Enter to Win a Sneak Preview of Tinker Bell!

WDWNT on September 19, 2008

Similar to what is being done over at Walt Disney World, Disneyland Annual Passholders can now enter to win a sneak preview at Disneyland of the upcoming Tinker Bell movie:

Enter the Tinker Bell Annual Passholder Sneak Preview Sweepstakes to be one of the very first to see the all-new movie Tinker Bell before it arrives on DVD. Hear Tinker Bell speak for the very first time as you journey deep into the magical world of Pixie Hollow, the fairies’ secret hideaway in Never Land. This exciting opportunity is available exclusively to Disneyland® Resort Annual Passholders.

Some of the side notes:

Winners will be notified by e-mail on or around October 9, 2008. Only winners will be notified.
Guests are encouraged to select multiple time periods to increase their chances of winning, but they are only eligible to win a single time period. Annual Passholders may only enter the sweepstakes once and will not be able to modify their entry once it is submitted.

All members of your party must be present and show their valid Disneyland® Resort Annual Passport. Admission is non-transferable and may not be sold. The winning Annual Passholder must be present for the party to enter the sneak preview event.
Winning time periods will be strictly enforced. Guests will only be allowed to enter the event queue before the start of their winning time slot.

October 25, 2008 and October 26, 2008 are blockout dates for Southern California Select and Southern California Annual Passports. If your winning time slot is on either date and you have one of these pass types, you will be allowed access to Disneyland® Park without purchasing a blockout ticket.
The sneak preview event may be canceled at any time. Winning the sweepstakes does not guarantee admission to the event. Winning parties may be bumped to an alternate time slot on the same day, if required.

Information subject to restrictions and change without notice.
It is not yet known exactly where this will be held, however we are guessing either the Main Street Opera House or the Honey I Shrunk the Audience theater. You can enter for your chance to win this sneak preview of Tinker Bell at the Annual Passholder website.

Fortuosity Shop – Opening October 3, 2008

WDWNT on September 19, 2008

According to DisneyGallery.com:

Fortuosity Shop features timeless treasures galore! On October 3, 2008, New Century Timepieces will re-open its doors as the new Fortuosity Shop. “The name of the shop was inspired by the opening song from The Happiest Millionaire,” says Walt Disney Imagineer and Director of Concept and Show Design, Kim Irvine. “We chose it because it is a Disney word created to express good fortune, which we hope everyone will find some type of fun fortune or treasure each time they visit the shop.”

Fortuosity is based on the One Of A Kind shop in New Orleans Square – with lots of old pieces of furniture for displays, lots of funky lights and chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, all to create the feel of a shop one would find on Main Street in the early 1900’s. With its eclectic offering of accessories, apparel and gift items, this ever-changing location will continuously reinvent itself, while continuing to offer a selection of our Disney watches, clocks and ever-popular artisan watches. So be sure to take more than a moment to linger in this unique shop and discover unexpected keepsakes that you will treasure for a lifetime.

Heeeeerrrrreeee’s Luke!

WDWNT on September 18, 2008

Hey everyone, Luke Manning here… Bet you didn’t expect me! I’ll be back on the Disneyland News Today Staff as the Lead News Reporter, due to both time issues, & that I decided I would still like to be involved with the site. So to welcome me back, here are a couple of the last news & rumors from around the Disneyland Resort:

  • It seems that the re-do of Sunshine Plaza, that was to of been known as Walt Disney Plaza, is now planned to be called Buena Vista Street.
  • Tomorrow, Disney will be announcing the new promotion for 2009 in New York City. Here are a few of the things planned to happen during the promotion:

    -Disney has dropped the proposed Magical Celebrations name and will simply be using two primary phrases (”What will you celebrate?” & “Celebrate Everyday”) to promote this new 2009 only celebration.
    -Guests who attend Disneyland on the day of their birthdays will be offered a special gift throughout 2009: The choice of a free birthday 1-day park ticket, $75.00 merchandise gift card, or 4 Fastpasses per person per party of up to 6 guests.
    -Although already previewed on the official Disney pin trading website, Disney will be introducing some new personalized pins that will feature magnetic name badges that can be removed and interchanged.
    -As far as entertainment offerings, Disneyland Park will be introducing a once-daily Disneyland Street Party on Main Street U.S.A.

    Stay tuned tomorrow to Disneyland News Today as this press event happens.

  • Finally, it seems the new boats are starting to be tested in the It’s a Small World flume, as seen in this picture from MintCrocodile:

Muppets Move Out For Halloween Time?

WDWNT on September 17, 2008

The Muppet Vision 3D attraction at Disney’s California Adventure may be experiencing some kind of Halloween layover this year, according to the current Disneyland Resort refurbishment schedule. The attraction is currently scheduled to be closed from September 16-24 and November 3-11, 2008. These two refurbishments sandwich the Halloween Time celebration at the resort, leading us to believe that something rather spooky would be taking up the theater during these fall festivities. The question at the moment is what will be appearing there.

Be sure to stay tuned to Disneyland News Today as more information on this Muppet Vision rumor becomes available.

Sun Wheel Refurbishment Pushed Back Once Again

WDWNT on September 13, 2008

It’s appears that the Sun Wheel did not in fact close down on September 11th. We had announced that the refurbishment was pushed back to start on September 29th, 2008, however the start & end date this time have both been pushed back. The refurbishment will now start on October 13rd, & last all the way through May 13th, 2009.

Stay tuned to Disneyland News Today as things start happening over at the Sun Wheel, or should I say Mickey’s Fun Wheel…

Myrna Litt’s 9/11 Photo Report

WDWNT on September 12, 2008

Myrna Litt is back with another excellent, yet small photo report. Here are a few updates from the Resort on September 11th:

The Town Square flag was held at half mast to honor the tragic events of September 11th, 2001.

A look at some of the Halloween merchandise & displays inside Frontier Mercantile.

The Golden Dreams banners have been removed from the Palace of Fine Arts.

Walls up for some reason at Carnation Plaza Gardens.

The smallest construction wall I’ve ever seen outside River Belle Terrace.

Myrna however did pass on some interesting information to me that she received from various Cast Members around the Resort. Here’s what she had to say:

They are currently testing the new boats at It’s a Small World. The Pirates of the Caribbean are not testing the new boats with the public. They may start using them in November and they are lighter boats. The concrete is being replaced in front of the Haunted Mansion (I tried to take a picture but was stopped). Also they are testing a new guest interactive exit at the Haunted Mansion. The ghosts will mimic what the guest does and react to them. We were told there will be a lot of new surprises.

Thanks again Myrna!

Myrna Litt’s 9/5 Photo Report

WDWNT on September 11, 2008

I’d like to welcome our newest staff member, Myrna Litt to Disneyland News Today. She will regularly be at the Disneyland Resort to bring us the latest photo updates. Here is Myrna’s first ever photo report for DLNT from September 5th:

Disneyland was empty at Noon on the 5th.

The Carnation Cafe bathrooms have re-opened after a little re-modeling.

Here’s a little It’s a Small World construction update.

The water tower at the Toontown Train Station has been repainted.

The handles have been removed from this clock on Main Street.

The Haunted Mansion is closed through September 25th for its conversion to Haunted Mansion Holiday.

Apparently the Haunted Mansion Holiday clock is behind this cloth.

Here you can see one of the Disneyland Railroad trains passing by the closed New Orleans Square Railroad Station.

The area surrounding Pirates of the Caribbean was empty… A rare sight indeed.

As of the 5th, the Conestoga Wagon still has all of the McDonalds references intact.

Space Mountain’s wait was very short, much like with my trip on the 2nd.

Actually, very short waits through-out the park.

The Mickey Pumpkin is being installed, & I think some other stuff is going on in preparation for the artificial Christmas tree this year.

Interesting Boats with Interesting Views

WDWNT on September 10, 2008

Here are a couple of interesting updates from our friends over at Screamscape:

I’ve been informed that the previously listed Pirates month long rehab of Pirates one scheduled for Mid October has been delayed until sometime in early 2009. On a fun note however, the next time you in pirates see if you can spot a couple of boats that look a little different from the rest. Apparently they are currently running two new prototype boats in advance of the early 2009 rehab, trying to work out the bugs and and see what kind of effect these new boats have on the attraction.

Apparently you may be able to see the new Monorail Orange occasional on the track just outside the barn from the freeway. From one eyewitness report it looked like the windows were still covered up with plastic-wrap.

However don’t expect Monorail Orange to be up & running (even testing) for quite a while.

Goodbye Golden Dreams! Good Riddance HSM2!

WDWNT on September 9, 2008

Let’s take a look at some of the lovely photos of David “Darkbeer” Michael from yesterday, that include the last showing of both Golden Dreams & High School Musical 2: School’s Out, among other things:

The Hyperion Theater is now listed as closed on the DLR Information Board near at the security check-points (albeit being spelled wrong).

The Information Board at the Downtown Disney Monorail Station has a much more precise listing of the closed attractions in Disneyland Park.

You gotta love pins with purchase.

The area surrounding Fowler’s Harbor, the place where the Sailing Ship Columbia is docked, has walls up.

The latest Backstage Pass, Annual Pasholder newsletter offers you a free pair of sunglasses, which you can pick up at at the exit of Innoventions.

Filming of some sort going on in Paradise Pier.

Yesterday had the last ever performance of High School Musical 2: School’s Out!. There will be no High School Musical show until late October, when High School Musical 3: Right Here! Right Now! debuts.

Goodbye Golden Dreams, We Will Miss You!

Bye Bye HSM 2, Hello HSM 3

WDWNT on September 7, 2008

According to the OC Register:

On Tuesday, Sept. 9, Disneyland will hold auditions for performers to be in a new street show titled High School Musical 3: Right Here! Right Now!. The show is based on the upcoming movie “High School Musical 3: Senior Year”, which is set to release in theaters on October 24.

Disney says they are seeking energetic male and female parade performers with strong dancing skills for a brand new street show inspired by Walt Disney Pictures High School Musical 3: Senior Year. Auditions are scheduled for 7 p.m. on Tuesday at Team Disney Anaheim.

The current High School Musical show titled “High School Musical 2: School’s Out!” has no scheduled performances after Sunday, September 7.