Happiest Homecoming on Earth

Sonya and I decided to take a mini vacation before the end of the school year, so we took Karsyn and Ryan down to Anaheim this past weekend to pay a special visit to the Magic Kingdom. Disneyland just kicked of their 50th Anniversary celebration on May 5th, dubbed the Happiest Homecoming on Earth. Walter Elias Disney opened up his dream theme park in an old orange grove just outside of Los Angeles on July 17th, 1955, and we decided to help celebrate the golden anniversary of the event. Festivities are scheduled to go on for the next 18 months.

This visit was Karsyn’s 5th trip to a Disney park (four trips to Disneyland and one to Disney World in Orlando), and the 1st for Ryan. For those that think that it’s too tough to take a small child to Disneyland, that’s nothing farther from the truth. Karsyn made her first trip when she was 19 months old. Ryan is only 13 months old and he had a blast.

We all had three-day park hopper tickets, which allowed us to jump back and forth between Disneyland and California Adventure. The majority of our time was spent at Disneyland, because they have more rides for the little ones there.


All of us & Pooh
Karsyn took a major leap on the thrill ride scale this trip. She’s tall enough to ride just about anything, and she didn’t miss out on much. She rode everything from Indiana Jones to the Tower of Terror (twice). She loves the Matterhorn, so she managed to squeeze in three runs on the world’s first steel roller coaster. She also loves the Big Thunder Mountain railroad and the Grizzly River Run ride.

We forget that she’s still only a five year-old kid, and some of the attractions can be a bit trying, but she was a trooper and humored her dad. She’s not a big fan of spooky stuff, but she was willing to tag along on my favorite rides, the Haunted House and the Pirates of the Caribbean.

We caught every parade and every show in both parks, including the Aladdin musical at California Adventure (a must see if you plan a trip there), and the Snow White musical near Toon Town.

Any attraction that was present on the original opening day back in 1955 had a commemorative gold vehicle. Dumbo, the Carousel, Mr Toad's Wild Ride, the Jungle Cruise, Peter Pan and the Mad Team Party are some of these originals.


We got to ride in the golden Dumbo
Our hotel was within walking distance of both parks, and they had a swimming pool which served as a great viewing area for the evening fireworks. The fireworks would go off right next to our hotel, and were close enough that you had to cover your ears.

Ryan was fantastic, even though we dragged him around all day and made him go on several attractions. The little guy is as rugged as they come, and his cheery personality makes traveling with him a real treat. You can’t help but smile when you’re around him, because he’s such a great kid.

He was very much a fan of all the characters that were roaming the park. He took a very keen liking to Mickey Mouse, Winnie the Pooh, Chip (the chipmunk), and Minnie Mouse. He would walk up to each and give them big hugs. Most kids his age are terrified of big fuzzy characters, by Ry got a kick out of all of them.


R is for Ry Ry!
Disneyland has always been a very special place for me. Sonya and I have come to love it as a place that we can share with our kids. It’s always been a very sentimental place for me. Some of my fondest childhood memories are linked to the place they call the Happiest Place on Earth, so I guess I return to try and relive some of those memories with my children. We make the 6 hour drive, because that’s the way we did it when I was a kid. I remember the excitement in the anticipation during that drive. It’s part of the whole experience. I chuckle every time I hear those all too traditional words, "Are we there yet?"

I dread the day that they no longer have any interest in making the trip. Disneyland will stop being cool someday, just like it was for me when I was 15 or 16. They'll be too cool to go to a kiddie place like Disneyland, but then they'll have kids of their own and the whole cycle will repeat itself. I hope they group up to be sentimental saps like me, so they can treat the next generation of Lee's.

Mosaic Magic

Finally, I wanted to mention this great undertaking that the folks at Disney unveiled this month. Over a year and a half ago, they got the idea of creating huge Disney character mosaics, which are made of photographs of their guests. They allowed visitors to submit some of their favorite photos of past trips to any of the Disney properties via email in the Winter of 2003. These photos were reduced and blended together to make the massive works of art.


The Alice in Wonderland Mosaic
I submitted three photos back in 2003, all of which were utilized in the project. The entire family got to see our pictures melded into these treasures. It just so happens that the Disney folks emailed the exact destinations of our photos on the eve before our last day at the park. I brought my laptop with me so I was able to access my email and get the exact locations of our photos. If you get a chance to visit the park, be sure to atop by the following mosaics and see if you can find our photos.

They are:

The Fantasmic Mosaic in New Orleans Square (Row 60, Column 78)

The Sleeping Beauty Mosaic on the back side of Sleeping Beauties Castle in the center f the park (Row 28, Column 8)

The Alice Wonderland Mosaic in the Mad Tea Party planter in Fantasyland (Row 4, Column 19)

These photos are also incorporated into the following mosaics (all near It’s a Small World):

- Mulan
- Beauty & the Beast
- Cinderella


Guest submitted photos create the mosaics
The mosaics are all very cool, and our family is a part of them. Very cool stuff.

Checkout our [2005 Disneyland Photo Album]