The former Big Thunder Ranch BBQ location officially reopens as a food service area this weekend. The new “Big Thunder Ranch Country Picnic” opens during peak lunch hours from July 4 through Monday, September 6. The location offers a “picnic style” menu of lunches, side dishes and desserts.
The Big Thunder Ranch Country Picnic opened this past weekend. Photo by
Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
Country Fried Chicken Basket – Three savory pieces of chilled “Picnic-Style” fried chicken (breast with wing and thigh), plus potato salad with dill and a corn muffin with butter. 9.99 plus tax
Cast members tell us that the fried chicken comes from the Plaza Inn, where it is chilled and then sent to the Village Haus in Fantasyland to be packed into the picnic lunches.
Grilled & Chilled Vegetable Platter – A balsamic glazed grilled medley of Portobello mushrooms, caramelized carrots, whole scallions, sweet & hot roasted peppers, zucchini and sweet cherry tomatoes served chilled atop sweet lemon-basil rice. Includes corn muffin with butter. 9.99 plus tax
Country Fried Chicken Drumstick (child's meal) – Served “Picnic-Style” chilled in a Cook'd Up Comics Box with baby carrots or “Ants on a Log” (cream-cheese-stuffed celery sticks with raisins). Comes with juicy watermelon slice, plus milk or juice and color-changing fun straw. 5.99 plus tax
PB&J (child's meal) – Served in a “Cook'd Up” Comics Box with baby carrots or "Ants on a Log" (cream-cheese-stuffed celery sticks with raisins). Comes with juicy watermelon slice, plus milk or juice and color-changing fun straw. 5.99 plus tax
Favorite Picnic Fixin's
The area is decorated in true country picnic style—red checked cloths cover the tables±and giant plastic bugs make themselves at home all around. The location offers modified table service: place your order at the wagon near the entrance, and your meal is brought to your table.
Colored lights now higlight Space Mountain after dark, taking advantage of the fresh white paint job to reflect shades ranging from gold to purple.
Space Mountain sports a new evening look. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
On June 23, Disney Enterprises in Burbank filed three trademark applications with the U.S. Patents and Trademarks Office for “Disney's PhotoPass.” According to the paperwork filed, this new system is described as:
There is some speculation as to what the new system is, but one theory we are offering to our readers is that this may be a new way for the Disney parks to handle photos taken of visitors throughout the park. Depending on the extent of the program, these could include guest photos taken by roaming photographers (for example, in front of Sleeping Beauty Castle in Disneyland), official character meet-and-greet photos, as well as souvenir ride photos. Guests could be given a physical ticket (or pass) with a code number that lets them retrieve their photos online after their trip, or they might be able to purchase a pass that they can keep during their trip, which allows them to store digital photos as they are taken of them through the park.
If we hear more about this new trademark application, we will be sure to pass it on to you.
…Francis's Lady Bug Boogie has reopened at Disney's California Adventure (DCA), after a lengthy refurbisment.
...An entertainment cast member wrote to say that their department was told the ABC Primetime and Super Soap Weekends would not be held at DCA this year, to avoid detracting from the parks' No. 1 marketing focus, the new Tower of Terror attraction. This conflicts with a story published last week in Amusement Business, reporting that the ABC Primetime Preview weekend will return to Disney's California Adventure this fall.
Disneyland's publicity office confirms that the event will be held the weekend of September 10 to 12, 2004. The event will be presented by Aloha Airlines.
Note: Disneyland will progressively begin closing more and more attractions as the park readies for its 50th anniversary celebration in 2005.
Disneyland Resort Annual Passholders can purchase 2-Day Disneyland Resort Park Hopper tickets for a reduced rate of $79 ($59 for ages 3 to 9). The tickets are available for purchase through Thursday, September 30, 2004.
Please note that the tickets expire on October 13, 2004, or 13 days after first use, whichever comes first. The first use must occur on the date of purchase.
Some Annual Passholders have received a postcard about this special offer in the mail. Passholders can hand the postcard to friends and family, who can then use it to purchase up to 5 of the discounted tickets without the Passholder even being there.
The Disneyland Resort and McDonald's have a cross-promotion based on the new Tower of Terror ride. McDonald's customers who order a Big Mac Extra Value Meal by July 18 receive a voucher for early admission to Disney's California Adventure (DCA) to ride the Tower of Terror one hour before the park opens.
Each voucher is good for one person, and valid DCA admission is required: you can't just pop in for the extra hour without buying a DCA ticket.
Vouchers are designated for July, or August, and distributed chronologically at participating McDonald's while supplies last. Each voucher may be redeemed only during the month appearing on the voucher.
Call (714) 781-7290 or Disneyland's promotion Web page (link) for more information.
Thanks to MousePlanet reader Forbin for alerting us to the promotion, and to reader Opus1guy for obtaining the information on this promotion from McDonalds.
If you book a three-night resort stay at any of the Disneyland Resort hotels during the 50th anniversary promotion, your package includes a four-day Park Hopper ticket, a special 50th anniversary commemorative clock and a Walk in Walt's Footsteps tour.
The “50th Celebration Package” is available only for three-night stays, with arrival dates through December 31, 2005. The package can be booked through the Disneyland Web site (link), or by calling (714) 520-5060.
Annual Passholders can receive a copy of The Disney Treasures book, worth $60, when they apply for a Disney Visa card. The book will be mailed after the cardholder uses the new account. Apply by phone at 1-800-640-5306, and mention card code 26FF.
Disneyland Resort Annual Passholders save up to 20 percent on car rentals from Alamo Rent A Car and National Car Rental. Restrictions apply—get full details and the necessary discount codes on the Annual Passholder Web site (link).
Disneyland Resort Annual Passholders can save 50 percent off the regular price of tickets for the following home games of the Anaheim Angels baseball team, which plays at nearby Angel Stadium of Anaheim (formerly Edison Field):
Prices are: Terrace Box, $12.50 (reg. $25); Lower View Box, $7.50 (reg. $15); and Upper View, $6 (reg. $12).
Although there is no limit to how many tickets a passholder can purchase, you must use mail or fax in the order form provided at the Annual Passholder Web site, and you cannot purchase these tickets online or obtain them at the ticket window on the day of the game. See the passholder Web site for details (link).
If you are a AAA member, you can take advantage of these packages that include hotel nights and theme park tickets, along with extra ammenities:
Sample prices include:
AAA Disney's Resort Magic: Disney's Paradise Pier Hotel for two nights from $269/adult, $127/ages 10-17, $97/ages 3-9
AAA Disneyland Resort Good Neighbor Magic: Jolly Roger Hotel for two nights from $193/adult, $127/ages 10-17, $97/ages 3-9
These packages require a minimum two-night hotel stay, and are good for travel from August 29 to November 21 and November 28 to December 23, 2004. You can book this package through your local AAA affiliate travel agent.
If you don't need a hotel room, the Passport Plus Package offers AAA members a discount on Park Hopper tickets, and comes with extra benefits:
Prices:
An additional handling fee of $10 is charged per mailing address. These tickets are available to AAA members only when purchased through AAA offices.
For shorter stays, AAA offers 2- and 5-day tickets for the Disneyland Resort:
These tickets include free parking (the back of the passports note the free parking, so you will need the passport with you when you park your car).
The Southern California CityPass booklet includes admission to five separate entertainment options:
The CityPass is $172 ($129 for children).
You can purchase the Southern California CityPass with Walt Disney Travel Company packages. Instead of the Disneyland Resort Park Hopper ticket currently included in California packages from the Walt Disney Travel Company, guests can select a Southern California city for an additional charge of $47 per pass ($32 per pass for children 3 through 9).
Note: The Southern California CityPass does not include the $10 ESPN Zone Arena Game Card, or the California package's feature that allows guests to collect multiple Fastpass tickets at once for free in advance.
DL: Disneyland
DCA: Disney's California Adventure
Annual Pass blockout dates:
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| 7/5 | 7/6 | 7/7 | 7/8 | 7/9 | 7/10 | |
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DL 8a–11p |
DL 8a–11p |
DL 8a–11p |
DL 8a–11p |
DL 8a–Mid |
DL 8a–Mid |
| 7/11 | 7/12 | 7/13 | 7/14 | 7/15 | 7/16 | 7/17 |
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DL 8a–11p |
DL 8a–11p |
DL 8a–11p |
DL 8a–11p |
DL 8a–11p |
DL 8a–Mid |
DL 8a–Mid |
| 7/18 | 7/19 | 7/20 | 7/21 | 7/22 | 7/23 | 7/24 |
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DL 8a–11p |
DL 8a–Mid |
DL 8a–Mid |
DL 8a–Mid |
DL 8a–Mid |
DL 8a–Mid |
DL 8a–Mid |
Visit our Annual Passholders Blockout Dates 2004 page to see more dates.
Entertainment schedule: Go directly to the Disneyland Resort schedule for June 7 to 16 at Disneyland.com here (printer-friendly version here).
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