Category: Blogs
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Update on Fantasmic! – 30 Years Ago at Disneyland
As if Daylight Saving’s Time wasn’t bad enough, last month we leaped a year ahead (or 29 years behind) our usual thirty years ago. This month we are back on track but will be starting out on the wrong side of the park. Yes, this is an update on the construction of Fantasmic!, but first…
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For About $5,000… Thoughts on Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser
Since Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser first began taking guests on voyages to the stars earlier this month I have been one of the many fans ingesting as much about this new experience. I will admit to many conflicted thoughts about this, mainly coming from the price. There are also thoughts about the experience and the…
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Mickey’s Toontown Then… and Now! – 29 Years Ago at Disneyland
I hope you did a double-take at the title of this month’s blog. 29 years ago at Disneyland? 30 years was an odd enough choice. But why change it now? This is not really a change, just an acknowledgment of an item that is better presented a year in advance. You see, Toontown, which opened…
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1992: Another Original Year – 30 Years Ago at Disneyland
You remember a year ago that in this blog I kind of complained about the 1991 promotional “theme” for Disneyland? That after the incredible 35th anniversary year of 1990, with the alluring (and admittedly kind of baffling) Party Gras theme, the best they could come up with was “The Original?” Really. That was the theme…
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A Look at the Last Rainy Day of 2021 at Disneyland
December 30, 2021, was the last rainy day of the year at Disneyland. As Disneyland prepared to host its New Year’s Eve festivities, the rain came down and the crowds showed up. There weren’t as heavy crowds as other years during the Christmas week but there were still a lot of people enjoying a rainy…
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Mickey’s Nutcracker – 30 Years Ago at Disneyland
In 1991, the former Videopolis stage in Fantasyland offered a holiday entertainment that could have easily become a long-running seasonal tradition at Disneyland. Mickey’s Nutcracker promised to be a contemporary version of the well-known Christmas entertainment but proved to be a quirky retelling of the beloved ballet with some dancing, some singing, and some other…
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Pictorial: A Rainy Christmas Eve Eve at the Disneyland Resort
Christmas Eve Eve was a very rainy day at the Disneyland Resort. Throughout the day, the skies opened up, and guests donned ponchos, raincoats, and grabbed their umbrellas. Instead of a parade, there was a rainy day cavalcade. As day turned into evening, the streets reflected the water with a magical glow. The fireworks and…
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A Magically Foggy Night at Disney California Adventure
On December 1, 2021, the DAPS MAGIC team stopped by Disney California Adventure for an evening watching Phat Cat Swinger. The performances at 8:00 and 9:15 were absolutely wonderful and so much fun. As the night progressed, fog started to creep in on Disney California Adventure. By the time the second set had ended, fog…
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I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas – The Magic of the Holidays at Disneyland
The holidays at Disneyland is always such a special time to me. Everything seems to have a little more pixie dust. The extra lights are vibrant and beautiful, the entertainment a little merrier, the food a little more delicious, the weather a little cozier, and all the moments a little more magical. As I think…
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Imagining… Fantasmic! – 30 Years Ago at Disneyland
In planning, this blog entry was to be the first of two parts, spanning October to November. In execution, it is one bog entry, appearing at the end of November. In my defense, it is a pretty big subject. While that Afternoon Avenue promotion was dominating the east side of Disneyland, over on the west…
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Phat Cat Swinger Makes Magical Return to Disney Festival of Holidays
On Friday, November 12, 2021, Phat Cat Swinger returned to the Disneyland Resort to open Disney Festival of Holidays. To say it was magical would be an understatement. Ahead of the band’s first set at 8:00 PM, guests were already waiting and anticipating the band’s return. There was a palpable energy that was a beautiful…
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A Christmas Fantasy Parade Adds Extra Magic to Holidays at Disneyland!
After a hiatus last year due to the parks being closed because of the pandemic, parades are back. Specifically, A Christmas Fantasy Parade ushered parades back to day-guests at the Disneyland Resort. The parade returned to the public as a part of Holidays at Disneyland on November 12th after being shown at the Disney Merriest…
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Pictorial: A Rainy Halloween Time Day at the Disneyland Resort
Rain has returned to the Disneyland Resort. On October 25, 2021, the Disneyland Resort had a wet afternoon and early evening as the rain rain rain came down down down. With the arrival of the rain, reservations also became available and a couple of the DAPS MAGIC team made their way into the parks to…
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Saying Goodbye to The Disney Afternoon Live! – Thirty Years Ago at Disneyland
Nine months into 1991, Disneyland (the Original) was starting to look ahead to the holidays, as well as at the now seven month old Disney Afternoon Live! promotion that still occupied Afternoon Avenue in front of it’s a small world. On September 8 Baloo’s Dressing Room closed, and on November 10 everything else followed, with…
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Agatha Harkness, Sid, and Cruella Arrive at Disneyland Resort for Oogie Boogie Bash
Three new villains arrived at the Disneyland Resort for the Oogie Boogie Bash this year. The three characters could be found in the middle of the treat trails built around their locations. Agatha Harkness was found at Avengers Campus where she took over the Ancient Sanctum. She told those wandering by that she had been…
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Pictorial: A Look at the First Day of Halloween Time at the Disneyland Resort
Halloween Time arrived at the Disneyland Resort this year on Friday, September 3, 2021. This year it was extra special as it not only marked the beginning of the spooky season but it also marked the return of the Dapper Dans to Disneyland. The Haunted Mansion Holiday also returned and this was the first stop…
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The Celebration USA! Parade – 30 Years Ago at Disneyland
Have I mentioned that back in the old days, say, thirty years ago, Disneyland used to put on a new daytime parade every single year, without giving a thought to the idea of keeping it around for three, five, or ten years more? Of course, everyone knew what to expect when night fell and catchy…
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Photo Report: First Sunday at Disneyland as a Magic Key Holder
On Sunday, August 29, 2021, some of the DAPS MAGIC team made their way into the parks to enjoy being Magic Key holders for the first time since the program became available. It was a lovely day that was full of magic, music, and photography. It was not a day of attractions. Instead, the team…
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Whatever Happened to Port Disney? – 30 Years Ago at Disneyland
July is, of course, an important month for fans of Disneyland. July 17 is the anniversary of the day that Walt’s dream was officially revealed to the public. July 18, by the way, is the actual opening day, but we won’t get into that. The events of July 17, 1991 were not as auspicious as…
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Disneyland Honors the Men and Women of Desert Storm – Thirty Years Ago at Disneyland
This month’s entry is quite appropriate as we enter the Fourth of July weekend. Disneyland has never shied away from patriotic spectacle. Indeed, Walt Disney is quoted as saying, “If you could see in my eyes, the American flag is waving in both of them and my spine is growing this red, white and blue…
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Introducing the Disneyland Resort! – 30 Years Ago at Disneyland
When this blog began in January of 2020, I had no idea that taking “virtual visits” to Disneyland in the 1990s would become such an attractive idea. The “Disney Decade” began with soaring announcements and exciting expectations. For Disney fans the spring of 2021 is also marked with announcements and expectations. We can only hope…
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A Look Through the Lens: Photos of the Opening Day of Disneyland
On Friday April 30, 2021 Disneyland reopened to guests after being closed for over a year. The DAPS MAGIC team was on hand to cover this historic event. One way that was covered was through the lens of the camera. Today we share with you pictures of the opening day of Disneyland. The pictures in…
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Plane Crazy On Stage at Disney Afternoon Live!
Excited kids who flocked to Disneyland for the 1991 promotion of The Disney Afternoon could spend as much time as they liked exploring Afternoon Avenue and experiencing the Rescue Ranger Raceway and the Motor Boat Cruise Through Gummi Glen. As if that wasn’t enough excitement, there were the five daily performances (SIX on Saturday!) of…
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The Dream of a Train and a Boat, Two Stories Looking for Happy Endings
Before I was born, my grandpa built a houseboat with my grandma, mom, and uncles. This boat, named Puff, was the culmination of years of dreaming and led to years of happy memories. Decades before in the 1950s, Grandpa had been a commercial fisherman in the San Juan Islands and even ventured to Alaska once!f…