Disneyland Resort Info And News

I know I haven't done a Disneyland Update in quite a while, but a lot has progressed since then. World of Color has opened, and has been a hit. Both Disneyland and DCA have seen some record-breaking crowds, and the parks have never looked better (if you don't mind construction, that is!). I will be spending a week at Disneyland later this month and be doing a live report there. So, let's start this update!

Park Hours
Disneyland
August 1-31: 8a-12a
Disney's California Adventure
August 1-31: 10a-11p

Attraction Closures
Disneyland
-Star Tours: Closed through May 2011 during a rehab and enhancement. The ride will be recieving some TLC, as well as brand new digital 3D films. More info will come on this rehab as it is released.
-Alice In Wonderland: Closed for an unknown period of time after OSHA brought up an issue it had with the lack of safety rails on the outdoor portion of the ride. Will be closed while a sutible solution is thought of.
-Haunted Mansion: Will close earlier this year on August 30 for its holiday overlay.
-Village Haus: Closed from August 30 to December 19 for a refurbishment.
Disney's California Adventure
-Toy Story Midway Mania!: Will close from August 30 to October 10 for a rehab.

News and Rumors from Around the Resort
While Star Tours remains the only major construction job at Disneyland, DCA still is packed with construction walls. The good news is that Buena Vista Street construction appears to be starting as early as September, with construction most likely starting on The Carthay Circle Theater being the first up at bat. Why so early? There will not be any Holloween party this year at DCA. The focus for HolloweenTime this year will be at Disneyland, where there will be special Holloween parties (extra cost) with trick-or-treating, and the Holloween Screams fireworks. Imagineers plan to close down half of the enterance at a time to allow the park to remain as convienient as possible for guests. I wonder why the connecting path bewtween Bugs Land and Hollywood is going to be finishing up in the next few weeks? ;)

Speaking of which, the Red Car Tracks are finished near Tower of Terror, and the Tower of Terror FastPasses are back up and running. The new brickwork is quite nice, a large improvement over plain pavement. I must admit I was a fan of the faux-street markings Hollywood Pictures Backlot had and will miss them a little. But I'll take the brickwork over the pavement any day of the week!


As for the Little Mermaid, it is on course for an opening in May of 2011. This ride promises to be very detailed and have some pretty advanced Audio-Animatronics. The Omnimovers will move slightly slower than the Haunted Mansion, so expect this small ride to be about as long as the Mansion.



Carsland is moving at a pretty fast rate. Car testing for the ride is over, and more permanent track is going to be placed. 2012 can't come soon enough, eh?





And to end, a look at Alice in Wonderland under wraps. The drama continues!


Well folks, that's it for this month. I hope you have a nice August, and if you're heading out to DLR, mind the crowds! Later this month, many APs are unblocked, and they'll descend on the parks! Until next month, this is PirateGuy with the
Disneyland News!


*All pictures used in this article were taken from MintCrocodile.

Disneyland Resort Info and News

As the Disneyland Resort enters February, a lot is brewing. Construction is in full swing, and the DLR is becoming the Land of Walls. Walls are everywhere, but it's the price that must be paid for progress. As for rumors, there haven't been many, but we have seen a vast improvement in the Silly Symphony Swings that appeared relatively quickly in Paradise Pier. There have also been some pretty awesome videos of the World of Color testing, which I am happy to share with you. Are you ready? Let's go!


Park Hours
Disneyland:
Feb 1-4: 10a-8p
Feb 5: 9a-11p
Feb 6-7: 8a-12a
Feb 8: 9a-11p
Feb 9-11: 10a-8p
Feb 12-15: 8a-12a
Feb 16-18: 9a-11p
Feb 19-21: 8a-12a
Feb 22-25: 10a-8p
Feb 26-28: 8a-12a
Disney's California Adventure:
Feb 1-4: 10a-6p
Feb 5: 10a-9p
Feb 6-7: 10a-10p
Feb 8: 9a-7p
Feb 9-11: 10a-6p
Feb 12-15: 10a-9p
Feb 16-18: 10a-8p
Feb 19-21: 10a-9p
Feb 22-25: 10a-6p
Feb 26-28: 10a-9p
*Park Hours subject to change.
**Also, please note that rumors are flying that DCA will be opening at 9AM on days in February. While the calender does not say this, it may just be for early entry, which is something new to DCA. During this time, Soarin' and Paradise Pier attractions are scheduled to operate. Sorry I don't have more deatails, hopefully next month!

Attraction Closures
Disneyland
Rivers Of America- Closed until May 6 for a refurbishment. Due to it's closure, Fantasmic! will not show during this time. The Mark Twain, Sailing Ship Columbia, Davy Crocket Explorer Canoes, and Pirates Lair on Tom Sawyer Island will also be closed.
Tommorowland Terrace- Closed until May 4 for an extended refurbishment.
DCA
Orange Stinger- Planned to open on April 28 as the new Silly Symphony Swings. Recently more visual progress on the ride has been seen.
SS rustworthy: Starting to be demolished in order for construction for the Garden Grill/Beer Garden to begin. Expect this construction to really start once Sily Symphony Swings is complete and the World of Color viewing area is open. Pizza Oom Mow Mow will also close some time later.
Redwood Creek Challenge Trail.- Closed until Feb 19 for a short refurb.

Comings, Goings, and Tidbits from Around the Resort
As we head to the middle of Feb, it is still unclear exactly when Captain EO will return. Painting and a theater revamp are still in progress, but there is little info avaliable. As we get closer to the end of Feb, I suspect we will have an opening date, and I'll post the info here. Until then, here are some pics. As you can see, not much has visibly changed, at least on the outside.

As for Silly Symphony Swings, I'll let the pics do the talking:



Today, some interesting construction on the queue was occurring. I'll keep you posted.

Here are some pics of the World of Color Viewing Area. The railing work should be done within the next week or so and horiculture can come in and do their magic. I'm sure many of you agree that DCA was missing a lot of greenery and landscaping when it opened, and was more or less a concrete slab. Things like the work in the viewing area will help that problem. The first tier of the viewing area has also begun to recieve it's boarwalk treatment.




And now, for some World of Color testing videos. This stuff is pretty amazing! Enjoy!!



This show is going to be awesome!!!


Well, that pretty much wraps this month up. It's sometimes frustrating to not see much visual progress, but I guess you can blame the unions for that. Just kidding! Anyway, I'll be back next month for another column. Also come back on Friday for a special DCA Birthday post!

Until then, this is PirateGuy with the Disneyland News!

Disneyland Resort Info and News

As the holidays wind down, Disneyland will be entering a calm time. Disney will utilize this to do some refurbishments. Likewise, DCA progress will be going full steam ahead in preperation for World Of Color's premiere, which is just a few short months away. So, ;et's get started!

January Park Hours

Disneyland
Jan 1-3: 8a-12a
Jan 4-7: 10a-8p
Jan 8-10: 8a-11p
Jan 11-14: 10a-11p
Jan 15-18: 8a-11p
Jan 19-21: 10a-8p
Jan 22-24: 8a-11p
Jan 25-28: 10a-8p
Jan 29-31: 8a-11p

Disney's California Adventure
Jan 1-3: 10a-9p
Jan 4-8: 10a-6p
Jan 9-10: 10a-9p
Jan 11-14: 10a-6p
Jan 15-18: 10a-9p
Jan 19-21: 10a-6p
Jan 22-24: 10a-8p
Jan 25-28: 10a-6p
Jan 29-31: 10a-9p

Attraction Closures:
Disneyland:
Haunted Mansion- Will be closed from Jan 4-14. Transforms from Haunted Manison Holiday back into the classic attraction.
Big Thunder Ranch- Will also be closed from Jan 4-14 to remove holiday overlay.
it's a small world- Will be closed from Jan 18-28 while the holiday overlay is removed.
Main Street Cinema- Closed from Jan 4- Feb 1 while undergoing a refurbishment.
Starcade- Also closed from Jan 4- Feb 1 due to a refurbishment.
Corn Dog Wagon- Closed Jan 4- May 4 while undergoing a refurbishment.
Tomorrowland Terrace- Closed from Jan 4- May 4 for a refurbishment
Rivers of America- Closed from Jan 4- May 5 for a mjor refurbishment. The river will be drained while much needed work goes on. During this time, The Mark Twain, Sailing Ship Columbia, Davy Crockett Explorer Canoes, and Tom Pirates Lair will also be closed. Fantasmic! will also not play during these months. More info on this in future updates.

DCA
Grizzly Rivr Run-Closed from Jan 4-8 for a small refurbishment.
Redwood Creek Challenge Trail- Will be colsed from Jan 11- Feb 19 for a refurbishment.
It's Tough to Be a Bug!- Closed from Jan 20-21. No reason specified.
Francis' Ladybug Boogie- Closed from Jan 25- Feb 4

Comings, Goings, and Tidbits from around the Resort:

Captain EO Returns!- Yes, that's right! After months of speculation, rumors, and denials, Disney has finally announced the return of Captain EO in February. Honey I Shrunk The Audience has closed, perhaps forever, to make way for the classic attraction. Keep in mind this is only a limited engagement, and will not be in Tomorrowland forever!

Tiana's Showboat Jubilee is no more, duee to the work going on in the Rivers of America. Likewise, Fantasmic! will not be showing and the boats on the Rivers of America are closed.

Over in DCA, work continues on the Paradise Park/viewing area for World of Color. Paradise Park is expected to open sometime in Fabruary. When it does open, you can bet sure I'll let you know!




Silly Syphony Swings construction is moving very slowly. Some visible work has sprung up, but little has changed. Rumor has it that Silly Symphony Swings is being built off-site, which makes sense. Apparently, Disney is in no rush to finish this attraction. Still, the attraction has appeared on the DCA park map, and i scheduled to open in April 2010. I'll let you know if anything changes.

Walls have sprung up all around Hollywood Pictures Backlot, which is soon to be called "Hollywood Land". This new name pays homage to the original Hollywood sign that read "Hollywoodland" before the land park was taken off. The Red Car line consturction has begun, and should be complete in a few months, though the Red Cars themselves will not be seen for at least a year.
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The teporary walkway between Tower of Terror and A Bug's Land is open. After construction for the Red Cars is complete, the walkway will co underwraps and become more permanent. Right now, it is still used during and after hours as a backstage path.


Well, that's should do it for today guys. We have quite a busy 2010 ahead of us. And you can be sure that whenever something happens at DLR, you can come here for the news and commentary. Have a nice January, everyone!

*Special thanks to MintCrocodile for the pics. To see more, click here

Disneyland Resort Info And News

It's been ages since I did a Disneyland Resort column. But I'm back to bring you up to speed on the progress in Disneyland!

Now for those of you who may have forgoten, I changed my Disneyland Updates. The rumors and rebuttals are being scrapped in favor of actual news. I realized I don't want to be the type of person who "claims" to bring news, when really I am just speculating and spreading rumors.

First, the Park Hours for the entire month will be listed.
Second, any closures and/or refurbs will be noted.
Third, info about the general goings-on throughout the resort will be listed.
Fourth, pics! Due to my distance from Disneyland, I'll mostly have pics from internet freinds up.

With that out of the way, let's get started!

December Park Hours
Disneyland:
December 1-December 3: 10a-9p
December 4-6: 8a-2p
December 7 and 8: 8a-6p
December 9 and 10: 9a-11p
December 11-13: 8a-12p
December 14-16: 9a-11p
December 17-23: 8a-12a
December 24: 8a-9p
December 25-30: 8a-12a
December 31: 8a-2a
Disney's California Adventure
December 1-3: 10a-6p
December 4: 10a-10p
December 5-8: 10a-9p
December 9-10: 10a-7p
December 11: 10a-10p
December 12 and 13: 10a-9p
December 14-16: 10a-7p
December 17: 10a-9p
December 18-19: 10a-10p
December 20-23: 10a-9p
December 24: 10a-6p
December 25-30: 10a-10p
December 31: 10a-1a

Attraction Closures:
Disneyland:
The First 50 Magical Years- Closed for good, soon to be replaced by Great Moments With Mr. Lincoln (see below for more info!).
DCA:
Orange Stinger: Closed for good, soon to be replaced with Silly Symphony Swings, opening April 28, 2010.
*Rides are subject to close without warning and subject to change.*

Comings, Goings, and Tidbits from around the Resortc
Yesterday, I recieved word that Lilo and Stitch Character Meal at the PCH Grill in the Paradise Pier Hotel will end December 11 and be replaced by the "Surf's Up! Breakfast With Mickey & Friends" breakfast. A new and updated menu will also be in place.

Troubador Tavern has also opened, featuring Bratworsts, baked potatoes, and drinks. It is located in Fantasyland near the Fantasyland Theatre.

After much speculation, many of you will be excited to learn that Great Moments With Mr. Lincoln will be returning on December 17. The show will not only feature the latest advancements in Audio-Animatronics, but the lobby of the Opera House will be connected to the new Disney Gallery. The fan favorite "Disneyland: The First 50 Magical Years" will still be playing in the lobby. I'll be back with a brand new update as soon as it opens!

Meanwhile, construction continues all around DCA. While Carsland and Little Mermaid are starting to see an expodential increase in construction, it's clear that World of Color is the prime attraction on Disney's plate right now. The bay is now completely full, and the vewing area is coming along nicely.

Due to the Thanksgiving holiday, I do not have any recent pictures to share. However, expect many pictures on January 5, 2010 when my next DLR Update can be seen.

Until then, this is PirateGuy with the Disneyland News!

Disneyland: One Man's Dream- The Official Expansion of DCA

Before we went through all the new attractions that were removed and/or added to Disneyland's struggling sister park. Now that new management was introduced to Disneyland, it was time for Disneyland to get the sister park it always deserved. One that was richly themed and has the layers Disneyland had. One that was a full day park. One that was not tacky or ugly, but was beautiful.

On October 17, 2007, something momentous occured. The Walt Disney Company announced a $1.1 Billion Expansion to DCA. It would be done in sections over the course of a few years, with final construction ending in 2012 before a second phase would begin. Though these new additions were coming, let's take a look at 2 new attractions that were not included in the budget, but helped set the tone for the retheme.

Toy Story Midway Mania is one of the most technoloically sophisticated rides WDI has ever come up with. In it, you ride through the 3D world of Toy Story playing classic Midway games with a few twists in them. Rig tosses, pie throws, dart throws, and more are found in this ride. It is a lot of fun and quite addicting. The ride holds a lot of people per hour, so the line moves quickly. Even so, it's not uncommon to wait over 45 minutes for the ride.

Outside the attraction, Mr. Potatohead serves as the Boardwalk Barker who entices people to visit the ride. He is one of the most technolically advanced Audio-Animatronics created.

While this is all nice, it's really the outside of the attraction that sets the mood for the new Paradise Pier. Paradise Pier will now be have a Victorian theme and feature rides themed to classic Disney shorts. The Sun Wheel is now Mickey's Fun Wheel and the Games of the Boardwalks are now themed to classic shorts. In the not-so-distant future, the Pier Shops will also get Victorian theming, as well as the new Garden Grill that will replace Pizza Omm Mow Mow and Burger Invasion. The Orange Stinger will be replaced Silly Symphony Swings and Mullholland Madness will be replaced by Goofy's Sky School. (More info will be found in Future Updates).










World of Color also was approved before the massive expansion. The show will celebrate the music and magic of Disney's Animated movies, ranging from classics all the way up until today. Currently, the fountains are under construction and so is the viewing area that will accomadate about 9000 people. While this continues, the Paradise Bay is recieving extensive beautification, with more rock work, lighthouses, and ornaments. (More info will be found in future updates).


A brand new attraction will also replace Golden Dreams. The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Adventure will take guests into Ariel's Undersea Adventures (lol) and showcase all the songs from the movie. It is being compared to Haunted Mansion and will feature the Omnimover system. It's set to open in 2011. The ride will be set in a lavish Victorian-esque Aqaurium. (More info will be found in future updates).


As we move away from the peir, we head into the next big thing to open: Buena Street. Buena Vista Street will replace Sunshine Plaza and will be themed to 1920s LA, just as Walt Disney Would have seen it when he stepped of the train. The shops will be rethemed and the Redcars will be added, as well as streets, curbs, and sidewalks. Also to be added is Carthay Circle Theater which will be one of the park icons. (More info will be found in future updates).







We also have Carsland. I did an extensive report on Carsland months agom but I'll do a short rehash here. Carsland will celebrate California's love affair with ars and celebrate not only Route 66, but CA's desert landscapes. The land is themed around Radiator Springs, the town from Cars and will feature 3 new rides. Mater's Junkyard Jamboree will be an "outdoor" swinging darkride, meaning it will be lavishly themed like a darkride but be outdoors. Luigi's Roamin Tires will be the 1960s Flying Saucers of Tomorrowland with better technology making for a better ride and less matinence problems. The highlight of this land will be Radiator Springs Racers, which will not only take people on a tour of the town, but will feature 2 Cars racing against each other. It's going to be one hell of a ride. (More info will be found in future updates).



The Grizzly Peak Area will also get some additions, like animals to Grizzly River Run and possibly a Mine-Train type train ride that goes around the area. Soarin' wll also be rethemed from a desert area to a mountain area. (More info will be found in future updates).

Hollywood Pictures Backlot will also recieve real facades and not the fake ones it has now. It will also be themed to 1930 Hollywood, and recieve the name "Hollywoodland" as homage to what Hollywood was first named. (More info to come in future updates).


In just a few years, Disney's California Adventure will become the second gate Disneyland always deserved. Better late then never, right? And what better way to see this then at the Bluesky Cellar? Every few months, new artwork and models will be added into the cellar where CMs will be happy to answer questions about the projects. Expect the next change out to occur after World of Color opens and to be focised more on The Little Mermaid and the attractions around there.