Vintage Disneyland (Remember When?)

First off, these pictures are not mine, but this morning I was just Googling vintage Disneyland photos and these popped up. Without mentioning my age, and going back through the years, I still remember when Disney had the views from what is depicted these photographs. It's a little bit of journey back in time. I remember leaving a little Instamatic camera on one of those Skyway buckets. Never did get it back.

I remember making that long drive from Northern California with my parents and being greeted by this sign. Few things in my life have given me such shear excitement as being a kid, pulling close to the park, and seeing this sight. We made it!

I remember when a trip on the parking lot tram was a ride for me.  And a space age monorail? Life doesn't get a better than a ride on that.

Remember when the subs were painted drab Navy gray and the journey around the lagoon was a journey of unexplored adventure touched with a bit of science? It was a far cry from chasing after a cartoon fish as it is today.

The People Mover was a slow ponderous ride. It was also classic Disney and sorely missed. Back in the day, the Astro Orbitor sat up on an elevated platform bringing your further up in the sky.

Yep, those were the days. Those were the days. A Magic Kingdom indeed for a little kid.

More Excellence From The Disneyland History Institue

A Proud Walt Disney Shows Off His Park
A Disney Photo

I've been a little sidetracked this month. As readers know, in the course of this July, I was diagnosed with melanoma skin cancer (officially - superficial spreading melanoma) and had the cancer surgically removed. Since it was caught early, the cancer was completely taken out after a couple of hours of surgery. Some melanoma patients are not so fortunate if the disease spreads into internal organs. Remember that scene from Raiders of the Lost Ark where Indy takes a beating from that hulking bare chested Nazi in front of the plane? With the stitches just taken out of my chin and neck this past Thursday, I wish my face looked as good as Indy's after he got his beat down. But scars will mostly heal. Again, I'm fortunate.

But I also haven't spent as much time working on this blog as I normally do for the last several weeks. Hard to think about Disneyland when you feel like you've been worked over with a baseball bat and mentally you exist in a zone where you just try and figure out what cancer is all about. So I missed re-posting another lovely Disneyland historical video from the great Disneyland History Institute website when it came out in early July. The accompanying soundtrack may not be everyone's cup of tea but film clips of Disneyland from 1955, lovingly assembled, are wonderful to look at.

Please enjoy The Disneyland History Institute's - Disneyland Voce 1955

Sailing Ship Columbia Turns 55 - Sail On!

June seems to be an anniversary month for Disneyland. Next week is the Tiki Room's 50th anniversary but before we get to that, today, June 14, 55 years ago in 1958, the Sailing Ship Columbia made its maiden voyage around the Rivers of America and has been delighting passengers ever since (when it's running).

Now my confession is that I haven't been on the Columbia since 2004. When it comes to taking passengers around the ROA, it's the steamship Mark Twain that does most of the heavy lifting. The Columbia is reserved for weekends or days when peak crowds are expected. And since the 'ol Disneyland Traveler tries to make his trips to Disneyland away from peak periods, I get to see a lot of the Columbia parked in its berth over by the Hungry Bear restaurant or maybe in its triumphant appearance in Fantasmic.

And my second confession is that I prefer making my river excursions on the Mark Twain, and that's for one big reason. The Mark Twain has shade from the midday sun. The Columbia doesn't. Yes, the Columbia does have a below deck area to give the vessel some true authenticity but down there you miss out on the river scenery. Still, the Columbia is a gentle ride that should be experienced by every Disneyland fan. Another gift from Walt. 

The Mark Twain and Columbia in 1958
A Disney Photo

Two Weeks Until The Enchanted Tiki Room's 50th Anniversary

Two weeks from today, Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room in Disneyland will celebrate it's 50th anniversary. The attraction was opened by Walt himself - June 23, 1963. I'll have more to write about this great attraction as the anniversary date gets closer, but just begin to think about what a special place this really is.

Disney is busy ramping up with all the collectible anniversary merchandise they can sell. I'm thinking about the countless wonderful memories the attraction has given me.

Pirates of the Caribbean & The Blue Bayou: An Anniversary

Today is the anniversary of the opening of Pirates of the Caribbean and the Blue Bayou Restaurant in Disneyland's New Orleans Square. The official opening was March 18, 1967, about 4 months after the death of Walt Disney who worked tirelessly to bring this treasured attraction to life. Earlier today, the Disneyland Twitter feed posed the simple question "What's you favorite meal at the Blue Bayou?" More on that later.

If you are a regular reader of this blog, you know that Pirates of the Caribbean is my favorite ride in the park. Heck, it's my favorite ride ever, anywhere. To this day I still remember my first ride as a young boy (and probably not too long after the ride opened), sitting next to my parents and my sister and taking that first scintillating plunge in the darkness, followed by another, then finally the rollicking world of mostly drunken pirates. Thrills.....Joy.....Pirates had it all and I was lucky enough to share it with my parents and my baby sister. Thank you Walt for a memory I will never, ever forget. I share this gratitude with many.

Fast forward to 2002. My parents by this time had long passed away. A group of family members decided to make a group trip to Disneyland. Going all out, we had four rooms booked at the recently opened Grand Californian. Leading the rag-tag brigade was my older sister. She was ten years older than I was a was so my memories of her when I was a child were fleeting. But she became the matriarch of the family after my mother's passing. This was my only trip to Disneyland with her. I still remember so much from that trip, so many memories to treasure. You see, my sister passed away in 2006 under sad and tragic circumstances. For those who take life for granted - don't - it's just that simple. 

Anyway, my sister wanted to take the gang to the Blue Bayou for a grand lunch. Grand it was because there must have been about 15 or 16 of us. A table that big could not get right by the water for the greatest view of the boats passing by but we got close enough. Lovely, memorable, enchanting, there are countless words that can be expressed about that joyful afternoon but it comes down to the love my sister had for her family. My favorite meal. I really don't know what I had that day but the crab cakes come to mind. On that day in the Blue Bayou, it was all about my wonderful sister and her love for her family and her families love for her. 

I miss her dearly and each and every trip to Disneyland I think about the memories we shared together even if they were a one time deal. You can think about your favorite meal at the Blue Bayou but the better thing to do is to think about the person or people you are sharing that table with in Disneyland's most intimate of settings. 

Disneyland Resort A To Z - The Haunted Mansion

The Haunted Mansion is the second of two premiere attractions in Disneyland's New Orleans Square, with the first premiere attraction being Pirates of the Caribbean which predates the Mansion by about 3 years. Now there are Disneyland fans who will fight me out in the street that the Haunted Mansion is by far the better of the two quintessential Disneyland rides but I'll stick to my guns. Pirates is the best ride in the park with the Mansion a few notches down.

To further irk Haunted Mansion fans my opinion of the attraction goes something like this: Pirates is the better of the two because of the color of the scenes and the intimacy it draws you into the Pirate world. Haunted Mansion, by design, is rather colorless, dark, and dreary, (I can hear it now "it's suppose to be you idiot") and just has me moving along in a world that I just can't get very excited about. Sometimes the ride feels rather...well.... boring (which is never the case for Pirates). And to further travel down the path of sacrilege, I much prefer the Haunted Mansions holiday overlay which injections the place with... yes... much appreciated color.

Despite my prejudices, the Haunted Mansion is a great attraction, the last attraction Walt Disney personally had a hand in bringing to life (but opened several years after his death). The omnimover ride system sucks in people by the score which also leads to rather short wait times (usually) on a lavish and lengthy ride.

There are 999 ghosts in the Mansion as Disney tells it but about a thousand ghost stories and urban legends about the place, like the legend of the Hatbox Ghost. The video below tells the story of the Mystery of the Hatbox Ghost from the Disneyland History Institute

At least one visit to the Haunted Mansion is on the must do list for all of our trips to Disneyland no matter what time of year it is or if the holiday overlay is installed or not (typically the HM holiday overlay is place from mid-September until early January). Usually Mrs. DisneylandTraveler and I make to two or three visits to the Mansion on our journeys to Disneyland. Sometimes we get bored with the place, sometimes we don't, but we always make it a point to stop by.

The Golden Horseshoe Experiment

Though I haven't confirmed it from any official Disney source, there is a rumor that the Golden Horseshoe Saloon in Frontierland will revert back to a version of it's original stage show that ran for many years following the park's opening. The revival show will be part of Disneyland's  2013 Limited Time Magic promotion and will only run from January 10 - February 4. It's a grand show complete with dance hall girls and cowboy comedians and as a young boy, I remember seeing the good time fun entertainment with my parents... way back when.

But as a young boy, I was all about rides back then so the Golden Horseshoe stage show never really triggered any real sense of romance or nostalgia in me (unlike the Tiki Room or Lincoln). Many Disneyland veterans wax poetically about the thousands of performances of comedian Wally Boag as Pecos Bill and Betty Taylor's Slue Foot Sue. As often mentioned, Wally Boag performing at the Golden Horseshoe was one of comedian Steve Martin's primary influences (Steve worked at Disneyland for a period of time).

So while this revamped show is eagerly anticipated for many Disneyland fans, I could easily give it a pass. At this stage of my life, for me, the Golden Horseshoe belongs to Billy Hill and the Hillbillies and the show they brought to the Golden Horseshoe. Since last summer, Billy has been relegated to performing outdoors at the Festival Arena and while I have not seen outdoor Billy, there is a part of me that wants them back inside the Golden Horseshoe, where they belong, where I have seen them countless times over the last 10 or 12 years.

Someone on MiceChat is already soliciting people to go down to Disneyland's City Hall and fill out an official suggestion request to make the vintage Golden Horseshoe show a permanent fixture once its temporary run begins. That's kind of like voting that Iron Man is the greatest attraction in Disneyland before the ride is even built. Besides, in my many Billy Hill viewings, I have yet to see and empty seat in the house. Billy Hill and the Hillbillies appearing 5 times daily at the Golden Horseshoe Saloon in Disneyland - that's the way it should be.

...And Now A Public Service Announcement From Disney - Vote

Election Day, come tomorrow we won't have to listen another commercial on why the other candidate is a liar and not a real American. But before Election Day comes to a close, a vintage public service video from the Walt Disney Archives (from Disney Posts Blog) gives us Donald Duck and one final reminder.

Funny thing is if I showed up to my polling place without pants, I might be asked leave before ever casting my vote for my preferred candidate.

DHI Remembers Tomorrowland's Flying Saucers Ride

Cars Land's Luigi's Flying Tires is getting punished around the internet world. There are some who like the ride, but most find it slow and boring (those that can actually get the tires to move a bit that is). The other complaint is that the queue line moves extremely slow because of low ride capacity.

With that in mind, the Disney History Institute has just posted an excellent video giving us a look at the original Flying Saucers attraction in Tomorrowland that had a brief lifespan back in the early 60's. The ride was eventually shut down because of low capacity, constant breakdowns and a large staff to support its operation and maintenance. Luigi? Take a look in the mirror.

Revisiting the Haunted Mansion & the Hatbox Ghost Mystery

While I was looking at YouTube videos produced by The Disneyland History Institute (disneyhistoryinstitute.com) yesterday, I had forgotten about one of their more famous videos that was extremely popular awhile back with Disneyland fan websites. In this video, DHI explores the mystery of the legendary Hatbox Ghost, perhaps the most memorable Haunted Mansion character that doesn't appear in the ride at all. The mystery of the Hatbox Ghost is one of those behind the scenes things that makes Disneyland so amazing. The Hatbox Ghost appeared in Haunted Mansion publicity images, in books, and on HM cover art, but he never existed in the attraction itself. Or did he?

Here is where the Disneyland History Institute steps in and gives their take on the mystery of the Hatbox Ghost and provides visual evidence that yes, for a very brief time, the legendary ghost was present in the attraction. For fans of Disneyland history, this is a great video.

Jogging Disneyland Memories

While working on this blog this morning (and avoiding chores around the house and yard) I came across this very lovely video of the early days of Disneyland (1957 to be exact). It was uploaded to YouTube from a web site called The Disney History Institute. For those whose memories only go back a decade or two, this is a look at Disneyland that is both familiar and distant at the same time. As for me, I remember many of these rides and attractions that have long since disappeared and every once in awhile it's just nice to revisit what once was and in many ways, still is.

Windows On Main St. & Remembering Robert Sherman

A week or so ago I was railing in a MousePlanet discussion board against Disneyland Annual Passholders mostly to be something of a contrarian and to push some buttons. Its all in good fun. What do I care that Disney has almost a million APers?  Good for them.  Anyway, one of my points about APers is a lot of them are good time Charlies heading to the park for the rides & attractions while ignoring the history, legacy, and detail of the park.  I made the statement that many of these APers probably probably don't even realize that the decorated windows on Main St (and a few other places) honor the men and women who played a significant role in the creating of the park and contributors to the magic of Disney.  Many of the people honored with windows were closely linked personally to Walt Disney himself.

Take two.  It may be sacrilege but I hated the movie Mary Poppins and I am old enough to remember seeing it in a theater as a child.  The lady flying around with an umbrella kind of gave me the creeps.  I loved the Dick Van Dyke Show growing up but couldn't stand Dick in Mary Poppins with maybe the worst cockney accent ever to grace a motion picture.  But you can't say the music of Mary Poppins wasn't memorable.  A week or so ago I wrote an entry in this blog about it's a small world (link).  I wrote about THAT SONG.  Love it or hate it, you can't say its something that isn't easily recognizable and will stay filed somewhere in your memory banks for your entire life.

Two men wrote the music for Mary Poppins, it's a small world, along with Disney music for countless rides, attractions, and movies.  They were Walt's favorite songwriters - Robert Sherman and his brother Richard Sherman.  Last week, Robert Sherman died in London after a long illness.  He was well in his 80's.  Richard on the other hand still shows up for major Disney events and continuous to be an ambassador for the history and legacy of Disney. Richard was present when Disney honored the songwriting brothers with a window on the facade of the little music store on Main St. and even sung one of his classic songs.  Today the Disneyland Traveler honors the contributions of the Sherman Brothers and tips his hat to the passing of Richard.  God bless.

Richard (left) and Robert Sherman - A Disney Parks Blog Photo

Richard performs Feed the Birds at the Disneyland dedication ceremony for their window March 2010.

The Worst Disneyland 50th Anniversary Souvenir

Disneyland celebrated its 50th anniversary back in July 2005. The official park opening date was July 17, 1955.  We didn't make it down for the official anniversary day but my family and I were fortunate enough to spend a week down at the Disneyland Resort in late July of 2005 getting the opportunity celebrate Disneyland's "Happiest Homecoming on Earth" an event which went on to last for almost 2 years.  There was a large group of us on this particular trip so we booked a 3 bedroom suite (plus an extra room) at the Disneyland Hotel. We had a great time all the way around.

A few days ago, I was going through a box of old DVD's we had stored in a box in the garage, preparing to get rid of a great many of them as we have now moved on to the blu-ray disc generation.  And there it was - Disneyland's "official commemorative edition" DVD celebrating the aforementioned "Happiest Homecoming on Earth".  I hadn't seen this "souvenir" since I played it when we returned from our 2005 trip.  Yes, the must have souvenir from a great trip had only one showing in the Disneyland Traveler household and for good reason.  The commemorative video is awful.  I would sell this thing on eBay but I wouldn't want to rip someone else off the way Disney ripped me (and countless others) off by buying this wretched production.

You see, underneath it all, the "Happiest Homecoming on Earth" commemorative DVD is nothing more that a Disneyland Resort vacation planning video no better than the DVD's Disney Travel will send you free of charge.  In fact, it is worse than many of the free promotional DVD's that we have received from Disney Travel over the years.  

Back in 2005, Disney was showing a fine film in the Opera House starring Steve Martin (and Donald Duck) that lovingly traced some of the 50 year history of Walt's park.  That film still plays today on a small video screen in the lobby of the Opera House in a continual loop as part of the Great Moments With Mr. Lincoln pre-show.  That's the kind of film I was hoping to get with my $25 or $30 DVD purchase back in 2005.  In fact, if they sold a copy of the Steve Martin film, I would bought that one.  Instead, I bought a travel video, a promotional video, really just a half hour infomercial selling the Disneyland Resort.  Nothing about Walt, nothing about the 50 year history (other than some pop-up park facts), in the end, dreadful.

Yes, we had a great time back in 2005 but this DVD kind of left a bad taste in my mouth when thinking about all the great things about that trip.  Just to make sure it was as bad as I remembered, I played again this morning.  Yes, it is very bad.

The Tiki Room Is Not An Excuse To Eat Ice Cream

So, Mrs. DisneylandTraveler and I are at Disneyland.  It's getting mid-afternoon, lunch was a few hours ago, the temperature is warming up, the feet are getting tired and then one of us will say 'Do you want to go to the Tiki Room?".  "Sure!" the other one of us that didn't ask the question will say.  There seems to be a lot of code words that float around Disneyland. Say "Tiki Room" first thing in the morning might not mean anything at all.  It probably doesn't even get said.  Say "Tiki Room" in late afternoon and it can mean only one thing for me and Mrs. DLT:  let's go get some pineapple ice cream - a whip for Mrs. DLT and a float for me.  

I don't believe Mrs. DLT and I have ever gone to the Dole pineapple stand without going in to see the show in the Enchanted Tiki Room.  I don't believe we have ever gone to the Tiki Room show without getting ice cream.  The two seem to go together so well.  It's tradition. On our trips, we usually end up seeing the animatronic bird show two, sometimes three times.  "Don't you ever get tired of seeing that show?" one might ask.  "Nope, doesn't matter, I got my float and I'll finish it off while seeing the birds perform and all will be right with my Disney world".  This is what Disneyland is all about.

But there's another reason for my love for Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room and it has nothing to do with ice cream at all.  My parents passed away long ago as did an older sister and brother.  The places we lived and shared our lives together are a distant past.  But there is a room a little over 400 hundred miles away from where I write this where we went in together to see birds that could talk and sing.  It is the same now as it was many, many years ago.  Sitting in the Enchanted Tiki Room now connects me with a place I sat with my parents and my brother well over 40 years ago and with my sister 10 years ago.  They are no longer around, but my Disneyland memories with them have not faded.  It's so special, magical, and powerful.  We all have Walt Disney to thank for that.  He knew these things.

Walt Disney and Jose at the Tiki Room - A Disney Parks Blog Photo