Summer gets underway as refurbishments and construction continues at Disneyland

Disneyland is now in full summer mode with big crowds and late operating hours but refurbishments and construction projects continue in both theme parks. The major Club 33 expansion continues in New Orleans Square while Space Mountain and Alice in Wonderland continue their refurbishments as summer crowds hit the parks. “it’s a small world” and Pirates of the Caribbean reopened recently with new Cal/OSHA fall safety additions throughout the attraction but most guests will never notice the safety enhancements intended to further protect Cast Members and maintenance employees.

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 at today’s update! Click on any photo in today’s blog to see a larger, high-resolution version.

We’ve got another full update today, so let’s jump right in.

Welcome to Disneyland!

A look at Disneyland wait times Friday afternoon

The fantastic Mickey’s Soundsational Parade celebrated three years last week. Congrats to a great parade!

A few wait times around the park Friday afternoon

Keep in mind that it’s Grad Nite season and while graduating high school seniors get to enjoy Disney California Adventure after hours on select nights, they also have access to the parks during the day before their after-hours party gets underway. Remaining Grad Nites this year are: June 4, 6, 7, 10, 11, 13, 14, 18, and 19.

Ding ding!

A look at some wait times Sunday around noon

The summer edition of the Buena Vista Bugle is now on newsstands around Buena Vista Street

Kingdom Construction

[center]Members Only[/center]
In New Orleans Square, the big Club 33 expansion project trudges along. Orleans Street is still closed while construction continues, creating a couple dead-ends in New Orleans Square.

The exposed ceiling of the Pirates exit tunnel is covered with a tarp during construction…

Currently a dead end.

Balcony doors from the main Club 33 dining room were open on Friday

Another dead end for now…

New doors

There’s a lot of work going on atop the New Orleans Square rooftops, possibly partially related to the Club 33 expansion but also addressing Cal/OSHA fall safety concerns.

New Orleans Square rooftop construction views from Tarzan Treehouse

[center]Safetyland[/center]
Last week we let you know Pirates of the Caribbean and “it’s a small world” had reopened following refurbishments that included the installation fall safety equipment throughout both rides. The addition of fall safety protection has, for the most part, been seamlessly blended in at both of these attractions, with much of it added behind-the-scenes, with only a couple additions visible to guests, and even the guest-facing additions are only noticeable if you’re looking for them. Glad to see the show maintained here while Disneyland continues to voluntarily updates fall safety protection throughout the park for Cal/OSHA.

The ride looks great despite still missing some props, figures and effects here and there after the refurbishment. Hopefully everything will be back and working soon.

[center]Alice in Blunderland[/center]
Not too far from “it’s a small world,” the Alice in Wonderland ride’s new fall safety protection is a lot more noticeable than what the other rides recently got. The ride’s outdoor portion of track (the “vine”) appears to have nearly doubled in width and will likely get themed handrails as well. Work continues on the newly-expanded track while work continues inside the attraction on additional fall safety and rumored new show enhancements.

New metal on the underside of the track…

The temporary castle wall extension that was added when Alice in Wonderland first received its temporary fall safety protection back in 2010 is being converted into a permanent structure.

All of the fun of zipping outside from the show building with the mild thrill of getting close to the edge of the track in your caterpillar is definitely a thing of the past.

[center]Out to Dry[/center]
Over in Tomorrowland, the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage is still closed for a refurbishment that will run through the fall.

[center]Space Junk[/center]
Nearby, Space Mountain is now closed for refurbishment through early July. Hopefully the attraction’s filthy exterior will be cleaned up but there are no signs of that happening yet.

The Space Mountain restrooms are also closed

Captain EO remains open but is once again rumored to be closing soon.

Construction walls are up in the back of the Starcade

Arcade cabinets and temporary merchandise shelving try to obscure the walls.

[center]Pierfecting…[/center]
Over in California Adventure, the shade structure near Midway Mania is still behind walls while work to fix the wood rot issue here drags on…

[center]Dry Run[/center]
Grizzly River Run’s refurbishment also continues…

Merch Madness

In Tomorrowland, there’s lots of recent Marvel and Star Wars merchandise on store shelves…

MARVEL novelty duct tape

And a look at some recent Star Wars items for sale in the Star Trader

New Darth Vader popcorn buckets are available at Tomorrowland popcorn carts as well as Stormtrooper souvenir mugs at the Tomorrowland Terrace.

This and That

On Buena Vista Street, Trolley Treats is now selling “Goofy’s Glaciers” shushie drinks in cherry and blue raspberry flavors.

The awning over the main entrance to Fiddler, Fifer and Practical Cafe is still missing after being gone now for a couple weeks.

Back in Disneyland, the River Belle Terrace has new mini cheesecakes and pies for desserts that were added a month or two ago.

Dateline Disneyland is sponsored by our good friends at the Howard Johnson Plaza 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 MiceChat.com and Annual Passholder Discounts Available Every Day! The HoJo Anaheim is now offering deeper discounts for Disneyland Resort Annual Passholders! On select nights, Disneyland Resort Annual Passholders can get rooms for as low as 30% off, plus tax. 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 Junse 2 — 8, 2014
[B]Disneyland Park[/B]	[B]California Adventure[/B]
Mon.-Thur.: 8 am – 12 am Fri.-Sat.: 9 am – 12 am Sunday: 8 am – 12 pm	Mon.-Thur.: 8 am – 10 pm Fri.-Sat.: 9 am – 10 pm Sunday: 8 am – 10 pm
[CENTER]For a complete listing of theme park hours, visit the Disneyland.com Theme Park Calendar[/CENTER]
[center]Closure and Refurbishment Schedule[/center]
[b][center]Disneyland Park[/center][/b]
[B]Space Mountain:[/B] Closed through July 3 for refurbishment. [B]Alice in Wonderland:[/B] Closed through July 3, 2014 for enhancements and safety redesign of outdoor portion of ride track. [B]Matterhorn Bobsleds:[/B] Closed August 25-November 13 for refurbishment. [B]Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage:[/B] Closed through September 26, 2014 for major refurbishment.
[b][center]Disney California Adventure[/center][/b]
[B]Grizzly River Run:[/B] Closed through June 19, 2014 for refurbishment. [B]Blue Sky Cellar:[/B] Listed as reopening July 1, 2014 on Cast Member document.
[b][center]Downtown Disney and Disneyland Resort Hotels[/center][/b]
Napa Rose Restaurant: Closed for kitchen renovation starting in early August.
June 2 — 8, 2014 MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT SUN We expect a slight ease in crowds at the start of the week, but peaks tend to happen in the late afternoon. Hotel rooms are still in ample supply this week and through the weekend. Grad Nites continue this week on Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday. Grads will be taking over California Adventure starting at park closing, but expect an influx of students all day as their buses start arriving. For next week’s crowd projections, check out the new Tomorrowplan feature in the Mouseaddict app. 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.
[center]Headline Roundup A quick look at noteworthy Disney theme park headlines from around the web.[/center]
Disneyland Hotel’s Tangaroa Terrace debuts new menu; Trader Sam’s Tiki Bar adds new drinks. (Disney Parks Blog) runDisney announces new Star Wars-themed half-marathon coming to Disneyland Resort in 2015. (Disney Parks Blog) Disneyland considering 60-hour party for 60th anniversary celebration in 2015. (MiceAge)

OK, that wraps up this week’s refurbishment-heavy edition of Dateline Disneyland. Thanks for reading and please be sure to join in the comments section below! Dateline Disneyland is only here because of you. We’ve been able to bring Dateline Disneyland to you each week because of your generous donations. Consider helping us out by donating 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! [B]- Andy[/B]

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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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