News
- A new campaign, titled "What Will You Celebrate?", premiered on September 23rd, with a tour starting in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
- Visitors celebrating a birthday on 2009 can get free admission to either Disneyland or Walt Disney World by registering at disneyparks.com and/or showing picture ID (or birth certificate) at the gate the day of their birth.
- A new show based on High School Musical 3: Senior Year, subtitled "Right Here, Right Now!" is now underway at Disney's California Adventure and Disney's Hollywood Studios. The show opened in 2009 at other Disney Resorts in Tokyo, Paris and Hong Kong.
Disneyland Resort
- Plans to have a central place for Disneyland in the celebration of the 2010 Major League Baseball All-Star Game are now underway. One rumored proposal would bring the All Star Red Carpet Parade to Main Street USA on July 13, the day of the game, and the annual private gala the night before to the parks.
- All of the McDonald's outlets - Harbor Galley and the Conestoga Wagon at Disneyland Park and Burger Invasion at DCA - have closed. While Harbor Galley and Burger Invasion are being refurbished for December openings as Disney-run fast food outlets, the Conestoga Wagon has been removed.
Disneyland
- Ariel’s Grotto has been converted into a new meeting place for Tinker Bell called “Pixie Hollow”, based on the Disney Fairies franchise, which has opened. A human version of Ariel has moved to the Princess Fantasy Faire for the time being until her new grotto is built near the Voyage of The Little Mermaid dark ride attraction at DCA as part of that park’s refurbishment.
- “Celebrate” will continue until November. "Disney's World of Wonder Parade" is scheduled to debut in 2010.
- "Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln" will return to its' former site on December 16.
- The "Bank of Main Street" has closed and will serve as the new home of the Disney Gallery.
Closures and Refurbishments
- The Enchanted Cottage is closed until November 17 for refurbishment.
- The Casey Jr. Circus Trains and the Storybook Land Canal Boats will be closed from August 24 until November 19 for refurbishment.
- Space Mountain will be closed September 8th for the installation of the "Ghost Galaxy" overlay and reopen on September 24.
Disney’s California Adventure
- Disney is currently undergoing a $1 billion, five-year capital improvement plan and expansion for Disney’s California Adventure. The first new attraction, Toy Story Midway Mania!, opened on the former site of the Paradise Pier Midway Games. The next phase was retheming the "Sun Wheel" into the "Mickey Wheel", Paradise Pier games were rethemeed to Disney elements and draining of the lagoon to install Walt Disney's World of Color, scheduled to debut in 2009. Next is the rethemeing of the "Orange Stinger" into a "Silly Symphoinies"-themed ride based on the cartoon "Mickey's Band Concert" and the Maliboomer into a old fashioned parachute ride inside California Screamin'. Other upcoming additions and refittings for the overlay will include:
- The long rumored “Voyage of The Little Mermaid” dark ride on the site of the Golden Dreams theatre, including a new Ariel’s Grotto, replacing the one at Disneyland proper. The current Airel's Groto will be rethemed as the Princess Palace;
- A new area based on Radiator Springs, to be called “Carsland” which is currently being built on the Timon parking lot behind the Tower of Terror;
- A rethemeing of Mulholland Madness to feature Goofy and be renamed “Goofy's Flight School”;
- A new main plaza featuring a replica of the Carthay Circle theatre where Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs premiered in 1937, which will house a new version of “The Walt Disney Story”;
- A new “Partners” statue featuring Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse arriving with suitcases to 1920’s Los Angeles;
- A new main gate design based on the Pan Pacific Auditorium, simular to that at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Florida, replacing the “California Postcard” theme;
- The former Vineyard Room has been converted into a "Blue Sky" preview center;
Closures for Rerurbishments
- No new closings have been reported as the refitting continues.
Downtown Disney
Other
- The Disneyland Hotel is undergoing an extensive refurbishment. The three towers, “Marina”, “Sierra”, and “Bonita” have respectivly been renamed “Magic”, “Dream” and “Wonder”. A new suite, based on the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction and movie franchise, will also be added.
Walt Disney World
NOTE: For all hard ticket events, information is available on Disney World’s web site. Tickets are available at WDW in advance or on the day of the event (costs for those dates are additional), by calling 1-407-W-DISNEY on online.
The Magic Kingdom
- Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party hard ticket events will return in November of 2009.
- Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party hard ticket events are scheduled in September and October of 2009, including a September 4th and November 1st date.
- The Hall of Presidents reopened on July 4th, 2009 following a refurbishment of the theatre's back rows to bring it up to ADA standards, updated equipment and the installation of an Audio-Animatronic version of the new president of the United States, Barack Obama.
- Space Mountain is closed until Nov. 14 for refurbishment.
Epcot
Disney's Hollywood Studios
- The American Idol Experience, based on the popular Fox reality TV series of the same name, is now open in the former ABC Superstar Theatre and “Doug Live!” area.
- The Night of Joy Christian Rock Festival will return on September 10 and 11, 2010.
- The former theatre that hosted the Hunchback of Notre Dame theatrical show has been enclosed with air conditioning added, and will be used for special events.
- ESPN The Weekend is scheduled for March 2010.
Disney's Animal Kingdom
- No current updates have been reported.
Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex
- The facilities at Wide World of Sports will be rebranded with the ESPN name in 2009.
- Thanks to a agreement with HanesBrands, the facility's baseball stadium has been renamed “Champion Stadium”.
- The Atlanta Braves will rerturn in February of 2010 to start Spring Training.
- In honor of the complex's 10th anniversary, a new arena, the Jostens Center, is now open. This arena has room to have up to six college-sized basketball courts, twelve volleyball courts, and two roller hockey rinks. An interactive Hall of Fame is also an added attraction as well.
- A new bowling center with 52 lanes will be built in 2011 and house various United States Bowling Congress Championships on an annual basis.
Water Parks
Downtown Disney
Other
- Construction continues on the resort at the Animal Kingdom Lodge, which is now named the “Animal Kingdom Lodge Villas” as well as on the Disney Contemporary building at the resort’s former “North Tower”, which will be called the “Bay Lake Tower”.
- Work continues on the updating of the Mark VI Monorails to make them more reliable.
International Parks
Disneyland Resort Paris
- "Mickey's Magical Party", a new series of events featuring a new show called "It's Party Time with Mickey Mouse and Friends", a rethemed version of the Disney express called "Minnie's Party Train" and "Dance Time in Discoveryland with Stitch" will end in November, 2009.
- The Disney Stars and Cars event will begin in 2009. Because of licensing connections, the Power Rangers cars will not be used. This car will be stripped down and replaced by another character car, one themed to Pirates of the Caribbean and feature Capt. Jack Sparrow.
- A new hard ticket event, Disney's Disco Night, will be held at the Walt Disney Studios park on September 26.
Tokyo Disneyland Resort
- TDLR’s Halloween events begin on September 10.
Hong Kong Disneyland
- Expansion is underway for an Frontierland/Westernland area.
- Plans for a third resort hotel are announced.
- A new version of “it’s a small world” has opened. This version features Disney characters along with the familiar dolls representing the world, similar to the current controversial refurbishment at Disneyland in Anaheim.
|
