Disney California Adventure "Summer Nightastic"

Disney California Adventure (Name Changed earlier this summer) has added a bunch of new elements to the Summer season with the addition of World of Color and Glow Fest.  The concept started last year with Disneyland adding a new fireworks show and the re-launch of Fantasmic! and The Electrical Parade at California Adventure.  Here are some tips to get you through the busy summer season and still have some sanity. 

"World of Color"

Guests who want to maximize their day of fun at the park AND make plans to enjoy “World of Color” that night in Disney's California Adventure have some new options. To see the show, guests will obtain a special FASTPASS for “World of Color” or they can select from several Dining and Picnic packages that include reserved viewing. In addition, a new immersive “Summer Nightastic!” party, “Glow Fest,” will bring added evening excitement for Disney's California Adventure guests of all ages. “Glow Fest” will be filled with dancing, music and fun, highlighted by special color, sound and light effects, starting in the Sun Plaza at 6:00 pm nightly and continuing in Hollywood Pictures Backlot until park closing.

“World of Color” will be presented twice nightly throughout the Disneyland Resort “Summer Nightastic!” season, June 11 through August 29 (except June 16-17 when Disney's California Adventure will be closed for Grad Nights). Guests will stand during the shows – at 9:00 and 10:15 pm – and they may bring strollers into the viewing area.

 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VA4iRV_52_A
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yOnaKB2tfUM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62RyhNop4R0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gyN_XfuYNCI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BRGQlxmytow

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZKOkVzwMRQ

A Few Tips To Help You Secure a Spot and Enjoy The World of Color:

• Seating is extremely limited. If you arrive without a plan, you aren't like to secure a spot.
  
• Option 1 - Make a WoC dining package reservation ($36.99 per person at Ariel's Grotto or $39.99 per person at Wine Country Trattoria), you'll get dinner and a viewing spot for the show. Call 714-781-3463 to secure your World of Color dining package.
  
• Option 2 - Book a Box lunch reserved spot. Buy a box lunch and receive reserved seating for World of Color (1st show of the night). Boxed lunch can be purchased online, Disneyland Resort | Welcome To The Magic! You may be able to buy a limited number of the picnic lunch boxes at the park on the day of the show which come with reserved tickets to the 2nd showing of the night. Walk-up purchase can be made at the Sonoma Terrace of the Golden Vine Winery for $14.99 (special passholder rate is $12.99). The World of Color picnic boxes offer an assortment of options:
  
  
  
  

  All American:
  
  

  • Cold-honey stung fried chicken
  • Green and red cabbage cole slaw with apple cider dressing
  • Old fashioned potato salad with sweet onions and dill relish
  • Apple pie
  • Choice of bottled Coca-Cola® product or Dasani® water

  European Antipasto:
  
  

  • Cured meats, regional cheese, pepperoncini, artichoke heart and sun-dried tomatoes
  • Carr's® water crackers, balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil
  • Caprese salad skewers, fresh mozzarella and baby heirloom tomatoes
  • Chocolate-dipped tiramisu
  • Choice of bottled Coca-Cola® product or Dasani® water

  Taste of Asia
  
  

  • Chilled miso-glazed salmon, Asian greens, soy-rice wine dressing
  • Vegetable spring roll with Thai mango sauce
  • Soba noodle salad and julienne vegetables with sesame dressing
  • Mandarin orange cake
  • Choice of bottled Coca-Cola® product or Dasani® water

  Mediterranean Vegetarian:
  

  • Marinated grilled vegetables in a whole wheat wrap with roasted garlic hummus
  • Raw zucchini and squash spaghettini with first-press lemon-infused olive oil
  • Vegetable couscous with toasted coriander vinaigrette
  • Lemon layer cake
  • Choice of bottled Coca-Cola® product or Dasani® water

  Here is the All American lunch.  You get a nice re-usable tote bag and the food was very tasty.
  
  
  
• Option 3 - The FASTPASS for “World of Color” will be available each morning at the Grizzly River Run FASTPASS terminals. Guests can insert their park tickets into the terminal to obtain a FASTPASS ticket for the show, and they will be assigned a specific show time. As with other FASTPASS attractions, a limited number of passes are available for “World of Color.” When all of the day’s “World of Color” FASTPASS allotment has been distributed, Grizzly River Run terminals will convert back to distributing the Grizzly River Run FASTPASS tickets. Guests arriving before park opening to line up for the “World of Color” FASTPASS may park in the Pumba parking lot on Disney Way and, beginning at 7:00 am, gather at the Main Entrance to Disney's California Adventure. When Disney's California Adventure opens to the public, guests lined up for FASTPASS will be walked into the park and over to the FASTPASS terminals.
  
• Option 4 - If you don't mind a severely limited view, wait for the 2nd or 3rd showing and attempt to watch the show from the bridge near Ariel's Grotto Restaurant. You might also watch the show from behind near Midway Mania, the Sun Wheel, or even on the side by Silly Symphony Swings. You won't see as much or experience the show as it was intended, but you will get a sense of the size and scope of the show and see some pretty fountains. 
• Spots nearest the Golden Zephyr offer the most restricted viewing experience. Gravitate toward the water play fountain in the center of the stadium or even up toward the upper levels of the stadium. Boardwalk viewing is more immersive and WET (especially toward the right hand side of the boardwalk - as you are facing the lagoon)
  
• Be prepared to queue up in the Hollywood Pictures Backlot for hours before your show time. This will also be the location for a special glow party, so you will be entertained and food will be available for purchase.
  
• Although only 2 shows may be on the schedule, keep your ears open for an added 3rd show. It will be added on busy nights and may be your best shot at viewing the show.
  
• Be prepared for VERY busy conditions. This may well prove to be a packed and uncomfortable crowd situation. Pack your best attitude and just go with the flow. There is no use fighting a mob, you'll only succeed in ruining your own evening and possibly that of others. If it isn't important to see the show as soon as it opens, you may wish to wait until later this Summer. 

 

"Glow Fest"
Music, dancing and “drumming down the sun” will launch “Glow Fest” every night through August 29, beginning at 6:00 pm in the Sun Plaza in Disney's California Adventure. After 8:00 pm, this newest addition to the Disneyland Resort “Summer Nightastic!” entertainment lineup will move into Hollywood Pictures Backlot, providing the kind of immersive excitement for adults and children alike that can only be found in a Disney theme park.

Souvenirs and Treats
Guests who prefer a treat or snack, perhaps with a souvenir “World of Color” takeaway, may choose from a number of bright and colorful options available at food locations inside Disney's California Adventure:

·         “Spectrum Splash”: Beverages in light-up souvenir glasses with a colorful choice of flavors – strawberry red, blueberry blue, or sour Granny Smith apple green.

·         “Light-Up Cotton Candy”: White cotton candy with a colorful swirl, on an illuminated wand that lights the cotton candy from inside.

·         Multi-Colored & Flavored Popcorn: A delicious treat that comes in three flavors – red cherry, blueberry and purple grape – and mixed in with regular kettle corn, all served in a Disney California Adventure see-through “World of Color” souvenir popcorn bucket.

·         Tropical Mist Cocktail (for adults): A passion fruit and mango liqueur with coconut rum – and a light-up swizzle stick. Available at the Cove Bar and Ariel’s Grotto restaurant.

·         Even More Fun: Light-Up Balloons – transparent balloons with light-up “World of Color” art inside; Light-Up Bangle Bracelets; and souvenir “World of Color” travel mugs and sipper cups. 

*Reserved Viewing:
Each guest entering the reserved viewing area must have reserved viewing area admission. Children (ages 3-9) must be accompanied by an adult. Guests may only enter the viewing area during designated times and no early or late admission will be allowed. Guests in large parties may not be guaranteed admission within the same reserved viewing area. Separate theme park admission is required.

*World of Color Road Show*
During the month of July Disney took the World of Color Show on the road to four cities in California.  Here are the videos from their presentations.

San Francisco

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bCtw0xOlhd4

Sacramento

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-2xiEXTK-A

San Diego

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7OXTHpfM_xY

Los Angeles

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2tlc9NVr1c

Talking "Meet and Greet" Characters

Disney has introduced some talking "Meet and Greet" characters.  These are just tests but we imagine we will see many more of these in the future.  Check out Mickey Mouse below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6k2xdtU8Wc
And C-3PO and R2-D2...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQZn-ix3UR4&feature=player_embedded

They have been doing some form of talking characters for a while now, but not with main Disney characters.  Check out "Push" who we have seen a few times at the park.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aw4y6eMsJQs

Or course, "Turtle Talk with Crush" is a great success and uses the same technology. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-HfSSNSnFs

What do you think?  Has Disney gone overboard or would this have been part of Walt Disney's dream?

Did You Know?

Disneyland's opening day was a complete disaster.  Here is a video from the opening day of Disneyland.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AuJ_RHDxNJY

Disneyland was opened to the public on Monday, July 18, 1955. However, a special "International Press Preview" event was held on Sunday, July 17, 1955, which was only open to invited guests and the media. The Special Sunday events, including the dedication, were televised nationwide and anchored by three of Walt Disney's friends from Hollywood: Art Linkletter, Bob Cummings, and Ronald Reagan. ABC broadcast the event live on its network; at the time, it was one of the largest and most complex live broadcasts ever.

The event did not go smoothly. The park was overcrowded as the by-invitation-only affair was plagued with counterfeit tickets. All major roads nearby were empty.

The temperature was an unusually high 101 °F, and a plumbers' strike left many of the park's drinking fountains dry. Disney was given a choice of having working fountains or running toilets and he chose the latter. This, however, generated negative publicity since Pepsi sponsored the park's opening; disappointed guests believed the inoperable fountains were a cynical way to sell soda. The asphalt that had been poured just that morning was so soft that ladies' high-heeled shoes sank into it. Vendors ran out of food. A gas leak in Fantasyland caused Adventureland, Frontierland, and Fantasyland to close for the afternoon. Some parents were seen throwing their children over the shoulders of crowds to get them onto rides such as the King Arthur Carrousel.

The park got such bad press for the "International Press Preview" that Walt Disney invited attendees back for a private "second day" to experience Disneyland properly. In later years Walt and his 1955 executives referred to July 17, 1955 as "Black Sunday". Today, cast members wear pin badges on July 17 stating how many years it has been since the 1955 opening. But for the first decade or so, Disney officially stated that opening day was on July 18, 1955. For example, a 1967 Disneyland press release referred to July 17, 1955, as "Dedication Day" and not "Opening Day."

On Monday July 18, crowds started to gather in line as early as 2 a.m., and the first person to buy a ticket and enter the park was David MacPherson with admission ticket number 2, as Roy O. Disney arranged to pre-purchase ticket number 1. Walt Disney had an official photo taken with two children, Christine Vess Watkins (age 5 in 1955) and Michael Schwartner (age 7 in 1955); the photo of the three carries an inaccurate caption identifying the children as the first two guests of Disneyland. Watkins and Schwartner both received lifetime passes to Disneyland that day, and MacPherson was awarded one shortly thereafter, which was later expanded to every single Disney-owned park in the world.

Other Facts:
- It took only 364 days to build Disneyland.

- Main Street USA is a replica of Walt’s home town of Marceline, Missouri in 1910. (See Marceline above)
 
- Tomorrowland was originally set in 1986.

- The Autopia ride is the only ride left from Disneyland's original Tomorrowland.  By the end of the first day, all but 2 of the 48 Autopia cars were crashed and about half the rides were broken.
 
- In the early years of the park, the Rivers of America were stocked with catfish and visitors were allowed to fish off the docks of Tom Sawyer Island.

Easter

With Spring comes the beautiful flowers and warm weather in the parks. During Easter you will find these two characters hopping in with the regulars.

Disneyland has had this visitor since the park opened. Here are Flower and Thumper visiting children on Easter in 1963.

Along with the seasonal visitors you will find a lot of Easter merchandise and candy sold in the parks.

At Tokyo Disneyland they have a fun-filled Easter Parade. Check out both videos below to see their spirited parade!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iR-LplaxMZM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftDtrIrkInA

St. Patrick's Day

Here is some of the merchandise you will find in the parks during St. Patrick's Day.

St. Patrick's Day is celebrated more commonly at the Disneyland Resort in Paris.  Here is their fireworks show, a listing and pictures of their event.  Enjoy! 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVEDHhKaCsc

Disney Parks Online Videos

We found this great channel on YouTube.  This channel has every parade, ride, and firework show.  It even has interactive maps that you can click on and see videos from each section of the parks.  Click here to check it out! 

http://www.youtube.com/user/HV10N90

Star Tours

Since 1986, Star Tours has taken you on an unforgettable aventure thru outer space going at light speed.  Disney has announced plans to take Star Tours into the 21st Century with new affects and outstanding imagery.  Here is a look at the current Star Tours and a little idea what to expect in the next few years.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Agw3f3ZfoC8

Below is the announcement at the D23 Convention in 2009 of the new Star Tours.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VliPqCf4Z0w

Here is the first look at Star Tours II which will be opening in 2011.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jQaHgsKhQ4

Our Concerns:

- The scenes used for the new Star Tours attraction are from Star Wars episodes 1-3.  Didn't those movies take place before episodes 4-6 (the current Star Tours)?  Why are we going back in time?  

- The ride will not be the same without this character...

or this scene...

Alright, here is the whole pre-board video.  Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwCNWnkNRkg

Disneyland: The First 50 Magical Years

From 2005 to 2009 "Disneyland: The First 50 Magical Years" was played in the Main Street Opera House at Disneyland.  It was replaced in early 2010 with the remastered "Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln."  Check out this great movie that was made for the 50th Anniversary of Disneyland.

Part One

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFUaQs9Z7m0

Part 2

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3X8gY3WaX2A

This show still plays in the lobby of the Opera House.  To read more about the remastered "Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln, click here.

While waiting for either show to begin check out the great displays they have of Disneyland over the past 55 years.  They are amazing!

New Years Eve

Want a great "family style" way to ring in the New Year Celebrate New Years Eve at a Disney Park? Every year Disney throws a HUGE family party---and you're invited!

If you plan on visiting a Disney Theme Park on New Year's Eve, you should arrive early in the morning and be prepared to spend the entire day. The parks will reach capacity with no further admittance allowed. Park Hopping on New Year's Eve is not recommended.

It's a common misconception that onsite guests are guaranteed admittance. While you can expect to get into a park, it may not be the park where you planned on celebrating the New Year. Note that having a Dining Reservation does not mean that you will be allowed in should that park reach capacity.

For your comfort, arrive early and rent a locker. Should the weather be an issue, you can stow your warm clothes or raingear.

Fastpasses will be snapped up quickly. Get yours as soon as possible. It's not uncommon to see waits of 2+ hours at the most popular attractions.

The parks will have live entertainment throughout the day/evening in addition to special midnight fireworks.

Here's what you can expect when you attend the exciting bash for New Years Eve at Disneyland---

1.) Bands, bands, bands---For this special event, the park will be featuring one-day-only bands (with varying musical styles) to help you party down & get into the mood to celebrate.

2.) Party Favors---There will be party hats and favors. What's New Year's Eve without looking and sounding silly...er, should I say, "Goofy!"

3.) Special Ring-in-the-New-Year fireworks show---You won't have to look at your watch to tell if it's midnight at Disneyland---you'll KNOW!!! Fireworks will splash in the sky, music will play, and the crowd will roar!

4.) Special Park Hours---Keep listening to the bands and riding your favorite rides until 2 am! on January 1st (Note: If you celebrate at Disney's California Adventure, closing is one hour earlier, at 1 am.)

5.) Christmas entertainment & attractions--By attending Disneyland Park on December 31st, you'll still be in time to see the popular Disney Christmas parade and fireworks show...and snowfall, too! Plus, the Holiday Haunted Mansion (starring Jack Skellington from 3D Nightmare Before Christmas!) will still be running. So will the holiday version of "It's A Small World." In addition, several showings of the popular nighttime spectacular "Fantasmic" will be performed.

Here is a video of what to expect if you attend New Years Eve at a Disney Park.  Watch Mickey kiss Minnie Mouse at the stroke of Midnight.  As you can see Disney celebrates New Years with a bang. Lot of fireworks and lots of fun!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0jxSQwiZLDo

Christmas

Disneyland takes on a special look from Halloween to Christmas with seasonal decorations adding to its already considerable charm. With the kids out of school for their holiday break, it's a fine time to consider making a trip. Years ago, people said Disneyland was not very busy at Christmas, making it an even more ideal time to visit, but that has changed. It's still a great time to go, and our tips for planning ahead will help you make the most of it.

•Christmas Decorations: Christmas decorations appear everywhere in Disneyland and California Adventure, but they're the best in Toontown and New Orleans Square. Town Square at the end of Main Street boasts a 60-foot Christmas tree covered with thousands of lights and ornaments and Sleeping Beauty's Castle sports snow-topped turrets and more than 50,000 lights.  There are many places to take pictures during the holiday season and lots of holiday merchandise to purchase.

•Haunted Mansion: The special Christmas decorations here, based on Tim Burton's "The Nightmare Before Christmas" are extensive, with changes from the attractions' normal sights that range from the ghostly dinner party scene to the hitchhiking ghosts that make this Disneyland's best Christmas spot. Ride it twice to take it all in, and be sure to stop by after dark when candles flicker on the outside.  See my post about Halloween at Disneyland for more pictures.

•Small World: Also specially decorated for Christmas and with a special Christmas music track.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VRcE1pNwe8

•Christmas Fantasy Parade: This special Disneyland Christmas parade runs from Small World along Main Street yo Town Square. Check the entertainment schedule when you arrive to find the parade times and which direction it will be traveling. The most crowded place to watch is along Main Street, but it's also the most beautiful.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vt6Pj8FiX6w

• Fireworks: Believe in Holiday Magic featuring your favorite Christmas music and a wonderful display of fireworks.

•Snowfall: Just as the fireworks end, snow falls in selected spots through the park. Pick up a Disneyland map at the gate to find out where it happens. The best spots for watching the fireworks are taken as much as two hours before the show, especially in the snowfall locations.

•Santa: Frontierland's Big Thunder Ranch becomes a "West Pole" getaway where Santa can unwind with Mrs. Claus and his team of reindeer. In Toontown, Goofy does the honors for Mr. Claus, and over in California Adventure, you'll find Santa wearing a surfer's shirt and waxing his board.

TIP:

We love to go to Disneyland the week before Thanksgiving week.  All the Christmas decorations are up and you may catch the filming of the "Disneyland Christmas Day Parade."  The park is a little less crowded and Christmas time is the most magical time of the year to go to the park.  Do not go the week of Thanksgiving, Christmas or New Years.

 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdJHsDb-O7Y