Disneyland‘s huge 60th Anniversary Diamond Celebration launched over Memorial Day weekend and now the party is in full swing as the Resort enters the busy summer season. We take a look at even more of the 60th anniversary offerings today, from special sweets and snacks to Disneyland’s lineup of high-end art and collectibles available for the occasion. We also show you the return of Disneyland’s Main Street Flower Market, fill you in on refurbishments, and update you on even more new merchandise.
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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Okay, we’ve got another big update today, so let’s get started!
| Welcome to Disneyland! |
Disneyland’s big 60th Anniversary celebration is now in full swing as the parks enter the busy summer months.
Guests entering the Resort will undoubtedly see signage for the “Disneyland Diamond Days” sweepstakes that is going on throughout the 60th anniversary celebration.
Guests interested in entering-to-win must text the Word of Day into Disney. To be entered in the daily prize drawing, participants must text the Word of the Day between 7:00 and 10:59 a.m. and have to be present on Disneyland Resort property to be eligible to win. All submissions 11:00 a.m. and after will go into a drawing for the weekly prize. Daily prizes include special in-park VIP experiences including guided tours, reserved viewing for entertainment, and dining experiences. Weekly prizes are the big ones, including 2-carat blue diamonds, stays at the Disneyland Dream Suite. For more information on the sweepstakes, click here.
The Cinderella Glass Slipper that’s being given away as part of the sweepstakes is currently on display in Disneyana inside Disneyland.
In Town Square, the Main Street Opera House got a new banner for the new Disney Gallery exhibit that we showed you last week.
Looks good.
On Center Street, the Main Street Flower Market has returned again. It’s smaller than when it briefly came back during the 2013 holiday season, but it’s a welcome return nonetheless. The flowers are real this time, but real or fake, this bit of atmosphere theming is really great and I hope it sticks around.
Meanwhile, Disney California Adventure is celebrating the 60th as well
A look at wait times Sunday afternoon.
| More 60th Anniversary Fun |
We’ve covered the big stuff, but with food, art, and even more merchandise — there’s still even more Diamond Celebration to see!
Last week we showed you the clever new Matterhorn photo spot set up near the mountain. Turns out the Matterhorn photo-op is only one of a series of new photo spots in both parks.
The photo spots are popular, drawing long lines
In Disney California Adventure, a Grizzly Peak photo spot is set up next to the Little Mermaid attraction on San Francisco Street.
And on Paradise Pier, a California Screamin’-themed backdrop is available.
These three photo spots are open now but keep an eye out for more on the way, including one near Big Thunder Mountain in Disneyland.
Also new for the 60th is a selection of new cupcakes, candies and specialty drinks available at select locations in both parks. Disneyland is really hyping its specialty 60th anniversary cupcakes, which come in two varieties — one for Disneyland and one for Disney California Adventure. The Disneyland version is only available at the Jolly Holiday Bakery Cafe:
Giant cupcake sculpture!
California Adventure’s version features orange cake and is available only at Fiddler, Fifer and Practical Cafe.
If I had to recommend one cupcake to try, I’d have to go with Disneyland’s version. The two cupcakes are pretty similar, but the lemon flavor in Disneyland’s tasted great (how can you go wrong with lemon cake?), whereas the orange cake in DCA’s cupcake didn’t have much flavor at all. Either way, I feel that $6 for one these cupcakes is pretty pricey but if I were to get another one, I’d definitely go with Disneyland’s.
In addition to specialty cupcakes, various dining locations in both parks (and at the Grand Californian Hotel) are serving up special drinks:
- Jolly Holiday Bakery Cafe (Disneyland): Frozen Pomegranate Silver Sparkler
Troubadour Tavern (Disneyland): Enchanted Cherry Apple Frozen Lemonade
Hungry Bear Restaurant (Disneyland): Honey Bee Frozen Lemonade
Lucky Fortune Cookery (DCA): Lucky Fortune Tea featuring mango and red passion fruit
White Water Snacks (Grand Californian Hotel): Wild Raspberry Rapids Frozen Lemonade
I tried the three drinks found at Disneyland on Sunday and really enjoyed two of them. The Pomegranate Silver Sparkler at Jolly Holiday was my favorite of the bunch, reminding me a lot of the highly under-rated pomegranate limeade at at the Cozy Cone Motel in Cars Land — tart and sweet, but not too sweet. Unlike the Cars Land drink, the Silver Sparkler is a frozen slush and for that reason is a bit easier to justify the hefty $6 price tag.
Troubador Tavern’s (next to the Fantasyland Theater) Cherry Apple Frozen Lemonade slush was my second choice and was so tasty it would have been my first pick had the drink’s sweetness not been so overpowering.
Disneyland’s third drink is the Honey Bee Frozen Lemonade at the Hungry Bear, which wasn’t terrible but I wasn’t a fan of the slight honey flavor in the lemonade slush. It’s a unique combination that just didn’t work for me. What did surprise me was how well the whipped cream topping paired with the honey-lemonade slush.
If you’re looking for adult beverages, the Carthay Circle Lounge at Disney California Adventure has a couple specialty cocktails for the Diamond Celebration. Carthay, Blue Bayou, and Steakhouse 55 are also offering special Disneyland 60 chocolate truffles during the Diamond Celebration.
Of course, dining locations have specialty mugs galore — here are a few:
The new 60th anniversary stein.
And if you’re looking for popcorn, you can get it in a variety of new special popcorn buckets.
Mickey balloon popcorn buckets come in red, blue and purple.
Han Solo carbonite popcorn bucket in Tomorrowland
Mine car popcorn bucket in Frontierland
And finally, there’s plenty of candy to be had at the Candy Palace on Main Street and Trolley Treats on Buena Vista Street.
Mickey and Minnie Diamond Celebration rice crispy treats
Cake pops
Caramel apples
Lots of new pre-packaged candy items as well
And while you’re walking down Main Street, be sure to grab a new 60th anniversary Mickey balloon:
We recently gave you a big look at the huge selection of new 60th anniversary merchandise but didn’t get a chance to look at the new art and collectibles released for the 60th in that update. You can now find all of the fine art pieces and collectibles in Disneyana as well as Off the Page and World of Disney.
New “decades” paintings
60th animation cel piece that’s been so popular there’s a 90-day waiting period for it.
Dark ride murals
A new 60th painting from Thomas Kinkade Studios
Sleeping Beauty Castle and Carthay Circle Theater 60th overlay concept art
Walt’s apartment shadowbox
Lenox tea cup
Crystal ear hat
Crystal Mickey icon
Crystal-studded Sleeping Beauty Castle
Watches
Mickey Mouse 60th big fig
Over at Disney Showcase, you can find shirts and pint glasses leftover from the $100-per ticket 60th anniversary merchandise event
And the first phase of the new line of “Disneyland Decades” merchandise has been rolled out and is available at various locations including Disney Showcase and World of Disney. Plate: $12.95
Mug: $19.95
Print: $29.95
Women’s Top: $26.95
| Refurbishment Roundup |
Big refurbishment projects are still underway in Fantasyland and Tomorrowland, along with the installation of an all-new ride at Luigi’s Flying Tires in Cars Land.
In Fantasyland, no visible changes at Peter Pan’s Flight…
Work continues at Innoventions… looks like some serious changes are underway on the lower level.
And not much to see at Luigi’s in Cars Land, where a new ride is being installed on top of the remains of the failed flying tires ride system.
| This & That |
As part of the general sprucing up for the 60th, crowd control ropes in both parks got new little land-specific flags. A nice little touch. Below, Adventureland:
Frontierland:
New Orleans Square
Disneyland played host to the unofficial Bats Day event on Sunday. Disney offered spider cake pops in the Candy Palace and the group gathered for a big photo in front of Sleeping Beauty Castle in the afternoon.
And to wrap up, a look at more merchandise, this time at the newly-opened Humphrey’s in California Adventure’s great new Grizzly Peak Airfield. The shop, formerly Fly ‘n’ Buy, now offers a selection of theme-appropriate merchandise that we thought was worth mentioning here because a lot of it is really great.
National Parks Poster-style postcards (also available on keychains and magnets)
Plant your own California garden at home
Finger puppets
Some nice new theming and props in the store, too.
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- 5/26: Disneyland’s Diamond Celebration dazzles with new decor, entertainment, and attraction enhancements
A look at Disneyland’s Diamond Celebration decorations, updated daytime entertainment, and enhancements at attractions in both parks. - 5/25: Disneyland’s Diamond Celebration kicks off with a bumpy 24-hour party
A recap of Disneyland’s Diamond Celebration 24-hour party plus full coverage of the new nighttine entertainment including Paint the Night, fireworks and World of Color. - 5/22: Your Guide to Disneyland’s Diamond Celebration Merchandise
Take a look at a sampling of the over 500 new items designed specifically Disneyland’s Diamond Celebration. - 5/21: Your Guide to Disneyland’s Diamond Celebration & 24 Hour Party
A complete guide to Disneyland’s 24-hour party complete with information that’s useful throughout the entire Diamond Celebration
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| Weekly News & Information Round-Up | ||
| Weekly Theme Park Hours June 1—7, 2015 |
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| [B]Disneyland Park[/B] | [B]California Adventure[/B] | |
| Mon.-Thur.: 8 am – 12 am Fri.-Sat.: 9 am – 12 am Sunday: 8 am – 12 am |
Monday: 8 am – 11 pm Tue.-Thu.: 8 am – 10 pm Fri.-Sat.: 9 am – 10 pm Sunday: 8 am – 11 pm |
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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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June 1 — 7
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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| Well, that wraps up this week’s edition of Dateline Disneyland. Will you be trying any of Disneyland’s new special treats and snacks? Let us know in the comments section below!
Join us next week for a look at all of Disneyland’s special Diamond Celebration food and novelty items including popcorn buckets, souvenir mugs, cupcakes and more! Special thanks to our Dateline Disneylanders!
Benjamin, and Jackie A! 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. |