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News and Views

Disneyland Railroad events

Steve DeGaetano passes along a couple pieces of information from the
tracks at Disneyland.

The first relates to a piece we ran last week about a train called the
Marie E. we saw being delivered to Disneyland, and an event involving
animator Ollie Johnston. According to Michael Broggie’s book Walt Disney’s
Railroad Story, the Marie E was built in 1901 by the H.K. Porter
Company and hauled coal in Puyallup, Washington, for years. Eventually
Ollie Johnston purchased it from a scrap yard, restored it, and ran it
on his property in Julian, California, until he sold it to Pixar producer
John Lasseter in 1993.

The delivery of the Marie E. to Disneyland was for a special event
with Ollie Johnston, and the whole thing was a surprise to him. Here’s
Steve’s telling:

[Ollie Johnston] was in a wheelchair… with Ollie under the platform
near the DRR attraction poster. All the biggies were there—Eisner,
Oimet, Iger. I’ve heard ABC was there covering the story, as well as
Disney TV (Cast Member TV?). Michael Broggie gave a speech, and as he
finished, the Marie E, kept out of sight on the track near the
Jungle Cruise, whistled, and ran up to the platform. Ollie was completely
taken aback that his old engine as there! He was wheeled to the handicapped
loading platform, the engine was backed into position, and a diamond
tread plate was placed as bridge into the engine. Ollie walked into
the cab with his son, and was strapped in, hand on the throttle. He
whistled a very loud blast, pulled the throttle, and took off like a
bolt of lightning!

He made two circuits of the railroad, and came into the station with
tears in his eyes.

An attendee of this event reported on the
Disneyland Railroad discussion board at Steve’s Web site Burnsland
that they had to keep the train from blowing its whistle until right before
it came into the New Orleans Square station lest Johnston recognize it
too soon, which he did as soon as it was blown.

Those interested in the fate of the Lilly Belle might be justified
in a slight uptick in hope. While in the park for this event, Disneyland
Resort President Matt Ouimet took a tour of the roundhouse and specifically
requested a tour of the Lilly Belle. We’ve no word beyond that,
though.

Finally, some more information on the Ward Kimball. Last week
we reported the word from one Disneyland Railroad cast member who said
that Ward Kimball would have gold highlights as part of the golden
vehicles program for the 50th Annivserary. According to Steve, who has
seen the paint job, this isn’t really true. The bright brass bands on
the boiler and also the brass bell and whistle could be misinterpreted.
The lettering, however, is all hand–applied gold leaf, which is unique
to Ward Kimball, as the other engines possess painted lettering.
On May 7, Ward Kimball operated under steam for the first time
on the tracks at the roundhouse. Steve notes:

The locomotive moved back and forth on its track smoothly and without
incident. The boiler steams very well on spot and there is a sharp bark
to the exhaust. I believe this engine will be a little noisier than
they are use to. She definitely wants to run. It will be good to get
her out on the open railroad

$0.51 for $26.01

If you’re a pressed penny collector, you may want to bring a couple rolls
of quarters and pennies on your next visit. For the 50th Anniversary,
Disneyland has replaced existing press machines with new stamps: 51 new
stamps in all. Each new design calls out an event from one of Disneyland’s
50 years (such as Caroussel of Progress opening in 1967).

If you want to go all out, for each press use a penny from the same year.

Left hanging

Along with increased complexity comes more possible points of failure,
and that proved out during the May 12 performance of the Remember…
Dreams Comes True fireworks. In the new show Tinker Bell has a much
more elaborate set–up than before, allowing her to do crowd–pleasing
moves near the castle.

The risk, though, comes in when you consider that the whole flight of
Tinker Bell is no longer a simple function of gravity and on that night
everything locked up about 15 feet into her flight. Show directors quickly
got her out of the spotlight and shortly after guests could faintly see
her being slowly pulled across the sky. Commendably, Tink stayed in character
the entire time and everything was in proper working order for her second
flight later in the show.

Of more interest to anybody wondering about the show mechanics, this
incident highlighted the level of flexibility crew have even when a show
has started. On very short notice, it was possible to prevent castle area
effects that would have put the cast member playing Tinker Bell at risk
without entirely disrupting the show.

50th merch event controversy

Our message board buzzed to life earlier this week with word that attendance
adjustments had been made to the various packages available for the 50th
Anniversary merchandise event on July 15–17.

Originally the three most expensive packages—Walt’s Dream, Roy’s
Plan, and Lillian’s Inspiration—were limited to 50, 50, and, 140
people respectively. The official information on the Walt Disney Event
Services Web site (link)
now lists the limits as 78, 46, and 187 (though if you look at the individual
plan pages, they say 80, 70, and 200).

This may not seem a big deal at first blush, but when someone has spent
almost $2,000 (for Walt’s Plan) for an exclusive opportunity, it is easy
to see that some would be upset at the number of people getting this opportunity
has increased by 56 percent.

A bit of a debacle happened with the initial registration process with
some people registering early while others were able to make a purchase
after a particular plan had sold out. Either way, Disney was going to
make somebody unhappy, either by accommodating these extra people or by
telling them they were out of luck.

MousePlanet has been in contact with Martha, in Walt Disney Event Services,
who offers assurances that these extra people will not compromise the
experience. Despite this, many people have expressed concerns about the
increased difficulty of getting into desired seminars, and more demand
for limited edition merchandise.

Other questions floating around involve the concern that event participants
will have to leave Disneyland after their breakfast on July 17 and then
wait in line with everybody else to get back into the park. Martha also
assures us this is not true, and said that ater the breakfast, participants
will go over to Space Mountain and then be able to stay inside the park
until official opening.

Walt Disney Event Servcies will honor refund requests until May 24 because
of these changes. They have also posted more information about the event,
including a tentative itinerary (link),
artist appearances (link),
auction items (link),
and a list of RSP (Disneyland’s Random Selection Purchase program) merchandise
(link).

Discounts updated

With all the focus on the 50th Anniversary, our Discounts
section got a bit out of date. We’ve updated it to the best of our ability.
Updates include information on the Southern California 1–Day Park
Hopper, and other new travel packages. If you know of any deals that aren’t
in that section, let us know.

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rumors, and comments. E–mail us
here.

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Current Refurbishments and Attraction Closures

Disneyland

• 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
• Pirates of the Caribbean closed October 3 through December
  13 (this is what we’re hearing, it could change; feel free to send the
  paniced emails, but that’s the response for now).
• Submarine Lagoon is currently beginning work on a new Finding
  Nemo attraction; still unofficial at this time with an opening date
  unannounced.

Disney’s California Adventure

• The former SuperStar Limo building is now the future Monster,
  Inc.: Mike and Sulley to the Rescue which will open January 2006.
  

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

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.
  
• Shag merchandise release and reception. June 24 at the Paradise
  Pier Hotel. Five new Shag paintings and associated merchandise will
  be sold and a reception and meet–and–greet with the artist
  will be held. Reservations open May 9 (link).
  
• Magical Milestone – A Pin Celebration. June 24 –
  Aug. 15 at the Disneyland Resort. No details have been announced (link).
  
• USPS Disney Stamps. June 30 at Disneyana Shop in Disneyland
  Park. Artist Peter Emmerich and other officials will be on hand. Guests
  can purchase first day of issue cachets in various forms (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!

Fourth Night Free

Get a fourth night free if you stay at any of the three Disneyland Resort
hotels for three or more consecutive nights. Visits must happen August
28 through December 18, 2005 (link).

2005 Resort Magic Package

This package (link)
for couples includes two nights’ lodging and a park hopper tickets. Travel
must occur “value seasons” now through July 2, 2005; August
28–November 21, 2005; and November 27–December 23, 2005.

• 50th Anniversary 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)

Two versions of the package are available. For $349 per person (double
occupancy) you can stay at one of the on–property Disney hotels.
For $229 per person (double occupancy) you can get the same package while
staying at the Jolly Roger Hotel or Red Roof Inn Maingate.

50th Anniversary Package

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 must be booked online
through the Disneyland Web site (link) by December 28, 2005.

Kids Fly Free

Alaska Airlines “Kids Fly Free” promotion through June 29,
2005 – Alaska Airlines has a package that includes either a
free 5–day park hopper with each paid adult ticket, or an adult 5–day
park hopper for the children’s price. You must book packages by June 1,
and travel must be completed by June 29. Visit the Alaska Airlines Web
site (link)
for more details.

United Airlines “Kids Fly Free” promotion through June 10,
2005 – United Airlines has a vacation package from many airports
to the three Disneyland–area airports. Packages includes roundtrip
airfare and 2–nights lodging at the Best Western Pavilions hotel
on Harbor Blvd. One child, aged 2–11, can fly free for each paying
adult. Also, one child per paying adult can eat for free at the Denny’s
restaurant next door to the hotel. You must book by May 24, 2005 and complete
your travel by June 10, 2005. Visit the United Airlines Web site (link)
for more details.

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 strict 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
  

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.