Summer has arrived as temperatures rise and crowds hit Disneyland. Behind the scenes, heavy work continues on prepping the site for the upcoming 14-acre Star Wars expansion and rerouting the Rivers of America to accommodate that expansion’s massive footprint. We get you up to speed today on the latest construction changes and more.
This week also kicks off our huge glowing away celebration! June marks the end of Dateline Disneyland and to celebrate, we’re giving back to all of you with our Dateline Disneyland Farewell Season Giveaway! Find out what you can win and how to enter in today’s blog!
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!
Get a closer look! Don’t forget that you can always click on any photo in Dateline Disneyland for a closer look with a larger, higher resolution version of the image!
Let’s get started!
Welcome to Disneyland! |
Summer has started to heat up at Disneyland with one of our first hot weeks of the season.
Dateline Disneyland Farewell Season |
Dateline Disneyland is glowing away! After more than eight years of Dateline Disneyland, we simply can’t glow on like this! But to thank all of you for your readership and support over the years, we’re celebrating the end of the blog by giving back to you! As we wrap up Dateline Disneyland in June, we’re giving out spectacular prizes from our friends at the Howard Johnson Anaheim Hotel & Water Playground, Courtyard Marriot Anaheim Hotel & Waterpark, Progress City Press, POP! Comics & Culture Emporium, and TouringPlans.com! Find out what you can win and how to enter below! Enjoy a 2-night getaway at Howard Johnson Anaheim Hotel or the Courtyard Marriot Anaheim Hotel! One (1) Grand Prize Winner will enjoy a two-night stay at the Courtyard Marriott Anaheim Hotel & Waterpark — the HoJo Anaheim’s beautiful new sister property. Located next to the HoJo Anaheim, the Courtyard Marriot Anaheim Hotel is only a short five minute walk to Disneyland’s front gate. The new Courtyard Marriott features an array of amazing amenities including rooms that sleep six and boast over 530 square feet of space with WiFi and Netflix streaming! Guests can enjoy Starbucks Coffee in the lobby, great dining, and the elevated Surfside Waterpark — a watery oasis that features six water slides, a 400-gallon drench bucket, swimming pool, kid’s pool, and dazzling views of Disneyland’s nightly fireworks! Explore Disney history with the Progress City Primer! Win Disney comics from POP! Comics & Culture Emporium!
Win a year subscription to TouringPlans.com! Enter-To-Win! Prize Breakdown
Thank you for your support over the last eight years! |
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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Site work continues for the massive Star Wars project. A look at the construction site from the air thanks to Jeff Barnes, author of Wisdom of Walt
Views from the Mickey and Friends Parking Structure:
Looks like the Mine Train thru Nature’s Wonderland rock arch that had been saved is now gone. Has it been moved for safekeeping or demolished?
Work continues on rerouting the Rivers of America to accommodate the massive footprint of Star Wars Land.
A look at construction from the back of the Hungry Bear Restaurant
A look at progress from Big Thunder Trail
Embarrassment on the Backlot |
Over in Disney California Adventure, the old Mad T Party dance party setup has been changed over to the rather embarrassing new “Jammin’ on the Backlot” dance party.
It utilizes the existing Mad T Party decorations and stage but just comes off as a very cheap, minimal-effort offering — which it is. With the major budget cuts across the resort and California Adventure’s dependence on the alcohol sales from the dance parties, it makes sense to scale down the entertainment while keeping the alcohol flowing.
Jammin’ on the Backlot, presented by Microsoft WordArt
Big Thunder Ranch BBQ tables have made their way back here
Disney has also been desperately trying to pull folks back to the Alice Through the Looking Glass 3D preview and over the last couple weeks added banners and temporary signage directing guests to the old Muppet theater. This film hasn’t been the hit Disney was looking for.
This & That |
It’s your last full week to enjoy Soarin’ Over California before Disney retires the original California film on June 15. Soarin’ Around the World opens on June 17.
Refurbishment work continues at the Grand Californian Hotel
Starbucks construction progresses in Downtown Disney…
Everything under the sun at HoJo Anaheim Presented by the Howard Johnson Hotel & Water Playground |
The iconic Anaheim HoJo, with its beautifully landscaped grounds and retro flare, is a top-ranked family destination that not only has great rooms and comfortable beds to relax on after a long day at the parks, but it packs plenty of other amenities that are sure to make your Disneyland vacation one to remember. Today we take a look at some of the HoJo’s features and amenities beyond the rooms, including its on-site convenience store, family game room, and another look at the HoJo’s fantastic pool and water playground.
Business calling while you’re on vacation? What a drag! But don’t worry — the HoJo Anaheim has Apple iMacs available for your traveling business needs in the main lobby building.
The HoJo’s Main Street Market is located just steps away from the main lobby, inside the William L. Pereira-designed main guest room tower. From snacks to souvenirs and everything in between, Main Street Market is your family’s one-stop shop for anything you might need during your Disneyland vacation. Main Street Market is open daily, 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., and features a full assortment of snacks, toiletries, drinks, over-the-counter medications, Disney souvenirs, toys, and much more.
Across the hall from the Main Street Market, the HoJo’s Game Room features over a dozen arcade games, providing a fun indoor escape for the entire family. Battle for victory over a game of air hockey, play pinball with the Pirates of the Caribbean, or try your luck at a claw game — there’s fun here for everybody in the family!
If video games aren’t your style, then some poolside R&R should do the trick! The HoJo Anaheim’s Castaway Cove is a spectacular themed water playground packed with plenty of adventure for the whole family! Castaway Cove features a swashbuckling 30-ft high pirate ship play area, two water slides (one for toddlers and another S-curvy slide for the brave pirates in your family), four water cannons, two water umbrellas and a water curtain… and if that wasn’t enough to cool off every pirate in the family, the giant crow’s nest drench bucket that dumps 200 gallons of water every 3-4 minutes will surely do the trick! Castaway Cove is also home to Speedy’s Sprayground, a toddler-friendly water play area and kids’ wading pool. If you’re out late, Castaway Cove’s large 15-seat jacuzzi is a great spot to catch Disneyland’s evening fireworks! Looking for some slower-paced poolside fun? The HoJo’s recently-renovated Garden Pool is nestled among guest room buildings and surrounded by large old-growth trees rising from lush, landscaped gardens. It’s a true oasis, especially in Anaheim’s warm summer months!
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. |
Weekly News & Information Round-Up | ||
Weekly Theme Park Hours June 6-12, 2016 |
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Disneyland Park | California Adventure | |
Mon.-Fri.: 8 am – 11 pm Saturday: 8 am – 12 am Sunday: 8 am – 11 pm |
Daily: 8 am – 9 pm | |
visit the Disneyland.com Theme Park Calendar |
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June 6-12
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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Well, that wraps up this quick summer edition of Dateline Disneyland! Be sure to enter-to-win in our Farewell Season Giveaway!
Special thanks to our Dateline Disneylanders!
Mark D., Bruno, Casey, Hastin Z.! To help support Dateline Disneyland and get some fun swag in return, visit our Patreon page now! Don’t miss 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! |
FTC-Mandated Disclosure: Promotional consideration for this edition of Dateline Disneyland was provided by the Howard Johnson Plaza Hotel & Water Playground. |
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