The cats residing in Disneyland

Surely you've heard of mice in Disneyland (one named Mickey, in particular), but cats? And lots of them?

Can you spot the cat here? HiddenMickeys.org, 2001.

Yes, it's true: Disneyland is home to many cats, and has been since the 1960s or so. Years ago, when building the now-defunct Sleeping Beauty Castle walk through, over 100 of them were discovered hiding in the castle. Instead of letting them go elsewhere, Disneyland decided to keep the animals and allow them to stay in the park. After all, they controlled the rodent problem (just don't tell Mickey)!

So now, in the year 2008, the rare cat can still be spotted hanging around Big Thunder Mountain Railroad or near the queue of Indiana Jones Adventure. If you really want to catch one, keep your eyes peeled during the night hours - that's when they're most likely to make an appearance.

This and That

Nothing major to report on this week at Disneyland, as we're heading towards the off-season and the park is full of various construction projects. Here's the latest on those projects, and more.

Darkbeer uploaded this interesting photo last week, showing a new entrance being built from part of the Grand Californian Hotel's Whitewater Snacks. However, it turns out this will only serve as an emergency exit, not an additional entrance to Disney's California Adventure.

Visitors to Disneyland will notice a drastic change in the Mickey Mouse floral garden, which has recently been adorned by Tinkerbell's pixie dust! The effect is especially spectacular at night. Thanks to MiceChat for this photo.

Another set of pictures from Darkbeer, this time of the new Disneyland Dream Suite in New Orleans Square! What do you all think of the overall look to the suite? I, while jealous of anyone able to stay there, am still upset over the loss of the Disney Gallery!

Hopefully something really interesting will come up so I can update more frequently, but for now just sit tight and enjoy these construction updates!

P.S. - On a non-related note, this blog has officially been running for a year now! Thanks for all your support and visits, and here's to another great year of Disneyland news and information.

A quick update!

Mickey and I would like to apologize for not updating at all this year! Dimensionedelta.net, 2005.

I'm really sorry for not keeping this blog up-to-date lately; I'm smack-dab in the middle of finals, so I have little time to check for the latest Disneyland news. Come next week, however, I'll hopefully be able to update more frequently. Stay tuned!

A few things worth mentioning:
- "it's a small world" closes January 22 until October for refurbishment. (More information about what exactly they'll change.)
- The Jungle Cruise is also closed from January 28-March 7 for refurbishment.
- Monsters, Inc. (in Disney's California Adventure) is closed until Valentine's Day, February 14, for the same reason.
- Looking for a dream job? How about becoming an official Disney Chief Magic Official? If you get accepted, make sure to tell everyone that the Disneyland Expert told you first!

Disneyland is closed

But probably not in the way you're thinking! For the past few days, Disneyland has either come near or actually reached its maximum capacity, which resulted in the gates being closed to any new guests. Rumor has it this occurred on Christmas Day!

For recent visitors to the park, this is becoming a common greeting. MousePlanet, 2006.

If you're planning on visiting Disneyland within the next few days, keep in mind that you might be stopped from entering. In order to ensure your admission, arrive at the park in the wee hours of the morning; around noon or so is when the crowds grow larger. Note: Although a specific number has yet to be released, the maximum capacity for Disneyland is said to be around 80,000+ people.

Merry Christmas to Disney fans everywhere!

Though it's technically not Christmas for me for another seven hours or so, I'll go ahead and wish the rest of you lot a very Merry Christmas. I hope you're able to spend time with those you love, as I plan on doing!

Mickey is ready for Christmas, are you? Miro-Foto on Flickr.com, 2007.

For those of you lucky enough to be in Disneyland for the holidays, have a great time! And for the rest of us, be sure to watch the annual Walt Disney World Christmas Day Parade, airing on ABC-TV at 10 AM tomorrow, December 25. You may just see some clips of Disneyland!