Video A 1999 Ride aboard the Monorail

[brian9549]

Another section of the video I just found. A ride aboard the Monorail in January of 1999 where you get a glimpse of the former parking lot at the very beginning of its transformation into DCA.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjQLBTK-Wns]YouTube - A ride about the Monorail, January 1999[/ame]

[Bob Weaver]

Re: A 1999 Ride aboard the Monorail

And you also get a brief glimpse of the Rocket Rods which ran on the PeopleMover track from 1998 to 2000. Thanks for the video!

[dmtnt55]

Re: A 1999 Ride aboard the Monorail

Wow, great video! Nice find!

[leslie_537]

Re: A 1999 Ride aboard the Monorail

Thanks for the great video!

[nemofinder22]

Re: A 1999 Ride aboard the Monorail

Wow what a difference 10 years does. Look at the pit for Soarin'. Thanks for the video!

[sleepyjeff]

Re: A 1999 Ride aboard the Monorail

Good stuff!

[simmer]

Re: A 1999 Ride aboard the Monorail

It's amazing how leveled ground can affect scale. The area that is now the esplanade actually looks smaller that it really is.

[stitchon]

Re: A 1999 Ride aboard the Monorail

That part where the Rocket Rod passed by... so sad.

I was one of the few that loved the rods. Yeah, I was really young at the time, but I loved them anyway.

[Datameister]

Re: A 1999 Ride aboard the Monorail

Boy, the trees outside the park proper sure were sparse. Look at how easily visible the show buildings along the southwest limb of the park...and Indy doesn't even have its big faded jungle mural yet!

And you're not alone, stitchon...I have extremely fond memories of the Rocket Rods, even though they had problems.

[Bob Weaver]

Re: A 1999 Ride aboard the Monorail

The Rocket Rods looks like it was fun... I just watched it on Youtube, but they didn't add much in the way of show for it - a few strings of Christmas lights near the beginning and then a few strobe lights at the end - looks like they spent all of $20 on the show aspect. At least the PeopleMover had the cool speed tunnel with the Tron graphics projected on both sides - they should have kept that for the Rocket Rods.

[stitchon]

Re: A 1999 Ride aboard the Monorail

Boy, the trees outside the park proper sure were sparse. Look at how easily visible the show buildings along the southwest limb of the park...and Indy doesn't even have its big faded jungle mural yet!

They REALLY need to fix up the mural. At the very least, they need to make it remotely believable, because it's definitely not fooling anyone.

The Rocket Rods looks like it was fun... I just watched it on Youtube, but they didn't add much in the way of show for it - a few strings of Christmas lights near the beginning and then a few strobe lights at the end - looks like they spent all of $20 on the show aspect. At least the PeopleMover had the cool speed tunnel with the Tron graphics projected on both sides - they should have kept that for the Rocket Rods.

It was extremely thrilling from a then five year-old's perspective. It's probably one of the most vivid memories I have from my first trip to Disneyland.

I firmly believe that, with a proper budget (i.e. banked turns, actual show scenes, etc.), Rocket Rods could have been an E-Ticket experience. It definitely had the potential to be one.

Anywho..

It's kind of surreal for me to see Disneyland pre-DCA, since I went only once beforehand and I barely remember much of it.

Seeing the old Disneyland Hotel buildings was a blast from the past though. We ate at the original Goofy's Kitchen on my first trip, and I still vaguely remember it.

[royaldisneyfan]

Re: A 1999 Ride aboard the Monorail

99' was my first trip to DL! OMG I remember the Rocket Rods! Thanks for the vid!

[CMHusband]

Re: A 1999 Ride aboard the Monorail

Thats so cool

[imagineerthat]

Re: A 1999 Ride aboard the Monorail

That was a good video, I miss the Rocket Rods too, I hope one day the proper version of that ride is built somewhere. It was weird to see DCA like that, so much potential in that dirt.