Registration is now open for the spring MouseAdventure event on April 30. For more details and registration information, see our MouseAdventure page (link). With details having now been released making it clear that April 30 will also be the first weekend of the new Food and Wine Weekends (see next items), if you're considering visiting the park for that, we'd like to encourage you to consider making it a double bill and also trying out MouseAdventure.
For those who are registered, we'd also like to announce a hotel room deal for that weekend. If you call Howard Johnson – Anaheim and mention MousePlanet, you will get a 20% discount on whatever room type you'd like to reserve. To take advantage call 1-800-422-4228 and select option 1 for in-house reservations.
Tickets to this fall's return of Mickey's Halloween Treat at Disney's California Adventure are now available for pre-purchase by people with Disneyland annual passes. Dates are October 13, 20, 22, 27, and 29 from 7:30 to 11:30 p.m. and October 26, 30, and 31 from 6:30 to 10:30 p.m. Advanced purchase price is $19 and will later go up to $29.
We were starting to doubt the information we reported in February about a version of Epcot's Food and Wine Festival being held at Disney's California Adventure this May (link). With only a month to go until the dates we'd heard, it didn't seem that there would be enough time to promote a complex event and we almost ran something in last week's update to that effect. It's a good thing we decided to wait one more week since the Disney Gallery Web site (link) finally posted details and made it all official.
The official name of the event is Disney's California Food and Wine Weekends 2006. The event is not continuous but will be running only on weekends (Friday through Sunday) from April 28 through May 21. While people with the money for specialty cooking events (as much as $270 for a single event) will be pleased with the opportunities to interact with some fine chefs. Others, who only interact with the Epcot Food & Wine Festival by eating an item in each land of that park's World Showcase will likely be underwhelmed. There are only four locations in the park serving special foods, and a series of cooking or alcohol seminars through the day.
Our understanding is that for this inaugural event, the idea is to start small and hopefully expand as the extent of customer demand is known. Time will tell. It has also been noted that two California wineries with strong Disney connections (Diane Disney Miller and Fess Parker, both of whom own vineyards) appear to also be missing from the itinerary.
The details are a little scattered around the announcement Web site (link) but here is a rough recap of the various events.
Celebrity Chef Dinners
On the Thursday prior to each weekend, a different celebrity chef will be hosting a dinner at the Napa Rose restuarant in the Grand Californian Hotel. Each dinner is from 6:00 p.m to 9:00 p.m and there is only one seating each evening. The cost for the meal is $85 per person (plus tax and tip). Unlike other events, while you need to preregister (link), you will not be charged until the conclusion of the meal when your check is presented. The four meals are:
Winemaker Dinners
On every Friday during the events, there will be a Winemaker Dinner featuring a multiple-course meal with pairings from a different winery. Each week will alternate the location of the dinner between Granville's Steakhouse at the Disneyland Hotel and The Vineyard Room inside Disney's California Adventure (note that separate admission is required to get to a meal at The Vineyard Room). The Winemaker Dinners are $122.75 per person (including tax) and the price is charged at registration (link). The four meals are:
Napa Rose Cooking School
Every Saturday during the event will see a Napa Rose Cooking School hosted by either Executive Chef Andrew Sutton or Executive Sous Chef Jeffrey Cummins at Napa Rose in the Grand Californian Hotel. Each class runs from 10:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and the class will create a themed meal and enjoy it at the conclusion of the class with appropriate wine selections. Each class is limited to 20 participants and costs $269.38 per person (including tax), charged at registration (link). The four dates are:
Lunch & Learn
Held on Saturdays and Sundays through the event, these events will present a three-course meal from a Disney chef as well as a wine expert. During the meal they will present cooking and wine selection demonstrations. There will be one seating per day from 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. and will either be held in the Redondo Room at the Paradise Pier Hotel or the ballroom at the Disneyland Hotel. The cost is $96.56 per person (including tax), charged at registration (link). The schedule is as follows:
Guest Sommelier Education Series
This series of four seminars teaches the basic skills involved in being a sommelier. One seminar is held each Sunday of the event at the Seasons of the Vine attraction in Disney's California Adventure. The cost of each seminar is $60 per person and lasts 90 minutes, with two sessions for each seminar beginning at 12:00 p.m and 3:00 p.m. You can attend all four seminars for $200 and a certificate will be given for completion of the entire series. Costs are charged at registration (link). The seminar schedule is as follows:
Culinary Demonstrations
There will be four sessions per day (Friday through Sunday) at the outdoor terrace of The Vineyard Room restaurant in Disney's California Adventure. Each session will last about 45 minutes and be hosted by chefs from around the Disneyland Resort. These sessions are free with park admission (though seating is limited). The exact schedule and hosts for the sessions is not yet available.
Each demonstration will be on one of four topics:
Wine, Beer, and Spirit Demonstration
There will be four sessions per day (Friday through Sunday) at the lower terrace of Golden Vine Winery restaurant in Disney's California Adventure. Each session will last about 45 minutes and be hosted by winemakers, brewmasters, and sommeliers from the Disneyland Resort or specific manufacturers. The exact schedule and hosts for the sessions is not yet available.
Festival Marketplaces
This is the part of the weekends that will be most similar to what most people experience at Epcot's Food and Wine Festival. There will be four "Festival Marketplace" menus available and served from counters in the Bountiful Valley Farm area or the Lucky Fortune Cookery area (conveniently, these two locations have never-used kitchens). Each item will cost $4-$5 and there are also selections of California wines and beers available at each location. The four menus are:
Two quick notes updating information on current or upcoming restaurant refurbishments at Disneyland. When Cafe Orleans closed for its transformation, we hadn't heard a date for reopening, and it seemed most logical that it would be closed for about the same amount of time as Blue Bayou, which will be reopening on June 26. That appears not to be the case, however, and all indications are that Cafe Orleans is targetting June 9 for its new debut.
Nearby there is still the open question of when or if River Belle Terrace will be closing for its refurbishment (and take Bengal BBQ out of commission). All indications are that this project is still moving forward but still hasn't been given an official greenlight while designers try to work out all the impacts to the surrounding area.
Word came out last week about the final outcome of the auditions for a new cast of Dapper Dans at Disneyland. Although all of the existing Dapper Dans had been invited to reaudition for the new group, only one of the current regulars was offered any kind of continuing position with the group, and that only as a substitute for the regular players. An entirely new crew of regulars has been cast and will make their first on-stage appearances around the beginning of May (following a few weeks of rehearsals). The current group will see their last performance on April 8 later this week (they were extended from their original last day of March 25).
We don't yet know what performance changes, if any, are in store for the Dapper Dans as they continue with these new members. We've also heard rumor that such reauditions will now be a regular part of being a Dapper Dan, one source suggested they might happen as frequently as annually. If true, then the 20+ year tenure of some performers have almost certainly become an artifact of the past.
An interesting promotion for Disneyland's 50th Anniversary was announced last week. A giant Mickey Mouse hot-air balloon, wearing 50th Anniversary golden ears will be touring the West Coast for the next couple months, starting in Tucson, Arizona, over the weekend. If you should happen to get any good photos of the balloon in action, we'd love to see them (send us an email). The schedule for appearances is:
© Disney.
…A bit of history has returned to Disneyland. After a short appearance by a cartoonish stagecoach outside of Big Thunder Ranch, a wagon with a solid historical pedigree has now been put in its place. The "new" wagon is actually an old one, having formerly been used as a form of Main Street transportation back in the early years of the park. The horse-drawn surreys could be found on the Main Street circuit from the park's opening in 1955 until 1971 when motorized vehicles replaced all the horse-drawn vehicles (other than the streetcar).
This cartoony wagon had been in place outside Big Thunder Ranch for the last couple months. Photo by David Michael.
A more historically interesting piece is now in place. Photo by David Michael.
…To help with demand, a second Annual Pass processing center will open later this week in Disneyland. The standard location at the Main Street Bank will continue it's normal operating hours of being open 30 minutes before rope drop and one hour after park closing. The second location at Plaza Pavilion will begin operation on April 7 and be open from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. This second location will most likely close again when the Spring Break rush ends.
…For those who may have missed it on one of its previous visits to the L.A. area, it may be good news that the stage production of The Lion King is returning. The Pantages Theater will again play host to the production for 8 weeks beginning November 16 and ending on January 7, 2007. The performances on November 16 and 17 will be lower priced previews before the official opening on Saturday, November 18. Ticket prices range from $17 to $87. For information on purchasing tickets call 323-463-4367.
…There are two promotions going for the new DVD for The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. The first is the return of Jadis the White Witch to the character meet-and-greet in the rear courtyard of Sleeping Beauty Castle. This will likely only last a week or two before again becoming Villain's Lair and mostly playing host to other bad guys. Second, as with other DVD releases, you can purchase the DVD at select stores for a discount. Participating stores are Emporium, 20th Century Music Company, Off the Page, Greetings from California, and World of Disney. This promotion will run from April 4 to 22 and the DVD can be had for $29.99 (an additional Annual Pass discount also applies).
…There are no details yet but it seems to have been confirmed internally that Mickey's Halloween Treat will be returning to Disney's California Adventure this fall.
…In a move that seems guaranteed to generate yawns among tourists, the Anaheim City Council has approved the creation of a Walk of Fame for Orange County notable figures. If it goes forward, the stars will be added to the sidewalk on the Disneyland side of Harbor Boulevard between the pedestrian entrance to Disneyland and Katella.
If you know of any events, official or unofficial, that should be listed here, let us know.
DL: Disneyland
DCA: Disney's California Adventure
Annual Pass blockout dates:
| | | | | | | |
| 4/3 | 4/4 | 4/5 | 4/6 | 4/7 | 4/8 | |
|
| DL: 9a-11p | DL: 9a-11p | DL: 9a-11p | DL: 9a-11p | DL: 8a–Mid | DL: 8a–Mid |
| 4/9 | 4/10 | 4/11 | 4/12 | 4/13 | 4/14 | 4/15 |
| DL: 8a–Mid | DL: 8a–Mid | DL: 8a–Mid | DL: 8a–Mid | DL: 8a–Mid | DL: 8a–Mid | DL: 8a–Mid |
| 4/16 | 4/17 | 4/18 | 4/19 | 4/20 | 4/21 | 4/22 |
| DL: 8a–Mid | DL: 8a–Mid | DL: 8a–Mid | DL: 8a–Mid | DL: 8a–Mid | DL: 8a–Mid | DL: 8a–Mid |
Visit our Annual Passholders Blockout Dates 2006 page to see more dates. You can see future calendar schedules at Disneyland. As always, specifics are subject to change without notice (or occasionally, without us noticing) so when information conflicts between what is presented here and that presented by Disney, it is best to assume Disney's information is correct.
Entertainment schedule: Go directly to the Disneyland Resort schedule for this week at Disneyland.com here.
(Send an email to MousePlanet Staff)
