Disneyland Park Update

Update for July 2 – July 8, 2007

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

Disney Gallery’s 20th—and final—anniversary | The (Year+) of a (Million+) Dreams | Orange County bus drivers go on strike | Fourth of July at Disneyland | Disneyland Anniversary & MousePlanet meet | This-and-That

News and Views

Disney Gallery’s 20th—and final—anniversary

Disneyland commemorated the 20th anniversary of the Disney Gallery with a product release and artist signing event this weekend. For many collectors and cast members, the event was overshadowed by the news leaked last week that the Gallery is slated to close at the end of July. Merchandise managers have confirmed the closure, and cast members are preparing for the Gallery’s final weekend, a signing event with Jane Seymour on Saturday, July 28.

Club 33 annexed a portion of this room earlier this year, but may soon take over more of the Disney Gallery. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.

The future of that prime bit of New Orleans Square real estate itself is uncertain, and two departments seem to be competing for the space. Club 33 annexed a small portion of the gallery earlier this year to create a storage room for dry goods, and it seems likely that the club would like to carve off a larger piece of the gallery to accommodate additional members. The club has enjoyed a recent spate of publicity in the form of newspaper and magazine articles, and is expected to add 13 membership slots in the next year.

As the same time, rumors have been floating around for over a year about a plan to turn the Disney Gallery into a suite of rooms that could be used for overnight stays during the Year of a Million Dreams promotion. The space occupied by the Disney Gallery was originally created as an apartment suite for the Disney family, and the transformation into a guest suite would be rather straightforward—the complex still contains the original bathroom and a wet bar.

Plans to convert the space prior to the official start of the Year of a Million Dreams last year were scrapped in favor of the Mickey Mouse Penthouse at the Disneyland Hotel, but some Disney managers have reportedly never been satisfied by that decision. With a renewed focus on and likely expansion of the Year of a Million Dreams promotion (see the next item in this Update), some feel that a new grand prize more in line with the Cinderella’s Penthouse at Walt Disney World is an excellent hook for the new marketing campaign.

While rumors continue to swirl about the future of the Gallery’s former location, even more speculation surrounds the disposition of the Gallery’s exhibit and displays. The Disneyana shop on Main Street is far too tiny to hold even a portion of the Gallery’s current collection—the Olzsewski display table alone would fill Disneyana’s main room. Disneyana could annex the Main Street Cinema next door (the matching cinema in Walt Disney World was converted to a merchandise location years ago), and even expand as far down as the 20th Century Music Shop, a location that lost much of its reason for existing when the CD on Demand system was discontinued. There have been rumors about various shops along that stretch of Main Street for years, and a block-long renovation could be in the making.

Some speculate that the Disney Gallery may relocate to the Main Street Opera House. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.

Another obvious solution would be to move the Disney Gallery exhibits, if not also the merchandising elements of the shop, into the Main Street Opera House. The Gallery’s current “Inspired by Disneyland” exhibit seems a natural match for the Opera House. And such a move might even allow Disney to postpone the return of Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln and Walt’s office. Of course, this is all just speculation on our part, and some sources tell us that no final decisions have even been made.

The fact remains that the Disney Gallery is closing at the end of this month. As a result, the Fantasmic balcony priority seating offering will end on Tuesday, July 31. A renovation of the Riverbelle Terrace is slated to begin this fall, and the expansion plans are rumored to include a second-story seating area, which may offer priority seating for Fantasmic. In the interim, the premium viewing location along the Rivers of America is still available.

The (Year+) of a (Million+) Dreams

Anyone who has taken notice of recent Disney marketing programs knows that Mickey’s calendar is a little Goofy. Disneyland’s 50th Anniversary celebration went on for 18 months, and the “Year of a Million Dreams” was slated to last at least that long. Now we’re hearing that the “Year” may last even longer than originally planned.

The “Where Dreams Come True” banners are soon to be replaced with more decorations for the Year of a Million Dreams. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.

The Disneyland Resort is launching the second phase of the Year of a Million Dreams promotion, starting with the physical overlay in the parks. The current “Where Dreams Come True” logos—including the esplanade banners and hopefully the metal “embellishments” around the entrance tunnels—will be removed starting this week. Before you breathe an aesthetic sigh of relief, prepare for these décor elements to be replaced with Year of a Million Dreams decorations.

The most noticeable addition will likely be the giant Mickey Mouse Ears hat in the esplanade between Disneyland and Disney’s California Adventure. The structure will look like a pair of the blue-and-silver Dream Ears, and will be located atop the compass rose. Guests will be able to walk around and under the hat, and a display of video screens will display current promotional videos for the Resort.

As mentioned above, a new grand prize, an overnight stay in a suite of guest rooms in the former Disney Gallery location, is possibly in the works, and sources have told us that the prize distribution may be extended by as much as another year.

Orange County bus drivers go on strike

Drivers for the Orange County Transportation Authority went on strike on this past Saturday on July 7, causing disruption to bus routes that serve the Disneyland Resort area.

The strike affects only OCTA routes; the Anaheim Resort Transit service,
Metrolink, Amtrak, and MTA trains are not impacted, nor are some routes operated by outside contractors.

The most likely impact of this strike will be on those Disneyland Resort cast members who rely on public transportation to get to work. Route 43, which runs along Harbor Boulevard between Costa Mesa and Fullerton, will operate weekdays only on an abbreviated schedule, with no weekend service scheduled. OCTA will continue to operate the rush hour shuttles between the Anaheim Resort area and the Anaheim Metrolink station.

You can view the current list of available OCTA routes is the OCTA Web site (link).

Fourth of July at Disneyland

MousePlanet readers who visited Disneyland on July 4 reported smaller crowds than normal for the day, likely due to the holiday falling on a Wednesday. The story was a little different outside the park, where thousands of people crowded into the esplanade between Disneyland and DCA, filled walkways in Downtown Disney and gathered on the Mickey & Friends parking structure for the Fourth of July fireworks.

Thousands gathered on the top of the Mickey & Friends parking structure to watch the Fourth of July fireworks. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.

Those who decided to hit Downtown Disney for the evening were surprised to find that Disney abandoned the usual three hours of complimentary parking at Downtown Disney in favor of a $10 flat parking fee, paid in advance when drivers entered the lot. A cast member explained that the change was made for the evening to make it faster for guests to leave the lot after the fireworks.

Disneyland Anniversary & MousePlanet meet

Come celebrate Disneyland’s 52nd anniversary, as well as the seventh anniversary of MousePlanet, on Tuesday, July 17 at Disneyland. Please join us at 1:00 p.m. at the Carnation Plaza Gardens to meet MousePlanet staff and fellow readers. For more information visit our message boards (link).

Maquettes of Remy and Emile greet diners at Café Orleans. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.

This-and-That

…The new Finding Nemo “quest” and card is now being distributed to visitors waiting in line for Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage. The card will let you give your VMK character the middle piece of a virtual submarine in the VMK game. The front and back pieces of the sub are available by downloading and playing the online Finding Nemo Virtual Lagoon game. Get more information about the Virtual Lagoon game at the VMK promotions page. (link)

New billboards greet visitors at the Mickey & Friends tram stop. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.

…A Canadian equestrian unit has been invited to perform in Disneyland parades this winter. According to the Langley Times (link), the team of seven Clydesdale horses and their female show riders will perform twice each day between December 15h and New Year’s Eve. The article states that the group will perform in the Parade of Dreams, but unless Disneyland is planning to cancel the Christmas Fantasy parade for the year, it’s likely that the group will actually participate in the holiday parade.

Current Refurbishments and Attraction Closures

Disneyland

None Scheduled .

A paving project has closed off the east stairs leading to the Disney Gallery. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.

Disney’s California Adventure

Midway Games closed 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.

July

“Breakfast Tea in the Garden” with Jayne Seymour. Saturday,
July 28 at Disneyland. Tickets go on sale June 27, 2007 at 11 AM Pacific

/ 2 pm Eastern through the Disney Gallery Web site (link).

August

Bats Day in the Fun Park (unofficial event) Friday-Sunday,

August 17-19. (link)

“Disneyland in Miniature” Product Release & Signing.

Date TBA, at Disneyland. New releases include the Plaza Pavilion / Enchanted

Tiki Room / Aladdin’s Oasis sculpture and additional Main Entrance accessories.

September

Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend. September 2 and 3. Family Fun

Run 5K on Sunday, September 2, Half Marathon on Monday, September 3 (link).

link

Los Angeles Unified School District schools closed. Thursday, September

13th. This annual “no school” day usually results in huge crowds

at the Disneyland Resort.

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.

CHOC/Disneyland Resort Walk in the Park Sunday, October

21 (link)

2007 UEA convention. October 29 to 30 (in Utah). Many Utah public

schools close so teachers can attend the Utah Education Association convention,

which creates a four-day weekend for the students. Expect the resort to

be busy that weekend—some claim ‘UEA’ stands for ‘Utah Escapes to Anaheim.’

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)