Ch-ch-ch-changes! Since we visited with you yesterday, things have unraveled a bit more at the Disneyland Resort. Our hearts break as new information hints that our nation may be locked down until August, or even longer. So what does that mean for Disneyland? We have some clues and thoughts for you below. Plus, our update below features photos and news from the parks just before they closed on Friday the 13th of May.
Here’s Part One of our update from yesterday:
Disneyland Closure Updates
Yesterday, the President of the United States confirmed that we may not be out of the woods until July, August, or even longer. There is no word yet from Disneyland regarding extending park closures, but it seems VERY unlikely that they’ll reopen the parks in the middle of a widening national crisis, with more and more facilities closing every day. It’s likely still a bit soon for the Disneyland strategists and executives to have a good enough handle on how long all of this might last to make any further announcements, but they’ll have say something soon as vendors, staff and others all need to plan for Disney’s decision.
Meanwhile, hotels in the Disneyland area are beginning to close up shop indefinitely, and the ones who are still open linger in the 10% occupancy range. Even the popular Great Wolf Lodge, a destination in its own right, has closed.
As an indication of how quickly things are changing. All those post-closing refurbishments Disneyland rushed into action this past weekend, including the ripping up of the Hub area, attraction work, and construction on Avengers Campus and Mickey’s Runaway Railway appears to have been halted. Only the smallest backstage staff was scheduled yesterday and an indication that the park may be headed for a hard closure to all activity soon.
Disney’s management is actually being as proactive as they can possibly be on the side of safety. As the CDC, and local, state, and federal officials continue to crack down, Disney has responded to comply. The latest recommendations are for no more than 10 people to assemble at any given time, but fewer if possible. Disney may just about be at the point of sending everyone home for their own safety.
Many cast members are rightfully stressed out and worried about further delays in park reopening and the layoffs that would no doubt follow. If you know a Disney cast member, let them know you appreciate them. Here’s the latest message from their Union:
What will the future hold? We wish we had the consultation of Madame Leota. For now, let’s hope for the best, but be prepared for the worst.
Disneyland Construction & Refurbishments
Right up until two days after park closing, all the projects we’ve been following for months were still in the works. Some of them were getting pretty close to wrapping up, while others still had a while left to go.
Tomorrowland
With any luck, we’ll see a new “retro” version of the Tomorrowland entry plaza when Disneyland finally reopens.
The entry project not only removed the obstructive french fry rocks which had poked out of the ground since the ill-fated Tomorrowland 1998 project, but also seeks to roll the clock back to the 1960’s heyday of Tomorrowland with sleek spires and Googie-style designs.
Onward was previewing in the Tomorrowland Theater. We saw the film recently at our local movie theater, but there aren’t many folks going to the theater these days. You’ll be able to catch it on Disney+ soon enough, thanks to recent events.
Turn your gaze to the right a bit and you can see that the Space Mountain emergency stairs finally have railings.
Fantasyland
The happiest land of them all had two big projects. The Scary Adventures of Snow White was in the process of losing its “Scary.” And King Arthur Carrousel was under complete refurbishment.
The oddly golden sky on the Snow White construction scrim returned this week after having been removed for a couple of weeks.
Former scary details were being muted in cream colors.
Meanwhile, over at King Arthur Carrousel, the ride was completely covered, obscuring progress on the tent topper.
Haunted Mansion
The refurbishment of Haunted Mansion is extensive. Paneling was removed and replaced, scenes were refreshed, animatronics calibrated and restored, and costumes replaced. . . .
They were thankfully able to get the windows back into the facade before the recent rains.
The moved the tombstones . . . but they didn’t move the bodies!!! Actually, you’ll see that these are mostly bases for the figures of the pig, dog, etc.
Mickey’s ToonTown
Disneyland’s biggest project is the multi-media family dark ride, Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway. The foundation for the attraction was going in these past two weeks. It’s unclear if this project might get sidelined for a while due to the park shut down, and possibly longer once the parks reopen.
Nearby, Mickey’s House was under exterior refurbishment.
Dave Smith Tribute
A brand new window on Main St. is set to be dedicated to Dave Smith, founder of the Walt Disney Archives on June 22, 2020. The date just happens to be the 50th anniversary of the Walt Disney Archives founding.
Speaking of windows, the refurbishment of the animated Main Street Emporium windows continues. The Peter Pan window was blocked off as it gets a little TLC. Why is it that this window and the Toy Story one seem to be down more often than they’re running?
New-ish Star Wars merchandise
There is a new Star Wars sweatshirt that has a similar vibe to a spirit jersey, but less bulky looking. I found it in the Startrader shop in Tomorrowland.
There was a display of Baby Yoda merch as well.
Did someone say naps and snacks . . .
A merchandise cart was parked in each of the three entries to Galaxy’s Edge. Baby Yoda merchandise apparently doesn’t fit the theme of Galaxy’s Edge, due to the restrictive timeline of the land. There has to be a better way to integrate current Star Wars merch into the land than using an obtrusive merchandise cart.
Happy St. Patty’s Day
There won’t be much celebrating this year with the bars closed . . . but there are at least a few good St. Patrick’s Day references in the park that we thought it would be fun to share.
The first is the leprechaun dancing under the small world clock tower. On the inside of the attraction, there are some Irish children dancing a jig above shamrocks.
But my absolute favorite is The Little Man of Disneyland. Do you know the tale? If not, click through to our feature about this clever little fellow that you can actually find in Adventureland . . . if you know where to look . . .
We’ve Got This!
Our travel partners at Get Away Today are here to help you with your theme park shutdown concerns and rescheduling plans. We’ll get through this difficult time together. And when the pandemic ends, you’ll have earned a nice vacation! Get Away Today- HERE
Let’s Hear From You!
Are there projects at Disneyland that you worry won’t be completed? How long do you think it will be until the parks reopen?
And we still have ONE MORE update for you from Disneyland this week. Stay tuned for Avengers Campus construction, new merchandise, a not so surprising closure and much more . . . tomorrow!
We’ll leave you with a final bit of Disneyland magic from Trevor in the Park on the last day of park operation:
May the luck of the Irish be with you!
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