Hello Everyone!

I spent a relaxing day at the Disneyland Resort on Friday. I had nothing on my agenda except to enjoy some entertainment and a few attractions hopefully. The crowds were what you would expect on a Friday. The morning hours were great and as the day went on the wait times increased. The weather was great too starting out in the low 70s and climbing to about 80 then falling again to the low 70s before we left.

Thoughts and Observations:

• We arrived in Anaheim early and were on Main Street USA well before rope drop due to no delays in parking, security or the tram. Unfortunately the benches were damp still so we had to stand around. At rope drop we watched the initial crowd run into the park and we walked at a leisurely pace right behind that rush. I always enjoy the energy of park opening.
• I had no real agenda so we decided to try Alice in Wonderland first. As we rounded the corner you could see a maintenance cast member out front and knew it was not opening now. We took a look around and decided to stop by Mr. Toad since it was a walk on. Most of Fantasyland was not bad, with the exception of Peter Pan which was a mob of guests as usual.
• The new asphalt by the Fantasyland Theatre has had a green slurry added since my last visit. The area looks good as new again. Wonder why they did not take this opportunity to replace it like they have throughout the park.
• Mickey's Toontown was really quite. In the distance I could see Mickey Mouse at his front door step and only a couple people in the area. We opted to walk onto Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway. There was zero wait. We kept walking and even had good timing where the preshow doors were open so we walked right in. There were only 4 rows of guests in our show. I found it odd the cast members did not spread us out to all the train cars instead loading all four in the first two cars and sending two empty cars. They could see there was no one else, so why not go every other row? And if guests show up out of no where fill in the rows? One other note from Toontown CenTOONial park's play area was blocked off with benches. A cast member was walking around in the area but no signs of why. Maybe waiting for the moisture to dry?
• The Jungle Cruise returned from renovation today. I was curious to see what, if anything, had changed. It was a cool morning and we had no where to be so decided to get in line even though it was posted at 30 minutes. We were moving ok through the upper level of the queue then stopped. I could see the river and saw an empty boat going backwards up river. Then two boats were brought out from backstage and parked off to the side. Eventually the first boat we saw arrived towing another. The guests were taken off then the boat was pushed backstage. We thought we were ready to go but the no boats showed up. Then finally another came crawling back. Guests disembarked and that one was taken offline too. A few minutes later boats started to arrive in force and we were moving again and boarded soon after. It took about 40 minutes with the issues. Once onboard the only thing that jumped out to me was some scaffolding was up around the ruins scene. This looked rather poor and was not great show, but it is nice to see they are replacing the broken set. Overall the water looked dirty and in need of some cleaning with a lot floating in it.
• A new Halloween popcorn bucket was available throughout the parks. Scary Teddy from the Nightmare Before Christmas. It was selling for $30 at the stands. There were extended taped queues set up at several locations but the waits seemed mild compared to previous releases and by mid morning there were no big queues at the couple stands I walked by.
• The Haunted Mansion queue project and gift shop are inching along. You could see some visible progress on the elevator structure and the gift shop is now mostly enclosed. The main portion of the queue had workers moving around but with the vantages points I had it was hard to tell how far along they are.
• Further down the trail into Critter/Bayou Country there was a team walking around Tiana's Bayou Adventure. Looked to be an inspection with some taking notes and all talking and pointing at things. The attraction is slated to open in six weeks and previews starting before that for Cast Members.
• The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh was using an extended queue and posted at a 30 minute wait. The meet and greet had only a handful of groups in it when I walked through. Not sure why so many wanted to experience the attraction this morning.
• Near Pooh Corner the drinking fountain has been replaced with a new one that includes a bottle fill station. I found the choice in design interesting. It is a colorful Pooh inspired one which seems out of place in a western style building in Bayou Country. The design choice seemed better suited for Walt Disney World or Hong Kong where the attraction is in Fantasyland. I am not a huge fan of the design of the new fountains. The difference between the low and higher fountain is not that much and you really have to bend down to get a drink. Also with the bottle fill station in the middle if someone is using it both fountains are unusable or awkward to use with someone right there. On a positive note the water was still really cold.
• The Critter Country sign has been replaced with a Bayou Country one on the upper floor of the building. A small placemaking change.
• Staying on the fountain kick the work on the one across from the Big Thunder exit has finished and it is a similar style with a bottle fill station. This one fit the area much better though.
• The front entrance renovation work continues at Disneyland. A couple of the new trees are out from behind walls and some of the paver work is too. Large sections are still behind walls though. Over at Disney California Adventure the bank of new turn stiles has returned. So not sure if more testing is underway or if its the start of the replacements. Online I saw posts that the west side of Disneyland will be replaced later this month.
• Spent some time in Cars Land where the Cozy Cone project continues. It seems like a very long time to replace the seating areas. Will be interesting to see the new look/options. While in the area was able to see several of cars in their Haul-O-Ween costumes. Cruz rolled down Cross Street and was parked at the entrance to Ornament Valley from San Fransokyo Square offering a great photo backdrop.
• Stopped by to see the 3:30pm The Storytellers of Plaza de la Familia Celebrate The Musical World of Coco! show. I noticed a Pepita puppet in the show today along with Dante. The last time I watched it was not in the show.
• Caught the final Story Time with Deadpool of the day and then a Guardians of the Galaxy Awesome Dance Off! with Deadpool too. Both continue to draw good size crowds from what I have seen. For those who have asked Disney has not announced any end date for Deadpool.
• Closed out my evening in Downtown Disney with a performance by the DeadBeats singing some Halloween inspired songs. As usual there were a lot of kids running around and having a great time and parents too. The lawn area seems to be a great addition.
  
  

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

• Disneyland Resort Posts from 10/04
  • Pictures: Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride
  • Mickey’s Toontown this morning
  • Pictures: Alice In Wonderland at Disneyland
  • Pictures: Snow White’s Enchanted Wish
  • Pictures: Disneyland Jungle Cruise Renovation Status (10/04/24)
  • Scary Teddy Popcorn Bucket
  • Pictures: Haunted Mansion Area Renovation at Disneyland (10/04/24)
  • Pictures: Tiana’s Bayou Adventure @ Disneyland – Project Status (10/04/24)
  • Pictures: Indiana Jones Show Building Project Looks Completed
  • Pictures: Disneyland Entrance Projects (10/04/24)
  • Pictures & Video Clip: Haunted Mansion Holiday
  • Pictures: Red Dressed as a Clown for Haul-O-Ween
  • Pictures: Musical World of Coco! Show Including Pepita
  • Pictures: Downtown Disney West End Construction (10/04/24)
  • New Turnstiles Back at DCA
  • Video: The DeadBeats Performing in Downtown Disney Tonight
  • Pictures: Disneyland Drinking Fountains and Water Refill Stations
• 10/01/24 - Book Review: Walt Disney Treasures: Personal Art and Artifacts from The Walt Disney Family Museum

Disney Related Press Releases

• 10/03/24 - Disneyland Resort Announces Return of Limited-Time Kids’ Special Ticket Offer and Hotel Offers
• 10/01/24 - “Music By John Williams,” An All-New Documentary Based On The Life And Career Of Legendary Composer John Williams To Premiere November 1 On Disney+
• 09/30/24 - “Inside Out 2” Is the No. 1 Film Premiere on Disney+ in 2024, Driving 30.5 Million Views Globally in 5 Days
• 09/30/24 - Disney Enchanted Christmas Invites Families And Friends To Enjoy The Most Magical Christmas Ever At Disneyland Paris
• 09/30/24 - Disney+ Pulls Back The Curtain On The Storied Career Of The Legendary Elton John In The Official Trailer For “Elton John: Never Too Late”
• 09/26/24 - Disney Animation’s “Moana 2” -New TV Spot and Poster
• 09/25/24 - Deadpool & Wolverine Are Coming Together… Watch At Home With Your Best Bubs Again And Again And Again!
• 09/24/24 - Two All-New Series From Pixar Animation Studios Set Disney+ Launch Dates
• 09/24/24 - Wizards Beyond Waverly Place - Official Trailer and Key Art
• 09/23/24 - Marvel Studios Debuts Teaser Trailer & Poster For “Thunderbolts*”

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.

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