Disneyland is more like Refurbishmentland as prep for Diamond Anniversary gets underway
I took a trip to the Disneyland Resort on Friday, January 30th, and honestly, if I wasn’t a local with an Annual Pass, I might have been a tad disappointed with the offerings. The majority of both Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park were closed for refurbishment.
Upon entering the security check line, this long list of unavailable attractions greeted Park guests. I heard several exclamations of displeasure when guests noticed their favorites on the list. World of Color was mentioned several times.
I visited Disneyland first. Now, normally there are swarms of crowds posing in front of Sleeping Beauty Castle. This wasn’t the case today. In preparation for Disneyland’s Diamond Anniversary, tarps and scaffolding have covered the castle while crew anoint the landmark with decor. A wall (with some informative signs) prevents guests from getting too close or passing through the castle. Snow White’s Wishing Well, which is adjacent, was also blocked off.
On the path to Tomorrowland, the Matterhorn is also undergoing some sort of construction. The waterfalls are off and crew can be seen working on the ride. A good portion of the view was walled off. At least Disney did theme the walls and, like the partition in front of Sleeping Beauty Castle, it held several signs with trivia related to the attraction.
Tomorrowland remained largely untouched by the refurbishments, with the exception of the Magic Eye Theater. It most recently housed the extended preview to the movie, Big Hero 6. The cast member didn’t say what was replacing it.
New Orleans Square currently has its Mardi Gras decorations up. Giant beads and colorful masks now hang from the upper level balconies in the area to celebrate Fat Tuesday.
Guests hoping to catch the Disneyland Railroad had to hoof it instead. The popular mode of transportation was closed. The entire New Orleans Square Station was covered in tarps and I also noticed the It’s a Small World portion of the track was blocked off in Fantasyland (more on that in a bit).
A whole section of Disneyland, Critter Country, was completely boarded off and inaccessible to guests. That meant no riding Splash Mountain or The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh and no dining at The Hungry Bear.
Speaking of dining, the Harbour Galley across from the exit to the Haunted Mansion is also closed. No soup for you.
The happiest cruise that ever sailed, It’s a Small World, was, like many other locations featured so far, closed and covered in tarps. However, I will say that I like the effort they put into recreating the attraction’s facade. The Disneyland Railroad, on a normal day, would ride through parts of where that tarp is. I suspect that might be a piece of the reason as to why the trains aren’t running.
As we prepare to transition into Disney California Adventure Park, here is the backside of Sleeping Beauty Castle. No cool signs to see on this side, sadly.
DCA’s Condor Flats is currently being re-themed and renamed. When it emerges from behind the walls, it will be called “Grizzly Peaks Airfield.” The posted map shows area affected in green (admittedly, there is a lot of unrelated green on the map as well).
As you head in the direction of A Bug’s Land by way of Buena Vista Street, you’ll see banners along the walkway promoting the extended preview of the upcoming live-action Cinderella film. The sneak peek lasts approximately 10 minutes and is housed in the theater that usually plays the show, It’s Tough to be a Bug.
The bakery tour, hosted by the Boudin Bakery (the same folks who bring us the Pacific Wharf Cafe), recently reopened with a few changes. Previous hosts Rosie O’Donnell and Colin Mochrie are still present but are now limited to a single video at the entrance to the tour rather than being interspersed throughout. There is a semi-interactive display (you answer questions and the diorama reacts) and a wall depicting the history of sourdough in San Francisco. The part I liked the most was the long hall that provided a view into the bakery for the Pacific Wharf Cafe’s bread. And yes, there is still a free slice of sourdough with your tour.
Disney is busy readying the World of Color projectors for their 60th Anniversary show, World of Color – Celebrate! The Wonderful World of Walt Disney, which means Paradise Bay is completely drained. And as mentioned earlier, no World of Color shows are scheduled right now. I was, however, treated to yet another nifty sign as a consolation prize.
The rain started to pick up again so I decided to head home. Until another day, Disneyland!