Starting January 1, 2010 you can give some magic to someone in need and get some magic in return. Disney Magic, no less.
The Disney Theme Parks are starting a great new campaign, one that rewards community service with free admission to a Disney Park. Read More »
Happiest pumpkins on Earth - or at least Disneyland.
Yes, those are real pumpkins. Yes, they are intimidating. No, I didn’t carve them. That’s a little something the kids call Disney magic. They do, I’ve heard them.
Your moment will soon be upon you. Prepare for pumpkins! Also, turkey. Happy carving!
For more family-friendly travel photos visit DeliciousBaby’s Photo Fridays.
Photo by W. Honea
Leaving our mark on Disneyland.
At the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, CA, there is a large square of open area between the gates of the original Disneyland park and Disney’s California Adventure. The square is filled with families waiting for loved ones and teenagers trying to look cool in mouse ears and all of the randomness that one might associate with the downtime of a Disney vacation. Read More »
It is no secret that I love Disneyland. It’s my happiest place on Earth and all that, but there are things at Disneyland that bug me and as such they should be addressed to keep me, er, the paying guest, happy.
1. Grumpy cast members. No, not Grumpy the dwarf, but actual people that work at Disneyland that are unpleasant. Granted, this doesn’t happen often which is probably why it makes such an impact when it does. Nothing stands out like a weed in a field full of flowers.
2. Grumpy guests. Again, not the dwarf. Sure, Disney would be hard-pressed to alter the grumpy guest, but who the hell yells and curses in Disneyland at A) their kids, B) their spouse, C) the soon to be grumpy cast member. If I wanted my kids to hear foul-mouths and anger I would take them to a Raiders game.
Ice Cream at Disneyland
3. Crowds. Yes, this is rather obvious. Nothing is more frustrating than trying to navigate your family through a bunch of other people trying to navigate theirs through yours. To an extent this is expected and taken with a grain of salt, but here’s a secret- some of those crowds are created by Disney. They like to mess with perception and it’s annoying. They’re already getting my money so knock it off.
4. Smoking. If you are going to go to the trouble of banning smoking and creating large and lovely smoking areas then please enforce it. If I wanted my kids to inhale a cloud of smoke and ashes I would take them to a Raiders game.
5. Pin traders. Somewhere between the hobbies of stamp collecting and pigeon fancying sits the pin trader. At first glance they seem harmless enough, just a group of people taking up all of the shade-covered seats outside the eatery, but don’t even think about asking to use one of their many empty chairs so that your wife and children can actually sit down for a moment. That’s when the claws come out. Those chairs are for their customers- other pin traders, most of which are sitting at shade-covered tables around them amid a sea of empty chairs. Disneyland is not their personal eBay store, contrary to their popular belief. Pin traders are directly responsible for many a grumpy guest- see how this is all circular? The Lion King was right.
6. Little Rascals. Not Alfalfa and Buckwheat, but the guests that use scooters to maneuver the park. Obviously most people on a scooter are not doing anything wrong, but there are those (you know who you are) that try to weave in and out of traffic on their scooter like it’s rush hour on the interstate. A scooter is not made for weaving, or speed for that matter. And then there is the horn. Seriously, a freaking horn? There is a special place in hell for the honker of the scooter horn.
7. Stroller Derby. We use a stroller at Disneyland. It’s the only place we use one. The crowds are too big and the scooters too fast for kids to be wandering around aimlessly all day. Plus, it’s a great place to keep your stuff. However, pushing a stroller does not mean that you are any more important than anyone else. It does not mean that you are allowed to cut people off, bump their ankles or double-park in front of Peter Pan. This does not make one a good parent, it makes one an ass.
8. Ride closures. On our last trip we stood in line for 5 different rides that broke down before we got to ride them. Sure, it’s better than actually being on them when they break, but 5 rides in one day? That’s a lot, isn’t it?
9. Photo prices. Disneyland is getting my money. I know this when I walk through the gate, just like I know the house is getting it when I stumble into Vegas. I accept it. However, it would be nice if I could stretch it a bit further before it goes.
Disney has a great service where they take your photo throughout the park and then you can purchase them later… for 15 bucks. What? It’s a damn digital print. You can print those out for less than a dollar at Target. Sure, someone else took the photo, but I’m not sold on their skills as a professional photographer. It’s not like Annie Leibovitz is spending her weekends in front of the castle.
There is also the option of buying the photos online when you get home- just in case you weren’t quite done spending money yet.
$15 is a tad high. Maybe two tads.
Old Friends United
10. More character opportunities. I remember a time when the Disney characters were everywhere. They roamed streets and restaurants and brought an element of magic and surprise to the day. Now they are in certain areas with huge lines, which isn’t a bad thing, but it loses something. Characters were born to be free and to work the streets of Disneyland like their own cocktail party. Keep the set lines with the select few, but put the rest back into the mix. One quick glance from a favorite character goes a long way. Who knows, it might even ease the grumpy guest.
So that’s it. Nitpicking? Perhaps. Doable? Maybe not. To be honest I’d settle for a ban on horns… and maybe a churro.
We Plunder.
Photos by Whit and Tricia Honea
Men of action are often silent and appreciate a good brunch buffet.
Ask Miles Davis. Ask Louis Armstrong, Dave Brubeck or Gene Simmons. Yes, that Gene Simmons.
Ask millions of people, two mice and me. Disney is more than you think. Yes, there is magic in the air, that’s a given. And there is childlike wonder and troubles forgotten. There are smiles and sighs and moments of pure joy. And through it all there is romance.
Flowers in Disneyland
Just go with me here.
Surely, Walt must have known what he had created. He must have strolled those streets and understood what he had done. The lands of Disney, lit by stars and lanterns and backed by an endless soundtrack of memories and promise, are pure romance in its most innocent form.
Of Mice and Moments
Miles Davis knew this. So too, Louis Armstrong, Dave Brubeck and Gene Simmons. Yes, that Gene Simmons. That’s why you’ll find the songs of Disney in their respective canons. They bought what Walt was selling and in turn they peddled it themselves. Some people want to fill the world with silly love songs and there is nothing wrong with that.
You get lost here, in the Happiest Place on Earth. You let yourself go. In quiet moments your mind wanders to dreams and smiles and the girl on your arm, and you find yourself, as I did, on one knee beneath the shadow of fireworks, kneeling at the base of a castle surrounded by streams and beds of roses and bated moments of silence.
Planned Spontaneity
The longest moments live between knees and yes.
It is a place of magic and fairy tales. There is a hope of possibility in the air and it engulfs you with every breath. For a brief time the lines between your life and your dreams blur and become one. You are drunk without drink, and it spreads with rapid and loose abandonment.
It is as if you have been picked up out of the cubicle of daily routine and placed in your favorite movie, alongside dreamers, stars and champions. It feels right. You belong. Everything you did before your arrival was but a stepping stone to get you here. To get you to this moment. You are reminded of the plans you once had and who it was that you thought you would grow to be. And maybe you are, if just for a moment.
Perhaps you spot a Princess out for a stroll, deep in thoughts of kingdoms and ballrooms. Perhaps you spy your hosts sharing a private moment away from their guests. They too can feel it. It is not the romance of lust and the meaningless fancies that fill our daily lives between commercials for Las Vegas and lingerie. It is the romance of knowing that there is good in this world and that you want to share it with someone, even if it is just holding their hand across a moonlit bridge. It is the magic of promise for better days and the righting of wrongs. It dares you to imagine what life should be and encourages you to make it so.
It is family, like Walt intended, if such a thing can be considered romantic. I like to think that it can.
Fearing the Fireworks
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For more on the Happiest Place on Earth please read the following:
All photos by Whit Honea, Tricia Honea or some Cast Member with my camera.
Disney offers many nutritional options for keeping children quiet.
1. As evidenced by the annoyed people seated next to me on the Nemo Submarine Voyage I get excellent cell-phone reception up to 20,000 leagues under the sea. This despite dead zones in my own home.
2. Until a wrong turn on Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride took me there, I never realized that hell was not just hot but also quite humid- not unlike Florida.
3. After walking through Innoventions I can’t help but feel that Microsoft’s biggest issue is not lack of innovation, but rather a failure to communicate. They make awesome stuff for the home and nobody knows it.
4. Old country bears don’t die, they just retire to the Hundred Acre Woods.
5. If a princess has found her prince she is highly unlikely to kiss a frog, no matter how nicely you ask.
6. The best way to keep pirates from boarding your boat is flash photography.
7. If visiting the parks in February the crowds will be small and the rides will be closed.
8. Not all of the 999 spooks are grim or grinning. At least two ghosts appear indifferent.
9. Should a ride have the word “terror” in its name, there is good chance you may find it somewhat terrifying.
10. Despite Flick’s insistence to the contrary, some bugs deserve to be swatted.
11. The whole thing about human children contaminating monsters is an urban legend.
12. With just 10 Dalmatians Cruella de Vil could have had a nice handbag.
13. A full bar, a winery, a tequila booth and a beer cart are a nice touch.
Read more about the Disneyland Resort here and here!
Photo by Whit Honea
Kids have a whale of a time at Disneyland
© UpTake Networks, Inc. 2009
