Dateline Disneyland

Despite the huge summer crowds surging through the gates, it was a slow news week around the Disneyland Resort. Nevertheless, construction continues throughout Disney California Adventure as the park readied to open its new temporary main entrance detour as heavy construction ramps up in the park's new Buena Vista Street entry complex. Elsewhere, crews continued the work on bringing the world of Radiator Springs closer to a reality in the new Cars Land area. Meanwhile, Disneyland's Matterhorn Bobsleds continue their refurbishment in the middle of the peak summer season and the dinosaurs guests visit aboard the Disneyland Railroad are getting some TLC. Outside the parks, the Disneyland Hotel's remodel is moving along and Downtown Disney gets a new merchant.

A big thanks the excellent Fishbulb from our sister column, In the Parks, for his help with photos this week.

More information on the construction projects featured in today's column can be found in the MiceChat Project Tracker threads — just look for a Project Tracker watermark and click that photo for more information and to join the on-going discussion.

Let's jump right in!

Inside Dateline Disneyland

Welcome to Disneyland! TouringPlans.com crowd level forecast Dinosaurs and Bobsleds Disneyland refurbishes its bobsled run and primeval residents California Construction A look at the on-going construction at Disney California Adventure... Buena Vista Street Cars Land Hotel Remodels Disneyland Hotel remodel and Paradise Pier Hotel repaint This & That Matterhorn closes for refurbishment Weekly News and Information Round-Up Weekly theme park hours, closures and refurbishments, D23 Expo's Carousel of Projects

Sponsored by TouringPlans.com | Do More. Wait Less.

WELCOME TO DISNEYLAND!


Touring Plans is here once again to offer a look at the high summer crowd levels this week and some tips when touring the parks.

Crowd levels are again predicted to be high all week long. The two lowest levels of Annual Passholders will be blocked out everyday, so these numbers are greatest impacted by vacationers descending upon Disneyland. TouringPlans.com can help you avoid falling into the typical tourist pitfalls with our per-park Crowd Calendar, Lines - Mobile Wait Times App that gives access to current and estimated wait times for attractions, and Touring Plans detailing the best plan of attack for hitting the attractions. Now more than ever, it's a good time to subscribe to TouringPlans.com to plan your strategy to avoid the crowds!

Below are the predicted resort-wide crowd numbers for select days generated by the TouringPlans professional statisticians as measured for the upcoming week. For the access to the full year and per-park crowd level predictions, visit our Crowd Calendar.

— Fred Hazelton Statistician, TouringPlans.com

	Crowd Calendar Prediction	Crowd Tips
	DISNEYLAND RESORT
Mon., August 1	10/10	Here are some quick-hit notes that we hope you'll find helpful as you prepare your visits for the week: Expect 10 level crowds all week, with a break on Sunday with a 9. There will be full AP blockouts on Saturday.
Tue., August 2	10/10
Wed., August 3	10/10
Thu., August 4	10/10
Crowd levels are based on a scale from 1 to 10, with 1 being the least crowded conditions and 10 being most crowded.
See Disneyland crowds for the next 365 days. Get Disneyland wait times on your iPhone, Android, or Smartphone. Do more. Wait less.

DINOSAURS AND BOBSLEDS
The Matterhorn Bobsled remain closed as its refurbishment continues...








The Bobsleds will re-open at the beginning of September.



Meanwhile, along the Disneyland Railroad, the Grand Canyon Diorama and the Primeval World continue to delight guests...




...however, the finale of the Primeval World is currently behind black curtains while the T-Rex gets a refurbishment.




CALIFORNIA CONSTRUCTION
Work continues on the remainder of California Adventure's $1 billion-dollar remodel and expansion...

Contact [email protected] or [email protected]!

BUENA VISTA STREET
At Disney California Adventure, work continued last week on the new temporary backstage detour for the park's main entrance.


Inside the park, the guest entry point between Soarin' Over California and the Grand Californian Hotel is ready and starting today, guests will emerge her after passing through a backstage corridor when entering the park.







Back at what remained of Sunshine Plaza on Sunday...


Walls were up around the base of the former Golden Gate bridge








Meanwhile, work continues on the upcoming Carthay Circle area of Buena Vista Street, including the Theater itself along with the Carthay Circle fountain and nearby pump house.


A look at the fountain area with Red Car Trolley track installation and progress on the nearby pump house





Nearby, walls went up around the front of the California Zephyr train over the weekend...


You may also notice that the Condor Flats marquee is out from behind tarps and is once again rotating, a feature that has been broken or turned off for some time now.




It's too bad that this sore-thumb of a sign couldn't get a makeover that would complement Buena Vista Street when it opens in 2012.



On the other side of the former Sunshine Plaza, at the entrance to Hollywood Pictures Backlot, walls are up at the front of Disney Junior, where work is underway on completing the brick paver installation at the Red Car Trolley track.




CARS LAND
Work continues on the massive Cars Land project set to open next summer.














Progress at Mater's Junkyard Jamboree:




A new roof on the shack being built at the Junkyard...











DISNEYLAND HOTEL REMODEL
Over at the Disneyland Hotel, work continues on the E-Ticket pool area and the new tiki-themed makeover at the former Pavilion













THIS & THAT
Nearby the Disneyland Hotel in Downtown Disney, the old Compass Books newsstand has once again gotten a new tenant. The most recent occupant, The Cupcake Store, is (once again) out and in its place is Cheryl Fudge's Fashion Camp.


The vendor offers a selection of female fashions with additions to customize your clothing with.




Back inside California Adventure, Francis' Lady Bug Boogie in Flik's Fun Fair was closed this weekend while some unscheduled work was performed.




Ride vehicles have been removed

Dateline Disneyland is sponsored by our good friends at the Howard Johnson Plaza Hotel - Anaheim Resort. A short walk from the park, HoJo Anaheim is conveniently located next to Disneyland with nearby dining and freeway access. For more information on HoJo Anaheim, room rates, or to book your stay today, visit HoJoAnaheim.com/MiceChat. Rooms now available for as low as $59 per night! 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 $59 per night, 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. Experience Disneyland at home with the HoJo Mattercam! See Disneyland from home via a live rotating video feed of Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park from the rooftop of Howard Johnson Plaza Hotel - Anaheim Resort! The HoJo Anaheim's newly upgraded Disneyland webcam now features new views including video feeds of Disneyland's nightly fireworks! Check it out now!

WEEKLY NEWS AND INFORMATION ROUND-UP
Weekly Theme Park Hours August 1 — 7, 2011
Disneyland Park	Disney California Adventure
Daily: 8 am - 12 midnight	Daily: 10 am - 10 pm
For a complete listing of theme park hours, visit the Disneyland.com Theme Park Calendar
Expected Crowd Levels presented by TouringPlans.com
Disneyland Park	Disney California Adventure
HIGH 8.9—9.6 out of 10	HIGH 8.9—9.5 out of 10
Crowd levels are based on a scale from 1 to 10, with 1 being the least crowded conditions and 10 being most crowded. For daily crowd predictions for the next 365 days, visit
Closures and Refurbishment Schedule
Disneyland Park
Matterhorn Bobsleds: Closed for refurbishment through September 1. Haunted Mansion: – Closed to install Haunted Mansion Holiday overlay August 29 — September 15. Indiana Jones Adventure: Closed September 6 — 7 for refurbishment. Pirates of the Caribbean and Blue Bayou Restaurant: Closed September 7 — November 23 for refurbishment. Space Mountain: Closed to install Ghost Galaxy seasonal overlay September 9 – 15. Mark Twain Riverboat: Closed September 26 — 28 for refurbishment.
Disney California Adventure
Engine Ears Toys, Baker's Field Bakery and Bur-r-r Bank Ice Cream: Retail and dining locations close permanently August 1. Space will reopen as new offerings in 2012 as part of Buena Vista Street. Greetings! from California and Candy Shoppe: Retail locations close permanently August 28. Space will reopen as new offerings in 2012 as part of Buena Vista Street. California Screamin': Closed September 6 — October 14 for refurbishment. Red Car Trolley: Attraction set to open spring 2012.
Downtown Disney & Hotels of the Disneyland Resort
Never Land Pool: Area closed for remodel and re-theming.

Disneyland announces new summer vacation discounts A couple new late-summer discounts...

Have a Soundsational Summer with New Disneyland Resort Special Offers With Disney Soundsational Summer underway here at the Disneyland Resort, it’s the perfect time to come check out some of our great new attractions and entertainment. And new special offers are coming that will make your trip planning even easier. [. . . ] Through September 24, you can enjoy these great offers for Disneyland Resort hotel stays: Save up to 30% for most Sunday – Thursday nights at a Disneyland Resort Hotel (for hotel stays from 8/14 – 10/01)*, or Save up to $450 on a 4-night/3-day Disneyland Resort Vacation Package and receive one free Character Dining meal for each person in your party (for hotel stays from 8/14 – 9/28).

Full details and more information, see the full story: Disney Parks Blog: Have a Soundsational Summer with New Disneyland Resort Special Offers

Okay, that's it for this edition of Dateline Disneyland! Head on over and visit out friends at Touring Plans for all the essentials in planning your summer Disneyland visit now! Join in on the discussion below and share Dateline Disneyland with your friends and family! Many thanks again to Fishbulb for his help with photos today. We're only here because of your support. If you enjoy Dateline Disneyland every week please consider helping us out by donating a buck or two so we can pay the bills and keep the updates coming! You can donate with a click of a button via PayPal — click here! Don't forget that MiceChat has lots of new content throughout the week! For even more Disneyland news, photos and information check out the In the Parks column on Fridays. And MiceChat's Weekend Update, tours the world of Disney theme parks and other worldly sights and landmarks! See you at the parks! - Andy Interested in sponsorship or advertising opportunities with Dateline Disneyland? Contact us!

Please support our sponsors Keep the updates coming! Please support us FTC-Mandated Disclosure: Promotional consideration for the August 1, 2011 edition of Dateline Disneyland was provided by TouringPlans.com | Do More. Wait Less.