Disneyland Park Update

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News and Views

Getting ready to launch

Starting last Friday, Disneyland Resort cast members were being recruited
to test drive the rebuilt Space Mountain. While not running continuously,
this is part of the shakeout process to iron out any outstanding problems,
and allows further training of the cast members who will be working on
the ride when it reopens. Of most excitement to regular park visitors
is that this is also generally an indicator that unannounced soft openings
(dress rehearsals) are in the near future (the strongest rumors are saying
soft openings over the Fourth of July weekend will be used to help absorb
crowds).

Several MousePlanet readers have been on the ride under these tests and
posted about it (link).
None have provided detailed specifics, but they confirm that the track
layout is identical to what was there before Space Mountain closed. This
has been generally known for a long time, but we still get e–mail
asking if it is true that they’ve added a loop. Hopefully that will now
end.

They also say that the loading station is looking great and that the
new effects are disorienting.

Car Burglary Suspect Nabbed

Staff writer David Koenig sends in this item on security at the Mickey
& Friends garage:

Anaheim police have arrested a suspect in a recent string of vehicle
burglaries in Disneyland’s Mickey & Friends parking structure. According
to one security officer, this spring dozens of cars have been broken
into and robbed of stereos, clothing, cameras and other belongings.
The high point, he claimed, came Saturday April 23, when as many as
20 vehicles were burglarized. (The Anaheim Police Department confirmed
that the number of break-ins has been unusually high, but could not
provide an exact total.)

The good news: On April 23, security cameras captured a suspect’s photo,
which was circulated among security and police. Then, over Memorial
Day weekend, said the officer, “The suspect showed up again wearing
the same clothes and baseball cap! They followed him around and he broke
into several vehicles before Anaheim police arrived and he was arrested.
We were told that he has a very extensive rap sheet and was a professional.”

Anaheim police called it “a good arrest,” since security
observed the man committing multiple thefts before stepping in. In addition,
the suspect will likely be charged for some previous crimes which were
carried out in a similar fashion.

The guard feels especially “lucky in catching this guy because
management never increased the number of officers in the parking structure.
They were running short almost every day.” Over the last 18 months,
security has had to make do with fewer officers assigned fewer hours.
“The Security Department has been taking cuts for a couple of years
now,” he said. “The company blames it on over hiring after
9-11, but the truth is they are just trying to save money at the expense
of guest safety and the safety of their property. They cut the number
of officers in the parking structure by at least two and the number
of officers that patrol the Downtown Disney parking lots by two. The
company doesn’t care about the break-ins because they are not losing
any money. They also aren’t doing anything about it, just trying to
keep it quiet.”

When contacted for comment, Disneyland spokemsman Bob Tucker replied,
“The security of our Guests and Cast Members is our highest priority
and we always uphold that committment.”

Grad Night rejection

David also received this story from a recent Grad Night event:

Cast members have also been debating a controversial incident preceding
Thursday June 2’s Grad Nite. In mid-evening, a bus of graduates arrived
from Tijuana, Mexico. But before the teens could enter, a Parking cast
member searched the bus and found about three six-packs of beer on the
bus with several cans open. The hourly reported the discovery to his
manager, who briefly filled in security over the phone. He then turned
the entire bus away.

Club Buzz during a recent Grad Night. Photo by William Shandling.

Evidently, there was no attempt to find out just who was drinking—everyone
was sent home, even before security managers could arrive. “Kids
were crying. The chaperones were pleading to let them in. It was a mess,”
said one source. Security addressed the incident during the next morning’s
“roll call” meeting. An attendee revealed, “One of the
officers brought up the fact that, if the bus was from Simi Valley or
Laguna, would we have treated them the same? You could have heard a
pin drop. Nobody said anything. The sad truth is we would have treated
them differently. If the bus was from Laguna and we treated them like
that, you would have read about that in the Orange County Register
the next day. But because they were from Mexico, no one is the wiser.”

Disney spokesperson Bub Tucker directed requests for comment to the Anaheim
Police Department, saying it was a matter that they handled. As of writing,
Anaheim Police Department had not responded to a similar request.

Welcoming banner at a recent Grad Night. Photo by William Shandling.

A Gubornatorial Ceremony

Shortly after park opening last Friday, California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
(perhaps you out-of-staters have heard of him?) was joined by several
sports celebrities at Disney’s California Adventure to announce the establishment
of the Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, which will promote
health goals among Californians. Schwarzenegger served as chairman of
the similar President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Health from 1990-1993,
during the first George Bush administartion.

Schwarzenegger and guests spoke to a crowd of 30 Boy Scouts and 100 performers
from DCA’s Block Party Bash parade. The attending sports celebrities were
Reggies Jackson (baseball), Julie Fowdy (soccer), Michelle Kwan (figure
skating), Lindsay Davenport (tennis), Peter Vidmar (gymnastics), and Jerry
Rice (football).

Governor Schwarzenegger working the crowd after the ceremony. Photo ©State of California.

Governor Schwarzenegger with Mickey Mouse and fitness guru Jack Lelane (left). Photo ©State of California.

The confusion of planning

When it comes to planning a Disney trip, sometimes it just seems easier
to just show up and worry about money later. Unfortunately, that isn’t
an option for a lot of people. MousePlanet received this e-mail from reader
Bill Lund that highlights some options that are avaialble to travellers
and also shows the importance of shopping around in finding the best deals.

You might want to mention in the DL update section that AAA has a deal
with Disney in which your passport can collect multiple fastpasses.
You have to book your Disneyland Resort hotel through AAA and buy the
park hopper passes through them. Your pass is now good to collect multiple
fastpasses without waiting until the first one becomes valid. You cannot
collect more than one fastpass for the same ride, but you can walk around
picking up as many fast passes as you like from different attractions.
This deal isn’t even available from Disney itself, which seems odd to
me. I called Disney reservations and they confirmed that the only way
to get this deal (at least this year) is from AAA. You have to be staying
at one of the Disney resort hotels. The multiple fastpass tickets are
not available if you are staying at one of the “Good Neighbor”
hotels.

Regarding prices, Disney reservations and their Web site quoted $1,069
for three days, and three people staying at the Grand Californian. The
AAA price, which included the multiple fastpass feature, was $1016!

While we try to keep current information in the Discounts and Promotions
section of this page current, it is just too varied a subject to be completely
comprehensive. If you’re planning a trip to one of the Disney parks, check
out our message boards (link)
for the combined knowledge of thousands of Disney fans.

More 50th Merchandise details

Walt Disney Event Services has released more information for those attending
the Celebrating 50 Years of Magical Memories merchandise event on July
15-17. In addition to giving the edition size for merchandise available
through the Random Selection Process, they have also added information
(link)
about how many pieces of the edition will be available at the event. While
some items are exclusive to the event, and therefore the entire edition
will be available for sale, other pieces are not exclusive meaning that
they will be available through other stores.

This valuable information will better allow participants to prioritize
their RSP lists.

Alice Comedies

It is short notice, but tickets appear to still be available to a screening
of 12 of the “Alice Comedies” during the Los Angeles Film Festival.
These films were Walt Disney’s first successes from 1923-1926 and combined
live action with animation. The screening is Sunday, June 19, at 1:30
p.m. at the Director’s Guild of America theater at 7820 Sunset Blvd.,
in Los Angeles. Tickets are $10 and the combined show is 98 minutes long.
The included shorts are:

Alice Gets in Dutch

Alice on the Farm

Alice Solves the Puzzle

Alice the Peacemaker

Alice the Piper

Alice’s Circus Daze

Alice’s Mysterious Mystery

Alice’s Spooky Adventure

Alice’s Wild West Show

Alice’s Wonderland

Disney’s On the Record opens at Kansas City Starlight Theater

Although this is not in Disneyland itself, landlocked readers near Kansas
City may be interested in this Disney experience. From a place close to
Walt Disney’s heart comes a musical called “On The Record”:

What: Disney’s ON THE RECORD is the show-stopping new musical revue
set in an enchanted recording studio where singers, dancers and musicians
come to perform 64 songs made popular by Disney films from the past
75 years. ON THE RECORD is directed, choreographed and co-conceived
by Tony Award nominee Robert Longbottom.

For tickets, log on to KCStarlight.com (link)
or call the box office at (816) 363-STAR (7827).

When: Tuesday, June 14 – Sunday, June 19 8:30 p.m.

Where: Starlight Theatre in Swope Park 4600 Starlight Road Kansas City,
Missouri

Ears to the ground

…The Ward Kimball, the newest addition to the Disneyland
Railroad’s fleet of trains may be getting some track time this week during
park hours. This isn’t nearly solid enough that anybody should change
plans to get to the park, but if you’re there anyway you might want to
keep an eye out.

…The Fastpass system at Disneyland is not the straightforward affair
that you might expect. David Michael (known all around the Internet as
Darkbeer) recently updated his amazingly detailed guide to the system,
and it is something everybody should check out (link).

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Don’t keep it to yourself! Send us your news tips,
rumors, and comments. E–mail us
here.

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Current Refurbishments and Attraction Closures

Disneyland

• Space Mountain opens July 15.
  
• Haunted Mansionclosed September 6–29 to install Haunted
  Mansion Holiday overlay; closed Jan. 9–25, 2006 to remove overlay
  
• Pirates of the Caribbeanclosed October 3 through December 13
  (this closure does not have an official announcement supporting it;
  it should be taken as strong rumor and not certain fact).
  
• 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.

Events

June

• Robert Olszewski merchandise release. June 18 at Disneyland
  Park. A new Main Street piece in his “Disneyland in Miniature”
  collection: Main Street Train Station. Also released will be Dapper
  Dan and Fab Five character packs (link).
  
• 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 are open (link).
  
• Magical Milestone – A Pin Celebration. June 24 –
  Aug. 15 at the Disneyland Resort (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

• Happiest Music on Earth. July 2–4. A concert at Hollywood
  Bowl presenting music from 50 years of Disneyland (link).
  
• Disneyland star on Hollywood Walk of Fame. July 14. Disneyland
  will get a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, no details have yet been
  released.
  
• 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. Also Main Street Train.
  

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.

Free Stroller Frental

Holders of a Disney Visa card can get up to two free stroller rentals
per day at the Disneyland Resort. This offer is valid through September
30, 2006 and you must present a valid Disney Visa card at time of rental.

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 pageto see more dates. You can
see future calendar schedules at Disneyland. TARGET=”_blank”>here.

Entertainment schedule: Go directly to the Disneyland Resort
schedule for this week at Disneyland.com here.