It was an exciting week at Disneyland with the return of a beloved classic. Pirates of the Caribbean returned after a lengthy refurbishment and is once again serving up swashbuckling fun to the masses. On the other side of Disneyland, we are getting closer to the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage reopening later this month. The walls have come down around the attraction, revealing a new friend in the lagoon. Meanwhile, we have news for you on Halloween, returning favorites, resort construction, and a whole lot more…
Welcome to Disneyland!
While America is celebrating Independence Day today, huge holiday crowds are a thing of the past at Disneyland with park reservation limits and Magic Key blackout dates. The low summer crowds made for a delightful weekend in the parks.
Very reasonable Disneyland wait times Friday afternoon.
A look at California Adventure wait times Friday afternoon.
A Swashbuckling Return
On Friday, Pirates of the Caribbean returned from a lengthy refurbishment. The classic attraction struggled to keep its doors open throughout the day due to opening day breakdowns but all-in-all returned looking good and fresh again.
As part of the refurbishment project, the attraction’s outdoor queue was largely rebuilt following the removal of two large old shade trees. The trees had to be removed due to disease but have replaced by two younger magnolias.
The rebuild of the outdoor queue is largely unnoticeable — it was put back almost entirely as it was and most guests will never know that this whole courtyard space was dirt just a few weeks ago.
New lampposts have been added to help brighten the space at night. These are nice enough but when compared to some of the older, antique fixtures on the building facade, for example, they look like they could have been picked up at The Home Depot. Still, they do their job and fit in just fine.
New lantern sconces added next to the fountain. The fountain was not running over the weekend.
The new magnolia trees are in bloom.
New lanterns hang in the magnolia trees. These lanterns match the other new lighting fixtures in style and quality.
Inside, the attraction is largely the same as we remembered. Sets are lit properly again, audio is working throughout, and animatronics are working smoothly.
The attraction did not receive any new enhancements during this refurbishment, just much-needed, top-to-bottom maintenance.
Enjoy our full ride-through video from Friday afternoon:
Let’s take a look at some scenes from this Disneyland classic attraction.
Cannonballs work again!
Resurfacing Soon!
Over in Tomorrowland, walls have come down around the Submarine Lagoon. The attraction is expected to reopen on July 25.
The ride is expected to come back refreshed and with some new magic, some of which can already be seen in the lagoon with the addition of a statue of Hank the octopus from “Finding Dory.”
The seagulls are back on their buoy. Their “MINE! MINE! MINE!” audio plays but the animatronics are not yet working.
Take a look at the sparkling lagoon, now with the walls down.
On Friday, we were delighted to see Cast Members training and the submarines going on trips through the lagoon once again!
Check out the subs in motion in our video of submarine testing below:
The submarine lagoon is such a beautiful part of Tomorrowland and the subs add so much kinetic energy to this land. We’re thrilled to see this attraction refreshed and enhanced so it can continue to delight guests for years to come.
Splash into the Bayou
On Friday, we learned the new name and opening timeline for the “Princess and the Frog” retheme of Splash Mountain. The attraction will officially be named “Tiana’s Bayou Adventure” at both Disneyland and Walt Disney World and is expected to open by late 2024.
There is no official closing date yet to report for Splash Mountain but you may want to get some final rides in soon, if you can!
Want to know more about Tiana’s Bayou Adventure? Be sure to check out our coverage for everything currently known and some interesting commentary from our readers: NEW INFO: Everything You Need to Know About the Upcoming Princess and the Frog Ride at Disneyland & WDW
There’s no word yet if Disney will rename Critter Country, or if Splash Mountain will officially change lands and become part of New Orleans Square. Moving a mountain from one land to another isn’t without precedent — the Matterhorn was originally designated as part of Tomorrowland before “moving” to Fantasyland.
Disneyland Custodial Union Win
SEIU-USWW, the union that handles Custodial, Costuming, and other departments at the Disneyland Resort posted this week that an arbitration filed back in April of last year has been ruled in favor of the union. The contract violation in question is related to Third Shift Custodial duties that were pushed to Day Custodial following the re-opening of the resort. The arbitrator ruled that this violated the contract; Disney and the union now need to negotiate further on how to solve the violation. Here’s the message from the union:
We reported on this issue (among others) when the park re-opened last year, noting that requiring Day Custodial to perform the extra tasks had caused some disturbances like closing restrooms early (sending guests who required the restroom away) to perform the cleaning that previously third shift performed well after guests had left the park. From our experience, these issues have been mostly resolved, at least from the guest’s perspective.
The wording isn’t specific about what might change, but posts by the union’s shop stewards are hopeful that Third Shift Custodial can take over their previous tasks again. Day Custodial, even with improved staffing since last year, just doesn’t have the same ability to create that Disney attention to detail that Third Shift can do overnight when there are no guests in the park. The loss of extra detailed cleaning has started to become pretty obvious- from dingy doorknobs to dusty vents.
Whatever happens, we’re hopeful that this news will bring better conditions for Disneyland’s staff and a cleaner-looking park for guests.
Disneyland Construction Kingdom
Adventureland Treehouse
In Adventureland, the former Tarzan’s Treehouse remains behind scaffolding. Disney has yet to announce what theme will move in here or an opening timeline.
ToonTown construction
Over in Mickey’s ToonTown, work continues on transforming that land before its reopening next year.
Work continues on the facade of the new Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway attraction.
California Changes
In Disney California Adventure, Seaside Souvenirs has reopened after a refurbishment.
The old sandcastle-themed merchandise displays are now just themed boxes.
Five and Dime was performing without Dime last week. We hope Dime returns to Buena Vista Street soon!
Downtown Disney expansion
No change to report at the Downtown Disney expansion site. Wonder what the holdup is here?
Disneyland Hotel construction
And over at the Disneyland Hotel, work continues on the new Disney Vacation Club tower…
Take a look at our video update
Returning Disneyland Magic
Let’s take a look at some magic returning to the parks soon…
Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique makeovers
In Fantasyland, the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique will once again offer makeovers for young guests starting July 25.
Classic Space Mountain returns
Traditional Space Mountain is expected to return this week, following the run of Hyperspace Mountain. Hyperspace Mountain’s final day is today, July 4.
Red Car Trolley gets ready
In Disney California Adventure, the Red Car Trolley was spotted on the tracks on Buena Vista Street after park closing last week. We’re hoping for a return for this transportation system very soon!
Oogie Boogie Bash Sells Out
Tickets for the wildly popular Oogie Boogie Bash at Disney California Adventure went on sale last week. All dates for the event are already sold out.
Due to the popularity of this event, should Disney add additional dates?
Credit Card Offers Return
For those of you with Disney Visa cards or American Express cards, there are a couple of offers available which could get you free Disney+ for 6 months or extra cashback on spending you already do!
For Chase cardholders, check here to see if an offer is available for you. The Disney Visa isn’t the only card with an offer – if you have any other Chase cards, double check what offers you might have!
For American Express cardholders, you may have an offer available for 6 months of Disney+ reimbursement
Hotel Early Entry Returns
Early entry for Disneyland Resort hotel guests is set to return on August 8th. This was long overdue.
Around the Parks
Disneyland didn’t do much to celebrate Independence Day this year, with special fireworks only running today, July 4 instead of the entire weekend. There’s still plenty of Red, White & Blue to be found in the parks, however.
The U.S. Capitol building model in the Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln preshow is always spectacular to look at.
Red, white, and blue flowers in Town Square.
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Let’s Hear From You
Alright, that wraps up this holiday edition of Dateline Disneyland. Are you excited to ride Pirates of the Caribbean again? Ready to board a submarine later this month? Let us know what you think of the latest news in the comments section below!
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