Halloween Time wrapped up at Disneyland on Friday with a final sold out Mickey’s Halloween Party and theme parks that were caught between two holidays as Christmas decorations continue to go up. Main Street, U.S.A.‘s new Guest Flow Corridors seem to be wrapping up construction as the new gateway for the eastern corridor was unveiled over the weekend. Meanwhile, more Haunted Mansion, Big Hero 6, and holiday merchandise continues to hit store shelves as 2014 prepares to come to an end.
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 an up-close look at the magic! Don’t forget — You can click on any photo in today’s post to see a larger, high-resolution version!
We’re back after a week off. Thanks to Norm and the In the Parks team for filling in with a Disneyland update while I was away! Let’s get started!
Welcome to Disneyland! |
Disneyland’s popular Halloween Time has now ended its run for the year as Disneyland now really kicks into high gear getting the holiday festivities ready for launch on November 13.
A look at the final pumpkins of the season from Big Thunder Ranch’s great little Halloween Carnival.
It’s beginning to look a lot like… |
Meanwhile, Christmas is covering both parks pretty quickly…
Snow continues to fall on Sleeping Beauty Castle
Over at “it’s a small world,” work continues on installing the ride’s popular holiday overlay.
The clock face has its Santa hat now.
Lights are up along the entire facade
The last remaining scrims from the “Memories, Magic and You!” projection show have finally been removed. It was a small thing, but they were very dirty and the facade looks much better without them.
In New Orleans Square, more Christmas decorations have gone up including the giant Mardi Gras mask over Royal Street.
Meanwhile, Critter Country is now fully decked out for the holidays
And back in Mickey’s Toon Town, Halloween bunting is still up on the underpass the the land and on the gazebo in front of Toon Town Town Hall, but much of the rest of the land is now ready for the holidays.
At Disney California Adventure, A Bug’s Land is ready for the holidays now with oversized ornaments and Christmas lights…
Note, a lot of trees and large growth was recently removed at the entrance to Flik’s Fun Fair
Cars Land is getting ready for the holidays with extra posts along Route 66 to support overhead garland.
And for the first time this year, Paradise Pier has lovely new garland strung up along Midway Mania and the games and shops of the boardwalk.
Construction Kingdom |
[center]Main Street Makeovers[/center]
The new bypass corridors behind Main Street, U.S.A. aren’t yet open to the public, but on Friday the new facade for the East Corridor’s Town Square entry point was revealed.
The new facade is a modified version of the original facade that had been in place for decades.
It’s probably no mistake that the facade to the corridors for mass guest egress is themed to a livery for farm animals.
The same Cast Member access gate is still in place.
A little stained glass window from the original facade was retained. Nice touch.
Half-way down Main Street, signage has returned to the Main Street locker facility although it hasn’t reopened just yet…
Across the street, the Gibson Girl Ice Cream Parlor facade refurbishment has wrapped up.
Not all permanent signage has returned yet…
At the end of Main Street, Refreshment Corner’s facade refurbishment has also wrapped up and looks great.
Not all signage has returned yet
The gold leaf hasn’t been applied yet.
The Coke Corner piano is still over at the Jolly Holiday Bakery Cafe porch for now…
[center]Royal Remodel[/center]
In New Orleans Square, the work in the Royal Courtyard continues…
[center]Riverboat Refurbishment[/center]
The Mark Twain Riverboat’s refurbishment continues…
[center]Pierfecting…[/center]
In Disney California Adventure, Paradise Pier’s shade structures have emerged from their lengthy refurbishment project…
New bases were added at the bottom of the support posts.
Merch Madness |
In New Orleans Square, even more new Haunted Mansion merchandise has debuted at Port Royal.
Lots of new Beautifully Disney items…
In Tomorrowland, more Big Hero 6 merchandise is now available
And of course, lots of additional new holiday merchandise…
And finally, a few interesting non-holiday items…
Enhancing HoJo’s retro fun with new Disney magic |
The last time we visited the Howard Johnson in our new featurette series on the classic Anaheim hotel, we filled you in on some of the hotel’s rich history. Designed by famous architect William L. Pereira (who also designed the Disneyland Hotel, LAX Theme Building and much more), Howard Johnson’s Motor Lodge was a wonderful mid-century modern respite for weary theme park visitors. Today, nearly 50 years later, it continues to be a leader in rates and occupancy among its competitors.
The Howard Johnson Anaheim continues to be a leader in the Anaheim Resort area for a variety of reasons—including great service and reasonable rates—but part of the HoJo’s allure is credited to its fantastically retro mid-century modern architecture and retro-style guest rooms. While the rooms today aren’t quite as “retro” as the circa 1960s rooms pictured above, they’ve got a lot of flare to complement their modern comforts and amenities. As the team at the Howard Johnson prepares for the hotel’s big 50th Anniversary in July 2015, work is now underway to give the rooms a bit of an update with new fixtures and gorgeous prints of classic Disneyland concept art and attraction posters.
Above, the Fantasyland rooms are bright and fun with a lush green accent wall and gorgeous prints of “it’s a small world” concept art by Disney Legend Mary Blair. Below, a bunk bed family suite features a great Adventureland theme with a bold red accent wall and Jungle Cruise concept art above the queen bed.
New lamps and bamboo-style mirrors enhance the retro Adventureland theme as a wonderful print of the classic Enchanted Tiki Room attraction poster greets you as you enter the room. Currently, Standard and Deluxe category rooms are now completely refreshed at the HoJo Anaheim, with the remaining rooms in the main tower getting the full refresh treatment now. And the retro refresh doesn’t just stop at the guest rooms! Before the end of the year, work will get underway on completely remodeling room corridors and elevators in the main two towers. Fresh blue tones on the walls, new furniture and carpet, and bright, modern lighting fixtures will bring more light and cheer into the tower common areas and hallways!
The rooms may not be quite as retro as that fabulous wood paneling and orange window curtain from the Howard Johnson’s early days (look at those lighting fixtures!), but the rooms today feature plenty of great retro flare while being fresh and bright for modern tastes. The new Disney art and thematic touches really round out the experience, making your Disneyland vacation complete, from your hotel to the theme parks!
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 November 3-9, 2014 |
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[B]Disneyland Park[/B] | [B]California Adventure[/B] | |
Mon.-Thur.: 10 am – 8 pm Friday: 9 am – 12 am Sat.-Sun.: 8 am – 12 am |
Mon.-Thur.: 10 am – 8 pm Friday: 9 am – 10 pm Sat.-Sun.: 8 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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November 3-9
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 Dateline Disneyland. What do you think of the new Guest Flow Corridor gateway facade and are you ready for the holidays at Disneyland? 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. |