Guide Tour of New Orleans Square, Disneyland Park, California, United States
New Orleans Square is a themed land found at Disneyland Park in Anaheim, California. Based on 19th-century New Orleans, Louisiana, the roughly three-acre area was the first land to be added to Disneyland after the park’s opening, at a cost of $18 million.
It is exclusive to Disneyland Park, New Orleans Square is based on 19th-century New Orleans, opened on July 24, 1966. It is home to Pirates of the Caribbean and the Haunted Mansion, with nighttime entertainment Fantasmic!. This area is the home of the private Club 33.
The word “square” is a bit of a misnomer, since the area does not resemble a traditional urban plaza as much as an intricate series of “streets” that weave around shops, restaurants and the Pirates of the Caribbean show building. At one point, it included the only overnight accommodations in the park open to the public, the now closed Disneyland Dream Suite.
Plans to include a New Orleans-themed area were made in the late 1950s as a part of an expansion and the area was even included on a 1958 souvenir map. In 1961–1962, construction began on the land and the attractions.
The land was opened to the public on July 24, 1966, with New Orleans Mayor Victor H. Schiro participating in the dedication ceremony. Schiro announced Walt Disney had been made an honorary citizen of New Orleans; Disney joked that the addition cost as much as the original Louisiana Purchase. Without adjusting for inflation, it actually cost more. The opening ceremony was Walt Disney’s last major public appearance at Disneyland before his death in December 1966.
In March 1967, Pirates of the Caribbean debuted alongside the Blue Bayou Restaurant. In August 1969, The Haunted Mansion was opened to the public.
Pirates of the Caribbean
Pirates of the Caribbean is a dark ride at Disneyland Park. The ride tells the story of a band of pirates in the West Indies islands around the Caribbean Sea in the 17th and 18th centuries with the saga of their voyages, troubles, and exploits. The original version of the ride was opened at the original Disneyland, in Anaheim, California, near Los Angeles, in 1967, and was the last ride whose construction was envisioned and personally overseen by Walt Disney, who died three months before it opened.
The ride gave rise to the song “Yo Ho (A Pirate’s Life for Me)” written by George Bruns and Xavier Atencio, and performed on the ride’s recording by The Mellomen. The ride became the basis for the Pirates of the Caribbean film series, which debuted in 2003. A reimagined version of the ride influenced by the visitors’ familiarity with the worldwide success of the feature film series, Pirates of the Caribbean: Battle for the Sunken Treasure, opened at the Shanghai Disneyland Park in 2016.
The ride begins amid glimmering fireflies during an evening in a Louisiana bayou. The guests’ boat takes a plunge down a waterfall into a dimly lit cavernous passage, where voices can be heard singing the theme song.
After a plunge further into the depths of an underground grotto known as Dead Man’s Cove, guests behold the skeletal remains of an unfortunate band of pirates, guarding their loot and treasure with macabre delight. The boats glide gently past a violent thunderstorm tossing an old pirate ship about. In the dark tunnel the boats encounter another pirate skeleton, sitting in a booby trap and clutching a treasure chest, which appears to transform before the riders’ eyes into a flesh-and-blood living pirate. Ominous voices boom from above warning of the cursed treasure and what lies ahead.
Cannonballs whistle overhead and explosions throw water into the air – a fierce battle between a marauding pirate galleon and a Caribbean fortress is in full swing. Captain Barbossa leads the assault from the deck of a pirate vessel named the Wicked Wench. When a cannon is shot, guests may feel a powerful blast of air coming from the cannon, followed by a large splash and underwater lighting effects to simulate cannon fire.
In the next scene, pirates run around chasing. Captain Jack is hiding in a barrel just behind, popping out and getting a good look at the map over the pirate’s shoulder. Carefree, tipsy pirates succeed in ravaging the town and setting it aflame, filling the night air with an orange glow. Riders next float past a dungeon where imprisoned pirates are doing their best to escape as flames draw near.
Timbers are smoldering and cracking overhead as riders sail through a storage room filled with gunpowder, cannonballs, and rum-filled, gun-shooting pirates singing “Yo Ho, Yo Ho, A Pirate’s Life For Me”. A shootout between the inebriated crew and captain of the pirate ship in a flaming ammunition warehouse threatens to demolish the entire village.
Finally, Jack Sparrow is seen in a room full of the hidden treasure (the treasure vault as mentioned by the Pooped Pirate). He is draped over a large throne-like chair and waves his new treasures around happily while chattering to himself and to passing guests. The boats proceed up a lift hill, and Davy Jones’ and Blackbeard’s voices are alternatively heard, encouraging riders to come back soon.
The Haunted Mansion
The Haunted Mansion is a Dark ride attraction located at Disneyland Park (Disneyland Resort), riders go through a haunted mansion resided in by “999 happy haunts.” The Haunted Mansion features a ride-through tour in Omnimover vehicles called “Doom Buggies”, and a walk-through show is displayed to riders waiting in the queue line. The attraction utilizes a range of technology, from centuries-old theatrical effects to modern special effects featuring spectral Audio-Animatronics.
Entering the queuing area through a pair of ornate gates, guests find themselves in the antebellum-era mansion’s well-tended gardens and courtyards. In the Foyer, the deep, resonant voice of an invisible spirit (Paul Frees) sets the tone of the attraction with a short opening monologue. The invisible spirit teasingly welcomes the guests and introduces himself as their “Ghost Host” who will take them on a tour of the Haunted Mansion.
With a sudden thunderclap, the lights go out and the ceiling disappears, a ghastly vision manifests above. As the chamber is re-lit, a wall opens, exposing a Portrait Gallery, which takes guests underneath the Disneyland Railroad and to where the ride actually begins.In a separate warehouse-style show building hidden from within the park by trees. As lightning flashes from the windows on the opposite side of the gallery, the portraits transform into images of ghosts and monsters in synchronization with the lightning.
Turning a corner, guests enter the Load Area, where a seemingly endless stream of black carriages, known as Doom Buggies, descend one staircase and ascend another. Once guests ascend the pitch-black Staircase to the second floor (bringing them up to ground level within the show building), they come across a moving suit of armor, and a chair which appears to be embroidered with a hidden abstract face. Turning away from the Endless Hallway, guests travel past a glass Conservatory filled with dead, withered plants and flowers.
The Doom Buggies continue down a Corridor of Doors. Guests enter a dark Séance Room full of floating objects. After leaving the Séance Circle, guests move along a balcony overlooking a deathday party taking place in a Grand Hall, with a number of ghosts dancing and reveling.
Then proceed to the Attic, an irregularly shaped room cluttered with gifts, personal items, mementos and wedding portraits. Next, guests encounter a ghostly tea party surrounding a hearse stuck in the mud. As the Doom Buggies approach the entrance of a large crypt, and the Ghost Host speaks one final time.
Entering the Hall of Mirrors, the Doom Buggies pass a group of three ghosts thumbing for a ride. Around the corner, in large, ornately framed mirrors, the guests see that one of the ghosts from the trio is in the buggy with them. While passing through the Hall of Mirrors, guests proceed to the exit. The guests then disembark their Doom Buggies and ascend back to the “living world.”
Disneyland Railroad
The Disneyland Railroad is a 3-foot (914 mm) narrow-gauge heritage railroad and attraction in the Disneyland theme park of the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California, in the United States.
The railroad has been consistently billed as one of Disneyland’s top attractions. Its route is 1.2 miles (1.9 km) long and encircles the majority of the park, with train stations in four different park areas. The rail line, which was constructed by WED Enterprises, operates with two steam locomotives built by WED and three historic steam locomotives originally built by Baldwin Locomotive Works.
The attraction was conceived by Walt Disney, who drew inspiration from the ridable miniature Carolwood Pacific Railroad built in his backyard. The Disneyland Railroad opened to the public at Disneyland’s grand opening on July 17, 1955. Since that time, multiple alterations have been made to its route, including the addition of two large dioramas in the late 1950s and mid-1960s. Several changes have been made to its rolling stock, including the conversion of one of its train cars into a parlor car in the mid-1970s, and the switch from diesel oil to biodiesel to fuel its locomotives in the late 2000s.
Beginning at Main Street, U.S.A. Station adjacent to Disneyland’s entrance, where a pump-style handcar built by the Kalamazoo Manufacturing Company can be seen on a siding, the trains of the Disneyland Railroad travel along its single track in a clockwise direction on its circular route.
Once the signal light in the locomotive turns green, the journey from the Main Street, U.S.A. section begins with the train traversing a small bridge, passing by the Adventureland section, and going through a tunnel before arriving at New Orleans Square Station in the New Orleans Square section. While the train is stopped at this station, where the locomotive takes on water from the railroad’s water tower if needed, a sound effect of a telegraph operator using a telegraph key to enter Morse code can be heard emanating from the old Frontierland Station depot building.
After the journey restarts, the train travels past the Haunted Mansion dark ride attraction, enters a tunnel through the Splash Mountain log flume attraction, and crosses a trestle bridge over the Critter Country section. It then moves over another trestle bridge that wraps around the Rivers of America in the Frontierland section, and rolls through another tunnel before reaching Mickey’s Toontown Depot between the Mickey’s Toontown and Fantasyland sections. While the train is stopped at this station, a non-functioning water tower can be seen on the opposite side of the track to the station’s depot building.
Once the journey resumes, the train moves across an overpass and passes by the façade of the It’s a Small World water-based dark ride attraction before reaching a fuel pump disguised as a boulder, where the train stops if the locomotive needs to be refueled. From this point, the train cuts across an access road and goes underneath the track of the Disneyland Monorail before stopping at Tomorrowland Station in the Tomorrowland section.
When the journey continues, the train goes across another access road and enters a tunnel containing the Grand Canyon Diorama followed by the Primeval World Diorama. As the train runs alongside the Grand Canyon Diorama, the main theme from On the Trail, the third movement of Ferde Grofé’s Grand Canyon Suite, can be heard; and as the train runs alongside the Primeval World Diorama, music from the 1961 film Mysterious Island can be heard. Shortly after leaving the tunnel, the train arrives back at Main Street, U.S.A. Station, completing what the park refers to as The Grand Circle Tour.
The Disney Gallery
The Disney Gallery is an attraction and merchandise location at Disneyland in Anaheim, California, United States. The Gallery is a changing exhibition area focused primarily on artwork from Walt Disney Imagineering created in the designing of the Disneyland theme park. Merchandise relating to the current exhibition is usually available for purchase as well.
The Disney Gallery comprised several rooms and antechambers, as it was designed to be living quarters for the Disney family. Each room contained its own set of artwork and usually revolved around a certain theme that pertained to the overall exhibit.
Blue Bayou Restaurant
Blue Bayou is a full-service New Orleans/Cajun-style restaurant renowned for its unusual ambiance. The restaurant is built within the same show building that houses part of the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction, with parts of the ride even taking place beneath the restaurant.
Although seated in a large, enclosed building, diners experience the illusion of eating in an outdoor restaurant at nighttime. This effect is achieved through the use of a dark and distant ceiling, air conditioning, and carefully coordinated lighting. The theming is intensified by the sounds of crickets and frogs, the meandering glow of fireflies, and projection effects above that imitate the night sky. The restaurant is also popular for offering a view of the beginning portion of Pirates of the Caribbean. Guests can see the riders floating by in their boats, and the riders can see the festive nighttime lighting of the restaurant as they pass by.
Club 33
Club 33 are private dining clubs located within various the Disney Parks. First opening in 1967 inside Disneyland Park, the club was modeled after numerous executive VIP lounges created by pavilion sponsors in the 1964 New York World’s Fair. At the time, Club 33 was the only location within Disneyland Park to offer alcoholic beverages. Disneyland Club 33 members, and their guests, also have access to the 1901 Lounge at the Carthay Circle in Disney California Adventure.
Club 33 is located above the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction and next to Walt Disney’s former apartment. The entrance of the club was formerly located next to the Blue Bayou Restaurant at “33 Royal Street” with the entrance recognizable by an ornate address plate with the number 33 engraved on it. It was remodeled in 2014 with the rest of the upgrades, but is no longer the main entrance to the club, which is now about 40 feet away. The front door is opened into a vestibule that used to be a small shop. Check-in occurs in this vestibule and beyond there is an open-air courtyard, the Court of Angels. From there you can take an Art Nouveau themed elevator or winding staircase to the second level where the new club entrance is located.
At the top of the stairs, there are two rooms: Le Grand Salon and Le Salon Nouveau. The walls are adorned with butterflies pinned under glass and hand-painted animation cels from the original Fantasia film. Walt Disney handpicked much of the Victorian bric-a-brac in New Orleans antique stores.
Le Salon Nouveau is entered by passing through an area paneled in dark wood and lined with refrigerated wine cases. This room contains the original antique-style glass lift which was used prior to the 2014 remodel to take guests to the second level. The other room, Le Grand Salon, is more formal. It is the main dining room and is a New Orleans theme based on designs by Disney Imagineer Kim Irvine. Prior to 2014 remodel, the style was Napoleon-era First Empire. This dining room is a la carte service for lunch only, while before the reconstruction was buffet only.
The club is also furnished with a few props from Disney films. There is a functional dark wood telephone booth with leaded glass, just off the restroom balcony. An ornate walnut table with white marble top was used in Mary Poppins. A video capture from the film on display atop the table shows actors Karen Dotrice, Matthew Garber, and David Tomlinson standing immediately to its left. A harpsichord which was rumored to have been an antique was in fact custom-built for Lillian Disney specifically for use in Club 33. The underside of the lid features a Renaissance-style art piece that was hand-painted by Disney artists.
Disneyland
The Disneyland Park, is the first of two theme parks built at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California, opened on July 17, 1955. It is the only theme park designed and built to completion under the direct supervision of Walt Disney. It was originally the only attraction on the property; its official name was changed to Disneyland Park to distinguish it from the expanding complex in the 1990s. It was the first Disney theme park.
Since its opening, Disneyland has undergone expansions and major renovations, including the addition of New Orleans Square in 1966, Bear Country (now Critter Country) in 1972, Mickey’s Toontown in 1993, and Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge in 2019. Opened in 2001, Disney California Adventure Park was built on the site of Disneyland’s original parking lot.
Disneyland Park consists of nine themed “lands” and a number of concealed backstage areas, and occupies over 100 acres. The park opened with Main Street, U.S.A., Adventureland, Frontierland, Fantasyland, and Tomorrowland, and has since added New Orleans Square in 1966, Bear Country (now known as Critter Country) in 1972, and Mickey’s Toontown in 1993, and Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge in 2019.