Hello all,

I had a relatively short agenda on Friday, to see what was going on with the construction around the parks then spend some time experiencing the elecTRONica event/show. The weather was nearly perfect with the high just shy of 80 and a slight breeze. Throughout most of the afternoon the crowds were not that bad and most waits were well under the hour at both parks. Soarin, Screamin, and even Nemo were under 30 minutes. As the evening went on the lines grew, as to be expected for a Friday and once Disneyland closed DCA became much more crowded than normal.

Jason

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

Disneyland & DCA Thoughts and Observations:

• I was a bit worried as I traveled South on the I-5 and noticed the freeway condition sign near Disneyland Drive said to exit at Disney Way for the parks. Seems like they really wanted people to be using the Toy Story lot. Was this in preparation for the Halloween Party this evening, traffic control, or was I going to encounter a mess again this year once I exited the freeway. I decided to take my chances and try for the garage. To my surprised there was no issue at all and as soon as you exited the freeway the sign was telling you to use the express lanes even. What a difference a year makes. Last Halloween season it was not uncommon to spend an hour to get from the freeway to your parking spot. Between the new Toy Story lot and moving the fireworks to be part of the private party that really seems to have helped the traffic situation.
  
  
• I noticed at the garage that the LED signs now say "Let the Memories Begin". I could not get a picture since I was driving and had no one in the car with me.
  
  
• First stop of the day was DCA to check out the construction. It is fun for geeks like myself to just watch the evolution as the old attractions fade and the new ones take shape. As you saw in the pictorial update the Cars Land project just keeps chugging along. The major clearing work has begun for the new dining area. It really looks like they are starting from scratch in the area almost.
  
  
• I saw that Aladdin was running again, but I did not have time to stop and see the show, anyone out there see it? Any changes?
  
  
• Next up over to Disneyland. As I made my way down Main Street, trying to push my way through the Street Party crowd I noticed Disney Clothiers had reopened so I took a few minutes to explore the store and snap some pictures to share. Overall it seemed a bit more open and bright to me, but I have to be honest I never really spent that much time in the store.
  
  
• Speaking of the Street Party did they downsize it a bit? I thought I only saw a half dozen stilt walkers Friday.. I thought there were more, maybe I just missed them.
  
  
• I went for a cruise aboard the Mark Twain to listen to the new show audio. They did a nice job of mixing in the classic lines with some new lines to explain the new sights. Also they incorporated some new music from Princess and the Frog. To hear the new spiel check out my YouTube Video (click here). Overall I thought it was a nice upgrade that works. I did have someone write in asking if I knew who the new narrator was.. I do not, do any of you?
  
  
• Since I am a creature of habit I ended up at Taste Pilots for dinner. I was surprised to see them having a shortage of burgers again (second time since they switched over to the new burgers). Is this a regular occurrence now or am I just lucky?
  
  
• Brief description: ElecTRONica follows a format similar to GlowFest. There is a show in the Sunshine Plaza that repeats itself then the party moves to the Backlot. In addition to the show there is a exclusive preview of the film, an arcade, and a laserman show.
  
  
  • The Sunshine Plaza show (Friday it was at 6:00pm and 6:45pm). This was a brief show that featured several dancers and the MC for the evening talking about what awaits in the Portal (on the Backlot). As the 6:45pm show concludes there is a countdown and the Portal Opens (the Backlot comes alive). Unlike Glow Fest where the plaza show seemed to go on for hours and hours this is a very tight/short show.
    
    
  • The Backlot kicked into gear at 7:00pm on Friday. The lights, projectors, and music all came alive. Similar to Glow Fest there is a face painting and souvenir tent. Also there are a couple of strategically placed bars. I did like that the bars did not seem to be the central focus like they did at Glow Fest. The refreshment corner area has been transformed into a lounge/bar that features some seats to relax in and eat as well as tables. The Catering Co Truck has received a new menu and paint job for the event. The DJ stand and dance platforms are located in the area between Monsters and the Backlot stage. This is a tight fit, especially with the number of people there Friday, but it seemed to work. I did notice the line for Monsters Inc had a 40 min posted wait time, much longer than usual.
    
    
  • A 10 minute preview of the upcoming Tron: Legacy film was being screened in the Muppets Theater. This was a continuous showing. It was kind of awkward to enter and exit through the regular exit doors for the Muppets. This made the line outside look substantially longer than it really was. You have to remember how large that Theater is. It sucked up everyone waiting and then some and the line extended outside the queue area they had set up. The film clips themselves were crisp and the 3D looked great. They also added a couple in theater effects too (some lights and the fans). Note it is quite loud if you have small children or sensitive hearing be warned.
    
    
  • On the backlot stage Laserman puts on a show several times a night (Fridays shows were 7:30, 8:30 and 9:30). This can best be described as a modern mime act probably. The performer interacts with several lasers which turned out to be quite entertaining.
    
    
  • In the old Hollywood & Dine building they have built a replica of Flynns Arcade. It features classic 80s video games, most of which only cost 1 token (quarter to play). Also if you are looking for a cost effective souvenir check out the tokens...
    
    
• I have been trying to figure out a way to describe elecTRONica. Its sort of Glow Fest meets TRON. Guess that is the best way. Its a techno dance party that has taken over the Backlot with a TRON overlay. If the crowds Friday are any indication its going to be a hit. The question I have is was Friday crowded because it was opening night? Or because Disneyland closed early due to the Halloween Party? Or because it is that big of a hit? Time will tell. I can say most of those I talked to Friday were having a good time and as the night went on the crowd did not thin that much. If the crowds hold up to what I experienced on Friday I would have to give a warning about taking children into the area. The area is extremely loud and was wall to wall guests. Everything was fairly orderly but if all you are looking at are legs and its dark and loud its probably not the most enjoyable experience. Also I would say do not even try to push a stroller through the area. I did not see if they were allowing them in or not, but I would hope not.
  
  
• Personally I am not that into techno music so after a while all the music was reduced to white noise with a lot of thumping to me. I did really enjoy seeing the classic games in their original state and available to play. I also found the laserman show entertaining (its basically a modern mime act with lasers). I thought the show was impressive to walk around and the energy level of the crowd was great to see.
  
  
• I wandered out to catch some of World of Color. I watched from what I guess would be a StandBy area. It was way in the back against the Bay Area facades. You could actually see much of what was going on but you did feel disconnected due to the distance. I wanted to see if the rumored TRON tag was going to be added. It was not to the finale. Anyone see the beginning did it show up there?
  
  

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.

• Interesting Web Finds
  • Our friend Doug Marsh over at Laughingplace.com had the opportunity to interview a Ghost at the Haunted Mansion.. check it out
  • A clip about the Storytelling in the upcoming video game EPIC Mickey:
  
  
  
  
• Disney Press Releases
  • 10/05/10 - Disneyland Hotel Celebrates 55 Years
    
  • 9/24/10 - New Nighttime Party at Disney California Adventure Park Immerses Guests in the Digital World of ‘TRON: Legacy’
    
  • 9/23/10 - Disney Guests Become Stars of Castle Show and TV Ads As Walt Disney World and Disneyland ‘Let the Memories Begin’
    
  • 9/23/10 - Disney Memories Caught on Home Video Drive First ‘User-Generated’ Disney Parks Commercials
    
  • 9/28/10 - Disneyland Resort Cast Members Grant More Than $385,000 to Southern California Nonprofits
    
    
• 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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