Hello all,

Thursday was the first of two days we devoted to covering the World of Color opening at the Disneyland Resort. We arrived just after lunch to check into the Grand Californian Hotel and then had a few free hours to roam the parks before the evenings festivities got underway. The crowds in the parks were mild to light. I have not been on a Thursday in quite a while so not sure how they compare to normal.

If you attended either the Premiere or any other viewings of World of Color (before opening or now that it is running) and would like to share your experiences drop me an email: disneygeek@disneygeek.com or stop by the geeks forum and share your thoughts and experiences.

Jason

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

Disneyland & DCA Thoughts and Observations:

• As I mentioned we arrived just after lunch and headed for the Grand Californian to check in. This was my first time staying there. I have visited friends and family that have stayed there and I have spent many hours roaming the grounds and public areas, but usually I opt to drive home after the parks. The check in process was very smooth and due to the event there were tons of CMs working the check in and roaming around the hotel to help out. One interesting note. There is no parking for registration. You have the choice to valet or just leave your car in the main driveway while you check in (which seemed odd and they seemed to want to avoid it, but it worked). The room was not ready yet, which is to be expected checking in before the 3:00pm checkin time, so we went to roam the parks for a couple hours.
  
  
• I opted for the self parking because I knew we were going to be in the park Friday until after World of Color and I did not want to wait for the valet on the way out. The self parking lot is across Disneyland Drive, so its a 5 minute or so walk (depending on the light). There is no extra cost for self parking (just valet).
  
  
• They were strictly enforcing the hotel guest only rule at the Grand Californian gate to DCA on Thursday. There were signs up as you entered the hotel from Downtown Disney and there was even a CM at the end of the walkway (before you turned down to the bag check) looking for room keys (it was great to have one for a change). Not sure if this is going to be the new normal or because of the event it was being done this way.
  
  
• Speaking of room keys they have switched to a new generic looking room key and I am guessing it is the same at all three Disney hotels. In the past/old days there was a key with the Grand CA logo on it.
  
  
• The combination of DCAs early closing for the World of Color Premiere, the park closed at 5 but the Pier closed at 4:30 and Disneylands early closing of 8pm for Grad Nite, it must have been somewhat frustrating for your average tourist. Also navigating parts of DCA were a bit of challenge due to the set up for the World of Color. The blue carpet blocked the parade route from the bakery up to Paradise Park. Paradise Park was off limits and the area near Burger invasion was blocked off as the media center.
  
  
• Nothing too exciting to report from the parks. We walked around both DCA and then over to Disneyland. I thought it was funny that the time guide for DCA listed the Blue Sky Cellar as a the top item not to be missed, even though it was closed all week for the update.
  
  
• Went back to the Grand Californian just after 3:00pm to check on the room, since I had not received a call. Ours was not ready but the CM found another room for us to check into. As soon as they changed our room I received the phone call. Interesting note on this, the number was a 407 number.. so the call center/computer for the hotel is linked to WDW's system. My guess is central reservations for all Disney hotels and resorts in Orlando.
  
  
• We had about an hour to relax before it was time to head back to DCA for the evenings festivities. We were given a bunk bed room which due to the smaller beds seemed to be quite large. The view was of Downtown Disney (we were approximately over the Jamba Juice area). A couple notes on the room. The bunk beds are made for kids or short people. If you are six feet tall you are way too tall to sleep in them. Due to the hours we were in the room I cannot really comment on the noise from Downtown Disney (we were gone to the event from 4pm till after midnight) but while there we heard nothing. The hike from the lobby to our room was substantial because of the way the hotel is laid out and we were in one of the furthest wings. Some quick notes on the room, had a nice LCD TV, a refrigerator, coffee maker, double sink, shower (with a spinning head), a desk, internet (wireless and wired), a portable crib, two robes, and plenty of space for bags. Our ice bucket was missing so we had to request a new one (speaking of which note you need to use your room key to get into the room with the ice/vending machines).
  
  
• A little after 4:00pm we headed for DCA and to check in for the red (I mean blue) carpet. We arrived and hung out near Paradise park waiting for our spot along the rope line. Received our spot around 5:30 and waiting for the VIPs to arrive which started around 6pm. The contest winners were brought in and lined up on the opposite side of the carpet from us (forming a nice backdrop). The characters from the Carnival of Color preshow came out and walked up and down the carpet to keep the crowd entertained. A couple dozen VIPs made their way down the carpet doing interviews and posing for pictures. A majority of the VIPs were from ABC television shows or Disney Channel shows. There were a couple movie people thrown in too. There were some Disney VIPs too..
  
  
• About 8:00pm the carpet was shut down and we were moved over to Paradise Park for the opening ceremony and World of Color. At about 10 minutes to 9:00 the ceremony started with a video and then Mickey took the stage. The ceremony itself was only about 10 minutes (looking at the timestamps on my camera it was 8:49 -> 9:02 and it moved rather quickly through the speeches. I thought it was great that they projected the proceedings onto the sun burst of Screamin as well as two other balloon screens around the bay. It made it easy for all to see what was going on.
  
  
• The highlight of the ceremony for me (being a Disneygeek) was Mickey. It was the new Mickey that could move his mouth and eyes and speak. He interacted with the audience a bit and then took the stage. It was hard to tell if he was actually speaking or it was a script, but it sure looked and acted like the Mickey that was play tested a few weeks ago at Disneyland.
  
  
• I took some video and will be positng it in the next day or two, but for the best quality and most interesting shots here is the official Disney Video of the Opening of World of Color:
  
  
  
• The ceremony concluded with a burst of fireworks off the Toy Story Midway Mania. As I saw the large amount of smoke drifting our way I had Luminaria flashbacks. As the opening of World of Color started the first minute or two of the show was partially obstructed from our vantage point due to the smoke.
  
  
• We were located on the terrace next to the trellis nearest the Wharf bridge (basically the opposite side of the trellis where the programming trailers were). The view from here was good. We were able to see most of the show without a problem. The projections, especially the ones on the front screen were a bit hard to see. Also we had a very small view of the platform itself so the effects that took place low were out of sight for the most part.
  
  
• World of Color
  
  
  • I have been searching for a way to describe The World of Color and I guess the best way is it is a journey through Disney and Pixar films from 1937 through 2009. You experience many of your favorite moments and have the opportunity to laugh, cry, and cheer your way through your memories.
    
    
  • Let me start off by saying I really enjoyed the show and I know I am going to be spending quite a few evenings around Paradise Bay in the coming years. The scope and scale is extremely hard to convey in photos and words and I think this is a not to be missed Disney experience. Clocking in at just over 25 minutes it is a tad on the longer side but as you are watching it you do not notice the time (I have seen it twice now and it just flies by). There is so much activity you have plenty to see. The technical wizards have found ways to use projections and water that have not been seen in the parks (and probably the world) before. It seems that they project movies or lights on just about anything and everything they could and some of the effects are spectacular. The sound system in Paradise Park is unparallel in Disney parks and rivals any concert venue.
    
    
  • The number one question that seems to be asked is how does this show compare to Fantasmic. I think this is being asked because of the heavy use of the water screens. I do not think it is a fair comparison between the two. They are quite different. It is more fair to compare the flow and logic of World of Color to that of your traditional park fireworks show. The difference being here they use water, lights, projections, lasers, and some fire instead of fireworks to tell their story. The story of World of Color is not a tight (or even loose) narrative like Fantasmic, instead it is a journey through Disney films.
    
    
  • The main issue I see with this show is the limited number of optimal viewing locations. Due to the heavy use of projections throughout the show and the fairly limited viewing angle of these screens you have a fairly small sweet spot for the show. Add in the fact that there are some effects that take place at the platform level (or close to it) so you will want to be able to see the platform too the number of great spots shrinks a bit more. Add in that the viewing area only has a handful of levels and each level is flat for the most part which means you need to be in the first couple of rows to clearly see without being blocked by other guests (unless of course you are tall or on someones shoulders) and that shrinks the great spots even more. Then lastly add in that you want to be back a bit because of the scale (and not to mention the water) and the optimal viewing locations shrink to a small box around the new interactive fountain in Paradise Park.
    
    I see this as being a huge weakness of the show, that there are so few spaces that have the perfect view of the show. I would have really liked to have seen a show designed with a larger optimal viewing location. People will be lined up around the Bay and even in Paradise Park itself and many will not have that good of view of the show. I think something like Illuminations where you can stand just about anywhere around the lagoon there and get a decent view of the show would have been better. It will be interesting to see what happens in the coming years.. will the viewing areas be reconfigured, effects tweaked in the show, or what?
    
    Do not read this to mean the show is not good from the other locations, it is just to see everything the way it was intended there really is a small area. And actually that is not optimal in my mind since you are too low still. The best seems to be up in the air in the area I described above.
    
    
  • Another word of warning with the show.. be sure to check the wind before choosing your viewing location. There is a ton of spraying water and if you are down wind and/or close to the water you will get wet.. maybe even soaked! On Thursday evening the guests who were nearest the Zephyr in the first two tiers of Paradise Park got soaked. They looked as if they had just come off the raft ride. The viewing area over there was covered in water and the CMs were pushing large puddles around to clear it off. If you are in other areas depending on the wind you can experience a light midst or even something like a light rain depending on the wind. Lastly watch out for the fountains in the planters. They shoot a good 10 feet or so in the air and the one nearest me Thursday hit me dead on which was not pleasant with the camera gear I had.
    
    
  • Since this was a tightly controlled and limited access premiere it would not be fair to comment on the crowd control aspects of the show, I will wait until the public premiere tomorrow to look at that aspect.
    
    
• After the show we headed for the after party but were instructed that we had to check all cameras before heading out to the Pier. They were not allowing any photographs of the party. I was a little disappointed to hear this since I wanted to get some shots of the Pier, Toy Story, and the Swings but I understand that they did not want photographers bothering the VIPs and others at the event. It was a little frustrating that some had cameras at the event, we inquired a couple times and every time were told no so we just enjoyed the evening. It felt very weird to walk around with no camera gear!
  
  
• The party took place on the Pier and stretched from approximately the Swings on Around to Screamin. There were food and beverage locations set up throughout the Pier and all the attractions in that area were open. There was a small interactive dance area set up, someone painting a Vinylmation statue, and a speed painter too. It was great to be able to walk onto any attraction with no wait. Also fun to be able to eat your way around the Pier! The food ranged from the regular churros and popcorn to catered sushi and finger foods. The bars were full bars. As we walked around it was great to see the VIPs (both Disney and celebrities) just moving freely around and enjoying themselves. No one looked to be hounding them and everyone seemed to be having a great time.
  
  
• I went for my first spin on the new Silly Symphony Swings. It was great! A huge improvement over the Orange Stinger. The new open design allowed for some great views and they sure seemed to go higher and faster than before. The sound system was perfect and you could hear as you swung around, a much more immersive experience with the Band Concert theme than the buzzing of the bees from before. Add to this the fact that they kept the World of Color fountains running during the event and we had an incredible experience.
  
  
• They started shutting down the attractions at 11:30 so we headed back to pick up the cameras and then wandered back through an empty DCA to the Grand Californian to call it a night. It was after midnight when we reached the room and we had a 6am wake-up call to head back to DCA.
  
  
• Here is a great video montage of the World of Color released by Disney:
  
  
  
• 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.
  
  
  • World of Color Press Releases:
    • 6/10/10 - ‘World of Color’ a Milestone in Major Expansion at Disney California Adventure Park
      
    • 6/09/10 - Fanciful Fountains Take Center Stage in Spectacular ‘World of Color’ Show at Disney California Adventure Park
      
    • 6/09/10 - A ‘World of Color’-ful Facts, Figures and History
      
    • 6/01/10 - A World of Ways to Enjoy ‘World of Color’
      
    • 6/01/10 - ‘World of Color’ – It’s Delicious
      
      
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