Disneyland Resort (DL, DLR, DCA) Discussion Thread

[COASTER FREAK 11]

Hi All,

 

Quick question regarding: MATTERHORN BOBSLEDS

 

On the website it says that if you are in a wheel chair you join the standard queue and then you are directed to the appropriate entrance by a cast member.

 

Can any one tell me which platform point do you load & unload the cars at if you are in this situation. Is it through the normal gates? Or do you load in another area? i.e Unload or the Transfer Table Unload?

 

Thanks

 

So, you enter the normal queue, like it said. Once you get to the main entrance you decided which side you want to ride and the Cast Member will direct you down a special walkway for boarding. Boarding happens on the exit platform, so you do not enter the station queue. There is no special area for you to take your time getting in (like Space Mountain), you stand on the exit platform and wait for the Cast Member in that area to tell you to board.

[sxexaxn]

Super excited about the Hatbox Ghost returning to the Mansion! I can't wait to see what he looks like. I wonder what they were finally able to do in order to get the desired effect they couldn't get back in 1969? Is it still a lighting trick? or is there going to be some sort of digital element to it? We'll find out soon!

 

Now if only we could get the old bride with the beating heart back in the attic....

[jray21]

There is a ton of stuff going on at Disneyland this year! I'm excited to see all the little additions throughout the park.

[cfc]

 

Now if only we could get the old bride with the beating heart back in the attic....

 

I like what they did to the attic and the bride. I think the new version is much creepier.

[DJeXeL]

Woman + Hatchet = Creepy

[jray21]

I always thought the previous version was really cheap looking. I also like the newer version.

[AllenA07]

I'm very curious to see the projection mapping project. My wife and I both loved the Celebrate the Magic show at the Magic Kingdom.

[COASTER FREAK 11]

^ Me too! I never thought id say this, but I (for once) am glad the Disneyland Castle is so small. Because if it were like the MK one, there wouldn't be a need to do Main St. But since there's a limited projection space, Disney had to get creative and use other surfaces. I think it will be really awesome being right in the middle of the show!

[Jew]

^I hope the projection mapping is part of the show and not just "lets watch video clips projected on the castle and main street." To me, projection mapping has become so common place it has lost some of the wow factor unless it really sells that illusion of "lets transform this thing into something completely different but make it look convincing"

[COASTER FREAK 11]

The mapping should compliment this show. I actually saw a run through of the fireworks last night from my front porch, and its packed with giant shells!! Constantly going off. So, its safe to say the the fireworks are still the star here. But with the cool things they can do with mapping both sides of main st, its going to be really awesome. It'll be like Circle Vision 2.0 in a way, because the projections can"transport" you to places. I think doing this, in this way, is going to really be spectacular!

[jedimaster1227]

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/disney-659941-hotel-inn.html

 

The Walt Disney Co. has purchased a hotel that sits directly across Harbor Boulevard from its two theme parks for $32 million, according to public records.

 

Disney, through a limited-liability corporation, Carousel Holdings EAT, purchased the 131-room Carousel Inn & Suites on 1530 S. Harbor Blvd. from Good Hope International.

 

Messages to Good Hope representatives for comment were not returned on Wednesday. A Carousel Inn manager said he was unaware of the sale. A Disneyland spokeswoman confirmed the purchase.

 

Sandwiched between the Pizza Press restaurant and the Tropicana Inn & Suites, the five-story hotel features a rooftop pool and guest rooms ranging in size from 300 to 700 square feet. Guests typically pay $109 to $400 per night.

 

Disney finalized the purchase on March 23, according to public records.

 

“The Walt Disney Co. saw this as a strategic investment, as opportunities to purchase properties in close proximity to the resort are extremely rare,” said Suzi Brown, a Disneyland spokeswoman.

 

Brown said the current management will continue to operate the Carousel Inn. She added that Disney has no long-term plans for the property at this time.

 

“I think whatever they have in mind will be good for the resort district,” said Bill Snyder, president of the Anaheim/Orange County Hotel & Lodging Association.

 

Disney has three hotels in the resort district – Paradise Pier, Disney Grand Californian and the Disneyland Hotel – with more than 2,200 rooms in all. Because the current management will continue to operate the Carousel Inn, Disney does not consider the hotel part of its hotel portfolio. Disney officials are more like landlords.

 

Alan Reay, president of Atlas Hospitality Group, a hotel-consulting business, lauded the purchase. He cited how rare it is to find property for sale adjacent to Disneyland and Disney California Adventure, and the boom in tourism and development currently happening in Anaheim.

 

Reay said properties adjacent to the theme parks are considered “legacy assets” that families have had for generations and are passed down: “They don’t sell.”

[KBrylczyk]

^ And so it begins. As long as the Super 8 on Disneyland Drive stays $60, I'm a happy camper.

[COASTER FREAK 11]

I am hoping this is the first domino to fall and persuades other hotels on the street to sell.

[Jew]

^I imagine it will...at a higher price. But it's pennies to Disney, and they'd be foolish to not get more real estate in the resort corridor.

[KBrylczyk]

^ They've been trying for years and years to buy out the residential space to the west but the property owners just kept telling them no way since they knew they were sitting on a goldmine, probably letting the price rise and rise before eventually selling for retirement. Disney just decided to say the hell with it and buy commercial properties instead.

 

I mean, take a look at this footprint -

 

http://tinyurl.com/q9r9efa

 

Perfect size for a third gate, no? I'm not talking about the actual hotel itself, but the main triangular plot that's mostly hotels.

[Top Thrill Dragster]

Wouldn't be surprised to hear an announcement or see construction start on the resorts 2nd parking structure within the next year or two. This hotel purchase seems like a critical piece for that project.

[jray21]

I can't wait to see what they do with that property in the future, and see what other purchases they make.

[BackseatBoss]

I'm really excited to see what they do. WDW has been so successful with their resorts and being a part of the entire vacation that it only makes sense for DLR to expand upon what they have now.

[cfc]

I think they should do a luxury version of Stovall's Space Age Lodge.

 

[PeoplemoverMatt]

Wouldn't be surprised to hear an announcement or see construction start on the resorts 2nd parking structure within the next year or two. This hotel purchase seems like a critical piece for that project.

 

This is what I am hopeful for but I'm not holding my breath.

 

As much as we'd like to see parking at DLR expanded within a relatively short distance for ease of access, so much more money can be made by putting hotels and the like closer to the park, with parking in more remote areas serviced by relatively-cheap shuttles. That also saves having to build elaborate and expensive car and foot access to/from the parking area over/under/around Harbor.

[DBJ]

I could see them doing a light remodel on the Carousel in the near future to make it more tied into the Disney brand, but I don't expect anything massive being built on the spot. The hotel does offer some nice views of both parks.

 

Speaking of parking expansion, there is available space by Mickey & Friends on 2 sides for additional garages. Are those locations earmarked for some other development?

[Nrthwnd]

...I think they should do a luxury version of Stovall's Space Age Lodge.

 

Ah memories. We stayed several times in the Galaxy Inn (it was a three or

four motel chain right?), around the corner and (then) closer to the park entrance.

 

Okay rooms.

Never used the pool.

Excellent location!

[cfc]

^Yep--Cosmic Age, the Galaxy, the Inn of Tomorrow, and the Space Age Lodge.

[COASTER FREAK 11]

^ They've been trying for years and years to buy out the residential space to the west but the property owners just kept telling them no way since they knew they were sitting on a goldmine, probably letting the price rise and rise before eventually selling for retirement. Disney just decided to say the hell with it and buy commercial properties instead.

 

I mean, take a look at this footprint -

 

http://tinyurl.com/q9r9efa

 

Perfect size for a third gate, no? I'm not talking about the actual hotel itself, but the main triangular plot that's mostly hotels.

 

The land is too small for a third gate. And there is no realistic time line for them to actually get all the property there. They may never actually get it all. If they do eventually get enough land (adding to what they previously owned: Pumba lot, and the industrial buildings behind Pumba) I'd see this area strictly be hotels and a large second structure for the northbound traffic/cast member parking. This would be built in the pumba/industrial lot. The remaining land is strictly hotels/down town Disney East.

 

If they want to do a third gate, they already have the land and they can snag a lot more if they use eminent domain. The Toy Story lot is currently the most likely area a third gate would go, when and if they decide to build one. The third park would be connected by the Garden Walk and a DTD East connector and the new parking.

 

 

Also, the reopening dates for the upgraded attractions was announced on the Parks Blog

 

UPDATE 5/1/15: Matterhorn Bobsleds will reopen to Disneyland park guests on May 22; Peter Pan’s Flight will reopen July 1.

 

UPDATE 5/1/15: The Hatbox Ghost will reappear May 9 in the Haunted Mansion at Disneyland park.

[cfc]

 

The land is too small for a third gate. And there is no realistic time line for them to actually get all the property there.

 

Unless they're going to build Disney Quest West . . . sorry--just being silly.