Disneyland Park Update

September 4, 2007 by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix

Update for September 3 – 9, 2007

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

News and Views

Disneyland Half Marathon Results | Disneyland Christmas schedule update | Cartoon Art Museum event | MousePad theme park discussion forums restructured | This-and-That

Disneyland Half Marathon Results

The Disneyland Half Marathon was held Monday, September 3 at the Disneyland Resort. Results are posted on the official Disneyland Half Marathon Web site (link). The top female finisher was Suzy Schumacher at 1:24:06, while the top male finisher was Carlos Carballo with a time of 1:10:05. Congratulations to all who participated.

Disneyland Christmas schedule update

Disney has finally posted the park hours and entertainment schedules for the Disneyland Resort on the Disneyland.com Web site, and it looks like the expansion of the Halloween Time promotion will cause a slight delay in the Christmas festivities. “it’s a small world holiday” opens on November 9 as scheduled, but the first performances of “A Christmas Fantasy” Parade and the “Believe…In Holiday Magic” Fireworks Spectacular will not be until a week later, November 16.

Cartoon Art Museum event at Pixar Studios

The Cartoon Art Museum presents Fourth Annual Benefit At Pixar Animation Studios on Saturday, September 15, 2007. This 3.5-hour event is one of the rare opportunities available to the general public to get a peek inside the Pixar offices. The event includes a reception inside Pixar’s Emeryville campus; presentation and panel discussion with members of the production crew for Ratatouille; coffee and dessert mixer with Pixar employees. Tickets are $200 per person, $150 for Cartoon Art Museum members, and are extremely limited.

The Pixar campus also hosts its first annual Family Fun Day from 1:00 – 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, September 15, 2007. According to the press release, “you will be able to go behind the scenes at Pixar’s private studio facility to view in-house only exhibitions, including original pre-production artwork from Ratatouille.” Tickets are $125 per person, or $450 for a family of 4. Cartoon Art Museum members receive a discount for this event as well.

You can read the full announcement on our MousePad discussion boards. (link)

MousePad theme park discussion forums restructured

We have made some changes to the forum structure on MousePad. We know that questions related to trip planning can get lost amid the general chatter of the resort forums, so we’ve created sections devoted just to trip planning topics. We think this is going to make it easier for readers to ask for help, and to help other members. We’ve also moved the Trip Reports forums to be with their related theme parks.

The biggest change has been made within the Walt Disney World section, because we know that planning a trip to Florida is usually a more complicated process. We reserve the right to further split or merge the sub forums if we don’t think they are doing what we expected them to do.

Here is the structure we will be creating:

Everything else – Entertainment, the Lounge, etc – will remain the same.

We have not gone through the previous resort-level forums to move existing threads to their new topic forum. Those can all be found in the News and Current Events forums. New threads on trip planning topics should be started in the appropriate forum.

Why not stop by, check them out, and let us know what you think!

Get your MousePlanet gear

The MousePlanet.com store is now open for business (link)! You can get shirts, mugs, hats and even a Teddy Bear! Check it out and show your MousePlanet pride!

This and that

…Indiana Jones Adventure was closed for three days last week, but we weren’t sure what had prompted the brief refurbishment. It turns out that the attraction was closed so that some of the ride’s speakers could be replaced. A cast member tells us that there may be a longer renovation in the near future, as the ride is experiencing recurring problems with bus bars that provide power along the track to the ride vehicles.

…Los Angeles radio station KLAC is hosting a special listener event at Disneyland on Sunday, September 9. Tomorrowland will open at 7:30 a.m., 90 minutes before the park opens to the general public. If you visit that day, expect to find long lines in Tomorrowland as soon as the park opens. [Thank you to reader cstephens for the event info.]

…In last week’s Park Update, we originally stated that Disney’s Happiest Haunts tour would be offered nightly during the Halloween season starting September 25. Instead, tickets for the tour go on sale on September 21, and the tour will only be offered Monday through Thursday. We regret the error.

…The latest version of Honda’s ASIMO humanoid robot is now on display inside Innoventions at Disneyland. This Advanced Step in Innovative Mobility model is able to run nearly 4 miles per hour, and replaces an earlier model for the Say ‘Hello’ to Honda’s ASIMO show.

…The Los Angeles Times reported last week (link) that Disney will operate and staff—though not own—two hotels in the Garden Walk project across the street from the Disneyland Resort. Representatives of Garden Walk and Disney declined to comment on the rumor.

…The Grand Californian Hotel’s Napa Rose restaurant has been awarded the 2007 DiRoNA Award of Excellence for the second time. This award recognizes North American restaurants for offering outstanding food, wine, service and hospitality.

…Mickey’s Halloween Treat at Disney’s California Adventure is now sold out for Friday, October 19.

Current Refurbishments and Attraction Closures

Disneyland

River Belle Terrace closed August 19 until December for remodel.
Casey Jr. Circus Train closed September 4 – October 5 for refurbishment.
Storybook Land Boats closed September 4 – October 5 for refurbishment.
Haunted Mansion closed September 4 – 20 to install the holiday overlay.
Alice in Wonderland closed October 8 – November 20.
it’s a small world closed October 22 – November 8 to install the holiday overlay.

Work continues on the River Belle Terrace restaurant renovation. 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, but some of the games remain open for now.
Toy Story Mania under construction. Opens 2008.
Golden Dreams closes September 11 – 20 to install the Halloween “Golden Screams” show.
Golden Dreams closed November 1 & 2 to remove the Halloween show.

A closer look shows where a faux balcony was removed from the restaurant facade. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.

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.

September

KLAC day at Disneyland. Sunday, September 9. Listeners of the local radio station will be in Tomorrowland before park opening.
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. Registration now available at Disney Gallery Web site. (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.
Unofficial Homeschool Day at Disneyland. Wednesday September 19th, 2007. This event is open to all homeschool and alternative schooling families (link).

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 are $39 per person if purchased the day of the event. $29 advance-purchase tickets currently available through the Disneyland Web site (click on the “tickets” link). $27 discounted tickets are currently available to Annual Passholders via the Disneyland Annual Passholder Web site, and to Disney’s Vacation Club Members at the Disneyland Resort ticket booths.
MousePlanet night at Mickey’s Halloween Treat (unofficial event) Friday, October 12. Join your fellow MousePlanet readers and MousePad members at Mickey’s Halloween Treat to kick off MouseAdventure weekend. More information is available on our MousePad discussion boards. (Link)
MouseAdventure. Sunday, October 14. Registration is now closed.
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.’ One reader has told us that his Utah school district is closed for a “Fall Break” October 11 ? 15th, so crowds may be more dispersed throughout the month than in past years.

December

Candlelight Processional Saturday, December 1 and Sunday, December 2.

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. 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 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 $63/$53

One Day Park Hopper
Regularly $83/$73

Southern California 1–Day Park Hopper – Disney is not currently offering a discounted 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, e-mail us to let us know.

Two Day Park Hopper
Regularly $122/$102

$132/$112 effective January 3, 2008

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 Hopper
Regularly $179/$149

$189/$159 effective January 3, 2008

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)

Advance Purchase 3-day Park Hopper Bonus Ticket ($169/$139) Effective January 3, 2008

2008 “2 Days Free” offer – Buy a 3-day Parkhopper ticket and receive a 5-day Parkhopper Bonus ticket which includes one Early Entry admission. The Spring promotion is available starting January 7, and tickets must be purchased in advance – this offer is not valid at the Disneyland Resort ticket booth. The ticket must be used for the first time on or before April 24 and expires 13 days after first use or on May 7, 2008, whichever occurs first.

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).

You can also purchase the Southern California City Pass 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

$214/$184 effective January 3, 2008

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) 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).

Advance Purchase 4-day Park Hopper Bonus Ticket ($184/$154) Effective January 3, 2008

2008 “2 Days Free” offer – Buy a 4-day Parkhopper ticket and receive a 6-day Parkhopper Bonus ticket which includes one Early Entry admission. The Spring promotion is available starting January 7, and tickets must be purchased in advance – this offer is not valid at the Disneyland Resort ticket booth. The ticket must be used for the first time on or before April 24 and expires 13 days after first use or on May 7, 2008, whichever occurs first.

AOCVCB 4-Day Bonus Ticket ($174/$145) – The discount (from the Anaheim-Orange County Visitor & Convention Bureau) is $5 (adult) and $4 (child) and shipping on all orders is at least $10 Tickets include one early admission day (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, or Saturday) (link).

Five Day Park Hopper
Regularly $229/$199

$234/$204 effective January 3, 2008

Advance Purchase 5–Day Park Hopper Bonus tickets ($189/$159) – 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).

Advance Purchase 5-day Park Hopper Bonus Ticket ($194/$164) Effective January 3, 2008

2008 “2 Days Free” offer – Buy a 5-day Parkhopper ticket and receive a 7-day Parkhopper Bonus ticket which includes one Early Entry admission. The Spring promotion is available starting January 7, and tickets must be purchased in advance – this offer is not valid at the Disneyland Resort ticket booth. The ticket must be used for the first time on or before April 24 and expires 13 days after first use or on May 7, 2008, whichever occurs first.

AOCVCB 5-Day Bonus Ticket ($183/$154) – The discount (from the Anaheim-Orange County Visitor & Convention Bureau) is $6 (adult) and $5 (child) and shipping on all orders is $10.

Hotel / Travel Packages

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.

Disney’s Good Neighbor Dream Vacation Packages – This package is valid for arrivals June 29 – August 30, 2007, and starts at $214 per person. Package includes two nights at a Good Neighbor hotel; Park Hopper ticket (with admission to one Early Entry and/or one Toontown Morning Madness depending on ticket purchased and days visited); preferred seating at a DCA show; souvenir coin, luggage tag and lanyard with pin; a Downtown Disney Fun Card; and a “Character Call” from Mickey, Minnie or Goofy. (Sample pricing is for two adults and two children under 9 years-old sharing one room at the Jolly Roger Hotel, and includes a 3-day park hopper ticket per person. Other hotels and ticket combinations are available at a higher price) Reservations must be made by August 27, 2007. Call (866) 279-7165 for more information.

4th Night Free at Good Neighbor Hotels – This package is valid for arrivals September 2 to December 16, 2007, and starts at $257 per person. Package includes hotel accomodations; Park Hopper ticket; admission to one Early Entry and one Toontown Morning Madness; preferred seating at a DCA show; souvenir coin, luggage tag and lanyard with pin; a Downtown Disney Fun Card; and a “Character Call” from Mickey, Minnie or Goofy. (Sample pricing is for two adults and two children under 9 years-old sharing one room at the Best Western Pavilions, and includes a 3-day park hopper ticket per person. Other hotels and ticket combinations are available at a higher price) Reservations must be made by December 13, 2007. Call (866) 279-7165 for more information.

4th Night Free at Disneyland Resort Hotels – This package is valid for arrivals August 19 to December 12, 2007, and starts at $345 per person. Package includes hotel accomodations; Park Hopper ticket; admission to one Early Entry and one Toontown Morning Madness; preferred seating at a DCA show; souvenir coin, luggage tag and lanyard with pin; a Downtown Disney Fun Card; and a “Character Call” from Mickey, Minnie or Goofy. (Sample pricing is for two adults and two children under 9 years-old sharing one room at the Disneyland Hotel, and includes a 3-day park hopper ticket per person. Other hotels and ticket combinations are available.) Reservations must be made by November 12, 2007. Call (866) 279-7165 for more information.

2008 “2 Days Free” offer – When you buy a 3-, 4- or 5-day Parkhopper ticket, Disney will add two free days. In other words, you’ll pay the 3-day rate ($189) and receive a Parkhopper Bonus ticket good for five days. You can maximize your savings by taking advantage of the advance purchase discount, and pay just $169. The Parkhopper Bonus ticket includes one Early Entry admission. The Spring promotion is available starting January 7. The ticket must be used for the first time on or before April 24 and expires 13 days after first use or on May 7, 2008, whichever occurs first.

Other Discounts

Disney Vacation Club members have a new discount at the Disneyland Resort. DVC members can now purchase discounted tickets to Mickey’s Halloween Treat at Disney’s California Adventure. Tickets are $27 if purchased anytime between August 1 and the day before the event. Members cannot buy these tickets online, and must show their DVC membership card at any Disneyland Resort ticket booth to receive the discounted rate.

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, which can make a huge difference on busy days. 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.

Free Metrolink and ART weekends – Disneyland Resort annual passholders can participate in a joint promotion with Anaheim Transportation Network (ATN) and Metrolink. As part of Metrolink Weekends, Passholders can use Metrolink to travel for free to the Anaheim Metrolink station, then use a free ART pass to get to the Disneyland Resort. The offer is great for those who live in the Inland Empire or southern Orange County, but those who live north of Disneyland will have to get there the old fashioned way. The list of eligible origin stations is limited, and none of the southbound trains coming from LA are included in the promotion.

To take advantage of this promotion, you’ll first need to visit the promotional Web site at this link. (link) Use the username “train” and password “ap” to login. Once you register, you will receive by mail:

One 4-trip ticket from Metrolink to be used on the Weekend Train
One round-trip ticket for the ART system from Metrolink station to the Disneyland® Resort (a $5 value)
A free 7-day pass on Metrolink (one 7-day pass per household).
The Metrolink Weekends schedule is available at this link, and the ART operating schedule is available at this link.

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

	9/3	9/4	9/5	9/6	9/7	9/8
	DL: 10a–11p DCA: 11a–9p	DL: 10a–8p DCA: 10a–6p	DL: 10a–8p DCA: 10a–6p	DL: 10a–8p DCA: 10a–6p	DL: 9a–10p DCA: 10a–8p	DL: 8a–11p DCA: 10a–9p SL/SC
9/9	9/10	9/11	9/12	9/13	9/14	9/15
DL: 9a–10p DCA: 10a–9p SL	DL: 10a–8p DCA: 10a–6p	DL: 10a–8p DCA: 10a–6p	DL: 10a–8p DCA: 10a–6p	DL: 10a–8p DCA: 10a–6p	DL: 9a–10p DCA: 10a–8p	DL: 8a–11p DCA: 10a–9p SL/SC
9/16	9/17	9/18	9/19	9/20	9/21	9/22
DL: 9a–10p DCA: 10a–9p SL	DL: 10a–8p DCA: 10a–6p	DL: 10a–8p DCA: 10a–6p	DL: 10a–8p DCA: 10a–6p	DL: 10a–8p DCA: 10a–6p	DL: 9a–10p DCA: 10a–8p	DL: 8a–11p DCA: 10a–9p SL/SC
9/23	9/24	9/25	9/26	9/27	9/28	9/29
DL: 9a–10p DCA: 10a–9p SL	DL: 10a–8p DCA: 10a–6p	DL: 10a–8p DCA: 10a–6p	DL: 10a–8p DCA: 10a–6p	DL: 10a–8p DCA: 10a–6p	DL: 9a–10p DCA: 10a–8p	DL: 8a–11p DCA: 10a–9p SL/SC

Visit our Annual Passholders Blockout Dates 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.

Author

Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix

View all posts