Living the Disney Life: Homecoming
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I'm going to....

Living the Disney Life
Homecoming

Rebekah and I moved to Orlando about three years ago. In the beginning we got back to California about every three months. But after the 50th, due to a combination of factors, we hadn't made it back at all - at least not until this past weekend. The occasion of my mother's retirement party brought me to Southern California and we added an extra day to the trip so we could visit the park we hadn't been to since it's 50th birthday. On Monday, March 19th, we spent the day at home.

What's amazing is even after being gone more than a year and a half, entering Disneyland does still feel like home. Over the course of 9 years from 1995 to 2004 I visited the Disneyland Resort at least three times per week. That's no less than 1,400 visits - probably quite a bit more. Visit a place that much, it's going to feel like home. I'd made tons of friends there - both Cast Members and other guests. I had many wonderful - and a few awful - memories. I even met and proposed to my wife there.

What's nice about Disneyland is even though it has expanded into a Resort and it's constantly changing, it never loses that homey feel. I think that's in part due to the other guests. You just get the feeling most of them have been there before which is something you can't say about Walt Disney World. It also comes from seeing so many of the same Cast Members still working there after so many years. From the ticket takers to the Main Street Vehicles to the Disney Gallery and the Grand Californian Hotel, everywhere we looked there were familiar faces.

So of we went - back home - to see some old favorites and check out some new offerings...

After picking up a FastPass for Indiana Jones (to perhaps settle once and for all the Podcast debate we're having), We visited the classic Pirates of the Caribbean and Haunted Mansion to see the recent changes. At the risk of losing all credibility, riding Pirates at Disneyland reminded me why this is, to say the least, not my favorite attraction. For a long time it's just a whole lot of nothing. But once it did finally kick in, it was nice to see the changes. For the most part they are the same as Walt Disney World. I did like the placement of the "waterfall" better at Disneyland, but the effect did not work as well - Davey Jones was hardly visible. However, I did not ride again to see if this was just bad timing.

On the other hand, Disneyland's Haunted Mansion reminded me why this is one of the best attractions in the world. The float Madam Leota (which I had seen before) is still an amazing sight. And the changes in the attic, already my favorite room, are pretty cool, too. I liked the new bride. For whatever reason the ballroom struck me as particular amazing on this trip. This really is a near-perfect attraction.

We next used our Indiana Jones FastPass. Wow! I don't think I've been on this in years and in this case absence has made the heart grow fonder. This is still one amazing ride. Overall, the best ever, I think :)

The Devil and our Hero (yaaaaa!)

But more than anything else on this visit, we looked forward to seeing Billy Hill and the Hillbillies. Happily they're still going strong and as hilarious as ever. I mentioned the homey feel earlier - by the show of hands nearly everyone in the Golden Horseshoe had seen the Billys before. By now it was lunch time so we headed to Carnation. And who's there but Disneyland's longest tenured Cast Member Oscar. Oscar recently celebrated 50 years at the park and it's always a joy to see his smiling face.

Oscar - Still smiling after 50 years