Welcome back to the Disneyland Resort! It was a week of rain, construction, and a strange incident on Space Mountain. We’ve got lots to share, including some additions to Project Stardust, an interesting development at the Astro Orbitor, the continuation of Valentine’s Day and Get Your Ears On celebrations, Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge construction, and a unique ride on the Mark Twain Riverboat.

Project Stardust Update

Tram Queue

“Oh no, not another line” is what I overheard when I left Disneyland on Wednesday. Indeed, Disney has added a new line, this one organizes people to get them onto the tram to the Mickey and Friends parking structure.

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On Wednesday, the line was this massive switchback that swallowed the Downtown Disney edge of the Esplanade, including the little booth that was previously Häagen-Dazs and Guest Relations.

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There are now specific loading zones with portable signs to tell you which loading zone you’re going to. In total, there are four zones, the first two are the unloading zones during the day on the right side of the tram loop in the above photo. Cast members stand at the end of the queue to funnel guests evenly between the loading zones.

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I’m not sure if this is more efficient necessarily, but it is at least significantly more organized. They left loading zone 1 empty when I was there, so there were three zones used in total at that time.

Considering how frustrating the tram situation can be, especially when only one loading zone is open, I really appreciate Disney attempting to address the need prior to the opening of Galaxy’s Edge. And once all those new parking structure spaces open, this area is going to get even busier. Let’s hope these new procedures are enough, but they are certainly streamlining things for now.

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Unfortunately, they are getting people to the structure so efficiently, that the escalators are getting backed up. When the expansion opens, though, people may be spread out more evenly. I think I’ll be plenty happy If I can consistently get back to the structure in around ten minutes.

Sleeping Beauty Castle Refurbishment

Construction scrims are getting higher and higher on Sleeping Beauty Castle, scaffolding is now over the highest tower.

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Looks a bit like a giant lunch sack. Surprise, your prize is a castle!
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Partners now has a neutral background color ?

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If you walk by the Fantasy Faire side of the castle, you’re now met with the sign below and a cast member asking if you have a reservation for Bibbity Bobbity Boutique. Seems the walkway is open for BBB guests only, at least for now.

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I spy extension cables

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We’ve been looking at the brown tower on the right since the 60th, it’s been having trouble with rust. Will it be included in the refurbishment?

At night the lights are still on and it looks like a big projection screen.

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With everyone’s taking their picture in front of it, does that mean this is Disneyland’s purple wall?

There’s no specific finish date yet, just “Spring 2019”.

Mickey Bucket Madness

The new annual pass exclusive Steamboat Willie popcorn bucket arrived today at Disneyland. There are estimated to be 35,000 buckets in this order. From the lines, it won’t take long for them to all be gone shortly.

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Our thanks to @TryEverythingDaily for this one
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The carts were well stocked
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But with lines an hour and a half long, these cute buckets won’t last long

Due to the finish, many of the buckets have scratches in the paint. They aren’t allowing exchanges or picking through inventory.

Main Street

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Main Street has a few walls up around curbs and planters. The one near City Hall is over a common pinch point. Thankfully, they’re widening the ramp and squeezing in the planter a bit. But the big old tree, which is slightly in the way as well, is being saved!

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There’s also a wall up around the Town Square side of the Emporium. This is another crowd flow enhancement. Since the sidewalk naturally ends in this spot, it needs easier curbs for strollers and wheelchairs so traffic can keep moving and not suddenly stop when folks realize they’ve hit a curb. More stardust.

Astro Orbitor Refurbishment

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If you walk toward Tomorrowland you’ll be met with a strange sight (that is, unless you visited Disneyland prior to the 1998 update), a Tomorrowland entrance without an Astro Orbitor. Indeed, the vertical portion of the ride is entirely disassembled. You now clearly see the Orbitron sitting atop the old PeopleMover platform in the background (ironically the previous version of the same attraction).

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The official word is that the attraction will be returning in the Spring. As much as the wider view is growing on me, Disneyland will need as much capacity as it can get come summertime. But how about those bronze rocks at the front of the land? Dusty recently took an early morning walk of the park with Disneyland’s Vice President Kris Theiler and Imagineer Kim Irvine, who confirmed that they are indeed “looking into” this situation. I sure hope they come up with a solution, this continues to be one of the park’s worst pinch points.

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The walls are buttoned down pretty good so there won’t be much peeking this time. Not much to see right now other than a plastic covering on the platform.

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Get Your Ears On/Valentine’s Day

Valentine Food

I decided to grab a few Valentine’s Day snacks while I was at the park . . . for . . . um  . . . research. Starting at Rancho Del Zocalo, I was originally going to get the Molcajete platter, but $27.99 felt a little steep. But it certainly looks like a dish you’d want to share.

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Instead, I tried the Sopes Trio, which conveniently creates the shape of our favorite anthropomorphic mouse.

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While I can’t say they were entirely filling for $13.49, I can say that I enjoyed them. The chicken was a little dry, but I barely noticed with the great spicy sauce on top. The beef and pork sopes, though, were delicious.

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I also stopped by the Royal Street Veranda and grabbed some Double Chocolate Fritters, which were excellent. They were like eating deep-fried brownies, the outside was perfectly crunchy with a nice soft and fluffy inside. The normal fritters in this location are a great deep-fried alternative to the popular Mickey Beignets nearby.

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I did stop by the Bengal Barbeque to try their Piranha Lemonade Slushie, but they ran out!

Decorations

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Valentine’s Day decorations will remain up for the next two weeks. Unsurprisingly, the photo op in Town Square is quite popular.

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Here’s a little something that’s either new, or we just overlooked it. The hanging planters in the Hub now have party hats, adorable!

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Mickey’s Mix Magic Sans Pyro

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Since I hadn’t seen Mickey’s Mix Magic yet, I wanted to see how it holds up without pyro during the week. I figured Small World would be the best for just watching the projection show. Not many other people seemed to think so, or at least didn’t show up before showtime.

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Ten minutes to showtime and this is what Small World Mall looked like

By the time the show ended, there were more people around me, but obviously, not fireworks crowd levels. Still, it was Wednesday and the second showing.

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Crowd levels after the show ended

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One thing I did notice was that the images fall apart at times. It’s not a consistent thing, but I wonder if it’s partly to do with the reduction in framerate (you might notice “ghosting” of moving images in some of my photos), the reconstruction of the image that is a result of the reduction, the actual resolution of the images, or if it’s just because I’m actually intently looking at them now versus splitting my attention between them and pyro.

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Elsa’s image is slightly blurry. Not my camera . . . that’s the way she is projected.

I’m unsure of the actual technical limitations of the projections, including why framerate of the source material is reduced, but maybe the easy fix is just don’t stand as close as I was. I was almost on the stairs outside of the Small World shop (a spot I would never stand at to view fireworks because I wouldn’t be able to see them).

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All in all, it’s a fun show with upbeat music and cute visuals. My main quibble is that it feels like it’s time to retire Let it Go from nighttime entertainment for a while, it was the weakest point of the show. I’m unlikely to watch Mix Magic again without pyro, though there’s no harm in the show being offered this way on firework free nights.

Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge Construction

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Let’s take a trip around Disneyland and check out the progress on Galaxy’s Edge. The parking structure still gives a great overview of the backside. The major work on the spires and rock formations is shaping up, most of the rocks are finished and their scaffolding has been pulled down.

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I noticed some pre-fabricated pieces being unpacked outside the Rise of the Resistance building. I’m unsure of what they are.

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Moving to Tarzan’s Treehouse, there are great views of the Frontierland side of Galaxy’s Edge.

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At the top of the second lift hill on Thunder, though, the illusion falls apart a bit. Is that a rock on a stick?

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And a bit of inside video from Disney:

Currently, it’s rumored we’ll be able to see inside the land as soon as June. I don’t know about you guys, but my hype train is getting close to full speed. I really can’t wait.

Parking Structure

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The expansion of Mickey and Friends is moving crazy fast. The side closest to the old structure almost looks done.

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The side closest to the street, though, still needs to lay a bit more concrete.

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I’m feeling pretty good that the spaces will be open before Galaxy’s Edge.

Nighttime Cruise

If you happen to visit before the return of Fantasmic on March 8th, the Mark Twain Riverboat still operates throughout the evening. That means, for now, you can take a moonlit ride around the Rivers of America!

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The first thing you might notice is the bright work lights for Galaxy’s Edge

While a lot of the area is fairly dark, a lot of the new elements along the riverbanks have a wonderful “moonlight” effect on them. It’s a neat approach, accenting rather than blowing everything out with deep blues, reds, and oranges. That helps with keeping the area tranquil.

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The shaman and Indian village get a nice flickering fire lighting effect that adds a little depth and contrast.

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The Mark Twain also has a spotlight, but whoever was controlling it didn’t really point it at anything while I was riding it. They don’t tend to have a cast member on the third floor besides the pilot after a certain time of day, so that floor gets closed off and I couldn’t go up and see who was controlling the spotlight.

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It’s amazing to see that Disney went through the effort of doing more than slapping some spotlights on the scenes, considering guests rarely even see this part of the park at night. You can’t even see some of them from the train, either. I definitely recommend taking a trip after dark the next time you’re at the park.

Construction, Refurbishments, Etc.

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Small World was closed for holiday removal earlier this week but should be back up and running today.

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The Columbia and Mark Twain dock is still under refurbishment, but you can still ride the Mark Twain by entering on the left side of the dock.

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The Columbia is in dry dock, covered in plastic.

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Work is ongoing while Fantasmic is down

The facade refurbishment at the French Market has a nice printed scrim on top.

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Both French Market and the Mint Julep Bar are still open. Interestingly, it looks like they’re offering Mickey Beignets and Mint Juleps inside the French Market; usually, you can only get beignets at the Mint Julep Bar.

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Disneyland Refurb Calendar:

Tentative:

  • Sleeping Beauty Castle Exterior: January 7th-Spring 2019
  • Sleeping Beauty Castle Walkthrough: January 17th-Spring 2019
  • Enchanted Chamber: January 17th-Spring 2019
  • Astro Orbitor: January 7th-Spring 2019
  • Space Mountain: start February 25th
  • Grizzly River Run: January 7th-Spring 2019
  • Silly Symphony Swings: starts March 4th
  • Lube 0 Rama Gift Shop: starts February 25th

With End Dates:

  • “it’s a small world”: January 22nd-31st
  • Golden Zephyr: January 27th-February 2nd
  • Splash Mountain: February 4th-14th
  • Mint Julep Bar: February 18th-March 1st
  • Sailing Ship Columbia: January 21st-March 8th
  • Fantasmic: January 21st-March 8th

New Orleans Square

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Mardi Gras is in two weeks and decorations are up around New Orleans Square.

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I like these little figures that sit on the second-floor balcony railings

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I popped into Pirates of the Caribbean to see if the lighting issues I noticed last time have been fixed. This first cave scene was missing a lot of lighting and looks correct now.

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The light for the “Captain’s Quarters” sign is still off, though.

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There’s a little sign on the right side of this photo that’s dark

The fog during the ship battle scene hasn’t been working all the time lately, either.

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Let’s stop by that creepy old Mansion on the hill…

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Some of the lighting has improved in some places, like the groundskeeper below or the ballroom scene, but some effects were a little off. Several of the crows with bright red eyes were eye-less, for example.

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This and That

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Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln was closed when I visited on Wednesday.

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To keep the banners on the sides of the Peoplemover track from flying around in the wind, little wires were added. Unfortunately, some of them are ripping off the banners.

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Maybe the banners have overstayed their welcome, they were put up after the Season of the Force banners came down and are starting to fade and tattered. It’s time for them to be replaced or removed entirely.

Space Mountain Incident

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On Tuesday afternoon, a guest with cognitive limitations forced his way out of a Space Mountain rocket during the ascent. Guests exiting the attraction alerted attraction staff and the ride was shut down. The park immediately contacted the state Division of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH), and they hope to have the ride reopened as soon as the investigation and review of the attraction safety procedures can be completed.

We were able to confirm with the park that the guest was not injured.

UPDATE: Space Mountain reopened to the public today (Friday, February 1st)


 

MICECHAT ANNIVERSARY WEEKEND EVENTS AND GUMBALL RALLY

Our big events are just one week away. It’s not too late to sign up!!!

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MiceChat Anniversary weekend is February 8, 9, & 10th! Join us for three days of events and activities. Don’t miss the Friday evening cocktail reception celebrating Disney super legend Buzz Price, our Sunday morning breakfast with David Koenig and the very first Disneyland tour guide, and our most affordable Gumball Rally ever, making this the PERFECT year for you to give it a roll. And please don’t miss the MiceChat Sunday meetup at Disneyland on February 10th . . . the event that started it all. All of the amazing events are listed below. Please help us spread the word. We can’t wait to see you!

TIP: Sign up for the Rally, then add the Combo Ticket Package for the best deal on Anniversary weekend. If you aren’t doing the Rally, the Combo Ticket Package (listed below) is your golden ticket to Anniversary Weekend magic!


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The Buzz Way Cocktail Reception
Feb 8th, 7:30 – 9:30 PM – Wyndham Garden Hotel

A panel discussion and cocktail reception celebrating the great Buzz Price, the Disney super-legend who helped create the business model for Disneyland (and Walt Disney World) and discovered the land that the Happiest Place on Earth was built on. Joining us will be David Price, Buzz Price’s son and a themed entertainment star in his own right. David will have copies of his new book about his dad, which contains chapters written by theme park industry luminaries who worked with and were inspired by Buzz Price. The event will feature never-before-seen videos of Buzz and his thoughts on theme parks which will leave you wishing there were more men like him around today. We will also have a unique opportunity to pick up a copy of the book Buzz himself wrote which is now long out of print! Plus, Disney Imagineer Terri Hardin Jackson will be joining us!

The Hotel Indigo (the sister hotel to the Wyndham and immediately next door) is offering a special rate of $109 per night (for the nights of the 8th and 9th) with complimentary WiFi, Parking, and amenity gift. Contact [email protected] and request the MiceChat Anniversary rate.

Buzz event info and tickets HERE

 


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Gumball Rally!
February 9th – 7am until 8pm

The world-famous Gumball Rally is rolling your way on Saturday, February 9th. Do you have what it takes to ride the most attractions at Disneyland in a single day?

Gather together a team of 2, 3, or 4 friends or family members and enjoy the most fun you’ve ever had at the Happiest Place on Earth.

This year’s Rally is inspired by the 50th anniversary of the Haunted Mansion. We’ve been dying to have you.

Gumball Rally Links:


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The First Tour Guide
Breakfast
Feb 10th, 8:30 AM – The Anaheim Hotel

Disneyland author, David Koenig, introduces us to the man who was Disneyland’s very first tour guide in the months before Disneyland even opened to guests. David will interview Bob D’Arcy and we’ll see images of Disneyland that no one has seen before. We’ll also have a chat with David about his own new book coming out and books will be available from Bob & David as well as some additional surprises!

Enjoy a traditional American breakfast of Scrambled Eggs, Bacon, Sausage, Seasoned Breakfast Potatoes, Assorted Pastries, Whole Fruit Display, Trinidad Regular & Decaf Coffee, Evolution Herbal Teas, and Water Station

This event will also serve as the Gumball Rally Award Party. The winning teams and special awards will be given out at this event.

Breakfast event info and tickets HERE SPECIAL


MICECHAT ANNIVERSARY TICKET COMBOS – (YOUR BEST VALUE)

Add both MiceChat Anniversary events and save $10 off our already low rates (buy the General Admission Combo Ticket). OR – Get VIP seating at both events and a special signed gift for just $20 more (buy the VIP Combo Ticket). We are happy to add that holders of the Combo and VIP tickets will receive free parking on Rally day at the Howard Johnson Anaheim Resort.

MiceChat Anniversary events Combo Tickets HERE


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MiceChat Anniversary Noon Mega Meet
Sunday, February 10th
Disneyland

Don’t miss the event that started it all so many years ago. Join us for a classic noon meet up in the central hub of Disneyland. We’ll have lunch, then head off to experience what we call the “West Side Wonders”. This year is the 50th Anniversary of the Haunted Mansion, so we’ll be sure to do that. And if time allows, we’ll also ride the Mark Twain, Pirates, see the Tiki Birds and much more. Disneyland is fun in a group (even if it’s a busy day). Chat, make friends, and have a wonderful time celebrating 16 years of MiceAge/MiceChat.

Event details and RSVP HERE


That’s it for this week, folks. Let us know in the comments how you feel about the new tram queue, project Stardust, and that Space Mountain incident.

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Scott Attula
Author, photographer, videographer, Disney Cast Member. Scott comes from multiple Disney generations and disciplines, including his Grandpa Fred and father at Imagineering and his Grandpa Bill and mother in Live Entertainment. For MiceChat, Scott focuses on other SoCal parks like Knott's Berry Farm and Universal Studios. He can be found at theme parks on a semi-frequent basis trying to get that perfect angle. Check out Scott on Instagram @AttulaPhoto