Hello all,

Wow how time flies. It had only been three weeks since my last visit to the Disneyland Resort but it felt like a long time and with the quick pace of change going on around the parks it meant I had a lot of catching up to do. So as you saw in the photo update I did! The crowds in the park felt about average. Wait times were moderate if you timed it correctly.

Jason

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

Thoughts and Observations:

• Before heading to the parks this morning I made a quick stop in Fullerton at the Railroad Days 2012. The event took play just a few miles up Harbor Blvd from the park and was free. My main reason for attending was to see the two Disney cars that were on display. Disneyland had brought the Lilly Belle up and the Carolwood Pacific group had brought a restored Combine car from the Disneyland & Sante Fe Railroad. I really enjoyed going through the cars and chatting with the cast members and volunteers that were there. It was interesting to note the similarities between the two cars.
  
  
• The cars parking in the Mickey and Friends garage this morning were moving extremely slow. There was no real delay to pay but as you headed up the ramp to the floor things slowed down to a crawl. After being directed into a spot on Mickey I headed for the trams which were backed up too so hiked to the parks.
  
  
• First stop was California Adventure. With only a little under six weeks till opening the bulk of the visible work at both Cars Land and Buena Vista Street is done and they are onto details and finishing touches. Buena Vista Street still has some sidewalks and other smaller concrete and landscaping pieces to go and the buildings exteriors are all nearing completion. Since you cannot see the interiors no clue what the status of those are.
  
  
• I am curious if the Condor Flats radar tower is going to be repurposed or if it was destroyed? Does anyone know? Moving it out did open up the sight lines more and I thought it was odd that it was there.
  
  
• The Mad T Party is taking over the Studios portion of the Backlot and looks to be an impressive set up. It should be interesting to see how this event goes. Each one of these seems to be slightly grander in scale.
  
  
• Cars Land was doing some Cast Member family testing on the Flying Tires this afternoon... too bad no one wanted to adopt me for the day. I am curious how the experience is. Guess I will find out in a mater of weeks! Which seems odd to be saying I remember when the plans were announced thinking how far away 2012 was.
  
  
• Went for a ride on the Little Mermaid to check out the minor tweaks that were rolled out during a brief down down. They swapped out the Ariel figure in the Under the Sea section (or at least her hair). Also the animation is now hand drawn vs CG. Other than that nothing jumped out at me as changed. The new hair seems to work better in the scene to me. I thought the large ice cream inspired hair seemed odd. I know it is that way in the movie but only briefly and it was moving around so it worked better. Here are videos from my first ride through last year and then this weekends:
  
  

  May 27, 2011	May 5, 2012

  
  
  
• Next up it was time to head for Disneyland. On Main Street the Gibson Girl, Penny Arcade, and Candy Palace have all reopened. They look great! The new layouts seem like they should help with the congestion. I was a disappointed to see the indoor seating from Coke Corner has been removed to make way for more candy sales though. On those couple of rainy or hot days it was a nice area to relax in. I am guessing with all the seating next door for the Jolly Holiday Bakery they figured it was not needed anymore.
  
  
• Last weekend marked the end of Plaza Gardens as we know it. The last night of dancing and last performing arts groups wrapped up and the construction walls went up to transform it into the Princess Fantasy Faire. Since a stage was still needed they have re-opened the Big Thunder Ranch for the performing groups. The swing dancing has been moved to Downtown Disney.
  
  
• The Big Thunder Ranch Jamboree opened this week in the festival arena. The event made top billing on the time sheet but no mention in the guide maps yet. The Jamboree is open Friday to Sunday from 10:30am to 6:00pm this week (guessing it will be that way till summer/holiday weekends). Twice a day they perform a Cowboy Roundup Show (noon and 2:15). Throughout the rest of the day Performing Arts groups use the stage. The area is set up along the lines of the Family Fun Days with a character Meet and Greet area, some arts/crafts area for kids, an ODV cart, an exhibit area, and then the main stage. The Cowboy Round Up show is very similar to the Kickin Country Street party (see videos below). I was a little disappointed with the show. I thought it focused too much on the guest participation and not enough on the music and/or dancing, but then again I enjoy country music so I would have been happy with a band playing country music.
  
  

  Kickin' Country Street Party January 21, 2011	Cowboy Round-up May 5, 2012

  
  
  
• When I reached the Monorail platform for my first trip around the cast member announced a 20-30 minute delay. Seemed Monorail Orange developed a problem and it had to be taken off the beam way. It entered the park under its own power and made its way backstage, then they dispatched monorail blue from the Tomorrowland station. An hour or so later Orange had returned to service.
  
  
• Stopped by the newly reopened Lego store in Downtown Disney. The store was busy with guests looking around, building things, and of course purchasing sets. I think the addition of the displays outside are a great plus and really help the store out. I thought before it was just a regular store outside. Now with the giant models it really cements the Disney-Lego connection.
  
  
• Took a look at the guide maps and they have not been updated yet. Guessing these are staying until June when summer kicks off? Found it funny to still see ElecTRONica on them and no mention of the Big Thunder Ranch Jamboree. On the time guide I noted that the Dance Crew at DCA has reached the end of its run. I did like seeing the Cowboy Round up times posted for all to see.
  
  
• I was curious how Saturday night would go with Plaza Gardens closed. As I walked around the parks I saw couples dancing at DCA with the Ellis Island Boys in Paradise Gardens, in Tomorrowland Terrace with Scot Bruce/Elvis, and out at Downtown Disney with the swing band. So it appears that the dance night at Disneyland was alive and well, at least on this first Saturday after the gardens closing.
  
  
• I continued to test and evaluate a new method of posting images as I roamed the park. I am now posting directly to the Geeks Blog So those of you who do not use twitter or follow us, you can see the images too. Any thoughts? Is this better/worse/the same as the way I was posting before? If you were not aware as I roam the parks I post some thoughts/pictures throughout the visit. So follow me @disneygeekcom
  
  

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.

• Interesting Web Finds:
  • I have been posting my web finds to the Geek's Blog as I find them/have time to post them.
    
    
• Disney Related Press Releases
  • 5/08/12 - Fantasmic Dragon Flies Down the Freeway
  • 5/01/12 - International Tastes, Creative Flair At Landscape of Flavors Food Court
    
  • 5/01/12 - New "Tutto Gusto Wine Cellar" Now Open at Walt Disney World Resort
    
  • 4/27/12 - Splitsville Rolls into Downtown Disney in Fall 2012
    
  • 4/27/12 -Additional 2012 Openings Announced for the New Fantasyland as Largest Expansion in Magic Kingdom History Spreads its Wings
    
  • 4/19/12 - Avengers Assemble on Three Collectible Covers of Disney Twenty-Three Magazine's All-New Summer Issue
    
  • 4/17/12 - A New Chapter Unfolds As Disney's Story Rooms Invite Walt Disney World Resort Guests to Magical Worlds of Film and Fantasy
    
    
• To stay up to date with site updates and other announcements:
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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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