Halloween Time has started to creep in across the Disneyland Resort as the summer season comes to a close. Meanwhile, refurbishments continue as well, with work underway on Main Street, in Tomorrowland and at the Grand Californian Hotel. And out in Downtown Disney, Anna and Elsa from Frozen are taking over the Studio Disney 365 girls’ boutique and giving it an icy makeover.
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 a full update today, so let’s get started!
Welcome to Disneyland! |
Floral Mickey was recently replanted and is in the process now of growing in in time for the launch of Halloween Time
Summer is winding down now as we head into the next big season of the year — Halloween! Disneyland’s popular Halloween Time will kick off September 12. With summer winding down, Annual Passholders are once again unblocked and the parks are feeling busier now than they did all summer. A look at wait times Friday afternoon.
Wait times at Disney California Adventure on Friday afternoon
Creeping in… |
With Halloween Time starting in just three short weeks, the first signs of the season are now showing up along Main Street, USA and throughout the rest of the park. Below, Disney Showcase is behind tarps for a facade refurbishment, but inside the shop is all decked out for Halloween.
Lots of costumes, decorations and various Halloween merchandise available now.
Window displays along Main Street are being dressed up for Halloween as well…
Nearby, the Fortuosity Shoppe has once again been invaded by a murder of crows for Halloween Time
The Book Rest (seating area for the Market House Starbucks) windows have gotten a spooky overlay this year…
The China Closet and Main Street Photo Supply have decorations up as well…
Over in Tomorrowland, the annual Ghost Galaxy overlay will be installed September 8-11, but the equipment for the exterior projections and sound effects can be spotted already.
Back in Frontierland, Big Thunder Ranch will close September 1 to remove its patriotic summertime overlay and install its Halloween Time decorations.
And in New Orleans Square, the Haunted Mansion is now closed starting today for the installation of its Nightmare Before Christmas-themed Holiday overlay.
In Disney California Adventure, the Tower of Terror’s gift shop’s Halloween overlay is now up.
And out in Downtown Disney, World of Disney and Marceline’s Confectionary are now both ready for Halloween Time as well…
Refurbishment Roundup |
[center]Main Street Makeovers[/center]
Back in Disneyland, refurbishment projects on Main Street USA are underway, with more on their way. At the main entrance, the final section of turnstiles are still being refreshed.
Inside the park, construction on the new Guest Flow Corridors continues, mostly out of sight from park guests.
As we mentioned earlier, the Disney Showcase shop is behind construction walls for a facade refurbishment.
We showed you the refurbished Castle Bros facade last week – but the sign was still missing on Friday.
Crystal Arts isn’t getting refurbished, even though it probably needed it. Its marquee is back, however.
At the end of Main Street, the Photo Supply will close September 2 for nearly a month.
[center]Finishing Up the French Quarter[/center]
Not much to see in New Orleans Square this week – seems like the project is pretty much done, despite the insistence from some to “wait and see.”
Some silver accents were added to the existing portion of the Mlle. Antoinette’s Parfumerie facade so it would better match the newly re-worked portion.
[center]Finding Refurbishment[/center]
In Tomorrowland, the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage will reopen in late September after a lengthy closure/refurbishment project. Get ready to see water start coming back to the lagoon soon!
[center]Grand Refurbishments[/center]
The Grand Californian Hotel’s exterior refurbishment continues on the side facing California Adventure’s Grizzly Peak area.
Napa Rose remains closed through late September.
Games Over |
In Adventureland and Frontierland, the summer engagements of the Legends of Frontierland and Adventure Trading Co. will wrap up this week. There’s no official word yet on whether Disney will be rolling out more games anytime soon, but we have a feeling more are on their way.
Signs were up throughout Frontierland last week indicating which team owned what.
In Adventureland, some of the Jujus are now out of stock. On Friday, at least the Eye of Mara and Venomade snake jujus were unavailable. Now is your last chance to get some Juju, but be warned – supplies are rapidly diminishing and once they’re gone, they’re gone!
Sales Freeze |
In Downtown Disney, the Studio Disney 365 shop closed today to begin its transformation into a new “Frozen”-themed store.
The shop will be renamed Elsa and Anna’s Boutique and will still offer special costumes, hair and makeup makeovers, just now with a “Frozen” twist.
The shop was already well-stocked with Frozen merchandise before closing.
Disney Channel costumes on display
Do you think the Frozen craze will hold long enough to justify this shop’s redesign or is it too little, too late?
Merch Madness |
Back in California Adventure, Cars Land has a lot of new merchandise for fans of the land.
New line of Cars Land horticulture-themed items
The new line of neon-themed items is also available now
Back in Disneyland, a few new Haunted Mansion items are now available in New Orleans Square.
ALS Ice Bucket Challenge |
Last week Knott’s Berry Farm challenged MiceChat to the ALS Association Ice Bucket Challenge and my editor Dusty Sage took the plunge for the entire team.
As you can see in the video below, Dusty took the challenge and donated to ALSA and passed the baton to the Anabella Hotel, ESPN Zone in Downtown Disney, and me!
I responded to Dusty’s challenge via Twitter and, because of the California drought, opted to simply donate to the ALS Association and I challenge all of you to donate as well. It’s a very worthy cause and I encourage all of you to visit the ALS Association’s website, learn about Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and donate whatever you can today to help find a cure.
.@MiceChat tapped us for the #ALSIceBucketChallenge! Due to the Calif. drought, we’ve simply donated & so should you! http://t.co/khjiFha03O
— Dateline Disneyland (@DatelineDisney) August 24, 2014
This and That |
And finally, the travel-themed window in DCA’s Hollywood Land recently got updated…
Little details in this window make it worth checking out. DCA cruise and airlines.
Travel pamphlets include great Disney references like the Jungle Cruise and Norway!
A postcard in the mail stack on the desk include one from the Mine Train thru Nature’s Wonderland!
Enjoy retro fun just steps away from Disneyland at 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 Save with MiceChat & Passholder Discounts 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 August 25-31, 2014 |
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[B]Disneyland Park[/B] | [B]California Adventure[/B] | |
Mon.-Thu.: 9 am – 10 pm Fri.-Sat.: 9 am – 12 am Sunday: 8 am – 11 pm |
Mon.-Thu. 9 am – 9 pm Friday: 9 am – 10 pm Saturday: 9 am – 9 pm Sunday: 9 am – 10 pm |
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[CENTER]For a complete listing of theme park hours, visit the Disneyland.com Theme Park Calendar[/CENTER] |
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[center]Closure and Refurbishment Schedule[/center] | ||
[b][center]Disneyland Park[/center][/b] | ||
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[b][center]Disney California Adventure[/center][/b] | ||
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[b][center]Downtown Disney and Disneyland Resort Hotels[/center][/b] | ||
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August 25-31
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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[center]Headline Roundup A quick look at noteworthy Disney theme park headlines from around the web.[/center] |
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Alright, that wraps up this week’s blog. Are you excited for Halloween Time or is it just too early for jack-o-lanterns? Let us know in the comments section below!
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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. |