The photos above show Future World around 11:00am. Every attraction's queue was empty with the exception of Soarin'. In fact, after arriving at opening time and departing at closing shortly after Illuminations, I was able to experience every attraction in the park at least once. That included Soarin' twice, Test Track three times, and Gran Fiesta twice.

The Great Orlando Wheel represents a breathtaking new vision for North America. Rising 400 feet above the earth, this iconic structure will offer ever-changing views above one of the country’s top tourism destinations. It is scheduled to open in 2010. A 25-mile panoramic view will showcase world-class Central Florida attractions like SeaWorld, Universal Studios and Walt Disney World, as well as firework displays and rocket launches from NASA Kennedy Space Center. With integrated commercial and retail facilities, The Great Orlando Wheel will provide a grand welcome to this vibrant destination and an ideal gathering place for visitors to shop, enjoy and play. Ideally situated in the heart of Orlando, Florida, the Wheel is conveniently located to nearby attractions including, SeaWorld, Universal Studios, Walt Disney World Resort and bustling Downtown Orlando. Additionally, the Orlando-Orange County Convention Center and International Drive, Central Florida’s main tourist corridor, are adjacent to the site. Great Wheel Orlando Website

Pixie Hollow:



Look! It's a fairy!





Time to shrink!









Some random photos of the hotels and area around Magic Kingdom.











Wilderness Lodge

WELCOME TO DISNEYLAND!
With the holidays in full swing now at the Resort, the billboards at the Mickey & Friends Parking Structure have been swapped out along with the banners in Downtown Disney.




The AP billboard at the security checkpoint has gotten an AP ad to match the holiday marketing campaign.



New park maps


The inside flap of the map lists the major holiday attractions at Disneyland (nothing is going on at California Adventure) and teases the Sleeping Beauty Castle Walkthrough.



It's definitely the holidays inside Disneyland.







The Sleeping Beauty's Winter Castle overlay has gotten plussed this year, with new "ice" finials, and an extended lighting package on the back of the Castle.


Last year, the back of the Castle looked incomplete and the missing areas of snow and lights broke any effective illusion of magical snowfall that Disney was attempting to create. The new snowdrifts on the back of the Castle and the extended lighting effects really make the overall product work better. Hopefully next year a better solution for the icicles can be implemented, but until then kudos to Disney for fixing up the back of the Castle!




WALKING THROUGH
A LOOK AT THE SLEEPING BEAUTY CASTLE WALKTHROUGH
Speaking of the Castle, after being closed for seven years, the Sleeping Beauty Castle Walkthrough reopened Wednesday evening at around 5:30 p.m. Imagineers including Tony Baxter could be seen in the area for a while after opening as Disneyland fans in the know lined up for hours ahead of time for the A-Ticket attraction's re-opening.














The heap of spinning wheels smolders and burns in the distance.


















The three fairies can be seen putting out the candles in the great hall.








The Corridor of Goons is a dark, narrow hallway of doors. A couple of them have windows that feature touch-sensitive interactive effects similar in idea to the ones in Dead Man's Grotto on Tom Sawyer Island.




The demons fly up from the Castle in an ominous swirl of clouds as Maleficent happily looks on.



Countless spinning wheels fly around a seemingly endless corridor. In photos, the wheels are moving so fast that they appear only as blurs.





The final battle scene between Maleficent and Prince Philip is pretty spectacular. The animated transformation of Maleficent into the dragon is one of the coolest special effects I've seen from Disneyland in recent years.


The animation in this scene is spectacular; these photos really don't do it justice. You have to see it for yourself.




An excellent finale.


After the battle, the Prince wakes Princess Aurora with true love's kiss, and then guests go down the final flight of stairs.








Next to the Walkthrough exit, in the former Three Fairies Magic Crystals Shop is the Accessible Experience where guests unable or unwilling to navigate the narrow passages and stairs of the traditional walkthrough can watch the CGI Walkthrough bonus feature from the Sleeping Beauty 50th Anniversary Platinum Edition DVD. The CGI Walkthrough is presented on a large, high-definition television.


Be aware that the a couple scenes in the Accessible Experience do differ from the actual walkthrough attraction.






All-in-all, the Walkthrough is a tremendous achievement in classic Disney artistry and showmanship. It's a great experience, especially for Disneyland geeks. The lighting, sound, and visuals are all perfect and the special effects woven throughout are subtle, but dripping with Disney magic. Kudos to everybody at Imagineering who was involved in the project - it's a beautiful job well done.

As for the Accessible Experience, I highly recommend going through the Castle if you can. Experiencing it in person cannot be beat, however, I do warn that if you are wary of narrow spaces and/or are affected by the heat in small spaces, then you may want to wait until crowds die down for this attraction and there's more room to breathe with less people going through. It can get warm in the walkthrough, as many experienced in the cool fall temperatures when the attraction opened Wednesday night.


HAPPIEST TURKEYS ON EARTH
The National Thanksgiving Turkeys, Pumpkin and Pecan, pardoned by President Bush this week flew first class to Disneyland and will now call Big Thunder Ranch home for the rest of their lives. You can read the press release here.







SNOW SHOW
The "Wintertime Enchantment" snow lighting effects have extended down Main Street to the Christmas tree this year. Thousands of LED lights light up the trees in the Central Plaza, the garlands down Main Street, and Christmas tree.


The bigger and better lighting show is pretty remarkable. It's a great effect and the "Wintertime Enchantment" offering with the Castle snow and lighting is really nicely improved from last year with the inclusion of the hub and Main Street in the show.







HOLIDAY TREATS
All of the regular holiday treats are back at the Blue Ribbon Bakery and Baker's Field Bakery...













And the Gibson Girl Ice Cream Parlor and Bur-r-r Bank Ice Cream have special Peppermint Stick ice cream available.



HOLIDAY ROUND-UP
And a look at some of the Resort's holiday festivities...

The Dapper Dans are sporting their Christmas costumes.


Santa is working at the popcorn machine in the hub.




The Christmas tree in Town Square has lots of new lights so the nightly "snow" lighting effects can be achieved.







Santa's Reindeer Roundup in Frontierland is back







Critter Country is dressed up for Christmas, too.




Critter Country doesn't have the holiday garlands strung up in the sky with balloons above the Winnie the Pooh meet-and-greet this year.



Over at DCA, Santa's Beach Blast is nowhere to be seen this year.




Flik's Fun Fair has its giant Christmas lights and ornaments




The Christmas tree in Golden State Park is up...


But the nearby San Francisco Street wasn't decorated this year.

Universal Studios Hollywood will offer free one- day admission for firefighters beginning today and continuing through Christmas Eve. The offer extends to all badged California firefighting personnel. In addition to the free admission offer for firefighters, up to six family members or friends can receive $25 off a one-day admission. Larry Kurzweil, president and chief operating officer of Universal Studios Hollywood, said the tribute, timed to start the week of Thanksgiving, is designed to salute firefighters called into action during the recent wildfires in Southern California. "All of us were moved by the hard work and dedication shown by firefighters during this recent crisis," he said. "What better way to mark Thanksgiving and the holiday season than to offer our sincere thanks and appreciation to the men and women who are working so tirelessly to protect us." The free one-day admission is good for one-time use any time from today through Dec. 24 and cannot be combined with any other offer. Firefighters must present an official ID and a badge at the box office. Friends and family members must come to the park on the same day as the eligible emergency personnel to receive $25 off one-day admission. Universal Studios Hollywood, for the first time, will remain open on Thanksgiving and Christmas day.

Knott's Merry Farm Invites Everyone to "A Charlie Brown Christmas" BUENA PARK, Calif., Nov 11, 2008 -- Knott's Berry Farm will magically transform into Knott's Merry Farm this holiday season as they present "A Charlie Brown Christmas" with seasonal entertainment, spectacular decorations including a 65 foot tall Christmas tree, and a colorful Christmas parade starting Thanksgiving day and running through December 30, 2008. "A Peanuts' Holiday Parade" offers seven elaborately themed floats featuring the Peanuts Gang and accompanied by students from Orange County Song and Dance Company. Children and adults alike will be able to get into the holiday spirit along with CHARLIE BROWN, LUCY, LINUS, SALLY, SCHROEDER and of course SNOOPY, as they ready for the holidays. Join them as they partake in all the holiday festivities including candy making, tree trimming, and even toy building! "A Peanuts' Holiday Parade" will run November 27-30; December 5-7, 12-14, 20-23, 26-30, 2008 and January 1 -- 3, 2009. Also in the spirit of the season, Knott's Merry Farm is proud to present the ice spectacular, "Snoopy's Cool Christmas." The show, performed in the 2,100-seat Charles M. Schulz Theatre, is hosted by the famous skating Beagle and features Knott's ensemble skaters, dazzling sets, colorful costumes and plenty of surprises. "Snoopy's Cool Christmas" will be presented November 27-30; December 5-7, 12-16, 18-24 and 26-30, 2008. The show and parade are included with regular Park admission and available to Christmas Crafts Village guests for a nominal additional charge. Knott's 1880s Ghost Town will again be transformed into Knott's Christmas Crafts Village, inviting mall-weary guests to explore one-of-a-kind treasures created by more than 100 artisans in a Victorian holiday wonderland of strolling carolers, musical groups, community choirs and lavish holiday decorations. Adding to the unique Village atmosphere are live performances of Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" and O'Henry's "A Gift of the Magi" in the Bird Cage Theatre. Elf Mountain Christmas is also back. The world famous Timber Mountain Log Ride has once again been transformed this holiday season giving guests an up-close and-personal view into the world of Santa's Elves. Sneak a peak as Santa's helpers get ready for Santa's busiest day of the year. Rich with lights, music and the merriest of times, this attraction will remain open until Jan. 4, 2009. Experience the wonder of "Berry Merry Lights," as hundreds of thousands of twinkling white and multicolored lights, adorning Knott's historic Ghost Town and Camp Snoopy, merrily light up the nighttime sky from dusk to Park closing. A trip to Knott's Merry Farm would not be complete without a visit with the man of the hour -- Santa! Stop by Santa's Headquarters for a little one-on-one with the big guy. Here, in Santa's cozy hideaway, kids can share their wish lists with St. Nick, and Mom and Dad can take home a picture of the occasion (photo requires additional fee). Village guests can also indulge in the ultimate comfort foods with Knott's world-famous holiday treats, including fresh-baked pies, cakes, cookies, muffins and gingerbread men, as well as daily specials and the legendary cooking at Mrs. Knott's Chicken Dinner Restaurant. For an all you can eat buffet, try Joe Cool's Backyard BBQ Holiday Style starting November 22 and running Saturdays and Sundays through December 28. For only $18.00 for adults and $14.00 for seniors (62+) and $10.00 for kids (3-11), you can partake of a holiday feast that includes Mrs. Knott's famous fried chicken, roast turkey, vegetarian lasagna, roast beef, mashed potatoes, boysenberry pie and much more! For reservations, call 1-800-PICNICS. Another holiday treat is "Snoopy's Calico Christmas Tree Lighting" each evening in Calico Square. Join SNOOPY, LUCY, LINUS, SALLY and CHARLIE BROWN as they host a song-and-dance show complete with carolers and a Christmas sing-along then light a beautifully decorated Christmas tree. The Peanuts gang is also featured in their very own live musical show, "Winter Wonderland" shown daily in Camp Snoopy. Merry Farm guests can combine their holiday treats with Knott's blockbuster rides. The legendary GhostRider(R), the ultimate wooden sleigh ride; 30-story Supreme Scream(R), the world's tallest descending thrill ride; Silver Bullet, the longest and tallest suspended coaster in the West and Knott's newest addition, Pony Express, all deliver a thrill this holiday season. Knott's Merry Farm admission covers all Christmas Crafts Village and in-park shows and activities, including the ice show, "Snoopy's Cool Christmas," and all regular rides, shows and attractions including Silver Bullet, GhostRider(R), Supreme Scream(R) and XceleratorSM. Adult residents of Southern California zip codes 90000 through 93599 pay just $41.99 and kids (3-11) and seniors (62+) are just $22.99. Special discount coupons are also available at participating McDonald's offering admission for $34.99 for adults starting November 24 through January 4, 2008. Knott's Christmas Crafts Village is included with regular Knott's Berry Farm admission daily. Monday through Friday guests may purchase Crafts Village only tickets; $10 for adults, $5 for seniors (62+) and $5 for kids (3-11). Village guests can enjoy the ice show, "Snoopy's Cool Christmas," or take a spin on GhostRider for nominal fees. Knott's opens daily at 10 a.m. The park closes Dec. 25 to allow its employees to spend Christmas with their families. For information about the day you plan to visit and available discounts, call (714) 220-5200 or click on www.knotts.com.

Six Flags Magic Mountain is offering two ways for the community to help others during the holiday season. The Valencia theme park will host a food drive for the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank from 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday. Guests who bring a full bag of nonperishable food items will receive a free park admission ticket good for that day. On the food bank's wish list are: n Canned goods, which include soups, vegetables, tuna, peanut butter and baby food. n Packaged items, which include hot cereal, mashed potatoes, stuffing mix, rice and baby cereal. n Drinks, which include coffee, tea, supplemental drinks, baby formula and dry milk. This year marks the sixth consecutive year Magic Mountain has hosted the drive. Along with the food drive, Magic Mountain offers free admission to anyone who brings a new, unwrapped toy valued at $15 or more to the theme park on Dec. 7, 13 and 14 as part of the annual "Toys for the Holidays" drive. A price tag and/or receipt should accompany the toy. All toys collected during this year's three-day event will be distributed with the help of UPS to thousands of children through local charities including the Boys & Girls Clubs of Southern California. More than 410,000 toys have been collected for Southland youngsters over the 24 years since the theme park started the toy drive.

The Jonas Brothers will be signing their new book, “Burning Up: On Tour With the Jonas Brothers,” on Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2008 at Disney’s California Adventure — but be prepared to wait up to 10 hours for the privilege of being in their presence. Anticipating big crowds and a tight schedule, Disney has taken the unusual step of warning fans not to line up for the 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. book signing before 1 a.m. on Tuesday. Anybody showing up before then will be turned away and asked to leave. A limited number of wristbands (Disney won’t say how many) will be distributed from 7 a.m. until noon on Tuesday. So just how many books can Kevin, Joe and Nick Jonas sign in 90 minutes? Nobody can say for sure. But Disney does promise that everyone who waits in line will get an autographed book (just maybe not autographed personally for you while you gaze longingly at the JoBros). The 90-minute autograph session will take place inside the former Golden Dreams Theater. Naturally, there are a few more rules (this is Disney after all): * Theme park admission required. * Books must be purchased at the park. * Limit one book per person. * No place-holding in line. * No personal items will be signed.

WELCOME TO DISNEYLAND!
The 2008 holiday season officially starts today at the Disneyland Resort. Today will mark the first day that everything comes together - Santa's Reindeer Round-Up opens in Frontierland, "it's a small world" is officially open, and the "Believe... in Holiday Magic" fireworks spectacular begins its nightly performances, complete with the fancy Castle snow lighting effects.


The new snowflake sculptures atop the Disneyland main gate turnstiles are the first sign of the holidays upon entering the park.


Of course, we've been seeing holiday decorations slowly going up around the parks since before HalloweenTime ended on November 2.


But the parks is now dressed head to toe in its holiday finest and it's officially the holiday season at Disneyland.


The Sleeping Beauty Winter Castle overlay is now complete and ready to sparkle in the evening.


The overlay is a great feature for the holidays, despite its cluttered and somewhat tacky aesthetics which can be attributed to the unfortunate design of the icicles.


Nevertheless, the Castle overlay has been improved this year, most notably on the back of the Castle, where there is now snow where it just sort of ended last year. Not only that, but it appears the back of the Castle will be lit this year as much of the snow on the back of the Castle has embedded LEDs when there weren't any last year. Nice!



ALMOST READY...
We've been tracking the Sleeping Beauty Castle walkthrough progress for months now since construction walls first appeared. From the outside there's been very little in the way of visible progress on the project, but finally, as we get closer to a still unconfirmed opening date, signage for the attraction has appeared.


Construction walls were still up around the area as of 11/19 when these photos were taken, however, rumor still suggests that Disney is hopeful for an opening today. Still, it's very possible that the attraction may still need a couple more weeks to be ready for its first guests.


We'll keep you posted both here and via Twitter when the attraction finally opens.



"it's a small world" holiday
After an 11-month refurbishment, "it's a small world" officially re-opens today in its holiday version. The attraction soft-opened to park guests on Wednesday.












Newly painted and textured queue walkways.























While much of the show remains the same from previous years, there are a couple significant changes. When the attraction first closed early this year for refurbishment it was reported by MiceAge's Al Lutz that the Papua New Guinea rainforest scene would be removed entirely to be replaced by an American-themed scene.


As the rumors spread, Walt Disney Imagineering came out to various media outlets to try to silence the murmurs. Imagineering both confirmed and denied various aspects of the reports, including the addition of various Disney characters to the show. What is now very clear is that the Rainforest has been moved rather than completely removed. It has now been added to the end of the Polynesia room, which has resulted in some parts of Polynesia to be moved or removed to make room for the abbreviated rainforest scene. Personally, I think the rainforest is too bright now and seems sort of out of place, but after over four decades of being in the same place it's probably safe to say that the rainforest's re-staging will seem awkward to most fans.


Despite its awkwardness, it's good to see the show scene remains in some capacity. As for the Disney characters and the America-themed show scene, we'll see them make their debut when the traditional version of the attraction returns after the holiday season.







The other notable addition to "it's a small world" is the large new sun prop near the end of the finale "white" room. Interestingly, this sun isn't really all that new and is really a part of the original show returning after being gone for some time, possibly even since the show's end at the 1964 World's Fair. 2DieFR talks about the returning icon in his discussion on the MiceChat boards: New Sun Prop in small world "White" room - Recreated or Original?








Outside, work continued at the nearby Fantasy Faire Gifts earlier this week.


...And Small World Mall is all decked out for the holidays..









PARADISE DRAINED
Over at California Adventure, Paradise Bay is all dried up as it prepares for World of Color construction.







Scaffolding at the Sun Wheel continues to rise higher around the ferris wheel.





The Christmas tree in Golden State Park is now up.



THIS AND THAT
The Timon parking lot has been downsized as part of it has been taken over for World of Color construction access.





Back inside Disneyland, the "Celebration Custom Printers" has taken over the Disney Showcase annex, which has been doing custom printing on hats and other items for some time now. The new name for the store is not only for better visibility, but also for the upcoming "What will you celebrate?" marketing campaign which will focus heavily on custom celebration vacations which will of course need custom celebration vacation souvenirs.



Santa's Reindeer Roundup at Big Thunder Ranch opens today.


Also, the National Thanksgiving Turkeys that President Bush will pardon on Thanksgiving will soon call Disneyland home. Past turkeys have called this pen home during park hours. You can even vote for the names President Bush will give the turkeys when he pardons them at the White House's 2008 Thanksgiving web site: whitehouse.gov/holiday/thanksgiving/2008/



Holiday napkins are now at park dining locations.





And finally, the new snowflake ice sculptures at the main gates light up in a blue glow in the evening.

Disney's Animal Kingdom's Tree of Life.



Animal Kingdom's Christmas Tree.


Asia at Animal Kingdom.



Disney's Hollywood Studios' Christmas Tree.



The American Idol Experience attraction marquee is finished and video screen operational.



EPCOT's holiday display at the main entrance's garden.





EPCOT's Christmas Tree in World Showcase.



Gotta love the new bottle-shaped recycle bins. Please, place your discarded bottles and cans here.



Sailing the Sevens Seas Lagoon towards the Magic Kingdom.



Main Street Station decked for the holidays.



Reflections on the water of the castle's moat.



A favorite spot with Micechatters... the Haunted Mansion.



Dusk over Main Street USA.



Main Street USA decorated for the holidays.



Santa Claus will be here for you to meet during the holidays. This area is next to the City Hall.



Donald peeks out of this lovely holiday window.



Main Street USA.



Castle Dreamlights make for a stunning holiday display.

Grab a cup of cocoa and settle in for some holiday fun. Christmas has come to the Magic Kingdom and everything is in full swing, from candy canes to candy apples, the park has been covered in all things jolly, so sit back, relax and enjoy the photos!

A bag of coal? Is Santa trying to tell me something?






























This woman was kind enough to offer singing lessons, anyone need any?












They light up the castle following a short show called "Cinderella's Holiday Wish." The basic premise of the show is the Fab 4 (No Pluto) are talking over how they want to decorate the castle, when the Fairy Godmother shows up and says it should be Cinderella's choice as she does live there, naturally. Cinderella then comes out and tells her she would like to drape it with icicles and as the music swells the Fairy Godmother covers the castle in a dazzling array of twinkling lights, I mean icicles. ;)