Theme Park Thursdays feature photos from one of our theme park adventures in the past.

Father excited about his new dishwasher! (2009)

It's fall at Walt Disney World. Pumpkin decorations on the table. The leaves are changing. Long sleeve clothing is the norm.

Wait a minute… this is Florida?!

Actually, it's the 3rd scene from the Carousel of Progress, which is set around the time of Halloween in the 1940s. The Carousel is one of my favorite attractions, even though Disney seems intent on letting it fall into disrepair, despite its historical value harking back to Walt's involvement with the 1964 New York World's Fair. I wouldn't be surprised if they eventually replaced it with something ridiculous from Pixar or Disney Channel.

Still, it's a show that can only be experienced at the Magic Kingdom these days and I enjoy it every chance I get (such as when I took this photo during a December 2009 trip). Because, after all, "There's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow"!

Theme Park Thursdays feature photos from one of our theme park adventures in the past.

Elephants Can Fly! (1979)

It's 1979 in the Magic Kingdom! Riding the spinning Dumbo is Amy's Gram (now 94 years old!), Amy (age 3½), and her brother Greg (age 7). In the background you can see the Pinocchio Village Haus restaurant. (Previous Theme Park Thursdays photos from this trip featured Greg & Amy enjoying sibling love and a ride on the carousel.)

Of interest is that in the coming few months, Walt Disney World's Dumbo ride will shut down… and be moved into a new location as part of the New Fantasyland Expansion. In the new "Storybook Circus" area, there will actually be two Dumbo rides, configured in a dueling format and integrated into a new interactive queue.

While viewing this photo, it's interesting to note just how barren the ride looks. Lots of concrete and carnival-like elements. Not a whole lot of theme. Then again, it's just a spinning ride with elephants!

Theme Park Thursdays feature photos from one of our theme park adventures in the past.

Halloween on Main Street USA (2007)

A September 2007 view down Main Street USA from the train station. There's a parade taking place, and you can see how the various shops are decorated for Halloween. Of course, being from the Midwest, it's rather odd that the trees are still green and there are no leaves to be found on the ground!

Theme Park Thursdays feature photos from one of our theme park adventures in the past.

Steve at Main Street Station (2007)

It's Halloween at the Magic Kingdom! The Main Street Train Station is all decked out in orange/yellow bunting to celebrate the season. You'll also spot a "Pumpkin Mickey" floral design and various stacked pumpkins on the landscape. Oh yeah, and that's me… fittingly wearing my seasonally-appropriate Clue shirt (who doesn't love a good mystery this time of year?)

This photo was taken during a September 2007 family vacation to Walt Disney World. We camped during this trip and it was very, very warm!

Theme Park Thursdays feature photos from one of our theme park adventures in the past.

Bumping May Occur (2009)

"Bumping My Occur"

Well, isn't that an understatement. Folks drive the little cars on the Tomorrowland Speedway so you can smash into others! That's the appeal of the ride. (Well, not officially, but we all know the real purpose, don't we?)

Theme Park Thursdays feature photos from one of our theme park adventures in the past.

Bus Directional Sign (2007)

This directional sign is located at the Ticket and Transportation Center, and points to bus stops that you can use to visit Disney's Animal Kingdom and the Disney-MGM Studios.

I snapped this photo in September 2007 knowing that the Studios was going to get a name change to Disney's Hollywood Studios, thus that iconic logo would disappear from the parks forever.

You should also note the logo for Animal Kingdom, which harkens back to when the park opened. If you look carefully, you'll see a dragon represented in the middle. Originally, Animal Kingdom was to represent animals that are no longer with us, animals in the present, and fictional animals. While the first two points are met, the budget for Beastly Kingdom was cut and it never happened, only to be substituted by a placeholder land with ugly garbage cans.

However, given Disney's recent announcement that a land based on the film Avatar is in the works, we might actually see something surreal in Animal Kingdom after all!

Theme Park Thursdays feature photos from one of our theme park adventures in the past.

Dole Whipping: Steve (2011) and Nancy, Amy, & John (2009)

The Dole Whip. Disney theme park fans tend to get a little crazy when you mention it.

In short, it's soft-serve pineapple sorbet made by Dole (a Disney sponsor), served alone in a cup or mixed with pineapple juice to make a float. Sure, doesn't sound like a lot, but the rarity of the flavors is what makes this a special find. At Disneyland, you can buy one next to the Tiki Room, whereas if you are at Walt Disney World, stop by Advetureland's Aloha Isle or Captain Cook's at the Polynesian Resort.

Even though it's been around for quite a long time, I didn't experience my first Dole Whip until December 2009 during a family trip… and got to introduce others while I was back at the Magic Kingdom in January 2011 for a conference.

I don't even like pineapple, but it's a pretty awesome frozen treat!

Continue Reading…

Theme Park Thursdays feature photos from one of our theme park adventures in the past.

Steve & Amy ride Mr. Toad once again! (2005)

A few weeks ago I talked about the long-gone Mr. Toad's Wild Ride attraction at Walt Disney World. I loved that ride. Well, back in January 2005, I got to ride it once again… sorta.

You see, Disneyland still has a version of the ride, though it's a single-track implementation vs. the twin-track awesomeness of the Florida version. During a conference on the West Coast, Amy & I got to experience Walt's original park for the first time… and ride Mr. Toad!

Disneyland's take is more "refined" and less insane, but it was still gerat to spend some time on the ride. With Baby Tanner on the way, you can be sure he'll be exposed to classic Disney films that most folks have long forgotten… including 1949's The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad.

Theme Park Thursdays feature photos from one of our theme park adventures in the past.

Wilderness Lodge Dock (2007)

Today's photo features the boat dock at Disney's Wilderness Lodge, on the shores of Bay Lake, near the Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground, where the Tanner family has spent many a vacation. I took this photo during a September 2007 visit and just liked the way the sun was setting in the image.

Wilderness Lodge opened in 1994 with a Pacific Northwest theme, based on the historic National Park lodges. While Fort Wilderness is considered "low end" in the Disney caste system, Wilderness Lodge is upscale, complete with a set of timeshares. It's always been interesting to share a boat with folks from both resorts to see the differences in lifestyle, personality, and perception. (Translation: Disney treats Wilderness Lodge folks better.)

There have been rumors that Disney is looking at building another Vacation Club timeshare between the two resorts, on or near the location of the long-closed River Country water park. Great, just what we need… more timeshares mucking up a beautiful campground environment!

Theme Park Thursdays feature photos from one of our theme park adventures in the past.

Circling the entrance to Tomorrowland (2005)

As part of the failed "Tomorrowland 1998" retro-futurist project at Disneyland, the former Rocket Jets ride was removed from the top of the PeopleMover building, while another spinner-type ride called the Astro Orbitor was placed at the entrance of Tomorrowland at ground level. Many have felt this was a design mistake, as it clogs up the entrance to the land, but it remains there to this day.

During our first visit ever to Disneyland in 2005, Amy & I rode the Astro Orbitor… in the rain. (It seems every visit we've had to a Disney theme park on the West Coast has been when it was wet!) In today's photo, you can see Amy piloting her ride vehicle… while my foot literally stands watch on the left side! If you look carefully at the upper left corner, you can also see the abandoned PeopleMover track, which stopped running at Disneyland in 1995. The ride was shortly replaced by the Rocket Rods, which ran on the same track from 1998-2001, but the track remains unused today.