I don’t like to brag, but literally dozens of folks visit this site every year. They tend to come here mostly via web searches for specific topics. For 2023, here were the most-viewed articles on this site:
Here is what those articles are about, in case you wanted to check them out in 2024…
1. Disneyland’s third theme park in 2000
“It seems like only yesterday” that Disneyland had announced plans to open a third theme park — all during the time when Disney’s California Adventure was still under construction. They set up a teaser website which gave us a look at what the re-development of the area around Disneyland could look like. It also mentioned some of the types of attractions that could be added to the third park.
With recent talk of “Disneyland Forward,” this probably explains the interest in this post about something from over 20 years ago.
2. Universal Orlando Garden Walk Maps
I grew up in the 1970s visiting Disneyland and Walt Disney World with my family. Although I had visited Universal Studios Florida as a teenage (during its first year or so of being open), most of our time was spent at Disney. I only visited Universal a few times until I got my first Universal annual pass a few years ago. I also had never stayed at an on-site resort hotel anywhere (well, I did stay at the Hersheypark Lodge once) until Universal.
My lack of experience with the park had me completely unaware that there was a beautiful walking path that connected all the hotels except Surfside/Dockside to Citywalk. I recall seeing them and trying to find information about them after a trip. Since I did not know the name “Garden Walk,” I could find nothing. After learning the game, I could find tons of videos and references to them…but no maps.
So I made a map. The map has layers that can be turned on showing locations of the water taxi docks, the walking paths, security checkpoints and such. It’s surprising how walking from a resort to the front of a theme park via Garden Walk can be LESS WALKING that walking to the bus stop and taking the bus where it drops you off at the far end of CityWalk.
I hope folks find these maps useful.
3. So that casino in Walt Disney World is finally happening?
With tongue firmly planted in cheek, this one goes back to things my father was told during visits to Walt Disney World in the 1970s — back when the only theme park there was Magic Kingdom. He had heard they build the Contemporary Resort to have a casino… A casino associated with Disney was quite a shocking idea back then, but in recent years, the topic actually has come up about Disney having casinos.
Well, I never thought we’d see alcohol at Disneyland or Magic Kingdom, or beer kegs at ice cream carts, so who knows. Modern Disney is very different.
4. Universal’s Islands of Adventure preview center in 1999
I bought my first digital camera in 1996, and began taking pictures at theme and amusement parks. I visited Universal Studios Florida the year before Islands of Adventure opened, and then the first year the new park opened. I have a few photos taken at the preview center that was were the New York tribute store and Mummy lockers are today.
I suspect interest in the upcoming (hopefully) Epic Universe tribute store is why this article has been getting views.
5. Space Mountain 1999 FastPass
There was a time when FastPass was new. There is alot of conflicting information on when and where it started, but this was the first time I got to use it.
6. Universal Studios Florida in 1998
I just wanted to share some of the photos I took during my first Universal trip with a digital camera.
7. The time(s) Disney changed the lyrics to the Pirates of the Caribbean theme song
I was practicing click-bait. Discussions come up from time to time about how folks swear the original song had the word “rape” in it. Until the modern internet, where lyrics and downloadable songs became a thing, I too had memories of that word being in the song and how out-of-place it seemed.
But history shows this was never the case.
But there have been times when the song was presented in edited form 😉 Click the bait to find out more.
8. Before Disney’s California Adventure, part 1
Although I had visited Disneyland in the 1970s — I remember being there before Space Mountain and before Big Thunder Mountain — I did not start going as an adult until 1995. By 1996, I was visiting with a digital camera. I put together some of the photos of what the park was like before Disney’s California Adventure was announced and construction began.
9. Visiting Disneyland in 1996
Just another one showing the earliest digital photos I have of Disneyland.
Happy 2024!