Disney California Adventure – Page 87

DCA Preview Center plans changed again

WDWNT on February 16, 2008

It looks like plans have changed again for the California Adventure Preview Center. Originally, it was to be in the un-used San Francisco buildings, next to Golden Dreams. The plan was then changed for it to be in the Esplanade. But according to the latest Annual Passholder newsletter, the Preview Center will now be inside the park. The only question is where:

“Walt’s California” is Coming to Disney’s California Adventure® Park

Imagine that you are an ambitious young animator back in the roaring 1920’s. Step off a gleaming steam train and take in the beauty of a sun-soaked California paradise that promises to make all your dreams come true.
That’s the way it all began for Walt Disney, and soon it will be the way it begins for everyone who enters the re-imagined entry plaza at Disney’s California Adventure® Park.

“The creative evolution of Disney’s California Adventure® Park will connect Guests to Walt’s own California adventure and reflect the place that he found when he first arrived with a cardboard suitcase in his hand and a head full of dreams,” said Jay Rasulo, Chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts.

Beyond the new entry plaza, Guests will discover exciting new attractions, fantastic new entertainment, unique new stores and delicious new dining opportunities, including:

A major new attraction based on the animated Disney classic “The Little Mermaid”

An amazing nighttime spectacular that plays out on the sparkling waters of Paradise Bay

Toy Story Mania! — a new attraction that combines the fun of classic boardwalk games and the Disney*Pixar “Toy Story” films.

A 12-acre “Cars” Land that recreates the town of Radiator Springs, complete with three amazing new attractions featuring characters from the hit Disney*Pixar film “Cars.”

Work on some of these enhancements has already begun, and the rest will follow in phases. It’s expected that everything will be completed within the next five years.

Be sure to keep an eye out for a special preview center opening soon inside Disney’s California Adventure® Park — and check back here for updates!

DCA Phase II

WDWNT on February 14, 2008

The Blue Sky Disney blog has some interesting information on what could possibly be coming during Phase II of the DCA expansion. Keep in mind that these are all rumors. One idea is to…

… take the Pacific Wharf area and turn it into the San Francisco area of the park. It’s one of several proposals that are being pitched for the Wharf area in the Second Phase.

Golden State will go from being “extreme sports/rafting” themed to a sort of national park type theme. Animatronic creatures will be added to Grizzly River Run, & a E-Ticket locomotive type ride may replace the Redwood Creek Challenge Trail.

The Hollywood Backlot area will be themed more toward the 30’s Hollywood that they abandoned in the early design phase of the park. There is a proposal to take all the area around the TOT attraction that is used for the road access to the Timon parking lot and transform it into the Golden Era of Hollywood with several ventures and areas that evoke the time when Walt Disney started to make motion pictures and buckle the system. Just as the new front entrance will give visitors a look at what Los Angeles was like when Walt came here in the late 20’s, the Hollywood section will continue on that by focusing on the glory of Hollywood in the 30’s. The area around the Hyperion Theater will finally become the grand entrance that it was deprived of under Pressler. At least one E-Ticket will be going into the Hollywood section but right now the Bothans don’t have credible evidence as to what direction narratively it will go.

The entrance to the area right past the HBL will lead to the jewel of D(C)A… Carsland. The land which will take up 20 percent of the park will have 3 attractions upon opening four years from now… Radiator Springs Racers, Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree and Luigi’s Roaming Tires. But the new land was designed to hold at least two more attractions. By the Second Phase we should see at least one more D-Ticket or a plussed C-Ticket at the least. The Paradise Pier area will get another E-Ticket during the Second Phase, most likely one of several that have been pitched for the helix next to the entrance of Screamin’ or it will have an entrance there with an attraction behind the stage. Should enough money be available expect Goofy’s Sky School to be taken down and a true E-Ticket put in its place. And the proposals so far include one attraction that is an original thrill ride and another that is based on a classic character.

Even NY thinks DCA is bad!

WDWNT on February 10, 2008

Here’s an interesting article from the New York Times about Disney’s California Adventure, that proves to you that even non-Disney geeks despise DCA:

Visit Disney’s California Adventure — a 55-acre theme park next door to the fabled progenitor of the modern amusement Mecca, Disneyland — and you will find a noisy reminder of what happens when a company loses its focus and cuts corners.

The Walt Disney Company built the park on the cheap in 2001, and many rides are copies of familiar carnival workhorses like the Ferris wheel. A lack of landscaping can leave guests sweltering. Outdoor shows were borrowed from other Disney properties. And the theme, built around tributes to California, is modest except for an occasionally unintentional ghost-town atmosphere: The park draws about 6 million visitors a year, a trickle compared with the 15 million who swarm Disneyland.

Now, Disney is embarking on a $1.1 billion, five-year effort to get California Adventure on track. The blueprints call for ripping out ho-hum rides and adding elaborate new ones, rebuilding the park’s entrance — a hodgepodge of turnstiles, a miniature Golden Gate Bridge and pastel tile murals — to shift the focus to Disney iconography.

Mike & Sully to the Rescue, re-opened?

WDWNT on February 9, 2008

For our first news post, we’re hearing that Monsters Inc- Mike & Sully to the Rescue at Disney’s California Adventure, which was originally supposed to open on February 14th, may of re-opened today. If you have ridden it please let us know.

We shall have more on this as it comes available…

DisneyGeek DLR Picture Update

WDWNT on January 1, 1970

Our friends over at DisneyGeek have posted a new Disneyland Resort Update, & here are a few of the most interesting pictures:

Some of the trams are getting new seats, which have a rougher feel to them

A rare Downtown Disney update… The Pirates room in the World of Disney has been replaced with a Toontown room

A bunch of drawings like this have been placed on the shelves

More pictures of the Toontown room can be found here

A bunch of signs for the Food & Wine Weekends have been placed around DCA. Let’s take a look at a few of them…

The main entrance to the Golden Vine Winery

These signs are on various lamp-posts & light-towers through-out the park

Along the pathway near the Golden Vine Winery

The entrance to Pacific Wharf

Pretty self-explanatory

Quickly over to Disneyland we go… A better look at the new Grand Marshal vechicle

And finally, this sign appears outside the Dream Suite if it is occupied

Thanks again to DisneyGeek for these pictures! For many more, check out their latest Disneyland Resort Update!

Dateline Disneyland Picture Update

WDWNT on January 1, 1970

Let’s take a look at some various things going on through-out the Disneyland Resort from this week’s Dateline Disneyland on MiceAge:

The Harbor Blvd. entrance to the resort is closed due to electrical work for the DCA & Grand Californian expansions

The Pixar Play Parade sign at the Mickey & Friends Tram Station is getting some work done

A copy of the Buzz Lightyear’s Astro Blasters mural has been added to the Segway Experience in Innoventions. Talk about originality!

Here’s a better look at the new Build Your Own Lightsaber stand inside Star Traders

The exit waterfall at the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage is getting some extensive work done

The hot dog/turkey leg stand opposite Toy Story Midway Mania is to be known as Don Tomas

DisneyGeek DLR Update

WDWNT on January 1, 1970

Let’s take a look at some various things going on through-out the Disneyland Resort from the latest Disneyland Resort Update on DisneyGeek:

A new banner up at the Mickey & Friends Parking Structure

One of the counters & some seating at the Bengal Barbecue are behind walls

Apparently this is new wood for the Pacific Wharf Bridge

One of the shop windows in Downtown Disney now displays Disney’s Fairytale Weddings

It’s Tough to be a Bug is closed until May 23rd

And Corn Dog Castle is closed until May 22nd

Finally, it seems the Carnation Cafe restrooms are getting some work done

DisneyGeek DLR Update

WDWNT on January 1, 1970

Our good friends over at DisneyGeek have put up another Disneyland Resort Update. Let’s take a look at some of the latest happenings through-out the Resort:

Construction on the new bakery facility for the Disneyland Resort restaurants, near the Mickey & Friends Parking Structure.

Now this list of unavailable attractions seems more right than what I saw on Tuesday. Notice how the Hyperion Theater isn’t listed.

These walls are most likely up to install the giant Mickey pumpkin for Halloween.

Fastpass is currently unavailable for Buzz Lightyear’s Astro Blasters.

The longest line seen at the park for the Princess meet ‘n greet at the Princess Fantasy Faire. This was true for both DisneyGeek’s day at the park, as well as mine last Tuesday.

Sign at the Toontown Train Depot notifying guests that the New Orleans Square Train Station is closed.

When you pass the New Orleans Square Train Station, a wooden wall is right up against you.

Even though the new Wishing Star Crystals store has opened, the Three Fairies Magic Crystals store sign is still up.

All references to McDonalds have apparently been removed from Harbour Galley.

They’re fixing up one of the French Market signs.

The Disneyland Dream Suite was blocked off for some reason.

This photo store was closed for some reason.

The Year of a Million Dreams cups are no longer being used. Now it looks like they’re using plain, boring Coca Cola cups.

Finally, a cool display of different Mr. Potato Head figures in Midway Mercantile.

DisneyGeek DLR Picture Update

WDWNT on January 1, 1970

Let’s take a look at some various things going on through-out the Disneyland Resort from the latest DLR Update on DisneyGeek:

A sign for the Adventure Roadmaps

Some Downtown Disney coupon thing

The popularity of Toy Story Midway Mania is rubbing off on the rest of the Pier

A pin trading cart for the upcoming Mickey’s Pin Odyssey

DCA or Bust!! Some people would prefer to bust…

Haven’t seen this before… Sure is funny!

New Wall-E merchandise

The tarps from Donald’s Boat are down, but the walls are still up

Club Penguin has been added to the games you can play in Innoventions

DLR Pictorial – Part 2: 6/24-6/26

WDWNT on January 1, 1970

Now here’s the second part of my pictorial, covering Tuesday the 24th, through Thursday the 26th:

Here are a few more shots of the Innoventions Dream Home

Plaza Pavilion behind tarps

Now let’s take a look at the Indiana Jones Summer of Hidden Mysteries!

Here’s the pointless photo spot

The new, awesome, Secret of the Stone Tiger show in the Oasis

The theater for the show itself looks awesome (first time I’d been in the Oasis)

After the show, Indy battles a bad guy through-out Adventureland

Moving outside of Disneyland for a brief moment… The Anaheim GardenWalk is now somewhat open. Once it’s fully open, we’ll bring you coverage of this new mall that could affect the future of the Disneyland Resort!

Now going back over to Toy Story Midway Mania… Take a look at the difference in theming here! TSMM’s amazing theming makes Paradise Pier look even worse now!