Disneyland has decorated construction walls along the Rivers of America with posters honoring the park’s history as construction gets underway on the major 14-acre Star Wars project. With Star Wars popularity at an all-time high, the massive expansion project has been placed on the fast track and Harrison Ford will help unveil new details on the new land in an upcoming special on Disneyland’s ongoing 60th Anniversary Celebration. Meanwhile, refurbishments continue in both parks as tons of new merchandise hit store shelves.
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There’s a lot going on as Disneyland undergoes plenty of change… let’s get started!
Welcome to Disneyland! |
20th Century Music is closed for refurbishment
Esmeralda recently received new fortune cards. The new fortunes cleverly reference attractions and areas of Disneyland.
Below, a look at a few of the new cards. (Click to enlarge)
China Closet is missing a door while it gets some work done. The shop remains open.
The Frontier Awakens |
Disneyland’s new Star Wars project will be unprecedented in terms of scale for the park, dedicating 14 acres to a single property with massive new facades, rock work, and massive E-Ticket attractions that dwarf even Pirates of the Caribbean and Indiana Jones Adventure. Below, a map showing how the new land is expected to impact Disneyland’s landscape once completed in late 2018.
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In Critter Country, views of the River recently disappeared behind construction walls and now classic Disneyland attraction posters decorate the walls.
MiceChat forum member TFN5459 recently sparked debate when they noticed the Nature’s Wonderland poster (the only extinct attraction poster on the construction walls) had swapped “via the Mine Train Thru Rainbow Caverns” with “via the Disneyland Railroad.” Could the edit to the original poster be hinting at something Disney has yet to announce?
Signage lets guests know the Hungry Bear restrooms are open during construction
The construction walls along the walkway to the Hungry Bear’s lower level have been replaced with higher walls
With the Hungry Bear’s downstairs dining area completely enclosed in construction walls, Disney has added posters with the backstory of the Rivers of America, along with the Mark Twain’s attraction poster and travel posters depicting the River’s different regions.
Upstairs, you can kind of see through the scrims that enclose the dining areas.
Over at the Frontier Landing, new signage with historical information on the Mark Twain Riverboat has been added.
It’s great to see signage like this and the Rivers of America signage at the Hungry Bear paying tribute to the park’s rich history as it undergoes controversial changes. Hopefully it’s a sincere indication that the changes to the River and Frontierland are being taken seriously and with care.
Nearby, construction walls have expanded on Big Thunder Trail, blocking views of the old Mine Train thru Nature’s Wonderland tunnel, preventing views of construction from around the wall.
Our friend Foxxy from the excellent Passport to Dreams Old and New blog recorded this point-of-view video of the old Mine Train tunnel and lake, just days before the walls expanded, blocking the view.
You can catch glimpses of the work near Big Thunder Mountain…
Refurbishment Round-Up |
In addition to the Disneyland Railroad and the Rivers of America, several other attractions in both parks closed over the weekend.
Disney recently announced the “Frozen” show in Fantasy Faire’s Royal Theatre will soon glow away. The “Frozen” show will end its run when the “Beauty and the Beast” show returns later this spring.
The bridge to Adventureland reopened last week after a brief refurbishment.
Nearby, Jungle Cruise remains closed until early May.
In Fantasyland, “it’s a small world” is closed to remove its holiday overlay. While the ride is down, some repaving around the queue is underway.
In Tomorrowland, Autopia remains closed through late April for refurbishment as it prepares to welcome its new sponsor, Honda.
Some of the rock work in Autopia’s off-roading area is now a darker brown
In Disney California Adventure, the repeatedly-delayed Luigi’s Rollickin’ Roadsters attraction is still behind walls.
No official announcement date has been announced and training for attraction Cast Members has been scheduled and canceled multiple times.
Across from Cars Land’s main entrance, the Blue Sky Cellar continues to get some work done. The facility, which has been closed since Disney California Adventure’s successful relaunch in 2012, will play host to Annual Passholder events this month.
Merch Madness |
Around the parks, new merchandise continues to hit the shelves. New seasonal holiday plush are available now.
In the China Closet, new Alice in Wonderland-themed garden items are available just in time for the spring.
New line of blue Mickey paisley/pattern merchandise
More of the new 28 & Main line for men has made its way to California.
The huge line of 2016 merchandise is also available now…
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Weekly News & Information Round-Up | ||
Weekly Theme Park Hours February 1-7, 2016 |
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Disneyland Park | California Adventure | |
Mon.-Thu.: 10 am – 8 pm Fri.-Sun.: 8 am – 12 am |
Monday: 10 am – 8 pm Tuesday: 10 am – 6 pm Wed.-Thu.: 10 am – 8 pm Fri.-Sun.: 8 am – 10 pm |
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visit the Disneyland.com Theme Park Calendar |
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February 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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A quick look at noteworthy Disney theme park headlines from around the web. |
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That wraps up this week’s Dateline Disneyland. Thanks for reading and please join the discussion below!
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