Welcome back to the Disneyland Resort!
The Holiday Season has official ended its run and we are charging head first into one of the only “off season” times at the resort. Touring Plans is still predicting moderate crowds for this week – even though Monday was quite nice in comparison to the past few weeks.
With the Holiday Season over and the lull before Spring Break and Easter, the Disneyland Resort is entering a time where a lot of attractions and shops will close for refurbishments. The extensive, 10 month refurbishment of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad began this week, as did the Mark Twain Riverboat, Fantasmic!, Haunted Mansion (to remove the holiday overlay) and soon “it’s a small world”. January through mid-March is a great time to visit the parks, if you don’t mind the closures. And with the Limited Time Magic promotion and the ‘A Salute to the Golden Horseshoe Revue’ coming up in the next week, the next few months should be a great time for local Annual Passholders and day guests.
A word from Touring Plans on this week’s Disneyland crowd predictions:
The busy holiday season is finally past us but crowds will unfortunately remain for this week. TouringPlans.com can help you navigate the parks with our per-park Crowd Calendar, Lines – Mobile Wait Times App that gives access to current and estimated wait times for attractions, and Touring Plans detailing the best plan of attack for hitting the attractions. Now more than ever, it’s a good time to subscribe to TouringPlans.com to plan your strategy to avoid the crowds!
Below are the predicted resort-wide crowd numbers for select days generated by the TouringPlans professional statisticians as measured for the upcoming week. For the access to the full year and per-park crowd level predictions, visit our Crowd Calendar.
| Day |
Resort Crowd Prediction
|
| Tuesday, January 8, 2013 |
7 out of 10
|
| Wednesday, January 9, 2013 |
8 out of 10
|
| Thursday, January 10, 2013 |
7 out of 10
|
| Friday, January 11, 2013 |
8 out of 10
|
Here are some quick-hit notes that we hope you’ll find helpful as you prepare your visits for the week:
- Saturday and Sunday are 8 out of 10.
- There are no Annual Pass blackouts in effect this Monday through Friday.
- Tinker Bell Half Marathon Weekend is January 19 and 20, 2013.
- Fastpass tickets for Radiator Springs Racers usually “sell out” within the first hour of DCA’s regular park hours.
Disneyland Refurbishments
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad closed on Monday morning to undergo a massive refurbishment. The attraction will stay closed through October 2013 to receive new paint, enhancements, ride vehicles and track.
During the closure, Big Thunder Trail, the walkway around Big Thunder which connects Frontierland to Fantasyland will have intermittent closures.
The mountain range, which is modeled after Utah’s Bryce Canyon, will receive all new paint.
The Mark Twain will be dry docked for a refurbishment through March 28, 2013.
Fantasmic! will also be dark through February 14, 2013.
The Pioneer Mercantile store is receiving an exterior refurbishment, the store remains open.
Haunted Mansion is closed through January 17, 2013 for removal of the holiday overlay
With the holidays over, the temporary shop has been removed from the Court of Angels.
This area is one of my personal favorites in Disneyland and it is great to see it untouched.
Fantasy Faire Construction
The Fantasy Faire construction is progressing, as buildings are beginning to take shape and the stage area’s covering has been installed.
Fantasyland Theater – Mickey and the Magic Map
Disneyland has announced details for the new stage show for the Fantasyland Theater. Mickey and the Magic Map, opening this summer, tells the story of , ”The wise sorcerer Yen Sid [and] a wondrous map – one unlike any other – with the power to take dreamers to any place imaginable. But when young apprentice Mickey Mouse attempts to paint the map’s one unfinished spot, he stumbles into a fantastic adventure through worlds of music, color and beloved characters, as he discovers the mystery of the map’s magic!”
Construction is moving forward to transform the venue back into a stage show theater.
On Monday, the Main Street train station was closed. The Disneyland Railroad is still open and the train procedes through the station. The durration of the closure is not immediately clear, nor is the reason. We’ll keep and eye on this in the coming days.
Buena Vista Street’s First Christmas Comes to an End
With the conclusion of the 2012 Holiday Season so ends Buena Vista Street’s first. Much more simplistic and beautifully done than the Cars Land holiday overlay, Buena Vista Street was the place to be for myself this past Christmas.
Grizzly River Run
Grizzly River Run is closed through February 28th for a refurbishment
Your eyes don’t deceive you, the tide has definitely risen in the Pacific Wharf Bay. Some of the water drained from Grizzly is stored here while the attraction is under refurbishment.
I love the new “No Climbing” sign that was placed infront of the Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree photo vehicle. It seems to be doing the trick here…
The Downtown Disney Fossil store is closed for a remodel. The location will reopen in March.
That’s going to do it for this week’s update. You can see the past updates here.
All Current Resort Closures & Special Event Information
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See You At Disneyland!
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