Tag: Carousel

The Often Untold Story of the “Disney” Carousels

by Guide4WDW

by: guide4wdw – Collin

For many of us, a Disney Carousel is a signal that you’ve officially reached Fantasyland when walking through the parks, but very few know the backstory and the connection the Carousels have to Walt Disney himself. Come to find out, one particular ride could have even led to the entire vision of Disneyland in the first place. While some believe that conclusion could be a stretch, it’s hard to pass up the incredible detail and story involved with such a simple aspect of the Disney parks. 

As the story goes, Walt Disney once took his daughter out to Griffith Park as he did fairly frequently during his time away from animation and production in Los Angeles. As he sat on a bench watching the crowds and taking in the scene, he realized that a majority of the people in the park were sitting around watching their kids have a good time. To Walt, something seemed out of place, and he came to the realization that the adults and their kids should have a place to go to have fun together. The theme parks didn’t have to be for children OR for adults, but rather a place for everyone to be a kid again for even a short period of time. He wanted a place that people could leave the troubles of life behind and just enjoy for even a few minutes some time without any worries!  


So, being the genius entrepreneur Walt had proved himself to be, he took the idea and ran with it and we all know what that turned into today. While that vision may not be completely the same as it once was, the Disney company still strives to present a first class experience to each and every guest. Thankfully, the story of the Carousels doesn’t end with just one story. 

As you may know, that very same Griffith Park ride became the inspiration for the Disneyland Carousel that many of us have enjoyed for over 60 years! While Walt Disney had a vision, he strived to make that vision a reality in a way that very few people are capable of doing. He had developed experience from his backyard miniature railroad, the Carolwood Pacific, and already had a loyal following of friends and family that he entertained week by week. Then, he just took the next step and developed Disneyland from a simple idea that developed from Griffith Park! It definitely wasn’t an easy process and one that was plagued by financial barriers, but the results speak for themselves and offer a lesson to each and everyone one of us to never give up on our dreams. 
While that’s the story of Disneyland’s Carousel or at least part of it, Walt Disney World’s Prince Charming Regal Carousel has a story of it’s own. While building the Magic Kingdom, the search develop for a Carousel that would be feature prominently in the park. When they found the best option, it happened to be in Maplewood, New Jersey, at Olympic Park. However, the attraction was far from perfect. It was originally built in 1917 and clearly needed an update. Imagineering went to work and successfully refurbished the entire attraction from the bottom up. A new theme was developed, and in a way the refurbishment continues even today. 
Each and every day, the Carousel is continually updated. Each of the horses is painted on a cycle with reserve horses filling in the gaps. Each “ride vehicle” is hand painted and kept up to date in a way that most guests would never realize the slight changes in day to day operations. The attraction never needs to be down for long refurbishments as result and rumor has it that even the beams holding the horses are polished each and every night to avoid discoloration and deterioration over time. 

As you can imagine, it must be an elaborate process, but one of the most rewarding jobs in the parks. You would quite literally be keeping history alive. So, next time you’re on the Carousel at Disneyland or Walt Disney World be sure to appreciate the history and enjoy the attraction in a way that you’ve never quite experienced it before. After all, it is the oldest attraction at Walt Disney World (although technically the Roy O. Disney steam train was built in February 1916, one year before the Carousel) and it still functions flawlessly to this day!


As always, thanks for reading and be sure to share with friends on Facebook, retweet on twitter, and like our posts on Instagram. 

Why you shouldn’t “over plan” your Disney Vacation

by Guide4WDW
Why you shouldn’t “over plan” your Disney Vacation 
twitter: @guide4disney
instagram: @guide4disney



There’s really two kinds of people in the Disney community. Those who plan obsessively and those who don’t plan at all. While neither of those vacation strategies are necessarily a bad way to do things, it certainly makes a difference in the overall quality of your individual vacation. However, over planning can be detrimental to a vacation in more then one way.

For example, in many cases, a Disney vacation is planned out months and sometimes years in advance. Planning in advance is great and makes a huge difference within the realm of availability and reservations both within the parks as well as at the resorts, but going overboard can have the reverse effect. 

When you have that list of everything that “has to be done” there’s no time to step back and “smell the roses”. Truth be told, that could very well be one of the greatest highlights of any Disney vacation. Next time you’re in the parks, take a minute to set all the plans aside and just listen and observe for just a few minutes. You may very well be amazed by what you observe. The busy crowds tend to fade away as they race to their next attraction and for just a few minutes you get to experience first hand, “the Disney difference”. You get to see all the details that you overlooked running from attraction to attraction, the sounds you’ve heard but never truly listened to before, and you get to witness one of the greatest aspects of a Disney vacation, the joy on the faces of those around you. 

There’s no other place in the world that so many happy people are gathered in one place. Somehow though, it doesn’t really hit you until you just take a moment to observe every little detail of what’s going on around you. It truly is an incredible feeling and it’s those memories that keep so many of us returning to Walt Disney World. When you really think about it, a Disney vacation isn’t about the attractions, it isn’t about the food (as good as the food really is!), and it isn’t even necessarily about the place, but rather the memories that the place creates! We don’t remember the wait time of our favorite attraction being two hours longer then normal, or that our hotel room wasn’t perfect when we checked in. We remember the looks on the faces of the people we care the most about as they stare wide-eyed at the castle, or swim in the pool at the resort, or when they ride the monorail for the very first time. These are things that can’t be planned for, no matter how hard so many of us try. 
So, I’m not saying you should “wing it”, but rather you should take time to enjoy the simple aspects that make a Disney vacation different than a time anywhere else! That truly is the Disney difference, but it’s something you really have to experience to completely understand. I can’t guarantee that your vacation will be perfect, but I can guarantee that a Disney vacation will create memories that will last a lifetime and isn’t that what it’s all about?(picture: Walt Disney World’s Boardwalk Resort)     

When Walt Disney formulated the idea for Disneyland, he didn’t do it for the attractions, or even his love of trains, but rather due to an idea that he had spending time with his daughter at a run down amusement park (more on that in my next blog). His goal was to create a place where parents and kids could have fun together and when it comes right down to it, that’s what its all about. 


As always, thanks for reading and be sure to share with friends on twitter/instagram/facebook or any other way! If you’re interested, I also have a book available on amazon.com called “The Adventurer’s Guide to Walt Disney World” for even more Disney information, history, tips and tricks to Walt Disney World!