The good views along Buena Vista Street were bombarded with Disney merchandise this week as Disneyland’s merchandise department went into the beautiful period-specific window displays and added mannequins and piles of theme park merchandise in an attempt to draw more customers. Never mind the carefully-crafted themes and histories Walt Disney Imagineers created for Disney California Adventure‘s new main entrance plaza — merchandise has taken over, chipping away at the magic in the process. Meanwhile, Disney-branded printed napkins, soft drink cups and even turkey leg bags are being phased and replaced with cheaper, more generic products out across the resort — but at what cost to the Guest experience? In Disneyland, the off-season is in full swing as refurbishment walls are up throughout the park and preparations are underway for Halloween Time, which officially kicks off this Friday.
Get a closer look at today’s update! Click on any photo in today’s column for a large, high-resolution version of the image.
| Welcome to Disneyland! |
Disneyland crowds will be light this week, but that won’t last for long as Halloween Time starts this weekend. Our friends at Touring Plans have their weekly crowd forecast and Touring Tips below.
Light crowds continue this week until Halloween Time kicks off on Friday, when crowd levels are expected to see a jump. TouringPlans.com can help you navigate the parks with our per-park Crowd Calendar, Lines – Mobile Wait Times App that gives access to current and estimated wait times for attractions, and Touring Plans detailing the best plan of attack for hitting the attractions. With Halloween and holiday crowds on the horizon, it’s a good time to subscribe to TouringPlans.com to plan your strategy to avoid the crowds!
Below are the predicted resort-wide crowd numbers for select days generated by the TouringPlans professional statisticians as measured for the upcoming week. For the access to the full year and per-park crowd level predictions, visit our Crowd Calendar.
— Fred Hazelton, Statistician, TouringPlans.com
 |
Crowd Prediction |
Crowd Tips |
| Tues., Sept. 11 | Here are some quick-hit notes that we hope you’ll find helpful as you prepare your visits for the week:
|
|
| Wed., Sept. 12 | 2 /10 | |
| Thu., Sept. 13 | 1 /10 | |
| Fri., Sept. 14 | 6/10 | |
| Crowd levels are based on a scale from 1 to 10, with 1 being the least crowded conditions and 10 being most crowded.See Disneyland crowds for the next 365 days. Get Disneyland wait times on your iPhone, Android, or Smartphone. Do more. Wait less. |
||
The Guided Tours building, City Hall and the Main Street Fire Department are all behind scrims this week for refurbishment.
The Guided Tours Garden next to the tour building is still open
A look at wait times Friday afternoon
Construction Kingdom |
Fantasy Faire construction continues in the former Carnation Plaza Gardens area
Views from the Omnibus:
Back at the Fantasyland Theater, work continues on bringing the space back to a working live performance venue
More walls have gone up on the other side the Troubadour Tavern snack stand
| Refurbishment Round-Up |
With the summer season officially over, refurbishment walls went up around the park. In Fantasyland, the Casey Jr. Circus Train and Storybook Land Canal Boats are now closed for refurbishment and rumored additions of safety infrastructure.
Monstro is behind tarps for a repaint.
Casey Jr. is behind walls
Facade work continues over at Fantasyland’s Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique.
In Adventureland, the popular Indiana Jones Adventure ride is now closed through mid-December for refurbishment.
In New Orleans Square, Haunted Mansion will reopen Friday with its annual Nightmare Before Christmas-themed overlay.
Holiday decorations can be seen all over the Mansion already
Nearby, the French Market was closed for a couple days, with just a Cast Member out front telling guests “We’re closed all day today.” Meanwhile, more Nightmare Before Christmas decorations are up at the restaurant, which typically offers special-themed menu items for the season.
Back in Frontierland, the Big Thunder Ranch Jamboree will host its own “Halloween Carnival” this year, according to the Disney Parks Blog.
The new Halloween Carnival will expand on Big Thunder Ranch’s traditional Halloween offerings, such as crafts for kids and live pumpkin carvers. The Jamboree space will allow Disney to add Disney character meet and greets, including relocating the Disney Villains from Small World Promenade. The Big Thunder Ranch Jamboree stage will host Billy Hill and the Hillbillies performing Halloween-themed songs as well as the new “Magic Cauldron Sideshow” featuring Disney Villains.
In Tomorrowland, Redd Rockett’s Pizza Port is now closed for refurbishment.
| Tasteless |
Earlier this summer paper napkins at restaurants across the Resort went blank. At first it was unclear if the blank napkins were the result of supply issues but it now appears that Disney is phasing out all custom-printed paper goods for its foodservice locations.
Last week @EPCOTcitizen on Twitter reported that generic soft drink cups appearing at Walt Disney World restaurants. On Friday, I noticed that the generic Coca Cola cups have made their way to Disneyland as well.
Display cups at dining locations still show the Disney-branded printed cups, but you might not actually get a Disney cup.
At outdoor vending carts, it appears the Disney Parks-branded bags that hot dogs, turkey legs and chimichangas are served in are starting to be phased out as well. Bags that turkey legs are served in appear to be the first to go, as generic white bags with the words “HOT FOOD BAG” emblazoned on them have replaced Disney’s custom bags. “Hot Food Bag” … appetizing, right?
Hot dogs and chimichangas were still being served in the Disney Parks-branded bags over the weekend. We’ll see how long they last.
Printed popcorn boxes remain the same for now.
It’s important to acknowledge that plain cups and napkins and food bags aren’t something that will make or break vacations. But these are small parts of the overall Disney experience that add up and when too many of these small details start disappearing, Guests start noticing. These things add up. Disney is charging for a premium experience more than ever, so why serve $9 turkey legs in “hot food bags” anybody can buy online in bulk? Likewise, a $2.99 soft drink at Disneyland is now served in the same cups Costco food courts charge 50¢ for. Disney is known (and often credits itself) for its attention to detail in every aspect of the theme park experience. Food service is a huge part of the Guest experience at theme parks and every detail should be accounted for.
| Welcome to California Adventure |
Construction walls on the west side of California Adventure’s main entrance have now expanded to accommodate construction of a new floral planter, matching the planter on the eastern side of the main gate.
A look at wait times Friday afternoon.
In Cars Land, off-season wait times are still high but significantly lesser than they were over the summer.
Luigi’s Flying Tires down to 30 minutes
Radiator Springs Racers — only a 55 minute wait.
Over at Fillmore’s the bead curtain has been removed from the backside of the geodesic sphere.
| Souvenir Street |
Back on Buena Vista Street, the honeymoon appears to be over as Disneyland’s merchandise department has gone in and drastically re-worked the themed window displays.
At Los Feliz Five and Dime, mannequins wearing Red Car Trolley and Cars Land apparel have been added to both of the main window displays, with various Red Car and Cars souvenirs scattered around and piled onto period-appropriate props.
Below, the window featuring books based on Disney’s animated classics (with covers designed by artists at Walt Disney Animation Studios) is now filled with Red Car Trolley merchandise. Books have been pushed aside to make room for new mannequins and Red Car Trolley souvenirs are piled atop stacks of books.
I asked a Cast Member on Friday if the books in the window display were available for purchase in the store. The Cast Member politely smiled and informed me they weren’t for sale and quickly told me that she wished they were. I asked how often guests ask about the books and she said that, at just two hours into her shift, I was the twelfth person that day to ask if the books were for available to buy.
Unfortunately, with so much merchandise clutter added, it’s hard to see many of those great books now.
Five and Dime’s baseball-themed window is now covered in Cars Land merchandise.
Where custom-designed vintage baseball cars were, cell phone cases and Cars Land notecards are scattered around now.
You now have to go inside Five and Dime and look at the backside of the window display to see the baseball jerseys Imagineering had custom-made for this display.
At Julius Katz and Sons, window displays designed to support the backstory that this is a clock and radio repair shop now features a mannequin wearing Red Car Trolley apparel and the rest of the display has been covered by Red Car Trolley tin sings, conductor Mickey ear hats, souvenir photo frames and other items, all piled on in multiples.
The Atwater Ink and Paint Supply functions as Buena Vista Street’s shop for Disney kitchenwares but is themed as an art supply store.
The window displays reflected this theme with an artist’s desk in the window inspired by Disney Legend Mary Blair’s. The window now features a mannequin wearing a Mickey Mouse apron and various stacks of plates, drink coasters and other kitchen items stacked up on the desk.
Awful.
Window displays at Elias and Co. were also tampered with. Vintage toys and model trains in windows have been pushed aside for character plush and more Red Car Trolley merchandise.
The only window displays that didn’t appear to have been tampered with are the still-beautiful Trolley Treats displays, filled with model train sets and prop candy that looks good enough to eat. Hopefully they survive.
It’s a shame that Buena Vista Street could only survive its first summer season before getting serious and negative changes. These aren’t small changes, folks. Significant changes in nearly every window on Buena Vista Street have effectively made the displays look like piles of clutter. Many of the windows are barely recognizable now, with custom-made props pushed to the side and antiques covered by piles of cheap theme park merchandise. The original window displays now live on in photos and videos the official Disney Parks Blog recently released featuring Imagineer Brandon Kleyla talking about the props that helped make Buena Vista Street feel real and “lived-in.”
But don’t blame the Disney Parks Blog or Imagineering for promoting Buena Vista Street’s great theming and then ruining it. This is an example of Disney’s various, competing departments doing what they want with no communication between one another. Disneyland’s merchandise team made these drastic changes without notifying Imagineering and they did so with obvious disregard for the authenticity and credibility these displays are designed to give Buena Vista Street. The merchandise team doesn’t care that you’re supposed to be transported back to 1920s Los Angeles; their main goal is to sell product. What better way to do that than by adding a ton of it to the carefully-crafted window displays? Many of these windows were works of art in their own right and featured items guests would were willing to buy, had the merchandise team had the bright idea to sell replicas inside the gift shops.
It’s important to note that all of the merchandise thrown into these window displays can be found over and over again at shops throughout Disney California Adventure. Red Car Trolley and Cars Land merchandise isn’t only available at Los Feliz Five and Dime; it’s all found at numerous shops throughout the park. If Disney thinks that guests are having a hard time seeing the merchandise available, then they’re wrong. When shops carry so much of the same merchandise over and over and guests aren’t buying enough of it, then perhaps it’s time for a better, more diverse assortment of products. Cluttering window displays with junk merchandise isn’t going to sell more of it, it just makes your park’s multi-million dollar new entrance complex look tacky and more like a Disney Store and less like a world-class theme park.
If you are unhappy with the changes you see in these windows, then let Disney know. Stop by the Chamber of Commerce the next time you’re in the park and ask to write a written complaint. Tweet your displeasure to Disney California Adventure’s official Twitter account, @DCAToday. The @DCAToday account is the first time Disney has officially managed a Twitter account that interacts throughout the day with guests and you can bet people in Team Disney Anaheim are paying attention to it.
| Building Sandwiches |
Earl of Sandwich construction continues in Downtown Disney…
Work at the Disneyland Hotel continues as well…
| This & That |
Pixie Hollow recently welcomed Periwinkle, from the upcoming Disney video “Tinker Bell: Secret of the Wings.” Periwinkle, apparently a frost fairy, apparently brought along snow to Pixie Hollow.
Below, a publicity image from Disney of Tinker Bell and Periwinkle in their winter costumes
Back in California Adventure, the larger marquee for Dancin’ with Disney has been removed
A smaller sign is now in place, closer to the soundstage that hosts the dance party… and a big red carpet has been rolled out to welcome guests.
And finally, Disneyland’s former 15-minute parking lot on Harbor Blvd. has reopened as a three-lane loading zone.
Two outer lanes are open for temporary parking for passenger loading only and the center lane is for passing through.
The lot does have a couple spaces designated for taxis.
|
| Weekly News & Information Round-Up | ||
| Weekly Theme Park Hours September 10-16, 2012 |
||
| Disneyland Park | Disney California Adventure | |
| Monday-Thursday: 10 am – 8 pm Friday: 9 am – 12 midnight Saturday-Sunday: 8 am – 12 midnight |
Monday-Thursday: 10 am – 8 pm Friday: 9 am – 10 pm Saturday-Sunday: 8 am – 10 pm |
|
visit the Disneyland.com Theme Park Calendar |
||
1.1—5.9 out of 10 |
3.0—6.8 out of 10 |
|
with 1 being the least crowded conditions and 10 being most crowded. For crowd predictions for the next 365 days, visit  |
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
A quick look at noteworthy Disney theme park headlines from around the web. |
||
|
||
| Okay, that wraps up this week’s column. What do you think about the merchandise invasion on Buena Vista Street? Is it too soon for Disney to be chipping away at DCA’s brand new entrance or is it not that big of a deal? Let us know in the comments section below, and if you’re as unhappy as we are about the changes don’t forget to let Disney know!
We’re only here because of your continued support. If you’ve enjoy Dateline Disneyland over the last five years, please consider helping us out by donating a buck or two so we can pay the bills and keep the updates coming! You can donate with a click of a button via PayPal — click here! 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! |
Support Dateline Disneyland
Support Our Sponsors |
| 
| 
| 
| 
| FTC-Mandated Disclosure: Promotional consideration for this edition of Dateline Disneyland was provided by TouringPlans.com | Do More. Wait Less. and the Howard Johnson Plaza Hotel & Water Playground. |
September 10, 2012 at 5:07 pm
The generic napkins don’t really bother me. Actually I’d prefer generic napkins over seeing the “Disney Parks” logo everywhere. But I do miss seeing the old actual Disneyland logos on things (and this is for everything, not just food service). One could even argue that the generic “hot food” bags are ok as they look retro in an odd way (and therefore could possibly fit themeing better in certain areas) but come on – the turkey legs are so popular that Disney has even devoted merchandise to its lovers. They jacked up the prices on them too…I think they deserve a little bit of a Disney touch. If it is true that a lot of things are being used as temporary placeholders before Halloweentime, then phew.
The window displays, however, are not ok. Yes, the merchandise was not selling well partially because at first the closed doors made it look like the shops weren’t open, but let’s be real here. The merchandise that the shops are offering are overly generic. I’m a bit of a fashionista, and I love the Art of the Disney Princess line, for example – it lets me express my love of Disney, fashion and princess at the same time. And I’ve seen Disneyland Resort carry some other cool merchandise before that feels unique and special. Everything that has been added to those displays are not, in my opinion, and I’m pretty sure a lot of other people feel that same way. Out of everything the merchandise team came up with for ongoing merchandise for DCA for the re-opening, the only thing that I’ve been even slightly tempted to get is the conductor ears hat. I got 2 special opening items: the re-usable plastic drink cup and the art deco stained glass-looking pin.
I have tons of ideas for Disney merchandise that I’m sure people would eat up. Tell me this: why in the world do ladies only get the option of purchasing a Minnie apron for aprons? If you go on etsy you can find a few sellers that make different princess aprons and they are kinda cute. Disney did release a Snow White apron as a Disney Movie Rewards reward and guess what? It sold out pretty quickly. You’d think they’d take the hint and expand upon merchandise like this that is so obviously popular.
Imagineers SHOULD be included in merchandise discussions! Look at Kevin Kidney and Jody Daily – they design merch for the parks and ALSO designed Trader Sam’s and Soundsational. It is quality all across the board. These people are artists and this is essentially other people going in and tampering with their work. They also are creative minds that could probably come up with some amazing ideas for merchandise to sell in these new shops. All of my friends (and I) wanted to purchase those vintage-inspired fairy tale books! I would have bought one in a heartbeat! All these months later, I still can’t bring myself to purchase any of the regular BVS or Carsland merch.
And also, if the windows are already set to look vintage, shouldn’t vintage-looking items be found in the windows if merch must be displayed there? It’s not like Disneyland Resort doesn’t carry any merch that wouldn’t look right in those windows. The current cluttered look of generic crap hurts the street’s look (it was already a little cramped to begin with, I can only imagine how this must feel in person).
I hope that Earl of Sandwich opens soon! I’m really interested in trying them out.
September 10, 2012 at 8:57 pm
I agree, if Imagineering was brought in on basic merchandising display for themed windows I am sure they would find a solution that works for everyone. I’d like to see more retro merchandise
September 10, 2012 at 8:09 pm
Napkins might be OK, if it was an eco thing. Cups would not be good. The window theming has been going down for years. Back in the day, one of the highlights was to see the new animated scene’s based on the latest disney movie in the Emporium windows. As for not being aware of the merchandise, it is the same all over the park.
It’s hard to find something disneyland except for a 25$ t-shirt. They did have a huanted mansion shirt out for the holiday.
Why do they have one toy for both disneyland and disneyworld? No need to answer, I know already.
September 10, 2012 at 8:42 pm
Somehow this one didn’t get tagged right & doesn’t show up on the Dateline Disneyland page. Looks like it got tagged “Buena Vista Street” instead of “Dateline Disneyland”.
September 11, 2012 at 11:27 pm
Thanks for pointing out this issue. We’re looking into why this article isn’t populating correctly in the Dateline Disneyland category.
September 10, 2012 at 9:10 pm
Hmm, this is BVS’s first year, so if anything, they should have displayed their merchandise by integrating it to support it, like having a mannequin nonchalantly sit down on a chair, reading one of the books, while what looks he’s doing like laundry work, with the tee shirts piled and each one displayed on the back of each pile.
Timekeeper
September 10, 2012 at 9:14 pm
Also, I like the Dancing with Disney Sign much better and it’s not distracting as previous sign did, plus it has characters from the “Dance of the Hour” segment from the first Fantasia.
Timekeeper
September 10, 2012 at 9:38 pm
I truly hope the non-branded napkins and cups are simply a function of depletion of ordinary branded supplies prior to a switch to Halloweentime items. A napkin or beverage cup sounds basic, but each such item is part of the immersive experience people pay for. And considering the cost of that experience, there is no excuse for not having appropriately branded items. APs who visit 1-4 times a month or more may not value the difference between a printed napkin and a plain one, but a local family of four that mkaes a once-a-year trip and drops close to a grand for tickets, food and merchandise deserve better, and long-distance travelers spending even more for a multi-day stay in an on-site hotel certainly will notice such small differences. Frankly, I’m as saddened at generic “Disney Parks” products as I am at plain items. Little things like napkins are no less of a detail than the plants throughout the park, fully-functioning popcorn lighting, or ever-polite CMs answering any questions posed, and for many become souveniers of a once-in-a-lifetime memory (or even another part of a Disneyphile’s “collection”). There’s no excuse for cutting this corner.
September 11, 2012 at 5:11 am
mmmm Periwinkle
September 11, 2012 at 12:30 pm
I come here for news, not complaints.
September 11, 2012 at 11:20 pm
Sorry for disappointing, however, this blog has always been labeled as a photo update with commentary. The commentary is nothing new.
September 11, 2012 at 2:29 pm
You do realize that EVERY YEAR cups, boxes etc. with Disney logo’s turn to these for Halloween and Christmas time, correct?
September 11, 2012 at 11:18 pm
Disney does not typically exhaust a supply and go weeks or months without custom products. They usually have adequate supply until the switch and then the items no longer in use are used backstage until supply is exhausted. Napkins have been blanks since late June, at least. Explain that.
September 11, 2012 at 4:29 pm
It’s disgusting that the money-changers have already desecrated the Buena Vista Street windows.
That’s something I would expect from Knott’s, or some lesser amusement park, but not from Disney.
September 11, 2012 at 4:55 pm
The recent window displays at Disneyland alone turn my stomach, and now they have RUINED Buena Vista Street as well. Between the horrid LED Christmas tree lights and the complete lack of charm of the window displays, I will not be renewing my families premium passes, why would I, when I can go to any other amusement park and see cheap plastic landfill fodder for a lot less…a LOT less. I did not squawk at the higher prices for the passes because I still felt as though there was value due to the rich experience you get at a Disney park, the layers in which they theme, and seemingly care about the guest being charmed and immersed into different time periods or places…but now it looks like a Toys r Us at a strip mall and its effect is completely embarrassing. The folks in charge of window displays really need to be reminded of their very important role in making Disneyland a place of charm, and the higher-ups that asked them to destroy the window displays should be doing something else besides ruining the icon of the company that pays their salary. Signed, over it….seriously over it.
September 13, 2012 at 11:04 am
My family is not on Twitter, but we would still like to comment on the very poor taste in the change of window decoration on Buena Vista Street. I was so excited to show them to my baby boy when we visit for his very first time next year! It would have been even better if they offered the unique items in the windows for sale.
Does anyone have an address where we could write a letter?
September 16, 2012 at 12:33 pm
So disappointed in the plain napkins and cups. We go only once a year to Disneyland, from Texas, when you are unpacking and find a couple of napkins with Disneyland stamped all over it, it does take you back to that magical place you were so sad to leave! Hope it’s only temporary!