David Koenig checks in with a few little Disneyland rumor mill items for you today. Time for the Star Wars shuffle. . .
Changes in resort parking, Galaxy’s Edge
A source in Resort Transportation & Parking says guests and cast members should be ready for shuffled parking lots come next year.
The current plan, awaiting final approval, is for KCML (the Katella Cast Member Lot, adjacent to the Toy Story Lot) will be given to the guests some time in the first half of 2019. At that time, cast members will instead park on the vacant lot behind the Carousel Inn that Disney unsuccessfully petitioned to build an “East Gate” parking structure and skybridge over Harbor Boulevard. Currently, most of the land has been cleared away — with the exception of the closed Carousel Inn and the federal agency building — and paved over.
The new employee lot will be a surface parking lot. Also, there will be no shuttle service from this lot to the dropoff at Harbor Pointe. Cast members will be expected to walk over, just as they currently do from the Pumbaa lot (across Disney Way from GardenWalk). The question of whether Pumbaa will continue to be available to cast members is undecided, but will likely be decided by the need for overflow spaces for guests.
A Galaxy Not So Far Away
Disney has officially announced Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge will open “summer 2019” at Disneyland and late in the fall at Walt Disney World. Privately, crews in Anaheim expect the new land to be open to guests before the end of May.
One insider speculated the grand opening will be set for exactly one year from now: Memorial Day Weekend 2019 — timed not so coincidentally to coincide with the anniversary of the first Star Wars film’s release (May 25, 1977).
At the rate the construction is going, they should meet their deadline. A lot of the major ride buildings are up, hardware has started to be installed inside, and testing has begun.
Lately, ride operators in hardhats have been seen going into the land. “This is usually an indication that construction has reached a phase that cast members who will work on the attraction must familiarize themselves with it because they will eventually be involved in the testing and the writing of the operations manuals,” an employee said.
Downtown & Out
More guest parking on the Harbor Boulevard side of Disneyland helps not only with increased Galaxy’s Edge demand, but also means fewer bodies navigating the inevitable maze of detours around the construction site for what the resort now refers to as “H4” (fourth hotel). Site prep, which will cut through the western edge of Downtown Disney near the Disneyland Hotel, begins in July.
• ESPN Zone: closing June 2
• Earl of Sandwich: mid-June
• Rainforest Cafe: week of June 17-24 accepting walk-ins only (reservations will be taken only up until June 16)
• Disney Vacation Club Sales Center: June 24
• Walt Disney Travel: June 24
• Starbucks West: June 27 or 28
• Alamo Rental Car: June 28 (reopens at Paradise Pier Hotel July 9)
• AMC Downtown Disney 12: unannounced, but no later than June 30.
And that does it for this mini-update. For photos from Disneyland, please visit our Disneyland Update HERE.
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