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Disneyland Resort Update for April 21 – 29, 2003 |
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Go directly to: News & Views | Current Refurbishment/Attraction Closures | Park Events | Discounts/Promotions | Park Hours | Events/Entertainment Schedule News and ViewsAnd it's not even your birthday – Visitors who get Fastpass tickets for Star Tours may get a bonus — a “surprise” Fastpass for Honey, I Shrunk the Audience. The tickets are dispensed together from the Fastpass machine, and the ticket for Honey, I Shrunk the Audience expires at the begining of the return time for Star Tours. At Disney's California Adventure (DCA) park across the way, Soarin' Over California Fastpass tickets come with a surprise ticket for It's Tough to be a Bug. Why a two-for-one offer? In Disneyland, cast members say that this is an effort to keep visitors occupied while they are waiting for their Fastpass return time. Rather than leaving visitors to wander around Tomorrowland — and notice just how many rides are closed — they can spend that time watching Honey I Shrunk the Audience.
At DCA, the bonus Fastpass has resulted in huge increases in traffic to the It's Tough to be a Bug show. One manager said that the show hasn't been so busy since the park opened in 2001. Most visitors seemed pleased with the unexpected bonus, but some are confused. Despite the name, these tickets are not really “Fastpasses.” Visitors join the regular line, and wait with everyone else. Both the Honey I Shrunk the Audience and It's Tough to be a Bug shows run every 20 minutes. A visitor who gets a “Fastpass” for one of these shows at 12:02 is still going to need to wait in line for the next available show, 18 minutes away.
“So why do we need this ticket?” asked one visitor. “You don't, really,” explained a cast member, “It's more of an invitation than a ticket — Just to let you know that there's something else to do while you're waiting.” Well, an invitation is nice. In fact, Disneyland used to do something similar, by offering “tickets” to the Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln attraction to visitors who rode some of the Main Street vehicles. And some early Fastpass tickets came printed with a suggestion of what to do while you waited for your return time. “While you are waiting for the Autopia, why don't you explore Innoventions?”
To really be a Fastpass, the ticket should list a specific show time, and let guests wander around until the show. But — at least in Tomorrowland — that's the last thing Disney wants to happen.
Spring break notes – If you are planning a trip to the resort during spring break, you can experience a few rare treats. Based on park attendance, the Sailing Ship Columbia will be sailing from noon to 4:00. On nights without fireworks, you can enjoy an after-dark cruise on the Mark Twain — the last trip departs at 9:15 nightly. Disneyland hosts a “Spring Break Party” featuring three artists: LMNT, Rose Falcon and PLAY. Each band performs one set nightly, from April 22 through 26, on the Club Buzz Stage (LMNT does not perform on April 26.)
Hollywood get the short “shift” – With DCA's new Playhouse Disney show open, the Hollywood Backlot District once again opens and closes with the rest of the park. Well - most of Hollywood adopted this new schedule. After spring break ends, Rizzo's and Off the Page become “short shift” locations, and the stores open at noon, two hours after the rest of the park. Because these stores will only be open six hours most days, the full-time cast members are being transferred to other locations in the park where they can work a full-time schedule. This change makes not much difference at Rizzo's, which sells Muppet plush and toys, but it has the potential to wreak havoc at Off the Page, DCA's art and collectibles store. All of the long-term cast members, many with years of experience in these high-end lines, are being transferred out of Off the Page. They will be now working in general merchandise stores like Greetings, while part-time cashiers staff Off the Page.
Why was this change made? Cast members blame the decision on Roy Hunt, a merchandise exec. During morning trips through the Hollywood District, Hunt felt that there weren't enough visitors carrying shopping bags. Since visitors were not doing their shopping in the morning, he reasoned there was no point in opening the stores before noon. Cast members dispute his observation, saying that most customers choose to have their heavy, bulky and fragile purchases sent to their hotel room, or mailed to their home. They certainly don't wander the park with a $1200 painting any time of the day. While this cutback may save a few staffing hours here or there, the decision will almost certainly cost money in the long run. Simply put, it takes training and experience to sell high-end collectibles. Part-time cast members may be able to ring up a $20 stuffed toy, but they won't have the knowledge necessary to sell $300 animation cells, or $600 Walt Disney Art Classics sculptures. The Art Classics line was pulled from most Disney Stores for just this reason — it was too difficult to train, and retrain, the constantly changing staff. It's simply too bad that DCA needs to relearn the same — and expensive — lesson.
Visitors react to Playhouse and Pooh – A week ago, the Disneyland Resort opened two new attractions, Playhouse Disney – Live on Stage and The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. We know how Disney feels about these two shows. During last week's Cast Blast presentations, Disneyland Resort president Cynthia Harriss declared the new Pooh attraction to be “a hit,” and encouraged cast members “to go over [to Playhouse Disney] to see just how much the children enjoy it.” We know how the media reacted — according to L.A. Times staff writer Robert Niles, the ride was “sweet, but it's a retread.” And we know how our readers reacted. Patrick, a former cast member who posts on our MousePad message boards as DsneNut, said of the new ride, “I had a good time on it. I thought the sets and characters were really cute and the story flowed pretty well. And I especially liked the music score, it was very clear and easy on the ears.”
Other members were not so kind. In fact, several threads have been devoted to debating the pros and cons of the new ride. But Disneyland executives, local media and annual passholders are not the real test, and everyone waited to see how the public reacted to the new attractions. Based on the lines and crowds during the first week of spring break,
the response seems to be collective yawn. At noon on a fairly busy day
last week, when Disneyland's attendance was enough to bring out the Sailing
Ship Columbia to soak up the crowds, the standby line for Pooh ride
was just 40 minutes. At the same time, the standby line for Splash Mountain
was 85 minutes, and Pirates of the Caribbean — which has a much higher
hourly capacity — had a 45-minute wait. Over at DCA, Playhouse Disney is popular, but has not reached its 500-person capacity since opening weekend. Even so, the attraction has had an unexpected side effect — it seems to reduce the lines for the Aladdin show. Since Playhouse Disney opened, cast members report that lines for Aladdin are much shorter than normal. Perhaps visitors can only take so many theater-based attractions in one day. Current Refurbishments and Attraction Closures
Note: Refurbishment schedules are estimates only. All information is subject to change without notice. To get the most recent updates, call Disneyland at (714) 781-7290.Park EventsDisneyland Resort Pin Trading Night – Thursday, April 24. Pacific Ballroom, Disney's Paradise Pier Hotel from 7:00 to 10:00 pm. Jose Hess Jewelry Trunk Show – Saturday April 26, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at New Century Jewelry on Main Street, U.S.A. ABC Super Soap Weekends return to Disney's California Adventure this spring. Stars from All My Children and One Life To Live will attend May 31 and June 1, while General Hospital and Port Charles celebs will be featured on June 7 and 8. Hotel packages are available for the event, and include an exclusive breakfast with the stars and a commemorative gift. Further details are available on our MousePad message boards. To book your package, call 714-520-5050. Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl – World Movie Premier. A private world premier of the new Disney movie, based on Disneyland's Pirates of the Caribbean attraction. Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl – Merchandise Special Event. Wednesday, July 9, 2003 at Disneyland. This event will include a preview screening of the new Pirates of the Caribbean movie. Further details will be released on April 14 — keep an eye on the Disney Gallery Web site for more details. Haunted Mansion Holiday Exclusive Dinner – Wednesday, October 1, 2003. Haunted Mansion Holiday Event – Thursday, October 2, 2003 Tickets for the Haunted Mansion Holiday events go on sale in late August or early September – check this page for updates. Current Discounts & PromotionsPark hopping in Northern California - AAA members in Northern California can now purchase 2-day Park Hopper tickets at their local CSAA office. The tickets will be available from April 17 through June 19, 2003. The adult price is $99.00, kids 3-9 pay $79.00. This ticket is also available at Disneyland ticket booths, or at Disneyland.com. The second day of the ticket must be used within 13 days of the first use. Free coffee on Main Street, revisited – Receive a free small coffee when you buy a mug at the Market House on Main Street, USA. This offer is only valid at the Market House, and is for a limited time only. The Market House has just begun serving the Mickey's Really Swell Coffees as part of this promotion. Now you can try the Disney Blend, Disney Decaf, French Vanilla and Hazelnut flavors sold at the parks. Annual passholder discounts at Alamo – California residents get discounts of up to 20% off Alamo's retail rates in the United States. Disneyland annual passholders can get a free Disneyland Resort Character Breakfast voucher when the rent their car for 3 days or more from March 24th through August 31, 2003 at the Los Angeles Airport location. For more details and the discount code you'll need for this offer, visit the annual passholder section of the Disneyland Web site. ESPN Zone discounts for annual passholders – Disneyland annual passholders can get an "Season Ticket Frequent Dining Card" at the Downtown Disney ESPN Zone. The Season Ticket entitles you to a free soda with your meal purchase of $6.99 or more. Once you have made four meal purchases, you'll receive the 5th meal and soda free, and receive a chance to win a pair of tickets to the ESPY Awards in 2004! See location for more information and details. City Pass now available with AAA packages – You can now purchase the Southern California CityPass with Walt Disney Travel Company packages. With a Southern California CityPass booklet, you will receive admission to five separate entertainment options. Admission includes:
Instead of a Disneyland Resort Park Hopper Ticket currently included in Walt Disney Travel Company-California packages guests can be select a Southern California CityPass for an additional charge of $47 per CityPass for guests ages 10 and up, and $32 per CityPass for guests ages 3 through 9. Please note: The Southern California Citypass does NOT include the $10 ESPN Zone Arena Game Card, the Walt Disney Travel Company-California feature to collect multiple Fastpass tickets at one time or two extra days of Disneyland Resort Theme Park admission for free. Anaheim Marriott Disney Package available for Marriott Rewards members – Make your Disneyland vacation as easy as saying "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah" with a Disneyland package at the Anaheim Marriott. For a low rate of $419, through May 31, 2003, you'll find dreams really do come true with this fabulously priced package. Anaheim Disney Package includes:
Some restrictions apply. Membership in the Marriott Rewards program is required. Click to learn more about this offer and for complete terms and conditions. SoCal Salute – The Southern California resident discount ticket program runs January 6 - May 16, 2003. Instead of a discounted ticket, residents will get two one-day admissions for their $47/$37 – one for Disneyland, and one for Disney's California Adventure. This ticket is good for only one admission to each park (meaning you cannot go to Disneyland twice on separate days). The two admissions do not have to be used on consecutive days, but the first admission must be on the same day as the ticket purchase, and the second must be used by May 16, 2003. And while the ticket is not intended to be a park-hopper, which would allow you to visit both Disneyland and DCA on the same day, some readers have reported that they were allowed to use the ticket as a one-day park hopper. These tickets are nontransferable. You must provide proof of residency at the time of purchase, and you will be asked to print your full name on the tickets. When you return for your second admission, you need to show ID matching the ticket. This offer is limited to 5 tickets per qualifying person. Alaska Airlines airfare and hotel specials – Alaska Airlines is offering two specials for travel to the Disneyland Resort. A MousePad member alerted us that the airline is again offering the popular Kids Fly Free special, which includes airfare, hotel, park-hopper tickets, and more. This special offer can only be booked by calling Alaska Airlines at 1-800-468-2248. Adults traveling without kids can take advantage of other special hotel and air packages by booking at the Alaska Airlines Web site. The “Get a 5-Day Park Hopper ticket for the price of a 3-Day ticket” promotion has been extended through January 5, 2004 – These tickets are available when you order online from Disneyland.com. Restrictions apply – see site for details. AAA Passport Plus Package – For $122.75, you can get a 5-day park hopper and the following extras:
A $13.75 FedEx fee applies to each reservation, (not per person). This package is available without an air or hotel purchase, and must be purchased at your local AAA affiliate office at least 5 days before you plan to use the tickets. Many readers have experienced difficulties when trying to purchase this package from their local AAA affiliate. Be sure to read this thread on our MousePad discussion boards, for more information about the package and tips on how to help your AAA travel agent book your package. AAA / Disney's Resort Magic Package – This package requires a minimum 2-night hotel stay, and includes:
You can book this package through your local AAA affiliate travel agent. Park Hours
Entertainment Schedule
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2005 • January: 3, 10, 17, 24 2004 • January: 5, 12, 19, 26 2003 • Jan: 6, 13, 20, 27 2002
Don't forget our Park Updates: Walt Disney World, published on Mondays. |
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