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5/17/19 - Thoughts and observations from Friday
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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.

5/17/19 - Thoughts and observations from Friday

Hello everyone!

Tuesday night I returned from a week at Walt Disney World, check out posts from the trip here on the trip summary page. Vacations are fun but it is always nice to be back home.

Friday I headed to the Disneyland Resort to check out the projects wrapping up as the park prepares to open Galaxy's Edge in two weeks. There are still a number of projects going on but most are on the final stages. The parks felt busy. The Southern California deal is wrapping up in the coming days and guests have tickets to use. Also Friday was a Grad Nite so there were large groups of graduates roaming the parks too.

Thoughts and Observations:

  • My trip started off on a positive note with me being able to make it through the Ball Road light with only minor slowing, no waiting! I also managed to choose a toll booth line with no one in it and the correct lane to be directed into a space with no waiting! So I was on a parking roll.

  • The Pixar Pals Parking Structure and Tram stop renovation project is marching toward opening in a matter of weeks. Pavers, landscaping and finishing elements are being added throughout the project. On Friday for example they were replanting the large trees along Magic Way. The roof of the shade structure for the security queues was being worked on and more pavers were being installed in several locations. On the other side of the project the first support columns for the bridge over Magic Way and walkway to Downtown Disney have risen up above the construction fencing. This will be an interesting project, I am curious if the walkway will be more than just a walkway.. meaning some kiosks or maybe moving security over.

  • Before entering the security area I walked by it and took a look at the new Rinse location that opened. It is in the former rental car storefront facing the Adventure Tower. This is an extremely odd location, it is off the main walkway and outside the secure area. Guess there is foot traffic to and from the Paradise Pier Hotel and the parking lot out there but that is about it.

  • Downtown Disney had people moving around but it was not busy. There was a DJ set up on the West End stage and a dozen or so kids dancing along. World of Disney has changed out the central display area since my last visit. Toy Story 4 is now featured as well as some summer items.

  • First stop for me today was Disneyland and I spent some time walking around Sleeping Beauty Castle. The scaffolding had been removed, but walls still up. You could see the new color scheme. The first world that came to mind was bright. The castle really pops, this was noticeable from the end of Main Street. As you get closer you can see the variations in color as well as golden elements that were added to the design. It will be interesting how this wears over time. I know many online are not happy with it, but overall it is a neutral to me. I am more a traditionalist and like the older color schemes where it blends with the environment and does not call extra attention more. The gold stars and other elements seem unnecessary to me at best. Looking forward to seeing the final product. There were lights on Friday but not sure if that was the final lighting package or not.

  • In Tomorrowland work on Pizza Planet continues but you could get a first glimpse at the new colors and graphics and they are very similar to the scrims that were up. Also noteworthy is the Toy Story 4 preview will be moving into the theater in Tomorrowland in the coming weeks to replace the Path of the Jedi film (which has been closed for renovation for several weeks).

  • Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge has two weeks until the public opening (well reservation only) and Cast Member previews get underway this coming week. Over the past couple of weeks cast members have had the opportunity to see and experience the land but next week they can take a family member/guest in. In preparation for this all three entrances have had the construction fences removed. On Friday there were multiple rows of benches set up to keep guests on the trail an no where near the entrance. These benches were supported by a handful of cast members to answer questions and keep you out. From various vantage points you could get a glimpse slightly further into the new land but you could not see much.

  • Both Esmeralda and Fortune Red decided not work for me on a first pass by. Seems the Play Disney Parks App is becoming more unstable with them. Later in the visit I did get Esmeralda to work so I wrapped up the second of three stories from her.

  • In New Orleans Square work continues with walls up along the walkway as planter work is underway. I understand they want to widen the walkways and make changes but the timing is suspect. Why wasn't this scheduled for earlier in the year when the Haunted Mansion and/or Fantamsic were closed? Seems it would have been ideal to do the work when the show was dark. Right now a large portion of the center viewing area is off limits due to the walled area and the walls themselves that block the view.

  • The Disneyland Railroad continues to have healthy lines. On Friday it was a 2-3 train wait several of the times I walked by various stations. I did wait because I wanted to see what I could see into the Star Wars areas and I have had it on my list to check out the dinosaurs that returned from renovation a couple of months ago now. The views of the new land are extremely limited, but there are no more walls or barriers. The Dinos looked good as new. No major changes jumped out to me.

  • Over at Disney California Adventure finally caught a Red Car Trolley News Boys performance. They have moved to be in front of Storytellers where 5 & Dime perform. They will be performing without the Trolley for quite a while due to the Marvel project work.

  • Speaking of the Marvel Project steel is continuing to rise up for the show building and facade for the Spider Man and connected buildings. The rest of the site has utility work underway. One thing that jumped to mind when looking at the project is I am curious what is going to go up between the new area and Mater's Junkyard Jamboree. I am assuming some sort of visual and sound barrier will be added. If not it will be very odd to have one side of the street Marvel buildings and the other Cars. I do not recall seeing any concept art of that side of the street. There is not a lot of space with the way the building is being expanded out.

  • I lucked out with the Pixar Pal-A-Round having under a 20 minute wait. For once the queue grew behind me, usually it shrinks!

  • The Inside Out Emotional Whirlwind looks mostly assembled and looks to be nearing ride testing. The queue and backdrop continue to be worked on. No opening date beyond saying Summer has been announced by Disney but it seems to be moving quickly to a sooner rather than later opening.

  • As the sun set I took a look at the entertainment program and there was very little scheduled around both parks after say 6pm. The Royal Street Bachelors and Five & Dime each had a set but by 7pm there was nothing really except the Dance Party. Hopefully by summer this changes with more evening entertainment returning to the line up.

  • I closed out my evening with Mickey's Mix Magic. The show only has a few weeks left in its run. June 6th will be the final performance. Friday there were no projections on the castle and the lasers were still originating from the train station. Friday there seemed to be more guests with kids (and one young adult) on their shoulders obstructing views than past weeks. I really wish they went to a system like Tokyo where this is not allowed and guests are asked to keep everything and everyone below their head level. I understand its easier to hold kids for the entire show that way but it is really rude to those around who have waited just as long and are just as tired and now cannot see the show. And to top it off if you keep moving during the show it makes it that much harder to find a viewing angle.

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

Geek’s Blog Postings Recap April 3-23, 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
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