* After you read this report you may want to check out the pictorial updates in our Disneyland Resort Pictorial Update section

Hello all,

It was kind of surreal Friday to walk around the parks, after spending a week down at Walt Disney World then 48 hours later to be roaming around Anaheim.. the transition always takes a bit of time for me. For some reason the feel of the two resorts is quite different, each has its own pros and cons... The Disneyland Resort was not too bad on Friday. The weather was mild as were the crowds. Most of the big attractions had waits well under an hour most of the afternoon but as the day went on the waits grew.

Jason

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

Disneyland & DCA Thoughts and Observations:

• I was expecting the parks to be a bit more crowded after being parked in the last row on the 5th level of the garage, that is about a floor higher than usual.. seems I usually get stuck in the last row or two on the 4th floor. Parking was slow as has been the case lately. Getting through the toll booths were no problem, maybe a handful of cars in front of me, but then we jammed up on the ramp and were stopped and then stop and go till I was directed to a space.
  
  
• As you saw in the pictorial update the construction around DCA is humming along. Mickeys Fun Wheel reopened right after my last visit so this was my first time seeing it complete and going for a ride. I am not sure if it is the way the queue entrance is set up now or just that its re-opened but the line for the non-swinging gondolas was much longer than usual and this seemed to be the case every time I walked by. The queue had a minor adjustment. The entrance sign for the Fun Wheel is now in the center instead of over the ramp to the swinging gondolas. Once you enter you turn left for non swinging or right for swinging and follow a chain until you reach the old queue (or exit) ramp. No other real changes. There is a new spiel that plays, sounds like a German accent. I read on another site that this is the same owner of the Boardwalk games, I forget his name. The experience is the same as before, no changes to the ride itself.
  
  
• Also new this trip are the the restrooms in the Bay Area. These were relocated across the street from their old location to allow for the Little Mermaid show building as well as more room for the restrooms themselves. I was surprised by how plain/boring they were, but the hand dryer is an interesting new addition. Wonder if those will be showing up in other restrooms around the resort.
  
  
• Monorail Orange and Blue were running all afternoon/evening from what I could tell with no real problems and the lines at both stops seemed reasonable. I managed to get on Orange for a ride back to the park from Downtown Disney. With the half cut windows it was comfortable inside and there were no restrictions in terms of boarding. Not sure about Blue since it still has the old windows I believe.
  
  
• I was trying to get some shots of the fountains in Pixie Hollow and the Street Party was rolling from the Small World area out to the hub. The CMs near Matterhorn at first kept asking guests to leave saying this was not a viewing area, then eventually they seemed to give up. If people want to stand there and watch it roll by I do not see the harm in it... I am guessing they did not want you there to see the staging area for the stilt walkers or the bicycles? Speaking of the Street Party after seeing the Walt Disney World version of it I have to say I like what they are doing better. In Orlando the Street Party rolls out three times a day, travels up Main Street, circles the hub, stops, performs, circles the hub again, then heads back down Main Street. This is in addition to their daily parade. I know their hub is larger and can accommodate more guests but I thought this was a great way to use the concept and really seemed to work well. The production is not as elaborate as Anaheims but it seemed to go over great with guests as well as all the CMs in the area really seemed to get into it.
  
  
• Speaking of weird crowd control. I was walking past the Orange Stinger on my way to the Zephyr during the Pixar Play Parade and there was a CM blocking the walkway along the Bay and he would not let anyone move forward until the parade passed him. This seemed odd since you could not access the Zephyr or the Jumpin Jellyfish any other way. Also once the parade ended guests were going from the other way but he would not budge until Mater passed him.
  
  
• As you saw in the pictorial update I took quite a few pictures of the Fun Wheel at sunset and at night. I was trying to capture the new lights. Overall I think they are a great addition and the Fun Wheel looks great. I think there should be some incredible shots once the water is back in the bay and you can get the reflections. I did notice some minor quirks in the light programming with some bars not working properly but I am guessing this is still in the test and adjust phase. Wonder if the wheel will have a role in the World of Color show? Seems like it could with programmable lights.
  

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