Disneyland for Vampires, Zombies, and Others with Very Special Needs

by Dominick Cancilla | Release Date: September 4, 2017 | Availability: Print, Kindle

Your FastPass to Fear

Here's the problem. You're a vampire, zombie, gargoyle, shambler, sphinx, or other creature, and you're going to Disneyland. But all the guidebooks are written for humans. What's a tentacled aberration to do? Salvation (well, not really) has arrived!

Just destroyed Tokyo? Hurled souls to Hell? Gobbled down some brains? You deserve a vacation. And where better than the Happiest (a scary, eye-popping kind of happy) Place on Earth. Sure, Disneyland is for kids, and their families, and human beings in general, but the company does have super-secret guidelines for creatures of the night, denizens of shadow dimensions, mutants on leave from government research facilities, and related beasts, brutes, and bigfeet.

At enormous risk to his own sanity, Dominick Cancilla obtained a copy of Disney's rules for handling these very special guests. From alchemists to zombies, it's an A-Z forbidden compendium of the horrors that stalked your childhood nightmares, and now may be standing next to you in line for Dumbo the Flying Elephant.

With entries for over 150 types of creatures, as well as helpful trigger warnings and "heads-up" (sometimes with two or three heads) about potentially offensive stereotypes at the parks, plus touring advice and practical guidance about when you should and should not make use of any special powers or indulge in any horrific urges, this book has been endorsed by both intra- and inter-dimensional travelers, and consistently tops the New York Slime's bestseller list.

Even if you're not a monst... (oops! that's the "m word!"), you'll enjoy Cancilla's dark humor and sly wit. And you'll learn a lot about Disneyland as well, though most of it isn't true—or is it?

Table of Contents

Introduction

General Information

Disneyland A-Z Creature Codex

Alchemists and Potion Concoctors

Angels and Fallen Angels

Animals, Clothed

Animal and Plant Communicators and Commanders

Animal Companions

Anthropomorphic Animals and Muppets

Astral Projectors and Remote Viewers

Bad Boys Turning into Donkeys

Bigfeet

Bioluminescents

Blobs and Amorphous Individuals

Bookworms

Brains and Heads in Jars

Caterpillars, Talking

Cats, Cheshire

Cenobites

Chupacabras

Coffin Users

Cold Commanders

Companions of the Undetectable

Compulsive Destroyers

Compulsive Storytellers

Conscience Crickets

Cryptids

Cursed Individuals

Cyborgs

Cyclops

Deities

Demons

Demon-Enhanced Individuals

Dowsers

Dragons

Dream Invaders

Duplicates and Replacements

Dwarves

Elementals, Fire

Elementals and Element Commanders

Elves

Empaths

Evil Clowns

Extraterrestrials

Faceless Individuals

Fairies and Pixies

Fire Avoiders

Fliers

Gargoyles

Ghosts and Spirits

Ghouls

Giants

Gifted Children

Glasses Wearers

Ground Dwellers

Haunted Individuals

Headless Individuals

Heat Avoiders

Heffalumps and Woozles

Holiday-Oriented Individuals

Herculean Individuals

Homicidal Living Puppets

Hulks

Identity-Displaced Individuals

Igors

Immaterial Beings

Immortals and Ancients

Insects (Human-Sized)

Intelligent Animals

Intelligent Food

Intelligent Plants

Invisible Persons

Invulnerables

Island of Dr. Moreau Residents

Jedi and Sith

Jekyll/Hydes

Lethal Gazers

Lie Detectors

Lumberers, Shamblers, and Slow Walkers

Lycanthropes

Magic Items

Medusae

Merfolk

Minions

Mirror Avoiders

Mistresses of All Evil

Motor Vehicles

Mummies

Mutants

Nac Mac Feegle

Nature Spirits

Nocturnals and Night Creatures

Nymphs and Satyrs

Obsessed Individuals

Ogres

Parallel Universe Dwellers

Persons of Compact Size

Person with Natural Parentage

Photography Avoiders and Unphotographables

Pixelated Beings

Poltergeist Attractors

Precognitives and Sensitives

Psychometrics

Pumpkinheads

Pyrokinetics

Quadrupeds

Radioactive Individuals

Reanimated Corpses

Reflections

Renfields

Robotic Law Enforcement Agents

Robots and Androids

Satyrs and Nymphs

Scarecrows

Scent Adepts

Science Mishap Combos

Sentient Objects

Shadows

Shape Changers and Shapeshifters

Shrinking Individuals

Sinkables

Sirens

Skeletons and Other Bone Creatures

Skulls and Skull Heads

Snowpersons

Sphinxes

Spirit Contactors

Splitters

Spoon Benders

Sunlight Sensitives

Super Geniuses

Super-Powered Individuals

Super-Science Items

Telekinetics

Telepaths

Teleporters

Television and Movie Characters

Terminators

Thought Controllers

Time-Displaced Individuals

Time Repeaters

Time Repeaters

Time Repeaters

Time Travelers

Tin Men

Toons

Toys

Trees

Unfrozen Cavemen

Unnoticeables and Forgettables

Vampires

Very Hungry Caterpillars

Water Avoiders

Water Dwellers

Water Sensitives

Water Walkers

Weather Commanders

Winged Individuals

Wish Granters

Witches

Wizards and Other Adepts of Supernatural Science

Wooden Children

X-ray Viewers

Yeti

Zombies

If you are interested in a Disneyland vacation, there are literally hundreds of books and web sites that can help you pick a hotel, plan an itinerary, and fine-tune every aspect of your magical experience. Most people assume that with all of those resources available, the needs of every possible type of Disney visitor must be considered in at least one of them. If you’re reading this book, then you know that is not the case.

In 2013, a friend of the author was considering a summer vacation at Disney, but couldn’t find the answers to some questions that weighed heavily on his mind. Would he be able to bring his coffin? Would he be safe in his room from deadly sunlight? Was there any consecrated ground he’d have to avoid? This guide is intended to provide the answers to questions from our friend and others with exceptionally special needs that are overlooked by travel guides that cater purely to a human audience.

There are so many quality resources in existence that we see no need to duplicate their content, so this guide does not include information that is freely available elsewhere (descriptions of ticket options, restaurant reviews, touring plans, hotel overviews, etc.). It also does not contain information on non-Disney properties, and has only limited information on seasonal and frequently changing performances. Finally, with few exceptions, this guide contains no advice or information regarding activities (such as feeding on humans) that are considered illegal, regardless of the arguable moral justification.

So, who specifically is this book for?

Disneyland for Vampires was written for creatures, supernaturals, and non-standard humans that want to spend time at the Disneyland Resort. Although we tried to be as inclusive as possible, there are three large groups that we do not address:

  • Non-sentient creatures. This includes chimeras, tornado sharks, wills o’ the wisp, sandworms, killer tomatoes, etc. Because these creatures are unable to make decisions based on the contents of a book, we didn’t bother writing anything for them.
  • Individuals of extreme size. This includes sea monsters, Kaiju, Old Ones, things seen as shapes in the clouds, and many giants. The only way for massive persons to visit a resort without potentially destroying it is through the use of shrinking spells or technology; and if the person is shrunk, then they aren’t of extreme size anymore.
  • Those with unusual occupations. This includes pirates, mad scientists, monster hunters, Ghostbusters, bagpipe players, etc. Even though one’s occupation might carry with it certain interests, proclivities, and philosophical implications, at heart a human ninja is still a human and a vampire lawyer is still a vampire. We did include human time travelers, wizards, alchemists, and a few others because their needs are particularly unusual and their activities set them strongly apart from others of their species.

With a general word of thanks for the previous edition of this book, Barnabas Collins, from Collinsport, Maine, writes:

I thank you for recognizing that a vampire’s life is more than just drinking blood, seeing to the destruction of our enemies, and constantly attempting to hold at bay the hatred and fury swirling within. If it is my curse that everyone I love will die, doesn’t that assume my ability to love? And if I love, why wouldn’t I want to vacation with one I love?

Those who hate the living dead seek to destroy us, condemn us to wander forever in endless agony, or confine us to creepy old crypts all over the world, but we will find pleasure despite them, and I trust the joy of a Disney vacation will last longer than will the lives of my enemies.

After reading the general information at the front of this book, you can turn to those sections that apply to you personally. Keep in mind that there may be multiple sections that apply to you. For example, terminators will want to add both the “Robots and Androids” and “Time Travelers” sections to their database.

Notes on Vocabulary

Although we attempt to use the politically correct terms “creatures” (for reanimated and non-humans), “supernaturals” (for beings with abilities that defy the supposed laws of nature), “humans” (for non-supernatural, standard human beings), and “specials” (for all sentient non-humans as a group), we aren’t particularly rigorous about it. These terms fall in and out of favor and we are terrible at keeping up with the latest sociopolitical trends. Sorry about that.

Now that we’ve annoyed the political activists, we might as well make a clean sweep of it by irritating the diehard Disneyland fans as well. To avoid what can easily become an overwhelming amount of repetition, we aren’t going to be pedantic about Disney-specific terms.

For example:

  • We refer to both FASTPASS and MaxPass as FASTPASS.
  • The Little Mermaid: Ariel’s Undersea Adventure, Toy Story Midway Mania!, and Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters are generally just Little Mermaid, Toy Story, and Buzz Lightyear to us. We assume everyone knows what we’re talking about.
  • We may use other shortened names when the intent is clear, such as Big Thunder instead of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and Star Tours instead of Star Tours—The Adventures Continue.
  • We use the Disney-standard capitalization and punctuation for “it’s a small world” because we think it’s cute.

Finally, a word about a word: “etcetera.” We want to avoid having to type it everywhere and need you to help us have a meaningful guide without it. Very frequently we list examples to help clarify something. As these example lists are not to be considered exhaustive, we ask that you imagine that the word “etcetera” appears at the end of each example list. For example, if we said, “This attraction is not appropriate for creatures hungry for human flesh (ghouls, flesh-eating zombies, carnivorous plants),” we don’t mean to imply that there are not others who would enjoy a little human-based sustenance, and we aren’t intending to subtly insult brain suckers, psychic vampires, bore worms, and the like by not including them in the list.

Where is that Ride?

Between the theme parks, hotels, and Downtown Disney, there are quite a few attractions, shops, and restaurants in the Disney resort. In this guide, we will be mentioning quite a few of them, but we will not be giving locations along with mentions (by, for example, always saying “the Haunted Mansion in Disneyland”). This would get tedious very quickly, and we assume that most readers will either know where in the Disneyland Resort these places are from their reading of other tour guides or can easily find that information online.

About “The M-Word”

There was significant concern in the community when Pixar’s Monsters, Inc. was announced that Disney was making high-profile use of a term which is upsetting to many creatures. Fortunately, Disney has restricted the use of “the M-word” to references to characters from that movie, all of which are of such a fantastic (in the best sense of the word) nature that few in the community find them more than perhaps a little annoying.

Note that this rather rarefied attitude is particular to Disney and cannot be taken for granted throughout the theme park industry. If you are a jigsaw of human remains sewn together by hand and reanimated by raw energy and forbidden science, Universal Studios might call you a m------, but at Disneyland you will always be a guest.

In our experience, Monsters, Inc. is about as offensive to creatures as Mickey Mouse is to humans, so we will refer to them as Disney does when discussing Monsters, Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue! and various parades and other entertainments that include the film’s characters.

Dominick Cancilla

Dominick Cancilla spent many years as a horror writer (with publication credits including dozens of short stories and one novel, Revanent Savior) before deciding that he should make better use of his near-fanatical obsession with everything about the Disney theme parks. Since that time, he has created two Disney web sites (HiddenLincolns.org and DisneyLies.com) and self-published several Disneyland-related books, including Liar’s Guide to Disneyland, the That’s Not At Disneyland! series, and 396 Pure, Unadulterated, Dyed-In-The-Wool, 100% Made-Up, Completely Fake Disneyland “Facts.”

Stepping into the boundless realm of the supernatural, Cancilla has combined his love of the horrific with his Disney fanaticism and written two travel guides for Disney’s most unusual guests.

Friendly toons. Nothing horrific about them. They won't stalk you, savage you, or smite you (unlike some of the other beasts in this book). But that doesn't mean that toons at Disneyland have an easy time of it.

Before we get started, a word of explanation is in order. We recognize that Claymation creations, photo-realistic computer-generated persons, and rotoscoped Americans all have particular needs and issues, but this section is concerned solely with what are referred to as traditional toons, such as those that established Toontown. This is because while, for example, an anime individual might pass for human with a little makeup and a large pair of sunglasses, toons by their nature have certain qualities unique to toonkind.

With what will be the last word on the subject for our purposes, a stop-motion-animated skeleton from Jason and the Argonauts writes:

Please remind your readers that there are all kinds of animated creatures and we all deserve equal consideration and respect. Don’t discriminate based on frame rate!

Counterintuitively, toons may have more difficulty vacationing at a Disney resort than almost any other non-human group. This is because although the parks seem like the perfect place for a toon to “let loose,” they are in reality just as socially restrictive as a circus or chamber of congress.

As a toon, you will need to keep the more impulsive elements of your nature strictly in check. For example:

  • Always enter parks through the front gate. No burrowing in (and don’t even try the old “I should have taken a left turn in Albuquerque” dodge).
  • Forget any rivalries you might normally take part in. Disney is no place for mouse/cat, cat/bird, roadrunner/coyote, hunter/rabbit, rabbit/duck, duck/chipmunk shenanigans.
  • When an attraction jerks or stops suddenly, don’t be tempted to fly out and leave a you-shaped hole in the wall. Sure it’s funny, but it will lead to immediate closure of the attraction while the damage is repaired and you will suffer a massive plunge in popularity.
  • If an attraction has a steep drop—Splash Mountain, for example—do not hang in the air while the attraction vehicle falls away below you, suddenly realize where you are, and then fall. Even if you land right back in your assigned seat, you will have demonstrated that you are not observing proper safety precautions and may negatively influence impressionable youngsters.
  • Some areas are themed with trompe l’oeils murals of high enough quality that you can walk right into them. Don’t.
  • No talking to, mugging for, or otherwise breaking the fourth wall. People will think you’re insane.
  • No holding up instantly created signs instead of talking.
  • In the 21st century, it is considered rude to bug your eyes out and make an “ahoooooga” noise at the sight of an attractive person.
  • “Humorously” portraying racial stereotypes, dressing up as a different gender for “comic effect,” cultivating a “ridiculous” speech impediment, and sexually harassing a cat just because it happens to look like a skunk are all completely unacceptable.
  • If you encounter corn on the cob, eat it in a calm, casual manner and not as if it is the platen of a noisy typewriter. (As an aside, most children don’t even know what a typewriter is these days. If the corn-typewriter thing is part of your day-to-day repertoire, you may need to work on some new material.)
  • Do not allow spicy foods to make smoke come from your ears, cause flame to shoot from your mouth, or entice you into steam-whistle mimicry.
  • If you encounter something particularly surprising, shocking, or complicated, restrain your head from exploding.
  • Keep the whistling while you work to a bare minimum.
  • Avoid stealing the show, even if you’re the singingest, dancingest creature in the park.
  • No matter what happens, do not “realize that this means war.”

Completely innocuous actions are acceptable, so make humorous observations or complete the singing of “Shave and a Haircut.”

Another thing you are welcome to do is order products from ACME and similar vendors if you have a need for something you forgot to pack. If your need is particularly urgent, there are mailboxes in most theme parks and hotels, so you can drop an order into one and hang around for a minute or so until the item you require is delivered. That said, many things you use in your day-to-day life are inappropriate on Disney property, including (but not limited to):

  • Throwable pies
  • Seltzer water bottles
  • Joy buzzers
  • Anvils
  • Giant mallets
  • Portable holes
  • Extendable boxing gloves
  • Exploding cigars
  • Bombs and explosives (with or without plunger detonators)
  • Shotguns
  • Guns that contain a flag that says “Bang!”

Continued in "Disneyland for Vampires, Zombies, and Others with Very Special Needs"!

Humans think they have it tough when contemplating the many dining option at Disneyland, and deciding where to eat. Imagine if your dietary needs include raw meat, synthesized precious metals, or food that does not cast a shadow. Ain't no ADR for that! Luckily, Dominick Cancilla has a few tips.

If you are solar, electric, nuclear, or simply don’t require sustenance, you can save a ton of money on a Disney vacation. For those who will be eating, a few things should be pointed out:

  • Even if you’re used to your every whim being obeyed, you should make dining reservations if you would like to eat at a sit-down restaurant. If you don’t, you may face a significant wait or even be turned away and no amount of “Do you know who/what I am/was?” will make a difference.
  • Disney offers a variety of “character meals.” These are not meals at which you can eat characters.
  • Restaurants will do their best to accommodate special diets so far as available ingredients and the law will allow. Unfortunately, they may not be able to accommodate those who prefer raw meat, meat from “mythical” animals, soylent, precious metals, food that has given its permission to be eaten, blood, brains, power pellets, single-substance preparations (eucalyptus, bamboo, silicon, fruit from a specific tree), food in gaseous form, food that does not cast a shadow, emotions, preparations that require extraterrestrial ingredients, green eggs and ham, foods that produce shrinking/growing effects, anything in the To Serve Man cookbook, the remains of your enemies, or anything that is still living.
  • Any living food item larger than plankton, mold, or small fungus is considered a pet and therefore not allowed in hotel rooms. You might store your food in the resort’s kennel, but if you are going to be occasionally taking an animal out of the kennel and never bringing any back, it’s going to raise questions. Better to rent a car and purchase food as needed from a pet store near the resort.
  • During your stay at the resort you may encounter wild animals (ducks, insects, squirrels, turtles, cats) and domestic animals (guests, service animals). It is not appropriate to eat, stalk, chase, marinate, season, or even so much as lick any of these.
  • Many vendors of unusual foodstuffs that are not specifically prohibited at the resort (blood, rare herbs, coal) will actually deliver right to your hotel room. Find a California vendor on one of the usual web sites and ask if this service is available.
  • If you don’t have a mouth that can handle cups, bring straws for use in your room (they’re readily available in the resorts).
  • Disneyland’s Tomorrowland has edible plants. Don’t.

Brundlefly from the telepod warehouse wrote:

If you can’t eat in a way that resembles normal human eating, have meals in your room. All I wanted to do was have a simple turkey leg, but the moment I excreted my digestive enzymes, people started vehemently (and, in some cases, reflexively) expressing disapproval.

Restrooms

Humans take gender separation very seriously. Female dwarves, identity-displaced individuals, shape shifters, and those in human disguise should use restrooms based on the gender humans think they present rather than the gender they identify with (if they have a gender at all). Yes, it is both grossly unfair and a moral outrage that you should be asked to do this, but it’s an unfortunate consequence of the sexism built into general human society. If you object to acting in this way or find it particularly burdensome, non-gendered family and assistance restrooms are available in most parks.

Continued in "Disneyland for Vampires, Zombies, and Others with Very Special Needs"!

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