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News and Views
Laurel resting
Now that the 50th Anniversary is fully in swing, the Disneyland Resort is entering into a period of resting on its laurels. Progress will slowly be made on the new rides, Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage and Monsters, Inc.: Mike and Sully to the Rescue, but for the next few months there isn’t going to be a lot new going on at the Disneyland Resort. We’ll keep doing these weekly Park Updates, but don’t be surprised if they’re a bit light on substance for a while, this week being a good example.
Halloween info
The information we provided last week is now official and the dates for the Mickey’s Halloween Treat events at Disney’s California Adventure have been announced.
The logo for the event posted to the Annual Passholder page at Disneyland.com.
© Disney.
Guests will be allowed to dress in costumes for the event, and there
will be special events, shows, decorations, and music in Disney’s California
Adventure. The event will be held on four nights: 10/21, 10/22, 10/28,
and 10/29, which are Fridays and Saturdays. Each night the event will
run from 7:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.
The general admission price is $20/ticket, which includes parking. Ticket will be sold online beginning September 15, 2005, and attendance is capped though what the cap is has not been released. Annual Passholders will be able to purchase tickets early beginning August 1, 2005, at a 25% discount for $15 per ticket. Eight tickets can be purchased per annual pass.
When preparing your costume keep in mind that Disney will reserve the
right to deny admission to consumes they feel are obscene or otherwise
objectionable. Also, your face must be visible. The official warning on
the AP page also says you should avoid representations of famous people
or copyrighted characters. Presumably, your daughter would be allowed
to show up in her Cinderella dress.
It doesn’t feel windy
A lot of guests left Disneyland on Friday, July 22, and Saturday, July
23, wondering why the fireworks had been canceled. Announcement made in
the parks before both shows warned people that they fireworks were in
danger of being canceled because of high winds, and then announced that
Remember…Dreams Come True, in fact, would be canceled
We received several questions and theories that this wasn’t true, that
there was another reason for the fireworks being canceled—perhaps
related to the small fire next to Sleeping Beauty Castle after the show
last Monday. To everybody who wrote us, it didn’t seem like it was windy
at all, let alone enough to warrant canceling the show.
Remember… has predetermined guidelines for the conditions in which
the show can be held, and for wind the concern isn’t so much for how windy
it is on the ground but rather a couple hundred feet in the air. The amount
of wind can vary drastically between the ground and such heights. Considering
the proximity of the fireworks to densely populated areas, and concerns
about where debris and smoke would be blown and the guidelines are surprisingly
tight. For this reason, on a night when the fireworks were canceled at
Disneyland they were used following the Angels/Yankees game at Edison
Field (where concerns of damage are much different).
At this point in time, there is no reason to suspect that there is a hidden reason for the cancellations. The fire almost certainly has nothing to do with them since the show was held without change on Tuesday through Thursday last week.
What fire damage is visible after last weeks fire. It is limited to smoke stains on the wall of Sleeping Beauty Castle behind the Prince restroom next to Alice in Wonderland. Photo by Frank Anzalone.
Character switch
In mid-August, the Princess character breakfast currently held at Disneyland’s
Plaza Inn is moving to Ariel’s Grotto in Disney’s California Adventure
park, where Ariel, Belle, Snow White, Aurora, and Cinderella will interact
with guests in the new area. One interesting thing about the new location
is that Ariel will appear with legs rather than in tailfin as is standard
for her appearances—transporting an immobile Ariel down into the
tightly packed restaurant would be a logistical challenge. No word yet
on what changes, if any, will be made to the restaurant that has been
through many changes since it opened with DCA as a Wolfgang Puck restaurant.
Taking the place of the princess at Plaza Inn’s breakfast will be Minnie and several of her friends (though, apparently, not Mickey Mouse).
Shortened quest
The Magical Milestones Pin Quest, part of the Magical Milestones pin
program running from June 24 through August 14 has been reduced from its
original two weeks to a single day, on Sunday, August 14.
The pin quest, which in recent years was held on the park’s birthday,
was delayed this year due to the 50th Anniversary events. When guests
enter the park on the 14th, they can get a map that indicates six locations
in the park. Participants then go to those six locations and either answer
a question to get the map stamped or trade a pin for the stamp. Once all
six stations have been visited, a free pin is given at Store Command in
Tomorrowland.
No explanation was given for reducing the duration of the event. Details of the entire Magical Milestones Pin Celebration can be found at the Walt Disney Event Services Web site (link).
50th merchandise details
Cindy Stephens (cstephens on many of the Disney message boards) attended
the 50th Anniversary merchandise event over the weekend of July 15 and
has put together an extensive trip report about it, including photos and
even some video. This is a must-read for anybody interested in the merchandise
events that Disney occasionally holds (link).
For those who had inquired, it does include a list (link)
from the auction with the price things went for. One of the surprise lots
at the auction was the fighting shark and octopus figures from the submarine
lagoon. The final selling price for that was $2,000 and it turns out it
was purchased by a a poster from our MousePad
message board, who goes by the name Circarama. He posted that he was
surprised to learn that it also came with the fighting lobster, also from
the lagoon, and later posted photos of them sitting in his back yard (link
and link).
If he does get them working, hopefully he’ll send along some video.
The fighting lobsters in his backyard. Photo by MousePlanet reader “Circarama.”
The report is that the mechanics are still in place so it may be possible to get them working again. Photo by MousePlanet reader “Circarama.”
Ears to the ground
…It appears that we were either given incorrect information about this year’s Candlelight Procession or plans are still in flux. What we’re hearing now is that it will be just one weekend, the first full one in December, but that it will be held on three days: Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. As always, nothing is certain until it is officially announced, and sometimes not even then.
Don’t keep it to yourself! Send us your news tips,
rumors, and comments. E–mail us
here.
Current Refurbishments and Attraction Closures
Don’t keep it to yourself! Send us your news tips,
rumors, and comments. E–mail us
here.
Disneyland
- 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 closure does not have an official announcement supporting
it; it should be taken as strong rumor and not certain fact). New
rumors say that this refurbishment may be pushed out to early 2006
and be as long as four months. As soon as anything is confirmed, we’ll
say so.
- Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage is currently under construction
and will open sometime in 2007.
Disney’s California Adventure
- Monster, Inc.: Mike and Sully to the Rescue is under construction
and will open in early 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
- Magical Milestone – A Pin Celebration. June 24 –
Aug. 15 at the Disneyland Resort (link).
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 | Southern California 1–Day Park Hopper ($68/$58) |
| Two Days | AAA Flex Passport ($98/$78)– Some AAA A reader let us know that AAA offices in Oregon and Idaho Advance Purchase 2–Day Park Hopper ($105/$85)– |
| Three Days | AAA Flex Passport ($129/$99)– Some AAA offices |
City Pass($185/$127)– The cost of The Southern California City Pass can also be purchased online | |
3–Day Park You can take advantage of the Advance Purchased discount Both offers are available at the Disneyland Web site (link) Several readers wrote to tell us that the Safeway stores | |
| Four Days | 4–Day Park Hopper Bonus tickets($159/$129) You can take advantage of the Advance Purchased discount These tickets are available through the Disneyland Web site |
| 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 The Auto Club of Southern California (ACSC) is not participating |
5–Day Park Hopper Bonus tickets($139/$139) ($169/$139) You can take advantage of the Advance Purchased discount Both of these ticket offers are available through the Disneyland | |
Alaska Airlines “Kids Fly Free” promotion through | |
| 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 | |
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
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” from 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.
Free Stroller Rental
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
Sun | Mon | Tues | Wed | Thurs | Fri | Sat |
| 7/25 | 7/26 | 7/27 | 7/29 | 7/29 | 7/30 | |
| DL: 8a–Mid | DL: 8a–Mid | DL: 8a–Mid | DL: 8a–Mid | DL: 8a–Mid | DL: 8a–Mid |
| 7/31 | 8/1 | 8/2 | 8/3 | 8/4 | 8/5 | 8/6 |
DL: 8a–Mid | DL: 8a–Mid | DL: 8a–Mid | DL: 8a–Mid | DL: 8a–Mid | DL: 8a–Mid | DL: 8a–Mid |
| 8/7 | 8/8 | 8/9 | 8/10 | 8/11 | 8/12 | 8/13 |
DL: 8a–Mid | DL: 8a–Mid | DL: 8a–Mid | DL: 8a–Mid | DL: 8a–Mid | DL: 8a–Mid | DL: 8a–Mid |
Visit our
Annual Passholders Blockout Dates 2005 page to see more dates.
You can see future calendar schedules at Disneyland.
Entertainment schedule: Go directly to the Disneyland Resort
schedule for this week at Disneyland.com
here.
