Hello Everyone!

Friday was a relaxing day at the parks for me.  I had a small agenda, basically to look for some Pizza Planet trucks and see Fantasmic!   The crowds were on the moderate side for most of the afternoon, so I was able to visit a few attractions with minimal waits and had options for others.  The Rivers of America area filled up quickly as afternoon turned to evening with guests taking stand by seats several hours to be there for the return of Fantasmic!  Attraction waits times did go up a bit as you would expect for a Friday evening.  The weather was cool topping out around 70 but dropping to the low 60s quickly once the sun set.  The sun did come out midafternoon which felt great!

Thoughts and Observations:

• Started my day with mixed parking luck. No wait at the tollbooth but a backup the entire ramp as they were funneling into a single lane at the top.   Was directed onto the roof which I am not a fan of but in the first aisle in the front third so a short walk to the escalator.   There was no wait at security nor for a tram so that was a good way to start the day.
• As I arrived in Town Square, I could hear the Disneyland Band coming so I hung around and watched them perform with the characters. No Dapper Dans this afternoon. Also, they changed up the song and did You've Got a Friend in Me to celebrate Pixar Fest. 
• I was able to find another eleven Alien Pizza Planet trucks today.  I visited a few attractions and walked a few queues to do it.  I am enjoying the quest and some of the trucks are really integrated well into the area. For example, the one in the Droid Depot fits perfectly.  The one on the Sailing Ship Columbia looks fun but is a tad out of place where it is. 

• While walking through New Orleans Square spotted a table set up outside of Cafe Orleans.  They had a special table set up for Memorial Day to honor the Fallen Soldier.  I thought it was well done and great way to mark the holiday.

• The Big Al statue in Grizzly Recreation Area seems very odd to me.  I like the tribute and he does fit the overall theme, but it just seems out of place with no context. 

• Disneyland hosted a special Flag Retreat ceremony in Town Square for Memorial Day today.  There were over 100 active-duty US Marines and US Navy Sailors visiting the park and they joined the Disneyland Band and Dapper Dans for the ceremony today.  I always appreciate these special events.  I wish they would list them in the times guide/app so people would know.  There are signs up in Town Square but that was it.

• In Black Spire Outpost a new droid has arrived near the Millennium Falcon.  His name is Bard, and he is a modified R1 droid.  He is the narrator/storyteller for the Fire of the Rising Moons (the fireworks).  I stopped by during the day and saw him. He moves around a little during the day but not much else.  I was not able to fit going to see him for the show.  I think this is a great little plus for the area and the show. 

• I visited more attractions than normal today due to my Pizza Planet truck quest.  Timing worked out and I was able to walk onto a few, like the Little Mermaid and it's a small world. For small world we boarded ahead of guests returning since they had to stop and scan, and we did not.   Runaway Railway was posted at 25 and I hoped it was off and less, it was slightly less but not a great time savings.   Used single rider for W.E.B. Slingers which was a 5-minute wait only.   Also went for a cruise on the Columbia and visited the Adventureland Treehouse.  

• I walked through Adventureland around 7pm and most of the standby viewing was nearly full.   My goal was to wait about an hour for Fantasmic but due to this sight I altered it and came back about 90 minutes before show time and found an ok spot.  The standby viewing was limited as usual with most of the lower terrace blocked off for dining packages and a number of other sections roped off as reserved for various reasons.

• I was disappointed with Fantasmic! this evening.   I was not a fan of Fantasmic 2.0 that premiered a half dozen years ago and this is basically that show with a few more cuts and the return of the Peter Pan sequence.   I thought seeing Peter Pan and Captain Hook on the Columbia again was a highlight and great to see them back.  But Tick-Tock being cut to just a project was rather disappointing.   Also, the Aladdin sequence has removed the Flying Carpet and instead they just dance around the stage.  This seemed awkward and not a great.   The biggest missed opportunity was the final battle with Maleficent.  We all knew the dragon was not coming back but the hope was Disney would add something for a big finale.  In the end there were a few new fire effects, but it was basically what you would have seen in the past if the dragon was not working.  So being down for a year yielded no major improvements to the show.  It was great to see the show again, but I left wanting more and feeling they missed an opportunity and did the bare minimum to get the show back.

• After Fantasmic I joined the mass of guests leaving the park.  This was slow going as usual as I shuffled along.   I had stuck around for the finale so there was no way of making it to Main Street for a good view of the fireworks.  I opted to walk down the sidewalk vs taking the bypass to see if there were any spots. There was some space, and I could have pushed my way in and found a view but instead opted to just keep walking.  Together Forever is not a favorite show of mine and I wanted to get going vs deal with more crowds.
  
  

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

• Disneyland Resort Posts from 5/24
  • Video: The Disneyland Band With Characters Performing “You’ve Got a Friend in Me”
  • Pictures: A Voyage on the Sailing Ship Columbia at Disneyland
  • Pictures: Tiana’s Bayou Adventure @ Disneyland – Project Status (5/24/24)
  • Pictures: Haunted Mansion Renovation at Disneyland (5/24/24)
  • Pictures: Memorial Day Table at Cafe Orleans
  • Pictures & Video: Special Disneyland Flag Retreat for Memorial Day
  • Pictures: Bard, an R1 Droid Hosts Fire of the Rising Moons
  • Pictures: Fantasmic! Crowds 90 minutes before showtime
  • Pictures & Video: Fantasmic! Returns to Disneyland (5/24/24)
• 05/19/24 - Daynah’s LEGO Make and Take Event Experience @ Downtown Disney
• Disneyland Resort Posts from 5/17
• 05/15/24 - Guest Pictures: Hidden Pizza Planet Trucks at Disneyland Resort for Pixar Fest 2024

Disney Related Press Releases

• 05/23/24 - Official Trailer Revealed For ‘Descendants: The Rise Of Red’
• 05/15/24 - Sneak Peek of Disney Dreams That Soar Presented by AT&T, A Summertime Drone Show Coming to Disney Springs May 24
• 05/13/24 - A Roller Coaster of Emotions on the Summer Issue Cover of Disney twenty-three Featuring Characters from Inside Out 2
• 05/13/24 - Portraits of Veterans Painted by President George W. Bush Coming to Walt Disney World Resort
• 05/12/24 - Tiana’s Bayou Adventure Opens June 28 at Walt Disney World Resort
• 05/10/24 - Disney Celebrates Mother’s Day with Birth of Rare Critically Endangered Addax at Walt Disney World Resort
• 05/10/24 - Spirit of Polynesian Storytelling Comes to Life at New Disney Vacation Club Tower

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