The best of times...

[captain_slinky]

First the background story about this question:

Been reading a lot about DisneyLand recently, and (depending on what you read out there) it seems that TODAY'S DisneyLand is a pale shadow of what it once was. But when you read the accounts of Opening Day and all the over-crowding and soft streets and unfinished atractions... I don't think back THEN was a very optimal time to visit the park either! Therefore, the absolute BEST time to visit DisneyLand was some time during the past 51 years... but which year?

And that brings us to my question. What year do you think DisneyLand was THE ULTIMATE DISNEYLAND? When was it the absolute best that Disney had ever been?

My personal belief as of right now is 1970, shortly after The Haunted Mansion had opened. As far as I can tell it was the first "Big Thing" they did after Walt's death, and it seems like they almost had something to prove by doing it. They were trying EXTRA hard then.

But of course my opinion may be swayed at any given moment :)

Comments

[supernovame.livejournal.com]

speaking as someone who went to disneyland every year between roughly 1976-1984, i think that my personal favorite years were sometime between 1976-1980. Before the indiana jones ride, just before the log ride. while tom sawyers island was still cool, all the rides worked, and the mission to mars was still futuristic. Also after I was old enough to go on all the rollercoasters. Also before the lines had hour wait times. When I first started going, you could run through most of the lines and only the river boat ride was long enough to be boring, but usually there were enough cool waiting line distractions to not make it too bad.

[captain-slinky.livejournal.com]

Sounds like a good time, just before the Eisener Years when the park became just another commercial :)