Security Matters II – Of 624 potential terrorism targets in California identified by the state attorney general's office, Disneyland ranks near the top of the list at number five. The list was distributed to law enforcement agencies during the past two weeks. Only Los Angeles International Airport (at the top spot), followed by the Oakland and Long Beach ports, and the Golden Gate Bridge top the Anaheim park.
Splash Mountain was closed for several hours on the evening of Sunday, February 16 while Disneyland security inspected the ride. The Disneyland Railroad, which travels through a portion of the Splash Mountain show building, was also briefly closed. A Disneyland cast member said that the ride was closed to investigate a bomb threat. Nothing was found, and the ride reopened later that evening.
A MousePad reader posted about an incident he witnessed at Disneyland earlier the same day. Town Square was closed to guests while a Disneyland security canine unit examined a stroller that was chained to a fence. Once the stroller was deemed to not be a threat, security cut the chain and took the stroller backstage.
The legend of the Pirates event - As David Koenig mentioned in his February 18 column, Walt Disney Pictures is planning to host a Pirates of the Caribbean movie premiere at Disneyland in late June. We hear that Disney's special events team wants to host a merchandise special event, similar to the Haunted Mansion Holiday event, the next day.
Unfortunately, most attendees still remember the Pirates of the Caribbean Celebration at Disneyland as the worst merchandise event ever. In case you did not attend the disastrous May 2000 event, (previewed by Sue Kruse and Lani Teshima, and later skewered by Sue), all you missed were hour-long lines and repeated screw-ups that kept some poor guests at the park until 4:00 in the morning. The event was such a disaster that Disney refunded the admission price to anyone who asked.
After three years, is it safe for Disneyland to put the Pirates name on another event? And even more importantly, has three years been enough time to learn the lesson of the prior attempt?
Much ado about Aladdin – Perhaps the Disney marketing machine has been too effective. Months after Disney's Aladdin - A Musical Spectacular began daily performances at the Hyperion Theater, tickets to the show are still the hottest thing at Disney's California Adventure park.
It doesn't help that there are a myriad of tickets for the show, and at least three different lines to get into the theater. Visitors who purchase certain vacation packages through AAA, Disney Travel, and Disney Club receive priority seating vouchers for the show. Although it is not always the case, these theatergoers, along with those with Special Assistance passes, often enter the theater before other patrons.
Annual Passholders get a block of reserved seats at each weekday performance, and the park issues Fastpass tickets for every performance at park opening to the general public. Visitors with one of these tickets wait in one main queue, which often loops around the Hollywood Pictures Backlot.
Visitors without any sort of pass or voucher who wait in the standby line are not guaranteed admission to the theater. While this is not a problem on slower days, guests are usually turned away on weekends when the theater reaches its 1800-person capacity.
While this sounds quite simple on paper, the reality is anything but. Guest control is apparently constantly experimenting with new ways to deal with the crowds. On some days, each category of patron has its own — albeit really long — line. On other days, it looks like a mob scene around the theater with no discernible crowd control measures in place. And even when there are orderly lines, there are rarely any cast members around to guide people into the correct line — or to guide where the lines go. Uncontrolled lines have wormed through the Goofy's Beach Party Bash seating area, blocked off the entrance to the Animation Building, and bisected performances of Chance to Shine.
Tourists, unaccustomed to being turned away from theme park shows, are unaware of the availability of tickets, and are utterly stymied by the mass confusion surrounding the theater at show time. To help address the first part of the challenge, the Guide to the Magic park map now explains that Fastpass tickets for Aladdin are distributed at park opening — something that confuses guests since the Hollywood area doesn't open until 90 minutes after the park opens on weekdays. In addition, A-frame signs are now stationed under the Golden Gate Bridge to explain the process to visitors who may have missed the notice in the map.
Once visitors learn how to get the tickets, Disney needs to figure out a better way to get them into the theater. The situation is only guaranteed to worsen once Tower of Terror opens next spring, when the area currently used for the standby line becomes the only walkway to that much-anticipated ride.
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Current Refurbishments and Attraction Closures
Disneyland
Disney Gallery – through March 1
Davy Crockett Explorer Canoes – through March 27
Rivers of America – through March 27
Mark Twain Riverboat – through March 27
Sailing Ship Columbia – through March 27
Splash Mountain – through March 13
Critter Country – through March 13
Snow White's Scary Adventures – February 25
Pinocchio's Daring Journey – February 26
Sleeping Beauty Castle walkthrough – indefinite
Disney’s California Adventure
Superstar Limo – through May 21
Future Attraction Closures:
Mad Tea Party – April 28 - May 15
Pirates of the Caribbean – April 28 - May 30
Blue Bayou Restaurant – April 28 - May 30
Indiana Jones Adventure – September 2 - October 24
Space Mountain – September 2003 - August 2004
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Park Events
Pirates of the Caribbean exhibit opens – Noon, March 1, 2003 at the Disney Gallery in Disneyland's New Orlean's Square.
Haunted Mansion Holiday Exclusive Dinner – October 1, 2003.
Haunted Mansion Holiday Event – October 2, 2003
Tickets for the Haunted Mansion Holiday events will go on sale in late August or early September.
Splash Mountain was closed for several hours on the evening of Sunday, February 16 while Disneyland security inspected the ride. The Disneyland Railroad, which travels through a portion of the Splash Mountain show building, was also briefly closed. A Disneyland cast member said that the ride was closed to investigate a bomb threat. Nothing was found, and the ride reopened later that evening.
A MousePad reader posted about an incident he witnessed at Disneyland earlier the same day. Town Square was closed to guests while a Disneyland security canine unit examined a stroller that was chained to a fence. Once the stroller was deemed to not be a threat, security cut the chain and took the stroller backstage.
The legend of the Pirates event - As David Koenig mentioned in his February 18 column, Walt Disney Pictures is planning to host a Pirates of the Caribbean movie premiere at Disneyland in late June. We hear that Disney's special events team wants to host a merchandise special event, similar to the Haunted Mansion Holiday event, the next day.
Unfortunately, most attendees still remember the Pirates of the Caribbean Celebration at Disneyland as the worst merchandise event ever. In case you did not attend the disastrous May 2000 event, (previewed by Sue Kruse and Lani Teshima, and later skewered by Sue), all you missed were hour-long lines and repeated screw-ups that kept some poor guests at the park until 4:00 in the morning. The event was such a disaster that Disney refunded the admission price to anyone who asked.
After three years, is it safe for Disneyland to put the Pirates name on another event? And even more importantly, has three years been enough time to learn the lesson of the prior attempt?
Much ado about Aladdin – Perhaps the Disney marketing machine has been too effective. Months after Disney's Aladdin - A Musical Spectacular began daily performances at the Hyperion Theater, tickets to the show are still the hottest thing at Disney's California Adventure park.
It doesn't help that there are a myriad of tickets for the show, and at least three different lines to get into the theater. Visitors who purchase certain vacation packages through AAA, Disney Travel, and Disney Club receive priority seating vouchers for the show. Although it is not always the case, these theatergoers, along with those with Special Assistance passes, often enter the theater before other patrons.
Annual Passholders get a block of reserved seats at each weekday performance, and the park issues Fastpass tickets for every performance at park opening to the general public. Visitors with one of these tickets wait in one main queue, which often loops around the Hollywood Pictures Backlot.
Visitors without any sort of pass or voucher who wait in the standby line are not guaranteed admission to the theater. While this is not a problem on slower days, guests are usually turned away on weekends when the theater reaches its 1800-person capacity.
While this sounds quite simple on paper, the reality is anything but. Guest control is apparently constantly experimenting with new ways to deal with the crowds. On some days, each category of patron has its own — albeit really long — line. On other days, it looks like a mob scene around the theater with no discernible crowd control measures in place. And even when there are orderly lines, there are rarely any cast members around to guide people into the correct line — or to guide where the lines go. Uncontrolled lines have wormed through the Goofy's Beach Party Bash seating area, blocked off the entrance to the Animation Building, and bisected performances of Chance to Shine.
Tourists, unaccustomed to being turned away from theme park shows, are unaware of the availability of tickets, and are utterly stymied by the mass confusion surrounding the theater at show time. To help address the first part of the challenge, the Guide to the Magic park map now explains that Fastpass tickets for Aladdin are distributed at park opening — something that confuses guests since the Hollywood area doesn't open until 90 minutes after the park opens on weekdays. In addition, A-frame signs are now stationed under the Golden Gate Bridge to explain the process to visitors who may have missed the notice in the map.
Once visitors learn how to get the tickets, Disney needs to figure out a better way to get them into the theater. The situation is only guaranteed to worsen once Tower of Terror opens next spring, when the area currently used for the standby line becomes the only walkway to that much-anticipated ride.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current Refurbishments and Attraction Closures
Disneyland
Disney Gallery – through March 1
Davy Crockett Explorer Canoes – through March 27
Rivers of America – through March 27
Mark Twain Riverboat – through March 27
Sailing Ship Columbia – through March 27
Splash Mountain – through March 13
Critter Country – through March 13
Snow White's Scary Adventures – February 25
Pinocchio's Daring Journey – February 26
Sleeping Beauty Castle walkthrough – indefinite
Disney’s California Adventure
Superstar Limo – through May 21
Future Attraction Closures:
Mad Tea Party – April 28 - May 15
Pirates of the Caribbean – April 28 - May 30
Blue Bayou Restaurant – April 28 - May 30
Indiana Jones Adventure – September 2 - October 24
Space Mountain – September 2003 - August 2004
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Park Events
Pirates of the Caribbean exhibit opens – Noon, March 1, 2003 at the Disney Gallery in Disneyland's New Orlean's Square.
Haunted Mansion Holiday Exclusive Dinner – October 1, 2003.
Haunted Mansion Holiday Event – October 2, 2003
Tickets for the Haunted Mansion Holiday events will go on sale in late August or early September.
