When I was in Los Angeles a few weeks ago for the Pirates of the Caribbean premiere, we also had the amazing opportunity to check out the Walt Disney Archives. Talk about a blast from the past! There was so much memorabilia and one of a kind items that you can’t see anywhere else. Everything from items once sold at Epcot, tons of Disney books, props from movies, and even the very first ticket sold for Disneyland. Yes ticket #1 was purchased by Roy Disney and is now in the archives.

You could really play a cool game of I-spy looking at everything in the display cases:
I loved seeing so many of the Disney books from my childhood. There was just so much to see and it was such an honor to be able to check it all out.

Me and the man behind it all, Walt Disney 😉
Here I am holding the actual Oscar that Walt Disney won. I was surprised how heavy it was- over 8 pounds! No wonder why the stars use 2 hands to hold it.

We even got to see old Disneyland maps. One even depicted how Pirates of the Caribbean was originally planned to be a wax museum! I am so glad they made it into a ride as it’s one of my favorites.

Walt Disney posing with sculpted models that were used to create Audio-Animatronics figures for the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction. This was the last Disneyland attraction Walt personally supervised. Pirates of the Caribbean celebrated its 50th anniversary on March 18, 2017, at Disneyland Park in California.

A trip to Los Angeles for the premiere of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales wouldn’t have been complete without a trip to Disneyland, to ride what else but Pirates of the Caribbean, of course! The Pirates of the Caribbean movies are based on this fun Disney ride so I was excited to get to experience it again. I have been on it many times in Walt Disney World in Florida where I live and I went on it once a few years ago at Disneyland. It is one of my favorite rides so I was excited when I found out it would be part of our trip.

Photo Credit- Becky Fixel Week99er.com

Photo Credit- Becky Fixel Week99er.com

Arrrrrr, gimme all your gold and treasure!

This iconic scene with the pirates trying to get the key from the dog is one of my favorites. In one of the stores at Disneyland I saw a sculpture for sale depicting the scene. If only I had room in my suitcase for it:

I’m glad I wasn’t alive during the times that men could buy a “Wench for a Bride” in an auction!This is another favorite scene of mine where the pirate is being drown in the well. That sounds horrible of me to like that scene, doesn’t it? LOL

Where’s the treasure buried, matey?
If you go to Disneyland make sure to stay to see the Colors of the World show at night. It features so many favorite characters. I expected princesses but I was so pleasantly surprised and excited to see clips from favorites like Toy Story, Up, and even Pirates of the Caribbean. My beloved Captain Jack Sparrow has a part in the show. Swoon!

Speaking of Disneyland, just in time for summer Disneyland Resort and Disney California Adventure Park is launching it’s Summer of Heroes starting Saturday, May 27th. Heroes from the “Guardians of the Galaxy” film, some appearing for the first time in a Disney park, also come alongside the Avengers for all-new, epic adventures during Summer of Heroes. Beginning May 27, guests will live these exciting stories as they encounter some favorite Super Heroes together for the first time. Here are some highlights:

In Disney California Adventure:

Guests will enjoy some of the Super Hero experiences year-round:

• Super Hero Encounters: For the first time, citizens of Terra (Earth) will come face-to- face with Groot.  They also may encounter the First Avenger, Captain America, and everyone’s favorite web slinger, the friendly, neighborhood Spider-Man.
• “Guardians of the Galaxy: Awesome Dance Off!”: Star-Lord fires up his old-school boom box to get a party started.  Everyone, including tree-of-few-words Groot, is bound to get in the groove and show off their moves during this awesome rock ‘n’ roll bash.

Summer of Heroes:

• “Avengers Training Initiative”: Black Widow and Hawkeye assemble young recruits for a series of tests to see if they have what it takes to join the ranks of the Avengers.
• Heroic Encounter: Black Widow: Black Widow arrives on the scene several times throughout the day in an armored Avengers vehicle for her heroic encounter with park guests.
• Grab a Piece (or Bite) of the Action: Special themed merchandise, plus food and beverage items, will be available throughout Hollywood Land.

In addition, the popular “Pixar Play Parade,” presenting the colorful and exciting worlds of the Disney•Pixar pals from “Toy Story,” “Monsters, Inc.” “Finding Nemo,” “Cars” and others, has returned to Disney California Adventure with daily performances full of fun and surprising movement and effects.

And Princess Elena, the adventurous heroine of the Disney Channel series “Elena of Avalor” and the first Disney Princess inspired by diverse Latin American cultures will greet her fans in the patio of Paradise Garden Grill.

In Disneyland:

Along with the Main Street Electrical Parade, some classic guest favorites have been enhanced and are set to return in Summer 2017. Dates will be available soon at Disneyland.com.

• The summer months offer a last chance to view the lights, music and fun of the beloved Main Street Electrical Nightly performances through Aug. 20 feature favorites like Cinderella’s ball, Elliot, the smoke-breathing, tail-waggin “Pete’s Dragon” and the glittering “To Honor America” finale.
• The popular nighttime spectacular “Fantasmic!” is set to re-open this summer on the Rivers of America, enhanced with new scenes and Guests will find Mickey Mouse in more scenes than ever before, and they’ll discover new roles for Genie from “Aladdin” along with characters from “Tangled,” “The Lion King” and “Pirates of the Caribbean.”

• As work continues on a new Star Wars-themed land, set to open in 2019, the iconic Disneyland Railroad is preparing to return this summer to take guests on a tour of the They’ll enjoy a new look along the Rivers of America, with a spectacular new vista of a waterfall, rocky cliffs and a dramatic gorge below.

• Also returning this summer are the Rivers of America attractions: the Mark Twain Riverboat, Sailing Ship Columbia, Davy Crockett Explorer Canoes and Pirate’s Lair on Tom Sawyer Island.

• In Tomorrowland, Star Wars and Disney fans will step into out-of-this-galaxy experiences at Star Wars Launch Bay, meeting some Star Wars characters and getting an up-close look at replica props and models from Star Wars movies, including the latest “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.  ”

Like Pirates of the Caribbean? Make sure to check out these fun Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales activity pages!

Go see Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales in theaters now.

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Disclosure- I was invited by Disney to attend this all expense paid press trip but all opinions are 100% my own.