Dave and Doug "Discover the Magic" at Disneyland Park,

Dave and Doug "Discover the Magic" at Disneyland Park
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by Doug Marsh
August 25, 2004
A detailed look at Disneyland's newest guided tour.

Dave and Doug “Discover the Magic�? at Disneyland Park

Note: The photos for this article are taken from another tour with readers of LaughingPlace.com. Because each tour is different, the pictures and text won't match up exactly.

People will tell you that I tend to approach new Disneyland tours with a little bit of skepticism. Friends challenge me to go, asking, “Gonna teach the Tour Guide a thing or two about the history of the Park, Doug?�? It’s not that I know it all. (The day I think I know it all is the day I stop learning new things. I never intend to get to that day.) But I must admit that I probably do know at least as much as the average tour guide.

So it was with a slightly lowered sense of expectations that I arrived for this assignment on Sunday, July 11. Dave and I were about to embark on Disneyland’s newest “adventurous journey,�? the “Discover the Magic�? tour. Smiling cast members greeted us in front of City Hall, and although we were right on time, explained that there was a delay for the other four guests who were to join us.

Meanwhile we were asked our choice for lunch: chicken tacos, steak tacos, or grilled vegetable tacos. We also specified our beverage. The cast member explained that children could choose either chicken nuggets and fries or a bean and cheese burrito. By now it was nearly ten minutes past the time we were to start, and cast member Cherish regretfully announced that ten minutes was all they would wait. It was time to begin our tour.

Cherish led us to the Tour Garden, behind the AAA kiosk, where we were met by our very enthusiastic Tour Guide, Jamal. He smiled broadly and boomed, “We are going to be talking about trash at Disneyland!�? Seeing our doubtful looks, he reassured us that we would be looking through trash cans and dumpsters, and would even be going through the bathrooms to compare the various types of paper products used there. Granted, Jamal’s enthusiasm was contagious, but still—dumpster diving in the Magic Kingdom?

Before we could ask about details, we were interrupted by the arrival of Mickey’s faithful pooch, Pluto. Jamal scolded him for breaking in on our impending trash tour. Pluto wouldn’t be turned away, though. He was carrying a large book in his paws. And in no time, Jamal figured out that Pluto wanted it returned to its owner.

What a dilemma! Jamal gave us a choice: a tour of Disneyland’s trash, or helping to return the mysterious book to its rightful owner. Dave and I were somewhat torn (after all, it’s not every day you get to root through Disneyland’s trash), but in the end we decided it would be better to at least take a look at the book. We must have made the right choice, because Pluto seemed so happy as he left the book in our care. Jamal opened the first page, and immediately spotted a picture of Snow White. “Perhaps this book belongs to Snow White,�? he said. “After all, that’s her picture.�?