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12/18/15 - Thoughts and observations from Friday at the Disneyland Resort.
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12/18/15 - Thoughts and observations from Friday at the Disneyland Resort.

Hello everyone,

Friday was a relaxing day in the parks for me. It had been a couple weeks since my last visit but not a lot on my picture list so I was able to just roam around and enjoy the holiday festivities. The crowds were lighter than I had anticipated. It was more crowded than a typical Friday but really it was the calm before the holiday storm that is approaching. Most waits were well under an hour with the exception of HpyerSpace Mountain most of the day.

Jason

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

Thoughts and Observations:

  • This past week Disney updated their park policies to disallow guns of any type, including toys and they stopped selling them too. They also no longer allow costumes for adults and will enforce the rules. Lastly Disney rolled out metal detectors at the security check points around the parks. These are currently being used for random guest checks. At the security checkpoints there was a much heavier presence of Disney security, Anaheim Police, and a contractor that was running the additional screenings at the metal detectors. They also had security at the AMC this week. It seemed as if they had more lines open than usual too. I had shorter waits this week than on several recent visits. If they can keep the staffing this high hopefully it means no major impact on guest wait times.

  • Wonder when or if the U.S. Parks will go to X-Ray bag checks like Paris was using in October when I was there. That seemed much more efficient than rummaging through someones bag. It was faster for everyone and seems the odds of finding something would be higher. It would be nice to see Disney redo the security checkpoints to make them more permanent and a better first impression when you arrive at the parks. Currently with temporary look that has been tweaked over the years it is not very pleasant or functional in some cases.

  • As you entered the parks on Friday cast members were passing out Star Wars: The Force Awakens pins. They featured BB-8 on them. I thought this was great and a step above the buttons they have used for previous films. It is sad to watch some guests though.. many of the wrappers and backings ended up on the ground between the entrance and Main Street. You are given a free pin how hard is it to throw out the trash?

  • The final Emporium window featuring Aladdin was unveiled since my last trip. This one seemed to be more of a story sequence than a couple of scenes like
    the previous ones. The windows continue to draw crowds of guests checking them out. Always fun to listen to every ones reaction. So far most I have heard are very positive. But you can tell Disneyland Regulars/locals from tourists.. Tourists look and move on the locals stay and watch a cycle or two it seemed.

  • It is always an interesting experience to be on an attraction when it breaks down/gets stuck. This happened on Friday to me on Small World Holiday. Was stopped for about 15 minutes in the US Scene, right before the finale. Luckily the cast members muted the sound after the first several minutes, but then you have all the odd sounds of the dolls moving to listen to. First time in quite a while I was stopped for that long.

  • Over at Disney California Adventure Aladdin has FastPass until the end of its run in January now. They have mobile units on Sunset Blvd to distribute the tickets. Unfortunately though you do not get to pick a show time. They run through the shows in the order they are presented and all machines distribute the same time. I thought they should at least have two show choices. Note as with many shows these do not count against your FastPass quota. So you could have one for Aladdin, World of Color, and an attraction.

  • The Cove Bar looks just about ready to open from ground level. The lights were running Friday and speakers were being installed. Guessing the push is to have it open for the holiday crowds. I was surprised there was no visible progress on Luigis in Cars Land.. I thought they may try to get that open for the rush.

  • Stopped by the Season of the Force and the Star Wars Launch Bay to see if anything interesting was happening for the films opening weekend. There was nothing going on. Lines were mild inside too, only 30 minutes each to meet the characters.

  • Caught the last Jedi Training: Trials of the Temple show of the day at the Tomorrowland Terrace. This show replaced the original Jedi Training Academy since my last trip. I thought the show had a tighter storyline than the original academy and worked well. The kids participating really enjoyed it and their parents of course. I am surprised they did not reference or use more from the new film. I was disappointed to see the last show was 4:35pm and the stage was roped off and sat dark the rest of the evening and with the park open till midnight that meant 7 hours of non use. I thought the live performances brought some kinetic energy to Tomorrowland and that was lacking on Friday.

  • Thanks to the early sunset the last couple of Mark Twain cruises of the day are in the dark. I went on the last one at 5:45pm and it was peaceful as always to be out on the deck and cruise around. Even with the thinned out woods where the Mickey & Friends structure is fairly visible. The 15 minute trip always feels short to me. Once they re rout the river for Star Wars Land its going to really short.

  • For the upcoming two weeks the Disneyland parade/entertainment times are set up to accommodate two fireworks shows a night if needed. As of now Disney has not announced any dates with second showings of Disneyland Forever. It is very odd to have the night time parade at 5:45pm. A very large number of guests headed for the exit after Paint the Night. Curious if they left for dinner or for the day? I find it interesting that Paint the Night is running earlier than the second Christmas parade did last year. I do miss the after dark performance of a Christmas Fantasy. I always enjoyed seeing it with the lights on.

  • In the Grizzly Recreation area the jars I commented on last visit not lighting up do light up and were on Friday. They look great in person and are a nice touch for the season. Unfortunately I could not figure out how to capture that in pictures to share...

  • The Tweedles were not at the Mad T Party on Friday for the 7:30 performance. I did not stick around so not sure if they were gone all night or just that performance. Anyone attend one of the other sets?

  • Decided to take a walk through Downtown Disney to see the Carolers that were on the website time schedule and see if anything for Star Wars was going on. First for Star Wars I saw nothing really. The lines at the AMC looked normal, except for added security. The Carolers performed at an unmarked set up near the Gallery. And not at the top of the hour like the website listed, instead the bottom of the hour (at least at 8:30 not 8:00). I enjoyed the performance but found it humorous they started with a Star Wars song since it was opening night and included Let it Go! in their set. The traditional Christmas Carols were great. Some of the performers looked familiar maybe from years past in the Grand Californian? Their tech did not help them out much with the mic levels appearing to be wrong throughout the performance. As with many of the Downtown Disney entertainment attempts I do not understand why they do not list set times and their choice in locations. The Carolers should have been on the stage by the Winter Village or at least near by. Instead a DJ was out there and when I walked by a disco type song was playing.. not very Christmas.

  • Returned to Disneyland to catch Disneyland Forever. There was no delay at security or the park entrance and I went from Downtown Disney to Main Street in under 5 minutes. This meant I had 25 minutes to stand there waiting and the show was delayed a few minutes so it was longer. The street filled up similar to how it used to before Paint the Night. Up near the Castle was fairly full 30 min prior with space still available up until the shells started further down the block.

  • Do you visit our pictorial updates using a mobile device? If so we would like your feedback. I have created a more mobile version of our Disneyland Picture sets at https://disneygeek.com/mobile Please give it a try and share your thoughts.

Interesting Web Finds/Notes:

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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