Disneyland Park Update

Update for May 28 – June 4, 2007

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

News and Views

Pirates Lair on Tom Sawyer Island opens | David Koenig reports | Anaheim Resort: Iger speaks | Buried Wireless Treasure | Disneyland’s Submarines recommissioned | More Pirates and Nemo Subs merchandise | Exclusive Nemo Subs pin to be released June 11 | Disneyland’s VMK Central to close | MousePlanet’s Guide to Disneyland Menus Updated

Pirates Lair on Tom Sawyer Island opens

Tom Sawyer Island reopened on Friday, May 25 with a new theme and a new name: Pirates Lair on Tom Sawyer Island. Early reports are mostly positive, especially with regard to the new Dead Man’s Grotto (formerly Injun Joe’s Cave). MousePad readers are discussing the changes and sharing photos in this thread. We’ll have a full review, with pictures, next week in this space.

David Koenig reports

Wednesday May 16 was a memorable day at the park. First, cast members were notified that Tom Sawyer Island’s 51-year-old Fort Wilderness will be torn down within the next few weeks. The termite-infested structure had been neglected for years and, more importantly, management was anxious to eliminate the prominent symbol of Tom Sawyer Island from the new Pirate’s Lair.

In its place, a temporary stone stockade will be built to house guest restrooms and the dressing area for Fantasmic. Cast members had also used the fort as a break area, but the break area will be relocated to a tent behind the fence near the graveyard. In time, a more elaborate stone fortress similar to Pirates of the Caribbean’s Port Royal will take its place.

In the meantime, raft-faring guests will be given a map of the island, along the lines of ones visitors received in the 1950s. Noticeably absent from the pirate-themed map are the fort and the graveyard. Said one insider: “The tree house is still called ‘Tom and Huck’s Treehouse,’ but this seems like a token gesture to make the name ‘Pirates Lair on Tom Sawyer Island’ legitimate. We expect ‘Tom Sawyer Island’

will eventually be dropped from the name.”

On the same day that management broke the news about the fort, Monorail Purple literally went to pieces. The metal canopy that runs above the smoking area along the Autopia track was “refreshed” with improvements—including extending its side upward to prevent guests from trying to climb on it. Unfortunately, no one noticed that the Monorail track curves toward the end of the canopy that faces the Submarine Lagoon, leaving insufficient clearance for the train. On Monorail Purple’s opening run, it passed over the lagoon and right into the canopy. Purple’s fiberglass right skirt shattered into thousands of pieces.

With Purple out of commission, the park was again left with a single operational Monorail—Red. A Monorail cast member had to be positioned beneath the damaged canopy to make sure no guests were in the vicinity when Red passed overhead.

Update: We’ve learned that Monorail Purple was back in service as of last weekend and actually had only a few days of downtime.

Anaheim Resort: Iger speaks

Last week, Walt Disney Co. CEO Bob Iger was asked to comment on the escalating dispute between Disney and the City of Anaheim regarding future development in the Anaheim Resort district. (We’ve reported on this matter in past Disneyland Resort updates: April 30, April 2, March 26) Iger said:

“We believe that there should be affordable housing in this area, that’s it’s an effort that should be a partnership between the local government and a number of businesses. Given all of the employees, or cast members as we call them, that we have here, we believe that giving them affordable housing in an area that’s proximate to their place of work is something that we should all work to create. But we don’t believe that the property that’s being talked about is property that should be developed for housing. We just don’t believe it’s what’s called recreation- or business-friendly, nor would it throw off as much in

taxes as the businesses that could go into that place.”

Orange County Register columnist Jonathan Lansner has been following what he’s dubbed “Word War II” and his latest column is here.

Buried Wireless Treasure

We added this to last week’s update after we originally published, so in case you didn’t see it: Disney Interactive announced that with the release of Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End video games, they will also be releasing free downloadable game content and cheat codes for the Nintendo DSTM at the Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resort. Guests equipped with a Nintendo DS and own a copy of the game can download the content wirelessly at a hidden “X-marks the Spot” wireless hotspot, located somewhere near the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction. The location will not be explicitly revealed, so guests will have to treasure hunt for the hotspot somewhere near the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction. Disney activated the hotspot on Tuesday, May 22, 2007, and it will remain active through Labor Day weekend. Downloadable bonus content will include cheat codes, three additional costumes, as well as new weapons, locations and characters in multiplayer dueling mode.

Disneyland’s Submarines recommissioned

Editor’s note: Portions of this story were originally published at The Disneyland Report, and was mistakenly re-published here under the erroneous belief that we were printing a Disney press release and not original reporting. We regret the error and have re-written the story.

Voyager cruises the Submarine Lagoon in a shakedown run. Photo © Disney.

The construction walls around the Submarine Lagoon in Tomorrowland finally came down last week, and Disneyland hosted a rechristening ceremony for its fleet of submarines to generate excitement for Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage.

Vice Admiral John Morgan, Jr, speaks at the recommissioning ceremony, with (from left) Disneyland President Ed Grier and Imagineer Tony Baxter looking on. Photo © Disney.

The ceremony was held before park opening and was not open to park guests. On hand were Disneyland Resort President Ed Grier, Disney Imagineer Tony Baxter, Disneyland Ambassador Garnett Schoonover, and Vice Admiral John Morgan Jr., deputy chief of naval operations for information, plans, and strategy for the United States Navy.

Adm. Morgan, Disneyland President Ed Grier and Donald Duck salute the opening cast of Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage. Photo © Disney.

The Submarine Voyage originally opened along with the Matterhorn Bobsleds and the Disneyland Monorail as part of the “World on the Move” theme in 1959. The attraction closed September 8, 1998 amid promises from Disneyland’s then-president Paul Pressler of a speedy refurbishment/retrofit into a new attraction, but it wasn’t until Disneyland’s 50th anniversary celebration that the announcement of the submarines’ return was finally made.

Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage officially opens at Disneyland on June 11, with Annual Passholder lottery previews June 6 and 7, media previews June 8 through 10 and the big press event the morning of the 11th. If you are an Annual Passholder and haven’t yet entered the preview lottery, it’s not too late. Register through the Annual Passholder page on the Disneyland Web site (link). Winners are notified by e-mail on or about June 1 and have 48 hours to respond. June 7 is a blockout date, for So Cal Select and So Cal passports, but Disney will allow winners with those passports entry to Disneyland for June 7 if selected.

More Pirates and Nemo Subs merchandise

MousePlanet reader Cindy Stephens sent us more photos of new Pirates and Nemo Subs merchandise, including Mickey and Minnie pirate-garbed beanies, a pirate-ized Mickey ears hat and two new Nemo Subs t-shirts.

Mickey and Minnie dress as pirates in these new beanies. Photo by Cindy Stephens.

Now you can wear your Mickey ears while sacking the Spanish Main. Photo by Cindy Stephens.

Dory forgot where she got this t-shirt, but we’ve seen it before in Florida. Photo by Cindy Stephens.

Friendly shark Bruce introduces himself with a smile. Photo by Cindy Stephens.

Exclusive Nemo Subs pin to be released June 11

Join Nemo and Squirt as they celebrate the Grand Opening of Disney-Pixar’s Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage at the Disneyland® Resort in this Limited Edition pin. This pin features a submarine shaped slider.

This Limited Edition pin celebrates the opening of the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage attraction. Image © Disney.

Wristbands will be distributed entitling bearers to the opportunity to purchase this limited edition pin. Wristbands for this pin will be distributed at Disney’s Pin Traders, in the Downtown Disney® District. Wristbands will be available at the location until 12 Noon or while supplies last. In addition, holding a place in line for others in your party will not be allowed. Guests who wish to obtain a wristband to purchase a pin must be present when the line forms or they will be escorted to the back of the line.

Wristbands will be valid for the purchase of the pin(s) at the designated merchandise location until 1:00 P.M. on the day of distribution. Wristbands are limited. At 1:00 P.M. any remaining pins will be available for purchase at the designated merchandise location by persons who have not previously purchased the pin(s) on the day of release. Theme park admission required. Lost, stolen or damaged wristbands will not be replaced. Wristbands have no cash value. Restrictions apply. Subject to change without notice.

Please Note – Disney’s Pin Traders will open at 7:00 A.M.

Disneyland’s VMK Central to close

Though Disneyland’s VMK Central, located in Tomorrowland near Innoventions, has been popular among Virtual Magic Kingdom players and served to attract non-players to the game, Disney announced May 21st that VMK Central will close effective Sunday, June 3rd. VMK’s Yavn says, “First of all, I’m sure many of you will remember the VMK Tour, the Fantasyland Quest and other VMK in-Park Quest and Rewards – then you’ll remember that we’ve continued to change the way the program has run over time. Secondly, the in-Park Quest and Rewards were only meant to be temporary – in fact, we’ve gone well beyond the original time we planned to run the Quest and Rewards in-Park at Disneyland.” A Q-and-A column about these changes is on the official VMK Web site.

However, until the VMK kiosk closes, it appears that both the updated Pirates quest and the animation quest will be available. We’d previously heard that only the Pirates quest was available.

MousePlanet’s Guide to Disneyland Menus Updated

With Disneyland’s recent price increase at the park restaurants, we undertook a project to update our listing of park menus. Most of our menus are now updated to reflect the new pricing. A special thanks goes out to the MousePlanet readers who last week helped us to gather all of the new infomation.

Current Refurbishments and Attraction Closures

Disneyland

Fantasmic! dark February 12 – June

14 due to work on Tom Sawyer Island.
Disneyland Railroad closed May

7 – June 8, likely to allow heavy equipment access to Finding Nemo Submarine

Voyage.

Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride closed June 4 – June 7.

Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage is currently under construction and

is scheduled to open to the public on June 11, 2007.

Disney’s California Adventure

Playhouse Disney – Live on Stage! closed May 29 – June 7.
Midway Games close June 20 for an unknown duration. The future of the games has been somewhat questionable due to the Toy Story Mania project.
Toy Story Mania under construction. Opens 2008.

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.

May

Grad Night events: Thursday, May 31

June

‘Inspired by Disneyland’ Art of Disney Product Release & Signing with Walt Disney Imagineers and Disney Artists, Saturday, June 2 at Disneyland. Visit the Disneyland Gallery Web site for more information about artists and merchandise as it becomes available. (link)

Grad Night events: Thursday, June 7; Wednesday, June 13;

Thursday, June 14 and Thursday, June 21

Finding Nemo Annual Passholder previews June 6 & 7. Tickets available

by “opportunity drawing” only. To register, visit the Annual Passholder

page on the Disneyland

Web site.

Camp Pin-E-Ha-Ha. June 16-17. A pin collecting event. Registration

opens March 21, 2007 (link).

July

The Art of Disney Parks ~ Where Dreams Come True exhibit. July 1 ? August 31 at the Festival of Arts. For information about the Festival, visit the official Web site (link).
Adora Belle Disneyland Dream Breakfast with Marie Osmond. July 7 at Disneyland. Tickets for the event go on sale June 4th. See the event Web site (link) for more details.
“Disneyland in Miniature” Product Release & Signing. Sunday, July 8 at Disneyland. The Disneyland marquee accessory will be available for purchase as part of a larger Disney Gallery anniversary event.
“Disneyland in Miniature” Product Release & Signing. Saturday, July 28 at Disneyland. New releases include the Plaza Pavilion / Enchanted Tiki Room / Aladdin’s Oasis sculpture and additional Main Entrance accessories. (This date is tentative and subject to change)

August

Bats Day in the Fun Park (unofficial event) Friday-Sunday, August 17-19. (link)

September

Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend. September 2 and 3. Family Fun Run 5K on Saturday, September 2, Half Marathon on Sunday, September 3 (link).

The Art of Disney Parks ~ Where Dreams Come True event. September 13-14 at the Disneyland Resort. Will include an auction of artwork from the Festival of Arts exhibit and 50th Anniversary. Keep an eye on the event Web site for updates as they become available (link).

Downtown Disney artist weekend. September 15-16. An exhibit ‘dedicated to the art of local artist participants.’ No additional details are available at this time.

October

Gay Days at Disneyland (unofficial event) Friday, October 5 through Sunday, October 7. Event attendance will be higher at Disneyland on Saturday, DCA on Sunday (link).

Mickey’s Halloween Treat. October 5, 12, 19 and 26; 7:30 pm. – 11:30 pm. and October 4, 11, 18, 25, 29, 30, and 31; 6:30 pm. – 10:30 pm. Tickets currently available to Annual Passholders via the Disneyland Annual Passholder Web site.

Summer 2008

Disney Magic returns to Pacific Ocean itineraries. May 25-August

17, 2008.

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. This first section is a list of discounts on ticket only purchases. Though it has become more common in recent years, Disneyland tickets are rarely offered at 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.

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).

One Day One Park

Regularly $83/$73

Southern California 1–Day Park Hopper – Disney is

not currently offering a Southern California 1-Day Park Hopper at the

Web site. Southern California AAA offices and Vons Supermarkets may be

selling these tickets, but call ahead to confirm. Proof of residency will

be required when redeeming them at Disneyland (Vons will

happily sell you the ticket voucher regardless of where you are from but

you still need to be an appropriate resident to use it. If you do see

these available anywhere, email us to let us know.

Two Day Park Hopper

Regularly $122/$102

AOCVCB 2-Day Bonus Ticket ($119/$100) – The discount

(from the Anaheim-Orange County Visitor & Convention Bureau) is $3 (adult)

and $2 (child) and shipping on all orders is at least $10 (link).

So if you are ordering more than 10 days in advance and your discount would

be less than $10, you’ll still come out ahead by ordering at the Disneyland

Web site.

Three Day Park Hooper

Regularly $179/$149

Advance Purchase 3-day Park Hopper Bonus Ticket ($159/$129) –

A discounted price for advance purchase through the Internet or select

dealers. Available at the Disneyland Web site (link)

where shipping is included if you order more than 10 days prior to your

travel date. Also available from AAA offices in Northern California, Nevada,

and Utah (not currently listed at the AAA Web site, you may need to call

your local office). Disney Stores (California), Safeway grocery stores

(California and Arizona), and certain travel agents may also sell these

tickets. It is best to call and confirm before visiting a location, however.

“Bonus Tickets” include one early admission day (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday,

or Saturday). If purchased from AAA, the tickets come with free parking

at the Mickey ∧ Friends parking garage (an $11/day value)

Southern California CityPass($235/$189) – This pass

includes a 3-Day Disneyland Resort park ticket (including one early-entry

day). It also includes one day admissions to SeaWorld San Diego, Universal

Studios Hollywood, and either the San Diego Zoo or San Diego Wild Animal

Park. The CityPass expires 14 days after first use at any location. Purchase

CityPass through the Disneyland Web site (link)

or onsite at the ticket booths of Disneyland Resort or the other theme

parks included in the pass. You can also purchase directly from the CityPass

Web site (link)

though this has a minimum $7.50 shipping charge (no shipping charge from

the Disney Web site if purchased more than 10 days in advance).

The Southern California City Pass can also be purchased online from Costco

at a cost of $209.99/$169.99 (adults/child),

5% surcharge if not a Costco member and shipping fees apply. Booklets

may be available for sale in some stores but varies widely. If you want

to buy in person it would be best to call ahead and confirm availability.

If you do buy at a Costco, you will initially purchase a large plastic

container which you must trade for ticket books prior to leaving

Costco!

AOCVCB 3-Day Bonus Ticket ($155/$126) – The discount

(from the Anaheim-Orange County Visitor & Convention Bureau) is $4 (adult)

and $3 (child) and shipping on all orders is at least $10. So if you are

ordering more than 10 days in advance and your discount would be less

than $10, you’ll still come out ahead by ordering at the Disneyland Web

site. Tickets include one early admission day (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday,

or Saturday) (link).

Four Day Park Hopper

Regularly $209/$179

Advance Purchase 4–Day Park Hopper Bonus tickets ($179/$149)

– A discounted price for advance purchase through the Internet or

select dealers. Available at the Disneyland Web site (link)