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Disneyland Resort (DL, DLR, DCA) Discussion Thread

p. 393 - Pixar Place Hotel transformation will be completed on January 30th, 2024!

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I'm surprised no one jumped in sooner to help... kudos to the guy who choked the man in the red shirt out

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sk96EUMmXlw

The guests, who are family members, were immediately escorted out of the park, a Disneyland official told KTLA.

 

when the family summer vacation doesn't go as planned...

 

Looks like a backdoor pilot for Disney’s first original Fox show: “When Theme Park Guests Attack.”

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I paid for the one day park hopper last Tuesday and indeed had a fantastic time. Basically rode everything noteworthy at both parks twice and had a MAX Pass ready every hour.

 

Smuggler's Run is a really cool system! I look forward to the other dark ride opening, however

 

MaxPass is fantastic. I actually prefer it to Fastpass+, since this one is a upcharge that clearly people don't all pay for...makes it super easy to get what you want since it's an upcharge and only works when you are at the park (no advance reservations). I hope Disney World can do something like this as an upcharge to Fastpass+ so I can gladly pay for that too!

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Well, we have opening dates for Rise of the Resistance. From the Disney Parks Blog

 

Timing for Opening of Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance Announced

Thomas Smith

by Thomas Smith, Editorial Content Director, Disney Parks

 

We’ve got some exciting news to share today with the galaxy. We’re opening Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance Dec. 5 at Walt Disney World Resort. If this date sounds familiar, many of our fans will recognize it as Walt Disney’s birthday. What better way to honor the ultimate storyteller than by introducing the most immersive and advanced attraction ever imagined in a Disney Park.

 

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When it opens, Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance will blur the lines between fantasy and reality and will put guests in the middle of a climactic battle between the First Order and the Resistance. Guests will be recruited to join Rey and General Organa at a secret base. Along the way, they will be captured by a First Order Star Destroyer. With the help of some heroes of the Resistance, they break out and must escape the Star Destroyer, protect the secret base, and stay one step ahead of Kylo Ren.

 

As soon as work is completed at Walt Disney World, Imagineers will head back to California to complete their mission at Disneyland Resort where Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance will open on Friday, Jan. 17.

 

Between now and then, we’ll have lots more to share about this immersive, multi-platform experience so keep checking the Disney Parks Blog for updates.

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Ah well. We were hoping it would be open by the fall, with possible soft openings while we were there in Sept.

 

No matter. Just have to come back again, I suppose.

 

EDIT: Actually, fall of 2023 looks good, since I'd be hoping

the Runaway Railway attraction would also be open by then.

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See ya later, Mater. (Taken Sept.2016)

Edited by Nrthwnd
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We were planning on going in early December, but looks like I'm going to delay that visit by a month or two.

 

I was wondering how this announcement would impact attendance...I suspect more people from surrounding areas like Bay Area, SD, and Vegas share your sentiments.

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If you want to know, Clicky

 

Very interesting! I was wondering how that ride had such high capacity when each pod only fits six people. I remember going down an elevator after one of my five rides so I must have gotten one of the ADA pods.

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MaxPass is fantastic. I actually prefer it to Fastpass+, since this one is a upcharge that clearly people don't all pay for...makes it super easy to get what you want since it's an upcharge and only works when you are at the park (no advance reservations). I hope Disney World can do something like this as an upcharge to Fastpass+ so I can gladly pay for that too!

 

I know, at least ~5 years ago, there was fear at WDW that Fastpass+ as a free offering is so well known and expected now that adding an upcharge beyond the FP+ program (or just making it an outright upcharge program) would be a hard pill for Guests to swallow and a difficult PR story to spin. This always made WDW cautious with any modification to FP+ that would require an upcharge.

 

Keep in mind too FP+ came out of the "NextGen" push at WDW, which was based on the premise that in park spending would soar as you rolled out NextGen across WDW. Once it became clear the costs of NextGen were not being offset by increased per cap spending, NextGen was never rolled out at DLR, despite some infrastructure work, which gave DLR the opportunity to leverage the infrastructure in a more revenue friendly way.

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We're not huge fans of Disney, so we only go once every few years or so. Today, though, we went to check out the new section / ride, and we hadn't been since before the Guardians of the Galaxy drop reboot ride either. Not being familiar with either the Star Wars (beyond the original three, that is) or the Guardians of the Galaxy films made both a little baffling in terms of narrative, but the rides were still enjoyable all the same. There's a lot of detail in the new Star Wars section of the park, but we found it to be considerably more impressive at night than during the day. The sound design and the entryways into the main area were especially notable (entering from the Splash Mountain area was particularly effective). I'd also watched a ride-through of the new simulator, so I knew what to expect. To be honest, my expectations were low; I was just thinking it'd be a Star Tours-type simulator), but everyone in our group thought the ride was great overall. There's a lot happening in those little pods, and so it's easy to get distracted from the screen by trying to figure out which button to push or which lever to pull. Although we all tried both pilot and gunner roles, two of us preferred gunner as you can really just sit back and let the ride do its thing while mashing random buttons. The ride's more violent than expected, but it was never uncomfortable. You really 'feel' the hits and walls that your spaceship slams into.

Although I did believe (or was led to) that there were two exits.
so i read somewhere that there are special ada pods for smuggler's run. you know you've been in that one because the only way to exit is an elevator.

It's a pretty confounding system once you're inside the ride and it's hard to tell exactly where you'll end up. On our first ride, we did indeed exit into an elevator. The pod doesn't seem to actually rotate in this case as you see people both enter and exit from the same place. We also entered the pod through a slightly different path towards the rear of the final holding room (the one where you form your groups). Exiting via the elevator put us in a series of seriously-long hallways (like, three of them). When we rode it the second time, we entered the ride from a different position in the grouping room and exited through a significantly shorter corridor.

 

Both rides were about the same for us in terms of intensity, but I swear the non-ADA pod was less aggressive and also seemed to have issues returning to its stationary state (the animatronic character from the ride's entry showed up on a screen and kept talking for a few minutes. There was also a weird sense of rotation that matched a rotation taking place on the screen that I don't think we saw on our first ride (affirming that the ADA pod doesn't seem to move). One thing that did catch our interest was the slightly-disorienting jet bridge section midway through the queue. None of us could figure out what was going on, but we all agreed that something was happening in that corridor to make it feel disconcerting. My assumption is that it's a combo of ambient noise and a slightly-angled floor with some slightly squishy metal underneath. It really does feel like you're on a platform that's shifting a bit.

 

I was skeptical of the Guardians of the Galaxy reboot from Tower of Terror (in part because the original was just fine, and it's a bit of a stretch to turn a specifically-architectural hotel into a space ship (or whatever it's supposed to be). However, it looked great overall. The ride seems less about suspense now and more about volume, quick scene changes, and much quicker movement (it launches up the tower and starts dropping almost immediately). It seems like the new version was designed with a more teen audience in mind, and it worked well. For this particular demographic, it makes more sense than the Twilight Zone — which, I'm guessing, doesn't carry nearly as much cultural purchase today as raccoons, robots, and pew-pew-pew effects. (NB: for me, the original Twilight Zone was more effective; better suspense and a more coherent plot. The teen-appeal of this version, it seems, is that it feels like watching a bunch of Michael Bay movies in which the narrative is "many things explode + robots.") The reboot of California Screamin' was a bit baffling. Again, not knowing the film at the center of the reboot might be to blame (a babies theme?) It's still a great coaster though, which I'm guessing is what most people are there for.

 

Fun day overall. The park felt busy, and we didn't get to ride a few favorites due to super-long waits (the Cars Land ride for example), but we'd ridden everything on past visits, so skipping rides wasn't a big deal. Space Mountain, I'm convinced, is still one of the best coasters in CA. It had a Star Wars theme to it this time around, too (Star Wars is enjoying a major theme park revival, it seems!)

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While impressive during the day, the lighting at night adds much more contrast to the various spaceships to set them off from the landscape (which is otherwise kind of similar in color). The rock design isn't quite as sublime as the Cars Land rock design, but it seems to be going for a different effect. There's some good forced perspective in the spikier bits and a particularly enthusiastic group we chatted with later in the night pointed out a number of hidden details about the place (such as two rocks that appear to be kissing when viewed from a particular angle — the top right of this image.)

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Some kind of BBQ machine thing, it seems. A lot of the details were a bit lost on our group, but I suspect that some passing familiarity with the various films would help guests make sense of such things. For non-Star Wars fans, there's still a lot to take in and appreciate.

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The first indoor queue section of the ride. The longest we waited was 45 minutes, and the time flies by as there's plenty to look at. The ride was very-well developed in terms of moving people through as steadily as possible.

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One of the various spaceships scattered around. Star Wars fans will probably understand the nature of the environment more, but it kind of looked like a combination of a junkyard and a medina. The sound design was striking, with lots of panoramic effects throughout.

Edited by Arthur_Seaton
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The reboot of California Screamin' was a bit baffling. Again, not knowing the film at the center of the reboot might be to blame (a babies theme?) It's still a great coaster though, which I'm guessing is what most people are there for.

California Screamin's retheme is a spin-off of one of the plot points of the Incredibles sequel, where one of the characters from the film is babysitting the super-powered infant Jack-Jack, and the guests are supposed to join the Incredibles family in getting him back.

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California Screamin's retheme is a spin-off of one of the plot points of the Incredibles sequel, where one of the characters from the film is babysitting the super-powered infant Jack-Jack, and the guests are supposed to join the Incredibles family in getting him back.

Thanks! I'm not quite sure how successful the theming was in this case, but it's such a great rollercoaster that it doesn't really matter that much. Operations on this (and pretty much every other ride in the park) are exceptional.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Is it my imagination, or are a lot of the reservations for SW:GE Oga's Cantina already taken up,

for when we're there in mid September? If so, wow, that was quick! Guess we'll have to have

cocktails in other parts of the Disneyland Resort Kingdom, lol.

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Is it my imagination, or are a lot of the reservations for SW:GE Oga's Cantina already taken up,

for when we're there in mid September? If so, wow, that was quick! Guess we'll have to have

cocktails in other parts of the Disneyland Resort Kingdom, lol.

You can only book up to two weeks ahead. I'm hoping to snag some good reservations times tonight at midnight as that will be the start of my two week window.

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^ Oh okay, thanks. Good to know. I thought they'd already widened the time period by now, but I guess not.

 

Also, I checked ahead, and it appears they are opening the parks way earlier in September, than I remember them doing back in 2016. Like...8 am openings in DL vs. 10 am back then? Eep. And the Early Morning on the Tuesday we're going will be at (gulp) 7 am. Since we'll be using transit (#460) to DL from the Knott's Hotel every morning, it's definitely early rising those days.

 

I assumed this is all for Galaxy's Edge, and Sept. not being blacked out

for all the Yearly Passholders (of the various levels).

 

This'll be a fun 4-5 days when we're there, lol.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I know it's pricey but......WOO HOO! Just bought a a reservation (for 2) for the World of Color Dessert Party! I did it back in my 2016 visit, and really enjoyed the experience, not to mention the sweet and savory stuff to eat and drink! And the show, too!

 

Keeping it as a surprise for David, when we're there at DCA on the Tuesday evening performance. Hope the weather (or something 'electronic') doesn't cause a cancellation

 

 

P.S. What was $75 in 2016, is now $84 per person in 2019. Now too bad, for three years' difference.

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Quite the spread, plus two cocktails and WoC! Sept.13-2016.

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Me at my table, all by my lonesome, LOL!

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Is it my imagination, or are a lot of the reservations for SW:GE Oga's Cantina already taken up,

for when we're there in mid September? If so, wow, that was quick! Guess we'll have to have

cocktails in other parts of the Disneyland Resort Kingdom, lol.

You can only book up to two weeks ahead. I'm hoping to snag some good reservations times tonight at midnight as that will be the start of my two week window.

It was pretty easy. I bought my flex pass on Monday, and grabbed reservations for this coming Friday and Saturday for the Cantina.

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^ We'll be at Disneyland first on Monday/9th, then DCA Tuesday/10th, with park hopping as needed.

Have a four day hopper, but won't do the Magic Morning in DL until Thurs/12th. Then DCA FridayThe13th (eep?) to finish off.

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^ We'll be at Disneyland first on Monday/9th, then DCA Tuesday/10th, with park hopping as needed.

Have a four day hopper, but won't do the Magic Morning in DL until Thurs/12th. Then DCA FridayThe13th (eep?) to finish off.

 

Great! If I spot you, I’ll make sure to say a quick “hi”! We will be at Knott’s on Sept 7.

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Disneyland is removing the rocks in front of Tomorrowland! The OC Register has the article behind a paywall. So, It's quoted below. Article Link: Clicky

 

Disneyland is removing the ‘french fry’ rocks in front of Tomorrowland

 

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The entrance to Tommorowland at Disneyland in Anaheim, CA, on Monday, Sep 17, 2018. The artifical rocks at left are in the process of being removed. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

 

Disneyland has begun the slow process of removing the colorful rocks that have decorated the entrance to Tomorrowland for more than two decades, according to Disney officials.

 

Visitors began noticing construction walls up around the area Thursday morning, Aug. 15, and speculating about the removal, which has been planned as part of a general campaign to widen walkways and improve pedestrian access around the park. It will also include cutting down the curb to make it easier for strollers and scooters.

 

“The Tomorrowland rocks are starting to be removed nearest Disneyland’s Central Hub,” the MiceChat.com blog posted on social media, citing members of the construction crew. “The marquee has already been removed. The other side won’t be started for awhile, so the whole process could take months to complete.”

 

The manufactured rocks, which some wags have dubbed the “french fry rocks,” were added during the 1998 remodel of Tomorrowland, according to Todd Regan, who runs MiceChat.com under the pen name of Dusty Sage.

 

While decorative, many visitors complained that they limited walk space during peak periods such as during and after fireworks shows. The removal is part of a larger “Project Stardust” effort to widen walkways throughout the park.

 

“Hoping that this project is for the removal of the Eisner-era ‘98 disaster of a Tomorrowland entrance rocks!” UC Irvine student and annual passholder Gregory Conley posted on Facebook, along with a photo of the construction walls.

 

Disney officials confirmed that the rocks are in the process of being removed along the north side of the Tomorrowland entrance, and the marquee sign that says “Tomorrowland” has already been removed. The remainder of the rocks will be taken out in a slow process over the coming months, officials said.

 

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Construction walls up around the entrance to Tomorrowland, photographed by UC Irvine student Gregory Conley on Aug. 14, 2019. This is part of a project to improve walkways and remove the so-called “French fry” rocks. (Photo courtesy of Gregory Conley)

 

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As seen in 2018, The entrance to Tomorrowland at Disneyland on Monday, Sep 17, 2018. The rocks were being removed as of August 2019. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

 

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The Astro Orbiters sit at the entrance to Tomorrowland at Disneyland in Anaheim, CA, on Monday, Sep 17, 2018, near rocks that were being removed beginning in Aug. 2019. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

 

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The Tomorrowland marquee has now been removed from the entrance, no longer as depicted in this 2018 photo at Disneyland. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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