home > Columns > Geekspeaks >
3/01/19 - Thoughts and observations from Friday
 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.

3/01/19 - Thoughts and observations from Friday

Hello everyone!

Friday was a relaxing day at parks with several new things to see. The weather was slightly warmer with temps in the upper 60s cooling to upper 50s. Los Angeles went the entire month of February without topping 70 degrees, first time in over 100 years. The rain held off too. Crowds were on the heavier side, especially at Disney California Adventure but most attraction wait times were still at the hour mark.

Thoughts and Observations:

  • Parking went fairly quickly compared to normal. The overpass was closed again so I had to sit through a light but then only a couple cars at each toll booth lane and only minor slowing on the ramp to a level. They were trying to fill in the end of a row which meant slow going but a CM decided to open a release and sent me down the first spot of a row. So ended up with a short walk for a change. I did notice when leaving that the lower levels were being forced to the Ball Road light. Luckily I was on the roof so I was able to use the overpass and save several minutes since the light looked really backed up.

  • The new parking structure has a lot of visible projects going on which is interesting to see the rapid change each week. Still no announcement from Disney on a target opening date. I hope it is sooner rather than later as the extra spots are needed.

  • The 2019 Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival kicked off on Friday and runs through April 23rd this year. The festival follows the format of recent years with marketplaces along the parade route and a Beer Garden in Paradise Gardens. Paradise Park hosts concerts throughout the day. The Jammin Chefs have returned to the Bay Area and Junior Chef is presented on the Backlot Stage.
    • The Marketplaces were all in the same locations an assortment of new offerings. I am not a big food person so I cannot comment on the food itself in any meaningful way.
    • For Disneyland Annual Passholders there is an AP Corner set up at the Blue Sky Cellar. There is a single button for the Festival this year as well as a photo backdrop set up inside the cellar. There are some AP exclusive shirts and pins available at a nearby cart.
    • This year there seems to be less of an emphasis on demonstrations and more on merchandise with the Marketplaces also center stage. For example on Friday there was only one demonstration and that was on the backlot stage at 3pm. The signature presentations only happen on Sundays and there are no other presentations. Years past there were several presentations throughout the day on a variety of topics. There are tasting seminars and receptions available throughout the day for an additional fee.
    • The highlight of the festival entertainment for me was Phat Cat Swinger. They played a handful of sets and went through their song book so each set had different music. I would have liked to have seen the Jammin' Chefs show updated, but it seemed the same as years past.
    • The festival corridor was busy most of the day and as sun set it felt really crowded to walk through. Lines to order and to pick up food seemed to be single digit numbers the couple times I checked. One tip if you are ordering food, you can make your purchase at any Marketplace kiosk and then go pick it up at the one that sells it, you do not have to wait in line at each marketplace.

  • The Pixar Pal-A-Round had a long wait again, in the 45-60 minute range so no aerial pictures again this visit. The wait times seem to be consistently up for it compared to years ago.

  • Pixar Pier continues to receive more elements and move toward completion. The Poultry Palace finally has a sign over above the front side of the building. Jessie has arrived in front of her Critter Carousel and Disney announced the attraction will be opening in April. The Inside Out Emotional Whirlwind had a lot of activity going on and lights on into the evening. I think they may have been pouring the concrete floor, but that is a guess from ground level.

  • Over at Disneyland projects continue to move along. The curb work on the east side of Main Street USA has wrapped up and it matches the west side. The work near City Hall continues though. Space Mountain is closed for a planned renovation and interesting to note the Ralph Breaks the Internet Preview has moved out and the Path of the Jedi film appears to be returning. Along the Disneyland Railroad the dinosaurs are being renovated and the windows are covered/closed. This does not impact train operations.

  • Monorail Orange has returned to the beamway and now features a new wrap celebrating Mickey's 90th birthday. The graphics show Mickey in several staring roles over the years. I thought all three wraps were really well done for this celebration.

  • The Disney Gallery on Main Street USA is hosting an exhibit featuring concept art and costumes from the upcoming Walt Disney Pictures live action Dumbo film. I thought the exhibit was nice to walk around and the Dumbo Marquette was a highlight. They were not using the screen in the lobby which seemed like a missed opportunity. The preview itself is in the main theater and President Lincoln is on vacation according to a cast member. The sneak peek clocks in at under 10 minutes and features what appears to be an introduction of Dumbo then several sequences that form an extended trailer.

  • The Get Your Ears On Dance Party in Tomorowland featured two Mary Poppins penguins this evening out with the Queen of Hearts when I arrived then staying on with Minnie Mouse and Pluto for a while. The crowd felt a little thinner on the dance floor this week than past weeks. More kids and less adults the few minutes I was there.

  • I closed out my visit watching Mickey's Mix Magic from near it's a small world. The projections were nice much easier to see on the facade than on Main Street. The fireworks are at an awkward angle out there, so its hard to see both projections and fireworks in the same frame. I did not see any other effects in use so the show felt lacking compared to Main Street. There were no spot light, laser, or snow effects. I would definitely recommend seeing it from Main Street USA over this location for a first viewing, but for a subsequent viewing it was nice to see the projections. It will be interesting what happens on the Rivers of America once Fantasmic returns and the Mix Magic projections are there. Will they use more of the effects in the area?

Here are some recent posts to the Geek's Blog:

Geek’s Blog Postings Recap February 7 - 25, 2019


Disney Related Press Releases

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

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

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.