Next week brings the official opening of Shanghai Disney Resort in China, and the Disneyland Resort will be marking the occasion in a special way.
On Thursday, June 16, the Hollywood Land area at Disney California Adventure park will host special entertainment and photo opportunities in honor of the opening of the newest Disney destination. The festivities will feature colorful performances by local community groups, along with character appearances by Mulan and Mushu. Some favorite Asian-inspired food & beverage offerings, including pork bao, almond cookies and pot stickers, will also be available for purchase. The event takes place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
In addition, Disney will be giving away a button commemorating the opening of Shanghai Disney Resort to each guest entering the Disneyland Resort theme parks, while supplies last.
Following in the footsteps of Seekers of the Weird, Figment, Figment 2, and the Haunted Mansion, Disney today announced an all-new adventure in the “Tiki, Tiki, Tiki Room” from Disney Kingdoms. This five-part comic series will debut this fall at Disney Parks.
The series will be written by Jon Adams. Artwork will be penciled by Horacio Domingues with cover artwork (shown above) by Brian Kesinger.
Variant cover designed by Disney Imagineer Jason Grandt
Look for the Enchanted Tiki Room series this fall in select merchandise locations at Disney Parks, but it should also be available outside of the parks like the other series.
Check out the new Park Starz Vinylmation releasing June 17, 2016 at D Street at the Disneyland Resort, Pin Traders at the Walt Disney World Resort and online.
When the Disneyland Forever fireworks show was introduced as part of the Diamond Celebration in May 2015, we assumed it would stay beyond the anniversary event, just as “Remember, Dreams Come True” did ten years earlier during the 50th anniversary of Disneyland. Well, it seems the show will conclude along with the Diamond Celebration come September 5th, 2016.
Why discontinue Disneyland’s biggest fireworks show ever? It is drawing record crowds and has proven ever-so-popular. Well, the show is big and expensive and Disneyland doesn’t seem to think they need it anymore.
Now, Disneyland does have two seasonal shows that they can slot in following the departure of Forever in September, the preexisting Halloween and Christmas fireworks shows. Certainly these two shows could carry the burden on select nights until the beginning of 2017, but instead of bringing Forever back at that point, Disneyland may reinstate the Magical fireworks show or introduce a new, smaller scale show in comparison to the current offering.
Unfortunately, this cancellation is part of a trend at the Disneyland Resort. In addition to budget cuts that have closed various restaurants around the resort, the spending constraints have left the long-standing Mad T Party staging and such over the Hollywood Land area in place, simply because it would cost $200,000 to restore the area to its former state.
Hopefully the completion of Shanghai Disney Resort will lift these budget constraints for Disneyland Resort, otherwise it’s going to be a long road to Star Wars land…
Soarin’ Around the World will open at both Epcot and Disney California Adventure tomorrow morning, and while guests will still be able to soar in a familiar surrounding, Chief Flight Attendant Patrick may not be welcoming guests to Soarin’…
Patrick Warburton portrayed the character in the preshow of the attraction which operated for 15 years in California and 11 in Florida, becoming a beloved theme park icon by fans. The loss of the character is already being met with sadness from fans around the world, despite the tweet being quite cryptic.
On a bright note Warburton’s voice now graces the queue and pre-show of Star Tours: The Adventures Continue, so he will continue to be a part of the Disney Parks for a long time to come regardless of what happens tomorrow.
So, what awaits us tomorrow in Soarin’ Around the World? You will have to tune in to find out…
Premium packages are becoming a pretty common thing at the Disney Parks these days, but now it sounds as if a $450 premium package is coming to California Adventure to celebrate the arrival of Frozen- Live at the Hyperion on May 27th.
According to sources, the package would include a 5-course meal at Carthay Circle Restaurant, reserved seating for Frozen – Live at the Hyperion, a meet and greet with the cast of the show, and some experience in what was described as an “interactive room” backstage at the show (where guests can touch screens to interact with characters and pose with various photo-ops). The rumored price point for all of this: $450 a person.
I’m hoping the price point is actually less or includes more than one person, otherwise this seems a bit pricey, even with 5-courses at Carthay Circle.
Stay tuned for more details as they become available.
Join Disneyland in celebrating 50 magical years of “it’s a small world” at Disneyland Park! On May 26, 2016 be sure to find special ”it’s a small world” Limited Edition pins at Pin Traders in the Downtown Disney District and Store Command in Tomorrowland inside Disneyland Park. Disney has not announced if they will be celebrating in any ways beyond this merchandise release.
The Walt Disney Company has submitted plans to the City of Anaheim to add a new luxury resort hotel to the Disneyland Resort. According to the OC Register, the hotel would be 700 rooms and be rated Four Diamonds by AAA. The proposed hotel will have a rooftop restaurant with a view of the fireworks over Sleeping Beauty Castle, as seen in this concept art.
Concept art of the rooftop restaurant at the proposed new hotel at the Disneyland Resort. The approximately 700 room hotel will be located on 10 acres on what is currently the Downtown Disney parking lot. The proposed hotel would be a AAA “Four-Diamond” hotel. Photo COURTESY, THE DISNEYLAND RESORT
Concept art of the lobby for the proposed new hotel at the Disneyland Resort. The approximately 700 room hotel will be located on 10 acres on what is currently the Downtown Disney parking lot. The proposed hotel would be a AAA “Four-Diamond” hotel. Photo COURTESY, THE DISNEYLAND RESORT
Concept art of the swimming pool area of the proposed new hotel at the Disneyland Resort. The approximately 700 room hotel will be located on 10 acres on what is currently the Downtown Disney parking lot. The proposed hotel would be a AAA “Four-Diamond” hotel. Photo COURTESY, THE DISNEYLAND RESORT
The hotel would be located at the northern end of the Downtown Disney parking lot, essentially behind the Rainforest Cafe and ESPN Zone, on the corner of Disneyland Drive and Magic Way. The footprint of the project will occupy ten acres of the Downtown Disney parking lot, but it will include a parking structure which will service the hotel and Downtown Disney. On the map below, the red rectangle represents approximately ten acres, the size of the entire project. We’ve also identified several key locations to help you orient yourself. The new hotel will be northeast of the current Disneyland Hotel (Fantasy Tower identified on map), and south of the Mickey and Friends Parking Structure, of which just a sliver appears on the map. Theme park views from the hotel will overlook the show buildings of Splash Mountain, Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean, and The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. Parts of the currently-under-construction Star Wars Land should also be visible, as it will be completed by the time the hotel opens in 2021.
No theme has been announced for the hotel, but it will be designed by WDI. Currently, the city of Anaheim has only two Four Diamond hotels – the Disneyland Hotel and Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel and Spa. Anaheim City Council last year adopted a plan to provide tax incentives for developers to build luxury hotels to attract higher-end visitors. Since then, a number of new luxury hotels have been proposed, including two at GardenWalk, one at the site of the Anabella Hotel, and one at the site of the Anaheim Plaza Hotel and Suites.
Disney Dollars, which have been an accepted form of currency at Disney Parks and the Disney Store (as well as a valuable collector’s item) since 1987, are finally being discontinued on May 14th, 2016.
Disney announced today that they will cease all sales of the bills on Saturday. Of course, all existing Disney Dollars will continue to be accepted at Disney locations as they do not expire.
Disney is citing the increasing use of gift cards and “digital currency” for the stop in sales and production of Disney Dollars.
Disney Parks will welcome its first princess inspired by diverse Latin cultures. Princess Elena of Avalor will be appearing at Walt Disney World Resort this summer and at Disneyland Resort in the fall, following her television debut in a new animated series this summer on Disney Channel.
Kids and families worldwide will be enchanted by the story of Princess Elena, a bold, caring, funny and clever 16-year-old who is ascendant to the throne in the fairytale kingdom of Avalor. The series follows the story of Elena, who saves her kingdom from an evil sorceress and must now learn to rule with the support of her appointed Grand Council and some magical friends by her side. Elena’s adventures will lead her to understand that her new role requires thoughtfulness, resilience and compassion, the traits of all truly great leaders, while highlighting the importance of family and family traditions.
The inspiring story of Elena of Avalor will be shared in 33 languages in 163 countries on Disney Channels worldwide. And, Disney Parks, where universally enchanting stories come to life every day, will be the place where families can see Disney’s newest princess in person. At Walt Disney World Resort, Elena will appear in the Magic Kingdom. At Disneyland Resort, she will appear at Disney California Adventure. The Disney Princesses at Walt Disney World Resort will welcome Elena in August. Her Disneyland arrival date will be announced in the near future.
