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News and Views
Disney gears up for big media events
Thursday, May 5 is the big day for Disneyland park guests with it being
the big official kickoff of the 50th Anniversary celebration. For Disney
management and the media, however, most of the effort is going into the
evening of May 3, and the day of May 4. These will be the opoprtunitites
for Disney to show everything off and get it into all the news reports
around the country. Disney is expecting to make several big announcements
at that time as well.
A block party cone has covered the “A” in California; another one is located in the loading area of the Mickey and Friends parking structure. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
On Tuesday, May 3, invited media will be at Disney’s California Adventure
park at park closing for some schmooze time and then a private presentation
of the new Block Party parade. The early buzz on this new parade
is pretty positive. However since this is an interactive event with guests
getting to dance with Pixar characters, there are some logistical concerns.
They shouldn’t arise for a presentation to a smaller media crowd, especially
since the media is less likely to actually interact as well.
It is likely that the new Monster, Inc. attraction planned for
the former SuperStar Limo location will be officially announced at some
point during these events. On Wednesday, May 4, when Disneyland is closed
to the public, the media get the run of Disneyland itself. The May 4 activities,
when Disneyland is ostensibly closed for final preparations, include premieres
of the new Parade of Dreams, all the new golden attraction vehicles,
the “50 Magical Years” exhibit in place of “The Walt Disney
Story” in the lobby of the Great Moments With Mr. Lincoln attraction,
and a new fireworks show. In addition to all the media, the crowd will
be filled out a bit with more than 5,000 contest winners and a “Celebrity
Homecoming Party” that runs all evening. Additional announcements
will likely include information on the Finding Nemo submarines
and new additions to Innoventions in Tomorrowland.
The night of May 4th will be a busy one for Disney as they wait until all the celebrities and media go to bed to put the final touches on Sleeping Beauty’s Castle. They will also be putting up a large fabric screen and at 10am on May 5th park guests will kick off the festivities with an event that will include a “reveal” of the castle when the curtain drops. One tall truss has been installed at Snow White’s Grotto to one side of the castle and the base of another is near Carnation Plaza on the other. Presumably these will be used to hold up that screen.
Speaking of fireworks…
As we reported last week, there have been several pyrotechnic and permitting
tests of the new Remember… fireworks show. MousePlanet’s Adrienne
Vincent-Phoenix and Karl Buiter were at the Esplanade (in the area between
Disneyland and DCA) in time for one of those tests. The following photos
give a sense of some of the effects coming your way, while Karl got some
good video. Click this link
to see Karl’s video. The video is 7.4MB and in Windows Media format (.wmv).
To see some discussion and speculation on what is seen in the video, see
this
MousePad thread.
Sleeping Beauty’s Castle and the Matterhorn exchange cannon fire in tribute
to Pirates of the Caribbean. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
These brightly colored shells appear to to be launching from around the
Central Plaza hub. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
Final closures on the road to May 4
Casey Jr. Circus Train, Jungle Cruise, Storybook Land Canal Boats, and
the Opera House are the four currently closed attractions that reopen
on May 4 for the big media event and on May 5 for regular park guests.
Space Mountain remains closed through those events, reopening on July
15 in time for Disneyland’s official birthday on July 17 (yes, this is
restating the obvious, but we still get e–mail asking if we know
that Space Mountain is closed, so it is good to cover the basics every
once in a while).
Track problems for the Disneyland Railroad—reportedly a problematic
stretch along the Rivers of America that has required the trains to slow
to 5 mph, has closed the Disneyland Railroad but it is scheduled to be
back in service on Friday, April 22.
Plaza Gardens closes for two days on April 25 and 26, and Big Thunder
Mountain Railroad is down for one day on April 27. The unscheduled touch–up
of Toontown’s Goofy’s Bounce House ends on April 29, with the attraction
opening on Saturday, April 30.
Though not on the official calendar, it is rumored that the Mark Twain
is returning to dry dock again this week for more painting. Conspicuously
missing from the list (and causing some alarm among infrequent visitors
who are concerned about the unavailability of their favorite attraction
for their visit) is Splash Mountain. The new, heavier, logs put in place
after the last big refurbishment continue to cause problems, and the conventional
wisdom remains that things must get fixed before the big summer crowds
hit, and probably before the big events of May 4 and 5. Nothing official—or
even unofficially official—is known, though.
Track list for new theme park CDs announced
Disney theme park music lovers are in for a huge treat, as three new
CD collections have been scheduled for release on May 3. Walt Disney World
gets a two–disc set, while Disneyland gets a two–disc set plus
a monstrous six–disc collection entitled, A Musical History of
Disneyland, which also includes a 72–page fully illustrated hardcover
book entitled The Sounds of Disneyland.
The spectacular 50th anniversary album for the Disneyland Resort , entitled
A Musical History of Disneyland, includes six CDs, a 72–page
hardcover book and—for the 5,000–copy limited edition—a
golden LP of Walt Disney Takes You To Disneyland—A Music Tour
of the Magic Kingdom. Image © Disney.
The first 5,000 copies of the six–disc set (to be available at Disneyland,
Walt Disney World and via Disney Direct for $125) also includes a special
gold vinyl LP of Walt Disney Takes You To Disneyland—A Music Tour
of the Magic Kingdom, the first–ever album release from Walt
Disney Records back in 1956. After the limited edition is gone, an open
edition of the collection (minus the gold LP) will go on sale nationally
in September.
Track lists for the sets were posted to The Magical Music of the Mouse
discussion forums by Randy Thornton, Senior Producer at Walt Disney Records,
and the man responsible for these phenomenal collections (all three tracklists have been compiled on one page here). The site is
also holding a contest to win an autographed copy of the six–disc
set. The grand prize also includes the two–CD sets for Disneyland
and Walt Disney World. Second and third prizes also receive both two–disc
sets. Entrants are asked to tell how the music of Disney parks and resorts
has touched their lives. The contest closes Sunday, April 24. For more
information about the contest, or to see the track lists, check out the
discussion forums at The Magical Music of the Mouse (link).
Of particular interest seems to be confirmation of the Rockit Mountain rumors, which we reported on last week. On the six-CD set, track 7 of disc 5 is “Space Mountain (New Daytime Track),” which certainly implies that there is a different nighttime track.
More on the 50th Merchandise event
Last week, Walt Disney Event Services released more information on the three-day merchanidse event scheduled for July 15-17. For a thorough breakdown of what is involved, see last week’s park update.
The speakers for the “My Favorite Magical Memories” panel on July 16 include Marty Sklar, Dick Nunis, Ron Dominguez, Jack Lindquist, Jim Cora, Harriet Burns, Cicely Rigdon, and Mary Ann Mang.
The new information also includes the following:
We would also like to announce a few of the seminars and workshops that will be available as part of the event. Please note: Not all seminars and workshops have been listed.
“How to” Class on Horticulture/Park Enhancement
Music of the Park
Back Stories of the Attractions
Disneyland Hospitality – Cooking & Table Decorating DemonstrationEach seminar will be held twice within the same day. There will be a total of eight over the course of the two days with only time to attend two each day.
The bolding in that is ours. They say that they have not listed all the seminars, yet they’ve also accounted for all eight slots with this list.
One additional perk has also been added to all but the cheapest package (Imagineer’s Quest, which has no activies on July 17). Lillian, Roy, and Walt plan purchasers also get an opportunity to ride Space Mountain on July 17. They won’t be the first since the ride is scheduled to open on July 15, but considering the crowds that are likely on that day, it isn’t a bad thing to have thrown in.
Happiest Faces
The first of the happiest faces mosaics has made its appearance. In the back of Toontown park guests can try to find their pictures in this mosiac.
One of the Happiest Faces on Earth photomosaic mural is now installed in Toon Town. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
A close-up of the murals shows that photos were not limited to Disneyland themes—even the Disney Cruise Line is represented. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
Whose party is it?
The last couple of weeks have seen previews of 50th Anniversary merchandise for Disneyland store cast members. While there are a lot of neat things coming, some cast members were annoyed to learn that Walt Disney World is already selling Disneyland birthday merchandise that won’t hit their shelves for another three weeks. These include the Golden Edition Sleeping Beauty Castle playset and the Golden Edition Disneyland Railroad set.
An interesting experiment
In a bit of a look backwards to the time when Disneyland had separate entry gates for returning visitors, Disney’s California Adventure is now experimenting with different gates for different groups of visitors. Ticketed guests, annual passholders, and cast members may have their own gates in addition to self-service turnstiles. Just as at Walt Disney World, one cast member staffs two turnstiles, assisting those who cannot figure out how to insert their admission media. Although the turnstiles marked “Ticketed Guests” accept annual passes, passholders may be encouraged to use the “Annual Pass Guest” gate on their next visit. Disneyland has not switched to the new system.
Pay attention to me
Now that the Buzz Lightyear show has closed, the Club Buzz stage hosts short concert performances by goups like “Brooke and the Boys” and “Party Central.” The shows are scheduled 5-6 times each day, Friday through Tuesday. (Dark Wednesday and Thursday) Buzz Lightyear makes an appearance during the performance, during a set on Sunday he began by dancing with the kids, but quickly attracted a crowd of autograph-seekers. To try to bring some attention back to the musicians, the singer we assume must be “Brooke” changed the lyrics to Pat Benetar’s “Heartbreaker,” singing
You’re a heartbreaker, dream maker
Buzz Lightyear, don’t you mess around with me!
This elicited a chuckle from the adults and cast members in the vicinity. Unfortunately the attention of the younger set really is on the character appearance and the band essentially provides live background music for a meet-and-greet. Other performers are still scheduled to appear in the evenings Friday – Sunday, without a character to distract the audience.
Ears to the Ground
…Recent visitors to Downtown Disney may have noted that the MainSpring
store is now closed. MainSpring sold specialty timepieces; not just watches,
but clocks and other items as well. We have heard the rumor that Starbucks
is filling this slot—which raises the interesting possibility that
Starbucks would be in a location where their price for a coffee actually
seems reasonable. A source at Disney denies this, however, saying that
as long as existing coffee-related sponsorship deals are in place, Starbucks
is not coming to the Disneyland Resort. MainSpring was managed by a group
that ran four stores when Downtown Disney opened. None of them now exist
in their original form, as Soliton is now occuped by Jamba Juice, Petals
is now Club Libby Lu, and Liquid Planet is now the similar Quicksilver.
…For the Buzz Lightyear Astro Blaster fans who are creating a comprehensive
collection of ride photos, a bit of good news came through last week.
Disney has changed the tedious process of entering your name and other
information in order to email yourself the picture. Now, all you have
to do is enter an e–mail address to send the photo to that address.
…Disneyland is offering a “Where the Magic Began” lithograph free with a $125 purchase at Emporium (Disneyland), Greetings from California (Disney’s California Adventure), or World of Disney (Downtown Disney).
…The Autopia car that is displayed in the Winner’s Circle store as a photo opportunity has been removed. Most likely to be repainted as part of the Golden Vehicles initiative.
…Golden 50th Anniversary logos have begun to appear around the park, with some being large and obvious while others are more subtle. Eventually there will be 50 of them, and if you can’t find them all, City Hall will have a list available.
Mr. Toad holds one of the less obvious 50th Anniversary logos. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
…Westward Ho Trading Company, the Frontierland shop that once offered fresh fudge and an entire wall of Jelly Bellies, returned from refurbishment as just another generic souvenir shop. The food items formerlly sold at this location are still available in Critter Country and on Main Street.
…The light poles outside the Main Street opera house have been painted gold. The lamp poles up and down Main Street have been sanded in preparation for painting.
…In a change that will hopefully keep reduce the times where the queue flows out into the general walkway, Pirates of the Caribbean has finally gone back to using both sides of the queue.
…Just a reminder that if you’re hoping the Happiest Passholder contest will be your ticket into Disneyland on May 4th, the winners will be announced tomorrow, April 19.
Don’t keep it to yourself! Send us your news tips,
rumors, and comments. E-mail us
here.
Current Refurbishments and Attraction Closures
Disneyland
Note: Disneyland is progressively refurbishing more and more attractions
as the park readies for its 50th anniversary celebration in 2005.
- Disneyland Railroad opens April 22
- Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln opens May 4 with installation
the 50th Anniversary exhibit in the Main Street Opera House - Disney Gallery opens May 4
- Disneyland Railroad Tomorrowland station opens May
3
The motor boat lagoon is mostly drained. The submarine lagoon remains pretty much the same, though behind a construction wall. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
- Jungle Cruise opens May
- Casey Jr. Circus Trains opens May 4
- Goofy’s Bounce House opens May 4
- Storybook Land Canal Boats opens May 4
- Space Mountain opens July 15
- Haunted Mansion closed September 6–29 to install Haunted
Mansion Holiday overlay; closed Jan. 9–25, 2006 to remove overlay - Submarine Lagoon is now behind a construction wall.
Disney’s California Adventure
- SuperStar Limo building has ongoing construction for an
unannounced (Monsters, Inc.) new attraction.
The former Super Star Limo facade is starting to show a little color. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
Note: Refurbishment schedules are estimates only. All information is
subject to change without notice. To get the most recent updates, call
Disneyland at (714) 781-7290.
Park Events
May
- Disneyland closed on May 4, 2005
to “put the finishing touches” on the 50th Anniversary
celebration. DCA open on May 4. - Disneyland’s 50th Anniversary celebration begins May 5.
- Mother’s Day Brunch at Disneyland Hotel on May 8. Sold out,
but information available at 714-781-DINE.
June
- Robert Olszewski merchandise release. June 18 at Disneyland
Park. Two new Main Street pieces in his “Disneyland in Miniature”
collection: Main Street Train Station and Main Street Train. Also released
will be Dapper Dan and Fab Five character packs. - 2005 Summer Pin Festival. June 24 – Aug. 15 at the Disneyland
Resort. No details have been announced (link).
July
- Disneyland 50th Anniversary special event. July 15–17.
Three days of merchandising events with multiple purchase plans (link). - July 2005 NFFC convention. July 9–13. The Show and
Sale is scheduled for July 10. - Robert Olszewski merchandise release. July 16 at Grand Californian
Hotel. The first non–Main Street piece in his “Disneyland
in Miniature” collection: Mad Tea Party.
September
- Robert Olszewski merchandise release. September 10 at Disneyland
Park. Several new pieces in his “Disneyland in Miniature”
collection: Disney Showcase/Magic Shop/20th Century Music and Jungle
Cruise as well as a pin trading cart and a marching band character pack.
Current Discounts & Promotions
Several current promotions offer discounted admission to the Disneyland
Resort. For convenience sake, we have grouped the discount offers based
on the number of days the tickets are valid. Check out the category that
best matches the amount of time you plan to spend at the resort, and pick
the offer which works best for you. And keep those tips coming – let us
know if you find a better / different offer, so we can share it with other
readers!
| One Day |
No discounts offered to the general public for single-day admission. |
| Two Days |
Southern California 2Fer Ticket ($53/$43) through April 28, Tickets: $53 for ages 10 and older, $43 for ages 3 to 9. You must According to the official promotion details, Southern California Reader James tells us that he purchased these tickets at the |
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Southern California 2-Day Park Hopper at 1-Day Park Hopper Tickets: $73 for ages 10 and older, $63 for ages 3 to 9. You must According to the official promotion details, Southern California |
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Good Neighbor Hotel Park Hopper Plus tickets ($105/$85) |
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AAA Flex Passport ($98/$78) – Some AAA offices offer A reader let us know that AAA offices in Oregon and Idaho do |
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| Three Days |
AAA Flex Passport ($129/$99) – Some AAA offices offer |
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Good Neighbor Hotel Park Hopper Plus tickets ($114/$114) |
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City Pass ($185/$127) – The cost |
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3-Day Park Hopper Bonus If you plan to visit the Disneyland resort after April 28, take Both offers are available at the Disneyland Web site (link), Several readers wrote to tell us that the Safeway stores in |
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| Four Days |
Good Neighbor Hotel Park Hopper Plus tickets |
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4-Day Park Hopper Bonus tickets ($129/$129) If you plan to visit the Disneyland Resort after April 28, you Both of these ticket offers are available through the Disneyland |
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| Five Days |
Disney’s AAA Passport Plus Package 2005 ($169/$139)
An additional handling fee of $10 is charged per mailing address. Several readers report that their local AAA offices do not MousePlanet has contacted AAA offices around the country and The Auto Club of Southern California (ACSC) is not participating |
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5-Day Park Hopper Bonus tickets ($139/$139) If you plan to visit the Disneyland Resort after April 28, take Both of these ticket offers are available through the Disneyland |
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Alaska Airlines “Kids Fly Free” promotion through |
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| Six or Seven Days |
Disney’s AAA Passport Plus Package 2005 – The Parkhopper
An additional handling fee of $10 is charged per mailing address. Several readers report that their local AAA offices do not The Auto Club of Southern California (ACSC) is not participating |
Special thanks to MousePlanet reader David Michael for some of
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50th Anniversary Package, revised
The Happiest Homecomings on Earth package has been revised for the new
year. The previous promotion was good only for three-night stays at the
Disneyland Resort hotels; the new offer is valid on longer stays and includes
Good Neighbor Hotels as well.
Instead of the 50th anniversary commemorative clock and Walk in Walt’s
Footsteps tour, the new packages include all the following:
- “Enchanting” commemorative certificate (one per package)
- Park Hopper bonus ticket, which includes one early entry into Fantasyland
and a $10 ESPN Zone game card. (Park hopper tickets can be upgraded
to an annual pass for an extra fee) - Preferred seating to select shows at Disney’s California Adventure
- Entry into Mickey’s Toontown Madness
- Walt Disney Travel Co. lanyard and pin (one per person)
- Walt Disney Travel Co. luggage tag
- Walt Disney Travel Co. fun book (one per package)
The “Happiest Homecoming on Earth” package is available for
arrival dates through December 31, 2005. The package can be booked through
the Disneyland Web site (link),
or by calling (714) 520–5060.
ESPN Zone MVP Club
If you sign up online for ESPN Zone’s MVP Club (link)
you can receive a $20 voucher (for food, merchandise, or game cards),
a 40-point game card (about $10 worth), and an ESPN Zone mini-cooler.
ESPN Club in Orlando is excluded from this offer. You must pick up these
items in person, although they do not have to be used as the same store
from which you get them. There are some fairly strick requirements for
registering and getting your rewards, so make sure you read the details
carefully (link).
Park Schedule/Blockout Dates
DL: Disneyland
DCA: Disney’s California Adventure
Annual Pass blockout dates:
- SL – Southern California Select Annual Pass
- SC – Southern California Annual Pass
- DX – Deluxe Annual Pass
|
Sun |
Mon |
Tues |
Wed |
Thurs |
Fri |
Sat |
| 4/18 | 4/19 | 4/20 | 4/21 | 4/22 | 4/23 | |
|
|
DL: 9a–7p | DL: 9a–7p | DL: 9a–7p | DL: 9a–7p | DL: 9a–Mid | DL: 8a–Mid |
| 4/24 | 4/25 | 4/26 | 4/27 | 4/28 | 4/29 | 4/30 |
DL: 8a–11p | DL: 9a–7p | DL: 9a–7p | DL: 9a–7p | DL: 9a–7p | DL: 9a–Mid | DL: 8a–Mid |
| 5/1 | 5/2 | 5/3 | 5/4 | 5/5 | 5/6 | 5/7 |
|
DL: 8a–11p |
DL: 10a–8p |
DL: 10a–8p |
DL: Closed |
DL: 9a–11p |
DL: 9a–Mid |
DL: 8a–Mid |
Visit our
Annual Passholders Blockout Dates 2005 page to see more dates.
You can see future calendar schedules at Disneyland.com
here.
Entertainment schedule: Go directly to the Disneyland Resort
schedule for this week at Disneyland.com
here.
