waltography
Well-Known Member
I miss Magical too! It wasn’t anything more than it said it was going to be which was nice. I‘d love to have seen the blue/pink finale if they had decided to update the show with projections on Main Street, too.
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The 2010's - A Disneyland Resort Decade In Review!
- Thread starter TP2000
- Start date
Californian Elitist
Well-Known Member
I would love to see an updated version, too. Hopefully they bring it back in the future.
Darkbeer1
Well-Known Member
So, I avoided reading this until I had to time to sit and have my focus on what I read. (Lisa went to bed real early tonight).
I want to thank TP2000, and so many others who have added to this thread.
Today, we drove to Temecula with my Mother for a late Christmas Celebration, to see my Uncle (A long time Disney/ABC CM who won an Emmy for his work during the 1984 Olympics) and one of my Cousins A Disney/Comic-Con fanatic, who has a Signature AP and does a lot of Merchandise stuff. She was at the Galaxy Edge Opening Day, stayed at the GCH and spent the Morning over at Launch Bay instead of GE....
So our Christmas gift exchange included the Emmy on the Dining Room Table, and getting a Marvel Spirit Jersey from ComicCon (Yes, the very rare one). And my Uncle picks Applebee's for Lunch.... Oh well.
In 2010, I started the Decade getting married at Knott's Church of Reflections (currently SBNO), one of the best things I have ever done!
Also, Al Lutz was starting his issues with Parkinson's, and it was the beginning from switching from MiceAge to MiceChat.
I also started to do work for a couple of TV Production Companies that had Theme Parks as part of its catalog (Mainly Travel Stuff).
So I was phasing away from Disney. But I was using my mainly former CM's contacts for my new work, which brought me closer. Also, Al Lutz was sharing more of his CM folks to me due to his personal journey.
My Father was having his own health issues, including Dementia and Cancer of the Brain. He finally passed at Home in La Jolla, with me at his side.
Some other life changing decisions included deciding to consolidate households, as driving multiple times a month over the last few years up and down the I-5 was getting to Lisa and I.
So in 2014, Lisa and I found a house that worked (price, etc.) It was the former home of Dick Gray, the first LA Dodger to hit a Home Run. In Mr. and Mrs. Gray's later years, they added an addition due to their health, basically adding a large Second Master Bedroom on the ground Floor. (The original had 4 upper level bedrooms). So since my Mother needed an ADA friendly place, it suited our needs.
So we moved from Tustin to West Anaheim. Little did I know this was the start of the next phase of my personal Disneyland Adventure.
One that started in the early 1960's, where due to my Father's Job and all the International visitors that stayed in our house (My Dad's Job was an International Organization through the US Department of State and the UN). And we are talking Russians, Japanese, Central and South America, China, Cuba, etc). Many countries where getting permission to enter the US wasn't easy). But I started in a stroller, tagging along with all the visitors who wanted to see, Disneyland, Knott's, Universal, etc. Disneyland became a personal playground, one where I had so many ride coupons, as the visitors left their extras to me... My parents would start to let me go free, first for short times, until where I was allowed full freedom during the day. I used to study rides, so much so Bud Hurlbut came to me as a pre-teen at Knott's and asked what I was looking at, and he liked the answer, and explained some things to me. I had no idea who Bud was at the beginning, just a Knott's employee. I did learn a couple of visits later. and that started my second phase. Now an accepted outsider to a group of folks involved in ride manufacture and maintenance. Then life changed, and while Disney never left my life, other things took over. But my girlfriend in the 1980's and early 90's lived in Tustin, and we had AP's (She was involved in Community Theater and we had a lot of CM friends, now from the Entertainment side). Add to that my Father's work with Hubbs-SeaWorld, I had a quite an assortment of park related friends. In the early 1990's, I was approached by a newspaper writer seeking my knowledge, at the time was the start of WestCot and DisneySea discussions, so now I entered a new phase, a reporter on Disneyland.
So in 2014, I wasn't involved much with Disneyland, I had left MiceAge, and more focused on getting Lisa and I settled in our new house, having it upgraded, and then getting my Mother moved. I was still doing the TV work, mainly in research and prep.
In February 2017, I was so close to death, something totally unexpected, that I ended up in a Coma for a couple of weeks, followed by a nursing home, then back home, slowly learning to walk again, use my hands again, etc. As part of my recovery, I got involved with Anaheim Politics (I was slightly involved prior to the Coma, but more as a resource to others).
And then, out of the blue (to me), I was approached by S.O.A.R., which is the Disneyland and Resort businesses political arm. I find out that many folks had nominated me to fill an empty seat. And when I found out who, it was very humbling. And so surreal. And that was the start of my current role in my Disneyland life. One where I went from a person Disneyland Presidents didn't like due to my reporting, to one that now approach me for conversations. A person whom is trying to make the Resort Engine work as smoothly as possible. So now an Engineer/Imagineer that isn't trying to help improve an attraction, but now one who is trying to keep others employed in good paying jobs while improving the community I live in.
One I never imagined while riding Junior Autopia while my Grandfather watched, trying to figure out how Mr. Lincoln and the Carousel of Progress actually worked.
Looking forward to what the 2020's bring. I know it won't be a smooth ride, but with the 2028 Olympics in site, it does look like it will be a fun journey. One that will see the Sun Icon from DCA to be brought out of Storage and placed at 39 Commons, one that will see major changes to the Resort Area, and one with a new Ballpark in town.
And with that, back to reading a 100 page Planning Commission Staff Report about a Hookah Lounge asking for crazy things they won't get....
I want to thank TP2000, and so many others who have added to this thread.
Today, we drove to Temecula with my Mother for a late Christmas Celebration, to see my Uncle (A long time Disney/ABC CM who won an Emmy for his work during the 1984 Olympics) and one of my Cousins A Disney/Comic-Con fanatic, who has a Signature AP and does a lot of Merchandise stuff. She was at the Galaxy Edge Opening Day, stayed at the GCH and spent the Morning over at Launch Bay instead of GE....
So our Christmas gift exchange included the Emmy on the Dining Room Table, and getting a Marvel Spirit Jersey from ComicCon (Yes, the very rare one). And my Uncle picks Applebee's for Lunch.... Oh well.
In 2010, I started the Decade getting married at Knott's Church of Reflections (currently SBNO), one of the best things I have ever done!
Also, Al Lutz was starting his issues with Parkinson's, and it was the beginning from switching from MiceAge to MiceChat.
I also started to do work for a couple of TV Production Companies that had Theme Parks as part of its catalog (Mainly Travel Stuff).
So I was phasing away from Disney. But I was using my mainly former CM's contacts for my new work, which brought me closer. Also, Al Lutz was sharing more of his CM folks to me due to his personal journey.
My Father was having his own health issues, including Dementia and Cancer of the Brain. He finally passed at Home in La Jolla, with me at his side.
Some other life changing decisions included deciding to consolidate households, as driving multiple times a month over the last few years up and down the I-5 was getting to Lisa and I.
So in 2014, Lisa and I found a house that worked (price, etc.) It was the former home of Dick Gray, the first LA Dodger to hit a Home Run. In Mr. and Mrs. Gray's later years, they added an addition due to their health, basically adding a large Second Master Bedroom on the ground Floor. (The original had 4 upper level bedrooms). So since my Mother needed an ADA friendly place, it suited our needs.
So we moved from Tustin to West Anaheim. Little did I know this was the start of the next phase of my personal Disneyland Adventure.
One that started in the early 1960's, where due to my Father's Job and all the International visitors that stayed in our house (My Dad's Job was an International Organization through the US Department of State and the UN). And we are talking Russians, Japanese, Central and South America, China, Cuba, etc). Many countries where getting permission to enter the US wasn't easy). But I started in a stroller, tagging along with all the visitors who wanted to see, Disneyland, Knott's, Universal, etc. Disneyland became a personal playground, one where I had so many ride coupons, as the visitors left their extras to me... My parents would start to let me go free, first for short times, until where I was allowed full freedom during the day. I used to study rides, so much so Bud Hurlbut came to me as a pre-teen at Knott's and asked what I was looking at, and he liked the answer, and explained some things to me. I had no idea who Bud was at the beginning, just a Knott's employee. I did learn a couple of visits later. and that started my second phase. Now an accepted outsider to a group of folks involved in ride manufacture and maintenance. Then life changed, and while Disney never left my life, other things took over. But my girlfriend in the 1980's and early 90's lived in Tustin, and we had AP's (She was involved in Community Theater and we had a lot of CM friends, now from the Entertainment side). Add to that my Father's work with Hubbs-SeaWorld, I had a quite an assortment of park related friends. In the early 1990's, I was approached by a newspaper writer seeking my knowledge, at the time was the start of WestCot and DisneySea discussions, so now I entered a new phase, a reporter on Disneyland.
So in 2014, I wasn't involved much with Disneyland, I had left MiceAge, and more focused on getting Lisa and I settled in our new house, having it upgraded, and then getting my Mother moved. I was still doing the TV work, mainly in research and prep.
In February 2017, I was so close to death, something totally unexpected, that I ended up in a Coma for a couple of weeks, followed by a nursing home, then back home, slowly learning to walk again, use my hands again, etc. As part of my recovery, I got involved with Anaheim Politics (I was slightly involved prior to the Coma, but more as a resource to others).
And then, out of the blue (to me), I was approached by S.O.A.R., which is the Disneyland and Resort businesses political arm. I find out that many folks had nominated me to fill an empty seat. And when I found out who, it was very humbling. And so surreal. And that was the start of my current role in my Disneyland life. One where I went from a person Disneyland Presidents didn't like due to my reporting, to one that now approach me for conversations. A person whom is trying to make the Resort Engine work as smoothly as possible. So now an Engineer/Imagineer that isn't trying to help improve an attraction, but now one who is trying to keep others employed in good paying jobs while improving the community I live in.
One I never imagined while riding Junior Autopia while my Grandfather watched, trying to figure out how Mr. Lincoln and the Carousel of Progress actually worked.
Looking forward to what the 2020's bring. I know it won't be a smooth ride, but with the 2028 Olympics in site, it does look like it will be a fun journey. One that will see the Sun Icon from DCA to be brought out of Storage and placed at 39 Commons, one that will see major changes to the Resort Area, and one with a new Ballpark in town.
And with that, back to reading a 100 page Planning Commission Staff Report about a Hookah Lounge asking for crazy things they won't get....
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Darkbeer1
Well-Known Member
To think, born in 1960, turning 60 in February, and have seen 6 Decades of Disneyland, and learned a lot about the 7th, and first one (the 1950's).
Figments Friend
Well-Known Member
Of all the years i have had the chance to experience Disneyland in person and not looking from afar at a 2,4800 mile distance....
I would say that the 'Diamond Anniversary' was pretty great as an entire package.
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I would say that the 'Diamond Anniversary' was pretty great as an entire package.
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shambolicdefending
Well-Known Member
To give full context to my personal "Disney Decade" I have to go back to...
2000: ...when I visited Disneyland for the last time (unknowingly) as a bachelor and (also unknowingly) for the only time in the 00s. An unmistakable late-90s vibe, DCA construction, and a poorly themed Tomorrowland dominate my memories of this visit. The next year I moved out of the country for while, and various other things kept me away until...
2010: ...when I visited for the first time in 10 years, and this time had a spouse with me. It was my first time experiencing Disneyland as a full-blown resort. Having been away for so long, I didn't find DCA 1.0 as drab as you read about now. It was hopelessly inferior to the original, but by that time had developed a bit of its own charm, as well. It was also empty most of the time, which was nice.
2012: We visited for the first time as a party of three. We had our one-year-old son along, this time, and I mostly remember him trying to climb out of our seashell in the middle of Little Mermaid. He put up quite a fight, but fortunately I prevailed and we didn't prompt an e-stop. This was in mid Spring, before the full DCA 2.0 opening. Construction walls were everywhere. We didn't return again until...
2016: ...when we visited as a party of five. Yep... two more kids squeezed in between 2012 and 2016. This time my oldest had hit the magical 40-inch mark and graduated from trying to escape TLM to enjoying all of the "big kid" rides as only a five-year-old can. Paint the Night was probably the biggest consensus hit for our family. I also noticed a major uptick in crowding even compared to just four years earlier. When you're a long-term out-of-stater, squeezing your money's worth out of every day in the parks is a big deal (something that's tough to fully grasp when you live locally). It now took major planning, fast-passing, etc. on a daily basis to feel like we were accomplishing as much as we wanted to.
2017: With our kids coming of age, we started visiting more consistently and spent 10 total days this calendar year. The second-oldest graduated to the 40-inch club, and we thoroughly enjoyed our visits.
2018: We went in August for the first time as a party of six. Having added our fourth (and final) offspring earlier that year. I hadn't visited in the summer since the 90s. It was pleasant, and the 5/6s of us in the 40-inch club enjoyed the new Guardians Ride more than I thought we would. My oldest was able to ride Indiana Jones and the Incredicoaster for the first time, and absolutely fell in love with both.
2019: We made one visit last visit for the decade in late January, as the spires of Batuu were beginning to peak over the construction walls. Another enjoyable time, and a great cherry on top to 10 years of experiencing DLR as it changed and evolved almost us much as my personal life did.
2021: ...will be our next visit.
2000: ...when I visited Disneyland for the last time (unknowingly) as a bachelor and (also unknowingly) for the only time in the 00s. An unmistakable late-90s vibe, DCA construction, and a poorly themed Tomorrowland dominate my memories of this visit. The next year I moved out of the country for while, and various other things kept me away until...
2010: ...when I visited for the first time in 10 years, and this time had a spouse with me. It was my first time experiencing Disneyland as a full-blown resort. Having been away for so long, I didn't find DCA 1.0 as drab as you read about now. It was hopelessly inferior to the original, but by that time had developed a bit of its own charm, as well. It was also empty most of the time, which was nice.
2012: We visited for the first time as a party of three. We had our one-year-old son along, this time, and I mostly remember him trying to climb out of our seashell in the middle of Little Mermaid. He put up quite a fight, but fortunately I prevailed and we didn't prompt an e-stop. This was in mid Spring, before the full DCA 2.0 opening. Construction walls were everywhere. We didn't return again until...
2016: ...when we visited as a party of five. Yep... two more kids squeezed in between 2012 and 2016. This time my oldest had hit the magical 40-inch mark and graduated from trying to escape TLM to enjoying all of the "big kid" rides as only a five-year-old can. Paint the Night was probably the biggest consensus hit for our family. I also noticed a major uptick in crowding even compared to just four years earlier. When you're a long-term out-of-stater, squeezing your money's worth out of every day in the parks is a big deal (something that's tough to fully grasp when you live locally). It now took major planning, fast-passing, etc. on a daily basis to feel like we were accomplishing as much as we wanted to.
2017: With our kids coming of age, we started visiting more consistently and spent 10 total days this calendar year. The second-oldest graduated to the 40-inch club, and we thoroughly enjoyed our visits.
2018: We went in August for the first time as a party of six. Having added our fourth (and final) offspring earlier that year. I hadn't visited in the summer since the 90s. It was pleasant, and the 5/6s of us in the 40-inch club enjoyed the new Guardians Ride more than I thought we would. My oldest was able to ride Indiana Jones and the Incredicoaster for the first time, and absolutely fell in love with both.
2019: We made one visit last visit for the decade in late January, as the spires of Batuu were beginning to peak over the construction walls. Another enjoyable time, and a great cherry on top to 10 years of experiencing DLR as it changed and evolved almost us much as my personal life did.
2021: ...will be our next visit.
DS and I visited in Sep/Oct 2014. The first Mahaloween at Trader Sam's took place on 29 Sept with an exclusive Shrunken Zombie Head mug, a goodie bag with buttons, posters and a straw hat, and a preview of Trader Sam's Grog Grotto by the Imagineers in Charge in development at WDW.
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Miru
Well-Known Member
Well, I visited annually, for example last year I went only for GE. I thought GE was alright, but I was saddened over the number of attractions we lost, especially MV3D. I noticed that 2019 was a very, very unpopular year among fans due to elements like Pixar Pier. It’s considered as bad as the Pressler era. Despite not being “original”, a fair amount of imagineering was put into divisive (MB) to outright slammed (Incredicoaster, Millennium Falcon) attractions, which many would claim to be wasted.