[ingamba]

With our trip to Disneyland just about two weeks away, Joy and I have been doing a lot of Disneyland dreaming lately. Of course, she has been countless times, and has been showering me with memories of her many trips to get me excited. I, of course, have never been, having grown up on the east coast (no excuse, I know).

Anyway, we thought it would be fun if people could post any and all random thoughts about Disneyland here. It can be anything-a memory, something that you look forward to every visit, anything at all.

So tell me. What does Disneyland mean to you?

[twist1980]

One of my good friends, Amy and I used to go to DLR together every year starting at the end of high school and continuing for years (our last trip together was 2003). While I had grown up visiting DL every summer when I would visit my family in Huntington Beach, she renewed my interest in it and helped me become Disney obsessed! I also did part of my one and only WDW trip with her.

We always had so much fun (obviously) and had no problem being silly. Here is one of my favorite pictures of us. We decided that we wanted to be "hidden Mickeys!"

Now I can't wait to share all of that fun and excitement with Andrew!

[daisyd]

Oh boy, I don't know if I can put into words what DL means to me, but here it goes.

It's part of me. Like a relative I love that has been nothing but good to me. I have been a child there, a teenager, a young woman and a mom. I have grown and changed but it remains the same, always welcoming and happy to see me

[timsha]

Tims' favorite part of DL was the concierge at the Grand Californian, mine was California Screaming in DCA. The last time we were there DCA had just opened up.

It is also the original, where it all began.

[mickeymommy]

I'm a WDW girl, but got to visit DL last May. It was neat seeing the original, where it all started. But...I'll admit, I still love WDW!

[WishUponAStar]

For me Disneyland represents nostalgia and a quaint magic that I personally don't feel can be replicated the same way in any Disney park. You can definately feel "Walt's touch" & everytime I go, yes the park may be small, but I love discovering something new each time. It definately represents infinate possibilites for sharing, exploring, and appreciating the past.

Here are one of my favorite pictures from my June '06 trip with my Dad.

[_Ariel_]

What a great thread. :}

What does Disneyland mean to me?

Well, I won't lie - I had a pretty tough early childhood. I'm not going into details, but I was fatherless and for a while motherless and after that, practically motherless because my dear mom worked night and day. Of course I was a kid, but I didn't have too much time to be one. I was born when my aunt was 12 years old, so when I got to be around 7 or so she started taking me to Disneyland. Yes, I was spoiled. Disneyland every two years at first, then every year, which we still do now. Disneyland means being excited, and happy, and young to me. Disneyland, to me, means magic and wonder. It was the time I got to explore, do what I wanted to do, and surround myself in all the enchantment that is DISNEYLAND! I think that's what's made my imagination and inner-kid so strong - I mean, I still am a kid pretty much, being 16.

Disneyland's like a second home to me... I remember a lot of stuff from back in the day because of it. It helped build strong memories, and I think creativity too. I still get all giddy and childish and just plain happy when I'm at Disneyland. Oh! That's what Disneyland means to me. Happiness.

[Cynsayshi]

Truly, an awesome question. I read this last night and was thinking about all the possible answers while trying to sleep. Since I grew up in Orange County, and worked there twice, I have lots of good memories.
There's my first Disneyland memory - holding onto my younger brother's stroller while we watched the fireworks.
There's the time my youngest brother found a $20 bill at the grocery store. At the time, I think that covered admission for the whole family - of course, we still had to buy tickets to go on the rides. We used to have a drawer in which we kept leftover tickets from each trip.
There was the school trip for the Bicentennial. We had specific tickets for all the patriotic attractions - America Sings, America the Beautiful, Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln, and I forget the other 2. One of the attractions was down, so our chaperone took us from America Sings over to Mission to Mars, since it was right next door. We found out later that some of the other chaperones had taken their kids on the Matterhorn. Boy, were we ticked!
Disneyland was a big-deal date location, too. No one had annual passports, so if a guy were to take you to Disneyland, you knew it was serious. Plus, Inner Space had a well-deserved reputation as a "make-out" ride. HM was good, too, but didn't have the same reputation.
But I think my favorite pre-employment memories were all involved with performing in the Candlelight Processional, which I did 5 times with my high school (yep, came back after I graduated as a ringer). That was when it was still held at the Main Street Train Station. The 1000-voice choir, made up of about 20-30 local choirs who auditioned hard for the opportunity, processed the entire parade route, from Small World to the train station, singing Christmas carols, then performed the 45 minute concert with a guest narrator. The herald trumpet players were on the top of the train station roof!
My first year, though, in 1978, was the best, even though we were rained out that year. It was pouring rain, but we had been rehearsing hard in the backlot anyway, in the hopes that the weather would clear. We'd been there since about 11 AM, and it was freezing cold. The rehearsal "hall" was just 2 adjacent carports off of Ball Street backstage. Cary Grant, the guest narrator that year, showed up in a limo at about 4 PM, dressed to kill in a very nice tux. He came with the report that the concert was cancelled due to the weather. But, he said, he'd like to go through the performance with us, anyway. He described in detail for us what had gone on the night before, then ran through the entire performance with us. He didn't have to do that, but the fact that he did showed what a classy man he was. So, while we were terribly disappointed, it was also a fantastic experience to sing for Cary Grant.

So, what does Disneyland mean to me? It means letting my imagination soar, and creating magical memories, no matter what, and it means home.

[ingamba]

Cyn-

Thanks for your awesome response to my question. It's great to hear from a true Disneyland veteran.

Since I grew up in the northeast, my memories of WDW are similar to yours of DL. These are memories I'd never trade, but I can't help admiring anyone like yourself, or my girlfriend Joy (known as twist1980 in these parts), or many others on here who grew up going to Disneyland, Walt's original vision, and the only Disney park he ever set foot in.

Thanks again Cyn, you've managed to make me even more excited for my first ever DL trip, which is less than a week and a half away.

[ingamba]

Originally Posted by _Ariel_

What a great thread. :}

What does Disneyland mean to me?

Well, I won't lie - I had a pretty tough early childhood. I'm not going into details, but I was fatherless and for a while motherless and after that, practically motherless because my dear mom worked night and day. Of course I was a kid, but I didn't have too much time to be one. I was born when my aunt was 12 years old, so when I got to be around 7 or so she started taking me to Disneyland. Yes, I was spoiled. Disneyland every two years at first, then every year, which we still do now. Disneyland means being excited, and happy, and young to me. Disneyland, to me, means magic and wonder. It was the time I got to explore, do what I wanted to do, and surround myself in all the enchantment that is DISNEYLAND! I think that's what's made my imagination and inner-kid so strong - I mean, I still am a kid pretty much, being 16.

Disneyland's like a second home to me... I remember a lot of stuff from back in the day because of it. It helped build strong memories, and I think creativity too. I still get all giddy and childish and just plain happy when I'm at Disneyland. Oh! That's what Disneyland means to me. Happiness.

Thanks for your awesome answer Ariel. I love hearing about how Disneyland played such a significant role in people's childhoods. People who now, as adults still can find as much magic in Walt's Happy Place as they did when they were wide eyed and innocent.

Thanks for getting me even more psyched up for my trip.

[dznygrl]

Can I post multiple responses?

[ingamba]

Originally Posted by dznygrl

Can I post multiple responses?

Will you please post multiple responses? I want to hear every one of them.

[dznygrl]

Originally Posted by ingamba

Will you please post multiple responses? I want to hear every one of them.

I would love to...I can think of so many special things...

Ummm as soon as the baby stops screaming and gives me use of both hands, I will get right on it!

[bikedealer]

My first touch from the magic was Disneyland. And like so many things in life that happen for the first time you hold that different. I will say if it is WDW or DL for a trip I will pick WDW everytime. But when ever I can Ilike to still go to the place where it all started. It does have something that WDW never will.

[dznygrl]

Thought #1:

My first memory of DL is from when I was 6 years old. We drove down from Oregon in the scorching August heat, in our air conditioning-less Subaru. The whole way down, we listened to a particular cassette tape over and over. When we arrived in the middle of the night, my mom woke me up with an excitement in her voice that I had never heard before - I sat up and looked out the window, and there was the huge Disneyland sign glistening in the night! I didn't even know what it meant, but I felt happier and more excited than I ever had before in my life.

That sign is gone now, but I still feel the same wonder and excitement every time we take the Harbor Blvd exit and I see the Matterhorn...or Space Mountain...or the Tower of Terror.

What is most special about this memory though is the fact that my family still has the same cassette that we listened to on that road trip. And every time we pull it out and play it, both of my parents get that happy glow on their face. I never, EVER see that look any other time. But that music triggers the Disney Magic, and it's one of the only times my parents don't act like I'm nuts for being so obsessed. Which, for the record, means the WORLD to me.