DISNEY WEEK - DISNEYLAND

I missed posting the below shots for our Disney week.

Disneyland, the original, one and only.

Established 1955.

DISNEY WEEK: CALIFORNIA ADVENTURE

Despite a rough beginning and early-life as a low-budget sister park to Disney's flagship Disneyland, California Adventure moved into its own with a multi-billion dollar and multiyear refit, strengthening the park and establishing an identity completely separate from its more famous neighbor.

Since then, DCA has emerged as a fitting companion and destination park in and of itself.

DISNEY WEEK: DISNEY'S ANIMAL KINGDOM

Disney's Animal Kingdom opened in 1998 as the fourth theme park at Walt Disney World. Physically the largest footprint of any teem park in the world, its attendance has been traditionally below that of the other Disney operations in Walt Disney World, though still high enough to qualify it as the seventh most popular park in the world.

The 2017 opening of Pandora, a new land based on the film Avatar, promises to increase that attendance, though by what amount remains to be seen.

The iconic Tree of Life

DISNEY WEEK: EPCOT

All this week we'll be visiting the various Disney complexes. 

Today's image is from Epcot, Walt Disney World.

As originally planned, EPCOT, which stood for Experimental Prototype City of Tomorrow, was a full urban design complex. As eventually realized, the result of economic and entertainment realities, Epcot became a theme park with a focus on technology and society.

There are two sections of the park. The first you will enter is Future World, a series of pavilions showcasing different aspects of technology and the future. This includes a couple of exciting rides, the Mission Space, a simulated mission to Mars, and Test Track, a high-speed automotive ride.

On the more sedate but exciting nonetheless side is the fantastic Soarin' film attraction. While I haven't been on the Florida ride, the California Adventure edition is simply wonderful. 

Across a large lake you'll find the other side of the park, a pseries of international pavilions - essentially high-quality immersive exhibits from eleven different nations around the world. If you're a traveler, this is an exciting opportunity to "visit" a variety of destinations in one day.

Like its younger cousin California Adventure, Epcot struggled in its early years. But as its reputation grew, and its themes a little more focused, it steadily built in popularity becoming the sixth most attended park in the world in 2015.

DISNEY MAGIC

Short blog post this time. I have a lot to say, but when you get right down to it,most of it is off topic. So...

The Walt Disney Company has always fascinated me, so it probably is no surprise that I really love Disney Parks. I have an annual pass to the parks in Southern California, granting me access to both the original Disneyland, as well as its recently-awakened neighbor California Adventure. 

So, with last week's announcement that Disney is going to acquire Lucasfilm -- no real surprise given that Lucas has long been a DIsney collaborator -- I wanted to take a moment and mention the company. Disney is a major leisure industry leader, and the theme parks are a major part of that. 

But a funny thing happened when I sat down to write. I found myself going into quite a few business details that really are irrelevant to a discussion of a travel destination. Yes, Disney is a massive conglomerate, and the story behind the scenes is a truly fascinating one, but it has little to do with the experience inherent in visiting the parks. Disney operates a completely enclosed world (no pun intended), and that is part of what Walt Disney himself first made an important requirement when Disneyland first opened. The phrase "beyond the berm" refers to the fact that the berm -- the outside perimeter of the parks -- cuts the Disney experience off from the rest of the world. That once you entered Disneyland, the experience ought to be immersive and complete.

 This applies to the many lands found in the various parks. And nowhere is this more evident than in the brand new Carsland. It is a wonderfully immersive and full experience, and is solid demonstration that the Disney Magic is still alive in the company. A walk through it is to be transported to the desert town of Radiator Springs. At night, my own favorite time for visiting any and all of the parks, the forced perspective can give you a real feeing of being in the middle of a desert town. And it truly feels like no expense has been spared.

And this is the part of the secret, in my mind. If you're shelling out top money -- Disneyland can set you back $80 for a single admission -- you need the experience itself to be top notch. To their credit, the Disney Company has shelled out what was required to make the Disney Resort a great destination once again.

So, while it's tempting to go into the business details behind the changes, I'd rather just share a few shots from the four parks I've visited (Disneyland, Disney's California Adventure, Epcot, and Animal Kingdom), and let you see for yourself.