A View From The Tree House

Whether it Tarzan's or The Swiss Family's....

Now that's just silly we all know it belongs to the Robinson Family or at least it still should. I remember as a little girl climbing up to look at those rooms and thinking...."oh this is where I would hide." I think many of us "Disney People" have imagine where we would hide and what we would do if we were able to spend the night in the park. There are a few other secret hiding spots I would love to try, but this is the first one I can remember having. From the charming "master bedroom", to the swinging hammocks in the "boys room" it is one of my favorite childhood Disneyland memories. Throw in how it glows at night and the "Swisspolk" music (that's the ring tone I have for my Mom)... I could see myself living there forever.

But no matter who the Tree House  belongs to now, one thing that will never change is the unbelievable view from one of the top branches of the Happiest Place on Earth.  Even today in my minds eye I can imagine waking up and looking over that beautiful view with a cup of coffee and the smell of Mickey Mouse pancakes being made below. Preparing for the throngs of dreamers to arrive and be magically carries away to the place that Uncle Walt had created just for them.

I can smell it....can you?

Tomorrowland Mattherhorn Mountain

 

Where else can you get a Matterhorn and Submarine in the same shot?

And a yellow one at that!

This picture was taken from the loading ramp area for the Monorail. Actually the only thing missing in this picture is the Monorail coming around that corner there.... but you can only stand and wait on the Monorail ramp platform so long.

Enjoy it! I just love the shot!

Mine, Mine, Mine

In honor of Finding Nemo's return to the big screen! 

These pictures are self explanatory.....

However if you have never seen these guys in the Finding Nemo Submarine Lagoon...I highly recommend taking a walk past the east side of the Matterhorn to hear them argue with each other. It's pretty funny to hear and if you have a little person who recognizes who they are, you are sure to get a smile and a giggle!

Don't Blink....

Cause you just might miss it!

Have you seen this? 

Its called Water Art and it is done by Cast Members who are at the heart of making Disneyland the place we love!

The Custodial Team! 

From what we have read and heard from cast members this tradition started in Tokyo Disney and the Disney World Team saw what they were doing and said "Hey we can do that", which they did. Now the art work has made its way to Anaheim in Disneyland and DCA! Cast members have to work in the custodial for a period of time before requesting the Water Art assignment and then they go thru a 3 month training before making the art work for guests.

And its AMAZING! 

But you have to take the opportunity to watch it when you see it, don't pass it by! In all the times we have been in the last 18 months this is the only time we have seen the Water Art and if you blink the So Cal sun will make it all disappear!

So once again Disneyland is doing what it does best...adding the "Disney Touch" and this time with something as simple as a pan, a broom, a little water and some of the most awesome cast members Disneyland has!

In our house we call him Uncle Walt!

He is, was and will always be the heartbeat of Disneyland!

Of course Disneyland isn't the only important part of Walt's vast lineage....but this is a Disneyland Blog so there you go!

Do you know where this adorable picture of Walt Disney is inside Disneyland? 

Do ya?

(If you have ever had a baby or toddler in Disneyland, you've probably seen it.)

Its in the Baby Care Center at the end of Main Street USA!

So let me tell you about the Baby Care Center (BCC)...its AMAZING! First off I have to start by saying Disney really does think of everything! This is a true oasis for mommies and daddies who may have a tiny one on the verge of or smack dab in the middle of a "fun-overload meltdown" and all you moms and dads know exactly what I am talking about.  

As much as I LOVE Disneyland there is a limit to the amount of: heat, people, music, waiting, animatronics and churros an adult can take, let alone a toddler or infant for that matter and Disney has done there best to help! 

The BCC is an unbelievably quiet place to calm a screaming baby (and mommy) any time of the day, and even with a fireworks fantastic going on right out side the doors, this is the place to take a new mommy and three month old who are both quickly disintegration into a pile of tears (your truly, guilty as charged). 

From rocking chairs to nurse your baby in privacy, old school highchairs for baby food eaters, the biggest changing tables with cushy padding I have ever seen and a rising tub for those who use cloth diapers (I do believe this shows how old the BCC is, as cloth diapers would be the only real option in the early days of the park, thought I cant find if it has been available since opening day) it really has everything. But for those of us with Toddlers who have started the potty training process, they have  the "piece de resistance", the teeny tiny toilets. Yes people you heard it right....they have toddler toilet and I will tell you they are great (and the cutest things you have ever seen)!

So whoever said you shouldn't, nah can't, take a baby to Disneyland....I laugh in your face. And this is only ONE of the places that service as a "baby retreat", however it is the only one with all the above noted amenities and a curtious (and sometimes loving) cast member that says, "How can I help"!

 

Who doesn't love a parade!

In honor of the Labor Day weekend and the many parades that are taking place today I am returning to my blog with a BOOM!

There is nothing like listing to the Disneyland band! Now I cant remember where I hear this....could have been on the Christmas Tour or just speaking to a cast member, but if my memory is correct the Disneyland Marching Band was a last minute addition to the opening day of Disneyland. Walt felt a marching band would draw crowds and excitement. The original band (and band leader, Vesey Walker) were only set for a two week engagement, but it didn't take long for people to see they HAD to be a Disneyland staple. Vesey Walker retired from Disney 15 years later! You can find the Disneyland Band playing everyday around 10am in front of the Mickey Flora near the turnstiles when entering the park. At 11am in front of Sleeping Beauty's Castle and wait there for them to march down Main Street USA preforming Disney favorites like Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah and Whistle While You Work.

Murphy the Fantasmic! Dragon

If you haven't seen Fantasmic! in Disneyland, then you have not yet experienced the pinnacle collaboration  of Disney's Imagineering and Entertainment worlds and there is something wrong with you! All right, all right, you're probably ok....but you haven't lived until you have seen Fantasmic! I know there are hundreds, nay thousands, who have seen the little "water show" over at DCA and are in awe of its magnitude, but how in the world can WOC (World of Color for the uninitiated) hold a candle to my beloved Fantasmic! Now before I get a bunch of hate mail, I do love WOC, but Fantasmic! is really what I relate to and associate with my young adulthood in Disneyland! (I mean it debuted on my Birthday, May 13, 1992, after all). I remember the summer it started and being at Disneyland not knowing what this new show was...and ALL the people sitting waiting for it! And those crowds, to this day, they still wait for up to 3 hours, on blankets and towels, with their spots staked out on the cement before the show. I have done it, in the rain, with fingers crossed that they will not cancel the show! The blend of lights, lasers, pyrotechnics, actors & technicians, water vehicles and countless other unbelievable special effects (that are still amazing after 20 year) are what make this show legendary.

c

But, for me, the element that makes this show something unlike any other is the MUSIC!!! Just hearing the final climactic moments of the music brings tears to my eyes....every time!!! Watching Mickey on top of the Mill with the music coming to a crescendo I cant help but think of Walt Disney sitting on that bench in front of the merry-go-round at Griffith Park, as tears are streaming down my face and I think 'Look what this man's dream has created', and I am amazed the same way every time. Now I know WOC IS amazing, but Fantasmic! is truly the only thing I have ever seen that stirs the same emotions and nostalgia ever time I see it! There are so many things I could go on and on about regarding Fantasmic! but I think I will end with this for now... Its one of the things that makes Disneyland the most magical place there is....and by far its my favorite!


***And as a side note: As you can see this post is grossly tardy! And I have come to the realization that I don't know what I was thinking saying I could post daily (I'm gonna run out of photos before our next trip) However, I know I can do better than I have recently (its been a crazy couple of week). So I am making a more reasonable commitment....At least weekly and hopefully more often than that. But this is my new pledge to myself and anyone who might drop bye! And as always thanks for reading!