Update for May 9 – 15, 2011
Go directly to: News & Views | Join our Networks | Current Refurbishment/Attraction Closures | Community Events | Resort Events | Discounts and Promotions | Park Schedule/Blockout Dates
News and Views
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides World Premiere | Two CHOC Events Announced | Lost & Found Finds a New Home | Resort construction update | This and That… | Crowd Forecast
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides World Premiere
It took nearly two weeks of construction and preparation in Frontierland, New Orleans Square and Main Street, U.S.A., but the highly anticipated world premiere of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides enchanted thousands of guests last Saturday evening at Disneyland. The park closed at 5 p.m. to accommodate the fan and media frenzy surrounding the official debut of the fourth installment of Disney’s highly successful Pirates of the Caribbean movie franchise. Guests started lining up at 11 p.m. on Friday in hopes to get the perfect spot along Main Street, U.S.A. that would afford them a brief glimpse of their favorite movie stars. With an all-star cast including Johnny Depp, Geoffrey Rush, Penelope Cruz and Judi Dench, to name a few, it is no wonder that thousands of guests decided to spend an entire day at Disneyland sitting under gloomy skies on a metal bleachers.
last week’s Disneyland Resort Update you can see that a lot of progress was made in a week as the decorations and theming along the Rivers of America made the temporary outdoor theater into a first-class 3-D showcase.
link) Mark Twain Riverboat, Sailing Ship Columbia, Davy Crockett Explorer Canoes, and Tom Sawyer’s Island should reopen by Friday May 13. Fantasmic! is scheduled to return Saturday May 14.
Two CHOC Events Announced
The 21st anniversary of the CHOC Walk in the Park 5K, “Let the Memories Begin, ” through Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park will take place Sunday, October 16, 2011. Last year over 14,000 CHOC Walk in the Park participants raised more than $2 million helping to support the care, services, education and research that the Children’s Hospital of Orange County provides children. The 5K walk begins in Disneyland Park, continues through Disney California Adventure Park and finishes in the Downtown Disney District. Along the way your favorite Disney characters will be there to cheer you on. For more information on the CHOC Walk in the Park, please visit their website.
CHOC and the Disneyland Resort are also teaming up on Saturday June 18, 2011 for the Paint the Way to Miracles & Magic. This event will take place in the Downtown Disney District and is open to children between the ages of 5 and 15. Participants will have an opportunity to hand paint a custom tile that will be installed in a beautiful, lighted display in Downtown Disney. The event is limited to 192 tiles and costs $50 per child. The 45-minute painting sessions begin at 9 a.m. and every hour thereafter until 2 p.m. For more information on this exclusive event and to buy tickets, visit the official event website.
Lost & Found Finds a New Home
On Tuesday, May 10, the Disneyland Resort Lost & Found will move from to the Guest Services building west of the Disneyland Park entrance. The new Lost & Found location will service Disneyland Park, Disney California Adventure Park and Downtown Disney. The Guest Relations window outside of Disney California Adventure Park will move to Ticket Booth No. 8 in the western portion of the esplanade, near Downtown Disney. The Guest Relations Lobby within Disney California Adventure Park will remain in place until further notice and will be relocated at a later date. The Disneyland Park Guest Relations location in City Hall remains unchanged. The Lost & Found window will continue to open at 8 a.m. and close one hour after the theme parks close.
Resort construction update
The Sunshine Plaza we once knew continues to transform into Los Angeles circa the 1920s. Last Monday, the demolition and removal of the dining area outside of Baker’s Field Bakery and Bur-r-r-Bank Ice Cream changed the landscape of Disney California Adventure Park again. Additional seating was added to Taste Pilot Grill to accommodate the dining needs of guests.
…Last Wednesday the DisneyParks Blog (link) released a photo of some of the new Little Mermaid merchandise that will be available in Disney California Adventure Park later this spring when Ariel’s Undersea Adventure opens.
The El Capitan is also offering a special “Pirate Marathon” beginning Thursday May 17 at 9 a.m. Guests can see Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, and then Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. This special marathon includes concessions, meals and much more. For marathon tickets, call 1-818-845-3110.
…Visitors planning trips to the Disneyland Resort should make a point to check the Current Refurbishment/Attraction Closures section each week for the most recent updates. The Disneyland Resort Web site currently only publishes refurbishment information about six weeks in advance. Be sure to check the most recent Park Update (link) for the latest changes, as MousePlanet does not edit past Park Updates to reflect changes.
Crowd Forecast
Advertisement Crowd information and forecasts are provided by TouringPlans.com, the website of the Unofficial Guide to Disneyland, to help you better plan your trip to the Disneyland Resort. TouringPlans.com gathers wait time data from a team of in-park researchers and users of their Lines mobile phone application, and then predicts crowd levels for the next 365 days. Using a scale from 1 to 10, TouringPlans.com has a 90 percent accuracy of predicting the crowds to within 1 point, helping visitors prepare for their trips so they can “Do more. Wait less.”
|