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11/09/12 - My thoughts and observations from Friday at the Disneyland Resort
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11/09/12 - My thoughts and observations from Friday at the Disneyland Resort

Hello all,

Fridays trip almost did not happen, but the weather cleared and I headed down to the Disneyland Resort. It turned out to be a great call on all accounts and I spent the afternoon/evening enjoying a preview of the holiday offerings. The Christmas season does not officially start till Monday 11/12 but most of the decorations are up at both parks and much of the holiday entertainment kicked off Friday. So that turned the trip into a very busy day at the Disneyland Resort for me as I tried to figure out what to take pictures of and then how to share the experience. I really did not pay that much attention to the crowds, since the idea of visiting an attraction did not even really cross my mind. I ran into several other Disney sites photographers (including some official Disney ones out and about) also trying to capture and explore the new offerings, it was great to see you all!

Jason

Trip logs and mileage reports are in the Park Miles section.

Thoughts and Observations:

  • Started off the afternoon at Downtown Disney. Earl of Sandwich opened since my last visit and I wanted to grab a couple pictures of it now that the walls are down. The line stretched out the door, as it has in almost every picture I have seen. So I think it is going over very well so far. Due to the line I did not go inside to explore this trip.

  • First stop of the day, California Adventure to check out the new decorations. I really enjoyed Buena Vista Street and thought it was done nicely. As you saw in the pictorial update they have decorated the exteriors as well as the interiors and a large tree sits in the small park in Carthay Circle. The only thing that jumped out to me as a bit over the top was the Trolley Treats. I really enjoyed walking through Elias & Co. and I think relocating Santa to the large department store was a nice touch and worked in the theme perfectly. Due to the entertainment and other activies it was a challenge to really listen to the background loop, but the short segments I did catch were great Christmas classics.

    Side note: Speaking of background music, I picked up a copy of the Circle Sessions which features background music from Carthay Circle and it is a great selection, makes for perfect background music. It reminds me a lot of the music from Club 33 or the old Disney Gallery that was available on the Disneyland Forever CDs..

  • The Buena Vista Street Community Bell Ringers started Friday and perform half dozen times a day under the Hyperion bridge. What a great group, I know I will be taking in many of their sets over the next couple of months. Here is a video of the performance I caught on Friday:


  • The Christmas Tree lighting that will happen nightly at 5:00pm and will feature the entire community did not happen Friday. Seems they are still working on the show. I spoke with a cast member and they said to look for it mid next week, till then it is a simple count down and lighting moment. Once the show begins it will be interesting where it occurs. Due to the trees, light poles/speakers, etc... there are very few areas with a nice clear view of the tree.

  • Next up was Cars Land. Upon approaching Route 66 you cannot help but notice the Cars crew went all out for the holiday season and in many cases over the top. I thought the details and little touches were fun to discover. Such as the tires that hold the oil sign up at Flos or the snow on the curios signs or the gingerbread Cozy Cone replica in the lobby. Each building is decked out with its own unique style. Sarges was one of my favorites, it is a cross between 4th of July and Christmas and is a must see at night. Also keep your eyes peeled for Santa Mater who is appearing at the Cozy Cone for pictures. If you find a quiet spot take a minute and listen to the background music. Some are traditional Christmas songs, others with a Cars twist on them!! Unfortunately Friday there were some technical difficulties with the lights and not all were functioning properly. The lighting moment has a holiday make over too and now features Winter Wonderland.

  • I ran into the crew of DJs and asked if they had anything planned for the holidays. They said as of now not that they knew of. The drive in/out music may change but nothing for the show. Too bad I thought that may be a nice tweak for the season. Has anyone heard anything about the Instant Concert show? Seems that would be a great candidate for a holiday make over too.

  • Phineas and Ferb also feature a holiday twist at their Dance Party. I only caught the opening couple of songs and they were the same as the regular set. So it must be later in the show.

  • I spent a majority of my time at DCA today since most of the decorations were new and I am planning on stopping by Monday for Disneyland. But I did do a quick walk through of Disneyland as you saw in the pictorial update. Overall the park felt really relaxed to me, unlike DCA which seemed much more active. Nice to see the park enjoying a moment to catch its breath. Or maybe that was just my impression since I spent under an hour doing a quick circle of the park. Most of the Christmas decorations are up, but Main Street and Toontown are still missing some. The Jingle Jamboree has taken over the Big Thunder Ranch and started today.

  • The Mad T Party has received some holiday decorations and now features some snow fall events for the season. I went to the first set of the evening and they final couple of numbers featured Christmas songs and snow fall, below is a video. I also read that Prep and Landing are also moving into the Muppet Theater for the season starting next week. Hollywood Blvd has received a very light decorations this year, unlike what the area has in the past.


  • Speaking of Prep and Landing they are back as a preshow for World of Color (note I said preshow, they go on a couple minutes before showtime and lead right into the show. It appears to be the same as last year, nothing jumped out at me as new. I posted some pics and video in the update. Also noted that Brave has remained in the show. Too bad no Wreck-It Ralph addition...

  • Bounced back to Disneyland to close out the evening with one of my favorite firework shows, Believe in Holiday Magic. The show seemed about the same as last year. The castle lights were not being used this evening and without the garland on Main Street it just seemed odd to me, but still a great show and the snow was coming down heavy this evening making for some easy pictures.

  • One last note. Thought it was odd that there were no Disneyland time guides available today. Guess something got hung up in the process? I did see some old ones from last week in one location but other than that nothing. On the DCA time schedule they have the Christmas offerings listed on the back. The park guides were back to the Matterhorn and Cars Land covers. Guessing this is all just a placeholder till Monday when the Christmas ones should be out.


Interesting Web Finds/Notes:
Below are some interesting links, notes, and rumors I found/stumble across/or have been informed of since the last Geekspeaks column.

Be sure to check out the picture update that goes with this Geekspeak column, it can be found in our Disneyland Resort Pictorial Update section

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