Hello all,

Friday was a very relaxing day in the parks as the summer season is winding down. The crowds were average summer with many of the waits pushing the hour mark but not much beyond. The full slate of summer entertainment was happening at both parks. And to top it off the weather was mild again, toping out around 80 only. I ended up having a more traditional summer visit, for me, to the parks, meaning several sets of the College Band, Fantasmic, and fireworks.

Jason

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

Disneyland & DCA Thoughts and Observations:

• In case you missed the announcement on the Disney Parks Blog the Maliboomer will close on September 7th, the Bountiful Valley Farm on September 8th and Mulholland Madness will be October 12th. No mention of the SS Rustworthy or Pizza Mow Mow, but I would be around the same time. Also announced the Rapunzel Meet and Greet will open October 15th at Disneyland. (Links are below to all these entries).
  
  
• First stop of the day was DCA. No real highlights to report on beyond what you saw in the pictures. The rockwork in Cars Land is slowly taking shape and its been great to watch that. Little Mermaid visible progress is a bit slower right now as they are working inside and on some areas that are not quite visible to us.
  
  
• It was nice to spend some time walking through the Farm area to get pictures. As I did so I realized how empty it was for the most part. The area around the Farmers Market has some guests eating and the water play area had people too, but the rest was almost empty. I have not noticed or read anything, but anyone know what the plans are for the area that will be left of the farm? The entrance to Bugsland and gateway to Fliks? The concept art I have seen really just shows the Cars Land portion.
  
  
• Over at Disneyland Alice in Wonderland reopened Friday and the line was long every time I walked by. From what I have read the railings that I photographed are temporary and intended to be a band aide to get the attraction open as fast as possible for the summer crowds. They are working on a permanent solution, so look for an extended down time sometime in the off season. The temporary rails and flowers do not look that good and I am assuming really ruin the view from onboard. I think its kind of sad how something that has been in place since 1958 needs to suddenly change. I do not recall this being a major issue with guests or workers being hurt.
  
  
• Friday marked the last day for the 2010 All American College Band at Disneyland. They played their regular Friday routine which included the Castle set and three sets at Plaza Gardens, then they added an encore performance at 10:15 in front of the Train Station to end their run. It was great to see them get the opportunity to wrap up their season with a large crowd that was really into the show. I arrived just after Magical, 9:45ish, and there was already a good crowd in place. As the performance time neared the crowd grew and it was a lively group. They even cheered for the custodial CMs that came by to sweep the street. The performance itself was a blast and the band was really on and ended on a high note. One of the fun aspects of watching the band every summer is seeing how they the performance grow and improve throughout the run.
  
  
• Caught Fantasmic Friday, has the band/pre-show been gone all summer? The lift on the island that is used for Mickey and the Cauldron was not working. Kind of weird to watch Mickey run out on the stage at the opening. Also no sign of the eels during the Ursula segment. Other than that everything seemed to be running as normal. The crowd was big as usual.
  
  
• As I stood there watching the show I could not help but wonder why the team that built the viewing area for World of Color did not use the lessons learned from the Fantasmic viewing area and apply it to Paradise Park. For example the most obvious to me is the mild slope. Along the Rivers of America there is a slight slope to most of the viewing area, this really allows for better viewing and its something you do not really think about unless you stop and look around.
  
  
• The crowd for Magical did not seem as dense as shows past, not sure if this is a by product of Glow Fest and World of Color drawing some guests over to DCA, or just how Friday was.
  
  
  
• 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.
  
  
  • Some Interesting Web Finds
    • Pirates of the Caribbean 4: On Stranger Tides filming in Hawaii - Disney and More
    • 8/13/10 - First Look: Concept Art Shows Rapunzel Meet-and-Greet Location at Disneyland Park - Disney Parks Blog
    • 8/12/10 - New Star Tours Video Makes Us Ask: Where Will the New Star Tours Attraction Take Us? - Disney Parks Blog
    • 8/12/10 - D23's Disney Geek Update (no relation to our site, but we do like the name!)
    • 8/11/10 - Disney testing Droid device at WDW (video) - engadget
    • 8/06/10 - Disney California Adventure Park Expansion Continues with Goofy's Sky School and Cars Land - Disney Parks Blog
    • 7/27/10 - Disney Aulani Resort Hawaii - Hard Hat Tour - Hawaii Magazine.com
    • Disney 2011 Dining Plan brochure (Le Cellier to count as two meals starting in March) (PDF)
      
      
  • Disney Press Releases
    • 8/11/10 - More Stars Join D23's Destination D Concert Event ‘E-TICKET: MUSIC FROM THE DISNEY PARKS’
      
    • 8/10/10 - D23: The Official Disney Fan Club Debuts 'Refer a Fan' Program for Its Members
      
      
  • We post some announcements on:
    • Twitter - http://www.twitter.com/disneygeekcom
    • Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/disneygeek
    • Youtube - http://www.youtube.com/disneygeekcom
      
      

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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