home > Columns > Geekspeaks >
02/03/12 - My thoughts and observations from Fridays visit to the Disneyland Resort
 The Geek Speaks:

Welcome to the disneygeek.com Geek Speaks section. In this section I will post my comments on trips to the parks or other Disney related events.

02/03/12 - My thoughts and observations from Fridays visit to the Disneyland Resort

Hello all,

Friday I was drawn to the parks thanks to some perfect weather. What better way to spend a perfect February day (temps reached the mid 70s) than at the Disneyland Resort? The crowds were mild, I would say regular off season with wait times minimal most of the day, but creeping upwards as the evening approached and people got out of work and school and headed for the parks. For example when I first arrived Toy Story was only a 30 minute wait. Over at Disneyland in the afternoon everything was well under an hour but by 9pm Star Tours was at 70 minutes.

Jason

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

Thoughts and Observations:

  • With only six days since my last visit I was not expecting to see a lot of change and not take a lot of construction pictures. Of course thanks to perfect weather and where all the projects are in their calendars I was completely wrong. Cars Land had a lot of visible progress from the Cozy Cones all being painted and scaffolding coming down, to more neon turned on after dark. Buena Vista Street continues to impress as more details come into view. Even with the walls the area is already looking great with all the additional trees.

  • I stopped by to catch some of a Miner 49ers set since they only have a little over a week left in their run. It was announced on their Facebook page that they will conclude their run by the 13th.

  • Even the minor changes emerging for the Midway Shop facades are making a big difference to me. These little details and tweaks are really fun to watch evolve and then take a look back at what has changed and it is amazing, at least to geeks like me! I am betting most regular guests do not notice, but it will be nice to see the shops, games, and Toy Story all integrated.

  • I thought the addition of some signs on the Matterhorn walls with background information on mountain as well as a look at what is coming was a great addition and noticed quite a few guests checking them out the various times I walked by.

  • Over at Disneyland, New Orleans Square is gearing up for its extended Mardi Gras celebration which is being called the New Orleans Bayou Bash! and will run for five weekends this years starting next week. It is interesting how they have kept the premise of the Family Fun Weekends but narrowed the offerings and are varying the locations. Guess that is what the feedback was to all those guest surveys from last year.

  • The Cafe Orleans entrance has shifted to the opposite side of the building. So it is no longer in the heavily congested area near Pirates exit. I think this is a great move and should help the area. There always seems to be bottle necks there and moving all those guests waiting for tables or trying to decide if they want to eat there to the much more empty area on the other side is great. Surprised they did not try this earlier.

  • Remember Dreams Come True was cancelled really early again. The announcement said for unfavorable weather. (Not wind like last week where the announcement actually said wind at higher elevations). Friday the weather seemed perfect to me. Wonder what is going on? If this is related to the couple incidents back in December or if there is some new weather safety check that is causing it to be cancelled more frequently. I saw some tweets that Saturday and Sundays shows did not go either. So if you are looking for fireworks at Disneyland be warned the cancellations seem to be very frequent now a days.

  • Watched the Magic, the Memories, and You! to see the new Valentine inspired section. Overall it was a nice addition. I thought the stain glass window portraits were nice. I still find it a little awkward how these new additions are just plugged in right before the finale. The transition seems a bit weird to me, but the idea of tweaking and changing the show by the season is great!

    I still find myself looking at the wide shot and effect and almost completely ignoring the guest photos that are used throughout. If they used the same photos each night the effect would be the same for me... Does anyone else find themselves doing this or do most of you watch the guest pictures? Maybe its because I know I am not in any of the pictures I am not on the lookout for myself so I just enjoy the effects?

  • The Disneyland Hotel is still adding finishing touches, even though it is officially completed. As you saw in the pictorial update the lobby area received new chairs and lighting and the temporary artwork is slowly being replaced. The new tea cup inspired chairs are a great fit for Fantasy!

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

Stop by the Geek's Forum to discuss this and other Disney topics.. click here

Send comments, questions, any other email to: disneygeek@disneygeek.com
Back to previous page

 

Quick Note

Check out the geek speaks archive for past updates.

 

Interested in Helping out?

If you are a fellow disneygeek and interested in sharing your insights, pictures, thoughts drop us an email here we are always looking for contributors.