Unauthorized Fun: The Stormy Weather Tour

So it's been raining, here in sunny Southern California, and we're all a little confused. It kinda makes me envy those Annual Passholders who are in college or whatever and can just jet down to the park whenevs, because Disneyland is lovely in the rain. It's cool, much of the crowd dissipates, and it's especially nice after dark, with all the lights reflecting in the wet pavement.

But if you think about it...every day at Disneyland is a stormy one, at least if you use your imagination. A surprisingly high number of attractions use storm imagery to set the mood, drive the plot, and/or shake things up. Howling winds, torrential rains, thunderbolts—all these can be found in abundance throughout the park, in the form of special and practical effects. With a little creative planning, you could spin a little “meta-story” out of some of them.

And creativity is, after all, what my Unauthorized Fun category is all about!

It does not need to be literally raining for you to take advantage of this unofficial tour; in fact, you'll have more control over the beats of the “story” if there's no real weather to contend with. On the other hand, a little real rain wont hurt you either. It's just for fun, after all.

Let's start the tour!

Unauthorized Fun: Inhale the Pep Catastrophe!

It will surprise approximately none of you to learn that I am a big nerd for all kinds of things, not just Disney theme parks.* One of the things that tickles my fancy from time to time is anagrams: the art of rearranging the letters in a word or phrase to create a different word or phrase, ideally one that relates to the source in some way. Anagrams make great puzzle clues, or even the puzzles themselves.

So what could be better than a list of Disneyland-related anagrams?** I created these with the help of various online resources. Feel free to take them with you on your next trip to the resort to pass the time while waiting in those interminable queues. The solution to each one is the name of an attraction, themed area, or other major feature in the Disneyland Resort. An answer key is available upon request,*** but to make things just a tad easier for the Disneyland anagrammonaut, I've listed them in alphabetical order by solution (so you can rule out certain rearrangements once you get going).

Or you could just cheat by inputting them into an anagram website on your smartphone. Either way, enjoy!

WANDER...NEON...ILL? ACID????

UNEARTH MINING DOUBT

FIND REEVALUATION ARC

CULINARY CHARACTER ART SET

LEND TEN HOLIDAYS

DESTROY DARN LINES

INHUMAN AD NOTES

INTO THERAPY HERE

AN AVENUE RAN DISJOINTED

A RAW VARMINT BROKE IT

MONSTER BEHOLDS BRAT

SEERS WARN: NO EQUAL

HE REAP BEST FABRICATION

SPARRING CARS: I, ROADSTER

REWORKED CODE

USABLY ELEGANT EPIC SET

A MAP CONTINUES

ANIMAL SHUNS POT

SOUR START

MOON WORLD ART

* And LEGOs. And Disney films.

** Answer: Lots of things.

*** For a nominal fee, I will include my forced, convoluted explanation as to how each anagram relates to the solution.

Unauthorized Fun: Lunar New Year Zodiac Tour

Last-minute inspiration, ACTIVATE!

I'm not joking about the above, by the way. I didn't have any idea what to write about this week until...sometime around mid-day on Friday. Yeah. But then I remembered that we just had the Lunar New Year, which has become a bona-fide Thing at the Disneyland Resort in recent years. The “official” celebrations can be found in California Adventure, where all the cool kids go for their multicultural fix, but this installment of Unauthorized Fun takes place on the other side of the Esplanade.

It's not because of Disneyland favoritism...at least, not entirely. It's mainly because there are just more animals over there.

The concept behind this unofficial tour is pretty simple: Cycle through the entire Eastern Zodiac by seeing a Disneyland attraction for each animal...one where said animal shows up, in case that wasn't clear. Just to keep things interesting, I decided to see if I could find a different attraction for each, because honestly? You could check off practically the entire list from “it's a small world” alone, and while that might be fun for me, because I adore that ride...most people are going to start squirming around halfway through the second go-around.

Since we just embarked upon the Year of the Dog, I'll set things up so we end there. Here's what I came up with!

Unauthorized Fun – Kingdom Hearts Tour

A funny thing happened about five minutes after I submitted last week's post. I suddenly remembered that when Kingdom Hearts was new—well, newer than it is today*—I actually had a silly idea for a “Kingdom Hearts tour,” where you would visit attractions in the same order as you visit the corresponding “worlds” in the game.

And...why not? I'm distracted this week, it's been a while since I offered up any Unauthorized Fun, and we're just entering the time of year where you can actually experience this ride plan to its fullest extent. So here it is: The Disneyland Resort Kingdom Hearts Tour!

Unauthorized Fun: Hidden Mickeys

You don't hear as much about Hidden Mickeys as you used to. Hunting down these subtle images of or references to Mickey Mouse placed around Disney theme parks used to be a major pastime of Annual Passholders and other major fans, but the furor seems to have died down. In all probability, the phenomenon was a victim of its own success—it caught on to the extent that several guidebooks were published, taking away much of the joy of discovery. It's hard to get excited about a “secret” that a million people are privy to by virtue of having spent twelve dollars on a book. Not to mention, having access to such resources sped up the process immensely. Many people probably feel there's no point in continuing to look once you've gone through the entire list.

I still find some entertainment value in seeking them out, possibly because I eschew those same guidebooks. For one thing, it's impossible for them to stay up-to-date—a waggish Cast Member can create a new, semi-permanent Hidden Mickey in a matter of minutes, while a minor renovation can obliterate a long-standing one in a day. No book can come out with new editions that fast. For another thing...even to the extent that they are current, I find such books a little untrustworthy—there is too much of a tendency to take fan consensus for granted instead of “vetting” individual Hidden Mickeys for plausibility.

Unauthorized Fun – Easter Bunny Hunt Tour

I sure do love Disneyland...but I definitely don't always love the way Management tries to gouge the guests. I'm not talking about above-standard prices for food or prominently placed souvenir shops. That's par for the course for any theme park, and at least at Disneyland, the food is decent and the souvenirs don't fall apart during the drive home.

I'm talking about the way they charge you upwards of a hundred bucks a head just to walk through the front gate...and then spend the day trying to upsell you all these little “magical” add-ons. Character Dining. VIP viewing for parades and shows. Disney Vacation Club memberships, for Pete's sake. And the advertising all heavily insinuates that if you don't buy these things, if you just go to freaking Disneyland and ride some freaking rides and meet some freaking characters after waiting in line like normal humans, then you and/or your kids are missing out and your visit isn't truly magical and I'd better stop before I vomit. Seriously, can you believe these people?

I've got news for them...and for any potential guests who might be suckered in by the marketing copy: It is Disneyland. It's magical just as it is, without expensive add-ons. Is it fun to have Goofy come pal around with you during dinner? Sure. But it's not necessary in order to have a top-notch visit to the park.

I think there are two groups of people who fall for the...let's call it the Extended Warranty model of Disneyland visiting. There are those who are vacationing from out of state, who have never been before (or not for many years) and may never get to visit again, and who not only want to absolutely maximize their trip, but have little to no idea what do to without help, and turn to the readiest source of help available: Disneyland's own website.

I'm not really talking to them. (They're probably not going to read this blog anyway.) This is for the second group. These are the people who visit Disneyland often and know damn well what they're doing...but maybe visit so often that a normal, ride-some-rides-and-meet-some-characters kind of day doesn't always quite do it. So they maybe consider buying some extra goodies in order to jazz things up. If that's really what you want to do and you will accept no substitutes...I guess I can't help you. But if you're conflicted—if you need ideas for ways to spice up your otherwise routine visits to the park without further enriching those money-grubbing jerks—then I am pleased to introduce Unauthorized Fun, a post category for doing just that. In posts with this label, you'll find ideas for Disneyland-based games, activities, and “quests” that won't cost you a dime extra...or if they do, it won't be many dimes, and they won't be funneled directly into Bob Iger's pockets.

And now, without further ado...