The Lovably Anachronistic Monorail

It's a busy morning at Disney California Adventure, and we're enjoying a stroll through the little backwater airstrip of Condor Flats. There's a faint rumbling. In a flash, Monorail Blue (Mandy) zips in and out of sight -- gone in a blink. You can almost hear the futuristic train saying, "'Scuse me -- pretend I'm not here -- Sorry!"

The clash of themes isn't a bad thing; it's just part of Disneyland Resort's unique character as the world's most amazing concentration of creativity in a small space.

Mandy heads from Downtown Disney to Tomorrowland.

Sometimes you have completely coherent zones like Cars Land and New Orleans Square...and sometimes you have a monorail zipping past Alice in Wonderland, a steam train, real-world Harbor Blvd., 1930's Hollywood and Condor Flats -- right before it burrows through the Grand Californian and stops in Downtown Disney near the pyramid entry to Rainforest Cafe.

Walt Disney World's Monorail passes through Epcot's Future World because it was designed that way from the beginning. Disneyland's Monorail crosses Condor Flats because it has to. Completely different atmospheres and experiences spring from that acreage-based distinction between the resorts. I love both results.

The Nemo Subs at Night

I love to visit the Submarine Lagoon at night. At the entry to Finding Nemo, the clean lines of the neon mixed with the activity of the Monorail Station above bring back good memories of  classic "World on the Move" Tomorrowland.

Plus, the walk along the lagoon's edge is a joy. Even the "Mine, mine" cries of the Seagulls on a nearby buoy seem calming after sundown. This is usually a good place to stop, take in the beauty of the evening and make plans for the rest of the night.

If you happen to be ready to head back to one of the resort hotels or the parking tram, the Monorail comes in most handy at this moment to shave off a lot of walking time. It's a good way to avoid the post-fireworks/Fantasmic crowds on Main Street, too.

WDW 1993: Epcot's Wide Open Spaces

The vast skies and stunning vistas of 1993 Walt Disney World formed the biggest ongoing "Wow" factor during our first-ever visit. We particularly loved the surreal and wonderful landscapes of Epcot. The weather was a real character, too, and we experienced more than one of the awesome 2:00 P.M. cloudbursts which lasted just long enough to sucker us into buying ponchos. We learned our lesson; the next time, we just shopped 'till it ended.

Different view, same day. I think I rode Journey Into Imagination eight hundred times. Okay, maybe more like six...(It tied with Cranium Command and Horizons as my favorite thing in Epcot).

WDW folks say it a lot, and it's true: pictures don't do World Showcase Lagoon justice (especially mine). In person, I could just stare out across the water for an hour. And I would've, but I really wanted to get to Maelstrom.

More WDW 1993 soon!

Disneyland Annual Passholders Receive a Free Book

Disneyland Annual Passholders have been finding a nice surprise freebie in the mail this week: A Celebration of a Wish Come True, an 80-page 8 1/2 x 11 1/4 souvenir book commemorating the resort's amazing summer of 2012.

A Beautiful Day For Park Hopping

 

Frequent Park Hopping -- switching from one park to the other multiple times in a single day -- has become a natural part of a Disneyland Resort vacation. In the shot above, we see the Monorail passing above guests as they cross the Esplanade from Disneyland Park to Disney California Adventure. The trek takes only a minute, for Park Hopping here is as easy as the stroll down Main Street U.S.A.

Since the opening of Cars Land and Buena Vista Street, there seems to be an increasing tendency among visitors to tour Disneyland and Disney California Adventure as if they're two halves of one gigantic park. After all, to a guest standing at Disneyland's Main Street Railroad Station, It's a Small World and Cars Land are just about the same walking distance away!