Disneyland Matterhorn, Carnation Cafe and Voices of Liberty News

It was an exciting couple of days at Disneyland.  This week the Carnation Cafe opened after a very long refurbishment and we went to try it out on opening day for you. Tough work, right?!  Next up, we have news about the Matterhorn and the changes they have made to the queue and loading area (plus ride video!).  Finally we look at what can be seen at the Fantasy Faire Village too.  The star this week is California Adventure, so don’t forget to catch our coverage of that too (link at the end of this article). We’ll have a Six Flags update for you over the weekend, so be sure to stop by the site when you’ve recovered from all this Disneyland Resort news.

CARNATION CAFE REOPENS

The new Carnation Cafe opened its doors on Wednesday after a 6 month refurbishment that overhauled the entire northwest corner of Main Street. Stepping into the familiar corner arch that once led to the Blue Ribbon Bakery, you find yourself in front of the new check in desk. Guests are no longer asked to line up around the perimeter of the outdoor seating area by the bathrooms. In fact, the old check in gazebo has been turned into seating.

The old check in gazebo

The lamps are beautiful

A new copper awning covers a row of tables.

Once Checked in, if there is a wait, you are given a pager and encouraged to roam around Main Street to shop or take in the atmosphere. This is a HUGE improvement over being told to stand in an unshaded queue in the hot sun. Yes, there is a small amount of indoor seating for those who want to wait at the restaurant, but now you also have the option to roam around and return when paged!

So with the ability to roam, the time really flies by.

You never know who you might bump into on Main Street

Soon enough, I was paged and seated in the interior dining room. The staff greeted me with smiles and engaging demeanor and my waiter approached the table to take my drink order. I decided on one of the more basic items on the menu, the Main Street Hamburger. I was given the option of fruit or fries, I chose the seasoned fries. I did ask for my burger well done, so it is reasonable that it take a little extra time. But there seemed to be a problem as it was easily 20 minutes before the order made it to the table. Not that big of a deal though as the restaurant is new. My server was hyper attentive and made sure to fill my iced tea and engage me in discussions, so I really have no complaints.

Chef Oscar even came by to say hello. He’s a true Disneyland original and a fan favorite.

The inside dining room is huge.

My Main Street Burger with seasoned fries.

The burger itself was of average taste. The size of the burger was actually perfect, however there was nothing that really made it memorable for me. What makes it a Main Street Burger is the fact that you are eating it on Main Street. The fries had a nice seasoning on them with real zing, but arrived at my table a little lifeless. Not mush, just not crispy. Overall, the meal was acceptable. The price point was reasonable, considering I was inside Disneyland. I came away filled, but not stuffed. I look forward to returning and trying something a little more exciting from the menu. The decor is top notch, the staff wonderful, and the food didn’t scare me away.

MATTERHORN

The Matterhorn is not scheduled to open until Friday June 15th.  However, all of the walls are came down earlier in the week. By Thursday afternoon DOSH was on site inspecting as the bobsleds rolled through the motions and maintenance furiously fixed the mechanisms for the locking seat belts in each bobsled.

They have now added a single rider entrance to the attraction.  With the seating configuration changing to 3/3 there would most likely be a lot of empty seats left over if they didn’t over single rider.

By last night around 7pm, Disney quietly opened the Matterhorn to the first few guests it has had in six months.  Would there be digital projections?  How about an onboard soundtrack?  And was there a new Harold?

No.  None of the above.  Nearly everything is exactly the same as it was before aside from one small detail.  Make that very small.

You need to either go on a diet or cut your legs off at the knee to fit into the brand new bobsleds.  These suckers are tiny.  I am 5’5″ and an average sized guest.  but I hardly had the leg room that I would have needed to remain comfortable.

Yeah, those are my Converse being crunched up against the front end of the bobsled.

While the ride itself seems refreshed and new, there is hardly anything noticeably different.  We do have to say that these new bobsleds might be fine for the average guest, but for the large or tall they will be murder.  You will be begging for Harold to take you our of your misery.

Here is a video from our friend Andy Castro at Dateline Disneyland of the entire ride.

FANTASY FAIRE VILLAGE
The work is getting a bit more serious at the Fantasy Faire Construction site.  The iconic, red and white canopy of the old Carnation stage has been removed and more of the facades in the background have been stripped.

VOICES OF LIBERTY
The vocal group, Voices of Liberty, which is known for its performances at Epcot’s American Adventure, made their debut performance today at Main Street’s Opera House.

ANDY CASTRO from Dateline Disneyland has more in depth coverage and video of the Voices of Liberty performance HERE

CALIFORNIA ADVENTURE RELAUNCHES

The BIG BIG BIG news of the week is the official reopening of Disney California Adventure. Plus, last night, they previewed the new “Glow with the show” enhancement which puts the guests in the middle of the action with interactive glowing ear hats. We have photos and video at the link: Disney California Adventure Relaunches and Glow With The Show 

 

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