You’ll be able to tour Walt Disney’s residence at Disneyland — however is the $160 value price it?
Whereas among the hundreds of thousands of friends who file into the gates of Disneyland annually know little concerning the park past its rides, others are fairly acquainted with the additional touches hidden in plain sight. For instance, some are conscious that Walt Disney had an residence positioned proper on Most important Avenue USA. They could additionally know {that a} lamp stays on within the window of that residence as an emblem of the well-known animator’s still-present legacy within the parks.
What even devoted guests may not notice is that this historic area is now accessible through a brand new tour. As a visitor on Walt’s Most important Avenue Story Tour, you will step inside Disney’s residence and be taught all concerning the animator and his life at Disneyland within the Nineteen Fifties.
In contrast to Disney VIP excursions, you will not have to shell out 1000’s of {dollars} to peek into Disney’s residence. All that is required is a $160 per individual tour price and proof of a legitimate park reservation and admission for a similar day. Advance bookings should not obligatory, although they’re extremely advisable and may be made forward of time (as much as 60 days earlier than your go to).
Being the Disney historical past fanatic that I’m, I’ve at all times been curious to see what Disney’s residence seemed like. So, after I discovered {that a} current journey to Disneyland would happen shortly after the launch of Walt’s Most important Avenue Story Tour, I couldn’t resist an opportunity to stroll contained in the animator’s former house.
This is what Walt’s Most important Avenue Story Tour was like — and whether or not the brand new expertise is definitely worth the value.
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An summary of Walt Disney’s residence
As you might count on, the primary draw of Walt’s Most important Avenue Story Tour is to see the previous house of Walt Disney. Added within the Nineteen Fifties whereas Disneyland was underneath building, the residence served as a handy spot from which Disney might maintain tabs on the park’s progress when he was not busy making a few of Walt Disney Studios’ most iconic films. By finding the residence instantly contained in the park, Disney might scale back his time spent commuting and extra effectively are inclined to his many initiatives.
Constructed above Disneyland’s hearth station on Most important Avenue USA, Disney’s in-park abode was designed to appear and feel totally different from his most important residence. It featured a Victorian-inspired theme with tufted furnishings, ornate white columns, a mixture of antiques and daring pink carpet and drapes.
Whereas it was initially created as a spot for Disney to remain for work, it was continuously utilized by his household throughout Disneyland visits after the park opened in 1955, as this 1962 picture exhibits. On this picture, Disney and his spouse, Lillian Disney, are having fun with the area with three of their grandchildren.
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Regardless of the small dimension of the residence — which I instantly observed after I visited — the 500-square-foot abode served its goal, providing solely a front room, a kitchen, a toilet and a dressing room. Because the story goes, because of the lack of a correct mattress, Walt and Lillian slept on couches on reverse sides of the primary room throughout their stays on the property.
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What to anticipate throughout Walt’s Most important Avenue Story Tour at Disneyland
To start out the tour, head to the park entrance finish of Most important Avenue USA. That is the place you will discover a tucked away space with a bit gazebo workplace referred to as “Tour Gardens.”
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Once I arrived to examine in for the tour, I used to be requested about my snack preferences earlier than being given each a neck tag and a listening machine so I might higher hear the tour information’s insights whereas strolling round Most important Avenue.
Our tour started with a 10-minute go to to the Disney Gallery, the place a map of what Disneyland seemed like on opening day was on show. It was right here that we discovered extra about what impressed the design of Most important Avenue USA.
We then walked round Most important Avenue for about 10 minutes, getting some tidbits concerning the thoroughfare’s design.
As soon as we have been roughly 25 minutes into the tour, we made our option to the firehouse. By this level, the anticipation was constructing, because the eight of us on the tour knew that this probably meant we have been minutes away from strolling backstage, going up the staircase and rising in Disney’s iconic residence. With every step, our anticipation grew much more.
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Upon coming into the residence, we proceeded to spend between 30 and 40 minutes all the pieces in awe whereas studying about all that lay inside (underneath watchful eyes, after all).
A lot to my disappointment, tourgoers should not permitted to take images whereas within the residence and should maintain all of their belongings on one aspect of the wall close to the doorway to make sure no footage are being secretly snapped. Nonetheless, a Disney PhotoPass photographer does seem about 20 minutes into your time within the residence to take some images. The price of the tour covers all digital photographs you obtain from this service through your Disneyland app.
To wrap up the tour, we ventured out onto the residence’s patio for 20 minutes. That is the place you’re given a specially-themed, lemon-flavored cookie and a soda of your option to get pleasure from as you take heed to the sounds of Most important Avenue down beneath.
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A parade occurred to go by whereas we have been up there, so the scene was notably full of life throughout our go to. For only a temporary second as my eyes have been closed, I felt like I might absolutely think about what Disney skilled as he watched passersby from that perch.
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Is the tour inside Walt Disney’s residence price it?
As a die-hard Disney fanatic who enjoys studying all about Walt Disney and the historical past of the parks, I didn’t hesitate to spend $160 to go inside this residence. The snack break and extra historical past supplied round Most important Avenue have been merely added bonuses so far as I used to be involved.
That mentioned, not everybody will really feel the identical as me. If $160 looks like a great commerce to you to achieve entry to an unique a part of Disneyland, then odds are you will benefit from the tour as a lot as I did. Between the insider info gleaned in the course of the tour and the memento images supplied by the Disney PhotoPass photographer, there have been many moments from the expertise that I will cherish perpetually.
Nonetheless, should you’re not elevating a budding Disney historian, then this tour probably is not going to be applicable or entertaining sufficient for anybody youthful than 12. The identical might even be mentioned for older tweens and youths, relying on how fascinated they’re with Disney historical past. I didn’t convey my youngsters on the tour because it wouldn’t have been a great use of cash or their time within the park to take action, although I hope that adjustments as soon as they’re a bit older.
If there’s something concerning the tour I want was totally different, it is that it was a bit lengthy. By reducing among the snack time or skipping the half about Most important Avenue USA to convey the 90-minute tour time down to 1 hour, extra time could possibly be spent on different fascinating points of the park’s historical past, corresponding to how among the opening day rides got here to be. In an ideal world, I would love for the tour to be structured like Disney’s Keys to the Kingdom Tour at Disney World, however now I am nitpicking.
So is Walt’s Most important Avenue Story Tour completely price signing up for? Finally, that may rely in your private pursuits and price range.
For those who or any of your park companions should not that into Disney historical past or would quite spend your cash elsewhere, then you definately’ll probably need to skip this tour. There is no hurt in transferring proper previous the illuminated lamp above the Most important Avenue hearth station so you may get pleasure from extra time in Galaxy’s Edge or an additional trip in your favourite modern-day Disneyland attraction.
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