Disneyland Resort Update: The Sunny Winter One

Disneyland Resort, Anaheim, CA

Greetings, folks! It is I, your regularly scheduled Westcoaster writer, bringing you back to the Disneyland Resort after our intern… did a surprisingly competent job writing an update from the Disneyland Resort last week. Who knew he had it in him to do more than badly fetch us coffee? (I like telling him to fetch me coffee because I don’t actually drink coffee.)

In any case, we’re back for another weeks’ progression at the Didnerland Resort and Spa (*spa not included). The difference between this update and the last one? Well, it’s sunnier. And a week+ has gone by. But hey, it’s been rainy this winter, so sunny photos are a big deal these days!

Oh, and on Wednesday, the internet assploded with new Galaxy’s Edge news. So there’s that.

Pixar’s Pinocchio Pal-A-Round and Fox and Friends and Friends and Associates Parking Structure featuring Marvel Motorpool and Star Wars Shuttle Stops and Other Acquired Licenses aka the Cleo Structure that Will Probably Still Be Part of Mickey and Friends Anyway

When Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge opens, it’s going to bring the entire Southern California population (that isn’t blocked out) to Anaheim, which means they’re going to need a few more parking spaces. Fortunately, the 6500 stall expansion has been progressing pretty nicely, and at the current clip, my guesstimation is that we could see it open possibly before May, and likely by the middle of May. The structure is up to its full height, and its more architectural features are starting to unfold. Plus, they’re installing things like stairs and more elevators, which are pretty helpful.

It’s a beautiful day to look at parking structure construction photos!

And at escalators!

Here’s your hot and heavy escalator porn.

The base of the escalators, and also the escalator promenade topper still lying on the ground, being assembled before it gets hoisted to the top of the sixth floor.

Also being worked on… elevators! They’re like escalators, but vertical. Though unfortunately, when they break down, they don’t just become stairs.

Speaking of stairs… one of the stair towers has gone up on the east side of the structure.

They’re working on some wall panels down low.

And the rest of the stairs are waiting to be erected. Teehee… erected…

Lets do a cursory run of ramped driveways up to the levels.

The intern mentioned the gap between the existing structure and the new. There are a few reasons for this…

1.) The new and old structures are considered different buildings in building code, and that typically requires a minimum separation distance to prevent fire spread.

2.) the lane between will function as a fire lane for fire trucks to get through.

3.) A gap allows some semblance of daylight to get into the levels so that it’s not completely dark.

Six floors of expanded parking capacity right here! The rear bridge will allow drivers in the current Mickey and Friends structure to drive across into the expansion. The other bridge allows them to come back and eventually exit the structure down to Disneyland Drive.

Most of the elevators are on the escalator promenade, but it looks like they’re adding an elevator here too. That will be convenient!

It looks like it goes through all the floors.

Bridge from new back to old. Traffic flow will be to the left across the bridge here.

They’re also starting to pour the concrete on the ground floor, finally.

The view from the ground. Mr. Crane is ready to hoist the topper when it’s ready.

It’s starting to look more and more like a part of the complex. They’ll need to paint those new stairs, though.

On Magic Way, still no sign of the bridge getting installed anytime soon.

They’ll need to cut down these trees first.

So the gap remains…waiting for its Bridge Charming.

The concrete for the top floor walls is curing on the south side too.

The formwork will be down in less than a month.

Not parking structure related, but when’s the last time you saw an empty marquee at the tram??

Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge

So last week, Westcoaster was part of the select group of journalists NOT invited for an exclusive tour of “Star Wars” Land. If you haven’t heard, Disney and a select group of media outlets have released a ton of information about what the new land is going to be like, from details about Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run and Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance to the food and merchandise offerings to costumes inspirations, and interface with the Play Disney app. The skinny: Galaxy’s Edge will bring a whole new level and depth of immersion never seen in any Disney park before. Guests visiting Black Spire Outpost on Batuu won’t just be in a Disney park representing this planet on the fringe of Wild Space—they’ll be in the Star Wars galaxy itself. Every last detail, from sightlines to theming touches to cast member interactions to easter egg effects and ride and shopping experiences to dining is being designed to make guests feel like they’ve stepped into not just a new land, but a new environment that’s literally out of this world. This summer can’t some fast enough (though the crowds certainly will too).

It feels like it’s been a while since we’ve had a day this lovely.

Perfect for another panorama.

There might be little noticeable change out here these days, but trust me… I continue to post these because I have a plan…

A secret plan.

Anyway, the big news this past week has been a flood of news and spoilers (depending on how you look at it) about the new Galaxy’s Edge.

Places like Entertainment Weekly and Gizmodo have done some pretty thorough write-up’s based on what they’ve seen and been told in exclusive media tours.

For example, Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run will feature guests who can tour through a fully recreated Falcon while in line, then be separated into crews of 6 and seemingly feel like they’re the only people on the ride once they board their ride vehicle.

Two pilots, two gunners, and two engineers will work together on the smuggling mission, and their efforts will influence the success or failure of the mission, generating a different ride experience each time.

Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance promises to be even more epic. Though not a half hour long, it will be multiple rides and experiences in one, and Disney’s longest attraction ever.

Guests will board one ride vehicle in larger groups, embark on their mission, then be captured by the First Order, and taken off the first part of the ride. They’ll be detained, then have to escape, and then board a second and different ride vehicle system for the duration of the ride!

The ride vehicles for the main part of Rise of the Resistance will be trackless and radio-controlled, similar to Tokyo Disneyland’s Pooh’s Hunny Hunt or Walt Disney Studio’s Ratatouille ride.

Galaxy’s Edge also promises a level of hyper-realism and detail that is unprecedented.

Reading all the information being put forth and the promises and attention being focused, my only thought was: hey, they’re just bringing Japanese Disney park quality and standards and immersion into the U.S. parks. Cool.

The great thing about Batuu is that it’s not being treated as another themed land within Disneyland. It’s being treated as its own world. The merchandise will not be Disney or Star Wars branded. They’ll be almost artisan versions of recognizable figures and artifacts.

The cast members will be able to choose from a kit of parts wardrobe, develop their own characters to fit within the universe (within parameters), and play parts within the story—one CM might be a Resistance member. Another would be part of the First Order. And of course, they won’t be “cast members” within Batuu. They’ll be their storyline roles.

The towering shapes of Black Spire Outpost will frame views and envelope guests into another world. Inspiration for the town portion has come from places like Morocco and Egypt, with their narrow and bustling alleyways. A lot of theming attention is being focused above head height, in anticipation of crowds blocking a lot of views at the pedestrian plane.

Batuu has also started appearing in various ways in a lot of the new Star Wars canon… in Solo: A Star Wars Story, recent novels, and comics. It’s a new world, but it’s being crafted into the Star Wars universe, and conversely, the Star Wars universe is being crafted around it in larger plot points and smaller easter egg details.

The restaurants in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge will feature bold flavors. Disney has gone to lengths to try to imagine what cuisine would be like in a wild space outpost like this, on an underdeveloped planet, with exotic creatures and characters.

There will also be a lightsaber store called Savi’s Workshop that also promises a themed, guided experience revolving around a chosen one (guest) being the person who can assemble the right trove of lightsaber parts. It seems like this could be Disney’s answer to the Olivander wand experience at Universal’s Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

There will also be another store where guests can design their own droids. And another one with [recreations of] Jedi and Sith artifacts (holocrons are among the wares offered, which really has me nerding out). But guests will have to barter with an animatronic Dok-Ondar.

If that isn’t enough, there will also be an integrated play experience via the Disney Play app, allowing guests to unlock secrets, decode hidden treats, go on missions, and advance a storyline in character by exploring Black Spire Outpost.

This will take immersive storytelling to the next level. It’s an unprecedented level of roleplay being offered to truly immerse guests (who want to participate) into arguably the most fanatic-filled franchise in media history. Think Legends of Frontierland or Adventureland Trading Company (or, in another park’s analogy, Ghost Town Alive) but on steroids and heavy technology.

Disney is rethinking and reshaping the theme park experience with “Star Wars” Land. This won’t be simply a place where guests come to ride rides and see pretty scenery and have a story loosely communicated to them. This will be a place where guests ARE the story, and the story will evolve around them, both throughout a day and on subsequent visits.

This level and scope hasn’t been done before. And it’s going to be amazing.

Downtown Disney Progress

Black Tap Craft Burgers & Shakes continues to be the lone straggler in Downtown Disney’s yearlong renovation. There is a light at the end of the tunnel, though, as workers have started finishing up the exterior facade, replacing wall panels and finally starting work on the entry canopies that have been bare tube steel for months.

Captain Marvel comes next Friday! Now if only there was some movie-showing venue of some sort nearby where we could watch it…

Black Tap is still tapping its sweet time to open.

They’re changing out wall paneling above the storefront.

It’ll look more grill-like now.

I also assume those tube steel frames will be outfitted with a canopy or signage or something.

Grand Californian Refurb

Over at the Grand Californian, the area next to the main pool has been getting a facelift for a new covered cabana type structure opening this summer. Steel has gone up for that.

Also, White Water Snacks reopened several weeks ago, and it’s got a spiffy new menu (the nachos are still there, but pricier) and a revamped, more modern looking serving area. Unfortunately, I was a dolt and forgot to take photos (I was distracted) inside, so we’ll catch up on that next time.

Want cabanas? They’ll be coming this summer.

Right now, the pathway is blocked off.

Steel is up for the structures, though.

Also, White Water Snacks is back open!

Marvel Land

We’ve also got the most widespread Marvel Land coverage on Westcoaster to date—actual daytime (with sun) photos, and photos from more than one vantagepoint! The demolition of the old It’s Tough to Be a Bug show building continues, though it’s tough to be a good spy and see what’s going on clearly, due to the work walls and oblique view angles available. When looking at the future Marvel Land from the back of the Hyperion Theater, however, one can see that A Bug’s Land has been largely cleared out, with maybe utility work going on. Lack of overt or exciting progress is fine here, though. They still have a year ago, and all eyes are on that galaxy far far away across the Esplanade anyway.

So A Bug’s Land has been slowly disintegrating into nothingness.

Disintegration is a slow method of demolition, but it is the Thanos-approved way.

They’ve been slowly working on this building edge the past couple of months.

They’ve cut back to a certain point, and it looks like they’ll be rebuilding outward later?

Limited views of Marvel Land.

.

How about from the other side?

That’s a lot of land cleared.

And new trees sitting in planters, ready to be planted.

Hard to tell much of what’s going on due to the foliage in the way.

But there’s definitely been some earthwork happening.

Mr. Stark will be working on this for a little while.

Pixar Pier

There’s little progress on the Inside Out ride, but more progress on Jessie’s Critter Carousel, which looks to be about on track for its supposed opening later this month. The carousel theming elements and characters are pretty cute, and the only major item that seems to be left is putting the canopy back on. Yes, it seems like Pixar Pier will very soon be… 90% complete.

Hey look! There’s something new with… the canopies?

Mayyyybe?

Eh, nothing exciting.

More progress is occurring at the merry-go-round.

The Intern showed some of this off last week, but not in sunlight.

The critters are cute.

It looks nice with the fresh paint.

Soon, Pixar Pier will be complete again. Well, not that soon. But sort of soon.

On a cold day in February, you know you’re in Southern California when an ice cream place still has a long line! Californians… we have ice cream in the winter.

Food & Wine Prep

Today is the start of the 2019 Food & Wine Festival at California Adventure. Running now through April 23, this DCA favorite brings back food, entertainment, culinary workshops, and seasonal merchandise. This year is its longest run yet, which signals how well its popularity has been rising through the years. The park was setting up the Festival Marketplace food booths throughout last week. A lot of the stands are returning themes from last year, though there seems to be an overall focus on general food ingredients this year (avocados, garlic, artichokes, berries, corn, etc…) as individual themes. There are a lot more returning dishes this year than in the past, but the menu still looks pretty intriguing!

Food & Wine is back at DCA this year!

They were setting up booths throughout last week.

A look at some of the booths that were up last Friday.

Is this like Dark Dark Ride Ride?

The Fried Artichokes are back, and you need to try them. They’re amazing.

GarliCorn.

A lot of the same menu items as last year, which is a tad disappointing. The retention rate is typically only a few dishes, but that seems to have been inverted this year.

Feast your eyes on a rare sight… the original and normal Garden Grill menu! I was shocked to see this last week, but it turned out to be a tease, because Garden Grill wasn’t even open on Friday, and it stayed closed this past week. A cast member told me that was what they’d be serving for the Food & Wine Festival, because the Garden Grill has been serving up special seasonal dishes for so long that he he literally never seen this menu and thought it was another special menu.

Nope. It’s the regular menu, and it won’t be what’s served at Food & Wine either. Thus, the streak continues…

California Adventure Refurbishments

It’s still the “off-season,” so here’s a look at things getting fixed up around DCA. Grizzly River Run, Pacific Wharf, and a bit of Paradise Park’s Boardwalk dining area.

In addition, last Friday, World of Color soft opened after nearly a year offline. The show is the same as what it was before—no new spectacular unveiled (yet). But it’s nice to have this nighttime show back at DCA. It was missed.

GRR is still closed.

No whitewater rafting 4 U!!

Normally, when they drain Grizzly River Run for its refurb, the water goes into this overflow in Pacific Wharf, but that’s been drained too!

Some ground patchwork over near the Paradise Garden Grill.

Last Friday, I noticed they were setting up for World of Color in the afternoon!

Yup. It’s back! No new version, unfortunately, but the one they show is pretty dandy too.

Disneyland Refurbishments

The TLC work is a little more obvious over at Disneyland, where Project Stardust’s subtle beautification and congestion relief efforts continue on Main Street. The Castle’s re-roofing continues moving along. And the Astro Orbitor has flat out flown away! The famous rocket ride is literally nowhere to be found, having been completely been dismantled several weeks ago to be refurbished off site. It’s due to reopen in April.

After outfitting the curb with ramp cuts at Main Street’s Town Square, they walled off the middle portion of the pavement to hide all the bodies that have perished working on “Star Wars” Land.

Work continues on the Main Street walkways on the east side now.

LIttle things like adding curb ramps for accessible and stroller and ECV access, as the Intern mentioned last week.

The Castle is still being worked on. Refurbishment is expected to last through next month.

Want photo ops? Too bad. You get a painting behind a wall that Mexico totally paid for.

During the daytime, the pathway from Fantasy Faire to Fantasyland has been reserved for Bibbity Bobbity Boutique, so guests need to take the parade route between the Castle and the Matterhorn or the old Big Thunder Ranch passage.

OMG THEY KIDNAPPED THE ASTRO ORBITOR!!

Frontier Landing is also getting a little TLC.

Get Your Ears On Monorail

The Get Your Ears On promotion is still happening, belatedly celebrating Mickey and Minne Mouse’s 90th birthdays. The monorail skin overlays are pretty cute.

Who's the leader of the club
That's made for you and me?

M-I-C
K-E-Y

M-O-U-S-E!

And that is that! We’ll be back next week with a report from the Food & Wine Festival, plus maybe a few other features. In the meantime, we’ll leave you with what winter looks like in Southern California. Actually, it’s been unusually weather-y this winter, so SoCal has actually gotten a good amount of precipitation, which has yielded some nifty photo ops!

The recent actually wintry weather has left the mountains looking beautiful! A week ago, SoCal even got its own version of a polar vortex.

The snow levels dropped pretty far down, and many places reported snow that normally don’t get snow. In fact, even the Matterhorn got a light dusting!

Poo-brrr!!