Original Paradise Pier Panorama

Original Paradise Pier Panorama

When Disney’s California Adventure opened on February 8, 2001, this is more or less what guests would have seen when they gazed across Paradise Bay towards the Paradise Pier midway. This is a sight that looks different, yet still very familiar today. California Screamin’ no longer has its Mickey Mouse ears, the Sun Wheel is now the Fun Wheel (and it has Mickey Mouse on it), Maliboomer is extinct, Orange Stinger is now Silly Symphony Swings, and the Golden Zephyr…is still the Golden Zephyr.

You can read all about these and many other changes to Disney California Adventure since 2001 in my historical retrospective, which also features hundreds of great photos from a number of contributors. If you haven’t checked it out yet, you really should. Even if you’re a “Walt Disney World person.”

While I was soliciting photos for that post, Jimmy Glynn shared with me a folder of raw files. Much to my surprise, he had the perfect makings of a panoramic image of Paradise Pier, something I had never seen before. I immediately contacted him to share my elation about the potential image, and asked if he minded me sharing and processing it.

This is the first time I’ve ever done a photo of the day of an image that I didn’t photograph myself, but I’m willing to make an exception here because: A) I couldn’t capture this scene myself even if I wanted to, and B) I did all of the panoramic work and processing here, so even though I didn’t capture the photos, I did contribute to the finished product. Thanks again to Jimmy for letting me edit and share this photo with you all!

I highly recommend clicking the photo above to view it in all of its full size glory!

If you’re preparing for a Disneyland trip, check out our other planning posts, including how to save money on Disneyland tickets, our Disney packing tips, whether you should stay off-site or on-site in a Disney hotel, where to dine, and a number of other things, check out our comprehensive Disneyland Vacation Planning Guide!

For more Disneyland tips, special offers, and news, subscribe to our newsletter!

If you enjoyed this post or found it helpful, we’d really appreciate it if you’d share it via social media to help spread the word about DisneyTouristBlog. We put a lot of work into making this site a helpful planning resource, and hope it’s useful to you! 🙂

Your Thoughts

What do you think of the original Paradise Pier? Do you prefer it or the new version? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *