108 Disneyland Here We Come

Is there a family that has not made the trip to the kingdom of which all children dream of, the place where dreams come true and all of your fantasies can be realized, Disneyland? Believe it or not I have a good friend, at least he was, who even though he took his family to vacation in southern California, convinced his wife and kids that Disneyland was no place for them. What strategy he used I am not sure but it worked and they never entered it gates. He did however save a bunch of money. Was he wrong in doing so, did his kids truly miss out on something? Would it have enriched their lives, would they have been better for it, or could it have led to their downward spiral into a life of hedonism and debauchery? Maybe not, but who knows?

It was not until years later and many a sojourn to that hedonistic heaven with family and friends that I found this out by talking to him.

I on the other hand have taken my family there many times and we have thoroughly enjoyed it. I will never forget our first trip to southern California; we towed an old Apache tent trailer and stayed in a RV Park not far from Disneyland so we could save money. I still remember the anticipation I felt the first time we entered through the gates into that kingdom of supreme fantasy and how my pulse quickened just a little. I can only believe that my kids and wife felt the same way.

The Jungle Cruise was the first thing we tried after entering the doors into that land of fantasy and it is still one of my favorite rides even after all these years. I can still feel the suspense as we rounded each corner of the waterway, wondering what jungle beast was next going to put upon us.

Even with all of the new things they have added over the years I still have fond memories of the Haunted House, Pirates of the Caribbean, Thunder Mountain, Space Mountain, and the Star Wars Tour with R2D2 and C3PO and the many other rides, an amazing experience for the child in each of us.

But I suppose the real charm of Disneyland is the fact that you are just doing things with your family. But even in all of its harmlessness however, we have to remember that it is still just fantasy and should be viewed in its proper perspective.