Driving out Timon, California Adventure construction, Bank of Main Street, +MORE

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Welcome to Disneyland! Bank of Main Street, Annual Passport Processing Center, Snow White's Scary Adventures Hitting the Road Timon Parking Lot closes for upcoming construction California Construction Disney's World of Color, Route 66 work, Orange Stinger to close This and That Cocina Cucamonga signs, New merchandise Around the Resort Photos from around the Resort Weekly News and Information Weekly theme park hours, closures and refurbishments, news & headlines

WELCOME TO DISNEYLAND!
The Bank of Main Street has closed to become the new home of The Disney Gallery.


Because of the closure, Annual Passport processing has moved down Main Street to the Plaza Pavilion.







Over in Fantasyland, Snow White's Scary Adventures has reopened after a brief refurbishment.








HITTING THE ROAD
The big news this week is the closure of the Timon parking lot - the final remnant of the original Disneyland parking lot. As of today, July 6, Timon is closed and soon construction for the big new Cars Land area of Disney's California Adventure will begin.


The Timon lot has been the victim of repeated downsizings since the World of Color show began construction last October, and recently more of the old lot went behind construction fences to make room for the new Red Car Trolley barn.






Markings can be found across the lot now for upcoming projects.









CALIFORNIA CONSTRUCTION
Inside DCA, construction continues in Paradise Bay on the upcoming World of Color night time water show, as well as along the tacky Route 66 area and the Golden Dreams theater.

WORLD OF COLOR & VIEWING AREA


Work at the World of Color viewing area is coming along nicely.


There's still a lot of work to be done to get this area ready to hold 9,000 guests for the nightly World of Color show, but every week more and more progress is made.


Themed rock work is now being applied



Mickey's Fun Wheel provides great views of the construction down below.















GUTTED DREAMS
The old Golden Dreams theater sits with open doors as it prepares to get bulldozed to make space for the new Little Mermaid dark ride.







Dinosaur Jack is gone, gone, gone.





These new black structures are going up in the Bay.



ORANGE YOU GLAD?
The Orange Stinger finally closes July 14 to begin its conversion into the Victorian-styled, classic cartoon-themed Silly Symphony Swings. The re-themed attraction is set to open next spring.


Gone will be the tacky orange peel that guests frequently mistake for a peach or a pumpkin, and soon will be newly re-themed swings in Victorian splendor.


Good riddance!



THIS AND THAT
The old signs from Cocina Cucamonga have made their way to the new location. It may be splitting hairs, but really, the signs from the old location don't feel right at the new location with its big, flashy new neon sign. It's no big deal, but still a minor disappointment.





These new plush have hit the shelves. They're bizarre and creepy. Not sure what the appeal is here, but boy are they ugly.




Here's the latest addition to the great attraction poster line of tees and is now available at the Adventureland Bazaar and Fortuosity Shoppe in Disneyland. Price: $30.



AROUND THE RESORT
And finally, some photos from around the resort will wrap up our photo update this week. As always, you can click on these photos for full-resolution downloads at their Flickr photo page for personal use as desktop wallpaper, etc.


















Suburban Legends are, without a doubt, the best band to regularly play at Tomorrowland Terrace.












DISNEYLAND WEEKLY HOURS AND INFO

THEME PARK HOURS JULY 6 - JULY 12
For a complete listing of theme park hours, please visit the Disneyland.com Theme Park Calendar

Disneyland Park
Monday - Sunday: 8 am - 12 midnight

Disney's California Adventure Park
Monday - Sunday 10 am - 9 pm

CURRENT ATTRACTION CLOSURES & REFURBISHMENTS

Disneyland Park

• Pinocchio's Daring Journey: Closed July 20 through August 14.
• The Enchanted Cottage: Closed July 29 through November 17.
• Casey Jr. Circus Train: Closed August 31 through November 20.
• Storybook Land Canal Boats: Closed August 31 through November 20.
• Remember... Dreams Come True - A Fireworks Spectacular: On hiatus. Returns fall 2009.
• Disneyland: The First 50 Magical Years/Main Street Opera House: Closed. Reopens as The Disneyland Story: Featuring Great Moments With Mr. Lincoln December 17, 2009.

Disney's California Adventure Park

• Walt Disney Imagineering Blue Sky Cellar: Closed to change exhibits July 10 - 15.
• Orange Stinger: Closes July 14 to be rethemed as Silly Symphony Swings. Reopens Spring 2010.
• Cocina Cucomonga: Food service location closed June 18, when new location opened. Original location reopens with new Asian-style menu September 14.
• The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Undersea Adventure: Under construction. Golden Dreams theater is scheduled for demolition to make way for new attraction.
• Souvenir 66 and Corn Dog Castle: Store and dining location closed for remodeling through May 2011.
• Paradise Bay: Drained for construction of upcoming Disney's World of Color show.
• Disney's World of Color Nighttime Spectacular: New show under construction. Debuts Spring 2010.
• Golden State Park and Amphitheater: Closed. New, larger amphitheater for Disney's World of Color viewing under construction in same location. The new amphitheater will open December 2009.

MONORAIL CRASH KILLS CAST MEMBER AT DISNEY WORLD

Our condolences go out to the family and friends of Walt Disney World Monorail pilot Austin Wuennenberg who tragically died in an early-morning Monorail accident at Walt Disney World in Florida on July 5. The accident is still under investigation, despite rumors and speculation circling on the internet as to how the accident could have happened. We encourage respect for the deceased and those involved, and hope that our readers can help keep speculation on the accident to a minimum until official reports are filed.

Disney World monorail crash victim was working in his dream job
Piloting monorail trains at Walt Disney World had been Austin Wuennenberg's dream job. He talked about it all the time after joining Disney three years ago and worked doggedly to earn the opportunity to do it, co-worker Shannon Feldman recalled.

Word that Wuennenberg, 21, died Sunday in a crash of two trains at the world-famous resort left her and other friends stunned. A college student from Kissimmee, Wuennenberg had always been so smart, so good at his job and so diligent about not making mistakes, she said.

"It's shocking it happened," Feldman said, "but it's even more shocking it happened to him. He was keen on safety."

Disney shut down its iconic monorail system Sunday after the 2 a.m. crash that killed Wuennenberg and injured another monorail driver at Disney's Transportation and Ticket Center -- the main station for visitors boarding trains for the Magic Kingdom.

Disney World spokesman Mike Griffin said it was unclear what happened in the crash, which occurred on one of the monorail's last runs at the close of the busy July Fourth holiday. The Orange County Sheriff's Office and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration are investigating the case.

It was the first fatal accident involving a monorail in the Florida resort's 38-year history. However, Disneyland in California has had at least one death on its monorail system, according to park historians.

"Our heart goes out to the cast member and the family," Griffin said.

For the full story, click here: Orlando Sentinel: Disney World monorail crash victim was working in his dream job

And MiceAge Columnist, Kevin Yee, discusses the tragic Monorail news with a look at what is known as well as some speculation on what may have caused it: Monorail Crash Kills Driver

CLUB 33-STYLE RESTAURANT CONSIDERED FOR CALIFORNIA ADVENTURE

According to MiceChat member DisneyMommy, a survey has gone out to Club 33 wait listers to see if they'd be interested in a new upscale club restaurant to be housed in the upcoming Carthay Circle Theatre icon at Disney's California Adventure park. The survey details the concept, potential member benefits, and of course, the high membership fees. But the question is - should the big new icon of California Adventure be a private club that only the privileged can enjoy?

Carthay Circle Club Concept
As Members enter through the private entry to the Carthay Circle Club they will find themselves in The Animators Lounge, where Walt and the Disney animators would have come to relax and swap stories. You can practically hear the animators delivering their latest story pitch. In the lounge you enjoy music as you sip a cocktail created from a unique menu of specialty cocktails created just for Club Members while your table is being prepared upstairs.

Upstairs in the Carthay Circle Club members enjoy a contemporary open floor plan where architectural details blend wrought iron, thick stucco walls, and Spanish tile with clean lines, translucent panels and atmospheric lighting to create a warm and comfortable ambiance paying homage to the rich history of California. Take a seat in a comfortable booth where on one side you can see into the open show kitchen where talented chefs prepare your meal, while on the other vista you can gaze out through tall windows towards the terraces and sky. In the center of the dining room sits the Tower Room featuring a crafted arched ceiling encircled by photos and historical artifacts from Walt's earliest accomplishments as a young animator.

As you gaze out at the new Buena Vista Street and watch Guests entering Disney's California Adventure you contemplate what Club Member benefit you'll enjoy next. Maybe you'll take advantage of preferred viewing for Disney California Adventure's new World of Color show or the parade. Maybe you and your Guests will enjoy visiting one or both Disney theme parks and experiencing a favorite attraction as part of your meal. As you head downstairs, you stop in the lounge to enjoy a dessert while you make a decision.

How do you join? Only Carthay Circle Club members can enjoy these great benefits but as a member of the Club 33 wait list you'll enjoy a special invitation to be among the founding members of Carthay Circle Club at a starting rate of $10,450 initiation and $3,275 annual dues.

See you at the club.

For the full article, check out MiceChat: Carthay Circle Club Concept

IPHONE APPLICATION TRACKS PARK WAIT TIMES

A new iPhone application, available for 99 cents, tracks theme park wait times.

Avoid Disneyland Lines? New iPhone App for that!
If you have an iPhone and plan to visit Disneyland on your vacation, then you need this brand new application to use when you get to the Maingates. Released today, June 26, 2009, be the first to get this new app for your Iphone and budget your time.

Great for visitors or locals, this iPhone application is for those folks who don't like to wait in line!

Created by Brent Pope, a father of four, he had the same issues that we all do about the rides we go on: waiting too long in lines. Deciding to use technology to better the vacation experience at Disney, Mr. Pope developed an iPhone application for DisneyWorld and calls his company Wait Watchers (how creative.) This simple idea caught on with folks visiting the Resort in Florida and his dream got bigger to help track the wait times at all the Disney Parks. Today, his simple idea of an app to keep track of the wait time has spread to the west coast to help parents who visit Disneyland and Disney's California Adventure too.

Divided into two apps for individual park use, the programs give approximate times of waiting for each attraction. Using reports filed by individuals who are currently waiting in line or have reported the line wait, you can quickly find out the time of the expecting wait period if you don't have a fastpass. Additionally, you can use the application to interact with other users to let folks know your line time experience. Connecting everyone together, application users get real time line waiting to make decisions on what ride to play on next.

Now just to make sure that you don't get mislead on the real time wait on the lines, the application has some build in safety features. Including a GPS validation for the reports that have been reported. So if you have the application on your iPhone, you will need to be in the Resort to actually report a wait time.

For the full article, check out Examiner: Avoid Disneyland Lines? New iPhone App for that!

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