The couch gag for this episode was animated by Disney veteran animator Eric Goldberg, who has worked on several movies for Disney in the past.
There are two references to Disney. if you count the opening as a single reference: The opening, then when they arrive, Marge says, "this is like Disneyland for thin people."
The music that plays as the family rides down into the canyon is from the 'Grand Canyon Suite' by Ferde Grofé Sr., which could be considered another Disneyland reference: It's the same song played on the Disneyland Railroad while passing through the Grand Canyon, which is the only locale in the entire park where the animals are not animatronic.
Eric Goldberg was the supervising animator for the Genie from Aladdin (1992). Dan Castellaneta, the voice of Homer, voiced the Genie in the Disney TV show Aladdin (1994) and its various spin-offs which were based on the animated film.
The title is a reference to the Grand Canyon.