Jungle Cruise Changes - Mr. Safety Strikes Again

Disneyland seems to be all about guest safety these days and that's probably a good thing. The Matterhorn sleds were changed to make the vehicles more secure. We can disregard the fact that it also made them more uncomfortable and difficult to get in and out of. Safety first. Or another way to put it "what can we do to keep sue-happy guests with sue-happy lawyers off our back?"

Which brings us to changes made on the Jungle Cruise boats after a brief refurbishment last week. If you check out the picture above that I found on the internet, you can see the new mesh screens around the seating area designed to keep hands and arms (and small people) inside the boat. Of course, if you are 4 years old and taking your first Jungle Cruise, well, you really don't need to see anything that you won't remember when you are 40 anyway. And then there's mom and dad. Disney probably got sick and tired about hearing of dropped cell phones and cameras into the water.

The other change is that little rubber bumper that runs along the side of the boat. Actually, this is one of Disney's better safety ideas. The bumper is meant to stabilize the boat against the dock as passenger get on and get off the boat. For those advancing on in years and not quite as nimble as they used to be, the stabilizing bumpers along with the guiding arms of cast members should eliminate some of the unsteadiness of the process. Yeah, they are a bit of an eyesore but I can live with it. I'm the one who is advancing in years and not as nimble as I used to be.

Taking The Hammer To Innoventions

Hmm......I went through my Disneyland photo collection this morning looking for an exterior shot of the massive Innoventions building in Tomorrowland. Guess what? Ten years of digital of photos and not one exterior shot of the Innoventions building. That should tell you something. In all of the Disneyland trips that we've made over ten years (which adds up to about 15 trips with each trip being several days long), can you guess how many times Mrs. DisneylandTraveler and I have been in Innoventions? Twice - that's it. Our last visit to Innoventions was in December 2008. On that day, there was an all-day driving rainstorm. It doesn't rain in Innoventions. So that's what the place is reduced to - a refuge to get out of the rain.

Disneyland insider/watchdog Al Lutz from MiceAge/MiceChat again writes last week that Innoventions days may be numbered. With Disneyland's 60th anniversary coming up, it would be nice to have a brand spanking new big-time attraction to feature in the celebration. Once again, the massive but poorly attended Innoventions is a prime target for real estate.  Al has further speculated that the adjoining Autopia and Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage might close with it creating a substantial piece of real estate for big-time development. 

Now the internet rumors are running wild with this. Level Innoventions to the ground and start from scratch or gut the thing and make use of the cavernous space that is inside. I don't know which is true, if anything (there are other places that can be developed in Disneyland beginning with the Festival Arena area in Frontierland) but I, for one wouldn't mind seeing the waste of space that is Innoventions get brought to the ground.

At one time, several years ago, on a Disney forum that no longer exists, I proposed the idea that the loathsome Innoventions could be assisted in its demise by Disneyland providing a couple of swings of a heavy mallet on one of Innoventions walls by fans who want to see the place leveled. They could charge $10 for 3 swings and after you take your whack, you could walk over and pick up a T-Shirt with a picture of Mickey swinging a mallet with some cleaver saying about giving you credit for participating in the destruction. T-Shirt, about $23.95.  It's the Disney way.

That's all a joke up there but Innoventions itself is a joke, an effort in shameless self-promotion by Yamaha, Microsoft, Honda, and HP who pay Disney handsomely for showing off some of their efforts. The only thing, and I mean the only thing, in Innoventions that adds any real value to Disneyland, is the short program that shows off the considerable talents of ASIMO, Honda's amazing robot with a creepy child-like voice.

I don't know if anyone will shed a tear if Innoventions is removed and promptly.  The tears were shed when the Carousel of Progress and America Sings attractions were taken out of the building years ago.

Disneyland Princesses On The Run

I know very little about the Princess Fantasy Faire Meet and Greet that gathers daily inside the cavernous Fantasyland Theater. I do know that it is hugely popular as I glance over there and see the long lines of little princesses with their parents patiently waiting (usually) to meet their favorite princess. My little MouseWaits phone app says the line is often 60 - 90 minutes long. Ouch! A wait for something that long that isn't a ride? Well, the Princess Fantasy Fair Meet and Greet got itself an eviction notice from its current Fantasyland location several months ago as plans were made to construct a new fully themed meet and greet area in the space in front of the castle formerly occupied by the Carnation Gardens Plaza. The rumored cost of the new Princess Fantasy Faire is somewhere around 12 million bucks. That area is now currently behind construction walls with an opening slated sometime after the start of 2013, assuming we all survive that Mayan end-of-the-world thing. But the time has come for the princesses to move on out as the Fantasyland Theater prepares to go back and do what it was intended to do once upon a time - present live Disney character performances in a theater setting. Personally, the area is big enough to support a new ride which would have been my preference for use of the space, but that's just me.

So the princesses basically get run out across the street and will temporarily set up shop in the small world promenade area across from the namesake attraction until their new permanent home is ready. There the princesses will continue to meet with their adoring fans complete with photographs, autographs, and of course, the selling or princess merchandise. Date for the princesses move is now set at August 12. 

Scenes From Pirates of the Caribbean - Ooops

Yeah, yeah, yeah..... you hear it every time the boat leaves the dock. It goes something like this "keep your arms and legs inside the boat at all times and please no flash photography or video lighting". Well, I for one, tend to heed Disneyland's warnings. After all I'm a guest in their house (albeit at a steep price) and willing to play by their rules. That's just the way I was brought up. Of course, we all know there are people who try bend if not outright break the rules of Disneyland everywhere.

Which brings me to this YouTube video by Asianjma123, shots of inside Pirates of the Caribbean with full video lighting. Yes, this would be a no-no but I'm kind of glad to see a video of Pirates in all its glory when most non-lit videos fail to do it justice. This is not a full ride through but what can be seen looks great. Pirates of the Caribbean is my favorite ride in Disneyland, even after all these years.

A Time Lapse Tour Through Disney California Adventure

Often mentioned in this blog is the Disneyland/DCA video work of Asianjma123 available on YouTube. This past week he posted an excellent time-lapse video of the sights of Disney California Adventure Park - mostly the nighttime scene. This is a really nice piece. Enjoy!

The Day Mickey Mouse Burst My Bubble

Mickey Mouse's House - ToonTown - DIsneyland

I may have brought this up before in this blog, can't really recall, but since today is my birthday and I'm getting older, repeating myself sort of comes with the territory. Anyway, this little tidbit is about a trip I made to Disneyland back in 2006. I flew down with my sister and two of my nieces along two of their small children for a weekend get-away. Even though it was a very quick trip, flying down early Saturday morning and returning Sunday evening, it was something we needed to do after a particularly hard month for the extended family. 

And we had a great time during our short visit. You can get a lot done in Disneyland in a short amount of time if you really put your mind to it. And one of the things we did was take the kids to Mickey's House in ToonTown. Even if you are an adult, its something everyone should do simply because the place is whimsical, delightful, and quite charming. Its also much larger than you think. 

Getting Mickey's Autograph

I'm sure I've mentioned this before as well, but I am not really a "Disney character" kind of guy but then again, I'm XX years old and not 6 years old. And I will admit that Disney characters walking or standing around really add to the overall atmosphere of the park, but down deep, I can kind of take or leave them. I remember one year where it seems that every time I turned around, I was looking at the Mad Hatter. He was everywhere. Ever since that day I associate the Mad Hatter with the word "annoying".

Anyway, Mickey Mouse is the king character of the place so you have to give him his due, at least I thought he was king. So there we all were in Mickey's house, meandering through the various rooms, waiting for the kids to meet up with Mickey himself. My great niece had her official Disneyland autograph book along with one of those giant pencils and the tuxedo clad Mickey was only too happy to sign it along with allowing us a chance to take a few photos (or have an official Disney $$$ photo taken).

After all was said and done and we were on our out, I looked at Mickey's autograph and was immediately somewhat stunned at the lovely flowing cursive penmanship of the great mouse. "Wait a minute" I thought. "No guy writes like that - ever" "Mickey Mouse underneath was really a girl". Wow! For an old Disneyland guy like me, that was quite a discovery. Another bubble just got burst. So came the realization that in order to play the role of Micky Mouse (or Donald or Goofy or Chip or xxxx) in Disneyland, you don't necessarily need to be of the same gender. The most important job requirement is apparently - whoever you are - you just need to fit the costume.

Another picture from Mickey's House - Nothing to do with Mickey
I just like it because I often wear the same expression in Disneyland

Ugly Alice Will Get Her Face Lift

Ugly Alice in Wonderland
Hideous upper railing with tarps draped to cover additional additional unsightliness

Once upon a time a classic Disneyland Fantasyland attraction benevolently ran for more than 40 years without incident. Then an ogre (and we are not quite sure who the ogre is) said "that won't do at all". Such is the story of Disneyland's Alice In Wonderland.

About 2 years ago, either Disney voluntarily or through strong prodding by the Occupational Health and Safety Administration, came to the conclusion that the raised outdoor "vine" section of the ride was unsafe for maintenance workers who could conceivably fall from the exposed concrete platform to the ground below. The decision came almost overnight. The ride was shutdown and over about a 3 week period, a hastily constructed railing was put in place with ugly plastic tarps draped to cover the fastening points. Following what amounted to a patch job, the ride resumed operation just a bit uglier than originally conceived.

Fans have been waiting both patiently and impatiently for quite some time waiting for when Disney was going to make its move and restore the ride to its charming glory. Well the date has been set if you can believe MiceAge's Al Lutz. Alice in Wonderland will be shutdown right after Labor Day on September 4 to begin its transformation. The rumor is that it will take a few months of refurbishment. Alice will get her face lift after all.

The original Alice in Wonderland
No railing, no tarps