In the Parks

Happy black Friday everyone! We hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and are ready for another huge In The Parks update, because it's a good one today. Pirates of the Caribbean finally returned to Disneyland a few hours after opening yesterday, and we were on the first boat over the falls. There are some changes, but not many. We'll also check on the progress of Cars Land and Buena Vista Street in Disney California Adventure. But we don't stop there. Let's take a taste of Christmas at Knott's, mosey through Magic Mountain, then sail through SeaWorld San Diego to see how merry and bright everything is this year.



Disneyland is absolutely the the merriest place on earth at the moment. Aside from all the beautiful decorations, one thing to be happy about is the return of Pirates of the Caribbean.

PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: Pirates tell no tails
Thanksgiving day saw the unannounced soft opening of Pirates of the Caribbean after a long refurb that began Labor Day weekend and lasted until Thanksgiving morning. The refurbishment allowed for a number of things to be updated including the expansion of the unloading dock to accommodate up to 8 wheelchairs or ECV vehicles for disabled guests, rock work in the grotto at the beginning of the ride, and a show tweaks. While some sites on the Internet claimed that Mermaids would be added to the attraction, that rumor was proven to be false yesterday.

Pirates just after rope drop at 8:10am

Regardless the ride looks and sounds as good as it ever did. Kudos to the Imagineers and park management who refused to open the ride until it was just right. While the months long wait was grueling, it's wonderful to see an attraction (which was opened in 1967) looking like it's brand new!

The loading area


The area where regular guests disembark has been expanded to accommodate more disabled guests.


















The exit ramp has been resurfaced.

Aside from the smell of fresh paint, you won't notice much new in the attraction. Everything looks as it always did, but close eyes will spot a few minor changes. Most notably, the Davey Jones and Blackbeard waterfall projections now alternate. Same with the audio on the final lift hill.

CHRISTMAS:
Disneyland at Christmas is a real treat. Each week through the holidays we will bring you a new set of photos that attempt to capture the magic for you.

Poinsettias at Town Square.


Amaryllis near the flag pole.





The Tree on Town Square.


With classic ornaments


The barbershop boys in their holiday gear. Lookin' good fellas!


Walt and Mickey look down Main Street from their festive pedestal.


Baskets of Sweet Alyssum with mickey ear trim.


Amaryllis and Pansies at the hub.




Cyclamen and Pansies


Field of beautiful violet Pansies

MAIN STREET MAINTENANCE:
Along the west side of Main Street work continues inside the shops in preparation for the refurbishment of the Carnation restaurant and closure of the coffee house. The individually sold confections, the chocolate turtles, the caramels and such, are now all prepackaged in plastic bags.

The back half of the Candy Shop is behind construction walls


Those construction walls stretch all the way to the back of the Ice Cream Parlor


The individual candies are now individually wrapped.

SPLASH MOUNTAIN PROBLEMS:
Let's start out with the positive. Splash Mountain looks simply charming covered in pine garland for Christmas. There is even a huge Christmas tree in the Hay loft above the entrance addressed to Brer Fox and Brer Bear. The place looks great on the outside.

But there are a few problems happening inside the attraction which should be pointed out. Just to clarify, we DO NOT encourage taking flash pictures on attractions. However we were able to take these photos late at night in a log with only other members of our staff, and did have to use the flash to capture the details below.

This Brer Rabbit on the push cart has not worked in four months and instead of fixing it, the lighting for it has simply been switched off.


While the audio works for both vultures at the base of the lift hill, the one on the left has lost the ability to mouth his dialogue. The figure moves and pantomimes his lines without moving his mouth.

We hope that Disneyland doesn't start letting this Splash Mountain slip like the WDW version. These problems have been lingering for a while now, and it's time they were fixed.



It's a holly jolly DCA Christmas. Cars Land progress has accelerated and lots of little details are appearing. Let's first start with a look around Buena Vista Street.

New awning attachments were added to the front gate to shade cast members from the sun. We hope this is a temporary solution as it is every bit as ugly in person as it appears in this photo.

MORE DCA CHRISTMAS:
The Christmas decorations appearing in DCA this year are quite nice.

San Francisco area near Mermaid.

DUFFY CHRISTMAS:
Gotta love Duffy. Even when there are very few people in line to greet him, he's as cute as ever.

BUENA VISTA STREET:
Here we are with the weekly update from Buena Vista Street. The pressure is building as opening day nears, but as you will see, this project has a LOT of work left to do.

Carthay Circle Theater:
The Carthay Circle Theater is under wraps right now so not too much is visible. However, we can get a few peeks in.

One of the exterior stairways.

Shops:
The shops in Buena Vista Street are now being framed inside and out.

But they are all still bare

The Circle:
And now an overview of the Buena Vista Circle area.

CARS LAND:
Recently, Cars Land has really seemed to come together. Let's zoom around to see what can be seen in this new 12 acre land.

Mater's Junkyard Jamboree:

Finishing touches are being placed at Mater's. Set Dressing has begun.

Mater's shack is looking great.


Set dressing already showing up.

Courthouse:
The Courthouse exterior is nearly complete and large landscaping is being placed.

Luigi's:

Luigi's Tire facade continues to get more and more interesting.

Cozy Cones:
Exterior surface work has finally started on the Cozy Cones. Notice the one on the far right.

A closer look

Radiator Springs Racers:

And now we take a look at the big E-Ticket ride that covers 6 acres of this 12 acre land, the Radiator Springs Racers. More large landscaping has been placed along the track and vehicle testing has halted temporarily to allow the last bit of work on the helix to be completed.

We start with a look from Paradise Pier - Note how well the cliff on the back side of the mountain range looks.


The backside of rock work is now being sculpted.


they are careful to blend what they did months ago with what they are doing now.

While Disneyland may be tops at presenting the showiest Christmas, Knott's has really fine-tuned their approach with a more down home feel. We highly recommend Christmas at Knott's, give it a try this year, you will be pleasantly surprised by how comforting the atmosphere is.

IT'S CHRISTMAS SNOOPY! ICE SHOW:
Knott's also offers several holiday shows and attractions. The new It's Christmas Snoopy! Ice show opens today. Expect long lines for this holiday favorite and arrive early (although the theater is large, it fills up fast).

ELF MOUNTAIN CHRISTMAS:
The charming, but a tad creepy, Elf Mountain Christmas returns this year. The ride is part of the charm of Knott's holiday tradition. Set aside the cynicism and hop aboard for a fun ride through Timber Mountain at Christmas.

BIRD CAGE THEATRE:
Also opening today is the intimate Bird Cage Theatre presentations of A Christmas Carol and Gift of the Magi alternating throughout the day. Grab some hot cocoa and go in and enjoy the show.

JINGLEBELL ROCKBOARD SCOOTER CELEBRITY GRAND PRIX AND CONCERT:
Knott’s Berry Farm hosted the first ever Jingle Bell Rockboard Scooter celebrity Grand Prix and Concert this past Sunday. It featured headliner and star of Twilight Saga feature films, Booboo Stewart (Seth Clearwater). Performances included teen music artists Midnight Red, Savannah Robinson, Sabrina Lentini and others. There were scooter races between teen celebrities as well as park guests. Teen celebrities also spent time meeting with their fans.

The scooters


Booboo stopped to say hi to MiceChat.


The concert was a big hit with the tween crowds.

DE-JA VU DECONSTRUCTION:
As of last Saturday there wasn't much left of Deja Vu (as seen from the Sky Tower)

A closer look shows that just a small amount of track remains


Less pieces backstage as well

BUCCANNER REFURB:
Buccaneer is closed for what looks like a complete (and much needed) refurbishment.

As you can see, much of the outside has been removed

DOWN FOR THE SEASON:
Elsewhere, both the Tidal Wave and Roaring Rapids water rides are closed until Spring.

FALL INTO SIX FLAGS:
Finally, a look at the natural beauty of the park as seasons change.

SeaWorld began their Christmas Celebration event last week. We'll have a update on all the decorations, in-park events, and nighttime shows next week. Though we do have some construction and holiday updates for you today.

MANTA:

Manta construction is progressing quickly now.

The station under construction


Overview with the bay in the background

CHRISTMAS TAILS:
Christmas Tails returns again this year at the Pet's Stadium. The show is basically the Pet's Rule show but has a holiday story line, a few new tricks, and new effects. If you've seen Pet's Rule, you'll probably like this one more.

This year CityWalk will be celebrating Christmas with a brand new light and music show, starting November 27, at 5 Towers including the opportunity to take your picture with Rockin' Santa.

Light and music show (every 20 minutes 6-9:40pm)
Sunday Nov 27
Friday Dec 2
Saturday Dec 3
Sunday Dec 4
Friday Dec 9
Saturday Dec 10
Sunday Dec 11
Friday Dec 16
Saturday Dec 17
Sunday Dec 18
Monday Dec 19
Wednesday Dec 21
Thursday Dec 22
Friday Dec 23
Saturday Dec 24
Sunday Dec 25

Photos with Rockin' Santa (hourly 1-9pm)
Sunday Nov 27
Friday Dec 2
Saturday Dec 3
Sunday Dec 4
Friday Dec 9
Sunday Dec 11
Friday Dec 16
Saturday Dec 17
Sunday Dec 18
Monday Dec 19
Wednesday Dec 21
Thursday Dec 22
Saturday Dec 24
Sunday Dec 25

GRINCHMAS:

Dates for Grinchmas are December 10-11 and daily December 17-January 1

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Today's update was edited by Fishbulb and brought to you by the following members of our fantastic and talented crew of photographers and news contributors: Joseph Pakizegi,Daniel K. Lew, Sir Clinksalot, F!an, and Dustysage. (If you've got breaking news or photos to share, we'd love to hear from you. Contact Dusty today.)

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