Starting the week of January 11th, all Disney Vacation Club members will begin receiving a direct mail piece containing an overview of the DVC 25th Anniversary Celebration, as well as these brand new membership cards:
Previous membership cards will be accepted for discounts through April 3, 2016. Beginning April 4th, the new membership card will only be accepted for discounts on recreation, merchandise, and food & beverage.
A few months ago, Disneyland tested autonomous flying lanterns high above the park to see if they would be a viable element for the new Disneyland Forever fireworks show. The lanterns were patterned after those seen in the animated film Tangled, and for whatever reason never made it into the show. The Walt Disney World and Disneyland Resorts are now filing for an exception to FAA rules so that similar show elements can be tied into new entertainment offerings.
Autonomous lanterns floating on the water will make their debut in Rivers of Light this Spring at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, but it seems flying versions of these show pieces are on the way to a new show at the Vacation Kingdom, most likely at Epcot. The rumored lanterns from Tangled may also finally debut in Disneyland Forever if the exception is made by the FAA.
For guest safety, the drones would never go within 100 feet of active guest areas, with flight paths sticking to water elements and restricted areas. The drones would reach a max height of 150 feet as well, making it more likely we will see such technology in Florida over World Showcase Lagoon rather than around Cinderella Castle or the Chinese Theater.
The drones, which Disney is calling a Flixel, would weigh less than 10 pounds and Its airspace would be no more than 600 feet in diameter, remaining in use for roughly 10 minutes. The Flexels would only fly if wind speeds are less than 10 mph and gusts are less than 15 mph.
Will these drones soon be joining Tinker Bell in the skies above the Disney Parks? Well, we’ll have to wait on an FAA decision to find out.
RIVERS OF AMERICA — As part of an ongoing, planned expansion at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, Calif., the Rivers of America at Disneyland Park will receive a brand-new waterfront, just outside the location of the new Star Wars-themed land. The new riverbank will also feature an elevated trestle over which the iconic Disneyland Resort Railroad will travel. (Disney Parks)
When the Rivers of America return to Disneyland Park shortened in 2017, they will feature an incredible nod to the park’s past. A new elevated train trestle will take guests aboard the Disneyland Railroad over the water as beautiful waterfalls run off the nearby rockwork and mountains of the new north shores. In many ways, this will be a nod to the now lost vistas of the Mine Train Through Nature’s Wonderland attraction:
The new, shortened Rivers of America project is part of the expansion of the park, namely the 14-acre addition of a Star Wars-themed land.
The Rivers of America is now closed at Disneyland Park and will return in 2017.
If you enjoy any of the current designs used for the guest celebration buttons at the U.S. Disney Parks, I suggest you grab some soon because new designs are on the way. As the inventories of the old buttons begin to run out, new designs will be introduced.
To streamline the process, the current “Just Married”, “Happy Anniversary”, and “Happily Ever After” buttons will be condensed into one new “Happily Ever After” button.
These buttons can be found at Disneyland Resort guest relations locations, while Walt Disney World is now urging guests to obtain theirs at retail locations rather than wait in a line at guest relations.
It has been far too long since we have had a photo report from the Disneyland Resort (in-fact the last one was December 2014), luckily Disneyland Reporter Tim Alcoser has returned to WDWNT to once again bring us the latest from the Happiest Place on Earth. 2016 is going to be a year of major changes here at WDWNT, and bringing back regular coverage of the Disneyland Resort will be among the many new offerings we have planned for thsi year. Without any further delay, welcome back to Disneyland:
“You can’t bring Selfie Sticks, but we actually have discount tickets now…”
Off to Disneyland!
Metal detectors are here too
The Diamond Celebration rolls on through September 2016 at the Disneyland Resort
The Rivers of America closed on Sunday so that work could finally begin on the Star Wars-themed land for the park
The Columbia is stationary, but entertainment is being offered on the ship and you can explore it all you like
Tiana was greeting guests by the petrified tree, rumor has it she will be aboard the dry-docked Mark Twain for a dining experience soon
While the Disneyland Railroad is closed for Star Wars construction, you can hop aboard at Main Street or New Orleans Square stations and check out the trains and talk with an engineer
We have a video tour of the Ernest S. Marsh, which is parked at the New Orleans Square Station for you:
Haunted Mansion Holiday is closed for the season and Haunted Mansion returns later this month
The Explorer Canoes are closed until 2017, if they return…
A quiet Rivers of America, as it will be until 2017
If you feel the need to ride on water, Splash Mountain is still open
And you never know, Tim might end up in the back of your photos…
Big Thunder Ranch is closed too, but this closure is permanent. The back path around Big Thunder should close very soon to accommodate construction.
Hopefully this Big Thunder photo-op will make the move instead of getting scrapped
Season of the Force in full swing in Tomorrowland
Path of the Jedi is the same clipo show you can see at Hollywood Studios
One thing you cant see at Walt Disney World: Hyperspace Mountain
And Marvel Super Hero HQ for that matter, now in the upper level of what was Innoventions
Star Wars Launch Bay occupies the downstairs
It’s been a long time since we’ve visited, so let’s stop and take in the Disneyland Forever fireworks
The fireworks were displayed early to accommodate filming of the Disneyland 60th TV special that will air in February
You still have some time to experience “it’s a small world” Holiday, open until January 25th
Guests filled Main Street to see some castmembers from Dancing with the Stars perform alongside the Paint the Night Parade
Those girls had to be cold…
Tim also took some video of the filming, a full musical number concluding with fireworks above Sleeping Beauty Castle:
If you enjoyed this photo report from the Disneyland Resort and want to see more, let us know!
Welcome back Tim!
If you are planning to meet Darth Vader, you had better do so soon… for your sake.
Kylo Ren will begin meeting guests at Star Wars Launch Bay at both Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Disneyland Park in February 2016, replacing Lord Vader. Chewbacca will continue to be offered on the light side for meet and greet opportunities. No word was given on who will meet guests waiting in the special Disney VISA card experience come next month.
Disneyland Reporter Tim Alcoser brings us back to the Disneyland Resort for the latest news, as well as our return across the Esplanade to California Adventure in this new photo report:
It’s a beautiful evening at Disneyland!
Paint the Night is a wonderful re-imagining of the old Electrical Parade, hopefully soon on the way to Walt Disney World
Tim was nice enough to take video of the Paint the Night Parade for us, be sure to watch if you haven’t checked this out yet:
Tim also checked out the stationary experience for the Disneyland Railroad at Main Street Station
Here guests can check out the E.P. Ripley and take a peek inside the Lilly Belle
While it is sad that it is closed, how often can you do this?
The engineers are also available to talk too, making this something really special for those of us who are real park fanatics
Tim also took a video of the Main Street Station stationary experience to share with us today:
The Rivers of America remain quiet, awaiting Star Wars construction at the back end of the area
The Mark Twain is docked, but should be home to a new experience soon
If you’ll be dining at the Hungry Bear over the next two years, you’ll have an interesting view of things…
What I mean is you will be staring at a tarp with trees on it
Haunted Mansion Holiday is coming down quick this year, so don’t expect to see any maintenance performed on the much-maligned normal version of the ride
Moving over to DCA…
PIXAR Play Parade is still running
The Aladdin musical closed last week, the FROZEN musical will start in the Summer
This is still a thing…
The Flying Tires replacement, Rollicking’ Roadsters should open very soon
Don’t expect much from this attraction, it’s essentially the Aquatopia ride from DisneySea on dry land
The new Moonliner Rocket statue has been released already at Disneyland
Goodnight California Adventure!
The Orange County Register reported today that a proposed Disneyland Resort expansion may be contingent on the city of Anaheim not imposing an admission tax on tickets to the two theme parks.
According to the article Disney has stated that “expansion of the parks is contingent on the approval of the ticket-tax exemption. The company also said they don’t know potential rides, themed areas or other details yet, but that construction would begin no later than 2017. It is also not clear if the expansion would involve Disneyland Park, Disney California Adventure, or both. Disney signaled that a new park, or “third gate” is not in the offing at this time.
The idea of an admission tax on the Anaheim Disney attractions has a long history, but such a tax, while advocated by the city at several junctures, has never been levied. The current tax agreement dates to the development of Disney California Adventure. To facilitate the construction of that park and the Downtown Disney district, Anaheim agreed not to levy an admission tax for 20 years. The city also agreed to build the Mickey & Friends parking structure on Disney property and made infrastructure improvements in the resort district.
No Disney park in the world currently has an admission’s tax.
No News Is Not Good News
The revelation that new development at the Disneyland Resort is far from “ready for prime time” casts a little pall on the upcoming D23 Expo, where many Park faithful believed that “all would be revealed.” While plans for some modest attractions for the California parks could be divulged at the biennial gathering, it is thought that news of new projects for the parks at Walt Disney World is more likely, but certainly not certain.
You Can Fly! (Again!)
Two months past its projected reopening, Disneyland’s Peter Pan’s Flight is expected to reopen by the Park’s 60th Anniversary on July 17th.
The attraction, which opened with the Park in 1955, is getting a sprucing up, reportedly similar to the upgrades at the Alice In Wonderland ride, where high-tech video effects were added over the long standing practical elements to great acclaim. The two remaining Fantasyland dark-rides are also expected to be upgraded in the years to come.
Yes, starting tomorrow (June 30th, 2015), “selfie sticks” are banned from Walt Disney World and Disneyland Resort theme parks, but many have wondered what this means for other tripod or mono-pod type camera items. Well, Disney will still be allowing many of these items in, but there are some exceptions:
Essentially, any extending sticks for phones or GoPro cameras are now banned. The rules on tripods have always been as stated above, so there is no surprise there either.
Guests at Disney Parks here in the U.S. will soon be getting an exclusive preview of Walt Disney Pictures latest animated release, Zootopia, in theaters March 4th. At Disney California Adventure Park, the “Zootopia” preview will be presented at the Bug’s Life Theater with special in-theater effects. Guests at Disney’s Hollywood Studios will get to see this advance look at clips from the film as the end film of the One Man’s Dream attraction.
The Zootopia preview at Walt Disney World was expected to take home in the Magic Eye Theater at Epcot, but it appears the new Disney and PIXAR Short Film Festival will be a more permanent offering than we expected.
Today, Walt Disney Animation Studios has released a brand new trailer for their upcoming animated film as well:
The modern mammal metropolis of Zootopia is a city like no other. Comprised of habitat neighborhoods like ritzy Sahara Square and frigid Tundratown, it’s a melting pot where animals from every environment live together—a place where no matter what you are, from the biggest elephant to the smallest shrew, you can be anything. But when rookie Officer Judy Hopps (voice of Ginnifer Goodwin) arrives, she discovers that being the first bunny on a police force of big, tough animals isn’t so easy. Determined to prove herself, she jumps at the opportunity to crack a case, even if it means partnering with a fast-talking, scam-artist fox, Nick Wilde (voice of Jason Bateman), to solve the mystery.
Walt Disney Animation Studios’ “Zootopia,” a comedy-adventure directed by Byron Howard and Rich Moore and co-directed by Jared Bush, opens in theaters on March 4, 2016.
