Disneyland Park Update

Update for July 31-August 6, 2006

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

News and Views

A change at the top

The big news of the last week, obviously, is the unexpected change at the top of Disneyland’s power structure. Last Tuesday everybody who watches the Disneyland Resort was caught by surprise when early word began to leak out that Matt Ouimet had been named president of the hotel group at Starwood Hotels and & Resorts Worldwide, Inc.

The initial, cautious response had people asking whether this was the Matt Ouimet. Maybe it wasn’t “our” Matt Ouimet but a different one. But no, he was labelled as “former president of the Disneyland Resort.” Is that possible? Has Disney said anything about this?

The exterior of the new show building is now almost completely hidden by construction forms. Photo by David Michael.

Unfortunately, in the minds of many, it was indeed “our” Matt Ouimet and any thoughts that Disney may have been caught off guard by the job change were quashed when Jay Rasulo, chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, quickly followed the official Starwood press release with an announcement of Matt Ouimet’s replacement. The name given mostly garnered quizzical responses, as hardly anybody was familiar with the name Ed Grier, executive manager of Walt Disney Attractions Japan.

It’ll be a quick transition for Ouimet. He’ll be in charge of more than 850 hotels worldwide (under the Westin, Sheraton, and W brand names in the United States and several others internationally) as of tomorrow, August 1.

Ouimet’s tenure at Disneyland wasn’t particularly long. He took the position heading Disneyland Resort in October 2003 but in less than three years quickly formed a bond with cast members and fans that had been missing for his predecessors Cynthia Harriss and Paul Pressler. Things weren’t looking good when he took over, either.

There is still a gap between the old cave and the new show building. Photo by David Michael.

There had been no major new additions to Disneyland in years. Disneyland was looking rundown and at times it seemed like half the park was closed because something was broken (and just a month before his arrival the fatal accident at Big Thunder Mountain Railroad had occurred and would be blamed on maintenance problems). Disney’s California Adventure continued to struggle mightily despite the opening of A Bug’s Land in 2002 and it seemed unlikely that the opening of Tower of Terror in early 2004 would be able to change things.

Almost immediately, though, it was perceived that Ouimet was doing battle with the vestiges of the Pressler/Harriss era and moving the corporate culture back in line with an ideal of rewarding ideas, even if they weren’t clearly a benefit to the bottom line. He could be seen regularly walking around the parks, chatting with cast members and park guests alike. He quickly gained the nickname “Cast Member Matt” to signify that he was management that actually seemed part of the park.

His first order of business was to make something of the moribund plans for the 50th Anniversary and his success with this task will surely be his legacy for current Disneyland frequenters. While it was too late and too expensive to add any new rides to the park he did push to make sure the Space Mountain rebuild was done in time for the actual 50th anniversary and green-lighted both Remember…Dreams Come True (which many feel is the best fireworks show ever, anywhere) and Disney’s Parade of Dreams. By the time the 50th Anniversary rolled around everything in Disneyland was working at the same same. All the paint was fresh and the park looked better than it had in years.

Work continues to move slowly on the other end of the lagoon but new forms are popping up. Photo by David Michael.

Other projects he oversaw include new rides like Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters in Disneyland and Monsters, Inc., at Disney’s California Adventure. He made sure that the work began on the next generation of monorails when the current fleet was obviously ending the of the line. The new Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage will be Ouimet’s final big legacy when it open next year. On a more personal note, it was almost entirely because of his interest that the Lilly Belle car returned to the Disneyland Railroad last year.

However, Ouimet leaves the resort with some black marks and open questions. While he successfully negotiated the minefield of new general contracts with the major Disneyland unions last year, it was on terms that seem guaranteed to continue, if not exacerbate, the staffing problems that have grown continually worse over the last couple years. In an era when it is hard to find a “Class of…” pin on a cast member that says a number earlier than 2005 and retention rates for new employees are measured in weeks, not years, it seems like the ideal Disneyland cast members may be permanently a part of Yesterland.

Another open question that Ed Grier gets to try and figure out is what to do with Disney’s California Adventure. While the park has its defenders (including this writer), it remains the case that it simply isn’t performing in the way it should. Aggressive discounting for locals has created period of high attendance but those numbers always fade away as soon as people actually have to pay to get into the park. The addition of A Bug’s Land and Tower of Terror did not solve the problem, and the initial surge to see Monsters, Inc., seems to have faded quickly, with recent weekend lines down to 20 minutes.

It was right that for the last three years Matt Ouimet was focused on Disneyland over Disney’s California Adventure, but as the 50th Anniversary ends it is likely to become an increasing thorn in the side of his successor.

This machine on the monorail track mimics the dimentions of a monorail and helps make sure that nothing is built that will get hit when the Disneyland Monorail returns to this section of track. Photo by David Michael.

So what about Ed Grier? Just who is he? Grier has a long history with the Walt Disney Company, joining Walt Disney World from Ernst & Young back in the early 1980s. He held various finance positions both at Walt Disney World and Disneyland Paris before being put in charge of operations at Disney-MGM Studios in 1997 for five years. He followed that with a brief stint up to general manager of Epcot and then moved to Japan to manage the relationship between Disney and Oriental Land Company, the operators of Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySeas.

Both Japanese parks have solid reputations for quality so the initial reaction of many was positive. This is tempered, however, by the fact that Grier was not actually running the parks. It is unclear just how much say he had in operation decisions or if he was more of a “brand enforcement” executive. It is reassuring that he does have some park management experience and isn’t making the jump straight from the finance side of the business.

Those we’ve spoken to who have interacted with him say he is good at working with people, both professionally and as an exercise in bridge-building. They expect cast members will still frequently see him in the parks. Only time will tell, though, how his larger management philosophies will differ from Ouimet.

One thing to watch for is the actions of the management team put together by Ouimet during his stint. One advantage is that Grier probably won’t be bringing many people over from Japan (and many of his colleagues from Walt Disney World were common to Ouimet as well) so the current management probably need not feel threatened in that regard. If, however, the next few weeks and months see a lot of executives jumping ship it will probably signal some significant changes in priorities.

On a personal note, I did get to have several conversations with Matt Ouimet during his time at Disneyland. While it is always difficult to sense the true person in such encounters, I never felt in him anything than absolute joy in what he was given the opportunity to do and wanting to get out there and tell people about it. I wish him the best in his new career; I don’t know why he chose to leave Disney completely (and rumors abound) but I hope part of it was because he now has unlimited free access to 850 of the nicest “presidential suites” around the world.

Stroller FAQ

One of the benefits of our message board (link) is that the members put a lot of work into keeping everybody informed. One member, jpeben, recently posted some good tips for dealing with stroller rentals at Disneyland. Some are specific for the busy periods when the rentals are moved out into the Esplanade between the parks but many of them are good information for year-round. For the discussion that followed, see this thread.

• Strollers: One for $8, two for $14
  
• Disney Visa cardholders receive up to two complimentary strollers
  
• Wheelchairs: $8 plus $20 refundable deposit
  
• Electric Convenience Vehicles (ECV) : $35 plus $20 refundable deposit. Guest must be at least 18 years old to operate

Discounts do not apply

First, yes we are in the Esplanade, for the smoothest rental experience visit us first before you go to the parks. You can take strollers, wheelchairs, and ECVs into both parks. If you forget that we are outside in the tents and enter Disneyland, you can get a pass in order to exit the side gate to purchase a stroller without waiting in line to enter the park again. If you exit the normal gates to get a stroller you will have to go back in the normal way.

The rentals are good for all day, so if you need to come back later, drop it off at the tents, and then hold on to your receipt.

Sometimes strollers are lost or stolen. On the back of your receipt are locations within the park to receive replacements free of charge. For your convenience you don’t have to come all the way back to the esplanade.

After DCA closes, be prepared to drop the strollers off inside Disneyland. After that time strollers are not allowed outside of the park. Wheelchairs and ECVs can exit in order to get your deposit back.

You cannot take anything into Downtown Disney, except manual wheelchairs, which must have a Vehicle Loan Agreement, which you can get from the tent where you rented it. If you leave your stroller next to the yellow tents by the Downtown Disney area, beware that it might not be there when you return. We do esplanade runs and pick up all the strollers in the area. Please do not be angry when your stroller is not there as it is a fire hazard, and you wouldn’t want them anyways because most are filthy and stuffed with trash. Please go back to the tent and show your receipt to pick up your stroller.

If you would like an ECV, I recommend getting there early. Everyday we sell out of them, usually around 11 am. Then we go on a waiting list, and give them out one by one as they come in. It can sometimes take hours until we call you, because most guests don’t turn them in until 5 pm. If you don’t want to come to the park until later and have to have an ECV, have a member of your party go early and purchase it and have us hold it for you until you are ready. If we are sold out I recommend getting a wheelchair and then when you are called “upgrade” to an ECV, so you can enjoy your time while waiting. Also no one under 18 can operate, or be on the ECV. No lap sitting, standing on the back, etc. It is for your safety.

Occasionally (rarely), we run out of manual wheelchairs as well, so we do the waiting list for them as well.

In order to get the deposit back when you are all done with your wheelchair or ECV, you must have your receipt. If you do not have your receipt we can not process your deposit. You will receive the deposit in the form of payment. So if you pay with credit card you will need to have that same card available so we can credit your account.

FYI for Cast Members, we are not comping wheelchairs and strollers right now because we are blocked out on our Main Gate Passes.

Francis’ update

As we detailed in last week’s park update, Francis’ Ladybug Boogie in DCA Flik’s Fun Fair is down and out until at least January 2007 (and at least one contact isn’t confident at all in that date). There has been no official word on what it is wrong but we’re hearing that it is essentially the same problem that caused problems back in 2004. A part that handles the transfer of the ride vehicles from one spinning plate to the other was continually wearing out and requiring constant replacement. In 2004 the ride was closed for quite a while and a workaround solution was installed.

It appears that when the ride closed for a scheduled one-month refurbishment in May it was found that the solution wasn’t holding up very well either. Apparently the plan is to essentially rebuild the attraction (which raises specter that it will become a project that never progresses and eventually the ride just goes away, kind of like Rocket Rods) and see if that fixes whatever the problem is. What has engineers and maintenance crews puzzled is that the essentially identical ride at Tokyo Disneyland has suffered nothing resembling this problem.

This and that…

…It slipped under our radar but we’re told that the Main Street Merchants Marching Band performed for the last time a couple weeks ago and the musicians are now rehearsing for a completely new street atmosphere show, though a date for that hasn’t been announced. Also, a new “streetmosphere” show involving Mary Poppins will probably begin in mid-August if things continue according to schedule.

…Last week it was officially announced that Stage 17 at DCA (the former home of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire – Play It!) is officially on the list of venues available for special event rentals at the park. While this is a great thing for event planners (it has a much larger capacity than Hollywood & Vine, the only other indoor venue at DCA) it pretty much dashes any hopes for an imminent announcement of a new attraction in the space. That could easily change, though, since it essentially just a big box and tearing out event equipment would be a small chore. The “sound stage” played home to two performances yesterday by the Cheetah Girls and was used as the location of the after-parties for the Monsters, Inc., ride premiere.

…We’ve mentioned it twice and still haven’t gotten it completely correct. The Cars pre-parade is officially called “McQueen and Mater’s Road Trip” and performs once daily at 4:45. It enters the park through the Sunshine Plaza parade gate and continues down the entire length of the parade route accompanied by human “reporters” and roller-skating Rust-Eze representatives. The soundtrack is “Born to Be Wild.” The six earlier appearance times that originally showed on the Disneyland entertainment schedule are actually character “meet-and-greets.” For these the Lightning McQueen and Mater enter through the Paradise Pier parade gate, drive down to an empty spot near the Laod Bhang pin cart and hang out for photos. Accompanying them for these is a live performer who acts as a Rust-Eze salesman.

…The Jolly Trolly was once again out and about in Toontown last week. As with last time it is just there as a photo opportunity. It is unknown whether this second return will be semi-permament (with the wheels welded to the track) or if it is just temporary.

The Jolly Trolly has again returned, though stationary, to Toontown. No idea how long it will last this time. Photo by David Michael.

…Some details of the itinerary for October’s Gay Days were announced last week. Several celebrities will be involved with the official events on weekend of October 6. For details from the press release you can our message board (link).

…Some plumbing problems damaged the floor at Crocs Bits n’ Bites at the Disneyland Hotel so it is unexpectedly closed for a little while to have the floor replaced. No word on when it will reopen though it shouldn’t be long. Also, just a reminder, yesterday was the last day of operation for quite a while at Yamabuki. The restaurant is closed until early September for a complete interior refurbishment.

…The kind people at the El Capitan theater have asked that we help them out by reminding everybody that later this fall they will be doing two special engagements. The first is a digitally remastered print of The Little Mermaid (September 7-14) that will be exclusive to the El Capitan Theater (it is in conjunction with a DVD release) and the second is the rerelease of Nightmare Before Christmas in Disney 3D (October 19-31). Tickets are available for puchase now (link) and the first night of each run will include a special panel discussion involving peole associated with the film. In between the two runs will be a short engagement of the new Kevin Costner/Ashton Kutcher movie The Guardian.

A poster announcing the screenings of The Little Mermaid. Photo © Disney.

A postcard to help you remember. Photo © Disney.

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.

Downtown Disney

• Disney’s Vault 28 under construction and expected to open Fall 2006.
• Fossil under construction and expected to open Fall 2006.

In Downtown Disney the outdoor signage has been installed over the storefront for the new Fossil store. Photo by David Michael.

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 7-14. 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

Disney Visa Free-Stroller Rental

– If you have a Disney Visa card you can rent up to two strollers for free at either Disneyland or Disney’s California Adventure.

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.