Disneyland Vacation
I just got back home from a weekend at Disneyland park in Anaheim, California. My wife Monika, her parents, her brother and her brother’s girlfriend were there too. This was my first time at Disneyland with Monika’s family. We stayed at the Candy Cane Inn, which is a five minute walk from the front gate of the park.
Candy Cane Inn, Anaheim, California USA, February 7, 2010
Monika and I have been to Disneyland before, just the two of us. We went there on our first vacation together in 2006, so it holds a special place in our hearts. I wasn’t a fan of Disneyland before I met Monika, but she has shown me its charms. In fact, Monika signed me up for an annual passport this trip, and I now have an ID card in my wallet with my picture on it, like a Costco card. Yikes.
I decided to bring my camera with me – not my point and shoot, but my good Canon 5D Mark II that shoots outstanding video. Here are a few of the videos I shot. The first one if of the “It’s a Small World” ride. Since this is a peaceful slow moving ride, I just kept the camera on for the entire ride. I used a wide angle lens, and the result was pretty good I thought.
This next video I shot on the large Carousel.
This next video is of a parade of sorts. It’s not really a parade, as the performers move into position and then perform an extended show. Then they move a block or so away and do the whole extended show again. I think there are three such shows in a row, and the sets of shows happen twice per day. The show is called Celebrate or something similar. It was entertaining. There is a segment where the performers are on stilts. Have a close look at the stilts, which have a large area of contact with the ground. They look much safer than traditional wooden stilts.
I got some good stills as well, including this one of the boarding area for the Space Mountain indoor roller coaster. This was a time exposure, since it’s dimly lit. Note how the roller coaster car is blurred as it was just coming to a stop when I took this.
Disneyland Space Mountain roller coaster boarding area, February 6, 2010
I love buses, even Disneyland buses. I got to ride in the front seat right next to the driver, in the double decker Disneyland bus inside the park. This bus is just for fun, as it never goes faster than five miles per hour, so the lack of wind protection for the occupants upstairs is acceptable.
Disneyland double decker bus with Kevin Warnock in front passenger seat, February 7, 2010
Of course I shot video of my ride on the Omnibus, which you can see below.
Here’s a nice shot of me with my wife Monika, in a pink tea cup.
Kevin Warnock and Monika Varga in Disneyland tea cup, February 6, 2010
I’m looking forward to my next trip to Disneyland, which surprises me.
