The year is 2007 and the Year of a Million Dreams is well underway, having kicked off in October of the previous year.  Little did we know that this year-long promotion would be extended straight into 2008, but that’s a post for another time!

For the Year of A Million Dreams, Cast Members made dreams come true by handing out Dream FastPasses, blue Mickey ears featuring clouds, and surprising Guests at every turn with delightful Disney experiences.  2007 was also the year that the Disney Gallery was closed and relocated so the space above Pirates of the Caribbean could be converted into the elusive Disneyland Dream Suite.

Source

For the Park, the most exciting announcement in 2007 was the grand re-imagining of Disneyland’s “Submarine Voyage,” a beloved classic attraction that had been left as an empty lagoon since 1998.  With the success of the film “Finding Nemo,” Disneyland Imagineers developed a new attraction that would combine the classic Submarine Voyage ride with the underwater world of Marlin, Dory, Nemo, and their friends, featuring digital projections and a new face-lift for the lagoon itself.  This ride became known as “Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage.”

When the ride debuted in June 2007, gone were the silver-colored Navy nuclear submarines of years past.  In their place, brightly colored yellow submarines that each bore a unique name.

Why is this important, you ask?  Well, my husband is a fan of the film “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea” and he always laments the fact that the 20,000 Leagues attraction at Walt Disney World had been dismantled, much like the original Submarine Voyage had been at Disneyland. It was fun for both of us to experience the rebirth of a ride that both of us had only experienced as small children – and to experience it together.  We enjoyed the fact that one of the submarines bore the name “Nautilus” – which to any 20,000 Leagues fan is known the world over as the futuristic underwater submarine that belonged to another Nemo – Captain Nemo, that is.  We both are also fans of Disney Legend Tony Baxter’s work and we were excited to see his Imagineering mark on this particular ride.  Guests lined up right at Park opening and many braved 2.5 hour+ wait times, with queue lines stretching all the way to Main Street!  I remember a friend distinctly telling me to go to the Parks early and to run straight for the queue line first thing when I entered, cutting through the Fantasyland side into Tomorrowland.  It is advice that made all the difference in our wait time!

Even the Monorail celebrated the subs!

However, for me, the opening of “Finding Nemo: Submarine Voyage” was not the highlight of 2007 in Disneyland, nor was the Year of a Million Dreams (because sadly, I never received any of the dreams fulfilled in that year).  I reflect fondly on 2007 as it marks my first year going to Disneyland with my now-husband David. While it might seem like an inconsequential event, I must explain the significance.  My husband and I met while living abroad in Asia, and upon discovering that we both were former Cast Members (he at Disney World and myself at Disney California Adventure) and our mutual love for Disney, our first visits together to any Disney Park ended up being at Hong Kong Disneyland and Tokyo Disney in 2006.

Hong Kong Disneyland, 2006

Tokyo Disneyland, 2006

Yet the Park that tugs on my heartstrings is my home park, Disneyland, the original since 1955, and I couldn’t wait to share Disneyland with my fellow Disney fan and best friend.  Taking David to Disneyland for his very first time in 2007 was like seeing Disneyland all over again with fresh eyes. While he was very familiar with Walt Disney World, I knew it would be an entirely new experience for him at Walt’s original Magic Kingdom. Disneyland came alive to me again in small ways – from his excitement to ride Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride (which is no longer an attraction at Disney World), to showing him my old stomping grounds at the Pacific Wharf in Disney California Adventure.

Take a walk down memory lane with us – The Disneyland Resort in 2007!

Now over to you – do you remember what was happening at Disneyland in 2007?

Theme:  Year of a Million Dreams

Cost of Disneyland admission:

Single Day, Single Park – $66, Kids 3 thru 9 – $56

Single Day Park Hoppers – $91 , Kids 3 thru 9 – $81

Cost of an Annual Passport:

• Premium $379
• Deluxe $259
• Southern California $169
• Southern California Select $129

Parades:  Walt Disney Parade of Dreams

Fireworks Show: Remember….Dreams Come True

Main Street Opera House:  Disneyland: The First 50 Magical Years

It was an unforgettable trip and an unforgettable year that would ultimately lead me down the road to visiting every Disney Park in the world with David by 2012.  I loved Disneyland in 2007 and can’t wait to see what Disneyland has in store for us in the future!

This post is part of a special Disney community countdown to Disneyland’s 60th anniversary called 60 Days to 60 Years.