Splash Mountain Splash (the latest Disney
news bites)
The Genie gets a reprieve. Aladdin was scheduled to be
permanently shut down August 15 at Disney's California Adventure's
Hyperion Theater. It was to be eventually be replaced by Toy
Story The Musical which currently plays on Disney cruise ships.
Naturally fans of Aladdin voiced their displeasure over the change and
this time Disney listened. The removal of the Aladdin show has
been postponed for the time being. Either that or the show that
played on a small stage on board a ship didn't translate very well
when placed in the cavernous Hyperion Theater and the fact most people
who have actually had seen Toy Story The Musical didn't give it very
good reviews.
World of Color at Disney's California Adventure is nearing completion
and is scheduled for official opening in June 11. To view the
show you will need to get a showpass (similar to a fastpass) first
thing in the morning for that evenings performance. It is
believed there will be 2 shows nightly through the summer. Also,
even with a showpass, you will not be allowed into viewing areas early
to stake out a prime spot. Instead, viewers will be queued up in
a waiting area then allowed into the viewing area about 20 - 30
minutes before showtime. The has a viewing capacity of about
9000 people. Here is the latest video from Disney Parks Blog
World of Color viewing park / ampitheater is now open.
.
What would it be like if a Mickey that wandered around a Disney parkcould
actually speak to people?
Take a look at what is currently being tested. This is only a
test run and not currently shown in any Disney park.
Disney posted some kind of secret photos of the new Radiator Springs
Racers the big E-Ticket attraction featured in the new Cars Land
(opening 2012)
Mean while over at the Disneyland Hotel, the three year face lift
continues as work on the "Dream" tower (the new name for the old
Sierra tower) continues. Some people think the new blue windows
make it look like an office building but I kind of like the clean
look.
Now hoping to be able to make a trip to
Disneyland sometime during the week of May 23rd before sister's annual
pass expires.
Our trip to Walt Disney World
postponed from last year may be on again this year at Christmas.
There is a link below for our planning that went into last year's
aborted trip but stay tuned for exciting changes as a new year gives
us another year to change our minds.
Click HERE
to go to our Walt Disney World Trip pages...
Refurbishment, Closure, and Construction: Information & Updates
Disclaimer: The following information is gleaned from various
sources on the Internet. While they are pretty accurate, 100%
accuracy cannot be guaranteed. Always check with the
Disneyland Resort for current information - rides and attractions are
subject to close without notice.
Disneyland
Indiana Jones Adventurecloses 6/1 through 6/3 for
refurbishemt
Monorail
closes 4/19 and 4/20 for refurbishment
Tomorrowland Terrace
closed through 7/2/10 to put in a new kitchen (Jedi
Training Academy and other Tomorrowland Terrace
stage entertainment continues to perform)
Splash Mountain closes 5/17/10 - 5/27/10 for refurbishment.
Star
Tours closes 7/26/10 for upgrading to the new Star
Tours 3D. Scheduled to open 5/10/10
-
Disney's California Adventure
Wine Country Trattoria
closed through 6/9 for remodeling. The new WCT will feature
upstairs dining and a new counter service facility downstairs.
Silly Symphony Swingsscheduled to open 5/28/10.
Blue Sky Cellarscloses 6/3 through 6/9 install the
Voyage of the Little Mermaid exhibit.
Here
is a map of the Disney's California Adventure makeover. Be sure to stop by the Blue Sky Cellars exhibit
to see what's in store for the new and improved Disney's California
Adventure.
I have to admit I hadn't given it any thought but in
reading a Disneyland website forum the other day, the topic was put out
there "Do you have any superstitions or traditions that you follow on a
trip to Disneyland?" I was amazed at the amount of responses with
things like "always enter the park from the left side tunnel" to "look
up at the light above the firehouse and say 'good-night & thank you" to
Walt" to "always stopping at the Main St. Cinema to see a few minutes of
Steamboat Mickey" to "making Peter Pan's Flight the first ride of every
visit". It really was quite a list. And then I thought about
whether I have any traditions or superstitions. I guess the answer
would be "no" but its never to late to start making some.
And while I don't have any traditions or
superstitions, I guess (or I should say "we" for Lisa and me in many
cases) there are some very definite tendencies we have that could be
formed into actual traditions. Generally speaking, while we tend
to enter the park through the tunnel closest to the turnstile we enter
in, I think we almost always exit the park from the right hand side
tunnel closest to the city hall and the firehouse. I would like to
think its because, especially if its after dark, it gives me the chance
to look up at light above the firehouse when it can really be seen.
When we first enter Disneyland on the first day of a
trip we almost always walk up Main St., make the left hand turn and head
for New Orleans Square (or we'll take the train over there) and make a
ride on Pirates our first ride (it could be second if there's no wait
for Indy). And if Pirates is the first ride, we almost always make
the short walk over to the Haunted Mansion and make that our second.
This seems right since they are the two most elaborate rides the Walt
Disney actually had a hand in creating.
Speaking of train rides, we always make at least one
complete full circle trip on the Disneyland Railroad (though Lisa
cringes every times she goes through the primeval world diorama - hasn't
changed in 50 years - and it looks it).
As for the rest of the rides, we always go on the
Jungle Cruise, Mark Twain, it's a small world, and Buzz Lightyear.
While we have other favorites, almost everything else is optional
depending upon the weather and how long the line is. At our age,
"riding all the rides" isn't really a priority anymore.
As far as the other attractions, we will always go
into the Enchanted Tiki Room to see the birds (and enjoy a pineapple
float beforehand though the quality of those treats may have
deteriorated through the years). At least once each trip we will
stop into the Golden Horseshoe to see an always fun performance by Billy
Hill and the Hillbillies. When it re-opens in December, we will
make a visit to the Disneyland Opera House to see Great Moments with Mr.
Lincoln on each trip, Hmmm....Tiki Room, Golden Horseshoe, and
Lincoln....3 places I've been in with my parents and I'm in my middle
50's. Outside of Buzz, you could probably throw in all of the
above though I'm not sure if mom and dad made it to the Haunted Mansion.
I guess there is something to tradition after all.
For food, I will always get a safari skewer
(bacon-wrapped asparagus) from the Bengal Barbeque, eat a frozen banana
and at least split a churro with someone. Since we've made three
trips to Disneyland over the last year we have had a chance to sample
other dining places and the Carnation Cafe, French Market, and Blue
Ribbon Bakery all have a chance to become dining traditions.
Its hard to have traditions over at Disney's
California since the park is not even 10 years old and still not fully
developed but we always go see Aladdin (though my understanding this
elaborate stage play is renewed on a year by year basis and may not run
forever). Unless the weather is ridiculously cold, we will make it
though the Grizzly River Run and we love the Pixar Play Parade along
with with Turtle Talk with Crush. Even though we've seen the shows
plenty of times, It's Tough to be a Bug and Muppets 3D generally will be
seen on every trip. But a must add to the traditions list is Toy
Story Midway Mania, one of the best rides in either park. We don't
have any dining traditions over at DCA but I think we both enjoyed our
meal at the Wine Country Trattoria and enjoy the chicken sandwiches from
the Taste Pilot's Grill.
So that's it for now. Before we make our next
trip, I plan to sit down and come up with some real traditions if not
outright superstitions. What could be better than to touch this or
pick up that from Disneyland on every single visit?
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Dave Anderson:
Web Design & Authoring, Technical Support
Lisa Anderson:
Text Editor, Principal Photographer
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