Time Machine Travelogue Five

One Family and Two Good Neighbor Hotels

"I'm giving it all I got! Captain."  No, I didn't hire Scotty to run the time machine. However, it has had a lot of use lately. But now it is ready to go. We are to Disneyland of the past.  My Mom, who was affectionately called the Sponsor, took my brother and I and our families to three memorable trips to Disneyland. We will need to make two time jumps to complete this mission.  So, climb in and buckle up. Ready? "Okay Scotty punch it!"

Our first stop is 1977, Anaheim, California.  What could be there?  Oh yeah Disneyland.  My mother arranged for my brother’s family and mine to go to Disneyland.  My brother, his wife, and young son flew to meet us for a visit to the Magic Kingdom.  We had been to Disneyland the previous year for the Bicentennial on July 4^th 1976 without my brother.  Maybe my mother felt guilty for not including my brother on that trip so she planned this trip to include him and his family.  We stayed at the Grand Hotel.  It was a modern looking tower a couple of streets east of what was the old Disneyland Main Gate.  Because we flew into the Orange County International Airport, we had no car.  This was kind of new for us.  We had to rely on the Grand Hotel’s Shuttle Bus. It was a wonderful experience at Disneyland. The only thing that was universally enjoyed was the Main Street Electrical Parade. 

We traveled by the hotel shuttle to Disneyland just in time for the start of the parade. There was plenty room for our family on the inside of Town Square on Main Street. It was one of the best nighttime experiences at Disneyland. The lighted themed floats backed up with infectious music made it a wonderful event.  The only thing that was disappointing about the trip was the hotel shuttle. There was a rush to get on the shuttle. It is survival of the rudest. So if you don't get on the shuttle, you have to wait for it to return and now the hotel patrons have built back up again. We hailed a taxi and took it back to the hotel. I’m glad they tore the Grand Hotel down and made a parking lot.  This episode only cemented my desire to stay at the Disneyland Hotel.

We enjoyed all the other attractions at the Magic Kingdom. However, there were many changes to Disneyland at that time. The Carousel of Progress was changed to America Sings.  Since my brother was here last Adventure Into Inner Space, and Space Mountain was added in Tomorrowland.   Country Bear Jamboree was opened in the new Critter Country, and the Haunted Mansion finally found its 999 ghost residents in New Orleans Square.   

"Okay, Scotty check those Tesla Compensators and jump ahead to 1993."

This was the Sponsors planned journey to Disneyland with the entire family. My brother, his wife, and daughter came again from Oregon.  My wife, and myself had the pleasure of joining Mom for her crowning trip with all of us.  We drove down with her. She flew my brother's family from Oregon. She wanted to make splash. She rented a limo to pick my brother and family from the now John Wayne Airport.  My brother had been a drag racer for many years. So she had signs with the racing team's name printed up for the limo driver to hold for them at the airport lobby like you see in the movies. There was a big drag race in Ontario, California at that time. This caused quite a stir in a town with celebrity fixations.  My Mom who use to be in the fashion industry stepped out of the limo looking like Joan Crawford, one of her favorites actresses.

My brother said that he would feel bad staying at the Disneyland Hotel.  My Mom wanted to be close to Disneyland.  She was not a pushy person and the shuttle bus fiasco bothered her tremendously.  We stayed at the Candy Cane Inn.

It was close enough.  There were changes this time to Disneyland.  At first my brother didn’t want to go on the trip.  While he was visiting when we were trying to convince him of some of the new rides, I put him in a kitchen chair. I rocked and leaned it left and right; and front and back simulating the Star Tour attraction.  It had been many years since my brother had been to Disneyland there were many new rides.

There was an incredible building boom.  Also, one of the best nighttime Disney shows, Fantasmic has been added. The best thing about Disneyland is it grew up as we grew up.  Attractions that were added were a little more grown up.  We could still go to Disneyland and have an exciting and themed experience that could be enjoyed by the adults and their children.  This was Walt's goal.

"We believed in our idea - a family park where parents and children could have fun together" Walt Disney once said of Disneyland.

It was the great family adventure.  However, if i hired Scotty, he'd want to put the time machine away.  So give everyone a hug and a kiss and tell them you love them.  Just in case you forgot to do it back then.  Join us soon because it’s only a week to Disneyland’s One More Day promotion. You wouldn’t want to wait another twenty years and have to fire up the time machine to recall the memory.