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08/03/12 - My thoughts and observations from Friday at the Disneyland Resort.
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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.

08/03/12 - My thoughts and observations from Friday at the Disneyland Resort.

Hello all,

Friday was a comfortable day at the Disneyland Resort. The weather was perfect, peaking around 80 and cooling down to the low 70s by the time we left. The crowds were average summer with the traditional long wait attractions hovering around an hour with only a couple of exceptions, like the Racers that were over 2 and Splash that was closer to 1.5 most of the time.


Jason

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

Thoughts and Observations:

  • Walked through Downtown Disney on the way in and thought it felt a little on the crowded side considering it was before noon. There seemed to be a lot of guests moving about. Maybe they were out for an early lunch?

  • Surprised at how slowly the visible progress on Earl of Sandwich is moving along. Really hard to tell too much by looking at building, it appears nearly in the same state as the last few visits.

  • First stop of the day was DCA since I knew I would be at Disneyland most of the later afternoon/evening. The park was alive with activity as guests went about their day the walkways had quite a few people on them. I am still getting used to this.. after all those years of nearly empty pathways.

  • A new Buena Vista Street Bugle is out... so seems they are sticking to the monthly versions, this is great to see! Seems they could use a digital companion for those who cannot make it to the park and want to keep up on the news.

  • Spent some time eating lunch in Cars Land and enjoying the view. The Radiator Springs Racers were running the couple of times I walked by today, I think that is a first. From my table at lunch I could see part of the race and noticed quite a few where the timing was way off (one car would pass with he other a couple seconds behind). But they kept coming which is a step forward.

  • Over at Disneyland walked by the Jungle Cruise hoping to go for a ride and see the tweaks to the boats. Unfortunately the line was longer than my patience so had to settle for some pictures from the Indy Fastpass area. Still amazes me all the effort that has to go into guest proofing attractions because modern guests cannot control themselves or their kids. The Jungle Cruise is the latest example. The attraction opened on opening day back in 1955. Now all of a sudden there is a need for an extra several inches of netting, bumpers to stabilize the boats at the docks, and a change in docking procedure. I can see the netting creating a challenge for shorter guests since it obstructs the view quite a bit. For adults the changes really should not effect the experience.

  • Along the same vein later in the afternoon walked by Finding Nemo and saw the section of railing where it appears they are testing an addition that will try to keep guests from sitting on the railings.

  • As I headed out to the Big Thunder Ranch Jamboree to catch the Billies noticed several signs up along the Big Thunder Trail as well as the dancers, Farley, and a Billy out front of the trail leading a square dance. Looks like they are still tweaking and trying to get guests back to the arena. I like how the Country Bears made the signage. Too bad the Bears are not able to perform out there!
    Here is a clip of the dance number:


     
  • When I first arrived the area was quiet as usual. But by show time for the Billies most of the seats had filled in. It was the largest crowd I have seen so far this summer I think. Not sure if it is the new signage, luck, or because they had a reduced number of shows Friday due to an early closing for a private event.

  • The Billies really seem to be loosening up and making the best of their new home. They had quite a few jokes about the area and interacted with the crowd as well as a passing train quite a bit.
    Here is a video from their performance Friday, not really illustrating this but always looking for a reason to share a Billy clip:


  • The 2012 All American College Band wraps up their run next Friday so I made sure to catch their sets today. Always fun to see how the band evolves over the summer.

  • Back at DCA I stopped by the Dancin with Disney at Stage 17 after the College Band set and it was still lightly attended. The guests who were there seemed to be having a great time though. Too bad more do not find their way in.

  • I stopped by a couple of stores to see if the Attraction Poster Art book was in stock anywhere, it was not. I read that they have been selling out rather quickly. Only another month till it will be available on Amazon. I posted some thoughts on the book in the Geeks Library

  • For those of you planning visits in the near future note the Princess Fantasy Faire is slated to close August 12th, have no fear if you still need a Princess photo they will be set up in the Small World Mall area until their new home in Plaza Gardens is finished.


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.

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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