Hard to believe it’s been a year since I last went to Disneyland with my friend Janet and her family. While Janet's hubby Dale was parking the car, she posed in front of the “C” with her two little towheads. More photo opportunities presented themselves while we waited for the rope-drop on Main Street, which forced the boys to explore parts of Main Street they’d never seen, such as the Fire Department. This is not surprising, as how many kids want to hang around in Town Square when Pirates, Indiana Jones, Space Mountain, and Nemo await in other lands?



Tyler is a budding magician, and enjoyed watching the magic tricks in the Magic Shop on Main Street:



By this time, Disneyland had stalled enough; the boys were ready for some attractions! First one was Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln. Nobody in Janet’s family had ever seen this one, and I was curious to hear what they thought. Just the lobby display with the model of the Capitol (built back in the 1930’s) is fairly stirring in itself:





But enough with displays and talking, time for the real show. I was very pleased to see and hear that the entire family loved it. I know some are a little bored by the film before the animatronic Mr. Lincoln appears, but I feel it is just the right length and a very well-done presentation. The “Two Brothers” song annoyed me at first, but after repeated listenings, it has grown on me. There are a few cool little riffs in there that I really do like. As for Lincoln; I’ve plugged the new animatronic before and will do so again. To see him rise from the chair really takes your breath away. The facial movements and hand gestures will also cause your jaw to drop. It definitely calls out for repeated viewings.







Ryan and I took off for Space Mountain (front row, no less!) while Janet & Tyler enjoyed the more sedate Autopia.



Everyone reconvened for an underwater adventure with Nemo. For once, I actually left my camera off for the majority of the attraction. Although I enjoyed it more being able to concentrate on the ride itself, I still felt that it lacks the light-hearted fun and kitsch of the original that made it such a classic. Dale asked “Where are the mermaids?!?"









Everyone was hungry and the kids wanted burgers, so we made a pitstop at The Village Haus; I hadn’t been there for awhile, so it afforded an opportunity for some photos and a Turkey Club with apple slices (doing my best to eat well in the New Year!). Working for the Housing & Dining Division at a University, we constantly get "sustainability" drummed into our heads daily. So, everytime I see the apple slices appear on the tray in their plastic wrapper I cringe. Sure, the apples taste surprisingly good, but wouldn’t it be better "show" if they were cut fresh and served without all the wasteful packaging which is just a reminder to the guest that, "Hey, these aren't really all that fresh and they’ve been through a factory"? Just a thought. I do love the interior of the Village Haus; the murals, the layout with all of the nooks and crannies...I really should check it out more often.







Time for a quick sidetrip to DCA to visit a friend of mine who’s a castmember over there. Naturally, I took a Main Street Vehicle back to the entrance!



On the way I snapped the new (yikes!) stroller and wheelchair building. Maybe they could have a kiosk with pamphlets on Stroller & Wheelchair etiquette. I’d happily hand 'em out!





Over at Disney’s California Adventure, there were even more construction walls. Knowing that they meant the eventual arrival of the Red Car Trolleys, I didn’t mind. The simulated woodgrain and faux old Disney movie posters were a nice touch.







I’d never noticed this billboard before—thanks to the construction walls, my eyes were looking up instead of ahead!



Barely enough time to snap these photos and then I was back to Disneyland to meet Janet & Company at The Haunted Mansion. On the way I snapped the under-construction Frontierland entrance bridge.



I made it to the Mansion just in time—practically walked into the elevator. I could tell there would be no rest on this particular visit!



Madame Leota was "sitting" still on the tabletop, just as she should be:



The cemetery was abuzz with all kinds of activity:





I could just stare at Little Leota all day long! Well, maybe not ALL day, but at least for half an hour.



And that is enough of our tale for today! See more vintage & current Disneyland photos at my regular website.

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As soon as Stacy & I got to the Magic Kingdom, it was time for the fireworks to start—talk about perfect timing! Because of the wider street, it was easier to get a better vantage point even though we showed up about 10 minutes before the pyrotechnic display began (don’t think for a minute that means that I’d trade my Disneyland Main Street for WDW though!). It should come as no surprise that I took a ton-o-photos, but will only bore you here with a handful:







I was even able to capture Tinkerbell:





The park and especially the castle sure looks even more magical at night:





It was time to walk through the castle and check out Fantasyland.





Philharmagic has the dubious distinction of being the one attraction I wanted to experience but was unable to, due to technical difficulties. Got as far as the theater doors when we had to exit because of this. Naturally, Stacy had to tell me just how good it was when she saw it the day before!





Dark rides are hard to photograph, especially if you’ve never been on them. Because of the long lines, Peter Pan only got one ride through for us (translation: you only get a handful of photos and they are kinda' sucky!). The WDW version is similar, but I believe I liked the flying over London section at Disneyland better; there is less hustle and bustle; I found all the movement below to be a little distracting and took away from the fantasy feel that you get at Disneyland's version.





Snow White was a different story; I was able to do this one twice. And surprise, surprise...I believe I actually prefer the WDW version!













Somehow, Stacy got me on small world...I think I'm still waiting for a compensation prize. I definitely prefer the outdoor queue for Anaheim’s version; having an indoor queue (somehow) seems to make the attraction a little less special.











After a few texts back and forth, Stacy & I were able to meet up with Walt & his amazing mom (she is one cool mom who you WANT to hang out with!), our friends that we met at Candlelight (and you also might remember him as the crazy person who ran the WDW Half Marathon and full Marathon back-to-back in an Aladdin costume!). We met at the Haunted Mansion, and just as I thought back in 1978, the attraction is even better at night!









I still needed to ride Space Mountain, so we all headed for Tomorrowland. Since the ride had made Stacy a little queasy the day before, she and Dottie hung out while Walt & I braved it. Actually, not much to brave...I found it lackluster compared to Disneyland’s version; both the queue and the attraction (devoid of music) seemed a little ho-hum. It was also less fun to not be able to sit next to who you are riding with the different vehicle configuration.





As you can see here, I think I fell asleep!



We picked up the energy level with Buzz Lightyear, but again, it paled in comparison to Disneyland’s version, not seeming to be on par technically with its west coast counterpart.







On the way out of the park, we posed for a few photos in front of the castle; and yes, it was DAMN COLD!







The saddest part of the day is always when I leave; which is why I try to dull the pain with more photos and a trip through the candy shop!





On the way back "home" to the Polynesian, I stopped at the Contemporary Hotel to get some shots of the Mary Blair tile murals:







To my surprise, this model of the Tower of the Four Winds by Rolly Crump was also there:



One more trip entry to go! See more WDW photos at my website.

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