Happy Birthday Disneyland!

[disney_leonard]

I got to the parking structure about 8 (due to an accident on the 57) and was surprised by the lack of crowds. The surprises continued when I had to wait for a tram. I expected big crowds, a fleet of trams and an army of CM's to greet them. Not even a CM working the queue for the tram. Then a walk through the bag check with no lines. Walked up to a waiting CM to show my AP. I was greeted cheerfully and reminded that it was the park's 53rd. Went to get in line for the Rocket to the Moon release which had a short line. Plenty of time after my purchase to stroll around, spend some money (no lines, ever) then make it in time for the 9:30 arrival for the NFFC presentation by Tony Baxter and company. Later I walked easily between Frontierland and Tomorrowland. All of the CM's I dealt with seemed extra cheery.

I have heard that attendance is down and if today was an indicator those rumors are true. I didn't get to DCA and left around 1 but from what I saw this was not a typical July day. True the special event list for the BD was short. I was prepared for big summer crowds and pleasantly surprised to find none. I'm sure attendance picked up as the day went on but this has not been my experience for a peak summer visit. The good news is I will probably go more often during the next weeks if this pattern continues.

[lovechows]

I just wanted to say how delightful it was celebrating DL's 53rd birthday and MP's 8th yesterday! It was my first time attending a MousePlanet event and I had such an incredible time with everyone last night. The re-dedication ceremony was really fun; meeting everyone for dinner at the French Market provided a great way to get to know the other members and the food was fantastic; riding the Lily Belle together was an unforgettable experience; and then a few of us were not only able to ride Monorail ride in the front but the driver let us take turns honking the horn at the DTD station. And, a couple of us ended the evening with the 10:30 "Fantasmic" show. Truly a magical evening.

Thank you MP for organizing this wonderful event and I look forward to seeing my new MP friends at DL soon!

[Tinkermommy]

Gack! I didn't see this thread last night when I dragged myself in :p and posted all my notes in the Social Meets thread. Oops!

PanFan, we had such a good time riding with you! That first boat trip was so funny! I have a whole new appreciation for what cast members go through. For the benefit of those who weren't there -- PanFan, my daughter and I were apparently the only ones on the boat who spoke English. Presumably because they couldn't understand the narration, the whole rest of the group talked loudly the entire way through the ride. Then one of their little ones, who didn't want to sit down, started whining and ultimately crying that "enough!" cry. It was so loud! When it came time for all of us to stand up on the count of three, only a couple of us did it. The others stood up a few at a time, and the kids started moving around, making the boat rock so that I thought we were going over for sure. Even though I had no interest in taking a dip in that pretty green water :p I couldn't help laughing -- it was just bizarre. Anyway, PanFan handled the whole thing beautifully -- and let us ride again. Yay!

I found the crowds to be up and down all day. When I made my left turn from Ball Road around 9 am, I was thrilled to see no cars ahead of me. Around the bend on Disney Dr, however, I discovered every lane into the parking structure was backed up outside the structure. It didn't take as long as I expected to get through it, but definitely a backup. A whole caravan of school busses arrived just before us, so the two tram boarding areas were jam packed. We decided to walk over.

Very short line at bag check, and surprisingly short line at the gates. Here's the big surprise, though: every time we went by Innoventions, the line was backed up almost to the Fast Pass machines at Autopia. It said it was a 25 minute wait to get in. I was willing to wait, but since our objective in going in was for my daughter to explore the House of the Future and it would obviously be filled with people, we finally decided to save it for the next trip. I wonder how long that will last?

I don't want to repeat everything I wrote in the other post, but it was a really fun day. Thanks, everyone! (I mentioned you by name in my other post...LOL) And BIG thanks to AVP for putting all that together and making it fun!!

[lovechows]

I just read my last post and discovered a typo. We rode Monorail Red for the first time last night--which is why it was so special. I guess not getting very much sleep after all of the excitement has had an effect on my spelling this morning. Hopefully I'll recover by the time I get to work!

[Infinitely]

The meet sounds like so much fun...I want to go, and plant to next year!

[Matterhorn Yodeler]

I was born on July 17, 1972...but my Mom didn't let the genreal public see me until July 18.....HA HA HA HA HA HA HA.
;)

Well then...HAPPY BIRTHDAY (today)!!!:p

Loved your post; it made me laugh out loud! Thanks!:D

[Darkbeer]

Well then...HAPPY BIRTHDAY (today)!!!:p

Loved your post; it made me laugh out loud! Thanks!:D

YEAH to Celebrating BOTH July 17th and 18th!!!!!!

[Darkbeer]

So what was the "Opening Day" for...

Walt Disney World (aka Magic Kingdom)
EPCOT
Disney MGM Studios
Disney's Animal Kingdom
Disney's California Adventure
EuroDisney
Disney Studios Paris
Tokyo Disneyland
Disney Seas
Hong Kong Disneyland

The First day they had Previews, had Press Events, etc...

Or the day that the Ticket Booths offered tickets for sale THAT day to enter the park. It is clear, and that is the date that the GENERAL Public was allowed to enter and buy tickets....

And Walt Disney clearly celebrated July 18th as OPENING day....

And why did a LOT of Grand Opening events happen on July 18th in the 1960's????

http://ocresort.freedomblogging.com/2008/07/18/disney-history-mr-lincoln-comes-to-disneyland/

Mr. Lincoln, he opened on July 18th, 1965 at the Opera House...

The "first" new Tomorrowland...

July 18th, 1967.

So we have at least 12 years that Disneyland celebrated the Birthday as July 18th....

[Darkbeer]

Here is a great quote as to what date Walt Disney thought was OPENING day...

http://micechat.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1965570




According to a conversation I once had with John Hench...Walt & Roy both very much considered the 18th as Opening Day. He said there was no question that was the day that mattered most to them. Roy even made sure he bought Disneyland Ticket #1 on the 18th.

[cstephens]

I should look around and see if I have any spare shovels left over from years ago.

[houseofmouse]

I was there on the 17th! Won Dream Fastpasses too. We watched the less than spectacular re-dedication on Main Street.
I agree about the crowds it was pretty busy but not super crowded. Now the following Monday was a zoo!
Happy Birthday Again Disneyland!!