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News and Views

A
quiet farewell for Monorail Orange

Cast members were notified Sunday afternoon
that Monorail Orange will be offically retired from service today. Monorail cast
members say that the trouble-prone train is worn out after nearly a year of constant
use while the other trains were refurbished, and was finally deemed to be beyond
repair.

Monorail Red was the lone working train for much of the weekend. Photo by Adrienne
Vincent-Phoenix.

The retirement comes as Monorail Blue returns to service
after a lengthy overhaul. Blue was put into service over the weekend, but was
pulled again due to mechanical difficulties. For much of Sunday, the Disneyland
Monorail system ran with just one train—Monorail Red—or was closed entirely.

There is no word if there will be formal retirement ceremony for Orange.
Cast members have heard that a new Monorail fleet may soon be under construction
for Disneyland, but express concerns that the remaining trains won’t last until
the new ones are ready.

DCA: no longer for hire?

Two interesting
developments have leaked about future non-events at Disney’s California Adventure
park. First, Michelle Smith reported this past weekend on FabulousDisneyBabe.com
that the ABC Super Soaps Weekends, held in 2002 and 2003 at DCA, have been cancelled
for 2004. According to her source, nobody wanted to pay to sponsor the event,
which drew thousands of soap opera fans to the park for celebrity meet-and-greets,
autograph sessions and discussion panels.

Then a poster on the LaughingPlace
discussion boards shared a letter she received from ESPN, confirming that the
X Games Xperience would not return to DCA this summer. The Xperience, hosted last
summer to publicize the ESPN-sponsored X Games in Los Angeles, failed to draw
the expected crowds of extreme sports fans.

While we never expected to
see another Xperience at DCA, rumors circulated last year that a Cirque du
Soleil-type show was being pitched as the special promotional event for this
summer. Nothing further came from these rumors, and an entertainment cast member
says that former Disneyland Resort President Cynthia Harriss scrapped the idea
before she left the company last fall.

Instead, it looks like the Disneyland
Resort has decided to rely less on movie premieres and transitory special events,
and focus more on a permanent new addition to the park to draw crowds year-round.
In the letter, the ESPN representative said, “The number one marketing message
for DCA over the next year will be launching the new Tower of Terror.”

Cast
members tell us that Superstar Limo, shuttered for over a year, is scheduled to
reopen at the same time that Tower makes its debut. While some cast members speculate
that Hollywood and Dine, a food court that is now used for nothing more than private
events, may also reopen, one source tells us that Imagineers have been considering
the building for use as a dark ride location. Perhaps the fabled Monsters,
Inc. attraction could find a home here.

Triton’s Garden is closed for refurbishment. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.

Snow is Coming

The Disneyland Resort kicked off the pre-opening
media campaign for the upcoming Snow White – An Enchanting Musical,
with a handprint ceremony at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in Hollywood last week.
[Read for
our coverage of this event.]

By contrast to the glitzy Hollywood press
event, other parts of the marketing plan for this show are downright esoteric.
Billboards have sprouted all around Southern California, sporting a solid white
background and a few simple words printed in blue. Many read simply, “Snow
is on the way,” with the date of February 23 listed below.

Observant
locals, used to seeing Disneyland ads on those same billboards, assumed that the
banners referred to something at the resort. Most people probably had no idea
what the ads were about. A few days after they first appeared, small “Disneyland
Resort” logos were pasted onto the billboards.

Some posters to our
MousePad message boards expressed confusion about what they perceived to be a
delayed campaign for the holiday season, since Disneyland heavily promoted the
“snow on Main Street” effect during the holidays.

Several other
readers hail this as a “brilliant marketing” technique, expecting additional
details to be added to the signs as opening day draws near, all in an effort to
arouse curiousity in the commuters who will pass the sign several times a week.

Let’s go cruising

Staff Writer Shoshana Lewin recently returned
from a seven-night cruise on the Disney Magic cruise ship, where rumors
and gossip of a possible West Coast move were swimming. At several crew Q-&-A
sessions, staff members said they were looking at new itineraries, and were vague
about European and Alaskan voyages. But when it came to California, the phrase
of choice was “no comment” and an occasional smile.

Shoshana
then asked a future cruise consultant, if there were going to be cruises
on the West Coast in 2005 (to coincide with Disneyland’s 50th) how early would
bookings start, and she was told there would be more information in two to three
months. It is uncertain if this would be a new ship or if one of Disney’s two
ships, the Magic and Wonder, would reposition, since both ships
have the ability to pass through the Panama Canal.

No refreshment delivery?

Considering
the large number of outdoor vending carts and units staggered throughout Disneyland,
it’s a bit of a surprise when some of their more permament fixtures disappear
without warning.

Wooden fences stand in place of the Fantasyland Fantasia Freeze cart. Photo by
Alex Stroup.

If you have a craving for slushies while in Fantasyland, you
might have to wait a while before you can have a Fantasia Freeze. All signs of
the Fantasia Freeze stand are gone from under the monorail track near the “it’s
a small world” end of Fantasyland, and have been replaced by wooden fences.
One cast member was under the impression that the stand was being refurbished,
but was not sure when it was returning.

A reasonable facsimile is still
available at the Goofy Freeze “trailer” next to Goofy’s Bounce House
in Toontown, and those who are willing to substitute the various flavors (Coca-Cola,
cherry, blue raspberry, raspberry lemon, orange) with plain lemon, can opt for
a lemonade slushie from one of the permanent and land-themed frozen lemonade stands.

The galaxy must have heen extremely thirsty; it drank the entire refreshment stand.
Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.

Tomorrowland is also a victim of disappearing
refreshment stands; the Coca-Cola stand is nowhere to be found next to Redd Rocket’s.
An inquiry with a Tomorrowland cast member revealed that the stand is not used
everyday, implying that it is used only on days with bigger park attendance. While
February is not a busy month, the stand was not used on either days this past
weekend, leaving us to wonder just how busy the park has to be for the stand to
reappear. Without the stand, the “Delivering Refreshment to a Thirsty Galaxy”
sign doesn’t quite make sense.

Tower of Terror Update

As the grand
opening looms, work continues on the Tower of Terror attraction at DCA. The Tower
underwent operational tests this weekend.

The Tower of Terror, which underwent operational tests this weekend, looks from
the exterior to be almost done. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.

The Tower dominates the skyline of Flik’s Fun Fair. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.

Ears
to the Ground

…The reopening
date for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad has been pushed back to March 10, 2004.

…Coach John Wooden will sign his new children’s book, Inch
and Miles: The Journey to Success, at 3:00 p.m., Sunday, February 22, at Compass
Books & Café in Downtown Disney. More details are available on our
MousePad discussion boards (link).

A Main Street window promotes Miracle, Disney’s latest film. [Read editor
Alex Stroup’s review of the movie here.]
Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.

Current
Refurbishments and Attraction Closures

Disneyland

• Indiana
  Jones Adventure closed through April 2.
• Pinocchio’s Daring Journey
  closed through Feb. 19.
• Mark Twain Riverboat rehab extended
  through February 9 (May be extended even further).
• Sleeping Beauty
  Castle walk-through closed indefinitely.
• Space Mountain closed
  through 2005.
• Big Thunder Mountain Railroad closed through March
  9.
• Tomorrowland Railroad Station closed through February 22.
• Autopia
  – Fastpass unavailablethrough February 22.

Disney’s California
Adventure

• Orange Stinger closed through March 12.
• Superstar
  Limo closed indefinitely (rumored to reopen on May 4).

Future
Attraction Closures

• Dumbo closed March 8 to April 1
• Peter
  Pan’s Flight closed April 19 to May 22.
• Enchanted Tiki Room
  closes in September for a two-month rehab.

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

February

• Sleeping
  Beauty’s Royal Ball, details available at the Disney Gallery Web site (link).
  February 14.
• Snow White – An Enchanting Musical
  premieres February 23, “soft opening” previews begin February 9.
• Snow
  White – An Enchanting Musical “Reserved” Annual Passholder
  showtimes February 23 – 27 & 29 at 6:00 p.m.

April

• Tower of Terror event, details available at the Disney Gallery Web
  site (link).
  April 22 & 23.

May

• Twilight Zone Tower
  of Terror Opening at DCA. May 4.
• A Celebration of Walt Disney
  Art Classics – “A Disney Blast to the Past” May 14 to 16.

Current Discounts & Promotions

Disney’s
Passport Plus Package for 2004 includes:

• Disneyland Resort Park
  Hopper Ticket
• $10 ESPN Zone Arena Game Card
• Preferred Seating
  at select shows in Disney’s California Adventure Park
• California Diamond
  Fun Book (one per package)
• Free parking at Disneyland Resort Theme Parks
  

Prices are as follows:

• 5-day: $129 (children: $99)
• 6-day:
  $159 (children: $129)
• 7-day: $184 (children: $149)

An additional
handling fee of $10 will be charged per mailing address.

New SoCal Salute
announced; two parks, two days at one-day price

The Disneyland Resort
is offering a new version of the Southern Californian resident salute through
Friday, April 30. Residents may spend a day at Disneyland and a day at Disney’s
California Adventure for the price of a one-day ticket.

Eligible residents
can purchase up to five “2fer” tickets per day with proof of Southern
California residency (zip codes 90000 through 93599, or Northern Baja California
residents within zip codes 21000 through 22999; valid ID required). “2fer”
tickets are priced at the regular one-day ticket prices for the Disneyland Resort
theme parks—$47 for ages 10 and up, $37 for ages 3 through 9—and are
available at Resort ticket booths as well as at the Disneyland Web site (link).

The first day of use must occur on the date of purchase; the second day
of use must occur within 30 days of purchase or before April 30, whichever occurs
first.

New AAA tickets

AAA announced new ticket plans for the Disneyland
Resort:

• 2-day adult Flex Passport $98 (children: $78)
• 5-day
  adult Flex Passport $129 (children: $99)

The new prices took effect
December 24, 2003, and all tickets include free parking.

Disney’s Wildfire
Heroes Salute

“Disney’s Wildfire Heroes Salute” entitles active
California firefighters, law enforcement and rescue personnel, with proper organization
and photo ID, to one free three-day park hopper ticket. They can also make a one-time
purchase of up to five three-day park hopper companion tickets for $39 each. Discounted
hotel rates are also available at the three Disneyland Resort hotels.

The promotion is valid through March 31, except for blackout dates of February
14 to 16. For more details, visit Disneyland’s Disney’s Wildfire Heroes Salute
Web page (link)
or call (714) 520-5069.

Annual Passholders nights at the Disneyland Resort
hotels

Annual passholders can book a room at the Paradise Pier hotel for
$59. This offer is valid only on Sunday nights, through March.

Annual Passholders
can also book rooms at the Paradise Pier hotel for $79 a night, Sunday through
Thursday.

Weekend rates and discounts for the Disneyland Hotel and Disney’s
Grand Californian are higher. Make reservations at 714-956-MICKEY, and ask for
rate plan APN. Note: these offers run concurrently. If your trip includes
a Sunday night stay, be sure to ask for the lower rate for that night.

Get
5 days and 4 nights for the price of 3

Book a package at the Disneyland
Resort for a minimum four-nights through the Walt Disney Travel Company, and the
package price includes one night’s free accommodations at participating hotels.
Your package will also include a five-day Disneyland Resort park hopper ticket
for the price of a three-day Disneyland Resort park hopper ticket. Click
here for a list of participating hotels and dates.

City Pass available
with AAA packages

You can purchase the Southern California City Pass with
Walt Disney Travel Company packages.

A Southern California City Pass booklet
includes admission to five separate entertainment options:

• 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 city’s for an additional charge of $47 per pass ($32 per
pass for children 3 through 9).

Note: The Southern California City’s 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.

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/Blockout Dates

DL: Disneyland

DCA: Disney’s California Adventure
Annual Pass blockout dates: SoCal
– Southern California Annual Pass. DX – Deluxe
Annual Pass

Visit our Annual
Passholders Blockout Dates 2003-2004 page to see more dates.

Entertainment Schedule