Opa! A Celebration of Greece kicks off May 25 with all sorts of fun at both Disneyland and Disney California Adventure parks. There’s live entertainment, line dancing, wine education and tasting seminars at Disney California Adventure park, Olympic training with Hercules at Disneyland park … but for us, it’s all about the food.

Each day from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., activities at the festival center around “it’s a small world” Mall in Disneyland park and Paradise Gardens in Disney California Adventure park.

Authentic Greek tastes include thin flatbreads; a classic gyro, the Greek version of a quick-service sandwich with rotisserie meat and veggies; spanakopita swirl, a fun take on the traditional spinach pie; and melomakarona (meh-loh-mah-KAH-roh-nah), a delicious cookie with honey and walnuts. Look for the Greek goodies at Carnation Café, Redd Rockett’s Pizza Port and special carts in Disneyland park. At Disney California Adventure park, treats are at Boardwalk Pizza & Pasta, Paradise Garden Grill and special carts in Paradise Gardens.

At 8 p.m. on May 26, Executive Chef Christine Weissman and her team of chefs from Disneyland and Disney California Adventure parks will work alongside Greek celebrity Chef Argiro Barbarigou to creatively interpret her recipes at “Celebrate Greece: A Culinary Experience.” Greek winemaker Christina Boutari will join the chefs at the Golden Vine Winery in Disney California Adventure park for a four-course Greek dinner featuring cod croquettes with roasted beetroot, arugula and skordalia; salad with caramelized figs, walnuts, pomegranate and fresh goat cheese; tender braised osso buco; and a trio of Greek sweets for dessert. Reserved viewing for “World of Color” nighttime spectacular is included. Tickets are $150, including tax and gratuity (park admission separate). For reservations and tickets, click here.

Tagged: DCA, Dining, DL, DLR

Filed: Disney California Adventure Park, Disney Dining, Disneyland Park, Disneyland Resort

“…I just want it to look like nothing else in the world. And it should be surrounded by a train.” — Walt Disney

Even before Disneyland Resort was built – when the idea for the theme park was still being developed – it was surrounded by its now-iconic railroad. Not only would it provide guests with a “grand circle tour of Walt Disney’s Magic Kingdom,” but it also would create a natural barrier between the outside world and the magical realms inside. This made the Disneyland Railroad one of the most important opening day attractions. So far, we’ve met some of the Steam Engines of the Disneyland Railroad, and today we’ll take a look back to a specific time in Walt’s lifelong love of trains and his inspiration for this beloved attraction. Believe it or not, he found this inspiration right in his own backyard …

In 1947, Walt bought a new electric train and wanted to show it off. He brought it over to Walt Disney Studios and knew exactly who to show it to: Ward Kimball and Ollie Johnston, the animators behind Jiminy Cricket and Thumper, and fellow train enthusiasts. He quickly learned that they each had impressive trains of their own – but theirs were big enough to ride in their backyards! So, of course, Walt had to have one of his own. A few years later, in 1950, he had the perfect spot for his train: the backyard of his home on Carolwood Drive. And it was 63 years ago this week that the first engine was steamed up on Walt’s own, personal ⅛-scale model railroad, the Carolwood-Pacific Railroad.

Take a look back as Walt tests out his Carolwood-Pacific Railroad in the footage below, which originally appeared in the 1956 television show, “Where Do The Stories Come From?”

At first, Lillian Disney, Walt’s wife, was not exactly excited about their brand-new backyard being taken over by a miniature railroad, so Walt wanted to do something special to make her comfortable with the idea. He enlisted the help of horticulturalists Jack and Bill Evans (who would later go on to cultivate the horticulture for the Jungle Cruise at Disneyland park) to create a beautifully landscaped backyard, and then even named the locomotive of his new railroad “Lilly Belle” in her honor. This kind gesture now lives on here at Disneyland; the Grand Canyon observation caboose which operates on the Disneyland Railroad is now lovingly referred to as the Lilly Belle.

If you’re interested in seeing this incredible piece of Disney history yourself, you can see the Carolwood-Pacific Railroad and the Lilly Belle at The Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco, Calif. It was one of my favorite moments in a day full of amazing moments at this remarkable museum. Also consider a visit to Walt Disney’s Barn – the actual barn from which Walt would monitor and remotely control the Carolwood-Pacific Railroad – now relocated to Griffith Park in Los Angeles, Calif.

The idea of having my own, personal railroad in my backyard sounds incredible. What would you name your own backyard railroad?

Tagged: DL, DLR, Video

Filed: Disney History, Disneyland Park, Disneyland Resort

We’ve already met our opening-day steam engines, C.K. Holliday and E.P. Ripley, but today we’ll meet the oldest of all the Disneyland Railroad steam engines – the Fred Gurley. It may have joined us in 1958, but this engine’s 119-year history began even before Walt Disney was born!

The Fred Gurley was named after Fred G. Gurley, who was president of the Santa Fe Railway from 1944-1957. It is the oldest steam engine operating on the Disneyland Railroad, built by Baldwin Locomotive Works in Philadelphia, Penn., in 1894. It was first put into service in August 1895, and began circling the Happiest Place on Earth on March 28, 1958. Next year, the Fred Gurley will celebrate its 120th year in service!

Here are some specs for the Fred Gurley:

• Stack Design: Cap Stack
• Scale: Full
• Track Gauge: 36″
• Wheel arrangement: Forney, converted to 2-4-4T
• Weight: 21,600 lbs.

Stay tuned for more on the rest of the Disneyland Railroad steam engines here on the Disney Parks Blog.

Tagged: DL, DLR

Filed: Disneyland Park, Disneyland Resort

Walt Disney is known as an exceptional storyteller, a great innovator and a visionary. He was also a brilliant team builder because he knew the importance of assembling the right talents and personalities to achieve success whether in film, television and even at Disneyland. In his famous quote, “You can dream, create, design, and build the most wonderful place in the world, but it requires people to make the dream a reality,” Walt acknowledges that Disney cast members are the Walt Disney Company’s most valuable asset.

In March 1955, as Walt was preparing for the opening of Disneyland park, he hired Van Arsdale France to undertake the daunting task of training the staff to bring his vision of hospitality to life. As founder of the University of Disneyland training center, today called The Disney University, Van helped promote Walt Disney’s guest service philosophies, teaching cast members to be Ambassadors of Happiness and creating happiness for others.

In his own unique way, Van trained cast members to smile and treat every visitor as a very important guest. Van’s progressive concepts in guest service have been widely recognized and often imitated in the service industry. The Disney University, as well as many of the innovative training programs created by him, is still in existence today. The training handbooks he authored, which feature themes such as “You’re an Ambassador of Happiness” and “You’re Here Because You Care,” have provided a foundation for training new Disney cast members around the globe.

While forever known as the Founder and Professor Emeritus of Disney University, Van went on to perform many roles at Disneyland, including area manager of Tomorrowland, organizational chairman of the Disneyland Recreation Club, and coordinator of the first Disneyland cast member magazine, Backstage Disneyland.

Van retired in 1978 and became a special consultant at Disneyland. He authored “Old Dogs Can Learn New Tricks,” a career guide for senior working adults, as well as his autobiography, “Window On Main Street: 35 Years of Creating Happiness at Disneyland Park.” He was also a speaker about Disneyland history at conventions around the country.

Van was honored with a window on Main Street, U.S.A., on April 26, 1985. Known as a smoker, his window is located above the former Disneyland Tobacco Shop, which today is the 20th Century Music Shop. Van was named a Disney Legend in 1994.

Tagged: DL, DLR

Filed: Disney History, Disneyland Park, Disneyland Resort

Did you hear? We launched a new Disney Parks Blog series this week that will feature the amazing stories behind our attractions and maybe even uncover some details you’ve never noticed before.

Erin kicked off “The Magic of Disney Parks Storytelling” series with one of our favorite attractions; Pirates of the Caribbean. The attraction is one of the classic examples of original Disney Parks storytelling and the perfect place to begin. Check out Erin’s Pirates of the Caribbean story and then leave a comment in pirate speak!

And have you heard of the “Domingez Palm” at Disneyland park? If not, you should’ve checked the blog this week for our feature video on the “Cultivating the Magic” tour.

If you’d like to experience the tour for yourself, call 714-781-TOUR(8687) or visit Disneyland Guest Relations. Tickets are available up to one month in advance and the tour begins Saturdays and Sundays at 9 a.m. and Mondays at 10 a.m.

Here’s a look at some of the other stories we worked on this week.

New ‘Limited Time Magic’ Merchandise Coming For ‘May The Fourth Be With You” Celebration at Disney Parks – Steven Miller offers an exclusive look at new Disney Parks merchandise celebrating “Star Wars Day” as part of “Limited Time Magic.”

Vintage Walt Disney World: A Look Back at Magic Kingdom Park Parades – Take a look back at some of the magical parades at Walt Disney World Resort.

How Disney Friends Play at Castaway Cay – See how Mickey and the gang spend their time at Castaway Cay when no one is around!

Finish That Disney Parks Sign: A Muppetational! Shop at Disney’s Hollywood Studios – Test your Disney Parks knowledge and see if you can “Finish That Sign” near Muppet*Vision 3D at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Walt Disney World Resort.

Special ‘Limited Time Magic’ for Merida, ‘Glow with the Show’ Ear Hats at Disney Parks – As a part of “Limited Time Magic,” all 10 Disney Princesses will come together on May 11 in honor of their newest member, Merida, the heroine from Disney•Pixar’s film “Brave.”

A Magical Mother’s Day Disney Present Back by Popular Demand – The Family Portrait Session and gift certificate with Disney Fine Art Photography & Video is back by popular demand just in time for Mother’s Day!

Tagged: DL, DLR, Video, Weekly Recap

Filed: Disneyland Resort, Walt Disney World Resort

Just like all Disneyland Resort cast members, the animal cast members at Circle D Ranch want to look their best for our Disneyland guests. Our horses are brushed until their coats gleam and their tails and forelocks often sport elaborate braids. Our goats are also brushed every day before they play with guests at Big Thunder Ranch Petting Farm. And, both our horses and goats are bathed regularly to maintain healthy skin and coats. On a beautiful day recently, I watched as Pongo, our senior goat and leader of the herd, received his beauty bath. Please take a look at the music video we created, starring Pongo, then let me know in the comments section below if you agree with the lyrics!

Tagged: DL, DLR, Video

Filed: Disneyland Park, Disneyland Resort

Being a long-time Star Wars fan, I was thrilled to read Gary Buchanan’s article about the special “May The Fourth Be With You” event taking place this weekend as part of “Limited Time Magic.” This one-day celebration at Disney’s Hollywood Studios is separate from our month-long Star Wars Weekends special event, which begins on May 17. Gary mentioned there will be special entertainment, a dance party, fireworks and commemorative merchandise. I’m happy to share with you a first look at the new shirts and pins that will be released on Saturday at both Walt Disney World and Disneyland Resorts.

Disney Design Group artist Quynh Kimball told me the character artwork found on the shirts was created by artist Tommy Lee Edwards. The artwork for the limited edition pins was created by Disney Design Group artist Mike Sullivan. The pins will each have an edition size of 1,500.

If you are in Florida, these items will be released at the Superstar Shop located next to The American Idol Experience attraction in Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

For those fans in California, the shirts and pins will be released at Disney’s Pin Traders in the Downtown Disney District and Little Green Men Store Command in Disneyland park. Please note that wristbands will be distributed to those guests purchasing pins at the Disneyland Resort.

I can’t wait for this weekend. I hope you will join us!

Tagged: DHS, DL, DLR, Downtown Disney, Limited Time Magic, Pins, Star Wars, WDW

Filed: Disney's Hollywood Studios, Disneyland Park, Disneyland Resort, Downtown Disney District, Walt Disney World Resort