Around The Resort & Downtown Disney |
Disneyland Hosting an Annual Passholder Event to Celebrate the 20th Anniversary of Fantasmic!
Disneyland will be hosting a Annual Passholder event in May to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of Fantasmic! Disneyland began hosting these AP events again last year with a Holiday event and a Mickey’s Soundsational Parade event.
Invites began to appear randomly in Annual Passholder’s email inboxes this morning with event details and RSVP instructions. The Fantasmic! event will be held after park closing at Disneyland on the evenings of May 14, 15, 21 and 22nd and include a special showing of Fantasmic! at 11:30 p.m. Select attractions, shops and restaurants in Adventureland, Fronteirland and New Orleans Square will also be available until 1:00 a.m. Special menu items will also be available to event guests from 4pm – 1am. Annual Passholders are asked to RSVP in person (you must be 18 years old to register) at one of the Disneyland Resort ticket booths; you can also RSVP for an additional 3 annual passholders. Registration for the event will close at 10 p.m. on Thursday, May 10, 2012 or as soon as capacity is reached. Guest check-in on the day of the event will be available at any open main entrance ticket booth starting at 12 pm. You and your party will receive a wristband prior to entering the park; your entire party must check in together to receive wrist bands. You will still need your valid annual passport to enter the park. Event check-in will remain open until 12:30am to accommodate late arrivals. Parking in the Mickey and Friends parking structure is advised as tram service to other lots will not be offered after the event. Mickey and Friends parking trams will continue to run until 2:00 a.m.
Update (3:15 pm): Disney has confirmed that ANY Annual Passholder may RSVP for the event.
The entrance to Flik’s Fun Fair is getting a touch up
After disappearing for more than 4 months, the middle graphic for the Soarin’ over California sign has be reinstalled.
Downtown Disney Refurbishment Updates, April 2012
The Downtown Disney District at the Disneyland Resort is seeing some of the largest improvement projects since the shopping, dinning and entertainment district opened in 2001. The refurbishments, and changes are in preparation for this summer, which is expected to be one of the most crowded in recent memory. June 15, 2012 is becoming both a highly anticipated and feared date to most Disney fans. The relaunch of Disney California Adventure with the opening of Cars Land and Buena Vista Street, along with the return of the Pixar Play Parade and the opening of the Mad T Party are just a few of the large events planned for the Disneyland Resort this summer.
Downtown Disney is preparing for the large influx of hotel guests, park guests and casual shoppers that this summer will bring as well. We last updated you with the “Downtown Disney Changes” in February with the expansion of the La Brea Bakery, the reconstruction of the LEGO Imagination Center and the announcement of an Earl of Sandwich location. However, since those announcements Disney has confirmed more changes for the outdoor mall.
The Sunglass Icon is currently undergoing a major remodeling project which will include a “social sun” screen in which guests can take their picture wearing a pair of sunglasses and immediately share it using social media or email. The exterior will be illuminated with chasing LED lights around a black background. The new store will be opening sometime in June 2012.
- Sunglass Icon Concept Art (© Disney)
WonderGround Gallery, a new installation for Downtown Disney, will be a Disney owned art gallery. Taking up the space formally occupied by Island Charters, the new gallery will showcase more than “25 local and domestic up-and-coming artists [who] will have their unique interpretations available to you to add to your Disney collection” (source). The gallery will showcase artwork inspired by Disney/ Pixar films, characters as well as icons such as Mickey Mouse. The WonderGround Gallery will open June 9, 2012.
The UVA Bar, a popular bar which sits in the middle of Downtown Disney, has closed for a six week renovation. During the closure, the UVA Bar’s full drink and dining menu is availible across the way in the upstairs portion of Catal. The UVA Bar will reopen (you guessed it) in June.
Aside from all of the major changes to the shops and dining locations, Disney has also been doing infrastructure and aesthetics upgrades in Downtown Disney as well.
Look for photos of the Downtown Disney construction and improvement progress in our Weekly Photo and News Reports.
Sunglass Icon
The UVA Bar
It appears that the large spires are being prepared for removal
The full UVA Bar menu is available upstairs in Catal
The LEGO sculptures at the Imagination Station have been unveiled, and look amazing!
An Aladdin and Jasmine on a flying carpet can be seen inside…
…as can a large Genie
That’s going to do it for this week’s update. You can see the past updates here.
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