“Laura Gilbreath…you just returned from a long weekend at Epcot’s Food and Wine Festival…what are you going to do next?”

“I’m going to Disneyland!!!” 🙂

It’s certainly not the first time that I’ve followed up a trip to Disney World with a trip to Disneyland a few days later! I wanted to see the new Tiana’s Showboat Jubilee, which started on Friday. (Blog entry on that still to come.)

I arrived not long after the park opened at 9:00 – the first Jubilee wasn’t until 11:15 so I some time until then. Town Square looks rather empty without the big Mickey pumpkin – but in another week it will have the Christmas tree, since the Christmas holiday celebration gets fully underway on November 13.

I went back to ride Space Mountain now that it’s been un-Ghost-Galaxyed. I found it actually kind of boring without all the Ghost Galaxy signs and just the normal video display in the launch bay. (And, for my ET, yes, I did the dying goose! 🙂 )

After I rode Big Thunder Mountain and Haunted Mansion Holiday (no line for either one) I went to the Mark Twain Riverboat. It’s all decorated for Tiana’s Showboat Jubilee, but they were still doing riverboat cruises before (and between) shows. I went up on the upper deck and said good morning to the cast member there. He asked me how many were in my party, and when I said it was just me, he asked if I’d like to ride in the wheelhouse!!! In all my years of going to Disneyland I’ve never gotten to do that before! To get into the wheelhouse I had to climb up a short ladder – someone tall would have to watch their head. Once up there I signed the log book and Captain Daniel encourage me to take as many pictures as I wanted.

It was really a lot of fun! I got to steer and pull the cord to ring the bell, and pull the other cord to blow the steam whistle.

Captain Daniel was a wealth of information about Disneyland and its history and told me all kinds of interesting things. One thing I didn’t know, was that four days before Disneyland opened, Walt and Lillian celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary with a party in Frontierland.

He pointed out a really great view of the castle and the Matterhorn.

Our voyage around the Rivers of America was full of the sights of animals, a settler’s cabin (he apologized that they had left the laundry out. 🙂 ), and even a Native American village. I managed not to steer us into the rocks, and got to ring the bell and blow the whistle twice more before we docked again.

When we docked Captain Daniel presented me with my Pilot’s Certificate, and then we climbed back down to the deck.

It was so cool!!! Definitely one of my most memorable Disneyland moments ever. Thank you, Captain Daniel, for a wonderful opportunity!

After I saw the Jubilee I went over to DCA to see how Paradise Bay is looking now that they have started filling it with water again. There’s still a long way to go before it’s full – it’s only up to the bottom of the platform now.

They were working on these really interesting-looking things – I assume this is one of the water whips.

Between the Golden Zephyr and the viewing area I could see where the water was flowing in.

Stitch was hanging out in Sunshine Plaza and didn’t have too many people around so I posed with him.

It was a beautiful day and really not very crowded at all. They have a lot of the Christmas decorations up already even though the official holiday season doesn’t start until November 13 (yes, that is in fact Friday the 13th!). I found this one Thanksgiving-themed display in the Candy Palace on Main Street, though.

I took a stroll through Downtown Disney – they have re-opened the Taqueria at Tortilla Jo’s since I was here a few weeks ago – it’s very colorful. The menu isn’t nearly as extensive – they no longer have the Mexicones, which were one of my favorites. The new menu is HERE.

I really had a wonderful day – I enjoy just walking around the parks and taking pictures, especially on a day that’s not very busy. But getting to be a riverboat pilot was definitely the highlight!

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