After indulging in a heavy day at the Haunted Mansion, let's take a little breather before we delve into the "new" Club 33. Today's post begins with a concert by the Disneyland Marching Band, entering Central Plaza over the Sleeping Beauty Castle drawbridge.
Out come some of our favorite Disney Toons: Mickey, Pluto, Goofy, Donald, and Chip 'n Dale.
Ta da!
Lunch was over at the Celebration BBQ. After everyone was evacuated because of a kitchen fire, we were seated at our table and allowed to indulge in the all-you-care to eat BBQ fixins.
The birthday dessert was a fantabulous chocolate chip cookie served in a deep-dish skillet à la mode.
Doug made his birthday wish:
The entertainment during lunch is an added bonus:
It was already turning out to be a high-crowd day, so we took leisurely tour around the Rivers of America on the Mark Twain.
Meanwhile, other guests took a not-so-leisurely turn around the Rivers in a canoe.
The Twain didn't scare this bird; he just stayed perched on his barrel.
Fowler's Inn:
A closeup:
It's gotten bigger over the years, as you can see in this comparison shot from June 1965:
Turning the corner you can see the Gullywhumper Keelboat:
with Wavy Indian in the background:
A better view of the Gullywhumper:
and the non-burning cabin:
Want a closeup?
I prefer mine flaming. How about you?
The busy little beaver:
And some other less convincing "animals" along the way:
There was plenty of room at the Shooting Gallery:
I'd never noticed this ghostly figure that rides across the background; very cool!
Last item on the agenda for the day was to visit Abe Lincoln in the Opera House. Cast member Michael was our host:
Abe waited patiently in the dark until it was his moment to speak.
He did a great job as usual; never flubs a line.
A rousing patriotic finish every time.
NEXT UP: Club 33!
More Frontierland at my main website.
7 comments:
Not a judgment on your photography, but the castle looks awful in these images. The garish colors seem too much. I don't know. Maybe in person it doesn't look so bad.
I always do the Explorer Canoes and Shooting Gallery when visiting Disneyland if the attractions are open. You never know if or when they might disappear forever.
Love the "Doug Made His Birthday Wish" photo. And you did a beautiful job capturing "life" on the Rivers of America. Thanks, Dave.
I think the castle looks better in full sunlight than on these cloudy days (it was cloudy for 2 of my 3 days on site in April as well). See a shot I took at sunset on Flicker.
Joe Shelby, that looks a little better, but it's obvious that it looks best at night. I just miss the art of subtlety at Disneyland.
That ghost rider in the sky in the shooting gallery -- I wonder if that's new? Very cool.
Joe - I think what Ken is saying (and I do agree) is that the saturated colors of the Castle (sun or clouds) are not as tasteful as the original color scheme which was much more subtle. The extra 60th Anniversary bling doesn't help the situation.
On a recent trip we had Michael give the intro speech to Great Moments... we were sitting back a ways and entered at the last moment. I had almost convinced myself that it was John Lassiter giving the intro(!), but then I got a better look. Only slightly disappointed, as Michael was quite entertaining and full of information.
Glad someone else said it. I too, was wondering when the animatronic John Lassiter was installed. Thanks for the contrasting image of the burning cabin as well. How times have changed.
The ghost riders in the sky have always been in the shooting gallery since the last redux back around 1996. It's one of the few things I visit every time and know the timing sequences of by heart.
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