Imagination reigns at Disneyland!

“To all who come to this happy place… welcome!” Walt Disney’s voice echoed over a loudspeaker when the park first opened. The Magic Kingdom’s 18-month-long 50th anniversary celebration is slowly winding down, but the rides that have been refurbished, including the Pirates of the Caribbean, will remain.

When entering the park, guests pass under a simple bronze plaque that states, “HERE YOU ENTER THE WORLD OF YESTERDAY, TOMORROW AND FANTASY.” In order to fully appreciate Disneyland one must take these words to heart, set the aside concerns of daily living and immerse oneself in a world of FANTASY, which will allow a segue into the worlds of YESTERDAY and TOMORROW.

Of course, everyone brings their own interpretation to the park, but Walt Disney did his best to build a “happy place” where people of all ages and interests could enjoy themselves.

As a writer, I am inspired by the ingenious creations of the Disney Imagineers, some of which are interpretations of an imagined world and some of which are clever imitations of reality. Disney mastered the art of creating worlds within a world.

E.M. Forster, in his book “A Room with a View,” penned the words, “Every city, let me tell you, has its own smell.” This is the missing element; the scent of a city cannot be recreated, but in Disneyland this is probably positive. Disney has taken New Orleans and fashioned another reality, a city without crime or unmentionable scents. He took the best of New Orleans — the iron lace balconies, scent of apple fritters and the bold colors of Mardi Gras — and created a “city” with a sense of purity that is evident in the scent.

New Orleans Square is host to the Blue Bayou. This elegant restaurant weaves its own magic under a perpetual moon shrouded behind a veil of drifting clouds.

Guests dine on the terrace of an antebellum mansion while crickets chirp, frogs croak and fireflies twinkle like little stars. Boats glide in silence past Spanish moss-draped cypress trees on their way to adventures with the Pirates of the Caribbean.

The newly refurbished Pirates of the Caribbean has subtle and not-so-subtle changes. If you are a die-hard “Pirates” fan it may only take you a couple of rides to find them. You will discover more swaggering, more gold and definitely more bones!

Captain Jack Sparrow pops up in more than one scene. Two skeletons playing checkers aren’t the only new skeletal residents, look for a “feathered friend” without his feathers!

The gnarly tentacles of Davy Jones appear like a phantom during the ride. Captain Barbosa swipes his sword through the air as he commands his crew.

Captain Jack Sparrow’s appearance in one particular scene near a costume shop is so vigorous and lifelike it takes you by surprise.

It is an interesting phenomenon how the movie, which is based on the ride, influenced the inventive changes in the ride itself.

The Disney Imagineers have come a long way from their first Audio-Animatronic creation, which was a giant squid in the movie “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.”

At the park’s closing hour when guests witness the sea of mouse ears bobbing down Main Street, there won’t just be the traditional black ears or even the golden 50th ears — but the new Pirates of the Caribbean ears complete with a golden ring circling a pierced black ear and a jaunty red and black bandana over the cap. It’s enough to make you want to swagger like Captain Jack Sparrow.