3/12 Update: Refurbs and Construction in High Gear, Hot. Smokey, and Cah-rowded

[Mac Daddy]

My schedule at work switched back to normal for the Spring which gives me some mornings free to cruise over to Disneyland before heading off.

And the park is now open at 9:00 AM! Whoo hoo!

I took the monorail in as I wasn't wearing a hat (my head burns easier nowadays for some reason) and the 9:00 line stretched back almost to the gates of DCA. It's been quite awhile since I've seen it that crowded at 9:00 am on a weekday.

Anyway, I also was hoping for another couple of shots of the lagoon in the morning light:








There was still quite a bit of smokey haze over much of Anaheim from yesterday's fires:







I was anxious to see if anything new was going on with TSI, so I headed across the hub, noticing that more of the trees are in bloom...




...before heading over to grab some shots of TSI. I was surprised to see the line already growing up past the French Fry wagon for BTMRR and thought that this might not bode well for 10:00 AM on a Monday :



Now....keep in mind I have been watching TSI for the past month or so waiting to see some action. Usually, for whatever reason, I've only been able to get shots of ladders, open doors and the like. Last Thursday was the first day that I was finally able to see things beginning to move on the island.

Well, today I hit the jackpot. (Yes, I know I need to get a life, but I'm really anxious to see what they do with the place.)

First of all, they were continuing to work on the old tunnel:





Right next to the French Fry Wagon you could see work being done on the other side of TSI:




I then boarded the NON MOVING Columbia to get a better shot of these guys and noticed that some framing has begun:




As I walked around to get shots of TSI from the other side, I noticed that the Mark Twain was SWARMING with painters:













TSI was indeed very busy today....




and more materials have been brought over since last week including quite a few piles of cinderblocks...










The raft CM's were back to their normal costumes today. Last week they were wearing POTC:






Construction on Splash Mountain was still going full tilt as well...









As I headed off to the Blue Ribbon Bakery, I noticed the crowds were continuing to grow. Here's the line for POTC at around 10:45 AM:




(More to come. Almost done)

[idzy]

Thanks for the daily update.. i like seeing DLR everyday!!
Especially happy that they are sprucing the Mark Twain. Looks like a bunch of lil oompa loompas busy busy... lol

[kidpirate]

Wow. Finally some visible work on the island. I keep seeing the workers going over, and very little happening (at least in the open).

Great pics!

[TP2000]

As I walked around to get shots of TSI from the other side, I noticed that the Mark Twain was SWARMING with painters:

Wow. Amazing what TDA can do with a decaying boat when they put their minds to it.

After he mortgaged his Palm Springs vacation house to pay for the Mark Twain, I wonder what Walt would think about the condition TDA let this boat devolve into before they were finally convinced they needed to do something?

[ThomasJefferson]

Thanks for the pics! That's great!
What do you park veterans attribute the large crowds on a Monday to? Could it be spring break? We are going on weekdays the first week of May, and hope it will be a tad less crowded!

[Jassy Mharie]

Great pics... but oh man! It was really that crowded??

[hollywood1939]

Mark Twain, getting some new colors. Nice pics so far...

[goofypirate]

I wonder if WDW has ever had that much construction and maintenance going on at the same time on an existing park...
Anyway nice to see that they're even focusing on the details like repairing the old tunnel. I wonder if they'll be plussing that in any way.

[Wendygirl]

I'll say you hit the jackpot! There was nothing going on on the Mark Twain Friday. And speaking of which; I sure am glad I went last Friday. I think the days of not being crowded are now behind us.

Wanted to say how beautiful your photos are. The lagoon is spectacular

And ... monorail situation? Want to know about that when you get the chance.

[Radiobarry]

Nice pics, LDF. I agree that i's nice to see the Mark Twain getting some much needed attention.

What with the weather, with spring break for someone extending well into April, and with the Pirates movie/Lair/Nemo subs, etc....my guess is you should prepare for "crowded" or "park full" any day for the next several months...and be pleasantly surprised if it's not.

--Barry

[Mac Daddy]

^Thanks for your comments everyone.

Round Two:

Where was I?


Oh right. The crowds....and the heat. It didn't get quite as hot as predicted although it was warming up nicely when I left. I think today ONLY topped out around 88. (If you're from Montana, that might sound rather good right about now.) The Pirate guys didn't seem to mind it much:




I've probably heard the "Captain Jack Sparrow" song about 40 times since last September. It never gets old.



It ALMOST never gets old. Those guys...and GALS are always spot on. I don't know where Disney found them, but the gal that plays the fiddle and sings is really quite good.

Back to refurbs....the trains are still down...not sure when they are expected to return. Steve would know:







After the TSI shots, I headed toward Mainstreet for my snack...




and paused to take a shot of the topiaries...




...before noticing again that the park seemed rather full.







Still a bit of smoke above DCA...





And finally....my Cinammon Twist! Whoo hoo!




After which it was time to head out....

And STILL more refurb in progress:




The ticket lines had gone down a bit, but still pretty respectable for a Monday...




One final shot of the smokey haze before leaving from DTD:



THE END

[wickeddisneygurl]

awesome pics! thanx for sharing!

[Mac Daddy]

Thanks for the pics! That's great!
What do you park veterans attribute the large crowds on a Monday to? Could it be spring break? We are going on weekdays the first week of May, and hope it will be a tad less crowded!

Spring break has indeed started in several schools around the country. As Barry mentioned, the weather is much warmer, the hours have just been extended, and several schools will wait until Spring to take trips to Disneyland. If you are visiting on weekdays in early May, I actually think you might be O.K. Spring break will have blown over, and the crowds should ease up a little. As always, if you can get there in the morning and make use of the fast pass machines, you should get quite a few rides off of your list before the A.P holders and company show up in the late afternoon and evening.

[mikeland]

Great pictures! Thanks.

[Berd]

Great report and beautiful pictures (especially those trees in the Hub). Thanks so much for sharing them with us.