Dapper Day at Disneyland Trip Report, Pt. 2

After a good night's sleep as a result of the glow of my first Dapper Day at Disneyland, I woke up refreshed and ready for a trip back to the park for some early morning photos before taking the train home. The park didn't open until 9, but by eating breakfast at The Plaza Inn, I was able to enter Disneyland at 8am. Tasty food, Minnie Mouse, and an extra hour in the park? What a value!

I am a huge fan of the Plaza Inn and all of its turn of the century detailing (not to mention its fried chicken!).







How could I resist a photo with the First Lady of Disneyland?



I took full advantage of my early entry into the park by riding Star Tours twice in a row. How often do you get to do that, without waiting in a horrendous line?!?



It was great to be able to take photos without a herd of guests piled on top of me. If you look closely, you can see me taking this photo in the infrared image.



Fortunately, I wasn't taking Flight 716 to Alderaan:



The Princess Leia hologram from my Star Tours trip brought back a lot of happy memories; I remember being so impressed by that part of the original 1977 "Star Wars" movie. It was one of those "how did they do that?" moments for me.



Besides Star Tours, I also got a round of Buzz Lightyear in:



Pixie Hollow is a bit commercial in nature for me, but it does provide some beautiful views:





And now for the good stuff. Over at Disney California Adventure, the Golden Gate Bridge replica is gone and the entire entrance area is being torn up.



The top of The Carthay Circle Theater had been put into place. Seeing the Cupola was very exciting!



The nearby Pump House and fountain:





No rest for the weary at Cars Land; even on a Sunday, workers were busy as bees:







It's great to see all the buildings take shape:









From the backside, this is what you can see from Katella Avenue:







More trip reports to come in the very near future!

See more vintage & current Disney California Adventure photos on my DCA web page.

Dapper Day at Disneyland Trip Report, Pt. 1

I couldn't believe I was already on the way back to Disneyland after less than a week. The concept of Dapper Day sounded very cool, and the opportunity to photograph a group of guests wearing retro and vintage clothing was just too much for me to pass up a second time. Amtrak got me to Anaheim, and shortly after checking into The Anabella (great location, great property!), I headed into Fantasyland for dinner at The Village Haus.



My Pastrami Hamburger and fries were tasty; even more so, I loved relaxing and noticing all the details about this restaurant nestled into the back of Fantasyland.



Stained glass windows featuring your favorite characters from "Pinocchio."





Decorative murals throughout the interior:



Meeting time at the Carrousel was still a bit away, so I sauntered around Fantasyland, shooting other previously missed details, such as these elephants inside the Dumbo Band Organ:





Looking up, I noticed the Goodyear Blimp crossing the Matterhorn; throw in the moon, and you have a once-in-a-lifetime shot:





My next stop was an empty bench near the Castle; what were the chances of snagging that on a Friday night?!?











And then, the time finally came...the meeting at the Carrousel. I was very impressed by some of the outfits. Here are a few of my favorites:



Check out the vintage bag!





All ages took part!



The event's organizer, Justin Jorgensen:



Creative geniuses Jody Daily & Kevin Kidney (who looked like he'd just stepped out of the Carnation Ice Cream Parlour!):





Dapper Day mother & child portrait:



Alex Williams & Jason Schultz look like they're ready for the next Dillinger movie:



Men in Hats (again, note the vintage bag!):



Before the next event (drinks at Trader Sam's), some of us splintered out and took a spin on small world:









Before heading back to my room early and being an official party popper, I did stop by Trader Sam's to get a few interior shots:









More to come from this little jaunt.

See more Dapper Day at Disneyland photos on my Dapper Day web page.