After a refurbishment that seemed to last forever, Pirates of the Caribbean has reopened at the Magic Kingdom of Disneyland! Going to Disneyland without the most beloved attraction in Disney history was tough. Pirates is the one attraction that I have to go on every time I visit the park. Maybe I’m a bit too attached to what some people might call a “simple amusement park ride”, but it is so much more than that. It is the single greatest attraction ever created and it showcases the talents of many including Walt Disney himself. So come with me as I take you on a journey to the newly reopened Pirates of the Caribbean and I will describe to you some changes I noticed.
Back from Under the Tarps!
The first thing I noticed was how fresh and clean the talking skull now looks. For the longest time, the talking skull had several spit balls on his hat. Boy would I be mad if I saw some kid spitting spit balls at him! Well, all of those balls of spit have been removed and he has been freshly repainted. He looks great.
Pre-Refurbishment. Notice the Spitballs!
Once we enter the caves after the waterfall, I noticed that the cave looks better than ever. For the last couple of years, there has been holes and wires showing and those are now all covered up and it looks great.
Inside the Caves
After the second waterfall, we come to the island full of skeletons. Here I noticed some substantial changes. First of all, the island itself has been re-sculpted on its edges. The edges look steeper and natural sand no longer goes to the water’s edge. It is now a carved surface, most likely to withstand waves of water crashing against it.
The skeletons themselves have been updated too. The first skeleton we come upon has a new hat and eyepatch, along with a Jolly Roger flag. The skeleton in the middle seems to be pretty much the same complete with his crab companion, but the skeleton with the sword through his chest has an all new skull. It is a totally different sculpt than what had been used to. The skull looks smaller and a little less lifelike. He still looks great, however. Also, this skeleton’s sword has been cut in half as if he were in an epic sword battle before his death.
Pre-Refurbishment.
Pre-Refurbishment
Pre-Refurbishment
Then we come to the Skeleton at the wheel. He now sports a huge wig that looks like a 1980s Rock Star. It’s a strange choice of hair, but his scene still looks amazing.
Pre-Refurbishment
As we came upon the mist screen, I found another substantial change. The mist screen now alternates between Davey Jones and Blackbeard.
Davey Jones Alternates With...
Blackbeard
Our boats then slowly approached the cannonball fight and Barbossa’s animation is better than ever. His body really exaggerates the words he is speaking and it’s great. Barbossa also seems to have a bigger hat with a lot more feathers.
Pre-Refurbishment
The next change came in the Auction scene. It is pretty much exactly the same, except the Auctioneer seems to have a new paint job on his face that is just remarkable. He looks so good. The only thing that was kind of weird was that his head was down the whole time. He doesn’t seem to be interacting with the pirates as much because it looks like he’s talking into his chest. I’m sure that will be fixed one of these days.
Pre-Refurbishment
The Pooped Pirate scene came up next and that tired old Pirate looks great. He has a new wig of curly hair and a thick mustache. I just wish he had his old hat with the long top.
Pre-Refurbishment
The Original Pooped Pirate - Complete with Top Hat!
In the burning city, all of the pirates looked remarkable, except I noticed that one was missing. The pirate that is leaning against a lamp post was gone and so was the lamp post! What was even stranger was that his vocals were still being played. I hope they are just refurbishing him. I would hate for him to be gone permanently. He is one of my favorites.
Where Could He Be?
I didn’t really notice any changes from then on until the final Jack Sparrow scene. He looked pretty much the same, except much cleaner with a fresh coat of paint. I’m really not impressed with that animatronic at all though. It just doesn’t fit in with the other pirates and their exaggerated features. How I miss the old Pirates…
Pre-Refurbishment
As we go up the waterfall, we get one last word of warning and the audio now alternates between Davey Jones and Blackbeard like the mist screen earlier in the attraction.
When we finally disembark, a keen eye will notice one final change. The unloading dock has been refurbished and expanded to help accommodate more handicapped people.
The Dock!
A few weeks before Pirates of the Caribbean reopened, a rumor was going around that mermaids from the fourth film would be added to the attraction. I was upset by this as I think the attraction should stay away from film references. Fortunately, it was only rumor and those mermaids never made an appearance. So overall, this long refurbishment was worthwhile. The Pirates look better than ever and the whole ride seems new and fresh. So next time you are at Disneyland, ride Pirates and see what you think. Let us know how you feel about these changes.
*A special thanks to Daveland for use of their pictures!*
We got to the park early and had lunch at Storyteller’s Cafe. We were bummed we missed breakfast (they don’t offer Sunday brunch, we discovered) but lunch is SUPER inexpensive here. Just over $20 for my wife and I. Highly recommended for those on a budget.
The smoke-stack works!
We then headed straight to the new Grand Circle Tour exhibit at the Disney Gallery. Incredible! I wanted everything on the walls in that exhibit! I loved everything from the signage out front (with the working smoke stack!) to the train going around the back gallery. A must-see!
This is an awesome Donald!
We then got to meet one of the Fab-5 in their holiday garb — Donald! He was a great character but had no wrangler! Strange but makes for good talking-to-your-neighbor-in-line time to get your picture just right!
Yodle-ay-ee-hoo!
We thought that today would be a fun time to try riding some things we never ride. Today started with the Matternhorn. After a month+ refurb, nothing has changed. Still rough and still with the old cars. Unfortunate.
What a beautiful day!
Love this scene!
He's winking!
Next was Small World Holiday! I only ride this twice a year so this was a nice treat! Looked and sounded great although one of the clowns that ride their bike on the wire was not working and one of the many suns had an eye (read: light) out. Other than that, it was perfect timing for us to get out of the heat and skip the Christmas parade madness. One day I’ll check that out.
Awkwarrrddd.
On our way to our next ride, we saw the Tangled meetup had a short line (only 20 minutes compared to the normal 45+). We met Rapunzel and Flynn but it was pretty weird. Usually meeting characters is fun because they are big smiling faces that you mime with. These were kids our age and it seemed just — weird. Not sure what that was about.
Vixen!
We also checked out the Reindeer Roundup! We are never in the park early enough and we noticed that Santa Claus is also available for photos at the roundup! Even better, the BBQ restaurant was open pretty late in the day which made me excited to come back for dinner soon! It’s my favorite restaurant at Disneyland so dinner there would be killer!
Settled 1880!
We then put on our mining hats and headed over to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. We saw the queue was pretty long but the sign said only 10 minutes. After about a 5 minute wait, we saw that the queue was only going to the stairs and straight up. What a day for Disneyland — no lines!!! We had a great ride.
Beautiful tree.
I went to take a picture of a beautifully autumn-red tree and accidentally punched myself in the eye with the camera. It was a beautiful tree! We also noticed that the collapsing mine projection looked new — although the rocks were not falling. You win some, you lose some.
DCA all Christmas-y!
Looming in the distance!
After making our way through the NOS crowds, we grabbed some HMH fastpasses and made a b-line for DCA. We met up with fellow RSP-er Robert to ride his favorite DCA attraction: The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. It, too, had a short line and we were also the line-time-takers (we were given this lanyard).
Fancy schmancy.
However, I was not sure who to give the lanyard to, so I gave it to the person I thought best to get it — the bellhop loading us into the elevator. Not sure how that went down but let’s be honest, that’s the gauge for how long the line is. The ride looked and sounded great but unfortunately the mirror effect was not working correctly. I wonder what goes into that effect to make it so unreliable?
Below the basement.
Robert here: I wanted to point out one other thing about our trip on Tower. Usually when you enter the library, the door closes, a flash of lightning strikes, and the TV turns on. At that precise moment, the lights go off. However, on this particular trip, the lights stayed on. They slowly started to dim and they were shut off about half way through the preshow video. I wonder if that was intentional or not. It was neat, but I think I prefer the lights to go out with the lightning strike.
*Star Tours chime*
We then headed back to Disneyland (sans Robert) to utilize some Star Tours fastpasses we got from a friend. Unfortunately, as great as the queue was, that’s all we saw. Our starspeeder was halted by a cast member so that we could sing Happy Birthday to another cast member and this seemed to break the entire spaceport. We did receive some neat re-admits that included Star Tours (they’re red) and planned on returning or utilizing for another ride. We ultimately did not.
HMH - Haunted Mansion Holiday!
Triumphant trumpets!
Wish this blew snow.
Oogie!
Merry Christmas!
Instead, we went to Haunted Mansion Holiday and lucky for us, we had fastpasses. This was the longest line of the day at 45 minutes! We sped onto the ride and everything looked, sounded, and smelled great! We even got into the lobby before the narrator began, into the stretching room as he began, and into the hallway right on time! I love when that all works out — but I also don’t think we should hope for that. It should be consistant.
I love the look -- but that's about it.
After, we went to check out Indiana Jones and the Temple of the Forbidden Eye. I have to admit, this is one of the best looking rides in the park. But something is always a miss for me and I believe I found it. I don’t buy the movements of the vehicle. I get that they programmed human reactions into the ride vehicle but it takes me out of the experience. Also, all I see is a smooth track but all I feel is a bumpy ride. I spend most of the time trying to figure out what’s going on. I don’t like that I don’t enjoy the ride, but I also know I am in the minority here so I’ll ride with friends that enjoy it and think to myself that I am super flexible for my friends. Ha!
Trader Sam's!
It’s Robert again! So while, David was getting stuck on Star Tours and riding some E Ticket attractions, I was with my girlfriend and a few friends at Trader Sam’s at the Disneyland Hotel. Boy I love that place. There are so many intricate details that I notice every time I go. While we were there, we witnessed a bunch of special effects including an erupting volcano, a sinking ship in a bottle, indoor rain, and a sinking bar stool! If you haven’t been there, please go. It’s one of my favorite places to be.
My wife!
It was then time to check out the newly re-opened Pirates of the Caribbean with Robert, Inthia, and Dawn. We will cover the changes in a future post but wow, I thought there were some great changes! There were also some things missing and some things added. Fun ride all-in-all and no mermaids! Where would they put them anyway that would make any sense?
"Rawr" means "I love you" in dinosaur.
We split from Robert, Inthia, and Dawn to use our re-admit at Space Mountain while they went to ride HMH but again, the line was so short, we saved out re-admit for later! Another thrilling ride through the galaxy with a fun photo to boot. I noticed that they no longer utilize the TV screens at the top of the inside queue as no one waits up there anymore. I wish they’d update the videos/screens all together and maybe that’s next.
The Sandwich - Courtesy of Yelp.com
Robert again: So while they were on Space Mountain, Inthia, Dawn, and I got fastpasses for the Haunted Mansion Holiday. While waiting, we ate a delicious dinner at the French Market. I had a great sandwich in miniature Jack Skellington Coffin!
The Rain's Coming Down!
We then had a bad bout with attractions. We planned on trying to ride Star Tours with our group all back together but the fastpass line was 25+ minutes. We tried to ride HMH a second time but it was closed! We were, however, able to take a buzz through the Hundred Acre Woods with Winnie the Pooh. I really love that ride and am saddened every time I see the line so short. I really hope people make their way to that attraction enough!
The Decked Out Splash - Courtesy of Flickr.com
While making our way back to HMH, we noticed that Splash Mountain had a holiday layover on its facade that looked really great! I guess it’s been around for a few years but I had never seen it before. Nice touch — wish it was lit at night.
Suzi and I left to try to make it to Tortilla Joe’s at DTD before the rest of the group went on HMH. Unfortunately the restaurant was closed for the night and we went home. What I did notice throughout the whole experience: the Davy Crockett Canoes are still open! I have to get on that before they shutter up for the winter!
It will be me, Robert, for the rest of this report:
The Floating Leota Ornament
After David and Suzi left, we finally made our way to the Haunted Mansion Holiday. It was great except, Madame Leota was no longer a floating ornament. She was stationary and there was no sign to her ornament pieces. Also, her face was being projected, which they never do anymore. It’s evident that they don’t use the projection often as they were not able to perfect it. The projection was not aligned with the bust inside the crystal ball and her eyes were very small and pinched in the middle. It really looked bad. I assume that was the reason the ride was closed earlier. When David went on it earlier in the day, he said that she looked good and was a floating ornament. Oh well… I’m sure they’ll fix her up soon.
Sleeping Beauty's Castle
Inside the Castle
We headed over to Fantasyland after the Mansion, and took a bunch of photos of Sleeping Beauty’s Castle while it was all decked out for Christmas. It is really beautiful. While over there, we walked through the Castle to view the Sleeping Beauty scenes. I love that it’s back. It brings great childhood memories.
Make an Evil Wish!
After the Castle, we went on Snow White’s Scary Adventures. It was a great ride and everything looked amazing.
Original artwork for Casey Jr. on display at the Disney Gallery
A trip to Casey Jr. came next. We sat in our favorite spot, the caboose. There’s nothing like a trip on Casey Jr. at night. It is something that is so special and uniquely Disneyland.
BTMRR
We ended our night with a late night ride of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. It was the perfect end to a wonderful day at Disneyland.
This past Sunday, an evening trip to the Disneyland Resort was in store.
When we got to the park, night was already upon us and we were a bit hungry. So, we went to the new area on Paradise Pier in DCA to get something to eat. I had pizza and salad. It was wonderful. I’m very impressed with the food there.
Wonderful Theming and Food
Once we were full, we headed over to The Little Mermaid: Ariel’s Undersea Adventure. We walked right on and experienced our enchantment under the sea. It was a great ride as always.
DCA's Newest Attraction
We wanted to go to Tower of Terror after the Mermaid, but it was already closing time for DCA. So we headed over to the original: Disneyland Park!
The Main Entrance!
Since everyone was coming over from a closed DCA, it was quite crowded on Main Street. We decided to do some shopping on Main Street to start our night at the Magic Kingdom. David bought some really neat Haunted Mansion Holiday pins.
The cavalcade of characters.
"I know you're curious to see what's inside...
...It's what happens when two holidays collide!"
We stopped in the Main Street Cinema for a few minutes and watched old Disney shorts. I like it in there. I just wish that they would change the movies that they play inside. I have seen pictures in the past where they play actual silent movies in the theatre like “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” and “The Phantom of the Opera”. These are public domain films and they could easily play those for Halloween time. I think that would be a wonderful little detail and a bit of nostalgia for some people.
The Cinema's Ticket Taker is in the Halloween Spirit!
How great would it be if they did this today???
The first ride we went on at Disneyland was Casey Jr.’s Circus Train. We sat in my favorite spot, the caboose. The ride was really fun. I can’t get enough of it.
The Ticket Booth
We took a stroll through Big Thunder Trail after that and looked at some of the Halloween decorations on display. They have a really neat pumpkin with a carved skeleton Mickey on it. I really love walking through Big Thunder Trail at night. It is so dark and eerie, even when it’s not Halloween!
The Skeleton Mickey Pumpkin
The Haunted Mansion Holiday was up next. It was its usual great self. I didn’t notice anything different from the previous visit. I’m wondering if anyone else ever had this issue with the Mansion… When we left the stretching room, we were in the front of the group exiting the lift. Now it seems as though people are rushing us to get to their doombuggy, but I like to enjoy the changing portraits. I like to go at a nice slow pace, but everyone else rushes to get to the “ride” and skips a great part of the attraction. To me, the ride began when we entered the Mansion in the foyer and I want to experience everything. It’s frustrating that people don’t take the time to enjoy the wonderful details.
The Haunted Mansion
The Little Oogie
We ended our night by looking through the New Orleans Square gift shops and spending some time with the Fortune Red Machine. I love that thing. The pirate inside looks so neat!
Argh! What will yer fortune be?
It was a nice and relaxing trip. Even though it was short, it was well worth the trip!
Last Friday, we went to Mickey’s Halloween Party at the Disneyland Resort! It was my first time going to the event.
It's Party Time!
We got to the parks a little early, so we headed over to DCA. Walking around Buena Vista Street, we could peek behind the walls and see a bit of construction going on. The whole street is torn up and being worked on. I’m so excited!
Soon to be Buena Vista Street
Carthay Circle Theatre is coming closer to completion and it is looking great. It will be one of the best structures in the entire Resort! I also noticed that the cable car posts are now in place. All of this Buena Vista Street construction is getting me so excited. The amount of detail going into that part of the park is going to be wonderful. I can’t wait for it to be finished!
The Theatre and Cable Car Posts
The first attraction we visited was the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. What a better way to start our Halloween visit? The ride was excellent. I did notice that someone wrote their name in the dust on the table in the lobby though. How dare that “Mike”!
Tower of Terror
How Dare That "Mike"!
We then made our way to Disneyland to prepare for Mickey’s Halloween Party! While it was still daylight, we decided to walk around the park and look at different Halloween decorations. We saw the many blow up Mickey Ghosts and Pumpkins and the changes of Big Thunder Trail. We wanted to go visit Big Thunder Ranch, but it was already closed. We did get to see the cast members round up the goats though! That was very fun to watch. They opened their cage and they all came racing out.
Mickey Ghost
Big Thunder Trail During the Day
And They're Off!
In Frontierland, they also had the Halloween Tree set up from Ray Bradbury’s book. That was really great. It is a big tree filled with pumpkins and orange lights. It is an excellent tribute to a great man: Ray Bradbury.
The Halloween Tree
Once the Party started, we walked around the park to take a look at everything at night. The Haunted Mansion had great lighting for the event, the Rivers of America was filled with fog, and Piratepalooza was in full effect. The Rivers of America looked so good. It was so neat to see it filled with that eerie fog.
Fog in the Rivers
And even more Fog
We decided at that point to ride Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. There was no line, so we got the very last seat. It was such a fun ride! There weren’t any changes for the Halloween event, besides some bats on the outside of the mountain in a mine shaft. That was pretty neat.
Big Thunder Mountain
Bats in the Mine
After our runaway train ride, we walked up Big Thunder Trail and everything looked so good at night. The lighting and fog was really effective. In the old Nature’s Wonderland cave, they had an eerie light and fog along with sound effects. Every once in a while, lighting would flash and thunder would sound. It was great! It was really great listening to Big Thunder Mountain in the background. It felt like the ghost train of Nature’s Wonderland was making its way toward us.
At Big Thunder Trail
At that point, we got some more candy in Big Thunder Ranch and looked around the area. They have a ton of expertly carved pumpkins in the area including a hitchhiking ghost pumpkin. That one was my favorite. Take a look below at some others:
The Hitchhiking Ghosts Pumpkin
The Crying Pumpkin
The Little Mermaid Pumpkin
Pooh, Hatter, and Nemo Pumpkins
We then walked into Fantasyland and visited Pinocchio’s Daring Journey. It was an excellent ride of my favorite Disney animated film.
The Puppet Show is About to Begin!
After we got off of Pinocchio, we saw that there wasn’t a wait for Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride, my favorite Fantasyland Dark Ride. I drove the motorcar, but I crashed into a train and we were sent to Hell.
Toad Hall
During Mickey’s Halloween Party, they have several stations set up to take pictures with your favorite Disney characters. We decided to walk over to the Villains section and we took pictures with Honest John from “Pinocchio”, the Queen of Hearts from “Alice in Wonderland”, and the Queen from “Snow White”. The villains really stayed in character and made it fun for the waiting crowd.
With Honest John
With the Queen of Hearts
With the Queen
It was then time for the Halloween fireworks. While the fireworks themselves were some of the best I have ever seen, I’m not so crazy about the audio that goes with it. I’m not a huge fan of the updated versions of classic Disney songs, especially the pop version of “Grim Grinning Ghosts”. Also, the person doing the voice of Jack Skellington doesn’t do the best impression. Besides that, it was still fun to see those amazing fireworks and to see Zero flying over the castle. By the way, the back side of the Castle looked so neat. It kept changing colors and it had a huge spider web projected on it!
The Halloween Fireworks
The Back Side of the Castle!
After the fireworks, we went on Space Mountain: Ghost Galaxy. Since the fireworks had just ended, the line was pretty short. The ride was fun and the ghost that follows your car is back. That’s my favorite part of the ride and that ghost wasn’t there when I went on it a couple weeks ago. But now he’s back!
Space Mountain: Ghost Galaxy
When we were traveling through Tomorrowland, we saw that they were doing a photo op with Stormtroopers. So we got in line and took pictures them. See the result below:
With a Couple of Stromtroopers
While walking through the hub of Disneyland, on our way to Frontierland, I heard someone talking very loudly. I looked over and there was a live scarecrow talking to guests. It was really great and a good way to keep people entertained while waiting for the parade or fireworks to begin.
The Scarecrow
We stopped at Piratepalooza, which was playing “Michael Jackson’s Thriller”, and looked around. It was a neat little dance party and they had some pretty elaborate pirate skeleton set ups. One skeleton was dressed like Captain Jack Sparrow. It was a nice amount of detail for a temporary set up.
Piratepalooza!
The Captain Jack Skeleton
We were in Frontierland to get in line to take pictures with Halloween versions of Mickey and Minnie. They were dressed up in their Halloween best and welcomed us to take pictures with them. See below:
With Mickey & Minnie
After getting even more candy, it was then time for the Haunted Mansion Holiday! The ride was just as great as ever. Our doombuggy stopped in the ballroom scene, so I was able to get a good picture of the new Gingerbread house. As much as I love the Haunted Mansion Holiday, I miss the regular Mansion already. I think that the Haunted Mansion Holiday should just be there for November and December and not include the Halloween season. But, I believe I’m in the minority with that thinking.
The Haunted Mansion Holiday
Even a Gingerbread House Could Be Scary!
Since we were already in New Orleans Square, we thought it would be a perfect time to get pictures with Jack and Sally from “Nightmare Before Christmas”. Take a look at the photos below:
With Jack & Sally
With that, our Halloween trip ended. As we walked through Main Street on our way out, I noticed that City Hall had a huge spider web projected on it, much like the Castle’s web. It looked really neat. The entire event was fun, but I don’t think it’s something that I would do every year. It wasn’t different enough from a regular visit to Disneyland at night. The big selling point is that you go trick or treating and get as much candy as you want. If you love candy and want to do some early trick or treating, this event is for you!
Another Sunday means another trip to the Magic Kingdom of Disneyland!
When we arrived, the first thing we did was visit the Disneyland Hotel. The hotel is still under a lot of construction and I look forward to the changes coming. In the main lobby, there was no longer the huge painting of Sleeping Beauty’s Castle and the Mickey Mouse statues. It is just a bare wall, but hopefully they will return. We then walked over to the Adventureland and Frontierland Towers and enjoyed the artwork inside. In the Frontierland Tower, they have an amazing model of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. It has every last detail. It was really amazing to see in person. If you are a Disneyland fan and love seeing miniatures of your favorite attractions, please stop by the hotel and see this. You will not be disappointed!
Where is the Castle Painting?
An Example of Hotel Paintings
BTMRR Model
We were then going to take the Monorail into the park, but they said the the train would not arrive for 30 minutes. What could possibly be the hold up? It was strange… So we ended up walking to the park.
The first thing we did when entering Disneyland was head to the Haunted Mansion to get a fastpass and figure out where we wanted to eat. We ended up enjoying a nice Mexican meal at Rancho Del Zocalo. I had a huge burrito and it was delicious. I recommend it.
The Restaurant Has Great Details
We then went over to Disney California Adventure to visit the Blue Sky Cellar. The stuff they have on Buena Vista Street is wonderful. There are many things that show the process Imagineers take to create the park. It was a really neat insight. Besides having Buena Vista Street details like tiling and flooring, they also had the new Partners maquette for DCA, Red Car Trolley concept art, concept art of new Buena Vista Street Cast Member costumes, and the new attraction posters. The highlight of the Cellar is the new video which features Imagineers and their ideas for Buena Vista Street. It was a really great video and it is very evident that they love being Imagineers and are very excited for this project. Seeing the Imagineers this enthusiastic and proud of what they are doing, makes me that much more excited to see the finished result of Buena Vista Street. I really think it is going to be one of the best things Imagineering has ever done.
Buena Vista Street Tiling
Designing the Red Car Trolley
Carthay Circle Theatre Designs
Artwork of the new Statue
The Maquette of the new Statue
Concept Art for Buena Vista Street Cast Member Costumes
The New Attraction Posters
After seeing what’s to come to DCA in the Blue Sky Cellar, we headed over to my favorite attraction at DCA: The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. The wait was short and the ride was great. I mentioned a few trips ago, that the gift shop had new props inside. Well those new props are now gone. No longer is there a TV in the window and the “Get Out of Here Finchley” paper is back in the type writer. I heard that those props from a couple weeks ago was for a scavenger hunt that Disney was testing. But having a TV in the window of the gift shop seems like it could be really neat, especially if they were playing episodes of the Twilight Zone!
The Hollywood Tower Hotel
"Get Out of Here Finchley!"
While walking toward the park exit, I took a good look at the new attraction posters on the construction walls. I really love them. They have that classic look of an original Disneyland attraction poster. I think my favorite may be the poster for the Silly Symphony Swings!
Grizzly River Run Attraction Poster
Silly Symphony Swings Attraction Poster
We made our way back to Disneyland and the Fireworks had just started. We stood on Main Street near the Train Station and watched the remainder of the show. The Remember… Dreams Come True Fireworks sure are amazing. Every time I see them I am impressed. It’s no wonder that Disney is still using the same show from six years ago. If they have something that great, they should keep it.
The Finale
The fireworks ended and we made our way to the Haunted Mansion Holiday. It was a terrific ride. The queue is so exciting in the Haunted Mansion Holiday. I love the way the Mansion looks all decked out and the creepy Phantom Manor music adds an eerie touch.
"I Know You're Curious to See What's Inside... It's What Happens When Two Holidays Collide!"
After the Mansion, we went over to the Port Royal store, which sells Nightmare Before Christmas and Haunted Mansion stuff. Inside, they had bone wreaths up for Halloween. They look like the ones used in the ride during the endless hallway scene. They really looked great up close. A great overlay for the store.
A Bone Wreath
While Fantasmic! was going on, we thought we would take that time to ride Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. It was a wise decision as the line was only 5 minutes. We sat in the back like we always do and it was excellent. Unfortunately, the rocks in the mine were not moving again, but oh well… At least the falling rocks projection in the background was still working. I can’t say how much I love Big Thunder at night. There is something so magical about it. It’s scarier and more thrilling.
BTMRR At Night!
We got off of Big Thunder and decided to walk around Frontierland and look at some Halloween decorations. One of the stores has some nice old fashioned decorations out front including a creepy looking pumpkin man, which you can see below:
Creepy?
The end of the night was upon us and we had time for one last attraction. We decided to get a couple Dole Whips and enjoy the Tiki Room. We were the only ones in the Enchanted Garden and we thought we were going to be alone for the entire show. But as luck would have it, about ten people came in right before the show started. No one was in our section, however. So it still felt like we had our own show. Maynard was our host again and he did his usual wonderful spiel. The show looked and sounded great. We were against the southern most wall and I think that’s my favorite spot. The sound is excellent in that area and you get a good look at everything in the show.
Dole Whips!
An Empty Tiki Room
The Magic Fountain
Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room ended our evening at the Disneyland Resort. It was a nice relaxing trip and I can’t wait to be there again.
The Disney Parks Blog has posted three new attraction posters which will be coming soon to DCA. I love the classic Disneyland Attraction Posters and these have that same great feel.
The Red Car Trolley
The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
Soarin' Over California
These posters, among other things coming to the newly refurbished DCA, are now on display at the Blue Sky Cellar at Disney California Adventure. If you happen to be in the park, head over there and see what’s in store for the future!
This past weekend, Halloweentime 2011 kicked off at the Disneyland Resort. This year they pulled out all the merchandising stops with something for everyone!
Plenty of new Nightmare Before Christmas merchandise around the park. Fuzzy hats, hoodies, restocked pook-a-loos, new figure ornaments, and many more!
Jack Skellington Fuzzy Hats
A few new bags and candy containers featuring a Mickey flaming pumpkin with controllable flashing lights, reusable tote with the exclusive 2011 Halloween print, and the return of the Mickey-o-lantern! Last years super popular Ghost Mickey popcorn bucket is back as well as a smaller and super cute lantern bucket with flash light. There is also a generic popcorn bucket with Mickey and Friends in their Halloween best as well as a personal fave and must have, the New Orleans Square exclusive Jack Skellington coffin popcorn bucket (which is also available at the French Market as a yummy sandwhich combo)! Two themed travel mugs depicting Mickey and Friends in Halloween costumes and another NOS exclusive Boggie’s Boys with Madame Leota in the seance room.
Halloween Totes
Mickey-o-Lanterns!
Various prepackaged and fresh baked Halloween goods are scattered around the park. Pumpkin Fudge, Halloween rice crispie treats, ghost and pumpkin sugar cookies, lollipops, pumpkin muffins, Mickey Bat cookies, spiced apple cider, pumpkin spice latte and in NOS a Jack Skellington chocolate coffin cake to name a few.
Sprinkle Sugar Cookies in Collectible Tin
Mickey Bat Cookie and Halloween Sugar Cookie
Chocolate Coffin Cake
Holiday Beverages
This years threads showcase a few new shirts for the whole family as well as some nifty and spooky Disney witches hats, headbands and caps. Also added to the bunch, Ghost Galaxy t-shirts!
Boo T-Shirt
Witch Hats!
Ghost Galaxy T-Shirt!
For the home, there are battery operated votive candles, 2011 Halloween print flag and place mat, Pumpkin Mickey votive candle holder, a few new statues from Jim Shore and Enesco as well as HMH lenticular framed Sally, bone wreath, and many more!
Place Mat and Candles
Halloweentime at Disneyland is here until October 31st!
Below is a photo gallery of some more items Disneyland has to offer during Halloweentime.
This past weekend was the kick off to Disneyland’s Halloween Time celebration. Naturally, we had to be there.
Halloween Time is Here!
Disney's Halloween Time!
We got to the park in the early evening and first took in the sights and sounds of Main Street complete with its Halloween decorations. The street was lined with jack-o-lanterns among other Halloween paraphernalia. It was a welcomed sight. I love Halloween and it feels great to see the decorations in full effect.
Giant Mickey Pumpkin!
The Emporium is Celebrating!
At the park’s hub, the usual jack-o-lanterns were on display representing each of Disneyland’s lands. I really love that attention to detail.
Pumpkins Around the Hub
After getting a fast pass for Space Mountain, we made our way to the Haunted Mansion Holiday to take some pictures before it got too dark. The Mansion really looks beautiful. On our way through New Orleans Square, I naturally had to pass a closed Pirates of the Caribbean. How sad it was for me.
I Hate Seeing a Closed Pirates...
The Haunted Mansion Holiday is Here!
See How Jack Has Decked the Halls
The first attraction we went on was the Matterhorn Bobsleds. I love the Matterhorn what with its icy caverns and abominable snowmen animatronics. My favorite thing happened on this particular ride too. I love when you are racing right next to the bobsled on the other track. We were neck and neck and then it looked as though we were going to crash into each other, when at the last second, our bobsled plunged right under the other bobsled’s track. That is really one of the most thrilling things you can do at Disneyland. For the best Matterhorn experience, take the track on the left side. If this head to head race happens, it is much more thrilling plunging underneath. Oh and I also noticed that in the control room, a cast member put an abominable snowman doll on display. It was very fun finding him! I love when cast members do fun things like that.
The Matterhorn Bobsleds
Look in the Window!
We were a bit hungry after our bobsled run, so we decided to snack on some corn cobs. We sat in that little area near the Matterhorn where the Motor Boat Cruise attraction used to be. I love that area because it is so isolated and untouched. While eating our delicious corn, some ducks came up to us and we fed them. They ate popcorn right out of my hand! It was very fun.
Corn
Duck
Home of the Former Motor Boat Cruise
After walking around the park for a little while, we decided it was time for dinner so we went to the French Market which was all decked out for Halloween. They have many of the same props that are inside the Haunted Mansion Holiday. I had a delicious sandwich which came in a Jack Skellington Coffin Box! A very neat collector’s item.
Inside the French Market
We then visited the Golden Horseshoe to see the new railings they put on the top floor. It is annoying that they had to add them, but times change. Of course, the Golden Horseshoe is better without those added railings, but it’s not a terrible eyesore like the changes they made to the Alice in Wonderland attraction.
Safety First
As we were walking out of the Golden Horseshoe, we stopped to look at the Day of the Dead display in Frontierland. It was very neat and festive. We took many pictures of the skeleton band.
The Skeleton Band
It was finally time for the Haunted Mansion Holiday! We had our fast passes, which cut the line down from 40 minutes to 5 minutes. The ride was excellent. It all seemed the same as last year with the exception of a snowflake lighting effect at the end of the Stretching Room scene and a new Gingerbread House. The Gingerbread House this year is amazing! It is a giant replica of the Mansion itself and it splits in half to create a larger than life set of jaws. It takes a few chomps, then returns to its original form. It was really excellent. The rest of the ride is just as great as it always is. One thing I did notice was that the ghost playing the Organ in the Ballroom Scene was missing his hat! I wonder what happened to it!
Haunted Mansion Holiday
Ho Ho Ho
A Graveyard That's Covered in Ghostly White Snow
After the Haunted Mansion Holiday, what does one do, but go on again. So we headed back into that mysterious old Mansion and experienced another great ride thru.
Round Two
Then it was finally time for Space Mountain: Ghost Galaxy! I love this overlay, especially the exterior queue. The projections and audio effects on the Mountain itself are wonderful. It is everything you can ask for from a Halloween attraction. Unfortunately, the interior queue is untouched from its usual form. The ride was very fun, except we did not see the ghost that flies along side your rocket. I hope they eventually put him in because that is the most exciting part of the overlay. Even without that ghost, it was still a very fun time.
Notice the Lighting Effect on the Mountain
Ghost Galaxy!
Casey Jr. Circus Train was up next. We have been riding this a lot lately and I love it every time. There is something really special about it and I love the detail of the Storybook Land scenes. My favorite part is when you are passing the mountains above Pinocchio’s village.
All Aboard!
After Casey Jr., we saw that Snow White’s Scary Adventures had a short line, so we did that. Snow White is a great dark ride. I really love it and I love the new lighting effects that were added a couple of years ago. The projected rain effect in the climax is really excellent. It looks amazing.
The Wicked Queen Looks Down Upon Us
We survived our encounter with the Queen, and headed back down Main Street. We took a look at some more Halloween decorations and really let the beginning of the holiday sink in. It is going to be a wonderful Halloween and what’s a better way to start it than with a trip to Disneyland.
There will even be a party at Hotel Marceline on Main Street!
Ahoy there, Crew! Today be “Talk Like a Pirate Day” and ye Disney Parks Blog be celebratin’. They be postin’ all things Pirates, includin’ this here video of Walt describin’ what’s to come to New Orleans Square.
So Mark well me words mateys… Dead Men Tell No Tales!
Here is a photo from last week of workers scrubbing down Space Mountain to prepare for the opening of Space Mountain: Ghost Galaxy!
Whistle While You Work!
I believe Space Mountain: Ghost Galaxy is now open and I can’t wait to ride it! It is a very fun Halloween Overlay! Let us know your thoughts on this Halloween treat.
