Q.

Greg writes: Al, The new DCA commercial just ran on TV here in Phoenix. I'm not even sure which channel it was on, so it might have been on a national network like Disney Channel or Nick (I wasn't watching the TV but my two oldest children, 5 and 6, were watching).

In the background I heard what sounded like a new commercial for DCA, so I started watching it. It had the different children riding on the roller coaster. Now both of my boys LOVE the roller coasters at Disneyland and have since they were 4 and 5 (including Space Mountain, Big Thunder, Matterhorn, etc.).

As SOON as the commercial ended (and I'm not making this up), my 5-year old Patrick states that "he's going to ride that roller coaster" on our next visit to Disneyland because "the kids were riding it on TV". I didn't have the heart to tell him that he won't be tall enough for probably at least another few years. We'll deal with that disappointment when we actually get to Disneyland / DCA in the fall.

Actually, I thought his reaction was funny, and I couldn't wait to tell my wife about your recent story taking task with the new commercials. Looks like you hit it right on the head. Looking forward to your next update
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A.

We need to keep listening to what the customers are saying, even if the honchos at Disney don't. Providing that kind of information here will only assist people as they plan their visits to the resort.

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Dennis writes:  This is Dennis from Connecticut. I spoke with you this past Sunday and I just wanted to say thanks and it was nice to meet you.

I had a three day BLAST at the Disneyland (DL) resort. I have been to Walt Disney World many times and Disneyland Paris three times and I must rank DL's MK number one! What a GEM you have out there! I was so happy with the CM's and people in general. I was amazed at how big the park felt knowing how small it really is... yeah for the Imagineers!

Equally amazing was how un-Disney the surroundings are. I knew what to expect but it STILL took me by surprise seeing the "berm" and seeing inside toon town from the highway.

I did enjoy California Adventure as part of my park hopping ticket. I *do* understand your feelings on some aspects and you do have valid ideas and concerns. I have faith it will change. I support the talent behind these places and being in their own backyard, they won't allow themselves to be embarrassed.

What *is* there is a good foundation to grow upon. What little is there is well done. I look forward to seeing it in five years.

Again - it was nice to meet you and I will continue to enjoy your site (with a grain of salt ;) Thanks again!.
 

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Q.

Leonard writes: Two weeks ago I caught the new, improved version of Believe. I was impressed with the appearance of what I guess is supposed to be Tinker bell. It appears to be a radio controlled airplane or ? with a large green light. Any info. on how they do this?
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A.

It's actually a very simple effect Leonard - but instead of telling you exactly how it is done, (and spoiling it for anyone who hasn't seen it yet) I will tell you to look off to the sides of the castle during the day and look for something on each side that is sitting on the adjacent buildings. Those two objects work together to make Tink dart around the castle.  :)

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Q.

"J" writes: Al, I was wondering why there was no information on the incident at Space Mountain from last night? (May 6th) I was one of the people who was stuck on the coaster while the CM's were clearing out the load area after a boy got hurt while getting on the ride.

The information we were given afterwards was that a boy from the Happy Hearts day group was getting on the ride and he got dizzy and fell. Apparently, they had to bring in the paramedics for him as he was badly hurt. Also, we were told there was some sort of "security incident" in the load area as they were trying to convince the guests in line to clear the area.

We were stuck on the coaster so we missed all of what happened in the load area, but we could hear people on the PA system asking the guests to leave the ride, and telling them to go on another attraction. Our big complaint as to how this was all handled is that for at least 10 minutes we were stuck in our cars with the only contact from CM's being someone who was not able to adequately use the PA system (sounding rather like the teacher from a Charlie Brown special) asking us to stay in our seats.

The brake system on the ride stopped us very abruptly, and with a similar force to being rear-ended in an auto accident. We all sat there, not knowing what had happened and without having anyone come by to check on us to make sure we were all OK. Finally a single CM came by to make sure no one was hurt, as soon as we said we were OK, she left rather sheepishly telling us she needed at least one other person to help her unload. About 15 minutes later a crew finally came by to get us off the ride, they were unable to start things up again to bring the cars back to the station so they unloaded us where we were stopped.

My biggest complaint? When we went to Guest Relations to voice our concerns, the people who talked to us (two heads of Tomorrowland attractions, as I recall) spent most of the time explaining that the whole crew at Space Mountain was needed to deal with the situation with the hurt boy and that they couldn't spare even one person to check on the rest of the guests in the ride. They also spent much of the conversation with us over-expressing their concern for the hurt boy, to the point of sounding insincere.

Every concern I voiced they tried to re-direct my complaints by trying to play on my sympathy for the hurt boy, as if I shouldn't be worried about what could have happened to myself and my friends on the ride. The whole experience at Guest Relations was very bizarre, and I doubt that anything I said will be addressed at all by Disney.
 

A.

At that time (when I asked around about that incident) I was told it was essentially due to the problems with staff turnover - no one had been working the ride long enough to learn anything about proper procedures.

Your note concerns me - as it seems nothing has changed since then - and people were just left out there yet again wondering what was going on. This can present problems of course if someone on a car becomes panicked or upset.

Keep in mind many incidents are usually NOT reported unless an injury is serious enough. There are NO investigations done as a routine matter of fact for the most part unless an employee is injured, whereupon OSHA gets involved. (For example, OSHA did NOT investigate the recent tree accident since the cast member hit by the tree was not injured seriously enough to warrant their looking into it.)

If you're stuck in the dark for an extended period of time on a ride, you are owed an explanation. There's simply no excuse for that. Let me continue to follow up with this and try to find out why nothing has changed from the first incident.

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Q.

Also, if Disney's California Adventure continues to completely and utterly flop to the point where they have to A: Fix DCA to make it right, or B: Shut down DCA for good, do the folks at Disney have any ideas or resources to deal with those possibilities?

Next, is Disney buying anymore land around the Disneyland Resort, or do they plan to purchase anymore land around the Disneyland resort for any future projects (besides the land they've already purchased for a possible third theme park)?
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Maintaining the parks to the former level of quality would probably NOT cost them that much more than what it is running them now. As I understand it from the folks who really know - the proper expenditures would be small compared to the longer lasting effects correct maintenance would have. The problems happen when things get nickled and dimed, and upkeep is delayed - making for a rehab way on down the line that costs them about five times what it should had it been kept up in the first place. Sadly financial honcho's Byron Pollitt's accounting only recognizes a short term approach - deferring these needed expenses makes his bottom line look great for the meantime.

As far as DCA being shut down, no, it won't happen. They will keep pouring money into it until they fix it. (Can't have the suits look bad you know.) The only problem with this is that you have the blind leading the doomed here - as the same people who got it wrong in the first place are making all the fixes now.  (I think if Eisner thought Paris was a fiscal nightmare, he really is going to find out what the meaning of that word is going to be with this park.) Personally I feel the core concept is fundamentally flawed - it will always be hobbled by the arrogance of the suits in charge while it was built. Disneyland proper will continue to pay the price for its weak sister.

Finally, Disney is always buying land or taking options on it around the resort. It lets them trade parcels should any needs arise, and gives them some control over some of the development nearby. Much of this is done under other names and companies, and kept on the QT, in order to keep price speculation down.

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A.

One thing that seems to be in place though is our keeping of one of the Walt Disney office replicas - the other one went to Orlando. That could serve as a centerpiece of anything should they decide to do something here.

It would be a shame if they blew if off for the west coast, thanks to the apparent misfire the new park has been.

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Q.

Robert writes: I enjoy your column and I have two questions:

(1) I remember many years ago Disneyland was closed on Mondays and Tuesdays during certain times of the year. At the time, what was the reason for this policy, which might seem odd to us today, and why was it discontinued?

(2) When DCA opened, "Eye on L.A." devoted an entire program to the new Park. It was a very positive and glowing piece ----- it really was a half-hour advertisement for DCA and Downtown Disney.

When a news organization comes to the Park to produce a show like that, how much control does Disney have over the editorial content of the show? Did they pay "Eye on L.A." to produce a positive spin on DCA?
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When Eisner came on board he (correctly I might add) figured that it cost him almost as much money not to have the place running every day as it would be to have it open - since the facilities were just sitting there anyway. Crowds could easily be brought in with special promotions if need be to fill the park up as needed. This was a no brainer fiscally of course - but sadly the level of upkeep and maintenance that down time gave them was never retained as the policy took hold.

As far as "Eye On L.A." - from what I understand - the budget for that is handled the same way the Walt Disney World holiday parade specials / shows are done on the ABC network.  As you may, or may not know, the Walt Disney Company is now this huge accounting maze of departments, all who bill each other for services rendered.

The parks division pays or shares the expenses involved to produce the show, the network or station then makes money from selling ad time on them. Since it's an in-house project, you really can't expect any kind of critical look from them, as the nature of these vehicles are strictly promotional. (Eye On L.A. by its nature is an upbeat promotional vehicle anyway, don't expect any Channel 2 Joel Grover restaurant exposes here. My guess from taking a look at it is that they do also collect some kind of production fee on a regular basis from the services / shops / businesses profiled.) Look for a small disclaimer at the end of the show's credit roll and you'll see a note something along the lines of "produced by / fees paid by Walt Disney Attractions."

Essentially they are only doing what Walt Disney originally pioneered with the original "Disneyland" TV show - the programming is designed to primarily promote the park, the station gets to fill in broadcast time, and the station (and company) profits from selling advertising on what essentially is already a subsidized program length commercial.

Now you see why Eisner, with all his vaunted synergy, is really just following along in Walt's footsteps here...  ;)

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Q.

Chris writes:  Hey there, Al. Long-time reader. Second time writer.

1. First, just wanted to make sure you were aware of how bad things were at the parks yesterday, Sunday. I was there with a friend from about 2:30 to 8:30 and only got on one ride (Space Mountain, which we hadn't ridden in a while due to earlier unscheduled shut- downs).

Yes, the Matterhorn was clearly undergoing a rehab, but at one point 3 other major rides -- Thunder Mountain, Pirates and Jungle Cruise -- were all down for unknown reasons. Let me just say that if I wasn't an AP I would have been demanding my money back. Eventually we went over to DCA... where Grizzly River was also down! What a day.

2. We went looking for the infamous Paul Pressler stone between the two parks but couldn't find it. We did, however, find one conspicuous blank stone nestled in the middle of a bunch of other stones. Did the defacing get so bad that they had to remove it? If not, do you happen to know the stone's locator number?
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1] The breakdowns have become more frequent since T. Irby and Paul Pressler have been working their "magic" on upkeep budgets. Somewhere, floating around the Team Disney Anaheim building (where all the suits hide away from the park proper) there is supposed to be a spread sheet showing downtime - and how it has increased since the economies have been put in place. Translated as a bar graph, as I understand, the steep slide downwards is only rivaled by the stock price of Priceline.com ;)

2] Paul's stone is right next to Cynthia Harriss' brick (001) - and has no number on it.  It seems La Harriss got on the proper bandwagon and got her stone when the program was announced, and Pressler apparently didn't get around to it until much later. He apparently couldn't have an underling above him you know...  so they just popped in his stone above hers. Petty eh?

Last time I checked the stone was still in place, and yet again, newly defaced.

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Q.

Samuel writes: Hi Mr. Lutz, I've been an avid reader of your column (and Koenig's too) for quite some time. It's quite sad to see how the Disney name has been falling apart in recent years.

The last time I went to a Disney park was in December 1999, to the Magic Kingdom Resort, and I was a little disappointed. The major problems I saw where that many rides I so cherished were gone (Mr. Toad's, Horizons, etc.), still, every CM me and my parents encountered were very nice to us, always helping. Besides I found quite a bit of the old Disney Magic in Epcot... I found a long lost friend of mine working as a CM in the Mexico Pavilion. She felt back then that it was a very good job (maybe because it was before Cast Deployment, I guess) It was quite surprise to found her after many years. :)

Well, what this mail is about is about the DCA attendance problem. As I told you, I'm from Mexico (betcha its your first mail from a Mexico fan) and there's a store called Comercial Mexicana (it's like a K-Mart) and it is heavily promoting DCA. Since the beginning of April they have this promotion that gives the shopper tickets to a contest (or raffle) in which the prize will be an all paid trip to DCA. I don't know how desperate the Disney Topsuits are for attendance in DCA but it seems quite a problem for them. There are about 4 or 6 trips being offered through the months of May and June.

OK, that's about it. Congratulations on keeping a very good column in the best site I've read in my very long Internet- addicted life (about 6 years cruisin' the net).
 

A.

As far as the local promotions for California Adventure, that actually is pretty standard procedure - Disneyland does pull in a lot of visitors from south of the border. It's no different than the local promotions we see here with the Orange County Register for example.

What is extraordinary is the amount they are now spending to promote the park here domestically - as I mentioned in a recent update, the numbers make things like the Pearl Harbor aircraft carrier party look like kids stuff. Again, I would LOVE to know just how much per head it is costing them to pull in those customers - along with all the last minute re-shuffling of attractions and events they are currently doing.

Paul Pressler and Barry Braverman are fully responsible for this haphazard outsized spending you know (along with Eisner). It just breaks my heart to guess at how much could have been saved, and then better spent on some wonderful future attractions instead of all the scrambling to cover up corporate behinds we see now.

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Justin writes: Hi, there! I love your site, but after reading through it tonight, it's succeeded in making me feel quite depressed. I'm not looking forward to my family's Disneyland trip now as much as I was an hour ago.

Since you brought this misery upon me (just kidding!), I was wondering if there is anything you can say that might make me feel better: some little news tidbit that might make me say, "You know, those Disneyland folks are least doing something right." Anything?

Julie also writes: Our family (a group of 11 people) is planning a trip to Disneyland at Thanksgiving time this year. We were all anxious to see the new California Adventure and we love the Magic Kingdom. We are not Disney "rookies", having made 10 trips to Disney World, 5 previous trips to Disneyland and some of us just returned from a cruise on the Disney Wonder.

After reading your updates, I am wondering if we should reconsider this trip. You paint a very bleak picture of Disneyland. Are we wasting our money?
 

A.

I'm sharing a standard e-mail response with you I send out to anyone who writes with notes such as the above:

It's best to use the information you get from the columns to help plan and prepare for your trip. That way you know what to expect when you arrive, and make sure you get for what you pay for. It can also serve as a guideline for what to discuss with the Disney company should you find anything unsatisfactory. Hopefully the time before you take your trip is enough for the company to address many of the issues.

Q.

Coy writes: Dear Al, I was wondering if you have a link or info regarding The Rivers of America and the Mark Twain. Every time my family takes a trip to Disneyland I have to hear my Dad's theory on why the river isn't clear like at the old submarines, more like a thick green color. Maybe to hide the tracks for the Mark Twain or to hide how shallow the river really is.

Dad has been saying the same thing for all these years It would be nice to finally know. If you or your staff has the answer I would greatly appreciate it so we can finally agree or disagree with him. Don't get us wrong, all of us still believe in the "Magic of Disneyland". Thanks for your help,
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A.

The main reason the river isn't clear is for show - they really don't want you knowing how deep it is. I've seen people get dunked in it (one time when a canoe CM was on his last day) and it appears from what I observed that a six footer could stand in the water with his head above it. A peek around the fence during the last major river rehab for Fantasmic (more than a few years ago) also seemed to confirm it was not all that deep too.

The dark color hides the tracks for the Columbia and the Mark Twain, and all the Fantasmic show equipment (including three much deeper pits with hydraulic scissor lifts for pumps and lights and a huge maze of gas pipes for the fire effects). It also very simply looks more authentic - as anyone who has paddled up the Mississippi could tell you.

The other reason is for cost savings - it costs the park an arm and a leg to filter and chemically treat the water to remain clear in the sub lagoon - especially since they need a custom formula that doesn't give off the overpowering odor regular chlorine does.

Back before they got rid of Cascade Peak, there was a filtering system built into the river area next to it - but it was mostly to keep the floating debris (leaves, coke bottles, the occasional smashed duck) out of the waterfall pumps that used to be in it.

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David writes:  Dear Al: I recently returned from a trip to Disneyland and was quite baffled by the current condition of the Haunted Mansion. Yea, the paint on the exterior of the building is chipping, but that I can understand.

The condition of the scrims inside of the ride are quite another story. The illusion of the floating candles in the hallway once seemed so real, now you can hardly tell what is being portrayed in the sequence, not to mention the graveyard scene which seems COVERED in dust.

While I was looking over some of your archives, I noticed that a major rehab was planned for the Mansion in spring 2002. Is this major rehab still planned to take place...please say yes. Thank you! .
 

A.

Some folks at the park are holding out a slim hope that when the Mansion does get "made over" for the Nightmare Before Christmas holiday makeover, they maybe, just maybe, will give the ride some tender loving care.

My own gut instinct is that they will yet again delay the work and upkeep that is so badly needed.

The saddest thing about this is hearing the guest relations folks explaining to people who come into City Hall to complain about the decay - "It's supposed to look like that! It's an old haunted house!"

Yeah. Sure.

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Craig writes: Hey Al, Craig here. Long time since I've talked to you. However I do enjoy your site.

I thought I'd share an experience I had today. I'm fully employed right now, but I'm looking to make a few extra dollars with a 2nd part time job. Partially for fun, and partially for a lark, I went and applied at Disneyland today. Because of my full time job, I gave availability for full time weekends and Friday evening. The receptionist at the casting center reviewed my availability and politely handed back my application saying they couldn't accommodate me.

It would seem to me, if the resort is truly short on workers, that they would be more open to people looking for a flexible 2nd job. A little bit of flexibility would open up a large crop of workers. Oh well their loss. Take Care and I enjoy the site.
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A.

Disney, as the company has grown under Eisner, continues to fossilize. It's become more bureaucratic and inflexible. While many corporations continue to innovate with job sharing, flex schedules and such - Disney doesn't want to be bothered with exploring what could be done.

One of the fiscal benefits of doing this is that it keeps short term labor costs way down - by keeping turnover high. People who move on quickly don't get increases in pay, benefits, etc.

One of the problems with this approach is that you never build a workforce that has a reservoir of knowledge to draw upon to get its work efficiently done. The long term problem created here is that without an experienced work force in place, mistakes continue to be made and workers are always having to deal with an expensive learning curve.

Flexibility would cost them money up front - and that's an Eisner No No.

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Q.

Debbie writes: Al, here is copy of a letter that I just sent Disneyland regarding the new Rancho Del Zocalo Restaurant. Since you don't have much of a review of it for your site, I thought you would like to know what a frequent Disneyland traveler's opinion is. Love your site...

Dear Sirs,

Our family was so VERY disappointed this last Wed. April 18, 2001 when we visited Disneyland. For well over a year we have been patiently waiting the re-opening of the Mexican Restaurant in Frontierland. We love Mexican food as do most Southern Californians. When the Casa Mexicana closed we were so very upset since there was not another Mexican Restaurant to enjoy in the Park. When the day came that we saw that the new restaurant was open, we couldn't wait for our next trip. We are annual pass holders and love to frequently visit Disneyland.

WE COULDN'T BELIEVE HOW AWFUL THE FOOD WAS! It is nothing at all like any good Mexican Restaurant we have ever gone to, and certainly not even close to the quality of food of the Casa Mexicana. The Chicken was all bad pieces, full of fat. There were no items with the popular ground beef mixture. The beans and rice tasted like plastic with NO flavor. They hardly gave you any cheese at all, and you had to smother all of it in that Ortega Hot Sauce, which isn't that great either. None of the menus had any sauce and were SO dry. Of course the food was also COLD when we got it.

I became very ill that night after eating dinner there and vomited it all up. I had no sign of stomach upset all day previous to that. We were just shocked at the quality of that food. My husband says we will never go there again. But again, we are so disappointed.

The facility is beautiful and it was so nice to see so much of the original atmosphere was still there. I have gone to Disneyland every ear of my life and many times within each year. I am 46 years old. I have eaten at that restaurant every time I have gone. Please can you change the menu.

I hope you can do something to help.
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A.

They did a beautiful job in the physical rehab - but when it comes to the food (former foods honcho) Mike Berry's absence is very apparent here. I would strongly suggest all readers avoid this location for now.

I miss the old restaurant's menu and quality. It wasn't gourmet Mexican food - but it was of a consistent quality and they used to have a wonderful tortilla soup that I really looked forward to.

Let me know if you get anything back other than the standard form letter won't you?

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Q.

This stage may be in the spot where there was a small gas station in the old parking lot. As a former CM, I remember seeing Parking CM's use the pumps here to fill the old lot tram's gas tanks, as this section of the lot was used for CM parking. I believe the pumps were torn out a few years before DCA was built as the park switched to natural gas trams.

Also, Craig mentioned something about a parking lot light pole still standing in the Indiana Jones building. Is this true?.
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A.

There is a parking lot sign inside the Indy queue - if you bring along a flashlight on your next visit - point it up right when you enter the movie room (where they project the seatbelt spiel). If you look carefully up in the scaffolding you'll see an old sign from the Eeyore section of the parking lot, where the building was put into.

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Q.

Thanks for all your great work these past years. I am amazed that you have the time to maintain such an amazing site.
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A.

One of the reasons you may see more than one update on the page has a lot to do with frequency - we've been updating that page more often now, and people do really like seeing a recent past update they may have missed. Each update also has gotten longer as there is more news to report - the expansion of the resort has made for all sorts of interesting news.

We are looking at some solutions for your specific situation - and hopefully they should shortly be making your life a bit easier. I'd detail more, but you know what it's like when you are in a competitive environment. Just keep checking. ;)

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Matt writes: Al, Just like all of you (out there) I love Disneyland but I have no desire to ever see DCA. I'm not even curious about it.

But here's something I'm surprised that no one seems to have brought up. I keep reading how the failure of DCA would be terrible for both the company and for guests but is it possible that its failure could ultimately be a good thing for Disneyfans? I remember reading an article about how Imagineers were hoping for Universals IOA (Islands of Adventure) to be a huge hit so that Disney would be forced to compete and build better attractions. Somehow this kind of strikes me a similar situation except that Disney now has to compete with or "better" itself because it is finding that even the casual visitor isn't gonna pay for prefab crap.

I cant imagine that after seeing all the cash and comp tickets flying out the window that Eisner's still gonna think "hey, where can I buy another Ferris wheel?" I, like all of you, am hoping for a return to quality, detail and uniqueness. If DCA had been a success then there would be no motivation to return to that. Hopefully now, there is. What do you think?.
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Endless meetings and memos have blamed everything from the weather (which was a fair excuse until Spring Break blew that one away), the economy (Disneyland Park's numbers don't seem to be hurting at all though), the ad campaign (Mickey's butt!), negative press (maybe profanity- prone short tempered Ray Gomez chewed out one too many reporters?) and yours truly (and I quote: "the damn internet").

The hurling of the Electrical Parade into the new park is supposed to get bodies in there to "see how good this park really is." Yep, that's what they really think.

Until someone (and it won't be Pressler / Braverman / Eisner, that's for sure) bites the bullet and actually listens to the customers and gives it the total overhaul it needs it appears that they will continue down this creative dead end for a long time to come.

What the customers are saying is not important here to these guys, they made the right decisions (they feel) and the public will be trained to like this park.

I suspect that the bad word of mouth is a key factor here, and that the Electrical Parade will play into that by making them look like they had to do something fast.

They probably just worsened the problem.

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Q.

Roger writes:  Hi Al, Enjoy your column very much. I visited DL and DCA on Sunday April 22 (2 park annual passholder) and found myself enjoying the day, but also observing things with a semi- critical eye as well.

Having visited DCA during a February Preview day, I was pleasantly surprised to see that most of the little things that irritated me on my first visit had been ironed out. (Spending less than five minutes in line for everything in the morning probably helped as well. The attendance, as you have reported, was very light when I was there.)

We had done most everything by noon and went over to Disneyland. Here I saw something that inspired this letter. While we were on Space Mountain (no music), as we waited to off-load, the cars in front of us were being loaded and one guest had crutches and was taking a little longer to get settled. The loader was holding the crutches for the guest and holding his hand up as well signaling to wait. Despite this, the dispatcher called up the vehicle the moment the guest faced forward and was still 3/4 standing, essentially throwing the guest into his seat. The loader stood there shaking his head and then proceeded to load the next car.

I walked out of there thinking this was an example of how people are getting injured with greater frequency at Disneyland and I wondered who would I say something to about what I saw - and would they care about a dispatcher with an itchy finger?.
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A.

Next time you see something like this - why not ask for the person in charge of the attraction? Nicely point out the problem, and ask if they will assist you in filing a report at City Hall about it.

That should a] get their attention quickly, and b] assure you are able to file a report that makes sense, properly identifies the people involved, and can have action taken upon.

Do keep in mind if you consider this, that no one is perfect. Mistakes can be made.

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Q.

Daniel writes: Al, I have worked for Mickey Mouse for 10 years and I am wondering if you have any suggestion as to where I should move my Disney stock. I never thought I would said that but I am so fed up with all the stupid decisions being made lately that I just can't take it any more.

Is anyone else as incensed by Eisner and Pressler's decisions to bring back the MSEP to DCA by July 4th.? Can you tell me how many people bought light bulbs from the last time it left the park? The way this company is now being run, soon we'll be hearing about their new offer to to have your light bulb engraved and put back into the parade, and this would only cost you $20.00. When will this money hunting, bean counting stupidity end? I long for the day that the guest's are once again the reason for the park!!!!!!!!!!

I wish the early retirement package was worth a damn, because I would have taken it in a heart beat. This company will screw anyone but it's stockholders and as a stockholder my lubricant has worn out.

I've got an idea let's build a park about California in California! Who was the brain child that approved that concept and why are they still running things. If your running a company and need to lay off 4,000 people - it seems to me your not doing a very good job. What has to take place before the Board of Directors stands up?

Thanks for letting me vent - one very pissed off Cast Member - correction I used to be a Cast Member now I'm an employee just like the rest of the world. Sorry Walt your dream has died.
 

A.

People like to go to hits, they really don't like things that are the last on the charts. I learned that lesson back in my youth working in a record store. Most customers used to pick up a chart, and make the selections from it. "It's a best seller, it's number one of KISS-FM, it must be great!"

Why do I think it's going to be a long summer in the old Disneyland parking lot?

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Q.

Jason writes: Hi! Great update today. I was just wondering if you hear a lot of complaints on the way the Disney Club is set up now? You know, the thing that used to be free and is now $40 a year?

I recently ran into a bit of trouble trying to use my discount, and decided to write a letter to complain/ comment on the specific issue I had a problem with. When I called the 800 number and asked for a mailing address for the club, the rep said "why, did you want to send back your card?" For that to be the first thing out of her mouth, I assume they must be getting lots of complaints!.
 

A.

Jason, thank you for the kind words. Next to DCA, the "new" Disney Club gets almost as many unhappy e-mails sent to me.

It appears that this was an overhaul only an accountant / bean counter could love. (And yes, I can say they are doing a LOT of refunding.)

I guess the company is getting rather good at that lately?  ;)

Q.

Bill writes: From Ain't It Cool News I learned there is a massive "game" of internet links all somehow centered around the Spielberg film "AI".

I don't know what any of it means, but in touring around the net world of AI (that's Aee Eye, not Aee elle), I ran across the following interesting tidbit at THIS LINK.

Read the first question and answer. There are mentions of DCA, "It's not pretty, especially if you end up hungry!... It can get expensive." and talk of a vermin extraction program.

Now they wouldn't be talking about the expensive food and eliminating Mickey??
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Keep in mind Spielberg is having this movie produced by DreamWorks (along with Warners). After "Sparky" Katzenberg's recent sly comments about "Shrek's" rather pointed jabs at Disney, I frankly wouldn't be surprised if it there really was something there.

BTW, I've had lunch at the DreamWorks campus - MousePlanet was up on more than a few computer screens there as I walked down the halls...  ;)

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A DCA CM writes:  Hi Al, love the steady source of information you provide us as readers. So I thought I would return the favor and contribute some info. I am a cast member at DCA and get a lot of info about changes being made or that are in the works.

I don't know if anyone informed [you] in regards to updates about Tower of Terror in Anaheim. WDI was out a couple of weeks ago with their balloons checking site lines and making layouts. We don't want Guests to look down out of the Tower of Terror and see CM's puking their guts outside DCA Cafe' from food poisoning. (This happens quite a bit) Oh how we at DCA long for the Inn Between.

There is also talk of a Rock and Roll roller coaster going in back behind the Animation building. From what I have heard the street in front of the Hyperion will be extended towards the parking lot and be labeled Vine St. Some enhancements to the Hyperion are also being worked on. The queue area will eventually be covered, the stairs will be enclosed, and bathrooms built off to the side. These are actually the final stages in a plan to have longer shows at the Hyperion. The first being Beauty and the Beast. In addition to award shows such as the Emmys. Atlantis is expected to premier there in a couple of months also.

You have probably noticed the large tent next to the limo ride, where Armageddon was originally suppose to go. Since there were so many complaints about no attractions for kids the plans for Armageddon got skuddled in favor of a kid friendly theater ([which] I think you had mentioned awhile ago). This will be a franchised attraction from WDW. Well that 'tent' was overbooked for special events and plans for that attraction will be delayed.

As you have said attendance has picked up quite nicely, with Easter being a little less than Friday and Saturday. Well on Saturday where we saw attendance in the mid 20k's we had to cancel the last two shows of 'Steps in Time' because quite a few cast members of the show had eaten at the DCA Cafe'. I wonder if they had Hamburger....lol Well this was a major blow to us since as you know entertainment is scarce at DCA right now.

I hope we get rid of [the] catering [company] eventually. I myself brown bag it because we had [the same one] at my other current place of employment and food poisoning was a regular occurrence there too. The only difference there is that an outbreak of food poisoning can cost us millions in a slipping production schedule, so we got rid of them.

Just another note before I go. I get tons of opportunities to talk to guests as this is part of the job. When I talk to these folks I encourage them to be very candid and not hold back. Of the few thousand that I have talked to about DCA and how they like it, only 2 have said they were not pleased and one of those was comparing it to Disneyland. That I feel is an unfair comparison since Disneyland has been a work in progress for almost 50 years. DCA will also be a continuous work in progress.

As always keep up the great work.
 

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And I'll be doubly sure not to have lunch with any CMs backstage at DCA too...  ;)

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Eduardo writes: Dear Al, Now since the Monorail is used more to transport guests to their hotel rooms, is Disney planning on adding some sort of Fast Pass machine to the attraction? A Fast Past machine, that will give priority to hotel guests. Because I know there are many people like me, who just go on the monorail for relaxing purposes and for trying to get sneak peeks at any new attractions being made, like from the construction of DCA. So all the people like me would be delaying hotel guests, who should have priorities, getting to their rooms.

Is there a possibility that Downtown Disney could receive a Hard Rock Cafe? That would be a fun addition, from traveling on high school band tours, Hard Rock Cafe has been a number 1 destination for me like in Hawaii, San Francisco and now Florida, having one at Disney would add more to having all the other Music Type restaurants, like the house of blues, etc.

Another thing, I am traveling to Florida for a school band trip, and our marching band and choir are performing at Epcot Center and visiting the Magic Kingdom, and Disney's MGM Studios. I cant wait, its a fun experience to perform at Disneyland and now at Walt Disney World and hopefully in the near future to perform at DCA. Does DCA do marching band performances like Disneyland and Walt Disney World? Do performers get any special deals? like free admissions etc...
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Let's answer your questions one at a time:

I think you have an excellent suggestion as to the Monorail - it's gotten more crowded now that the mall (Downtown Disney) is adding more bodies to the mix. A "hotel rider" (similar to a "single rider") line sounds like a good idea.

As far as a Hard Rock - why just settle for something you can see anywhere else, like at CityWalk? Why shouldn't we get something unique to Disney - like a souped up Sci-Fi Diner (as in Disney / MGM)? It is Downtown DISNEY, right? ;)

Disney will be really pushing the Magic Music Days promotions at the new park, especially now that they have zapped the show that used to play outside there, "Lights, Camera, Chaos!"

They used to let the bands in for free in the old days - if they would play a concert or march before a parade. Now they still have to do that stuff, but the whole program has become a profit center. Most everyone now pays an admission fee.

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Joel writes: Ya' know, it's very annoying that you blur out all the guests' faces in all the photos on your site. For me, at least, a lot of the fun in going to Disney is "people-watching" other guests, especially seeing how kids react to Disney magic. I would have liked, for example, to see how the crowd was reacting in the photos of the new parade at Paris. Don't you think y'all are being just a bit paranoid?

And that ugly logo in the corner of every picture is annoying, too. I think we all know what web site we're looking at. If you feel you must identify every picture, why not try one of those transparent distort logos like the TV networks use?.
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On the blurs: Did you hear about what just happened to Tom Green (MTV spastic comic / now Drew Barrymore's husband)? He just settled a big case out of court with a person who was filmed reacting to one of his stunts in a subway. Basically the person was in a public place, but he did not consent to use of his face (and reaction to Tom's antics) in Tom's show. (The details of this case may still be listed on Inside.com.)

It's due to these kinds of situations that our lawyers have suggested we blur the photos of visitors to the parks - since we don't have model releases for them.

On the logos: They have to be there to do two things (and they are not what you may be thinking). First it's to help stop theft of our materials from other sites (which was rampant until we started doing it, and still hampers us quite a bit). Second it's to ID us when photos are permitted to be run on other sites (such as Aint-It-Cool-News, which runs our stuff occasionally.)

When you take into consideration how much you pay for MousePlanet... ;) ...I think you'll understand some of the ways we have to do things.

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Maybe they could promote it a little better with a more visible entrance in the redo (should they stay) - and get those numbers up.

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Watching what happens to cast members and to guests because of the decisions the executives continue to make. They seem to believe that the profits of the few stockholders is worth taking from the happiness of the many, the millions, of others. I personally think the happiness of just a few is more valuable than the profits of the few, so the effect of this has been like that of fingernails raking across a blackboard.

Having worked in WDW and seeing that very few of the cast members believe anymore. Seeing that the executives make decisions that clearly say the four quality standards are just something that the lowly have to do.... sometimes I can't even finish reading the columns on MousePlanet because I keep feeling so ill.

Fortunately, I think the executives are planting the seeds of their own destruction. The foolishness is so evident to the world that they won't be able to keep blaming and putting the punishment on others for long.

I believe in Disney. I believe in the meaning of it all, and to that end I would absolutely love to be part of anything that speeds the removal of these executives and anything that restores the magic. Here are a couple of things I have thought of so far.

1) Creating a site such as the new Disney traditions site, geared toward WDW and toward the cast member audience itself. As I am now aware, anybody that puts in the the extra to make the magic in the theme parks will most likely not be rewarded, and may even be punished for their efforts. I would like to encourage the good things that they do.

2) Lots of writing for guest relations: about the good experiences and complaints about the bad ones. Now that I've read that people [don't] get their bonuses if they get too many complaints... looks like I have a way to get them back, doesn't it?

3) Development of some catchy slogan to use as a T-Shirt worn on property of WDW or other nearby parks while visiting. Like walking around wearing a shirt that said "Up with Mickey, down with Mikey." Basically as blunt as possible without getting tossed out of the park.

So that's the sort of extreme I'm willing to go to in order to get the word out and speed on the downfall of these executives. With them firmly in place and able to pass blame onto others for their own misdeeds, I think that's the kind of thing it will take. Do you know what the legalities would be with this sort of thing or have other ideas??
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One of the problems I see in communicating to the company that they need to do a better job is the lack of other online sites, such as MousePlanet that "tell it like it is" - and place the reader first in their goals. (The well done wdwblues.com being a notable exception.)

The folks here at MousePlanet tend to have much of the same mindset about how we need to cover all things Disney - we understand it's a business that sells (heck, screams about) quality, and we always look at where that level of that quality is in relation to what you pay for it. Yes, we are critical - but it is in service to the readership, not to feed our egos. I think that's why we are blessed with such a loyal (and steadily growing) readership.

One way you can help spread the word is to let readers know about us - by communicating to others online what we do and how they can benefit from our information and advice. We also gladly welcome links from non- commercial sites, and even votes in online polls such as this one (thanks Karin, for letting us know about it), which wake other folks up to what we are doing. [Yes, we have lots of readers - and are blessed with some very good continuing media coverage - but every little bit helps. :) ]

Now as to how you feel about the Disney magic slipping away - read these next letters - you'll see how people are really starting to notice...

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Daniel writes: I just went to Disneyland and wanted to give you some observations while I was there:

- The paint on top of King Arthur's Carrousel is really peeling. It looks ugly.

- Toontown's paint has faded severely. It's not just a matter of poor upkeep anymore to me: it's a matter of the storytelling that Disneyland usually does so well. Anyone would expect Toontown is be a vibrantly bright kind of place, and it isn't that right now.

- Main Street... the paint's peeling, but I saw some people working on it in the "alcove" by the lockers.

- $7.99 is CRIMINAL for a BBQ beef sandwich and a baked potatoe. I don't know how they can do this to the paying public. But I heard a rumor that they're letting you bring in food from the "outside world".

NJ writes: Hi, Just wanted to let you know how much we appreciated the info on your site. We visited the Disneyland resort 4/8 - 4/12 staying at the new Grand Californian Hotel. We had Park hopper passes as a resort guest so we were able to go to both parks. This was our 2nd trip to Disneyland - we had been there about 4 years ago. We have also been to Walt Disney World in Florida. Overall I would say our trip was good with a few negatives.

First the good; the new hotel is beautiful; being able to walk to the parks with a stroller was a big plus and the food additions in Downtown Disney were nice. We were able to do all the attractions we wanted (several more than once) using Fastpasses and baby swapping. The longest we waited was 30 minutes for (alas) Dumbo. We entered the park at about 8 am each day.

The bad. My purse was stolen the first day 4/8/01 in Red Rocketts Pizza Port. We had finished dinner, gathered up and walked out and realized I left it on the chair. The max time that elapsed was 10 minutes and it was gone. Another guest saw us looking and asked what we were looking for. They said that they saw an employee take my purse from the chair.

We talked to the manager and so did the witness. I was assured that the employee would take it right to lost and found etc etc. Well, to make a long story short - still no purse was found. I got conflicting stories from everyone I asked about lost and found policy and what they do when they find a purse. These were all from people who should know, manager and employees of the restaurant, security guards and the lost and found people themselves.

California Adventure

We had read much of your commentary before we left. We held our breath as our daughter wanted to go on Mulholland Madness and we did - with no incident. The Superstar Limo was just as you said - not very good. We did go on the Golden Zephyr and we did notice that it was closed often. Not a very good design.

Soarin over California and the Coaster were a lot of fun. I would not however say that the attractions justify the separate admission price - we wouldn't have bothered if we were not on a park hopper. This ticketing issue also delays the lines because the ticket folks have to scrutinize each ticket to see whether you can enter or not.

Disneyland

It was great to visit and do our favorite attractions. We did happen to catch Pirates open. However, we were surprised (even with your insight) at the change in the staff members.

It has been mine and my husbands memory that all of the Disney staff at both WDW & DL were over kind and wonderful. On this trip, I encountered several people who were not even nice at all. There was a woman working the Indiana Jones ride that was so rude - it was almost confrontational. She lambasted my daughter (14) and I because each of us was not holding our own Fastpass. I was holding both of them and there was no line that we were holding up so I don't see the issue! Several people appeared to be doing their shift and that was it.

There were also some very nice people that we met. Whoever was Daisy Duck had a great time with my son (15 mos.) and the sheriff on Tom Sawyer island was really great.

Grand Californian Hotel

The staff at our hotel were really nice too. We were up early with the baby a few days and took him to the lobby to run around. The desk staff was glad to put in whatever DVD we wanted in the little viewing area and offered any other assistance. The valet parking at the hotel was a bargain at $6 a day but we noticed when we left that it was up to $10 per day.

Having a refrigerator in the room was good with a baby however the spot that is not a minibar that guests can use is pretty small. Also the minibar works on a sensor system so you can't remove stuff and put it back without getting charged.

Well, I could go on but I won't. I really appreciated your site info before we left. MY daughter is into scrapbooking so I am anxious to look at the MouseMemories stuff..
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NJ - thank you for your very perceptive note. Everyone here at MousePlanet works hard to give the best information to our readers - you are our first priority always.

I especially find your observations about staffing interesting... it's not the same types of cast members we used to see at the parks. (The purse thing is scary!) Your Grand Californian comments ring very true though - in that case the crew there almost always gets great reviews.

By the way - we noticed a very subtle change in Annual Pass sales this past week (thanks to Jeff for this): you can no longer buy a DCA regular ticket, and then upgrade it later (should you change your mind) to a Disneyland only annual pass - it now has to be a two park pass. No ifs... ands... or buts.

My guess here is that they had too many folks taking one look around and then running back to the other side of the esplanade!  (I'd wondered if there were going to get bodies into that park by hook or by crook...)

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Björn writes:  I enjoy reading your column. Regarding the problems with attendance at DCA and guests complaining about not getting enough in return for their full admission price I am wondering: Is Disney at all considering to lower ticket prices for DCA? I mean they did the same when they had problems with Disneyland Paris years ago, plus adding seasonal ticket prices, too.
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We'll see. This company's management appears to have the attention span of a chicken. And I'm being generous here. ;)

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Joe writes: Al, There are a couple of news stories in the April Fool's issue of Digital Media FX that may be of interest to you, particularly the second one on "Eisney"
 

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Craig writes: I really enjoy your site. It is always my first "read" after the news. I have a question that may be hard to answer. I have asked several cast members and none seem to know anything about it.

"It" is the strange pavement in the area in front of the stage of "Lights, Camera, Chaos" in DCA. As an architect, I am fascinated with the puzzle of what appears to be almost an archeological ruin of a former building. Although everything has been ground down to produce a level pavement, you can make out the traces of concrete masonry and perhaps poured-in-place concrete walls. There are also areas covered with different patterns of ceramic tile, ground down rings of brass pipe showing where two restrooms probably were, and even oil stains in a "garage" space which appears to have had oversized doors.

Are these really the remains of a building in the former parking lot? If so my guess would be some sort of office and / or maintenance shop near the old Harbor Blvd. entrance to the lot.

But why did they go to so much trouble to preserve this remnant? It would seem to be so much easier to have ripped it all out and installed new pavement. Is this an effort to pay homage to the past? Is it in the same vein as the rumored parking lot light standard in the Indy show building?

Or is this all (or at least partially) a product of Imagineering? The oil stains do look a bit contrived. But again, why go to all this work for something that even the cast members seem not to have noticed?

Or finally, stupid me, is this just a prop for the "Lights, Camera, Chaos!" show that I have not yet seen?

Unless it is the last possibility, I would love to hear if you or any of your readers know anything about this. If it is just part of the show, please forget I asked.

Thanks again for your great site.
 

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I noticed it too on the preview days, and have gone back to take a look several times. This work was done on purpose - as there was no building out there in the parking lot originally where this area is located.

My guess (and seeming confirmation upon asking some folks about it) is that they did this to indicate some old sets were there - as you know, on a real movie backlot, they erect and tear stuff down depending on the productions filming there.

It's awfully detailed for a set though if you really examine it - and someone else offered me an explanation that it could have been showing the ruins of an old movie star's bungalow / dressing room. [Nowadays productions just rent a StarWaggon from Lyle Waggoner's company, or utilize a teamster equipped Winnebago on an exterior shoot, it is rare the star that has dressing rooms on a studio lot anymore.]

Seeing how little detail has been put into some areas (such as Paradise Pier) this kind of wonderful effort almost seems like overkill here - it's a shame that this level of quality theming is so inconsistent throughout the new park.

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Kyle writes: Hi Al. Enjoyed your update and the rumors of adding Goofy to the Superstar Limo ride.

Of course, if they really wanted to pull it off, they should do one thing: hire Jymn Magon to write the story for it. As you probably already know, Jymn was the man responsible for the extremely funny "A Goofy Movie" concerning the adventures of Goofy and his son, Max (who has been putting in appearances at DCA recently) as they travel cross-country from their home to the West Coast. Even if they don't consult with Jymn, I hope some copies of the film (and its sequel) are circulating TDA, giving folks ideas on what the ride could become.

And it wouldn't require too much work to do the rehab, either. In fact, they could get some more mileage out of the under- utilized video screen on those cars. Some good jokes could change the ride from a misguided "star search" to something truly entertaining. Ah, but who am I kidding?.
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I sat outside the exit the other day just to see the reactions from folks who had ridden it - and it was, to be kind here, not pretty. From what I could judge, the anger seems to boil up higher the longer the wait is to ride it. One rather loud- mouthed kid who exited kept shouting out to whoever would listen "SuperStar Lame-oh!"

How come Paul Pressler or Michael Eisner are never around at these kinds of special Disney moments?  ;)

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Josh writes:  I went to Disneyland for the first time with my wife, at the age of 25. I had a great time but, I was disappointed that the Matterhorn was closed. How can I get a report on what rides will be working when my family go to Disneyland in September.
 

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If you really have your heart set on a particular ride, what I would do is wait until it is actually IN a rehab, then plan a visit for shortly afterwards. That way you can be assured you will be able to enjoy it. There are too many other variables otherwise.

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Tom writes: Hello, My family and I recently went to California Adventure Park. We were pleasantly surprised because the media had painted the Park as overpriced and short on rides and things to see. The five of us had a great time on the rides and loved the beautiful landscaped areas.

We went on a weekend and stayed at a local hotel. We were prepared for the prices, but didn't see much of a price problem. The people who complained about the prices should try attending a hockey game sometime. We tried Disney's Fastpass and recommend it as the way to go. With the temperatures on the rise, the water ride was our favorite. We dried out fast enough, especially after I had to show my son that "dad" still could outrace him in the Challenge trail.

We must have mistimed our visit because we kept looking for the walking tree that someone told us about. They said it was amazing to watch walk around. The parade is a must-see and hopefully the music played by them will be available soon.

The only attraction we thought was disappointing was California Dreams. We came out of the movie so down and depressed. I like history and reality as much as the next guy but we go to Disney for escape. In the film the women were abused and downtrodden; the Chinese were abused - they even blow up a child; the miners were "losers" according to the woman on the screen, and this was all laced together with a few uplifting moments of sports and some tech improvements. All my son could remember was the Chinese boy on the side of the mountain being blown to bits.

Sure hope Disney rethinks this one and loses the bad parts. Even Whoopi Goldberg couldn't rescue this one. I know all these things happened in California history but there are so many more ways of showing the coming of age pleasantly. We weren't the only ones shocked by the harshness, several others around us were talking about it also.

Thank you for providing an enjoyable site to peruse and give feedback..
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Thank YOU Tom for the thoughtful note - let's see if I can answer some questions here for you:

First, a photo of "DiVine" (below) - so you can see what you missed. It could well be that you may have walked right by her and never noticed she was there, she is that good. She appears to be a hit with the crowds.

The parade music is coming on an official park CD very soon, keep checking with us as to when it becomes available.

(A note for all California Adventure visitors about the parade - it seems they have cut back performances to just one now in the evenings (8 PM this week for example).

I understand they did this when they kept seeing half empty routes on both shows, so they decided they wanted one full performance instead and to pay the performers for half a day instead of a full one.)

As far as the Golden Dreams movie - I keep hearing they will get rid of the death scene, I'll keep folks abreast of when it happens if it does.

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"T" writes: Al, Just read the LA Times piece regarding the mouse ears actor in the 'Soaring Over California' pre-show and his resemblance to you. I think it is coincidence since he is actually not a actor, but an Emmy award winning writer from Frasier named Jay Kogen. He is a Disney fan and has connections with the Mouse House.
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I'm still getting e-mail on this - despite letting folks know it isn't me.  :)

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I rode Psycho Mouse within the first hour of it opening for the first time (after all the big wigs and invites). I thought it was a great ride. No injuries what so ever, nor did there seem to be a chance of any. As I write this I understand Mullholand Madness is still closed due to injuries. Do you know who designed Mullholland Madness? They must be new in the roller coaster biz.
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From what I understand the same company also just built LegoLand's new Technic Coaster. The big differences between the two are 1] the track layout, Lego's has a bigger initial drop, and 2] the car design, Lego's is a custom built vehicle.

I suspect the problem isn't so much with the coaster track, than it is with the actual design of the ride cars. Lego's coaster doesn't make you sit with a shield around you (as with most coasters of this type), Disney's does. Take a look at Lego's car HERE, then our photo below of Mulholland's car:

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In the shot below you can see they have boarded up the old Fantasyland skyway station - what with the pried off shields, and the unpainted plywood, it looks like a tenement.

Wouldn't the old station be a great character photo-meet place? Not to hard to fix up for that, huh? What do you think?
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Like you, I'd love to see that building used again - if nothing else for a dessert shop. Could you imagine having a nice coffee and rich Swiss chocolate goodie up there, with a view from above of Fantasyland?

The location is also rumored to be one of the areas they are considering for the entry point to a new attraction. Although with the current budgeting mindset, I wouldn't hold my breath.

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Don writes: Hello Al, I thought you might be interested in something that happened to My wife and I last weekend. We were visiting our local Disney store and had stopped to watch the California Adventure (DCA) commercial on the big screen. It was the one with Buzz looking over the berm at Disneyland and describing the new park. Anyway, a store employee notices us and walks over from across the store. She then proceeded to nervously say to us "They have lots of rides there" and quickly walk away again.

That was it. No offer to help us find anything or answer questions. Just a quick suggestion that there really is something to do at DCA. In fact, those were the only words spoken to us during our entire 10 minute visit to the store. My wife and I had to leave the store so as not to start laughing then and there. It was so obvious that she was following company orders to sell the impression that CA had lots to do. They must be getting a little desperate when they start telling Disney Store cast member to talk up the parks. Have you heard of anyone else having this kind of experience?

Actually, I look forward to visiting DCA someday, even though I am not under the illusion that it has "lots of rides." DC