My Favorite Disney Park Photos: Disneyland's Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad makes for one really nice photo or desktop image! I left this one big enough that you can use it that way if you wish. In the midst of memorial events for the passing of my mother in law, we did the most joyous thing she'd want: We all went to the Happiest Place on Earth for the day. Disneyland doesn't disappoint.  Neither does Imagineer Tony Baxter's first epic blockbuster attraction. I can't take credit for this photo as my youngest daughter snapped it. But she did a great job, don't you think?

There will be a full trip report at a later time from our whole group of seventeen people. Eight of us had never been to Walt's park before- and what stories I'll have to share.

(Photograph copyright Mark Taft.)

Magic Kingdom Attraction Posters: The Adventureland Collection

Every Disney fan loves a good attraction poster! The tradition began at Walt's kingdom in California, but it continued with the opening of Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom- on a much smaller scale.

My Tomorrowland collection of posters from Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom is the most extensive of the park's lands because it has seen so much change. In contrast, today I present one of the smallest collections, the posters for the attractions in Adventureland. 

True to my word, the Jungle Cruise and Christmas layover themed Jingle Cruise are here. The former is an original that looks very much like Disneyland's of the same name. The Jingle Cruise is unique to this park and is now an attraction holiday layover left to rest.

The very top Tropical Serenade show was there at opening in 1971 as well, but now known as Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room, an attempt to create a nostalgic feel toward a park Walt never stepped into. But I guess after 50 years of being in existence, that's probably ok.

Unlike at Disneyland, Swiss Family Treehouse was an opening day attraction in Florida. The poster is another classic designed after the original. Filled with vibrant colors and an exotic feel, it perfectly captures the atmosphere felt when climbing up high in the branches of the most amazing of all Disney treehouse attractions. After all these years from my first visit, the treehouse is still a must-do attraction, proving smaller and old school designs are still enticing.

In contrast to the poster created for Pirates of the Caribbean in New Orleans Square at Disneyland, this one for Florida reflects its unique Caribbean Plaza heritage. The attraction itself may be truncated compared to the California original, but the poster is much more exciting.

The attraction poster collection on this blog is among is most read posts. The full collection for Disneyland begins here. You can also find as a full collection of posters for Epcot. Enjoy cruising the entire blog for more hidden discoveries! Disneyland Paris, Tokyo Disneyland, Tokyo Disneysea, Hong Kong Disneyland, and Shanghai Disneyland, too. There's even some for Disney California Adventure!

A Look at the Unbuilt Jurassic Park Attraction at Islands of Adventure

Perhaps the only thing theme park fans like more than attraction posters are discussing unbuilt attractions. We're fascinated by what's left in the vaults at Disney. But lately, fans have been taking a look at concepts for Universal parks that never made it off the drawing boards. Here, I think, is one of the best: Jurassic Park Helicopter Tours at Islands of Adventure. 

The concept art doesn't give anything away, but flying over the world famous refuge of dinos both large and small (mostly BIG!) would have been a thrill all its own... until something goes terribly wrong, as it always does.

Universal Creative has become a world class organization on par with Walt Disney Imagineering. Much to the delight of fans, each company trying to one up the other. (Is that an unintentional Mario / Super Nintendo World reference?) Will Epic Universe top whatever Disney is planning next? Probably! There's on a hot streak!

(Art copyright Universal Creative.)

When It Rains, It Pours

If we met for coffee and I stopped to explain the last four weeks of my life, you would probably tell me I was lying or worse. But the absolute truth is, life is not always easy and bright. Ask my wife.

It began with someone committing fraud on our home equity line. When you have an older house like we do, you have to have an open line of credit to immediately be able to recover from unexpected breakages and such. Someone on the other side of the country wrote checks totaling over $30K on this account- and it is an account that had no checks associated with it. We had to go into our credit union, close all of our accounts and reopen them with new numbers. This meant chasing down companies we did business with and giving them new card numbers and such.

Exactly one week later, my wife and I were in a car accident. A bad one. We ended up in the emergency room, being scanned, and sent home very sore, tired, and discouraged. But we were thankful the cars air bags did their job, sparing my wife's life. Thank God! We were hit so hard that the car was not worth repairing, so off we went to buy another. Even under the best of circumstances, I hated buying cars and dealing with insurance companies. The other driver hit us at 45MPH after running a very, very red light. Thankfully, we had a witness and we also had the whole thing on video as our city's water department truck was right next to us, catching the entire debacle on film. A good friend of ours owns a deanship, so he selected a good car for us and personally drove it to our home the next day. We did end up buying the car after a week of testing it out. We praise God for taking care of us this way.

While we were dealing with the bank issue and now the insurance companies and looking for a new car, my wife's mother died. If you've lost a parent or an in-law parent, you know the combination of grief and hard work this brings, not only in planning everything but in dealing with grieving children and siblings. Again, we're thankful she loved Jesus. We do not doubt she is in Heaven with him. But the loss is immense.

Are you still with me? It's not over yet.

About a week after her mother's death, my wonderful wife was having lower stomach / digestive pains and contacted a physician. The unfortunate diagnosis was diverticulitis as confirmed by scans. Meds were prescribed, and it looked like she was on the road to recovery. However  this diagnosis ended up being incorrect. Her appendix burst instead, leaving her in the hospital for almost 4 full days. The doctors were hesitant to let is go to her Mom's memorial service in California due to the risk. Knowing she would need a daily drip antibiotic for the next six weeks, we asked for alternatives so we go leave and be with the rest of our extended family to celebrate her life. All our kids and grandkids were joining us. It would also probably be the last time that all my wife's sibling would be together. They are as spread out in the States as is possible, from Mississippi to Alaska, Los Angeles to Colorado to Seattle. Thank God the docs had mercy on us and figured out a way we could bring the medicine with us. It was to our great advantage to have a paramedic son-in-law and a nurse daughter-in-law to join us for the services. 

Some in the faith community of Christians might tell us we don't have enough faith. Or they may believe God always prospers His children. I find it more in line with the Bible that everyone suffers, the just and the unjust (Matthew 5:45). I also see that Jesus says there will be suffering in this life: "I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33). And certainly, our Lord Jesus Christ knew suffering, persecution, and hardship. To die on a cross to pain for the sins of man, he chose to follow the will of God the Father. (Easter is about his triumph over death.)

I also know that suffering is used to mature us (Hebrews 5:8). I can tell you this season certainly makes me think of my mortality and what I really value! This I know- I've got a long way to go.

So, I'm tired, a bit discouraged, and yet I'm thankful. I've got to press into Jesus because He has proven himself faithful over and over again as the only giver of hope, the one who truly gives me strength, and the one who has called my by his name. 

 Have you not known? Have you not heard?

The Lord is the everlasting God,

    the Creator of the ends of the earth.

He does not faint or grow weary;

    his understanding is unsearchable.

 He gives power to the faint,

    and to him who has no might he increases strength.

 Even youths shall faint and be weary,

    and young men shall fall exhausted;

 but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength;

    they shall mount up with wings like eagles;

they shall run and not be weary;

    they shall walk and not faint.

                                                             Isaiah 40:28-31

Praise be to God in all things! Not that the events we endure are good, but He always is.

(Top photo by Jarod Garrett.)

1967 Disneyland Map

Want to see a Disneyland map with the Peoplemover, the Mine Train Thru Nature's Wonderland, the Skyway, and the Mike Fink Keelboats? Well, here it is! These long gone gems of Disneyland are right here on this 1967 map. Or is it "Fun map"? I never can remember. Regardless, the vintage, retro, very cool image is just the very bright and charming piece I wanted to show this Monday morning. With all the doom and gloom in the world, a little fun never hurt anyone. 

(Image copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

Karen Carpenter Goes to the Oscars and Then to Church

This wasn't exactly Ryan Lott and David Byrne of the film RRR and the smash dance number "Naattu Naatu" fame singing the Carpenters iconic Top of the World. No matter. The Richard Carpenter / John Bettis number sounded pretty good even if the singer M.M. Keeravani wasn't pitch perfect, but his heart was clearly in the right place!  The words were changed to adapt to the Oscars. A nice tribute to be sure. Richard Carpenter's video response to him was classy and so was Keervani's "back at ya" love. A great series of events for fans of the duo.

This was on the other end of the spectrum. I was early for church and got to hear a bit of the band warm up. The young female singer hit some wonderfully low notes, and the guitar player commented, "There's a bit of Karen Carpenter that just came out." The sound team (who was a bit older than this very talented 15 year old) began to agree. 

The singer looked perplexed. Of course, I jumped in. "Do you not know her?" She shook her head. "She had the best female contralto in the history of recorded music. You probably know some of her songs without realizing it."

About a half an hour later, she walked past me. I called her over and played Rainy Days and Mondays. Fans know it could have been one of many. I decided against Superstar as this was church and she was a young teen girl. "She's really good! I'm honored at the comparison." And then I told her she and her brother sold over 100 million records in the 1970s and to ask her grandparents about them. 

My bet is she went home and looked her up. What a treasure trove waiting to be discovered.

World Class Look at Disney's Polynesian Village Resort

Ah, Disney's Polynesian Village Resort, the original hotel that Walt Disney World dreams are made of! You're looking at what it looks like now as of mid-March 2023 in a great photo by Bioreconstruct. The new Honolulu high rise tower is being built in the upper right hand corner. It will not only change the sight line, but it will remove the sense of separation from Disney's Grand Floridian Resort and Spa.

Photo from My Favorite Disney Postcards

Back in the opening year, the Polynesian was much smaller, giving it a remote, exotic feel. The slightly color corrected version of this vintage postcard is seen below.

As any die hard Poly fan will tell you, the lobby waterfalls were much better looking and more inviting than the glass floats hanging from its ceiling guests see today. The hard to get into Trader Sam's Grog Grotto may be loads of fun, but the new vibe at the Poly is less relaxing than ever before. Still, it's a good place to hang out on a non-park day. But let's not talk about those outrageous room rates! 

(Images copyright The Walt Disney Company and Bioreconstruct.)

California Adventure One Day Itinerary 2023

Disney California Adventure is no longer the laughing stock of the theme park industry. After 20 years, it is slowly becoming a full day park that is easily on par with Disney's Hollywood Studios in Florida. Just do a park by park comparison, and you'll find the red-headed stepchild of the US parks now can hold its own!

It's got a distinct feel unique among all Disney worlds, and just like the third Disney park in Florida, the strengths are as obvious as the weaknesses. The biggest detriment is that this theme park is footsteps away from the most attraction filled Disney park on the planet: Walt Disney's original, Disneyland.

If you choose this park for your Southern California day, a little planning will help you see as much as possible. So, save time and see it all by following the suggested plan of attack.

1.     Get there at the gate about half an hour before opening time. 
Explore the beautiful Buena Vista Street, but keep an eye on the time.

You don't want to miss the rope drop, so veer toward the left.

2.    Walk straight down past Carthay Circle Theater and past Avengers Campus to Cars Land entrance. Walk straight down street to the very end and a slight turn to Radiator Springs Racers. Ride this first. If you’re using Genie+, get a reservation first and then walk in the regular standby line. You’ll really want to ride this twice. Longest line in the park all day long. Riding once during the day and once at night is optimal.

Your best breakfast bet for your entire crew.

3. Have breakfast at Flo’s V-8 Cafe in Cars Land. (When you exit the ride, turn left at the first street and it’s on the right past the gas station.) Sit on the patio, and you'll have a hearty breakfast with great views of Radiator Springs Racers and the Cadillac Mountain range. (If you walk past it until the end of Cars Land, walk just outside it under the tunnel and turn around. It’s a super impressive view of Cars Land. Really amazing.) 

MOST IMPORTANT CARS LAND TIP: Come back at night right before sunset and watch then town's neon turn on. Explore the land once again. Trust me, this is as good as it gets!  This is atmospheric California Adventure at its best. If you must choose one over the other, this walking tour experience is an equally beautiful choice with the World of Color nighttime show. You can't go wrong with either one.

4. After breakfast, go out and turn left back on the side street. Stay on it past Luigi’s Rollicking Roadsters on the right and keep walking until you reach Avengers Campus. (Ride Luigi’s and Maters Junkyard Jamboree when you’ve done everything else. They are fun, but they are carnival type rides.) Every shop in Cars Land has exclusive and cool merchandise you can't get outside the park. Avengers Campus does as well. 

Top photo by me; Avengers Campus by Disney.

5. Try to get on WEB SLINGERS: A Spider-Man Adventure or book a reservation for it. If you can’t get on that, go to Guardians of the Galaxy- Mission: Breakout (the old Twilight Zone Tower of Terror). If you've ridden Tower of Terror in the past, you'll be surprised how much this feels like an entirely new ride with a whole new vibe. Then, go back and do the ride you missed.

You’ve now done the three longest wait times and most popular rides in the park. Not that there won't be lines for the others, but you've conquered the most sought after attractions.

6. Look at the showtimes for the Spider Man robotic ("Stuntronic" in Disney speak.) 

7. Watch for Super Hero character meet and greets. Usually Spider- Man, Captain America, Black Panther etc. and a lot of Disney+ "stars" that come out for limited engagements to promote their new series.

There’s also old California Adventure favorites:  Soaring Over California, Grizzly River Rapids (Kali River Rapids in Animal Kingdom only wishes it were this good), and Redwood Creek Challenge Trail (Grizzly Peak area), the Incredicoaster, Toy Story Mania and the carnival rides (all in Pixar Pier), and the Little Mermaid ride is nearby; also check out the Monsters Inc ride, Mickey’s Philharmagic, and the Animation exhibits (Hollywood Land). 

Hungry? From opening day in 2001, one of California Adventure's trademarks has been its great abundance of excellent places to dine. Here's some fun options for you to try:

Have lunch at Pym’s Test Kitchen in Avengers Campus. (The food is shrunk or enlarged, depending on what is the normal look of an item.) If you want to splurge, you can, but even the most casual spots have generally terrific and tasty things to consume.

If you're at the park at the right time of year, the numerous booths at the California Food and Wine Festival are an option. There's not as many as at the Epcot festivals, but that is an advantage. It's a much easier decision.

The food booths on the Wharf are some of my favorite spots to eat as well as get some great entertainment by groups such as the Grammy Award winning Mariachi Divas. (By this Summer, it will be the Port of SanFransokyo including a character meet and greet with Baymax.)

Starbucks is inside Fiddler Fifer and Practical Café at the end of Buena Vista Street right by the entrance to Grizzly Peak.

There’s also a Ghiradelli’s ice cream soda fountain in the Wharf area.

There you have it. A time-saving and fun-filled day where you get the best of Anaheim's second Disney park. Is it an equal to Disney Hollywood Studios? Which park would you choose?

(Most photos copyright Mark Taft.)

Disneyland Resort's Booking Nightmare

You might remember reading about our booking nightmare when we tried to design a family vacation at Walt Disney World. Let me tell you, trying to plan a Disneyland Resort getaway is no better! Now, some of this is due to the size of our group, but Disney is used to family groups by now, so you'd think they'd be used to handling special requests.

First some background- My mother in law has passed away, and she loved taking her children and grandchildren to Disneyland. My father in law worked for Kodak, and when they moved to California in 1972, Disney was his account until he retired. With their generosity, we always went to Walt's park or Downtown Disney for dinner. 

My mother in law left her each of her grandchildren some money. My youngest daughter had the brilliant idea that a way to honor her grandmother would be if all of us went to Disneyland together on a separate day after all the funeral related events were done. Everyone loved the idea and began to book flights. Us, our four kids, and all the grandkids equal 17 people total. Not a bad sized group. We're coming from different parts of the country, and of course, each family wants to pay for their own group's expenses.

Because we range in age from grandparent to 2 years old and none of the youngest have been to Disneyland (all but 2 of the grandkids have been to Walt Disney World), we need to plan wisely. 

I suggested the best plan of action would be for each adult to submit a "Top 5 Must-See Attractions" list so we could coordinate. They agreed, and everyone agreed that Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance was a must do. So everyone else's ride number one would start after that. (The Number One choice among the families? A tie between Space Mountain and Big Thunder. Then Splash Mountain and Pirates of the Caribbean.)

Enter the Disneyland Resort website. I found that trying to book a group of 16 people (the two year old is free) for park reservations was impossible. Our group size was too large. Nor could I make any restaurant reservations for the same reason.

Calling Disney's Group Services, I explained our situation and the special reason we were all going. Now, I know these folks have minimal power and authority. Still, I was told to break the group up into two and make reservations for the park. No, they could not book all 16 of us for the same day. (With my extensive background in customer service for more than a couple of decades,  I'm not sure I believe this. Anything can be done if you ask the right person.) Still, this was a no-go. So, I asked about meal reservations with a desire to have a small cake to commemorate our Mom / Mother in Law / Grandmother. Same answer. When I asked about where it would be easiest to gather for a meal or how best to do it, I was given a canned answer. Not even a hint of consideration or seemingly real interest or concern. So disappointing, especially coming from the guest relations experts at Disney's flagship park.

Back to the website I went. We ended up with three separate groups. Thankfully, our chosen day was available. 

Since I checked on the app that Rise of the Resistance and Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway were using standby lines, we decided to bypass purchasing Genie+. When it's $25 a head for 17 people, you're talking about a lot of cash.

Days later, one group would decide to add on a day and take their kids to California Adventure. If you think that would be easy to do, you'd be wrong. 

Spain and simple, the system is broke. Guests who want to see the best of Disney Imagineering have to go through hoop after hoop to make it happen. Doesn't matter whether it's at Disneyland or Walt Disney World. It's just so sad. Now, I know Robert Iger wants to fix the mistakes of Bob Chapek- but some of these messes came about during Bob 1.0's reign. Greed has overtaken good customer service. And that starts at the top.

(Photograph copyright Mark Taft.)

Inside Istanbul's Famous Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque

Rich in history, Istanbul is one city where East meets West, Europe blends with the Middle East and Asia, and Christianity and Islam live side by side. The famous Grand Bazaar is a popular tourist site- a truly must-see destination, but it is the Hagia Sophia mosque that is the spiritual heartbeat of the city. 

For centuries, this was a Christian basilica built 1500 years ago. This Greek Orthodox church is a magnificent structure! Massive yet delicate pillars support large domes decorated with inlaid tile, all beautifully illuminated by equally impressive chandeliers. 

Nowadays, it is an Islamic mosque, to the delight of some and the dismay of others. Prayer towers, known as minarets, were added during the time of the Ottoman empire. 

In modern days, any Christian elements found in the building were wisely not destroyed but only covered up with Islamic symbols. The historical nature of the building and the political climate of the city and country lent itself to this cultural sensitivity. If you look closely, you still still find crosses, angels, and other images that reflect the mosque's Christian origins.

There's a huge and fascinating world beyond the Disney park borders, and a visit to Istanbul is a once charming, startling, and fascinating. Very much worth your time.

(Photographs copyright Mark Taft.)

Concept Art for Mickey's Toontown Coaster at Disneyland

A nice piece of concept art here for the charming and soon to be more popular than ever Mickey's Toontown at Disneyland. Why would it be more popular than ever? You probably know the answer: Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway. When the reimagined land opens at Walt's park this month, Gadget's Go Coaster will be fully reimagined as well.  The fairly rare piece of concept art here shows a fun little ride for first time thrill enthusiasts- complete with lots and lots of water. What will it look like when it reopens? Your guess is as good as mine!

(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

The New Orleans Square You've Never Seen

It's no secret that the Disney Imagineers always have something brewing, some tricks up their sleeve, or some special unannounced project that they are working on. That is true today, and it was true in the days of Walt Disney as well. Take a closer look at this 1958 map of Disneyland. Do you see what I see?  Yes, the elegant New Orleans Square is clearly on the map, but the positioning of the attractions, buildings and streets is very different than the end result.

The once planned Pirates of the Caribbean themed Wax Museum walk through is there as is a Haunted House aka Haunted Mansion. 

Disneyland map circa 1958- More detail up close.

By the time the land opened in 1966 and Pirates opened in Spring of 1967, the finalization of all the efforts brought something different than what we know today. 

The original entrance to perhaps Imagineering's most perfect attraction.

Hidden behind this understated but beautiful facade, lies one of the most unique, atmospheric, and thrilling attractions ever to be created by Walt Disney and his team at Imagineering.

The much shorter interior queue had enough space for everyone as this high capacity ride looks hoards of guests by the boatload into the bayou and beyond. And they came by the thousands every day! 

A classic attraction poster for a groundbreaking attraction.

In the years when there were few additions to the park but crowds continued to come, the line spilled into the nearby area. Guests were routed next to the Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse. Eventually, Fast Pass meant standby lines became unbearable. There was always a mob making it impossible to move easily. Those in charge of Walt's park decided to build a bridge between Adventureland and New Orleans Square to let the line for Pirates snake under it. 

New Orleans Square today.

The move was a design blunder that removed the classic feel of the area. Yet, you can't blame them for attempting to improve crowd flow and guest satisfaction. No one likes to be part of gridlock. There's enough of that on Southern California's freeways!

Want a closer look at the history of this swashbuckling attraction? You can find a mega-post here and take a look at Pirates of the Caribbean as it's found at the Magic Kingdom in Florida, Tokyo Disneyland, Disneyland Paris, and even in the Jack Sparrow inspired adventure in Shanghai Disneyland. 

(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

Happy 65th Anniversary

Happy 65th Anniversary to my parents! They were just teenagers when they fell in love and married, but God has blessed them over the years. It wasn't easy, and like any other couple, they faced the hardships this world brings. Some people said they'd never make it. But they stayed true to the Lord Jesus, and the marriage survived and thrived. With much love to you, Mom and Dad!