Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Al Lutz: Dumbo & Dumber





Disneyland's Summer Nightastic has begun, and
what a great weekend it was. In this update we'll
fill you in on why the the "experts" have a stick up their butt about
the recent changes, why the crowds are there in full force
for a summer promotion, and why you'll likely love the new
Nightastic name for years to come.

Ready for the plus side?
Waiting for the better side of the news?
Wanting to see the greats instead of the duds? Let's go! - A. Mouse







Ads, Ads, Ads How many ads do you really need to put in your blog? I hope I never see an ad on my blog. If you do, let me know and I will remove it.

Dumbo & Dumber


What is Summer Nightastic you ask? Well it is a way to bring local visitors
to the park and relight the old night scene at Disneyland. Some of you may remember
Date Night at Disneyland, and this is just the new version of this. It is a
great spin on an old favorite. On top of this it allowed the improvements of
Fantasmic! A Nigthtime Spectacular, Disney's Electrical Parade, and a new firework show.


People have explained the initial plans and about Tinkerbell
being the spotlight and host of the summertime events, but
sadly it did not happen. However you can still catch
Tinkerbell in the Electrical Parade, and her and all her
friends at Pixie Hollow.



Tink float in EP

This is a beautiful shot that shows you
the use of the new lights and a mix of the old.



The Summer Nightastic idea has been set in motion and is becoming
a big hit among the locals, filling the parks to full capacity.
The ideas that were once on paper are now being turned to life
with the power of Disney's magic. Turning Fantasmic! into a bigger
spectacular show and Electrical Parade into a vibrant parade of color
and sound like never before. Of course the all new pyrotechnic show
by Steve Davison, is a huge hit. He mixed all the emotions into one
heck of a show and even added a flying Dumbo above the castle. The crowds
loved it and are showing it by their attendance. And Disney didn't forget
those tweens, teens, and club lovers. They have transformed Tomorrowland
Terrace into the newest dance club. Featuring up and coming bands and DJ's
from local radio stations this party should keep the night going till park closing.
Coca-cola and Verizon have teamed up to sponser TLT Dance Club and
even give you a chance to recieve free coke and text a shoutout to
all those partying with you at TLT. Of course lets not forget Pixie
Hollow with its newly transitioned lighting facade around the lagoon
and nighttime spectacular that allows it to stay open past daylight hours.


So why is everyone griping and complaining about this new event
on the net? Well because some just don't see THE PLUS SIDE. The event
did have a few set backs, but what doesn't? I think some people need
to get off that high pedastol and just be happy they can go to Disneyland.
Now back to the show.


Does anyone know where people get their numbers on crowd attendance? Are these just
guesstimates? Is someone really counting the number of people going in? Do they get insider
information? Funny I hear all these numbers as if they are fact but I have yet to hear
or see anything that says they are. Until then I refuse to comment on attendance numbers.



Magical from inside the hub

ohhhhh Purdy lights



As you can guess it was packed, people were setting up blankets
far ahead of time and even stacking out places early in the afternoon.
This is always the case when we have a new show or even an upgrade to
a new show. It causes mass crowds and congestion and calms down after the
initial hype. But remember this is all a good thing, that means people
actually want to see the show. Before anything else is said, yes the new
dragon is not working yet. It will not be operational for some time.
There is no set date and there is no truth behind the head snapping off.


Because it was a media event Thursday night there was only one showing
of Fantasmic, yet it was extremely packed. This style followed the during the
weekend. Because of the high crowds the CM's may be a little more aggrevated than
normal. Please be respectful of their commands and help them out as much as possible.
It also doesn't hurt to tell them they are appreciated and doing a great job.



Is it Green, Purple, Yellow, Orange, I think it is a building of a different color.

Team Disney Anaheim, TDA



I am going to take this time to thank all of those at TDA,
the executive leaders, marketing, entertainment, industrial engineering,
and operations for dealing with the criticism they receive from people
who probably couldn't do their job in the first place. Crowd control
and crowd estimates can be difficult to figure out. They are almost a
science and an art. We are all very unpredicatable and often spontaneous
or indescieve. If the crowds become too much they will most likely show
a third showing of Fantasmic! at 11:30PM. Ask a Cast Member and they can
find out for you.



New Signage

Summer Fantast... I mean Nightastic.



It is funny to see many people stumble on the name, it is just
so close to another show that has "tastic" in it. Wonder what show that might be?


BTW if you are not an annual passholder, or if your pass expires soon. Check
out the new, but old, promotion of Summer Fun Pass. Basically it is a 3-day Hopper
for 99 dollars that is available to all Southern Californians. I am not sure on the
details but last year they had this same promotion, and it allowed out of towners
to buy the tickets at local markets and use them at the park with at least one
valid So Cal ID for 6 people. You can also use this to upgrade to a Pass and just
pay the difference.



Mickey Fun Wheel

Paradise Pier at night, don't pay attention to the construction.


A new 9,000 person amphitheater for World of Color is being built,
the above photo shows where the show will take place while the below
photo shows the amphiteater. No one knows exactly how this will change
DCA's nighttime experience, but some speculate that it will be just as
"bad" as Fantasmic!'s crowd. Personally I think we should all just
wait and see before sentencing something to its doom because of what
some internet blogger speculates.




I am not sure where you see Wall-E

...and
Paradise Bay at night, isn't construction amazing?



Again with talks about crowd control and such will not be in my updates any longer.
I don't see a reason to post about something that I have no control over
and don't really care to criticize someone who is actually trying.



EP newer and better

Can you see the difference in LED and regular lights?


Supposedly someone said that Electrical Parade may move back over to
Disneyland. While I am not saying it won't happen, and I am not saying it
isn't logical, I just think of rumors by internet bloggers as just that, rumors.
It probably will happen but that doesn't mean it is set in stone.
Hopefully they bring back Summer Nightastic next year and continue this
event for years to come. And who knows they might have something even better
for us to celebrate next year.


Apparently TDA has been desiging new logos for DCA. You can see some artwork
below about it. Personally I like DCA or Disney's Califonia Adventure. But others
will disagree about how Disney it is or how Californian the park is. Funny
no one complains about the Adventure part. LOL.






I still like the one we have now, no reason to change it.


DCA is coming along nicely, Blue Sky Cellar goes down on the 10th of July and
will reopen the 15th of July with of course new emphasis on World of Color
and the newer additions to DCA coming in the next year. And hopefully
all of us at home can visit the Blue Sky Cellar website at the same time.


Orange Stinger will be transforming to Silly Symphony Swings in mid July.
and Casey Jr. Circus Train and Storybookland Canal Boats will get a major
refurbishment this summer. Peter Pan's Flight just reopened with new boats.
And Snow White's Scary Adventure and Pinocchio's Daring Journey will reopen soon.





Unneeded Paypal link, please do not donate to me, I just report what I see.




Al-right - that should do it for today. Remember your support is
not vital, no donations to PayPal will
help keep my bills paid. I am only here due to all of
the negative bloggers.


Keep in mind updates only get posted when there is
something negative that was report on, and not before. It takes time to transform
things, and even then we can only offer our best mop and bucket.
Just like the happiest place on earth, we always try to PLUS things;
others might be negative but we try to keep it positive. ;)


See you at Disneyland!





Al Lutz may be
e-mailed at al@miceage.com -
Please keep in mind he may not be able to
respond to each note personally.


Everything above is credit MiceAge and Al Lutz, except for my comments. I am in no way associated with anyone else, I am my own entity, and I am the one and only.