Although there's been a Christmas tree on Main Street for weeks, it's Thanksgiving that seems to mark the real begining of the holiday tourist season at Disneyland. At 11 a.m. on Friday, the end of the line to get into Disneyland extended well into the esplanade between the parks, nearly backing into the end of the line to get into Disney's California Adventure (DCA) park.
The lines to enter Disneyland the day after Thanksgiving extends nearly
to Disney's California Adventure park. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
Santa has taken up his temporary annual residence on Main Street, U.S.A., and caused a line all his own as parents with hopeful children waited over an hour to deliver their wish lists in person. Santa appears daily from 10:00 to 6:00, with periodic breaks to “feed the reindeer.”
“Beach Party Santa” waits to pose with a DCA visitor. Photo
by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
Over at DCA, the crowds in Santa's Beach Party Blast were considerably smaller from last year, with only a dozen or so people waiting to get a photo with “vacation” Santa. Fortunately, the area music has been turned down several notches from last year, so it is actually possible to spend some time enjoying the well-themed decorations and activities.
Disneyland chefs create new treats for the holiday season, including a
clever snowman. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
The resort restaurants and quick-service locations are adding holiday dishes to their menus. Look for candy “snowman” apples on Main Street and a roasted turkey dinner at the River Belle Terrace.
Crowds queue up to ride the holiday incarnation of “it's a small
world.” Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
The holiday “Bring a Friend” discount promotion kicks off this Wednesday, December 1. Disneyland Resort annual passholders can purchase 1-day park hopper tickets for the same price as a 1-day, 1-park ticket (limit five tickets per person, per day, with a valid annual pass). Admission must be used on the day of purchase. The promotion runs through December 18.
You only have four weeks left to submit your photos to the “The Happiest Faces on Earth… a Disney Family Album” promotion. Just in case the dozens of reminders tucked into your Disney credit card statement, annual passholder newsletter, Disney catalog and shareholder reports have not prompted you to act, Disneyland is making it even easier to particpate.
Mickey really, really wants your photos. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
Through December 17, some of the character hosts scattered around the Disneyland Resort are armed with a stack of the release forms necessary to submit your picture for inclusion in the mosaics. Get your photo taken with Mickey, sign on the dotted line, and you're done. If this were any easier, Minnie would come to your house and rifle through your photo albums.
You can also submit your photos by mail or electronically until December 31, 2004; visit the Happiest Faces on Earth Web site for details (link).
The Rancho del Zocalo restaurant has revamped its menu, completely removing the barbecue section, adding new grilled entrees and tweaking the Mexican food offerings. The restaurant still uses the split-kitchen concept, with separate counters offering “Especials Del Norte” and the “Costena Grill.”
Rancho del Zocalo has a brand-new menu. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
Here's a sample from the new lunch menu (dinner prices are $1 to $2 higher per entree):
Especials Del Norte
Costena Grill
Shrimp entrees are served with Mexican rice.
All Costena Grill entrees come with corn cake and choice of two of the following side dishes: chipotle cheddar mashed potatos, black beans, corn and black bean salad, and roasted pineapple salad.
Other options
Children's meals ($5.99 each) are served in a “Cooked Up Comics” lunch box with tortilla chips, fresh fruit salad, child's drink and fun straw, with the following choices:
The restaurant offers a varying selection of desserts. On a recent trip, options included a Mexican chocolate pecan bar, coconut flan and tres leches cake for $4.99 each, and a plate of fresh tropical fruit for $4.29.
The Stagedoor Cafe next to the Golden Horseshoe Theatre has also revamped its offering, replacing its hamburgers and hot dogs with an all-fried menu of dippable finger foods, which up until now has been available only at the Strips, Chips and Dips in the Paradise Pier area of Disney's California Adventure. The choices include:
Each selection comes with a choice of buffalo hot sauce, ranch, honey mustard, barbecue, or marinara dipping sauce.
Since the Golden Horseshoe and Stagedoor Cafe share a kitchen, the Golden Horseshoe has added the new fried menu items to its existing lineup of chili fries, chili breadbowl, and desserts.
The entertainment department has been using the interior courtyard of the Animation Building in Disney's California Adventure as an informal post-show character meet-and-greet location since the Drawn to the Magic street show began last spring. Now the Disney princesses have take up a more permanent residence inside the building.
The Animation Building houses a new Princess photo opportunity. Photo
by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
A new sign outside the building invites park guests to “share a moment with a Disney princess,” and advises that “royal court is now in session.” Inside, a photo backdrop has replaced what was the queue area for the Animation Screening Room. Four Disney princesses appear in rotation to sign autographs and pose for photos.
Visitors wishing to see One Man's Dream now wait in line outside the Animation Screening Room's exit doors, and enter the theater once the previous audience has departed.
The Matterhorn reopens after another lengthy refurbishment. Photo by Adrienne
Vincent-Phoenix.
Tickets for Disneyland's Indiana Jones 10th Anniversary event go on sale at 9:00 a.m. (Pacific time) this Wednesday, December 1 . Disneyland is offering two ticket packages for the event: A general ticket for $150 per person, and a hotel package for $450 per person. The event is scheduled for March 3, 2005.
The event includes a buffet-style dinner, ride on the Indiana Jones attraction, photo opportunity, and a lovely parting gift. The hotel package includes a one-night stay at Disney's Grand California Hotel, and breakfast at a Disneyland Resort hotel restaurant.
Participants can also purchase limited-edition merchandise created especially for the event. Visit the Disney Gallery Web site for more information or to register for the event (link).
…Most of the construction walls around the upcoming Buzz Lighyear Astro Blasters attraction in Tomorrowland have been removed. The ride, which is an import from Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom in Florida, is rumored to be well ahead of schedule, and some area cast members have speculated that it could soft-open for previews as early as February.
The entrance to Buzz Lightyear's Astro Blasters is revealed. Photo by
Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
…The Patina Group has changed its discount policy for Disneyland annual passholders who dine at Tortilla Jo's, Catal, and Naples, its three Downtown Disney restaurants. Where passholders once received a free appetizer with every two entrees ordered, they now get a flat 10 percent discount, excluding alcohol. The Disneyland Web site does not yet reflect this change.
…To improve their process, Disneyland has borrowed a page from mass retailers like Target. Instead of stocking shelves with fragile items such as frames and snowglobes, resort stores now display samples in front of stock boxes of the same items. Photo stickers identify the products inside the boxes, and colorful Tinker Bell stickers make the plain boxes more visually appealing. This approach makes it easier to stock fragile items, helps relieve holiday crowding in bulging stockrooms, reduces the potential of damaging or destroying packing boxes, and lets guests get out of the shops with safely packed gifts in a jiffy.
Accidental breakage should decase in the Disneyland stores now that the
only fragile merchandise on display are the sample versions. Photo by
Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
If the approach is successful, look for it to become a year-round practice, especially next year when collectible 50th Anniversary merchandise floods the resort. Let's just hope they draw the line at installing self-serve price scanners in the Emporium or self-checkout lines in the World of Disney.
… The former Lost and Found location next to the Guest Relations lobby in DCA is being used as an Annual Passholder processing area. The holiday season is the busiest time for the processing centers, with new and renewing passholders joining gift recipients in long lines. If you are among the majority of passholders who need to renew during December and January, take advantage of the renew-by-mail option, and avoid the hours-long wait at the parks.
… In a previous update, we related a rumor about the demise of the Fantasy Waters show, and possible plans for the theater area. We have since been able to confirm that the Fantasy Waters show has been “discontinued,” and the holiday version still listed on the Disneyland Web site is not being presented this year.
Got any interesting news or rumors? Contact us here.
Crews have a lot to do if the Sailing Ship Columbia returns to
service on time. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
The Plaza Inn becomes the next building to receive a facelift. Photo by
Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
Upcoming DCA closures
Disneyland resort passholders can purchase 1-day park hopper tickets for the same price as a 1-day, 1-park ticket. Limit five tickets per person, per day, with valid passport. Admission must be used on day of purchase. Effective December 1–18.
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.
AAA member can take advantage of these packages that include hotel nights and theme park tickets, along with extra amenities:
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 through 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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| 11/29 | 11/30 | 12/1 | 12/2 | 12/3 | 12/4 | |
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DL: 10a–8p |
DL: 10a–8p |
DL: 10a–8p |
DL: 10a–8p |
DL: 9a–Mid |
DL: 8a–Mid |
| 12/5 | 12/6 | 12/7 | 12/8 | 12/9 | 12/10 | 12/11 |
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DL: 8a–Mid |
DL: 10a–6p |
DL: 10a–6p |
DL: 10a–8p |
DL: 10a–8p |
DL: 9a–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 November 8 at Disneyland.com here (printer-friendly version here).
(Send an email to MousePlanet Staff)
