks the Rivers of America. The grounds are enclosed by a brick and iron fence, with a tall gate intimidating those who enter. Visitors are warned that this mansion is home to 999 ghosts who creep the hallways and crawl through the walls. Animal gravestones occupy the vegetation before one enters the building and a phantom horse and carriage hold a coffin in its bowels. "Welcome foolish mortals to the Haunted Mansion". And by the way... there is room for one more soul to join them. Are there any volunteers? Just don't lag behind or you won't need to volunteer.

As we enter the foyer, we are welcomed by the omnipresent Ghost Host voice supplied by Disneyland legend Paul Frees. From there we enter a mysterious stretching room that "has no windows and no doors". But an exit soon presents itself and we make our way down a hallway lined with changing portraits and the haunting following stares of a pair of statues. By looking out the hallway windows, one has to be amazed at how the weather has changed outside so quickly. As we enter our Doombuggy carriage we proceed up a staircase and pass through a hallway filled with wall-to-wall creeps. As we enter a much larger room, Madame Leota will try to make contact with the disembodied. We soon find ourselves in a ballroom with dozens of ghosts celebrating a birthday, dancing, dueling, and playing an organ. Don't miss the easy to spot Hidden Mickey on the ballroom table. Before reaching the graveyard outside, the Doombuggies pass through the attic with a lonesome bride who finds many proposals from the surrounding ghosts. The climax of the ride comes upon entering the graveyard and seeing dozens of scenes where ghosts are engaged in all sorts of behavior. A trademark moment comes with a set of statue busts singing Grim Grinning Ghosts. A wonderful little tune. I am humming it now... Oh, and "beware of hitchhiking ghosts". I'm not sure you want one following you home.

The mansion itself actually sat there for years before anything was done with it. It was left sitting there while Walt Disney mentioned on frequent occasions that they were out collecting the ghosts and making the interior one that they would want to inhabit. Originally, Walt wanted to make this attraction a walk-through experience. As the project progressed, it was clear that they needed to take things one step further. Now restricted by the physical limitations of the structure, the elevator effect was created to take guests out of the physical mansion, under the Disneyland Railroad and into an area where the designers were free to let their minds roam. There are countless details about every little piece here and it has such an interesting history.

The Haunted Mansion is a terrific experience and is without a doubt one of my favorite Disneyland attractions of all time. You can't beat it. It has become a part of our culture and is the source of numerous sound bites that everyone knows by heart. There are a few web sites out there that are are dedicated just to this attraction. It has that effect on people. Why? It is just a perfect example of what Disneyland has to offer that other parks don't. It is all about theme and presentation. The effects themselves aren't necessarily anything impressive on their own. It is the sum of their masses that contribute to the success of the Haunted Mansion. Many people love the Haunted Mansion. As a result, the line can get pretty long. There are FastPasses available just to the left, so you might want to check those out. If that FastPass area wasn't so crowded I could just sit there in that area, listen to the music, watch people go by, and look at the Mansion. If there isn't a line for FastPasses, go to that area and you'll see what I mean.

If you have the opportunity, you should check out the 30th Anniversary Haunted Mansion CD. It is available on Main Street and a few other merchandise locations. It includes the soundtrack to the entire attraction as well as segments from the Haunted Mansion in Florida and Japan, and the Phantom Manor in Europe. Unused material, sound effects, outtakes, advertisements, and even an introduction from Walt Disney are all included. There is a special edition limited to 999 copies, which has an extra sound effects track and is signed by X. Atencio (wrote lyrics to Grim Grinning Ghosts) and Buddy Baker (composed the entire score). They are very hard to find and I'm not planning on giving mine away any time soon. It's a great way to celebrate one of the best pieces of Disneyland history and we can only hope that the Haunted Mansion stays around for at least another 30 years.

This is one of a few attractions where I have a lot more material than I can present to you. There are more pictures, sounds, music, and information that I would love to show you. Hopefully sometime in the future I will have more online space to provide it. If you have a love for the Haunted Mansion like I do, be sure to take a look at Doombuggies.com which I think is pretty much the definitive site on this attraction. I also recommend the book The Haunted Mansion: From the Magic Kingdom to the Movies by Jason Surrell. It's great reading and covers every version of the attraction from the different parks and touches on the recent Eddie Murphy movie. It also has pictures that I haven't seen anywhere else. It's a great book for your literary collection.

From the bright light outside you step in through the doors of the Pirates of the Caribbean. Immediately a rush of cool air flows over your skin. It is dark and cool inside with a hint of mustiness. In front of you is a small path of water with an island loaded with pirate booty and a talking parrot. As you continue forward in the darkness you approach Laffite's landing where you and your brave group sit themselves down in an empty boat and get shoved off into the bayou. A relaxing float through the bayou puts you at ease until you meet up a skull and crossbones warning you of what is to come. Dead men tell no tales... The relaxing float turns south when you drop down a couple of waterfalls and deep into pirate territory. The remnants of past life line the caverns. And before you know it... Pirates, pirates everywhere. In front of our very eyes, they wage war on a fort before eventually pillaging and burning it to the ground. Hey... It's a pirates life for me.

Pirates of the Caribbean was the last project that Walt Disney worked on for Disneyland before his death in 1966. He never saw the finished project. However it still was a milestone in attractions. Classic storytelling elements were combined with state of the art technology to create an experience that few have seen anywhere else. No attraction of this type (that I've ever seen) has been able to live up to the standard that Pirates set. Of course through the years, some effects were replaced with more advanced ones and the system was eventually replaced with a digital one which allowed even more control and realism. There is so much detail that more than one visit is required to catch everything. Creators of the project even made face casts of themselves to use as characters. Now that's really putting yourself into your work. As I previously mentioned under the Haunted Mansion heading, this is another true example of Disneyland Magic. All of these pieces come together to form something unforgettable. You love it as a kid and you love it as an adult. And as you know, this Pirates' Magic and legend has recently continued past Disneyland and into the movies. Hey, everyone knows the song, "Yo Ho Yo Ho".

This attraction is a favorite worldwide and hasn't just stayed in Disneyland but has made it's way to other parks. But the Disneyland version will always be my favorite. The wait might get a little long and you may need to take advantage of the FastPass System, but the wait is always worth it. The ride is approximately 15 minutes long which really gives you a lot for your money. And on hot summer days, it's the next best place to be other than Splash Mountain. On a side note... Do you think that Laffite is the old man in the bayou? Regardless, consider Pirates of the Caribbean a must visit for your trip. Yes. It's worth it.

This room is a collector's dream. When you enter the Disney Gallery, it's that first room to your right. As I mentioned earlier, the theme of the Disney Gallery changes on occasion. Right now the focus is on the Haunted Mansion due largely to the Haunted Mansion Holiday that ended not to long ago and the Haunted Mansion movie that was out in theaters. So right now you can find all sorts of Haunted Mansion material available for purchase, from clothing to figurines. I have to say that the stuff is pretty cool. But the selection is not limited to the current Disney Gallery focus. There are many great books available for purchase such as ones that cover Disney history in greater detail. There are also many that cover the life and times of Walt Disney, and go into more specifics such as trivia and the Pirates of the Caribbean.

One thing that you don't want to miss is the Print on Demand kiosks. Just sit down (or stand) at one of the consoles and take a look at all the prints that are available for purchase. Rather than keep a stock of the prints rolled in the back, you order the poster that you want and they will print it out for you to pick up later. In a recent case, I wanted Haunted Mansion and Pirates attraction posters. I actually had them sent to my home so I wouldn't have to carry them around. It's a great system and it's fun to play with even if you don't go and buy something. Most of, if not all of the pictures you see in the rest of the gallery are available for purchase through this system. Prints come in varies sizes and you can choose whether you want your print on canvas or art paper. Canvas is much more expensive but it looks almost like a painting. Framing is also available if you would like. I chose to do that myself to cut down on cost. This is also the counter to come to if you are interested in purchasing tickets for Fantasmic where you can sit out on the balcony and watch the show and have a warm snack. Don't miss this store... Great stuff.

The past few years have brought us the Haunted Mansion Holiday during the fall months. I don't have to tell you how neat that is. Those events have sparked up an enormous interest again in the Nightmare Before Christmas. If you haven't seen the movie, then stop reading and go see it. It's that simple. There used to be a cart that was outside of the Haunted Mansion exit that had a bunch of Nightmare items for sale during the holiday season, but I believe that proved to be a little too crowded for such a busy area. So what we have now is the Le Bat en Rouge. This store used to be somewhere else in New Orleans Square and sold different merchandise, but I like what they've done with it lately much more.

Located next to the Royal Street Veranda, this good sized store has tons of Nightmare material. There are plenty of shirts, sweatshirts, pins, decorative lights, books, videos and posters. Some of the figurines for sale are pretty awesome too. I also like the way the store looks. There are some giant figures outside the store but the interior is done up nicely with nets and lights. It's just a cool looking store. As a side note, Disney closed the Villain Store in Fantasyland a while ago and they brought some of this merchandise over to this store. I miss the Villain Store personally. It was a great store, but I suppose this will have to do. If you love the Nightmare Before Christmas like I do, I'm sure you can find at least something in here that you can't live without.

The Blue Bayou Restaurant has been a favorite among guests for years. It's also a favorite Disneyland stop for me as well. Reservations are recommended. Due to the popularity of the restaurant, these reservations get taken quickly. If you are interested in eating here (which I highly recommend), I would suggest making reservations first thing in the morning. You can also make Priority Seating arrangements in advance by calling Disney Dining at (714) 781-3463. During non-peak seasons, dinner is not usually served. It depends on the hours of the park. So what makes this place so great? Well, what really sets this restaurant apart from the others is the location and menu selection.

It is located inside the Pirates of the Caribbean near the loading dock. The New Orleans scene is set with the simulated outside eating experience situated next to the Blue Bayou. Lanterns and table candles light the eating area with the brief glimpses of fireflies in the distance. Once in a while a jazz band will visit the restaurant playing from a balcony nearby.

The menu has many delicious items. To be perfectly honest, there is only one item I order, and probably will ever order. If you stop here for lunch, do not pass up the Monte Cristo sandwich. It is the best that I have anywhere. If you aren't familiar with a Monte Cristo, it's basically a ham and cheese sandwich deep-fat-fried, then topped with powdered sugar and served with jelly on the side. Nobody seems to make them like the Blue Bayou Restaurant. But if you chose something else from the menu, I don't think you will be disappointed, and the dinner menu is just as good as the lunch menu. Keep in mind that this is one of, if not the most expensive place to eat in the park and expect to spend at least $20-$25 per person. Regardless, this stop is an incredible addition to the Disneyland experience.

Welcome to New Orleans. The Big Easy welcomes you with open arms and invites you to come and sit with us and enjoy a fine meal. Come inside please and see what we have to offer you. We have a wonderful selection with items such as French dips, fried chicken, soups and salads, and beef stew in our sourdough bread bowl. Sounds delicious doesn't it? Don't forget to take a nice look around inside because you may find some other things like shrimp cocktail and shrimp salad and jambalaya to you liking. Drinks? Deserts? They are all here too. Just speak to one of our servers behind the counter and they will hand you a hot plate and direct you up to the register. Thank you for dining with us here at the French Market Restaurant. We hope to see you again soon.

As you leave indoors with your food you come to a nice patio outside. There are colored awnings above you that can be pulled down or retracted, covering the patio (depending on the occasion of course). There are many places to sit all with a perfect view of the stage where if you are lucky, one of the talented bands will bring the jazz of New Orleans to you while you dine. I like eating here. The beef stew is pretty good and I usually get a side salad and that's usually enough. I've also had some of the shrimp which isn't too bad either. The French Market is the largest place to eat in the area (not counting the Blue Bayou) and has some pretty good food that I think you'll be happy with.
-Hosted by Stouffers-

When I was a kid, my mom loved to come to this window during our yearly Disneyland trip and pick up an order of fritters. For some reason I really remember that and the memory stuck. Of course my memory is probably much stronger than reality. If I were to ask her about it she probably wouldn't think anything of it, but I remember. It's just one of those family memories that I look upon fondly. I'm sure you have some like that too.

You can get fritters here or at the the Royal Street Veranda. If you don't know what they are or if you've never had them, they are 3 light and fluffy pastry balls covered in cinnamon and sugar. You also get fruit dipping sauce that's really good just on its own. I highly recommend them. But listen to me ramble on about fritters. This is the Mint Julep Bar. I'm not a big Mint Julep fan but if you have an inkling for one, may I suggest this window in the side of the French Market Restaurant. It's tucked away a little bit. So look for the bathrooms in New Orleans Square and you're almost right upon it. You can also get espresso and ice cream here along with a few other tidbits. Enjoy the bar I says.

The Royal Street Veranda is a small window right below the Disney Gallery on the New Orleans side of the stairway. There are only a couple of lines at this window which is located right next to Le Bat en Rouge. This place is all about the bread bowls and fritters. You know what I think about fritters so I won't go into those. There's usually a big sign in the area that says "Gumbo". It's hard to miss. Visit the Royal Street Veranda if you would like some steak gumbo or even vegetarian gumbo. There's clam chowder to be had as well. All of which are served in those sourdough bread bowls. They always look so tasty but I can never finish that whole thing. Because it's a smaller window that usually isn't too crowded you can get your food (if this is what you are looking for) faster than if you went next door to the cafeteria style line at Cafe Orleans. There are some spaces to eat right in that area or you could always move down a bit and try to find seating at Cafe Orleans or the French Market Restaurant. The space in front of the window gets pretty crowded sometimes because this is a spot for beads to be thrown down to people from the balconies above. So maybe move down a bit if you want some more space.