Theme Park Thursdays feature photos from one of our theme park adventures in the past.

Steve at Main Street Station (2007)

It's Halloween at the Magic Kingdom! The Main Street Train Station is all decked out in orange/yellow bunting to celebrate the season. You'll also spot a "Pumpkin Mickey" floral design and various stacked pumpkins on the landscape. Oh yeah, and that's me… fittingly wearing my seasonally-appropriate Clue shirt (who doesn't love a good mystery this time of year?)

This photo was taken during a September 2007 family vacation to Walt Disney World. We camped during this trip and it was very, very warm!

Theme Park Thursdays feature photos from one of our theme park adventures in the past.

Bumping May Occur (2009)

"Bumping My Occur"

Well, isn't that an understatement. Folks drive the little cars on the Tomorrowland Speedway so you can smash into others! That's the appeal of the ride. (Well, not officially, but we all know the real purpose, don't we?)

While Amy & I were doing some reorganizing at our condo over the weekend, I rediscovered this cool magnet I bought at Chicago's DisneyQuest back in 2001.

Explore Zone, Create Zone, Score Zone, and Replay Zone

Even though this image doesn't look very "Disney", it actually reflects the very structured and themed approach that DisneyQuest had upon opening.

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Theme Park Thursdays feature photos from one of our theme park adventures in the past.

Bus Directional Sign (2007)

This directional sign is located at the Ticket and Transportation Center, and points to bus stops that you can use to visit Disney's Animal Kingdom and the Disney-MGM Studios.

I snapped this photo in September 2007 knowing that the Studios was going to get a name change to Disney's Hollywood Studios, thus that iconic logo would disappear from the parks forever.

You should also note the logo for Animal Kingdom, which harkens back to when the park opened. If you look carefully, you'll see a dragon represented in the middle. Originally, Animal Kingdom was to represent animals that are no longer with us, animals in the present, and fictional animals. While the first two points are met, the budget for Beastly Kingdom was cut and it never happened, only to be substituted by a placeholder land with ugly garbage cans.

However, given Disney's recent announcement that a land based on the film Avatar is in the works, we might actually see something surreal in Animal Kingdom after all!

Theme Park Thursdays feature photos from one of our theme park adventures in the past.

Dole Whipping: Steve (2011) and Nancy, Amy, & John (2009)

The Dole Whip. Disney theme park fans tend to get a little crazy when you mention it.

In short, it's soft-serve pineapple sorbet made by Dole (a Disney sponsor), served alone in a cup or mixed with pineapple juice to make a float. Sure, doesn't sound like a lot, but the rarity of the flavors is what makes this a special find. At Disneyland, you can buy one next to the Tiki Room, whereas if you are at Walt Disney World, stop by Advetureland's Aloha Isle or Captain Cook's at the Polynesian Resort.

Even though it's been around for quite a long time, I didn't experience my first Dole Whip until December 2009 during a family trip… and got to introduce others while I was back at the Magic Kingdom in January 2011 for a conference.

I don't even like pineapple, but it's a pretty awesome frozen treat!

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Theme Park Thursdays feature photos from one of our theme park adventures in the past.

Steve & Amy ride Mr. Toad once again! (2005)

A few weeks ago I talked about the long-gone Mr. Toad's Wild Ride attraction at Walt Disney World. I loved that ride. Well, back in January 2005, I got to ride it once again… sorta.

You see, Disneyland still has a version of the ride, though it's a single-track implementation vs. the twin-track awesomeness of the Florida version. During a conference on the West Coast, Amy & I got to experience Walt's original park for the first time… and ride Mr. Toad!

Disneyland's take is more "refined" and less insane, but it was still gerat to spend some time on the ride. With Baby Tanner on the way, you can be sure he'll be exposed to classic Disney films that most folks have long forgotten… including 1949's The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad.

Theme Park Thursdays feature photos from one of our theme park adventures in the past.

Wilderness Lodge Dock (2007)

Today's photo features the boat dock at Disney's Wilderness Lodge, on the shores of Bay Lake, near the Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground, where the Tanner family has spent many a vacation. I took this photo during a September 2007 visit and just liked the way the sun was setting in the image.

Wilderness Lodge opened in 1994 with a Pacific Northwest theme, based on the historic National Park lodges. While Fort Wilderness is considered "low end" in the Disney caste system, Wilderness Lodge is upscale, complete with a set of timeshares. It's always been interesting to share a boat with folks from both resorts to see the differences in lifestyle, personality, and perception. (Translation: Disney treats Wilderness Lodge folks better.)

There have been rumors that Disney is looking at building another Vacation Club timeshare between the two resorts, on or near the location of the long-closed River Country water park. Great, just what we need… more timeshares mucking up a beautiful campground environment!

Theme Park Thursdays feature photos from one of our theme park adventures in the past.

Circling the entrance to Tomorrowland (2005)

As part of the failed "Tomorrowland 1998" retro-futurist project at Disneyland, the former Rocket Jets ride was removed from the top of the PeopleMover building, while another spinner-type ride called the Astro Orbitor was placed at the entrance of Tomorrowland at ground level. Many have felt this was a design mistake, as it clogs up the entrance to the land, but it remains there to this day.

During our first visit ever to Disneyland in 2005, Amy & I rode the Astro Orbitor… in the rain. (It seems every visit we've had to a Disney theme park on the West Coast has been when it was wet!) In today's photo, you can see Amy piloting her ride vehicle… while my foot literally stands watch on the left side! If you look carefully at the upper left corner, you can also see the abandoned PeopleMover track, which stopped running at Disneyland in 1995. The ride was shortly replaced by the Rocket Rods, which ran on the same track from 1998-2001, but the track remains unused today.

Theme Park Thursdays feature photos from one of our theme park adventures in the past.

Mr. Toad's Wild Ride (1996)

One of my favorite attractions at Walt Disney World used to be Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, which opened with the Magic Kingdom in 1971 and was closed in 1998. As a kid, this ride made no sense and was so weird, that, well, it was just awesome! It wasn't until years later that I actually saw the film it was based upon, 1949's The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad.

Unlike Disneyland's original version, which opened in 1955, the East Coast take had 2 different tracks, and each was different regarding the set design and storyline. Both, however, had you driving the wrong way into a railroad tunnel for a head-on collision with a train, killing you, and sending you through a "Hell" scene. This was edgy stuff! But alas, it was ripped out of Florida unceremoniously so Disney could shove a cheap Winnie the Pooh ride in, capitalizing on selling stuffed plush bears. Thankfully, Mr. Toad does still exist at Disneyland, albeit in a smaller, single-track context.

Today's photo showcases one of my last rides on Mr. Toad, joined by my sister Karen on Track #2, during a vacation in 1996. Behind us you can see part of the "Hell" scene.  Long live Mr. Toad!

Theme Park Thursdays feature photos from one of our theme park adventures in the past.

Our 3D Family (2009)

3D is all the rage in movies these days. But long before Hollywood hopped on that fad, Disney was forcing guests to wear these stupid looking glasses at various attractions, including Captain EO, Honey I Shrunk the Audience, It's Tough To Be A Bug, and Mickey's Philharmagic.

During a December 2009 trip with my family, we got the opportunity to ride Toy Story Mania at Disney's Hollywood Studios. It's basically a ride that's a 3D arcade… and one requiring the wearing of those goofy glasses. This photo features Amy in the front, my Mom and Dad wearing black, and my sister Karen and brother-in-law Brian in the back.  (Incidentally, this ride is also available at California Adventure on the West Coast, though there it's called Toy Story Midway Mania.)

It's a fun ride with a long wait, and the videogame element creates a high level of rerideability. However, it's no Pirates of the Caribbean or Haunted Mansion!