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News and Views

Aladdin is performed at DCA’s Hyperion Theater. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.

Theater Tech Seriously Injured At DCA [Originally reported by David Koenig]– A 36-year-old employee of Disney’s California Adventure is in critical condition after plummeting from the catwalks of the Hyperion Theater.

Approximately 6:00 a.m. Tuesday, April 22, the electrician, identified only as “Chris,” was working on the riggings and track of the magic carpet platform for the Aladdin show when he fell approximately 42 feet to the seats below, according to state Division of Occupational Safety & Health (DOSH) spokesman Dean Fryer.

According to Anaheim city public information manager John Nicoletti, police were on the scene by 6:05 a.m., quickly followed by emergency response crews. Medics found the victim “non-responsive” and immediately rushed him UCI Medical Center, where he was diagnosed with massive internal injuries.

DOSH arrived at the theater by 8:00 a.m. and, after investigating the scene, said Disney could open the attraction. By that time, though, workers had either been reassigned or excused from work for the day. Performances of Aladdin resumed on Wednesday April 23.

According to Fryer, DOSH’s ongoing investigation will be two-fold. “First,” he said, “was the employee provided with proper training? Second, we will focus on the actual scene. Did the catwalk have railings? Did [the victim] have proper fall protection equipment? If the equipment was adequate, was it used properly?”

According to a Disney cast member, speculation among hourlies is that the worker was wearing a safety harness, but it was not anchored down. DOSH is expected to release the results of their investigation in two to three months.

Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party is held at the Magic Kingdom. Photo by Sue Holland.

A baby step in the right direction – In the southern California market, the theme parks tend to divide their holiday efforts. Disneyland has a firm grasp on Christmas and the winter season with its Merriest Place on Earth campaign, while Knott’s Berry Farm lays claim to Halloween through its annual Halloween Haunt events.

Aside from a cast member-only party, Disneyland has pretty much ignored Halloween. Several years ago, visitors walked onto Main Street USA Halloween morning to discover that the park had already installed its holiday decorations, including the park’s trademark giant Christmas tree.

Disneyland fans point to Walt Disney World’s popular Not So Scary Halloween Party, and the month-long Halloween events at the Paris and Tokyo resorts, and asked why Disneyland, alone of all four Disney resorts, could not come up with something similar.

Fueled by the sucess of the Haunted Mansion Holiday overlay, Disneyland is taking tentative steps to explore the Halloween market. The resort has kept the holiday decorations in storage a few weeks later, and flooded Disneyland with Villains character last Halloween.

A few scattered pumpkins have been Disneyland’s answer to Halloween in recent years. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.

Now rumors are starting to seep out about a Halloween initiative planned at the Disneyland Resort this fall. “Fall-O-Ween” is described as a “resort-wide theme overlay,” similar to the Merriest Place on Earth theme. Rather than hosting a single special event, Fall-O-Ween provides a platform for decor, merchandise, food and activities in September and October.

Should Fall-O-Ween prove to be a sucess, Disneyland may explore additional events for next year. This is definitely good news for Disneyland fans, who have been clamoring for a family-friendly Halloween event. Let’s just hope the ever-so-cautious Disneyland event planners don’t wait too many more years to stake their claim on this holiday.

A new tour provides new visitors with an overview of the Disneyland Resort. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.

A new tour for the Disneyland Resort – The Welcome to Disneyland tour was retired last week, and replaced with the new Red Carpet Tour. This new two-and-a-half-hour tour is aimed at multi-day ticket holders who are visiting the resort for the first time, or who have not visited since the expansion. It provides a high-level orientation and overview of the parks and Downtown Disney, designed to showcase the features of the expanded resort.

The tour begins outside Disneyland, where participants receive a pin–trading lanyard and two pins. Once inside Disneyland, the tour takes you around the park on the Disneyland Railroad, and then to Downtown Disney via the Monorail.

The tour visits the Disneyland Hotel, and travels towards Disney’s California Adventure through Downtown Disney, with a stop at Marceline’s Confectionary for a sample of fudge.

The tour ends inside Disney’s California Adventure park, where participants get reserved seating at Aladdin — A Musical Spectacular, and Fastpass tickets to two attractions: Soarin’ Over California and The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh.

The tour is $25 per person, and does not include park admission. Participants are required to have admission to at least one park, but a park hopper pass is not required. In fact, local residents can take the tour on the “DCA day” of their Resident Salute ticket. Tours can be booked in advance by calling (714) 781-4400.

Fantasmic returns to Disneyland on June 13. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.

Fantasmic returns – The entertainment schedule at Disneyland.com shows that Fantasmic will return on Friday, June 13. The show is scheduled for two performaces nightly through Sunday, June 22 (with the probable exception of Grad Night evenings). There will be no performances from Monday, June 23 through Tuesday, July 1, due to the Pirates of the Caribbean movie premiere event. The show resumes twice-nightly perfomances on Wednesday, July 2.

Reservations for the Fantasmic balcony/dessert buffet should be available 30 days in advance, by calling (714) 781-4400. At this time, the reservations line has no further details about this offering.

Current Refurbishments and Attraction Closures

Disneyland

• Mad Tea Party – April 28 – May 15
  
• Pirates of the Caribbean – April 28 – May 30
  
• Blue Bayou Restaurant – April 28 – May 30
  
• Sleeping Beauty Castle walkthrough – indefinite
  
• Space Mountain – through 2005

Disney’s California Adventure

• Superstar Limo – indefinite

Future Attraction Closures

• Indiana Jones Adventure – September 2 – October 24

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

Sunday, May 18 – Disneyland Resort Pin Trading Night – Pacific Ballroom, Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel from 7:00 to 10:00 pm.

Friday, May 30 – Disneyland Resort Pin Trading Night – Pacific Ballroom, Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel from 7:00 to 10:00 pm.

ABC Super Soap Weekends return to Disney’s California Adventure this spring. Stars from All My Children and One Life To Live will attend May 31 and June 1, while General Hospital and Port Charles celebs will be featured on June 7 and 8.

Hotel packages are available for the event, and include an exclusive breakfast with the stars and a commemorative gift. Further details are available on our MousePad message boards. To book your package, call (714) 520-5050.

Wednesday, July 9 – Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl – Merchandise Special Event. Details and tickets are available at the Disneyland Event Services Web site.

Wednesday, October 1 – Haunted Mansion Holiday Exclusive Dinner

Thursday October 2 – Haunted Mansion Holiday Event

Tickets for the Haunted Mansion Holiday events go on sale in late August or early September — check this page for updates.

Current Discounts & Promotions

MouseSavers.com reports hotel discounts through Expedia.com for Disneyland Resort Hotels. Rates start at $136 per night.

New Annual Passholder discounts at Disneyland Resort restaurants — or are there? A memo issued to hotel restaurants last month detailed new Annual Passholder discounts for many Disneyland Resort restaurants. The discounts were to take effect on Monday, April 14. The biggest change was that all passholders would receive at least a 10% discount at eight locations, with premium passholders receiving a 15% discount at 12 locations.

Unfortunately, there is some confusion about these new discounts. Some restaurants are already offering them, others claim that the discounts take effect in May, while still others say that the discounts are not changing at all. We’re trying to sort out the confusion for our readers.

Park hopping in Northern California – AAA members in Northern California can now purchase 2-day Park Hopper tickets at their local CSAA office. The tickets are available through Thursday, June 19. The adult price is $99; children ages 3 to 9 pay $79.

This ticket is also available at Disneyland ticket booths, or at Disneyland.com. The second day of the ticket must be used within 13 days of the first use.

Free coffee on Main Street, revisited – Receive a free small coffee when you buy a mug at the Market House on Main Street, USA. This offer is only valid at the Market House, and is for a limited time only. The Market House has just begun serving the Mickey’s Really Swell Coffees as part of this promotion. Now you can try the Disney Blend, Disney Decaf, French Vanilla and Hazelnut flavors sold at the parks.

Annual passholder discounts at Alamo – California residents get discounts of up to 20% off Alamo’s retail rates in the United States. Disneyland annual passholders can get a free Disneyland Resort Character Breakfast voucher when the rent their car for 3 days or more from March 24th through August 31, 2003 at the Los Angeles Airport location. For more details and the discount code you’ll need for this offer, visit the annual passholder section of the Disneyland Web site.

ESPN Zone discounts for annual passholders – Disneyland annual passholders can get an Season Ticket Frequent Dining Card at the Downtown Disney ESPN Zone. The Season Ticket entitles you to a free soda with your meal purchase of $6.99 or more. Once you have made four meal purchases, you receive the fifth meal and soda free, and get a chance to win a pair of tickets to the ESPY Awards in 2004. See location for more information and details.

City Pass now available with AAA packages – You can now purchase the Southern California CityPass with Walt Disney Travel Company packages.

With a Southern California CityPass booklet, you will receive admission to five separate entertainment options. Admission includes:

• 3-day Disneyland Resort Park Hopper Ticket
  
• 1-day ticket to Sea World Adventure park
  
• 1-day ticket to the World-famous San Diego Zoo
  
• 1-day ticket to Knott’s Theme Park.

Instead of the Disneyland Resort Park Hopper Ticket currently included in California packages from the Walt Disney Travel Company, guests can select a Southern California CityPass for an additional charge of $47 per pass ($32 per pass for guests ages 3 through 9).

Note: The Southern California Citypass does not include the $10 ESPN Zone Arena Game Card, or the California package’s feature that allows guests to collect multiple Fastpass tickets at once for free in advance.

Anaheim Marriott Disney Package available for Marriott Rewards members – Make your Disneyland vacation as easy as saying “Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah” with a Disneyland package at the Anaheim Marriott. For a low rate of $419, through Saturday, May 31, you’ll find dreams really do come true with this fabulously priced package.

Anaheim Disney Package includes:

• 2-nights in a luxury guest room
  
• 3-day Disneyland Resort Park Hopper tickets for two adults
  
• Free breakfast for two adults
  
• Children aged 3 through 9 eat for $1

Some restrictions apply. Membership in the Marriott Rewards program is required. Click to learn more about this offer and for complete terms and conditions.

SoCal Salute – The Southern California resident discount ticket program runs through Friday, May 16. Instead of a discounted ticket, residents get two one-day admissions for their $47 ($37 for children) – one for Disneyland, and one for Disney’s California Adventure.

This ticket is good for only one admission to each park (meaning you cannot go to Disneyland twice on separate days). The two admissions do not have to be used on consecutive days, but the first admission must be on the same day as the ticket purchase, and the second must be used by May 16. And while the ticket is not intended to be a park hopper, which would allow you to visit both Disneyland and DCA on the same day, some readers have reported that they were allowed to use the ticket as a one-day park hopper.

These tickets are nontransferable. You must provide proof of residency at the time of purchase, and you will be asked to print your full name on the tickets. When you return for your second admission, you need to show ID matching the ticket. This offer is limited to 5 tickets per qualifying person.

Alaska Airlines airfare and hotel specials – Alaska Airlines is offering two specials for travel to the Disneyland Resort. A MousePad member alerted us that the airline is again offering the popular Kids Fly Free special, which includes airfare, hotel, park-hopper tickets, and more. This special offer can only be booked by calling Alaska Airlines at 1-800-468-2248. Adults traveling without kids can take advantage of other special hotel and air packages by booking at the Alaska Airlines Web site.

The “Get a 5-Day Park Hopper ticket for the price of a 3-Day ticket” promotion has been extended through January 5, 2004 – These tickets are available when you order online from Disneyland.com. Restrictions apply – see site for details.

AAA Passport Plus Package – For $122.75, you can get a 5-day park hopper and the following extras:

• Multiple attraction FastPass (The “Unlimited” option)
  
• Breakfast in the park (one per person)
  
• Free ESPN Zone arena game card ($10 value)
  
• AAA Free parking at the Disneyland Resort Theme Parks

A $13.75 FedEx fee applies to each reservation, (not per person). This package is available without an air or hotel purchase, and must be purchased at your local AAA affiliate office at least 5 days before you plan to use the tickets.

Many readers have experienced difficulties when trying to purchase this package from their local AAA affiliate. Be sure to read this thread on our MousePad discussion boards, for more information about the package and tips on how to help your AAA travel agent book your package.

AAA / Disney’s Resort Magic Package – This package requires a minimum 2-night hotel stay, and includes:

• Accommodations at Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel, the Disneyland Hotel, or Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel
  
• Disneyland Resort Hotel self-parking and Fitness Center access
  
• Disneyland Resort Park Hopper Ticket – valid for entry into Disneyland park and Disney’s California Adventure park with full park-hopping privileges
  
• FREE ESPN Zone® Arena Game Card – $10 value (one per person)
  
• NEW! Collect FASTPASS tickets for multiple attractions at one time. Preferred Seating at a choice of select shows in Disney’s California Adventure
  
• EXCLUSIVE! Walt Disney Travel Company collectible pin and lanyard (one per person)
  
• EXCLUSIVE! Walt Disney Travel Company California Fun Book (one per package)
  
• EXCLUSIVE! Disneyland Resort Magical Pocket Guide (one per package)

You can book this package through your local AAA affiliate travel agent.

Park Hours

Entertainment Schedule