Was There for the 50th and Now for the 60th

     Yes our trip to Disney Resort in Anaheim is near. Only 12 more days and we are on our way.  It is hard to believe another year has passed and the magical time is near. I will soon soar on Soarin, fall on Splash Montian, Drop on Tower, splash on Grizzly River run and scream on Screamin. All in one day most times too. I will also get to travel to the future on Star Tours, go swashbuckling on Pirates and meet those 999 haunts at the mansion.

     This year is a special year. It is Disney's 60th birthday, it is hte diamond celebration. Wow how completely exciting. We were there for the 50th gold and it was amazing so I am sure this celebration will be just as wonderful.

     Disney's California Adventure Park has under gone some changes and while I am sad to see some things leave, I am excited for the changes too.  I am also so excited to see the Mad T Party Band play again. I will let everyone know if the music has changed outside Soarin and how the changes are in the old Taste Pilot Grill and Fly N Buy.

     Disneyland has done some imgaineering to Peter Pan which will be truly enthralling. Alice was amazing so I know Peter Pan will be as well.

     There are new window stories too which I can't wait to see. The fireworks will be amazing and then there's the new Electrical Parade. Wow it will be amazing and I will have a lot to tell.

     I will take a lot of pictures, video and have many new memories to share.

The Final Change, Saddest of All

     Soarin Over California is one of our favorite rides. It is a part of Condor Flats which no longer exists. This year Soarin has a new theme and will look different inside. We were told to take pictures of it last year since it was the last year it would look like it does. The attraction did need updating because the film was getting worn out. I am not sure that they needed to get rid of Condor Flats and the aviation theme though. Time will tell, I will write about it when we expeience it ourselves.

     We loved the music and theme of Soarin as it was. Change is hard and this is the hardest change of all.


Outside Soarin in Condor Flats

Soarin inside, going to miss this shot. I will miss being cleared for take-off.

    Soon we will be introduced to the new Soarin, but I must say farewell to the old Soarin Over California and Condor Flats. We will miss you.

Farewell to Taste Pilot Grill

     One of our favorite places to eat is Taste Pilot Grill. Not just because they have wonderful food but we also loved the ambiance of the establishment. The aviation theme and music while inside the restaurant were special for us.

     We have seen the appearance of the restaurant change and this year when we go to DCA it will no longer be called Taste Pilot Grill. It is now Smoke Jumpers Grill or something of that nature. We do not know what to expect and I am sure it will still be an excellent place to eat but we will miss the aviation theme and music.

 This is what the outside of the TPG looked like when we first started going to DCA in 2003. We loved the plane.










After a few years they changed it and took the plane away.
We miss the plane.

This is the inside of the TPG, I am sad that it will not look this way anymore. 

I am sure the food will be great and I will write about the new restaurant but I am still sad that the Grill has changed and will miss the Taste Pilot Grill.

More Things We Miss at DCA

     There are more things we miss at DCA, one of those are the letters in the central plaza area. We loved the letters, they were not only interesting, pretty and unique but they were great photo op spots. Over the years we have taken many pictures near and in the letters. My kids loved to just sit in the letters. We truly miss them.

     My sons having fun posing in the letters.

      A family shot inside the letters back in 2004 when my grandma went with us.

 Oldest son as he was getting almost too big to sit inside the A.

  
     Youngest posing in the C

     Another huge change that took place was the removal of the replica of the San Francisco bridge. We loved the bridge, it was fun watching the Monorail travel over it and just as fun riding over it as we were on the Monorail. We took a lot of photo's in front of the bridge too. Here are a couple shots of the bridge that is now a part of history. 

     The entrance to the park is completely different and the letters are gone, the after you enter the park the bridge is gone, we do like the changes but in honestly not as well as we did these pieces of history. Thankfully we will always have our memories and pictures.

 

More Disney California Adventure Park Memories

     Many of our favorite attractions, landmarks and places to hang out are now a part of the DCA memory book. We love some of the new attractions and hang outs but miss the old places we loved. It is hard to say goodbye to something to love and relegate it to a memory.

     One thing that we absolutely loved to do was to get ice cream at Brr Bank Ice Cream, sit and watch the Beach Boys cover band play while enjoying our ice cream.  We loved the old Zephyr and was sad to see it leave.

   We spend many hours sitting at these tables people watching and listening to the music played by the Beach Boys cover band. We also enjoyed just sitting there to listen to the overhead music too. It was all California beach music and made us happy. It is something that my family and I miss a lot.
    The new building is nice but just not the same. The music overhead is not some we enjoy and we do not like the entertainment that is played over by Carthay Circle. I wonder if anyone really likes that old twenties style music. It is loud and makes it very hard to visit as we sit to have ice cream. We now have our ice cream over at Ghirdelli's on the Warf.

     We also loved the Titanium Sun, it was beautiful and had such an amazing water show if you took the time to watch. We also watched the Electrical Parade from that spot because it was not crowded and the best spot where you could see the entire parade. It was sad to see it go. The Carathay Circle building is pretty but just not the same. The prices are not affordable for families and well, I just think it is not something Walt would have placed in his park, maybe the building but not the high priced restaurant.

     Not only was the Titanium Sun a great place to watch the Elecrical parade and a beautiful landmark, it was also an excellent place for photo ops. We spent a lot of time there. 

      The old Woody is the car the Beach Boys cover band drove around. I really miss that show.

     Another attraction that we missed a lot disappeared before we even know it. I don't even know when it disappeared, I think it was in 2012 but long before that the things we loved about it were gone. You could have a water fight and my kids loved to pretend to surf. We went to see it one year and it was gone. It wasn't a place we visited a lot but we did enjoy it.

DCA is still one of our favorite places and we do love most all of the new attractions but I think a farewell to the ones that will forever live in our memories had to be done.  Next post I will remember more of our favorite attractions/landmark/memories.

Disney's California Adventure Park: Memories of the Past

Way back in 2003 when my mom and I first took my kids to Disney's California Adventure Park (DCA) which had not been open for long. We had never been there either. We all fell in love with the park. We loved the Southern Beach feel that it had. It was not Disneyland but had a Disney feel complete with Disney magic. We spent a lot of time hopping from one park to the next.

Back in 2008 we were told that there were many huge plans for the park. There was this huge expansion about to happen. We were excited because they told us that there would be a Cars Land but yet we were also sad to see many of the things we love go away. I thought it would be fun to write a blog showcasing some of the things we loved and miss most of all at DCA

The first thing to go that we loved was Golden Dreams. It was a wonderful and interesting story told by Woopie Goldberg about California and the dreams that made it what it is today. I wish they would put the story on DVD becaue it was such a great story. Sadly I didn't get any pictures of Golden Dreams before it was removed but I did get some shots of this building that was just around the corner. We spent a lot of time there because restrooms were a part of this structure.  My sons also loved getting their pictures taken here.

When we arrived in 2009 to find Golden Years gone and Ariel's attraction in the making we also found that the water at the pier had been drained so they could put in World of Color.

This picture was taken back in July 2003 on our first visit to DCA. Such a different view from what was to come.

This shot was taken in 2003 too. 

Then later in 2009 things looked much different in this area. The water was gone and the sun wheel had changed. We looked forward to the World of Color but things sure did look dreary without the water.

A few years later in 2010 things had changed quite a bit. The Orange Stinger was gone and in its place was Silly Symphony Swings. I must admit we have not tried them. We felt secure inside the stinger but have not felt as secure being out in the open. Someday I will give it a twirl though. 

This is the Maliboomer in its glory. One of my sons favorite rides after they got the nerve to ride it. Sadly they were only able to enjoy it for a couple of years before it was removed.

The following year another area we loved was gone. Bountiful Valley Farms left for Cars Land. Now don't get me wrong, we love Cars Land but we were sad to see this neat area leave. 

One of the saddest things for us was to say goodbye to our beloved Electrical Parade. I remember watching it as a child as it went down Main Street USA. Then we were lucky to see it again at DCA. The music always makes us dance and we were brokenhearted to learn it would be leaving in 2010. I hope everyone enjoys these shots I took in 2009 as we said farewell to a Disney tradition. I will post YouTube video once I get that loaded.

That ends my memory lane tribute for now. I will continue soon with a tribute to the DCA entrance and the San Francisco Bridge replica and the letters. We also will dearly miss Condor Flats. Soon we will see the new area and I am sure we will love it but that does not mean we do not miss what was.

Rude Behavior at Disney Rsort

     Disneyland Resort is a magical place to visit. It is a place where people can go to let their inner child out. Everyone has the chance to make special memories. The park offers something special for all who visit. So that everyone can have a magical visit there are rules that should be followed. These rules are in place so that each guest can visit and create special memories. There are some behaviors that are just out and out rude. People should really try to use some common sense and consideration. Those guests who do not abide by the rules can take some of the magic out of other guest's experience. 

     The saying "no flash photography" is heard on many of the rides as guests first take off on their journey. Disney has a reason for this rule they are not being mean or wanting to take the fun out of the experience. This rule is in place so that each guest has the chance to have a magical experience. Many of the rides are set in low lighting. This makes the flash extremely noticeable. It is very annoying to be on Disneyland's Pirates of the Caribbean while people are taking flash pictures. It takes the magic out of the experience when lights are constantly flashing. The light from the flash can also be extremely blinding when it hits you right in the eyes. Haunted Mansion is another ride that takes place in the dark. When people constantly take flash pictures it is very distracting. Haunted Mansions cast members will actually stop the ride if guests are taking too many pictures to tell them to stop. This takes a bit away from the magic too. Disney California Adventures Soaring Over California is not a dimly lit ride however the flash can be seen by other guests as it goes off. It takes away from the magical experiences if you see flashes going off while soaring.

     Some rides allow flash photography such as Disneyland's It's a Small World. Guests need to remember not to take pictures when the flash will go off in someone's eyes. It is very annoying to be on the ride and have someone turn around to take a picture and the flash goes off. People need to stop and consider other guests and only take shots in front of them. People simply need to be thoughtful when taking pictures.  

     Littering is something that should not be done no matter where you are. The cleaning crew at Disney Resort does an excellent job keeping the parks clean. It is a constant job too because so many people litter. Disney places receptacles all over the park, there is absolutely no excuse in people littering. Many times there are water bottles or wrappers in the plants or even in the scenery area of some rides. If cast members stopped the rides for cleaning every time people litter, the rides would never be open. People really need to be considerate and respectful of the next guest who wants to see the ride, of those who clean the ride and just of the whole area. It does not take that much effort to walk over to a trash can and throw your trash in it. The cast members keep the cans emptied so there's always room for more. Litter bugs should find another place to play if they can't keep things clean.  

      Cutting in line is another extremely rude behavior. Everyone wants to get on a ride, those who cut do not deserve to get to get on the ride any quicker than those who wait in line. Saving places for a huge group of people is also extremely rude. It is not fair for a family to send one member to save a place on a ride while everyone else goes to do other things. If every person did this it would change the wait time and so when you get in line and the time says 35 minutes, all of the members of the groups show up so the wait ends up being 50 minutes instead of 35. If people want to ride, then the whole party should be present. If the whole group can't be there at the same time then they should either ride separately or the people who arrive first can wait for the rest of the group before getting in line. It is only common courtesy. Those who are willing to wait in line want to ride just as much as those who think they deserve to jump ahead. Granted there are times the kids need to use the restroom and get out of line, which is different. But even then, in all fairness to the rest of the people, those who get out of line should wait and ride later on. The waits can be long, take care of business before getting in line.

      Shoving in front of people is also rude. If you are waiting for an attraction such as World of Color, let those who got there first, go first. Don't shove them out of the way until you are in front. They got there ahead of you and were willing to wait. You didn't want to wait so you don't deserve to be in the front of the line. 

      Disney Resort is a family place. Many people take their young kids to the parks. Foul language and making out should not be allowed. Those who wish to use foul language should stay home, don't go out in public and talk that way. Many parents don't want their kids to hear foul language. Making out also should not be done in a family environment. Hold hands, peck on the cheek, quick kiss on the lips, those are all fine but to grope and make out in public is rude. That is what motels are for, if people want to do that they need to get a room or stay home. Animals behave that way because they do not have the intelligence to know that it is not proper, people should know better. Other people, especially young children, do not and should not have to hear foul mouthed people or watch couples make out.

     Standing in the middle of the walkway to visit is also extremely rude. The parks are crowded and a lot of people are trying to get from one attraction to the next. If you want to visit, or plan out the day, move to the side of the walkway so that other people can get around you. It doesn't take much to do that and sure can make the traffic flow smoother. 

     Those in wheel chairs can also be rude. Being in a wheel chair does not give people the right to push in front of others. Those wheels hurt when they run over toes. Strollers are the same way, parents need to pay attention and stop cutting people off or running over their toes with strollers. People need to pay attention to the world around them and stop thinking of only one person….themselves.

      One of the rudest and most annoying behaviors at the parks is those people who put their children on their shoulders to watch the shows such as Fantasmic or World of Color. Nothing is more irritating than to be watching a show only to have some inconsiderate person place his or her child on his shoulders. Maybe they are so ignorant that they think their child makes a good window. Well, the child is not invisible and does not make a good window. This takes the ability to view the show completely away from the person behind the child. If people are worried about their kids seeing the show, get there earlier to be in front or just hold the child in your arms. Don't ruin the experience for those behind you. Certainly all people in the world are more intelligent than to think those behind them can see through their child. 

     Disney resort is a place everyone can enjoy. It is a place where memories are made. Those who think they have the right to do whatever they want need to remember that they are not the only ones who want to have fun. They are not the only ones who want to ride, or see an attraction. They are not the only ones there, other people want to enjoy the parks too and the rude people should stop being rude and taking away from other's magical experience or better yet, stay home until they learn how to behave properly in public and be considerate and respectful of other people and property.