Have you recovered from your tryptophan coma? Because we have a lovely update from Disneyland and Disney California Adventure for you today. This week saw the return of the classic attractions Storybook Land Canal Boats and the beguiling Casey Jr. Circus Train. We also catch up on the newly refurbished restrooms near the Fantasyland theatre and check in on the other projects around the park. But that’s hardly all. We also skip over to Disney California Adventure to look at some of the notable bits of Cars Land Christmas Merchandise and we take a peek at the Christmas Tree in the Grand Californian.
Christmas and the Holidays are here folks and the parks have suddenly seen a huge increase in the number of guests. Al Lutz noted that the Disneyland Resort saw 100,000 guests on Monday (nearly evenly split between the two parks). With the holidays just getting started, we can expect this to be a record setting season for the resort.
CANDY CANE DATES
As late as last night, Cast Members were handing out postcards to guests listing the dates for the famous candy cane making on Main Street. They are listed below.
NOVEMBER 23, 26, 30
DECEMBER 3, 7, 10, 14, 17, 21, 23, 24
STORYBOOK LAND CANAL BOATS AND CASEY JR. TRAIN
The big news this week was the return of the Storybook Land Canal Boats and the Casey Jr. Circus Train. These two attractions, at the heart of Fantasyland, share the same space and intertwine through one another. So, usually when one is down the other benefits from a refurbishment as well. This time the main reason for the down time dealt with more OSHA requirements for Casey Jr.. The trellices used by the charming train ride were widened and railing was installed. While the new railings are a bit of an eyesore in our opinion, the wider bridges actually work to hide some of the lighting fixtures shining down on the canals. It’s good and bad, but nothing terrible.
FANTASYLAND THEATRE AND RESTROOMS
Moving on to the back of Fantasyland, we see that the newly refurbished restrooms have opened. This seems to be a bit of a head scratcher, leaving us to wonder why they bothered in the first place. The pathway is slightly modified and wider, but they really did nothing else.
We also noticed the progress on the control room for the new Fantasyland theatre.
FANTASY FAIRE VILLAGE
Now for even more angular and swooping rooflines. The ornate and sorted facades for the Fantasy Faire Village are forming up nicely.
BIG THUNDER FASTPASS
Another recent development is the return of the Big Thunder Fast Pass location. It is half the size of the original, with only 5 total machines.
FRONTIERLAND WORK
There is also a bit of work continuing on the area adjacent to the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad exit.
ROMNEY AT THE RESORT
The best place to go when you need to get away from the stress of the real world is the Disneyland Resort. Here, you can forget your worries and just have a bit of fun. Apparently this sentiment rang true for former presidential hopeful, Mitt Romney, as he and his entourage were spotted flitting about the resort laughing it up and having a great time on Tuesday.
Thank you to MiceChat reader, Mr. Ratigan, for sending us these cell phone photos.
BUENA VISTA STREET
Moving on to Disney California Adventure, we find that the last remaining construction walls have finally come down. The 5 year redevelopment of Disney California Adventure is now, totally done.
All that remained to be done after the opening of Cars Land and Buena Vista Street was closing the temporary entrance and create a garden and new backstage gate. That work is now complete.
WHERE ARE WE AGAIN?
While strolling through the stores at Disney California Adventure we noticed a pretty bizarre bit of merchandise. Is this what the “One Disney” initiative will ultimately lead to?
Need a yard Flag?
CARS LAND
Since taking in all of the remarkable decorations around Cars Land, we decided it would be fun to look at the Cars Land Christmas Merchandise as well. Some of this stuff is actually pretty cool, if a little too expensive.
RAMONES
As Ramones readies for the expansion into the old Fastpass location that was never used for Radiator Springs Racers, we are seeing a lot of merchandise shuffled around.
Finally we take a look at the beautiful tree that was recently installed int he lobby of the Grand Cal.
It is always a strange thing to see Disney attempt to be hip and edgy. Frankly, they rarely do it right. Case in point is the ridiculous t-shirt we spotted in World of Disney this week.
So, here we have a Mickey Mouse that not only uses modern slang, but is lanky and off-model as well. What do you think of this shirt? Do you like it or don’t you?
And that’s all we’ve got for this week’s Disneyland Resort update. We got home from the resort late last night, where we had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We want to wish all of you a safe and happy holiday season and hope you find all those Black Friday deals you’re looking for. We’ll be back again next week to share more of Disneyland’s holiday season with you.
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