Disneyland Park Update

Update for July 24-30, 2006

Go directly to: News & Views | Current Refurbishment/Attraction Closures | Park Events | Discounts and Promotions | Park Schedule/Blockout Dates

News and Views

Is it hot enough for ya?

It’s the middle of summer, so of course it has been hot at Disneyland. But a week of temperatures in the 90s didn’t do much to prepare everybody for a high of 106 degrees this last Saturday. As all of you readers in Arizona start saying “phsaw!” let’s add that a humidity of 80 percent makes it feel even worse.

Fortunately, Sunday brought a bit of a break in the weather. Of course, that break came in the form of thunderstorms which cooled things off a bit, but it’s debatable whether 93 degrees and wet is all that much much better than 106 degrees and dry. After another day today of temperatures approaching 100 degrees, the rest of the week is looking to be cooler (with high of just 90 degrees).

It’s a good time, though, to remind everybody of some simple tips for dealing with the heat. Nothing will cause your vacation to crash and burn for a day or longer than getting dehydrated, severely sunburned, or even something more serious:

• Dress appropriately. Wear looser clothing that flows easily. Tight shorts and T-shirts don’t really provide much help in keeping cool and the more exposed skin, the more you have to worry about sunburns. Also, cover your head. Ideally with a that provides protection for not only your scalp but your face and neck as well. If you’re not willing to wear a hat, consider a parasol (conveniently on sale near Cafe Orleans in New Orleans Square).
  
  

• Be very aware of your shoes and how appropriate they are for being on your feet all day long. On high heat days, your feet simply are going to sweat a lot, which makes any rubbing points just that much more aggravating.
  
  

• Sunscreen, sunscreen, sunscreen. Standing in line for Dumbo is not the time to be working on your tan so put on heavy-duty sunscreen and reapply it throughout the day. Keep in mind that a typical T-shirt only has an SPF of 4 or 5 so before you head off to the park you should put sunscreen on covered areas as well. Bring plenty of your preferred sunscreen to the park with you, but if you forget you can buy it at the Emporium and Greetings from California in the parks (and possibly other locations).
  
  

• Drink plenty of water. Becoming dehydrated will quickly end any fun you’re having. So drink lots of water. The water expense will quickly add up for your party if you’re buying it in the park so bring water bottles for everybody in your party (so long as they aren’t huge coolers or glass you’ll have no problem). Most people don’t like the taste of Anaheim tap water but it is readily available around the parks from drinking fountains and some restaurants. You might also consider bringing along some single-serving electrolyte drink mixes to add to the water every once in a while. There is a reasonably easy way to keep track of whether you are drinking enough water. When you are properly hydrated your urine should pretty much be clear. As you become more dehydrated it will move into deeper shades of yellow and event towards orange.
  
  

• Give up on touring the parks commando-style. Focus on just having fun for the day and for most people this means giving up on the idea of doing everything at Disneyland in a day. Make a plan for what is most important and plan to do those things and then anything else that you can get to is bonus.
  
  

• Be aware of waits and conditions. 95 degrees is bad enough when you’re moving around but it is somehow much worse when you’re just standing in line. So be aware of attraction queues. Some are well protected from the sun and others are not. If riding Big Thunder means 90 minutes of standing in the sun, then consider passing on it or come back in the evening when things have cooled down.
  
  

• Take the mid-day off. Temperatures generally peak around 3:00 p.m. so if you have time in your schedule and it is convenient, consider returning to your hotel for lunch, some swimming, and maybe a nap before heading back to the park in late afternoon.
  
  

• If you do overdo it and begin to feel dizzy or otherwise are having problems, head for the First Aid center next to Main Street Photo Supply Co. and behind the corn dog wagon. The nurses there can offer a cool place to lie down, basic medication such as analgesics, general evaluations, and referrals if the problem is more serious.

Also keep in mind that a under the best of conditions lot of park guests have trouble making it to the end of the day with Disneyland still being the Happiest Place on Earth. Heat only makes it harder to fight off the grumpiness of a long day with kids wanting to go in 45 directions at once and spending the next month’s mortgage payment of Mickey ears and pizza slices. Just try to roll with the punches and a dedication to getting what fun you can out of the day, and not necessarily what fun would be your dream day.

51 with a pop

There was definitely no bang in the 51st anniversary celebration for Disneyland last Monday. But then, as we reported in last week’s update, none was expected. Hopes were momentarily raised when the park opened with monitors and a stage set up in front of Sleeping Beauty Castle and word spread that something would be happening at 10:00 a.m. Turns out, though, that it was a brief ceremony to announce a $1 million donation by Disneyland to the Children’s Hospital of Orange County (CHOC).

Goofy, Donald, Mickey, Minnie and Pluto wait for the Disneyland Band and the beginning of the ceremoney. Photo by David Michael.

Not that CHOC isn’t a very worthy institution and a gift of $1 million isn’t worthy a bit of celebration in its own right, but it wasn’t what people were hoping for when they saw the stage. The big birthday-related event of the day was a modified version of the daily rededication ceremony that has been running since shortly after the 50th birthday last July. Instead of being held in the morning it was held in the afternoon. Joining the Mayor of Main Street, the Fab Five characters (Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Pluto, and Goofy), resort president Matt Ouimet, and the Disneyland Band was Marty Sklar, former executive at Walt Disney Imagineering and now an ambassador for that division.

Walt Disney Imagineering ambassador Marty Sklar gives a short speech with the Mayor of Main Street in the background. Photo by Andrew Rich.

He gave a little brief speech reminiscing about his early career with Walt Disney and also did a little politicking, assuring the audience that Walt loved change and would have loved the recent changes at Disneyland (specifically, the “enhanced” Pirates of the Caribbean). He then asked the spectators to join him in reciting along with the recording of Walt Disney, the dedication speech. After the ceremony Matt Ouimet and Marty Sklar spent quite a while working the crowd and greeting guests.

Apparently unhappy with the level of recognition for the 51st birthday through official channels a park guest modified the 50th logo outside of Enchanted Tiki Room. The other logo within easy reach, on Tom Sawyer Island, was similarly transformed. Photo by Kenji Luster.

Cars pre-parade

We mentioned the new Cars “pre-parade” in last week’s update. Presented here are some photos of it by frequent photographic contributor David Michael. The pre-parade consists entirely of real cars made to look like Lightning McQueen and Mater from Cars (apparently Sally Carrera has other things to do). Mater blows his horn a lot (and loudly). People can have their pictures taken with the cars once they’ve moved down the road from the Paradise Pier parade gate to a spot right in front of the Laod Bhang Pin Cart where Paradise Pier and Golden State meet.

What these pictures also show is that summer attendance at Disney’s California Adventure is back down to low expectations. We always get slammed for bringing this up, but it seems the combination of heat and blacked out annual passes are keeping away the locals and keeping the in park crowds to the small side of estimates. Also of interest is that last week the Disneyland.com entertainment schedule showed that the Cars pre-parade would be showing six times a day. The schedule now shows just one appearance every day at 4:45. It is unclear whether this is an actual change or if the site was wrong. With this new listing it is more acturately a “pre-parade” being right before the 5:15 Block Party Bash performance.

Lightning McQueen and Mater enter from the far end of Paradise Pier and head towards Golden State. Photo by David Michael.

Lightning McQueen is fully decked out with all his racing endorsements. Photo by David Michael.

Mater has lived a life of slow decay out in the desert. Photo by David Michael.

Unlike in the movie, Rust-eeze apparently has human salesman. Photo by David Michael.

On a hot Friday afternoon, the apparance by the two cars didn’t draw a very large crowd of admirers. Photo by David Michael.

Getting harder to smoke

The Marriott family of hotels has made a significant addition to a growing trend in the industry. They announced last week that all 2,300+ of their properties will be removing their entire inventory of smoking rooms. The hotels immediately stopped accepting new reservations for smoking rooms and will only honor existing reservations for stays ending before October 15.

If you currently have a smoking room reservation for one of the affected properties after October 15, you should expect that you will not be allowed to smoke. If this is important to you, you probably want to look into rebooking your accommodations (talk to your hotel first, to make sure they will be in compliance with the general schedule announced last week).

The Marriott family of hotel chains includes Marriott, JW Marriott, Ritz-Carlton, Renaissance, Courtyard, Residence Inn, SpringHill Suites, Fairfield Inn, TownPlace Suites, and Marriott ExecuStay. With more than 2,300 properties in the United States, Marriott is by far the largest hotelier to go 100 percent smoke-free. Westin, with fewer than 100 properties, made a similar shift last year and the three Disneyland on-property hotels did so earlier this year.

The trend is clear to see and it seems reasonable to expect more major chains to make the same decision. According to Marriott’s numbers they were already down to about 10 percent of their rooms being smoking rooms from a historic high of 50 percent. Frequently hotels find themselves sitting on unbooked inventory when not enough smokers have reserved rooms and often find themselves dealing with irate non-smokers when a smoking room is the only option available.

Properties in the area of Disneyland (within 5 miles) impacted by this change are:

• Anaheim Marriott (700 Convention Way, Anaheim)

• Courtyard Anaheim Disneyland Resort (2045 South Harbor Blvd., Anaheim)

• Fairfield Inn Anaheim Disneyland Resort (1460 South Harbor Blvd., Anaheim)

• Marriott Anaheim Suites (12015 South Harbor Blvd., Garden Grove)

• Residence Inn Anaheim Maingate (1700 South Clementine Street, Anaheim)

• Residence Inn Anaheim/Garden Grove (11931 Harbor Blvd., Garden Grove)

• TownPlace Suites Anaheim (1730 South State College Blvd., Anaheim)

All in all there are more than 70 properties within a half-hour’s drive of Disneyland, so don’t assume that list is comprehensive by any means. If you have any questions about this change, be sure to contact the hotel at which you are staying. If you are a smoker and wish to learn more about your options about smoking in and around the parks, see our smoking guide (link).

Francis getting some serious work

Francis’ Ladybug Boogie continues to prove one of the more problematic rides at DCA. Since the Flik’s Fun Fair section of the park opened back in 2003 it has seen several significant down periods and there was even a time back in 2004 when it looked like the ride might close permanently. Back on June 17 the ride went down for a month-long refurbishment but never came back online as expected July 13. Cast members have now been told that the ride is not expected to return until January at the soonest. Obviously, in the process of refurbishing the rides mechanics found something they didn’t like and is requiring significant effort to fix (either that or management is just softly killing the ride but there would seem to be no reason for that).

Currently, the piece of land occupied by the ride is just an empty shell with all the ride vehicles and the spin-plates removed. There is no word on whether there is a connection to the problems reported back in April 2004 (link).

The way the ride works is that five ladybug ride vehicles twirl around in a figure-eight pattern and when they reach the middle the vehicle is transferred from one spinning plate to the other. Back in 2004 this transfer wasn’t going so well and there were reported instances of ride vehicles hitting each other.

This and that

…Though there does not seem to yet be an official announcement, all the buzz is that the Cheetah Girls will be doing some type of performance at Disney’s California Adventure park this weekend (July 30). The official Cheetah Girls concert page still lists the concert date as “to be announced” but several diverse sources have locked it in for this Sunday. Odds are they will not be doing a full performance but more likely a short set. We also do not know if the performance will be in one of the existing stage locations or whether a larger stage will be put up at the amphitheater between Golden Dreams and Ariel’s Grotto as has been done for concert performances in the past. Apparently this will all be filmed for use in some Disney Channel special and there may be random sightings of the Cheetah Girls and other Disney Channel celebrities throughout the week as individual segments are taped.

…We mentioned this last week, but so many emails have come in since that it is worth repeating. Disney’s Aladdin – A Musical Spectacular is going dark beginning on September 11. However, at this time there is on indication that it is a permanent closure. Existing crew have been told that the temporary closure will be used to clean and repair sets (including, hopefully, the flying carpet effect) and that new cast is being auditioned. The show is expecting to reopen on October 1. That said, several people mentioned the example of the Eureka parade where new contracts were similarly signed shortly before the parade was axed. Anything is possible, of course, but so far as we know, there is no reason to expect it this time.

…Yes, we’ve heard the rumor of a new Star Wars-related show being put into the Club Buzz stage. No, we have no information to suggest whether it is true or not.

…It isn’t any surprise, but the first official notification of the new Fossil store in Downtown Disney is out in the form of small signs on the construction wall between Illuminations and what will be Disney’s Vault 28. You may recall that during the remodelling of Illuminations earlier this summer, that store gave up some space to allow for this new store front. Fossil sells watches and other accessories.

Signs for the new Fossil store have been added to the constructoin wall between Illuminations and the also-under-construction Disney’s Vault 28. They’re also hiring. Photo by David Michael.

…Most people don’t even know it exists but the hotline for the Candy Kitchen on Main Street hasn’t been updated for more than a month now. You can call 714-781-0112 and a recorded message will let you know what candies will be made on site at the Main Street shop throughout the week. The recording is still giving information for June 11 through June 17. This information came to our attention late yesterday so rather than waiting and trying to find out if it will be resumed, we figured why not just put it out there and if anybody has additional information, please let us know.

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

Current Refurbishments and Attraction Closures

Disneyland

• Matterhorn Bobsleds closed August 28 – November 22 for complete refurbishment.
• Haunted Mansion closed September 5 – 28 for installation of Haunted Mansion Overlay.
• Golden Horseshoe closed September 5 – October 6 for refurbishment, kitchen update, and menu change. No word yet on what will be done with Billy Hill and the Hillbillies show during closure.
• Snow White – An Enchanted Musical ends September 4. Last performances ever will be on this date. No replacement show has yet been announced.
• Disneyland Railroad closed September 18 – 22 for unknown reasons, probably general maintenance.
• Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage is currently under construction and will open sometime in 2007.
• Gadget’s Go Coaster closed beginning October 2 for approximately six weeks. General maintenance with no ride changes expected.

Disney’s California Adventure

• Francis’ Lady Bug Boogie closed until at least January 2007. One-month refurbishment in June/July 2006 was unexpectedly extended indicating major repair work is needed.
• Disney’s Aladdin – A Musical Spectacular dark September 11 – October 1. Rumors of permanent closure appear unfounded as new cast members have signed contracts through April 2007.
• California Screamin’ closed October 2 – 5. Everybody was expecting a long maintenance closure so this information is suspect at this time and will most likely eventually be changed to show a multi-month closure.

Paradise Pier Hotel

• Yamabuki closed July 31 – September 8 for complete refurbishment.

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

If you know of any events, official or unofficial, that should be listed here, let us know.

July

• Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest at El Capitan Theater. July 7 – September 4. Accompanying the run of the movie will be props and costumes from the movie.

August

• Fantasia at Hollywood Bowl. August 18 and 19. Live orchestral performances of songs from Fantasia with video clips from movie. Conducted by John Mauceri. August 18 (linklink)

• 64th World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon). August 23-27 at the Anaheim Convention Center (link).

September

• Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend. September 15-17. For more information and registration see the official Web site (link, warning: horribly annoying embedded music)

• Little Mermaid at El Capitan Theater. September 7-17. Restored edition in conjunction with DVD re-release. First screening will be accompanied by panel discussion (link).

October

• Gay Days. October 6 – 8. Unofficial event (link).

• CHOC Walk. October 8. An annual charity walk at Disneyland to raise money for Children’s Hospital Orange County (link).
• Mickey’s Halloween Treat. October 13, 20, 22, 26, 27, 29, 30, and 31 at DCA. (See Disneyland AP page for details)

• Pirates of the Caribbean Sculpture Series. On sale October 14. Series by Walt Disney Classic Collection goes on sale at Disneyland Resort (link).

November

• Nightmare Before Christmas at El Capitan Theater. October 19-31 (link).
• Lion King returns to Pantages Theater. Beginning November 16 for eight week run. Call 323-463-4367 for details and tickets. Perusal tickets are available to Annual Passholders and Disney Visa members through June 10.

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!

This first section is a list of discounts on ticket only purchases. Though it has become more common in recent years, Disneyland tickets are still rarely see deep discounts unless you are a resident of Southern California or Northern Mexico. For residents outside that area, the best discounts available tend to be simple advance purchase discounts.

Unless otherwise states, all tickets currently available for purchase must be first used by January 2, 2007. All multi-day tickets expire 13 days after first use.

This information is pulled from many sources but much thanks must go to MousePlanet sponsor MouseSavers.com for providing the bulk of the information. If you know of any additional discounts, offers, promotions, or contests that should be listed in this section, drop us a line (link).

Travel Packages

2006 Resort Magic Package – This official Disney travel package (link) is $452/per person for two adults per two-nights. The $452 price is for the Paradise Pier Hotel and goes up for Disneyland Hotel or Grand Californian Hotel. In addition to the hotel room, the package includes appropriate park hopper tickets, one early admission (early admission days are currently Mondays, Tuesday, Thursdays, and Saturdays), a virtual prize for the Virtual Magic Kingdom online game, admission to Mickey’s Toontown Morning Madness (currently available Mondays, Wednesday, Fridays, and Saturdays), and Walt Disney Travel Company collectible pin and lanyard, luggage tag, and California Fun Book. Travel using this package must be booked by August 28, 2006, and completed by September 2, 2006.

2006 Good Neighbor Magic Package – This official Disney travel package (link) starts at $277/per person for two adults per two-nights. The $227 price is for the Jolly Roger Hotel and goes up for other Good Neighbor hotels. In addition to the hotel room, the package includes appropriate park hopper tickets, one early admission (early admission days are currently Mondays, Tuesday, Thursdays, and Saturdays), a virtual prize for the Virtual Magic Kingdom online game, admission to Mickey’s Toontown Morning Madness (currently available Mondays, Wednesday, Fridays, and Saturdays), and Walt Disney Travel Company collectible pin and lanyard, luggage tag, and California Fun Book. Travel using this package must be booked by August 28, 2006, and completed by September 2, 2006.

Costco Travel Packages – Many different travel packages including visits to Disneyland and Disneyland hotels are available through Costco.com. When purchasing a Costco Disneyland travel package extras that will be included are: Mickey’s Toontown Madness admission (currently available Mondays, Wednesday, Fridays, and Saturdays), a character breakfast per person, a $20 Disneyland Resort gift card, a collectible pin and lanyard, and a Costco luggage tag.

Other Discounts

Rainforest Cafe Safari Club – Membership in the Rainforest Cafe gets you a 10% discount on entrees for up to four people. It also gets you priority seating if available. Additionally, after signing up, your membership card will be mailed to you and be accompanied by a $10 award good for your next visit to a Rainforest Cafe. So if you know you will be eating there while at Disneyland and have a Rainforest Cafe local to you, it may make sense to prejoin the Safari Club so that you can use the award during your trip. See the Rainforest Cafe Web site for details (link).

ESPNZone MVP Club – Membership in the MVP Club does not offer any discounts on food. However, once a member you can make an online reservation for your party up to three days in advance and will get a 25% increase in points purchased when playing games in the Sports Arena (and 40 bonus points at activation). You must register online and your membership card will then be mailed to you within 2-weeks. The card must then be activated at any ESPNZone by the person who signed up for the card and ID will be required (link)

AAA Restaurant Discounts – AAA (American Automobile Association) members can receive a 10% discount (excluding alcohol) at Plaza Inn, Wine Country Trattoria Ariel’s Grotto, PCH Grill, and Goofy’s Kitchen.

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 2006 page to see more dates. You can see future calendar schedules at Disneyland. As always, specifics are subject to change without notice (or occasionally, without us noticing) so when information conflicts between what is presented here and that presented by Disney, it is best to assume Disney’s information is correct.

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