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 Update and News: Just A Heads Up

In the World of Disney this week, many things have been happening. Many things have also been happening behind the scenes of this blog (more info on that later). In my last post, I explained about Summer Nightastic! and it's offerings. Well, many no that, much like Disneyland, it's premiere night was not very good. I'll tell you where Disney is right now regarding Summer Nightastic! and how it's going thus far. Also, many of you already heard the big announcement about Hong Kong Disneyland, and I'll recap it here, too. At the end of this post, I will explain to you the changes that will go on in this blog. In the meantime, let's get going with the Disneyland News!

Summer Nightastic!: Looking Back

Famtasmic! has had one disaster after another. As reported last month, the brand new Fatasmic! dragon injured it's neck and could not be used. Well, Fantasmic! has been going on as schedueled sans said dragon. Things got even worse when the Mark Twain caught fire last week due to a pyro mishap. Many people used this as evidence that Summer Nightastic was a horrid disaster.

They could not be more wrong. I know there are many people on the internet who think that everything Disney has been doing is wrong, and only Walt Disney could do something that worked. To that, I offer te Opening Day of Disneyland as evidence to the contrary. But no matter.

Summer Nightastic! has done just what it was supposed to do: get people into Disneyland. If any of you have gone to Disneyland recently, you have seen the crowds. Fantasmic! has been so crowded there have been 3 showings a night. But, because of the crowds, there have been many complaints about the crowds and the Summer Nightastic! "glitches". To that I say "Stop complaining. You chose to go."

People have been especially complaining about the Magical Fireworks show. For a few days, Tinkerbell and Dumbo have not been flying. Granted, they have been flying recently, which have quited many of those complainers down. No, it's currently unkown if Tink and Dumbo didn't fly due to weather, high winds, saftey precautions, glitches, or something else. I've heard the most likely reason was to windspeeds and saftey precautions. If that is really the case, then i offer an option to those who complain: if you really want to see Tink or Dumbo fly, why don't you go up there?

But things are looking better. Crowds are dying down. Some APs are being blocked out. Meanwhile, the Fatasmic! dragon's neck as been repaired, however, many people at Disney are worried about the dragon's neck snapping again. So, in response to this, Fatasmic will be going on without the dragon for a while until WDI is sure that it will not snap again.

Now, I do have only one problem with Summer Nightastic! and that has to do with the Electrical Parade. Now, yo have to understand that the Electrical Parade is my earliest memory of Disneyland. I always loved it, especially the music. I do love the changes, especially Tinkerbell, because it just suits it more for Tinkerbell, the person you always see in front of the castle before movies, to lead the parade. But the music- not good. It's too frilly and fantasy-y, if that make sense. Just listen to it, and you might understand. I miss the regular Baroque Howdown. If I could, I would have the Baroque Howdown remain the same and just add a ochestrated version of the Disney songs into the mix. Hopefully, this won't remain for long.


Hong Kong Disneyland Expansion

Yep. That's it. (Click on the Image for a bigger picture). After a few years, HKDL will be going under a massive expansion. New Areas include:
-Grizzly Trail: This area will most resemble Frontierland, but themed to a Grizzly Peak-like forest. The main attractionis most like Expedition Everest, in wich you will go through a mountain littered with animal Audio-Animatronics, and go down it backwards.
-Mystic Point- Think New Orleans Square, but in a rain forest. The highlight of this land will be a Huanted Mansion like ride called Mystic Manor. This ride will feature the trackless ride system used in such TDL rides like Pooh.
-Toy Storyland- Think Paradise Pier-type rides. Remember the Army Man parachite drop for DCA? That will find residence here, as well as a coaster and a few other things. This whole land is themed to the pesrpective of a Toy, much like A Bug's Land.
Now. these new lands, as you can see in the above map, have pretty much destroyed the hub concept of HKDL. Also, many people are branding this as original ideas, however I see nothing original in any of this. However, I do like the changes, minus Toy Storyland. I really hope this is good for HKDL, I really want to see it grow into a realy nice park. But time will tell.

Changes in my Blog
As you can see, in this update, I have combined 2 very different topics together. After a few months of doing this, I have decided to more or less abandon the idea of the Disneyland News. Now, there will still be DL news each month, however, it'll mostly deal with park hours, ride closings, and that sort of stuff. The realy juicy stuff, like DCA and HKDL expansions, park rumors, and ride construction will be posted here when I hear of it. So, in 2 weeks, this new system will start. There will also be a few cosmetic changes to the blog, wich i look forward to unvieling.

Until then, this is PirateGuy 815 with the Disneyland News!

Disneyland Update and News: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

It's something many people fear. And, alas, it happened to Mr. Walt Disney on the opening day of Disneyland. I think it's referred to as "Murphy's Law"- whatever can go wrong, will go wrong. And it's been present in Disneyland for a while. In this update, I'll share with you info about the good things in Disneyland (mostly in DCA, if you could believe it) the bad things in Disneyland, and the ugly things. So up, up and away we go! (Once again, all pictures are taken off MintCrocodile's SmugMug account.

The Good:

The Little Mermaid

Those of you who have been to the resort in the last week have seen these nice walls appear over in Pardise Pier. Well, the first visual signs of construction on the new E-Ticket, The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Undersea Adventure, have arrived. The new bathrooms are open, too, so we're all set to go "under the sea" with Ariel

What's also good about this is that Dinosaur Jack, that ugly green Dinosaur, is finally joining his fellow dinosaurs as fossil fuels. The dinosaur is going to be take down, and at this time, I'm not too clear as to what is going up in it's place. it could be part of the beer garden/grill area, or part of the Little Mermaid. The only thing that is clear is that whatever is going there we be finished in 2011. I will keep you posted on this topic as time progresses.

Meanwhile, over at Disneyland, Magical has gone through Preview Performances before the "Summer Nightastic!" campaign premiere's Friday, June 12 (this Friday!). Many of you may remember that I hated the thought of Remember going away. However, Remember will return in the fall after this fireworks show is over. Magical is not bad, it's actually good. I enjoyed it, and seeing Dumbo fly was incredibly cool, and the crowd went crazy. The only thing missing was pyro, which I do really enjoy. But the fact is, the music is great, the coreography is great, and the lighting on the castle is still top notch. If you haven't seen it, please go watch it on YouTube. Although it is nowhere near as good as Remember- that will always be the best- it is much, much better than Believe...There's Magic in the Stars.

The Bad-

The Dragon Problem-
href="http://www.spurgeonworld.com/willsblog/archives/SummerNightasticSpecialEventLowBand.jpg">
This is the ad that has been all over the place. TV, billboards, the Internet, on my blog and others. Disney invested so much into using this as the symbol for the new summer entertainment. And consider their dismay when the impressive new dragon breaks. That;s right, the neck is broken, and it looks very unlikely they will get it working by August, let alone Friday. What a huge let down. What will happen? Next Tuesday, I'll bring you a special update about what I thought about Summer Nightastic!

The Ugly-
Okay, there's alot of commotion in Paradise Bay right now. And like I always do, I will include current pictures of the bay. Is it terrible? I mean, it is cunstruction for a brand new water show. You be the judge:





Parting Thoughts:
Lastly, I'd just like to remind you of all the new entertainment at the resort during Summer Nightastic!
-Magical: Fireworks Spectacular
-Fantasmic!: New additions and HD cameras
-Electrical Parade- New additions and music additions.
-Tomorrowland Terrace- Dance Party every night at the Terrace.
Remember to come back next Tuesday for a review and possible pictorial of all the events on Friday. Until then, this is PirateGuy 815 with the Disneyland News!

Disneyland Resort Update and News: Summer Nightastic! and Star Tours 2.0?

*Editor's Note: Do to unforseen circumstances, my update will be today. Enjoy!

It's time for one of my ever-popular Disneyland Updates! Woot! In today's column, we will be discussing the events that will be happening in this summer as part of the new Summer Nightastic! I've also been closely monitoring Tours 2.0 rumors that I will share with you. Lastly, Mickey's Fun Wheel is nearing completion and is almost ready for guests. So, why not get started?

Summer Nighttastic!

This summer, Disney's straying a lottle away from the "What will you Celebrate?" capaign, but will still have it. They're introducing "Summer Nightastic!" which will promote the new entertainment DLR will have to offer. It's sorta like a capaign within a campaign. This will last from June 12 to August 23. It will include:

-Fantsmic!: The show that everyone has loved since it's 1992 debut is going HD. NEw HD cameras will play the clips on the mist screens, and it promises to be bright and clear. Besides this, Floatsum and Jetsum will be added to the Ursala scene. I have seen pics of these, and they look really, really cool. A new Animatronic dragon will also debut, and ut looks great, too!
-Disney's Electrical Parade: The clasic parade will be tweaked a little. Tinkerbell will now be leading the parade, and Pixie Dust will be spinkeled throughout he parade floats. Snow white and Pinnochio will also be added to the ride. Besides this, the classic "Baroque Howdown" will be enhanced a little, similar to DLP's "Dream Lights".
-TLT Dance Club: Each night, DJs will be playing hits in the Tomorrowland Terrace, everyone is garunteed to have fun rockin' and dancin'!
-Pixie Hollow: At night, this popular place will have light shows throughout the hollow to entertain guest waiting to meet Tink and the rest.
-Magical: All of you who read my column already know that Remember was going to be replaced with a shorter, more cost friendly show. Magical will be hotsted by actual Disney characters, not some unfimilar voice. Tink will once again lead the spectacular, but Dumbo will be joining her. But those who love Remember, fear not- rumors are swirling that Remember will be returning after the summer.

Star Tours 2.0: Coming to a Space Port Near You Soon?

Now this is some really good stuff I have. Star Tours 2.0 has been rumored for years, but these rumors have been very strong lately. Slashfilm.com has reported that they are already filming the second adventure. Rumors are also circulating that a new ride altogether could open up a soon as 2011. Could a new Tomorrowland follow? Perhaps we will see a new Tomorrowland emerge in time for the 60th Anniversary of Disneyland? One can only hope...

Mickey's Fun Wheel- Ready for Guests.

Mickey's Fun Wheel is reportedly open for guests. At night, the lights are beign tested. My friend has a video of the testing, and it looks really cool. Look out for a new update on the Fun Wheel later this week.

So, I really hope you like recieving all this info about Disneyland and the Resort. I'm all out of information, but I'm sure there will be more information for next month. Keep an eye out for a post about Mickey's Funwheel. Until then, this is PirateGuy 815 with the Disneyland News!

Disneyland Update and News: New Arrivals at DLR

Since my last update, many new things have opened throughout the Disneyland Resort. Since then, a new restaurant, new store, and the brand news Games of the Boardwalk have opened. Even the maps are new, showcasing all the new stuff in the resort. In this update, you'll hear all the news, plus a review of Disneyland's Celebrate: A Street Parade. On the sadder side, Yamabuki is closing. Let's go! (Please note that all photos in this update are found on MintCrocodile's SmugMug account.

Bibbidy Bobbidy Botique
This may not be that exciting, but still it's new. This store is more or less like Club Libby Lu. More info and pics will follow in a future update. Stay tuned!

The Celebration Ranch Roundup and BBQ

From what I hear, this place's food is excelent. But, the price is very expensive. The new retaurant offers a limited buffet which features BBQ foods. Charcter entertainment, as well as singing from non-chacter people keep the diners entertained during thier meal. Over all, it sounds really great. But is the price just too expenisive? Will this be around for only a little bit of time? Time will only tell...

Celebrate: A Street Party
Now I know Al Lutz and his followers may have scared you about the new parade/show at DL, stating it was horrible and not worth while. Many people are saying it's a cobination between Block Party Bash and the PartyGras stuff DL had years ago. In my opinion, it is some laid back entertainment that DL sorely needs. I mean let's face it, DL is all about the hustle and bustle. It can sometimes be overwhelming, with so many rides and whatnot. It's more stiff then DCA, if you get what I'm saying. The show brings energy to DL, and it's just plain fun! If you haven't seen it go to YouTube. You might be pleasantly surprised!

DCA: Paradise Pier's New Offerings
The photos speak for themselves. Work being done in the pier:


Also, the Paradise Pier sign (beautiful!) and the Sunburst where Mickey's head use to be have climbed up to the roller coaster. (This picture is old: Most of the sunburst has been painted.)


Meanwhile, the wheel is painted, the gondalas are up, and Micjey will start appearing in sections until it the Fun Wheel opens next month. (It got delayed due to rain).New lighting is also neing tested.


Games of the Boardwalk: NOW OPEN!!!
Another thing to add to the list of new at DCA: the Games of the Boardwalk have open for business. A full article about this will follow later this week.

Also, for future reference, all new rides at DLR will get an update onto themsleves. So you can expect next month a full update to be devoted to Mickey's Fun Wheel, as well as the regularly schedualed update. Until then, this is PirateGuy 815 with the Disneyland News!

Disneyland Update and News- CARSLAND!!!

Hello everybody! I know this is an unscheduled post, but I can't keep this in any longer. As you may know, my Disneyland Update and News columns don't come until the first Tuesday of each month, but I have been sitting on this for way too long. Plus, next week I'd like to start talking about Paradise Pier construction and retheming, and show you pictures of the process. So, let's get started on the biggest thing to hit The Disneyland Resort since 2001: Carsland.
(Please note that all concept art in this update is owned by Disney and is subject to change).

Carsland: An Overview

Here's what Disney has to say about it in the Blue Sky Cellar:
"Blending the legendary adventure and excitement of Route 66, California's love of Cars, and Walt Disney's legacy if innovative storytelling, Carland recreates the memorable town of Radiator Springs Disney*Pixar's animated film Cars. Route 66 was once the only auto route connecting Chicago to sunny LA. It represented the freedom of the open road, the migration west, and the dream of a brighter tomorrow in the Golden State for thousands of new arrivals in CA. That dream revs back to life in Carsland."

This is what Carsland is supposed to look like. The buildings will house stores and restaurants. Filmore's will be a natural shake stand. I'm guessing like a Jamba Juice and a place to probably sell fruit.The Cozy Cones will be fast food locations. Corn dogs and such. Flo's V-8 Cafe sounded like a buffeteria style place but I'm not sure. Kevin did say they were going to tell more of Flo's back story in there. She was once a singer in an all girls group, etc. Lizzy's would be the souvenir shop. 3 rides are currently planned for the area. They are Mater's Junkyard Jamboree, Luigi's Roamin' Tires, and the big E-Ticket, Radiator Spring Racers.

Mater's Junkyard Jamboree

I don't have too much info about this ride. All I know is that it's being considered "an outdoor darkride" due to it's lush themeing. As mater sings, you swing around the junkyard and avoid hitting stuff. I'm trying to get more info on this.

Luigi's Roamin' Tires

I'm really looking forward to this ride. Anyone remeber the Flying Saucers at Disneyland in the 60s? We'll they're being redone and rethemed to flying tires. It sounds really cool, and looks it too! More pics below:


Radiaotr Springs Racers: The Crown Jewel of Carsland

Here's the plot:
While Cars Land will be 12 acres, RSR will be 6 acres of it.

The back story for the ride is Stanley, who is a Stanley Streamer, was crossing the desert and almost ran out of water when he stumbled upon an oasis (springs). After filling up he was so thankful he decided to stay and help other travelers and eventually Radiator Springs grew (get the name now).

SO, the queue will begin at Stanley's Oasis. The concept art shown had lots of water, splashy play area, etc BUT Kevin Rafferty said they went another direction...but the queue is still in Stanley's Oasis. He also said the ride happens in three acts.

ACT I
Once aboard the car (which he said would have eyes), the Sheriff comes on the radio and gives you the safety spiel and indicates you will be heading for the race and off you go for a nice leisurely drive through Ornament Valley on the way to the race. You enter a tunnel (dark ride portion) and suddenly you are running straight into Mac with his horn blaring and you swerve out of the way careening toward those two tourist cars who move out of the way...quickly you approach a railroad crossing and you see the light of the oncoming train and hear it yet you pass over the tracks quickly flying past the billboard where the sheriff is waiting. He tells you to slow down or you'll blow a tire and that won't help you win the race. He then tells Mater to escort you to the race.

Mater enters driving backwards talking to you. Of course, being Mater, he's more interested in taking you tractor tipping. So next you are honking loudly at the tractors, they tip, and of course Frank, the harvester, is after you. You speed away to get away from Frank.
ACT II
Slowing down the pace, you enter Radiator Springs (Still inside the show building) and immediately encounter Lizzy and Red (Lizzy may say something or be sleeping and Red will be watering flowers), drive by Flo's V-8 Cafe with Filmore and Sarge who say something that plays off the Hippie and Military dichotomy, eventually encountering Sally and McQueen who appear in a forced perspective set and tell you one of two things. Either you need new tires or you need a new paint job. If tires is your narrative, you continue into Luigi's where Luigi tells you Guido will give you new tires. The car lifts up and is dropped down as the tires are changed. Meanwhile, the car behind you gets the new paint narrative. So into Ramone's you go to be sprayed with new paint. It sounded like a water spray to me but I'm not sure. Then both cars leave their shops and Sheriff appears to tell you the starting line is just ahead.

ACT III
At the starting line is the first time you see the other car. Luigi does his "One for the money" countdown, Guido waves the flag and you are off. You exit the show building for the high speed race which you can see on the concept art. Kevin did mention there would be geysers and other effects on this portion of the ride. Doc does talk to you on the radio on this portion because he is your crew chief.

NOW the new part, on the last straight away both cars will dip down underground and enter "Tail light caverns." The art makes these cave formations look Carlsbad Caverns with huge 1950's Cadillac tail fin lights hanging from the ceiling and sticking up from the floor. (They originally planned for spark plugs but John Lasseter suggested tail lights). At the end of the caverns you encounter Mater, McQueen, and Sally where they reveal that they are all winners because they made some new friends. The winner of the race is randomized and so are elements of the race. And back to the unload area you go.


Ok, I know it's a long update and there's a lot to take in. Still, I should be back either next Tuesday or the Tuesday after that to bring you more info. Untill then, this is PirateGuy 815 with the Disneyland News!

Disneyland Update and News- In with the Old, Out With the New

*Editors Note: My weekend was incredibly busy, so there will be know GH update and Weekly Review this week. They will hopefuly return next weekend. :)

There's a lot to take down here. And it just so happens that there was also an Al Lutz update today. So why not discuss some of what he's saying and what is actually happening.

The Return of Abe and The Gallery

Yes, Great Moments With Mr. Lincoln is returning later this year, minus Barack Obama and George Washington, as Al Lutz previously stated. (If you ever read his articles, please take it with a grain of salt. His news is almost entirely wrong). But with Lincoln returning, what will happen to this charming film?
It's no surprise that Disneyland: The First 50 Magical Years has stayed for so many years. It's charming, hits the sweet spot in everyone's heart, and features Steve Martin. Well, you can relax. If my sources are to be beleived, it will continue playing in the lobby of the Opera House, and all the props there will still be around.
Also, The Disney Gallery, which was taken over by the wonderful Dream Suite (I should know, I was lucky enough to win a night's stay there) will be returning right next door. Those who have missed the gallery will be happy to know that it's taking up residence in the Bank of Main Street, and the AP prcessing will be moved to the Plaza Pavilion. There will doors between the 2 buildings, allowing guests to wander. I will provide more info on this later in the year, stay tuned!

Remeber... Dreams Will End

If you are a Disney fan, chances are you are in love with the awe-inspiring, jawdropping Rember...Dreams Come True fireworks spectacular. Well, according to Al Lutz, it's leaving (grain of sand again). It's caused a hassle with guests who want to ride Fantsayland attractions which are closed, and others which are mobbed. This makes nio sense at all, just look at how miscombobulated it is over by Rivers of America for Fantasmic! each night. To replace this amazing fireworks show with a lower quality show, especially for the 55th Anniversary is the dubmest thing I've read. I will hopefully have more information for you next month, and maybe even a video!

DCA Expansion Watch

For the past year, Al Lutz has been parading around stating that the $1 billion funds for the DCA have been locked in, and there will be no delays in construction. There have been rumors that this is not true, and Little Mermaid, Buena Vista Street, and Carsland will be delayed a little. Is Al right or is he covering up his statement? Only time will tell.
Also, my friend, who I SWEAR works for Disney, gave a similar idea for how Buena Vista St. will be constructed. New enterances will not be used, and instead of shutting the whole thing down, parts will be done at a time. This is almost certainly going to be delayed, and I hope to relay information to you ASAP!

I have a lot of info on Carsland that is waiting to come out, but that;s it for now. Next month, I'll tell you the plot for Radiator Springs Racer, as well as Star Tours 2.0 info. Starting later this month, I also plan to do a monthly article about DCA, from the moment of conception, to it's premiere, and including what it has stor for in the future, including some ideas I have for the park myself (No, I Don't work for Disney). Stay tuned for this really cool article!!

Untill next month, this is PirateGuy 815 with the Disneyland News!