Disneyland officials are saying "Aye!" to pirates, but "Arrr!" to looting Tom Sawyer Island. Officials announced Friday that live pirate characters and games will become part of Tom Sawyer Island, the classic Disneyland playground designed by

A chubby Aunt Jemima slave woman no longer greets pancake-house patrons. A cabin fire long blamed on marauding American Indians is now attributed to "carelessness." And, as of last week, automated pirates at one Disneyland ride no longer

"Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" won't hoist its sails at theaters until next summer but Disney has a lot riding on its flagship film franchise. The first trailer for the film will premiere on Dec. 13 with a promotional event in Anaheim

Johnny Depp skipped most of the press line to instead spend time with thousands of screaming fans. Invited guests swarmed the free rides with virtually no lines. And a fireworks show capped the outdoor screening of Pirates of the Caribbean: On

Francis X. Atencio remembers riding with Walt Disney through the dark swamp in Disneyland's Pirates of the Caribbean ride before it opened – from haunted caverns to a pirate galleon to a ransacked Caribbean seaport. He turned to Disney and

Johnny Depp joined about 1,500 guests at Disneyland Saturday for the premiere of his new action-adventure film, "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl." The movie is named after Disneyland's Pirates of the Caribbean water

If you plan on going to Disneyland, then plan on massive crowds this week. On Tuesday the final preparations for what is expected to be the biggest premiere yet are currently under way with the completion of the giant screen. The Pirates of the

Disneyland closed early Saturday night for the private world premiere of "Pirates Of The Caribbean: At World's End." The films in the trilogy are based on one of Disneyland's most popular attractions. The park will close to regular

By 5:30 a.m., Shelley Thompson and Caitlin Bruffey were already on a mission at Disneyland - to see Johnny Depp. The 17-year-old Orange girls, sporting yellow T-shirts stating: "Captain Jack is Back," camped out all day on a blanket along the

Just as Disney is celebrating the second Pirates of the Caribbean film picking up the award for best film at the MTV awards, Disneyland has opened an all-new pirate-themed attraction at Disneyland. Pirate's Lair on Tom Sawyer Island is a

Yo ho! Yo ho! It's a pirate's life for O.C. The stars of "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest," including Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley, will take over Disneyland's Main Street on Saturday with a red-carpet stroll to the

Disneyland, Walt Disney's 70-acre "Magic Kingdom" at Anaheim, California, probably draws more visitors each year than any other attraction in the world-6.5 million annually, 58 million to date. Each season new visitors come, and others return for

There was no mention of the much-rumored plan to turn Tom Sawyer's Island into a Pirates of the Caribbean Island, but the Walt Disney Company did outline a number of planned additions to its theme parks that will be based on movies produced by

Cheap airfare. Discounts on lodging and park admission. Short lines. No crowds. Sunny weather that's not too hot. Those are just some of the reasons to consider taking your trip to the Magical Kingdom in the winter instead of during summer or

Ending nearly a year of speculation, Walt Disney Co. unveiled plans Wednesday for a $3-billion expansion at Disneyland that would include a second theme park patterned after its highly successful EPCOT Center in Florida. A highlight of the

"Mommy, we need to go to Disneyland." My son delivered this suggestion over a bowl of Cheerios, just after he and his little sister waged their daily war over which identical blue spoon they'd prefer. Neither of my preschoolers

Disneyland is a happier place, since my departure last week from Southern California. I don't know how many of you have opted to go to God's Largest Amusement Park as adults, but all I can say is that it will be a long time before I want

Back in 1972, the heyday of the technology-heavy world's fairs. Disneyland rolled out its "Main Street Electrical Parade" in a high-tech blaze of 500,000 lights. Twenty-four years later, the electric light parade is a Disney institution, attracting

At Disneyland's 50th anniversary celebration in July, Newport Beach resident Michael Geoghegan was one of the first people inside the gate. He wasn't there to enjoy himself but to capture the sounds and secrets of the Magic Kingdom's special

Police have concluded there was no sabotage in the Sept. 5 fatal roller coaster accident at Walt Disney Co's Disneyland theme park and have closed their criminal investigation, an Anaheim, California, city spokesman said on Thursday [10/9/2003]

Disneyland was told to leave all future accident scenes untouched after workers washed away blood from a fatal incident on Christmas Eve. Police Chief Randall W. Gaston said he told park officials Saturday that officers must be promptly

Surveillance tape of a parking lot attendant robbery at Disneyland was released today by police in the hope the images will trigger someone's recognition, a sergeant said. The parking structure was robbed twice, on Sept. 19 and Sept. 26, but

Safety: Anaheim chief acts after criticism following fatal incident involving ship cleat on Christmas Eve. He stresses in statement that park officials' actions did not impede investigation. Facing criticism over his department's slow response

Anaheim police investigators took 4 1/2 hours--much longer than first believed--to reach the scene of a fatal injury at a Disneyland ride Christmas Eve, according to police reports released Thursday. The reports reveal a new timeline and

Over Presidents' Day weekend a group of friends and I embarked on a trip to the happiest place on earth in an effort to honor famous presidents of the United States, of course. Right to honor past presidents that is why we went right.

Once upon a time, Disneyland built innovative, exciting attractions that helped make it the world's most popular and beloved theme park. Today, many of its former designers are out of work, laid off from Disney's kingdom. Some did go on to

Disney certainly knows how to tell stories. And they know how to get us caught up in the stories they tell. That includes the hordes of little girls that I recently saw wandering the Magic Kingdom in princess dresses. And there were the

Preteens are a little easier to handle at Disneyland, but sometimes not much. They are not really babies anymore, but not quite ready to let go of all the "baby" activities. This can make them a great age to take to Disneyland. They are big

Being a Disneyland Annual Passholder has its perks. In addition to discounts within Disneyland and California Adventure theme parks and hotels, passholders also have access to a variety of special events throughout the year. Most recently, annual

A private jewelry store inside Disneyland, where visitors often buy engagement rings, is scheduled close because of the poor economy. The Jewel of Orleans has operated inside the theme park in New Orleans Square for about 12 years. But the

Five best things about going without children: Not worrying about explaining to Grandma how you lost her granddaughter. No reason to set foot in Toontown. Not having to break up fights between children while in line for

Now it can be told. Terry O'Brien sank the ship at Disneyland. If you read accounts about the opening of the park 50 years ago, you might read about how the Mark Twain paddlewheel boat sank on one of its maiden voyages, but no details or the