With work happening from Critter Country to Condor Flats, off-season refurbishments, construction and enhancements projects continue throughout the Disneyland Resort. In Disneyland, Disney has confirmed Innoventions will close at the end of March but remains silent on plans for the Tomorrowland attraction. Is the rumored Disneyland 60th Anniversary exhibit moving in? Meanwhile, work continues in Disney California Adventure on transforming Condor Flats into the new period-appropriate Grizzly Peak Airfield. And if you’re looking forward to Disney’s live-action remake of its classic animated hit “Cinderella,” Disneyland has plenty of merchandise to hold you over until the film hits theaters this weekend.
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Don’t miss your weekly Disneyland Resort crowd forecast — provided by our friends at MouseAddict — in the Weekly News and Information Roundup at the end of today’s update!
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We’ve got another full week of refurbishment and construction news to get to, so let’s get started…
| Welcome to Disneyland! |
Disneyland guests enjoyed beautiful warm spring temperatures over the weekend following some recent chilly weather.
Buena Vista Street at Disney California Adventure is gorgeous in the spring.
| Getting Ready to Dazzle |
The parks continue to get ready for the big 60th Anniversary before it kicks off in late-May.
The Primeval World along the Disneyland Railroad has returned from a quick refurbishment that saw a lot of its show fixed up.
On Main Street, the Fortuosity Shop reopened after a brief refurbishment.
New Main Street shop-themed bags
The lighting and projection boxes around Sleeping Beauty Castle have disappeared, likely to be replaced with upgraded equipment for the new show for the park’s 60th Anniversary Celebration.
Nearby, scaffolding has come down from Snow White Grotto, revealing a refreshed grotto with lovely new landscaping.
The main water fall hadn’t yet been turned back over the weekend.
Meanwhile, inside Fantasyland, Peter Pan’s Flight is still closed for refurbishment and big show enhancements
Looks like the Frozen meet-and-greet overlay here is finally starting to be removed. The Olaf audio-animatronics figure is now gone along with the “Frozen” sign.
What will move into this space next?
In the back of Fantasyland, “it’s a small world” continues its facade refurbishment…
[img]http://www.miceshots.com/usr/67/03-09-15-DSC_4822.jpg[/img]
Smoke damage from the recent fire can still be seen.
Meanwhile, the Matterhorn is remains closed for refurbishment and show enhancements.
Over in Critter Country, work continues on various refurbishment projects in that land, including Splash Mountain, the Briar Patch gift shop and the Hungry Bear Restaurant.
Looks like the Briar Patch shop expansion is wrapping up.
The Hungry Bear from the Rivers of America
Last week first posted in a January MiceChat Editor’s Note about the attraction closing to install a new historical exhibit for Disneyland’s 60th Anniversary in the building’s lower level (in place of the recently evicted Innoventions Dream Home) and upgrading the existing Marvel exhibits. Still, Disney’s refusal to elaborate on plans for the space led to online speculation of what might be moving in, with the OC Register wondering if Star Wars or a bigger Marvel attraction might be in the works.
Whatever happens with Innoventions, hopefully we’ll see a better crowd flow and entry/exit situation for the building. Maybe it’s time to try using the lower-level entrances again?
No word on if the popular Marvel characters will be relocated during the attraction’s downtime.
A look at what’s left of the Dream Home…
Outside in Tomorrowland, no movement to be seen at the Magic Eye Theater or Starcade…
Over at California Adventure, the former Condor Flats continues its transformation into the new Grizzly Peak Airfield.
Views from the Monorail, which recently got its spiel updated to note the Imagineers working on “new natural wonders” for this area.
More new trees
World of Color is expected to reopen this week after its major refurbishment and enhancement project. Don’t expect the new “World of Color: Celebrate!” show just yet — the regular show will run until the new show debuts for Disneyland’s 60th in May.
Grizzly River Run is still closed through next week.
Nearby, the Redwood Creek Challenge Trail has reopened and looks great after its refurbishment.
No progress to be seen from a guest’s perspective at Luigi’s Flying Tires…
Work continues on new fall safety additions at the Disneyland Hotel…
And in Downtown Disney… is Starbucks moving in? No official word yet from Disney on what’s coming to the space previously occupied by Apricot Lane Boutique.
| Rest assured at the Award-Winning HoJo Presented by the Howard Johnson Hotel & Water Playground |
Last time we checked in at the HoJo we met some of its amazing front of house staff that makes magic every day for guests visiting from around the world. Today, we look at some of the awards and rankings the HoJo has earned because of that exceptionally high level of customer service. HoJo is loved by Disneyland fans around the world and travel sites, shows, and magazines have taken notice!
“Top 25 Hotels For Families – U.S.”
with the most recent for 2015 and just awarded in January!
- Featured on this list in 2005, 2006, 2008, 2012, 2014 and 2015, no other Anaheim hotel has won as many awards from TripAdvisor as the HoJo — and none closer to the park entrance! HoJo has been a top 5 hotel on TripAdvisor’s daily sort of top Anaheim hotels since it launched in 2000! HoJo wins not because of the water playground (although it helps), but because of its excellent service level. With 4,780 reviews, HoJo has over double the amount of submitted reviews than its closest competitor on the daily sort! Hotel guests willingly share their stories of HoJo’s high level of service.
“Most Comfortable Hotel Beds” in the U.S.
- Beds are one of the most – if not THE most – important aspect of a hotel, wouldn’t you agree? HoJo might not be a luxury-brand hotel but they stepped it up to provide top quality mattresses and bedding — and it worked!
“Top 10 Family Resorts” in the U.S.
- Sandwiched between Disney’s Aulani resort in Hawaii and the Nickelodean Suites in Florida, the HoJo sits as a top pick for the Australian market — and has for decades. Why Australia (and New Zealand)? Guests from Australia seem to feel more comfortable in a “resort” setting over the “tower hotel in a parking lot” that makes up most of the Anaheim Resort hotel offerings. Aussies enjoy HoJo’s long list of amenities and resort-like features, including landscaped walkways, gardens, separate buildings, acreage, kid-safe grounds, pools that are not in a parking lot or on a roof, and interior corridors. Add in HoJo’s excellent customer service and the Aussies won’t go anywhere else.
- This Aussie television travel program has covered over 1,000 hotels and resorts around the world but the only one they’ve featured in Anaheim is the HoJo!
- See more: eatplayandstay.com
 Enjoy retro fun just steps away from Disneyland at Howard Johnson Hotel & Water Playground A short walk from the park, HoJo Anaheim is conveniently located next to Matterhorn Mountain at Disneyland with nearby dining, freeway access, FREE parking and FREE Wi-Fi. For more information on HoJo Anaheim, room rates, or to book your stay today, visit HoJoAnaheim.com/MiceChat Save with MiceChat & Passholder Discounts Every Day! The HoJo Anaheim is now offering daily discounts for MiceChat members and even DEEPER discounts for Disneyland Resort Annual Passholders! For more information visit the HoJo Anaheim Innsider Boards which features an up-to-date listing of available nights, or call (714) 776-6120 and ask for In-House Reservations to book. If your date isn’t listed, the HoJo Anaheim still offers rooms for 20% off their best available rate if you call (714) 776-6120.  |
| Merch Madness |
Finally, a look at some new merchandise on the shelves to co-incide with Disney’s new live-action Cinderella remake.
A few new, non-Cinderella items you can pick up include…
The great Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride t-shirt that was originally only available for a limited time online is now available in World of Disney
At Disneyana, Mouseketeer Bobby Burgess’s new book is available.
This great new Jeremy Fulton piece and other work based on Disneyland and its attractions are available now in Disneyana.
| Weekly News & Information Round-Up | ||
| Weekly Theme Park Hours March 9-16, 2015 |
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| [B]Disneyland Park[/B] | [B]California Adventure[/B] | |
| Mon.-Thu.: 9 am – 10 pm Fri.-Sun.: 8 am – 12 am |
Mon.-Thu.: 9 am – 9 pm Fri.-Sun.: 8 am – 10 am |
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| [CENTER]For a complete listing of theme park hours, visit the Disneyland.com Theme Park Calendar[/CENTER] |
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| [center]Closure and Refurbishment Schedule[/center] | ||
| [b][center]Disneyland Park[/center][/b] | ||
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| [b][center]Disney California Adventure[/center][/b] | ||
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| [b][center]Downtown Disney and Disneyland Resort Hotels[/center][/b] | ||
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March 9 – 16
The free Mouseaddict app for iPhone and iPad features more than five dozen categories of searchable resort information, weather forecasts, park and show schedules, the latest news and articles from MiceChat, and more. Download free on the App Store or at mouseaddict.com.
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| [center]Headline Roundup A quick look at noteworthy Disney theme park headlines from around the web.[/center] |
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| OK – That’s all for this week’s update! What do you think will move into Innoventions? Let us know in the comments section below! A quick programming note before we end for the week: Dateline Disneyland will be taking the next week off while I am out of state for a conference. Keep an eye out for a special edition of In the Parks while Dateline Disneyland is on break!
Special thanks to our Dateline Disneylanders!
To help support Dateline Disneyland and get some fun swag in return, visit our Patreon page now! For more Disneyland news, be sure to read MiceChat’s weekly In the Parks blog. And be sure to check out our sister blog, Dateline Disney World – a fantastic weekly photo blog covering Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida! Thanks for reading. See you at Disneyland! |
   
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| FTC-Mandated Disclosure: Promotional consideration for this edition of Dateline Disneyland was provided by the Howard Johnson Plaza Hotel & Water Playground. |