Contributing photographer Jason of disneygeek.com sends us these photos from his trip to the parks on Friday, March 6, 2015.
In this picture set I take a look around the resort at many of the ongoing and recently completed projects.
The posted closure list by the security tents.
Since my last visit prices have gone up. Here are the current Disneyland Resort posted options/rates.
First stop for me Disneyland. The Big Hero 6 poster as you enter has been removed.
It was a great spring afternoon with many of the trees and flowers in bloom on Main Street (temperatures were in the upper 80s when I arrived and cooled down to the low 70s/upper 60 when I left).
The scaffolding has been taken down and Sleeping Beauty Castle is now a lighter shade of pink and much of the gold added for the 50th has been removed or repainted to silver.
The silver trim used to be gold
The light/projector housings around the Castle moat have been removed.
Scaffolding still up in the grotto area.
Moving around to the Fantasyland side.
Another wall set up in the extended queue for Buzz near Pixie Hollow.
Work continues on the Small World facade. Some of the tarps were down. Not sure if it was wind-related or because they are done.
A closer look
This is where the small fire was last week. You can sort of see some of the facade looks a little charred but hard to tell from this angle.
In Fantasyland Olaf is MIA… did he learn what happens in Summer?
Splash Mountain is still closed and has scaffolding over the drop this week.
The new roof for the Hungry Bear is being installed.
A new wood fence has been installed along the Briar Patch.
The Fortuosity Shop clock is back on Main Street.
Over to Disney California Adventure…
Work continues on Grizzly Peak Airfield. A look from Carthay Circle. Some new trees have been planted.
The former Taste Pilots Grill has a new wood/worn look and a new wood overhang is visible.
Water has returned to Paradise Bay since my last trip. World of Color returns next Friday, March 12.
As of now they have not done anything to the roof or Downtown Disney side of Soarin’. Scaffolding is still covering the park side of the building.
A look down at the submerged World of Color platform from the Fun Wheel.
From this angle no visible progress on the Flying Tires replacement
Redwood Creek Challenge has reopened.
I took a very quick look around. No big changes jumped out to me. Just some new railings, paint, etc.
Grizzly River Run remains closed for annual refurbishment.
Storytellers Cafe at the Grand Californian has reopened since my last trip. Looking through the windows no major changes jumped out to me.
A look at the Grizzly Peak Airfield work. Taste Pilots is now brown and green and trees are being planted.
More concrete has been removed. So all that is left is some right up next to the buildings. All the rest is being replaced. The restroom building is now brown and green to match Taste Pilots and blend in with the Grizzly Peak feel.
In Downtown Disney, the Winter Village and ice rink are all gone.
They are repainting the entrance sign near ESPN.
Work continues on the Fantasy Tower of the Disneyland Hotel
The Monorail slide refurbishment at the Disneyland Hotel is complete. Monorail blue is gone, it is now yellow. So we have Red and Yellow (I commented in my tweet on this that there must be a USC fan at Imagineering!)
To close out this picture set, Sleeping Beauty Castle after dark.
Hope you enjoyed this highlight tour of the Disneyland Resort. For additional photos and details from this trip you can check out the full Disneyland Update I posted on my site, http://disneygeek.com Also be sure to follow me on twitter @disneygeekcom for pictures from the parks.
Jason,
We are a family of four (two teenagers) who are DVC members and have only visited WDW (26 times). We are booked into DL for the first 7 days in July. From your experience, how many days will it truly take to visit the parks?
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Jason Reply – Mindy -> That is always a challenging question because there are so many variables from personal tastes and pacing to weather and crowds. Also what does a day mean.. park open to close? Or 10am – 5pm? Is the goal to visit every attraction/experience every show, walk every inch of the parks? Or something more narrow. Since you are a WDW veteran how would you answer if someone said how long to see Epcot? Some people can do what they would enjoy in a day others need a week!
You can get a condensed sampling and enjoy both parks in two full days. Especially if you utilize the quiet mornings and FastPasses. But to really enjoy the parks and take in a lot of the offerings I would say around 3-4 days that time of year would be much more comfortable and allow for a wider variety of experiences, repeats, and time to relax and enjoy the parks.
I would be more than happy to answer any additional questions or check out the guides here on AllEars.net or on my site disneygeek.com for more tips and comparisons between WDW & Disneyland.
I would be curious to hear your thoughts after you visit. I always find it interesting WDW Veteran’s impressions of the original park and new DCA.. most are pleasantly surprised.
Thanks! I have my first trip to DL/CA at the end of April … your picture blogs are keeping me excited! 🙂
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Jason Reply: Have a great trip! If you have any questions feel free to ask away.