Howdy Disney Lovers! In The Parks is filling in today for Dateline Disneyland today as Andy Castro enjoys D23’s Destination D in Orlando. There is plenty to take in this week as we traverse the Disneyland Resort in search of holiday cheer. As the resort barrels through another magical year, we also see a slate of refurbishments looming on the horizon in anticipation of the 60th anniversary celebrations. Despite that bit of news we make sure to share pics from it’s a small world holiday, more from the Jingle Cruise, and we discuss the trashy state of Sleeping Beauty Castle as daylight shines a critical eye on its decorations. It’s not all bad news, however. In fact, it’s quite good when we peek into Disney California Adventure and take in the new Winter Dreams: Frozen Edition of World of Color. We also get a better look at some of the more detailed decorations in Cars Land. There’s much more cheer to uncover, so let’s get started. . .
Candy Canes
The famous candy cane making is back in both Disneyland and Disney California Adventure this year.
Disneyland Candy Palace – November 28; December 2, 5, 9, 12, 16, 19, 21, 23, & 24
Disney California Adventure Trolley Treats – November 29; December 1, 6, 8, 13, 15, 20, 22, & 25
Price – $12.99
Get in line at park opening to assure you’ll get one of these popular treats.
Main Street U,S.A.
Nothing says Christmas quite like Main Street USA. Here we catch a few shots of a day in Town Square and beyond.
Sleeping Beauty Castle
While Sleeping Beauty Castle looks wonderful at night during the holidays, we have to mention again how terrible the “Icicles” look during the day. They are translucent ribbons used to bunch the strands of light on the castle. Unfortunately, it ends up drawing more attention to the light strands and does little at night. Certainly a company with as much money as Disney could devise a cleaner looking solution than this for it’s iconic centerpiece.
Aside from the tacky icicles, the castle is lovely. Simple cast plastic or resin icicles lit from above by LEDs would look so much better and would be easier to pack away and reuse every year. Let’s hope that they come up with a more permanent solution soon.
Jingle Cruise
We know that the reaction to the Jingle Cruise has been mixed, with some saying that the experience has been much approved since last year and others saying it looks too tacky. They have definitely poured more money into the experience this year, and they have also constructed a reason to see Christmas decorations in the jungle. While something still feels a bit off, we really DO like the Jingle Cruise and the whole idea of adding some holiday charm. With a little more tinkering, and some practice by the skippers, this experience really should start to gel. And it’s certainly worked wonders for the popularity of the attraction which now frequently sports a filled queue (upstairs and down).
Music is key in making the other two holiday overlays, it’s a small world holiday and Haunted Mansion Holiday, work so well. But the Jungle Cruise is not a musical attraction. So how to solve it? Perhaps have the boats playing the music that is heard in the queue, the crackly radio Christmas music.
They are getting there with this concept, but it still needs a little work. What are your ideas to perfect the Jingle Cruise.
Fantasyland Outdoor Vending Stand
The new outdoor vending stand and fruit cart returned to Fantasyland. Everything looks bright, shinny and new.
it’s a small world holiday
On Tuesday of this week, the Themed Entertainment Association (TEA) announced their annual Thea Award winners. “it’s a small world” at Disneyland, won the Thea Classic award, honoring attractions that have withstood the test of time and have endured for 20 or more years. To quote TEA…
the attraction “continues to captivate audiences around the world with pure charm, melded with a profound message deceptively hiding in a simple and astonishingly catchy song … This timeless classic continues to engage generation after generation. Surely “it’s a small world” is the very definition of a Classic.”
Congratulations Disneyland!
Refurb Round Up
- Mark Twain Riverboat: Reopens November 29, 2014.
- Storybook Land Canal Boats and Casey Jr. Circus Train: Closed December 1-18 for refurbishment.
- Matterhorn Bobsleds: Closed January 5-May 13 for refurbishment.
- Haunted Mansion: Closed January 12-22 to remove holiday overlay.
- The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh: Closed January 12-February 5 for refurbishment.
- Splash Mountain: Closed January 12-April 2 for refurbishment.
- Snow White Grotto and Wishing Well: Closed January 12-April 30 for refurbishment.
- Peter Pan’s Flight: Closed January 12-May 7.
Grand Californian
Disney gave salivating readers their first glimpse of a new Gingerbread house that will finally be making its debut in the Grand Californian Hotel.
The full scale 7 ½ feet tall and 12 feet wide edible cookie house will open on November 27. Some details about the makings of this delectable domicile include the following ingredients…
- More than 500 pounds of gingerbread
- 60 gallons of frosting and icing
- 100 pounds of isomalt sugar
- 50 pounds of granulated sugar
- 50 pounds of powdered sugar
- 2 gallons of egg whites
- 1 quart of lemon juice
In the meantime, here are some shots of the stunning Christmas Tree in the lobby of the Grand Californian.
World of Color: Winter Dreams
We all know Frozen is on its way to Disney California Adventure in a big way, with the upcoming happenings in Hollywood Land. But you don’t have to wait for the end of December to get your fix. In a retooled version of last years, World of Color: Winter Dreams, we get a bit more Frozen, a bit less art, and a pace that feels less cohesive. Despite what that sounds like, it’s not anywhere as bad as you think. It’s still quite a good show.
The show has jettisoned the moving “World Choir” opening cooked up for last years show and jumps right into the World of Color intro music. We get Olaf from Disney’s Frozen as the host again but things go awry quickly as “Do you Want to Build a Snowman?” and “For the First Time in Forever” are shoehorned into open the show.
Thankfully the funny Toy Story Nutcracker suite is still in the show to liven things up.
Again, it must be said that, the show is still very entertaining and moves along quickly.
Give this show a shot and let us know what you think.
Hollywood Land
In Hollywood Land we see that inside the Animation building, preparations are being made for the Frozen character meet and greet inside the Character Close-Up space. During this renovation, Animation Academy is still open, using its entry as both an entrance and exit.
The Little Mermaid Musings
With the valiant effort behind the holiday decorations on The Little Mermaid’s façade, we wonder what the ride would look like with a holiday overlay of its own . . . Ariel’s Christmas Under The Sea. We don’t think they are actually planning anything, but the new exterior decorations got our creative juices flowing . . .
Cars Land
Since we have the time, we thought we would pick up a few more pictures from Cars Land and the delightful decorations in that land that we may have missed the first time.
¡Viva Navidad!
We’ve been saying it every week, but it really needs to be said again. Go see ¡Viva Navidad! It’s wonderful.
Refurb Round Up
- Bakery Tour: Closed through January 16 for its Rosy removal.
- Turtle Talk with Crush: Closed October 28-29 for refurbishment.
- Goofy’s Sky School: Closed December 1 for refurbishment.
- Toy Story Midway Mania!: Closed December 8-11 for refurbishment.
- The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror: Closed January 5-8 for refurbishment.
- Soarin’ Over California: Closed January 6-May 14 for refurbishment.
- World of Color: Dark January 7-March 12 for refurbishment.
- Luigi’s Flying Tires: Closed January 12-December 1, 2015 for conversion to new attraction.
- Blue Sky Cellar: Closed indefinitely
We need your help to do something good
MiceChat is supporting the effort to save and preserve the home that Walt Disney was born in. Sadly, the house is in jeopardy. But with your help we can restore the place where the magic began. Phase One restoration is ready to begin, but funds to restore ten windows, refurbish and paint the original wood siding hammered into place by Elias Disney himself must be raised by December 5th (Walt’s birthday)! The windows have been ordered, the paint crew ready to go, and work is scheduled to begin . . . all we need is you!
To make the process as easy and rewarding as possible, the Walt Disney Birthplace crew have launched a Start Some Good campaign which offers rewards in exchange for donations.
Please show your support for this fantastic project with a pledge. Any amount, large or small, is welcomed! There are even opportunities to get your name on the project (engraved paver stones, sponsored windows or major sponsorship). If you have a friend or company which may want to get involved, please be sure to share this message.
Thanks so much for your support folks. Together, we can start some good!
Andy Castro will be back next week. Until then, we’ll see you again soon, In The Parks!
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