Salute to All Things Disney but Mostly Disneyland

Contributing photographer Jason of disneygeek.com sends us these photos from his trip to the parks on Friday, June 14, 2013. It has been three weeks since my last visit to the Resort due to a trip to Alaska I was on. So here is a look at what was going on as summer gets underway as well as some of the ongoing projects.

The Disneyland Hotel has received a new sign at the entrance on Magic Way. Cast Members were still putting the finishing touches on the landscaping this afternoon.

In Downtown Disney there is an exhibit for the WiiU video game console.

Inside each cube you could try out the game.

While I was gone ticket prices increased. Parking also went up a dollar to $16 for a car.

Both parks received new guide map covers and ad pages. Here is a look at Disneyland's:

And DCA's:

Main Street USA is all red, white and blue.

Climbers have returned to the Matterhorn for the summer.

The Jamboree area has gone all American for the summer too with Woody's All-American Roundup.

The format of the area is much the same with some games, picture spots, coloring area, food, pins, and the stage.

The food carts have a nice stand around them.

The menu.

Some of the items for sale

Friday the stage was being used by the Billies and by a small show called Woodys Talent Roundup.

Billy Hill and the Hillbillies

Video of the Billies patriotic medley.

Cowboy Mickey and Minnie coming out for pictures, they changed with Goofy.

The Billies performing the Battle of New Orleans.

For the finale the Toy Story gang joins the Billies.

Shortly after the Billies there was a short character show called Woodys Talent Roundup. Since there were no signs or postings most of the audience had disappeared before it started.

A video clip from the Talent Roundup.

One of the photo backdrops.

The stage coach is also set up as a photo backdrop.

Out in the ranch area the goats are in the patriotic spirit too.

The Big Thunder project is moving along. Scaffolding is up on some of the mountain now.

Rainbow Ridge is moving along.

The hills of Toontown have a new ridge. They have hidden the safety rails that were put up on the roof recently.

The Orbitron has seen better days..

Today was Flag Day so I stopped for the nightly Flag Retreat.

In the Main Street Opera House Lobby the Disneyland Story section is behind curtains. Is a new exhibit coming or just some work on the current one?

The Disney Gallery is receiving a new exhibit.

The sun shades on the upper level of the Carthay appear to be completed.

At DCA, Dancing with Disney has returned to Hollywood Land, but closed at 5pm so I did not make it inside.

A safety chain has been added around the bikes at the Monsters U meet and greet since my last visit. I like the eyes on the poles.

The Cozy Cone Fountain is slowly coming back together but not operational yet.

Sarge's this afternoon.

The Racers turn one year old as does the rest of Cars Land and Buena Vista Street. Hard to believe it's been a year already.

Out in the Pier the flowers were in bloom.

The 300th Army Band getting ready to perform. They were at Downtown Disney to celebrate the Army's birthday today (#238). They started over 30 minutes late though - so much for punctuality. I thought it was poor no one announced the new start time. First up was a jazz group.

Next up was a group called the Classics (I did not stay around for the third portion of the band).

Return to DCA. Noticed they had the side door of the Carthay Circle open. This leads to the check in counter and then to the lounge.

For Father's Day there is an Incredibles Limited Time Magic event going on. From 10am to 6pm you can have your picture taken in front of this backdrop.

Stopped by the Mad T Party for a while. There are new songs in the set for the summer.

Walked through Cars Land.

Found a spot for World of Color which turned three this past week.

I did not catch it till it was too late, but there is a new act at the Mad T Party.. an aerialist. Maybe next trip...

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.

The spring break season is wrapping up this weekend and the parks were fairly crowded but not insane. Upon entering the park spotted a new popcorn bucket offering, you can now purchase Dumbo buckets for $12. The two carts on Main Street and the one in the Small World Mall had them.

The Big Thunder project continues to roll along. You can see some holes cut into the mountain now.

Rainbow Ridge has really taken shape. The plywood is up.

Spring has arrived at the Big Thunder Ranch and Jamboree.

The Jamboree was quiet since it was between performances.

Some Rodeo Games are now out. Next week it will not be so peaceful out here since Long Lost Friends week will be using the Jamboree for character Meet and Greets as part of the Limited Time Magic Promotion.

The photo backdrop has been decked out for Spring too.

Cowboy Mickey was roaming around (as was Minnie). If you are looking for quiet character photos try stopping by the Ranch. More times than not it is not crowded and characters are roaming around looking for guest interaction.

Vending carts have encircled the old Kodak Information kiosk near Small World.

Walked back toward the hub by way of Tomorrowland, not much happening there, just guests everywhere. Here is a peaceful garden shot near the entrance.

Noticed there was no stroller parking set up along the hub. So guess Fantasy Faire is holding its own ok now. The wait at the Royal Hall was posted at 60 minutes.

Coke Corner/Refreshment Corner now has a new arch and sign (it says Corner Cafe on it).

One last look at Town Square and Main Street before heading over to DCA.

At DCA the Spring Issue of the Buena Vista Bugle is on news stands. Be sure to pick up a copy if you are in the park, its a fun read!

The Oz preview is gone from the Hollywood Backlot and the Muppets have returned to their theater.

Fastpasses gone for the day and 65 minute wait. The Spring Break crowds do enjoy Tower.

Out in Cars Land there is a Limited Time Magic offering, Cozy Cone Hats ($24.95) available at Sarge's Surplus.

If you really want to go crazy buy both hats and make a "Flying Tires" game out of it.

Had to share at least one picture of Ornament Valley this afternoon

DJ rolling out for a Dance Party.

Goofy walking out for an Instant Concert.

The swings have returned and the line was using the extended queue underneath.

Walked through the Grand Californian, noticed they still have the plain carpet. Wonder if the other carpet is ever coming back.

Spring break! Life guards in warm clothes... the temps topped out about 70 today with a breeze. It was cooler by this point of the afternoon. The pools themselves had a fair number of guests in them.

Out in Downtown Disney the work has wrapped up and a new, more permanent stage is set up near ESPN.

Downtown Disney had a lot of guests roaming around.

The window ads at the Grand Californian on the way to Downtown Disney have been updated recently. One is DVC, another D23, and then this one Carthay Circle/Napa Rose.

Walked through the World of Disney on my way back to the parks. Some Spring Break shirts.

Due to the later sunsets the Mad T Party kicks off in the daylight now.

Returned to Disneyland for Mickey's Soundsational Parade

Elvis, Scot Bruce, was performing at Tomorrowland Terrace.

Some scaffolding up on the exterior of the Alice in Wonderland building. Looked like facade work.

Buena Vista Street. The Carthay with Mickey in front.

The Mad T Party is more impressive at night. The lights make a big difference.

Tower of Terror was up to an 80-minute wait now.

Finally seeing Remember...Dreams Come True (been trying to see it since it returned in January but between cancellations, fog, and other distractions I have missed it till tonight). I made it to Main Street with only about a minute to spare, thanks to only four turnstiles being open to enter Disneyland.

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.

Contributing photographer Jason of disneygeek.com sends us these photos from his trip to the parks in late January, 2013.

The skyline has changed a bit, a large tower crane is visible over the trees. This is being used for the Big Thunder work.

The train station has received an image on the scaffolding tarps, much nicer to look at!

The park side.

Main Street USA this afternoon. The snow has melted on the castle (Speaking of melting.. it was pushing 80 degrees out this afternoon and was a picture perfect day).

The menu at the Stage Door Cafe has changed. The chicken nuggets and corn dogs are gone (the two things I liked!).

The Big Thunder Trail has re-opened.

The trail to Fantasyland is narrow due to the work on Big Thunder Mountain.

A look through a crack in the fence.. you can see the base of the crane.

The Fantasy Faire progress. It's scheduled to open in March.

Big Thunder Ranch Jamboree has re-opened, featuring Billy Hill and the Hillbillies and character meet and greets.

Current food and beverage offerings.

Time to head across the Esplanade to DCA. The Hyperion Bridge has been repainted. It now has colored panels. Before it was a solid color.

The new Buena Vista Street Bugle is out.

Over at Mater's one side has a tent over it. They are working on resurfacing it.

The original surface has taken a beating already and they are installing a new surface that should last longer.

A look down Route 66. The telephone poles on the right side of the street that were used for Christmas decorations have been removed.

Work on Grizzly River Rrun continues. Here they are rebuilding the railings.

A section that has not been torn down.

I was there during the Health and Fitness Expo that was part of Tinker Bell Half Marathon weekend. Here is some of the merchandise for this years race.

A look at some of the race medals that were on display at the Run Disney booth.

Jeff Galloway was on hand to answer questions, sign books, and pose for pictures.

The other news of the expo was the new runDisney shoes by New Balance. They are available only at runDisney Expos (starting WDW marathon weekend) and are $125 plus tax.

The Men's shoe features Mickey.

And the Women's Minnie

In Downtown Disney the ice skating rink is gone, just a couple of buildings remain from it.

The Fossil store is being remodeled.

Heading back to Disneyland. The lights on the scaffolding give a different look..

Stopped by the Big Thunder Ranch Jamboree and Mickey and Minnie were hanging out, as well as a handful of other cast members and only a couple of guests.

Last chance to see Small World Holiday this season.

Crossed paths with Soundsational as I headed to Tomorrowland.

Wreck-It Ralph has left the Starcade. Construction walls are up.

Was able to just walk right onto the Haunted Mansion.

Madam Leota was not floating yet.

Back to DCA... the bridge at night.

Passed through Radiator Springs on my way to World of Color (yeah I took the long way)

Arrived a couple minutes before show time and was able to find an ok Standby spot for World of Color

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.

Arriving at the Disneyland Resort. Most of the Christmas decorations and signage have been removed from around the resort. At the Mickey and Friends Tram stop the billboards have been swapped back.

As well as the Downtown Disney banners.

The off season has arrived and projects are underway around the park. The first is the Main Street Train Station. Out front of the entrance there are now Cast Members stationed. This part of an effort to cut down on ticket renting.

The Main Street side of the train station.

Stepping onto Main Street.. what a different feel than last week. The crowds plus Christmas are all gone.

The waits around 1:15pm - much shorter than they have been.

A quick look at the Fantasy Faire work as I head to Frontierland.

Some work going on right inside Frontierland too, the shops are all open, just exterior work.

My first destination. Stopped by the Golden Horseshoe to get a reservation for a show this afternoon. I have posted my Golden Horseshoe pictures in a separate blog posting plus some video from the show.

Big Thunder is closed through the Fall for a major renovation projection. The Big Thunder Trail was closed today and a crane was onsite.

Jessie was out for pictures near Rancho del Zocalo and no line!

The Columbia was making the rounds on the Rivers of America today because the Mark Twain is in dry dock for some work.

The Mark Twain.

Fantasmic is also not running right now and they are working on the center fountain area.

I do enjoy the off season. You can actually see and enjoy the park in a different light.

The Haunted Mansion is closed as they are transforming it back to the regular show.

A notice about the Main Street station work.

A couple wreaths up still at the New Orleans station.

Some decorations are still up in New Orleans Square.

But other sections are back to normal.

No real visible work going on yet at Big Thunder.

There is a tunnel set up under the scaffolding to connecting Adventureland to Frontierland.

The walkway/tunnel.

Circling back to the hub, Sleeping Beauty Castle still has snow, all the other decorations have been removed.

A closer look at the Fantasy Faire work.

The other side of the Big Thunder Trail is closed off just past the restrooms in Fantasyland today.

The tea cup for photos has returned.

Some work going on in the planters along the Small World Mall, looked like painting and grounds keeping work.

The control booth building looks about finished from this vantage point.

Did a quick walk through Toontown, Christmas is gone from there too.

The Kodak information booth by Small World was closed and empty today.

A look inside (as many of you know Kodak did not renew their sponsorship with Disney so they are leaving the parks). The booth is supposed to be re-purposed and staying.

Chip out for a stroll in Town Square.

Now over to DCA for a quick tour.

Buena Vista Street has returned to normal.

Except for the Buena Vista Street Bugle which still had the holiday edition on news stands.

In Cars Land the decorations are gone but the poles on the right side of the street are still up.

The Blue Sky Cellar is closed as a new exhibit on the Fantasy Faire is installed.

The demonstration tire outside of Luigis is gone.

Heading out to the Pier.

Duffy was hanging around looking for guests to take pictures with.

Donald was out for pictures too and had a small line.

GRR is closed for its annual work too.

Elias & Co has returned to its regular merchandise.

Had a few minutes before being let into the Golden Horseshoe and thought the typo on the park time schedule was great... really limited time Magic with Disneyland only open for an hour today!

The current Disneyland map, notice the back cover now features PhotoPass, Kodak is gone.

The current DCA map, same story. The maps themselves looked the same..

Woody was out for pictures near Big Thunder Mountain.

Video of the Can Can

Heading toward Small World Holiday. It runs for a couple more weeks still.

Soundsational has returned.

Elvis, Scot Bruce, was performing at the Tomorrowland Terrace this evening.

Given the cold weather (temps were in the 40s by now I think) there was a healthy crowd.

A look down Route 66 this evening.

DJ's Dance and Drive has been simplified.. it now is just a dance party. DJ plays a handful of songs and everyone dances.

A video clip of what I mean...

Stopped by the Mad T Party. Christmas has been removed from there too.

That wraps up this trip to the parks. I headed back to Disneyland for the Remember fireworks but it was cancelled due to wind.

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.

Contributing photographer Jason of disneygeek.com sends us these photos from his trips to the parks on Friday, November 9, 2012 and Monday November 12, 2012.

The Christmas season officially kicked off Monday November 12th this year but most of the decorations were up and much of the entertainment started Friday. In this part we take a look at Disney California Adventure and how Buena Vista Street and Cars Land are celebrating their first Christmas season. Plus a check in around the park.

Buena Vista Street is all decked out for the holidays.

Pluto with his holiday gear on.

Made my way down to Cars Land next.

When you walk through Cars Land be sure to really look at the decorations... they are all car-inspired of course.

A snow car out front. "Seasons Speedings!"

Everything in Cars Land has been decorated.

Sarge's is a nice cross between Fourth of July and Christmas.

Thought all the air and oil filters on the garland were fun.

Santa Mater out for pictures.

Over on Buena Vista Street the Buena Vista Street Community Bell Ringers are performing for the season.

Afterwards the group posed for a picture.

Returned to Cars Land to continue my look around. The Christmas trees in front of the shops reflect each owner.

Flo's, Notice how the oil can is connected to the pole. Great detail.

The courthouse is all decked as is Stanley.

Inside Ramone's, the doorway to the expanded portion of the store looks ready to go.

An oil can tree in front of Flo's.

A tree inside.

Bugs Land looks to be the same as the last several years with giant lights and ornaments.

This year Santa is a department store Santa, sitting in Elias and Co.

The night before Christmas is told with a series of scenes ringing the room.

The stores have a nice set of decorations that work, even decorations up above.

A closer look at the tree.

Los Feliz has a lot of garland inside.

The Men's room garland has no lights...

But the Women's room does...

Time to walk through the other side of the street now.

Trolley Treats features a lot of candy overhead.

A closer look at the candy garland in Trolley Treats.

Clarabelle's has ice cream garland of course.

Phineas and Ferb feature a Holiday overlay.

Paradise Gardens features the same decorations as last year (as did the Mermaid building).

Donald is out on the Pier for pictures this year since Santa is on Buena Vista Street.

Back to Buena Vista Street for the Tree Lighting.

There was no show this evening, just a simple count down and lighting. The Cast Members said the show will start mid next week it looks like.

Next up walked through Cars Land. They are playing Winter Wonderland as the lights come on.

They had some light issues this evening so not everything came on as planned and many were still not lit later in the evening.

A short clip as I caught the end of the lighting event.

Not all the lights were on. Notice the snow and winter sign.

There's a gingerbread display inside the Cozy Cones office.

Christmas lights on Buena Vista Street.

The windows of Elias & Co Window.

The Mad T Party has received some Holiday extras.

Here is a video of the opening.

The projections on Monsters now feature snow flakes and every now and then Santa flying by.

The Mad T Party band.

The first 2/3 of the set are their regular songs. Then the finale features the Unbirthday Song as well as a couple Christmas ones.

Video of the Christmas additions.

World of Color features the Prep and Landing preshow segment now. It appeared to be the same as last year, nothing different jumped out to me.

The Brave segment has remained in the show.

On Monday I made a second night time pass through Disney California Adventure, below are some pictures from this brief trip.

The garland was lit this evening at DCA (also noticed the flag was still up).

Inside the main lounge of the Carthay Circle restaurant is a gingerbread dwarfs cottage.

Some garland lines the room.

A look at the tree on the way out.

Next up a stroll through Cars Land. Snowy is out front to greet you.

Sarge's trees were on this evening.

The tree made out of oil cans at the entrance to Flo's has garland now (guess they are still putting finishing touches on since Friday).

Santa Stanley.

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.

Contributing photographer Jason of disneygeek.com sends us these photos from his trip to the parks on Friday, October 26, 2012.

I walked to Downtown Disney to start my afternoon. The ice skating rink opened at Downtown Disney last week. There were only a couple of skaters out this afternoon. It was a little weird to hear Christmas music and have ice skating in the 80+ weather.

The ice was holding up ok given the conditions. Here's a closer look at the ice.

Next door Earl of Sandwich is ready to open. November 2nd is the date I have seen.

At the Paradise Pier Hotel it looks like the painting on the back side is done.

Around front looks like most of the painting is done except some on the top and bottom.

I crossed the street and cut through the Grand Californian.

Noticed the carpet had been removed. Guess they are replacing it. I had not heard of any problems (last time they did this was after the Christmas tree incident several years ago).

Wreck-It Ralph is featured as you walk into World of Disney.

More visible progress on the west side planter of the DCA entrance. You can see they are closing up the backstage wall (that was opened up for the temporary entrance during construction).

First stop for me, Disneyland. Today is a Halloween party so an early closing.

In an effort to cut down on the ticket renting problem that has been featured in some recent news stories Disney has guests with 4 & 5 day tickets using a separate set of turnstiles where they are checking IDs.

The scaffolding is down on Main Street (but the walls are still up).

Even though it's not even Halloween yet the annual snow fall has begun on Sleeping Beauty Castle.

Speaking of snow fall the snow machines have been installed along Main Street and around the hub.

Christmas has arrived in New Orleans Square too.

On my quick walk-through nothing new or drastically different jumped out at me.

Fastpass has returned to Haunted Mansion Holiday.

The Jack Skellington Meet and Greet has moved to the second terrace near the River now.

Made my way around to the Big Thunder Ranch Jamboree and the Halloween Carnival to checked out the latest pumpkin creations.

Walked through Fantayland, Monstro is looking new again and his scaffolding is removed.

Small World is closed for its annual transformation to the holiday version.

Moving on to the old Fantasy Faire, looks like the control booth is being rebuilt.

The gas station in Toontown is being repainted. Guessing the tarps are down due to the wind.

The restrooms are still open during the work.

The work on Minnie's side yard is continuing.

Wreck-It Ralph has set up shop in the back of the Starcade.

Thought the wait time sign was great.

There are two backdrops set up.

Also a couple of Fix It Felix video games to play.

Vanellope von Schweetz was out when I stopped by.

Looking back you can see there was no line right now, sure this will change once word is out and the film is released.

More video games divide the store from the photo area.

Speaking of merchandise..

The Starcade really is a crazy mix of things right now. A random Christmas rack of items as you head to the arcade games.

Cinderella received a new dress recently.

A better view of the building taking shape for the Fantasy Faire.

Christmas lights are up in the hub.

Some work going on in Frontierland, the store is still open though.

Time for Haunted Mansion Holiday.

Circled back to Frontierland. A look at some of the Christmas merchandise.

Then back to Tomorrowland.

Both Vanellope von Schweetz and Ralph were out now.

Next stop Buena Vista Street. Preparations for the Christmas decorations are well underway. There are eye bolts showing up around the street.

Still working on the Carthay entrance.

This tree by Sarges that has been completely wrapped in lights.

A look to show the progress of the hotel painting.

Christmas merchandise is out on Buena Vista Street.

Noticed jackets now at Oswald's, did not see any hats anymore.

Back to Disneyland where guests were arriving for the Halloween Party.

Main Street was crowded with the party guests entering and day guests making their way out.

The best costumes I saw.. a Lego family.

Most of the Christmas lights were on this evening in New Orleans Square.

Hung out on Main Street for a while as the party started before it was time to go.

Earl of Sandwich had their lights on.

The ice rink.

There were more guests out his evening (maybe 10 whereas this afternoon there were 3).

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.

Contributing photographer Jason of disneygeek.com sends us these photos from his trip to the parks on Sunday, October 14, 2012. Part I takes a look at the Annual CHOC Walk in the Park event. Part II will be a regular park update.

This year marked the 22nd year of the CHOC Walk in the Park. The walk is a 5K route that makes its way through both Disney California Adventure and Disneyland. This year the walk raised over $1.8 million dollars to benefit CHOC (Children's Hospital of Orange County). There were over 16,000 participants who arrived before sunrise to take part in the event (the opening ceremony started at 6:40am). Since its inception the walk has raised more than $19 million. For the first time the course started off inside DCA then went to Disneyland and ended in Downtown Disney.

I arrived at the Mickey and Friends structure about 5:45am and everyone participating the CHOC Walk was taking a pre-walk walk to the park since there were no trams at this hour.

I made my way to DCA for the opening ceremony. There was a stage (float) set up in Carthay Circle.

A DJ was warming up the crowd that was filling Hollywood Blvd and Buena Vista Street.

Looking down Buena Vista Street.

Time for the opening Ceremony. Here is a video of it I shot (be warned it is not the best since I was shooting stills with the other hand).

Caroline Sunshine from the Disney Channel takes the stage to make some remarks.

The 2012 CHOC Walk Child Ambassador, 10-year-old Adela Jaurequi. She is joined by her mother Norma, father Jesus and little sister Olivia.

Goofy came on-stage for some pre-walk warmups.

The current Disneyland Ambassadors Renee Torrico and Jolie Hales along with the Disney Characters were next to come up to the stage.

George Kalogridis, Disneyland Resort President

Kim Cripe, CHOC Childrens President/CEO.

After a countdown it was time to walk. Fireworks are set off to mark the start.

The walkers begin and confetti is shot from near the starting archway.

Caroline Sunshine is joined by the two newly named Disneyland Resort Ambassadors Megan Navarette and Sachico White and the current/outgoing two for a photo.

The walkers were released in waves. Here is the next group coming up to the starting line. The walkers filled Hollywood Blvd. This year over 16,000 joined the walk.

They made their way down the parade route and turned onto Route 66.

Along the way there were cast members and characters out for photos and to cheer on the walkers.

The walkers filled Route 66 and turned right at Cross Street.

They then walked out toward the Wharf area.

The course then snaked back by Ghirardelli and to the parade route where it continued on toward the Pier.

I went back to the Blue Sky Cellar to get a shot of the walkers making their way down Route 66. There were large beach balls bouncing down the route too. (also notice the new telephone poles on the right hand side of the street, those are for the Christmas decorations going up in less than a month).

Rejoining the route near the Pier the Phineas and Ferb gang was out. The course turned and went by Ariel's, Screamin', Toy Story and around the Pier.

The World of Color Fountains were on, and the Fun Wheel, Swings, and Zephyr were all cycling too.

The walkers returning from their loop around the Pier, walking past Little Mermaid then turning to go around Grizzly River Run and into Condor Flats.

At that point they exited out the large gate between La Brea Bakery and the World of Disney and headed for the Esplanade and Disneyland.

The Green Army Men were out in the Esplanade. Here they are talking with some of the kids walking.

On Main Street the Cadaver Dans were out entertaining guests.

In front of the castle Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather were out for pictures.

The course circled the hub and went into Tomorrowland. Some Jedi trainers out near Star Tours.

Fight On Buzz!! He was out near the Tomorrowland Terrace.

The course then went around the Matterhorn, through Fantasyland, and around the Big Thunder Trail. Here the walkers are making their way down to the Rivers of America.

Tiana and some of her friends were out for pictures in New Orleans Square.

The course continued on to Critter Country then out the backstage gate by Splash Mountain. Backstage there were several groups. This was a band that was performing and high-fiving people as they walked by.

The course continued backstage behind Splash, Haunted Mansion and Pirates. They were passing out water to the walkers here.

Along the way there were cast members with signs cheering on the walkers.

Also some signs to let walkers know what the various areas did that they were passing and some fun stats.

Thought this was great, these CMs up on lifts cheering everyone on. Would have liked to have gotten a picture from up there.

Another group performing along the route, they were great!

The walkers exited backstage and made their way through Downtown Disney.

The walkers nearest are heading toward the finish, in the background you can still see walkers exiting DCA and heading to Disneyland.

More supporters lining Downtown Disney cheering walkers on to the finish line.

The finish line! It featured all four Disneyland Ambassadors as well as the DJ announcing groups and congratulating those who finished.

Also a band performing on the stage.

Banners hung for the event.

CHOCO the Bear (the CHOC mascot was on hand)

Everyone who participated in the walk received a T-shirt. Here is this year's design.

Contributing photographer Jason of disneygeek.com sends us these photos from his trip to the parks on Friday, August 31, 2012.

This weekend the Disneyland Resort is hosting its annual 1/2 Marathon. Preparations were well underway for Sunday.

The finish line as you head to Downtown Disney.

Today there was a health and fitness expo at the Disneyland Hotel convention center.

I had not seen these banners before. I like the retro look.

Walked through the Expo.

All day today and Saturday there were speakers on the main stage.

The Expo was set up the same as the other events. On the left when you walked in was the Official Merchandise shop. The center area had the speakers, then the right side had all the booths. The merchandise area was the most crowded.

Character locations for the race.

Photo backdrop in the lobby.

Heading through Downtown Disney... there is not much visible progress at the Earl of Sandwich location. Though the initial announcement had the shop opening in "Summer", now with less than three weeks left of the summer and no official date that seems unlikely.

Halloween displays at World of Disney

In DCA Buena Vista Street was alive with activity.

The beads are gone from Fillmore's Taste-In.

First attraction of the day for me.. Maters. Only a 15 minute wait.

Walked through Dancing with Disney. It seemed more crowded than previous visits. Could be parents sought out the A/C.

Displays for upcoming films in the Animation Building.

Stopped by Off the Page. Thought this was odd.. Glow Ears in a display case.

On the Performing Arts stage in the Backlot Theater were the Joyful Noise Makers - Handchimes from Garden Grove California

A video clip of the group performing. (Laura inserts a warning here: it is That Song, so beware! :-) )

Over in Disneyland Soundsational was making its way down Main Street.

The Fantasy Faire is starting to take shape.

The new Village Haus LCD menu boards were installed and operational. In addition to the menu display there is some animation, too.
Village Haus Menu.

A video clip of the menu.

Stopped by the Jamboree. A couple of Country Bears were enjoying the Billies performance.

Donald was out for pictures.

Goofy joined the Bears.

The Bears heading in.

Chip and Dale came out next.

Cowboy Minnie and Mickey stopped by the coloring station for a while.

The nightly running of the goats...

And parade of the horse.

The Mansion is closed since the installation of the Nightmare overlay is in progress - Halloween Time begins very early this year - September 14.

The Harbour Galley has baked potatoes now.
Harbour Galley Menu.

The Blue Moon rising over the Rivers of America (I know over-exposed).

Pirates League will be open in New Orleans Square from September 1 - October 31.

The Suburban Legends performing at Tomorrowland Terrace Friday.

A video clip of their finale.. Gummy Bears!

With the Fantasyland Theater area closed, the princesses have moved their meet and greet to the "small world" terraced area, though in the evening they were long gone...

The Magic, the Memories, and You ends this week so I went to one last showing before it disappears.

To wrap up the night watched Fantasmic. Found this grouping of Glow with the Show Ears.

A video clip of the princess segment.

Noticed the information booth by the trams now has DVC logos on it.

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.

There's no particular rhyme or reason to this blog...it's just a collection of things that have occurred to me, or that I thought some people might not be aware of, that I wanted to share.

Did you know that there are now four different places to get ice cream in Disney California Adventure? Paradise Pier Ice Cream Co (the former Catch a Flave), the Ice Cream Cone at Sally's Cozy Cones, Clarabelle's Hand-Scooped Ice Cream on Buena Vista Street, and Ghirardelli Soda Fountain and Chocolate Shop in the Pacific Wharf.

I love the hot fudge sundaes at Ghirardelli, but my new favorite ice cream treat is the Hand-Dipped Ice Cream Bars from Clarabelle's. (In About.com's recent poll of Disney travel journalists I ranked it my #1 snack.) First you choose your ice cream bar: vanilla, chocolate or mixed berry sorbet. Then you choose your chocolate: dark or milk. And then you choose your topping: chocolate chips, confetti Mickeys, blue raspberry bursts, rainbow sprinkles or all of above. No surprise to anyone who knows me, I'm sure, but I am a chocolate/dark/chocolate chip girl.

If you haven't seen it, check out one of the Instant Concert - Just Add Water shows. It's a daytime water show where Maestro Goofy conducts the World of Color fountains which have been choreographed to various musical selections. It's Goofy, so sometimes things get a little out of hand...There are three different shows, each taking place twice a day. They are only about 5 minutes long. Check the daily Times Guide for show times.

Oh, and speaking of the Times Guide...Disneyland and DCA used to share one Times Guide, with DCA events on one side and Disneyland on the other. This summer, there are so many things going on that each park has its own individual fold-out four page Times Guide! These give a much better overview of the entertainment offerings than the old guide had space for.

Be sure to check out the new exhibit in the Blue Sky Cellar: The Radiator Springs Historical Society’s Museum of the History of Radiator Springs. In the screening room they are showing a really fun Pixar short: Time Travel Mater. It tells the story of the founding of Radiator Springs - which also explains a lot of the artifacts that are in the Radiator Springs Racers queue. This one really makes me smile.

Throughout the day you'll find the Citizens of Buena Vista Street out and about. There's Disney characters in period attire (Zoot Suit Goofy, Newsboy Mickey), and there's the other citizens, like Officer Blue, Donna the Dog Lady, Molly the Messenger and Fifi the Photographer. It's interesting to see these characters interact with the shows on Buena Vista Street - Goofy joins Five & Dime for a dance number, and Mickey and Molly are part of the Red Car News Boys show.

A new entertainment offering this summer, and one that I think has been overlooked by parents with pre-teens, is Dancin' With Disney. It takes place during the day in Stage 17 in the Hollywood Land area of DCA. (By the way, the area formerly known as the Hollywood Pictures Backlot is now Hollywood Land.) While a DJ hosts the event and spins the tunes there are anywhere from 6-8 Disney characters on the dance floor at a time, dancing with any kids (or adults) who want to come out and join them. It's a great opportunity for the kids to get some up close time with the characters. There are at least two different sets - one featuring Disney villains like Captain Hook and Cruella de Vil, and another with some of the Disney "girls", such as Lilo, Daisy, Cinderella's stepsisters, Clarabelle Cow and Clarice the chipmunk. On a warm day it's a nice air-conditioned space to take a break. There's not a lot of seating, but there are some benches around the perimeter of the room.

Each night around dusk there's a moment when the neon lights in Cars Land come on. It's really worth taking the time to see it. The song "Sh-boom" plays in the background as the lights come on - starting at the end of the street by the courthouse and moving down to the entrance to Cars Land. I don't think there's a spot that's going to give you an unobstructed view of all the lights, so there's many places to position yourself. If you're at Cross Street you'll be able to see in all four directions - there's a lot of neon on Flo's V8 Cafe. But I like watching from around Sarge's Surplus, and watching the neon lights move up and come closer to me.

There are some strange critters wandering around the Mad T Party in the evenings. There's these crazy guys riding pink flamingos who get up close with the guests.

And a few times a night they bring the "Who Are You" character out on stage. This colorful "human slinky" performs some very interesting moves.

How about you? Any things that you've noticed at Disney California Adventure that you'd like to share with your fellow readers? Please submit your comments using the comment link below.

This is my country! Land of my birth!
This is my country! Grandest on earth!

It is amazing to think that over half of the year has passed by, and we've already seen the launching of a new cruise ship, the opening of a new resort, the 20th anniversary of one Disney park, and the rebirth of another.

What difference if I hail from North or South
Or from the East or West?

With so much more to come for the rest of the year, it's fitting, perhaps, to take a day to reflect on exactly how fortunate so many of us are, to be able to be at this place, in this time; in a country that, although it certainly has its plethora of problems, was founded on principles of freedom and equality--principles I feel sure were intended to be extended to all, regardless of wealth, or color, or location, or inclination.

Tomorrow, we can continue to fight and argue about all the socioeconomic tragedies that are as much a part of America as its victories. For today? Happy Independence Day.

This is my country! Land of my choice!
This is my country! Hear my proud voice!
I pledge thee my allegiance, America, the bold,
For this is my country! To have and to hold.

[This, and many more great Disneyland videos by Fantasmiceddie24 can be found on YouTube.]

(Some of you asked for "lots of photos" from the new Disney California Adventure. Contributing photographer Jason of disneygeek.com took "lots of photos", and we asked him to share some of them with us.)

I was able to attend the festivities last week at the Disneyland Resort for the Grand Reopening of Disney California Adventure Wednesday through Friday. In the course of those three days I spent a total of 41.5 hours in the parks. Logging just over 20 miles, snapping over 5,400 pictures, taking 61 video clips for just under 3 hours of footage.

Laura said there were requests for pictures of Buena Vista Street and Cars Land. This first batch of photos takes a tour Buena Vista Street focused on the interiors.

Even though the focus of this pictorial will be the interiors I wanted to start with the Storytellers statue since it is important. This statue is of Walt and Mickey as they first arrived in Hollywood back in the 1920s.

Right behind Storytellers is a little park area.

Beyond the park is where we are going to start our tour, with the Elias & Co store. This replaced the Candy Store and a large portion of Greetings From California. It is on the East side of the street (to the right as you enter the park) and takes up the Southern block, from the Monorail beam to Carthay Circle more or less. This is the most Southern door, closest to Hollywood Land.

Time to head inside. Also note all the stores on each side of the block connect so once inside you can go the length of the street.

Wow! That is the first word that came to mind. Remember what this used to look like? It had the Candy counter in the middle and concrete floors. Now it's women's apparel, Dooney & Bourke bags, jewelry, watches, and other accessories.

Heading into the next room and a whole new experience. It's more like a men's department, with unisex t-shirts, ball caps and men's shirts, as well as the "Storytellers" collection, including replicas of the hat and leather jacket like Walt has on the statue.

Some of the props around the stores are great! This is an old time clock for employees.

Spinning around and looking toward the front of the store and Buena Vista Street.

Moving on to the next room, and still looking toward the street from the back of the store.

Continuing on to the next room, still in Elias & Co. This one had some park-specific merchandise, like the Flying Tire hats you see.

Heading into Big Top Toys. This is the area under the monorail to help you figure out where I am on the block. It has the low ceiling because of that. Lots of plush, kids' t-shirts, girls' dresses.

Also interesting the lights around the top of the room change colors.

Moving on to the last store in this row.. the Los Feliz Five & Dime. There are several embroidery machines here, and they can embroider on just about any t-shirt, bag, or hat, though in the second and fourth photos below you'll see examples of some of the items that are available for embroidery.

Buena Vista Bugles on the news stand. Be sure to take one if you are in the park! They are free and available in several places and are a fun read.

A peek into the Guest Relations (Chamber of Commerce) which is located between Los Feliz and Oswalds. The first aid station was moved next door, I did not go in there. The old first aid out by the Wharf will become part of the Baby Care Center to allow for more space.

Oswald's stands just inside the turnstiles. Lots of hats and car accessories like antenna toppers, car mugs, and decals.

Checking out the turnstiles.. they look great with the trees and of course no more construction walls!

A better picture of the Red Car Trolley. Also note no dedication plaque on the flag pole yet, these pics were taken 6/14 during the media day.

A great little courtyard between the Red Car stop and the Restrooms/Lockers.

The restroom facade (I know this is exterior but wanted to set up the next shot).

If you were curious inside the restrooms are the same...

Time to tour a Red Car Trolley. There are two trolleys, number 623 ("23" for the year Walt Disney came to California) and 717 (Disneyland's birthday is 7/17).

Stepping onboard.

The top is lined with ads for the Buena Vista Street merchants.

Continuing our tour.. now time for the west (right) side of the street. First up Mortimers Market (the reference to Mickey's original name if you did not know)

The locker building facade.

A look inside. Same lockers as before.

But now old Red Car maps above.

Time to head into the Elysian Arcade. This passageway runs the full length of the shops on the west side of the street.

First store is the Kingswell Camera Shop. (Note: Kingswell Avenue was the site of an early Disney animation studio.) This is the PhotoPass area. Batteries, cameras, memory cards and photo frames and albums are also available.

Time to move on to the next store. Julius Katz & Sons features kitchen items such as towels, utensils and dinnerware.

Julius Katz was inspired by Julius the Cat, an animated cat who joined the live action Alice in the Disney shorts of the 1920s.

Next up Atwater Ink & Paint with mugs, tea, and coffee items.

Be sure to look around the stores for the props and signs.. these items line the top of the room.

A great bulletin board behind the counter.

Next up Trolley Treats. In addition to the homemade fudge, marshmallows, taffy, apples, and other treats in the case there are packaged goodies available as well.

The window features a model of Rock Candy Mountain, an attraction that was designed for Disneyland but never built.

Next door is Clarabelle's Hand-Scooped Ice Cream.

The last shop on the block is Fiddler, Fifer & Practical Cafe. This is the Starbucks location and offers a full range of Starbucks beverages. They also feature hot and cold sandwiches, soups, and pastries.

There's a large dining room with both tables and booths.

Be sure to take a moment to look at the pictures and posters on the walls - some of the memorabilia of the touring musical group of sisters who "own" the coffee shop.

Goofy was out for pictures. All of the Disney characters on Buena Vista Street appear in period costumes.

As was Mickey.

Next up I noticed the Carthay Circle Restaurant was open. So I walked inside. They had the Carthay Circle Lounge open for pictures. This is on the first floor on the left and it has a bar area as well as a waiting area for the dining room upstairs.

The steps to go upstairs are on the left where those people are.

A closer look at the items in the entranceway.

Hope you enjoyed this highlight tour of the interiors of Buena Vista Street. It really only touches the surface of what is there to see and explore. The Imagineers hid references, tributes, and great props throughout. For additional photos and details from this trip you can check out the several sections (and thousands of pictures) I posted on my site, http://disneygeek.com For a full listing of my coverage from the events you can check out this list I put together. Also be sure to follow me on twitter @disneygeekcom for pictures from the parks.

Wow, it was an eventful few days last week! While we still have lots of photos to go through and other things that we will be telling you about in the not-too-distant future I thought for this blog I'd address some of the questions that you asked.

From Steve:
Take and post lots of pictures! Jason Dz's frequent posts have been interesting as documents of the work-in-progress, but seeing all of the barricades is frankly a little depressing. I know that not even Disney Enterprises can pull off a 'Blue Fairy' and that realizing the Imagineers designs properly takes a lot of time and effort. It will be great to finally see the fruits of their labors.

A: We took tons of photos! Jason will be posting a couple of photo blogs soon, and, if you missed them, Jeanine and I had blogs with photos after our respective preview visits:
Jeanine: http://land.allears.net/blogs/lauragilbreath/2012/06/cars_land.html"
Laura: http://land.allears.net/blogs/lauragilbreath/2012/06/buena_vista_street_and_cars_la.html

From Craig:
How well do the Pacific Electric Red Cars on Buena Vista Street deal with the crowds?

A: The trolleys don't have a regular schedule - they are suspended several times a day during the two shows; Five & Dime and Red Car Trolley News Boys (the latter use one of the trolleys as part of their show). During Five & Dime the trolley still operates, but only between Carthay Circle and the Tower of Terror. When the cars are running a conductor walks in front of them to clear the way and keep guests off the track.

From Katie:
I'd like to know the height requirements for the rides in Cars Land. I have a little one so I'm wondering if there are things for a two-year-old at all! Thanks - can't wait to go in July!

A: The height requirement for both Mater's Junkyard Jamboree and Luigi's Flying Tires is 32". Radiator Springs Racers requires riders to be at least 40" tall. For those too short to ride there are meet and greets with Mater and Lightning McQueen, or the opportunities to get wet with Red the Fire Truck, or dance with DJ. Flik's Fun Fair is right next door to Cars Land, and most of the rides there have no height requirement.

From David:
Please tell us about all of the Cars Land Merchandise and their prices.

A: Merchandise: there's a lot of it. Ok, so that wasn't very helpful... :-) I can't tell you about the prices, but there's quite a selection, some of it exclusive to Cars Land and Disney California Adventure. There is merchandise themed to each attraction in Cars Land. The Luigi's Flying Tire hats seemed to be very popular - flying off the shelves, as it were, and I saw a number of people with Mater's and Radiator Springs Racers t-shirts. You can buy replica Piston Cup trophies, for your desk or as an antenna topper. In Ramone's House of Body Art is merchandise from two different collections: Champions Custom Speed Shop and Ramone’s Low n Slow. Sarge's Surplus Hut has Cars-themed play sets and other toys. And of course there are Vinylmation and pins that are exclusive to DCA and Cars Land. The cone-shaped souvenir beverage cups were very popular, also.

From Sara:
Q: I would like to know if there will be a special 'World of Color' menu for 'Carthay Circle'.

A: There's no special menu. Anyone who orders an appetizer and entree or an entree and dessert off the lunch or dinner menu will receive a World of Color Fastpass. Kids who order off the kids menu will receive one, also. The Fastpasses are for the preferred viewing area.

From Jay:
I would love a review of the New Carthay Theater Restaurant.

Deb Wills and I dined there Saturday night, and Deb was back for lunch the next day. It was excellent - we will have a more comprehensive review soon.

From SaraBeth:
Oh please tell us about the food, and what's especially good in Cars Land (and what's not!) and as many details about the rides, especially Radiator Springs Racers! What an amazing addition!

A: While we haven't tried all of the new food offerings, we've tried a pretty good variety of them, including the Chili Cone Queso (pictured below), Chicken Verde, Churro Bites, and several of the items in Flo's V8 Cafe (pork loin pictured below). We'll have more details in a food blog but we've enjoyed just about everything (even the dill pickle pop-cone!).

From Ann:
Will there be a special popcorn bucket(s)?

A: There is a special Lightning McQueen popcorn bucket (pictured below). It's available at the "Popcone" in Sally's Cozy Cones, and also at the popcorn stand on Buena Vista Street.

From Sara:
Will breakfast cones be available all day at the Cozy Cone? Are the flying tires geared towards adults or just children? Will the Radiator Springs Racers be the only ride in Cars Land with a fast pass?

A: Breakfast cones are only available at breakfast. Here's the Menu

Luigi's flying tires are for kids and adults - kids must be 32" tall to ride. Each tire will accommodate up to two adults and a child.

Radiator Springs Racers in the only attraction in Cars Land that has Fast Pass.

We wanted to share with you the video footage from some of the interview opportunities we had during the Grand Reopening event. (Thanks to Lee for getting all of these processed and uploaded!)

Lee and I did a ride-through of Radiator Springs Races with Imagineer Kathleen Duncan. Spoiler alert: don't watch if you don't want to know what the ride is like!

Deb Wills takes us on a preview of Cars Land.

Lee and I tried our hands at candy making in the new Trolley Treats candy kitchen.

Take a tour of Buena Vista Street in this video that Lee put together.

Lee spoke with Show Producer Doug McIntyre about the new Mad T Party.

There's a new short daytime fountain show in Paradise Bay: Instant Concert - Just Add Water. There are three different versions of it.

Today was the day. The day that so many have planned and dreamed and worked so hard to achieve - the Grand Reopening of Disney California Adventure. It was a special moment when Bob Iger spoke the magic words and welcomed everyone to the new Disney California Adventure.

After the ceremony it was time to let the fans into the park, many of whom had waited in line all night. Cast members led them down Buena Vista Street toward Cars Land.

And then into Cars Land amidst much cheering as many saw it for the first time. They were held momentarily near the end of the street...

...And then they jubilantly entered the queue for Radiator Springs Racers.

I have to give the Disney cast members a lot of credit - it was rather chaotic, but it was orderly chaos (yes, I know that's a contradiction in terms). Disney had plenty of people to direct the flow and keep things from getting out of hand - they did a great job. A look at the queue at 9:44 a.m. (and this wasn't the end of the line!)

Fastpasses were long gone by 10:30.

A look down Route 66 at 10:30. I have to admit that the crowds weren't as bad as I had expected - you could still move up and down the street.

Another new show started today: Instant Concert - Just Add Water. It's a daytime fountain show in Paradise Bay, starring Maestro Goofy and the Paradise Bay Fountain Performers. Shows are schedule approximately hourly from 11:00-5:00. The shows are 4-5 minutes long. Here's Deb's clip from the first show, featuring the musical selection Hungarian Rhapsody #2. It was a fun show.

The Premier issue of the Buena Vista Bugle (available at newsstands all around Buena Vista Street) celebrated the opening of the Carthay Circle Theater.

There was a lot going on at Disneyland today, too - the Matterhorn re-opened and the climbers returned, the Voices of Liberty premiered in the Opera House, but that will be the topic for another blog.

Here's another night shot from Cars Land - it's so beautiful at night that I just can't resist!

Congratulations to everyone involved in creating the new Disney California Adventure. As a Disney fan I want to thank you for your vision and your wholehearted dedication to this amazing project. I think Walt would be proud.

This is the cover of the map available at the entrance turnstiles today. Even though Disney California Adventure was closed to the public there were still a lot of people in the park - not only media, but lots of contest winners and their families and other invited guests.

For us today was mostly about Buena Vista Street, the new entrance to Disney California Adventure. As most Disney fans know, Main Street USA was inspired by Walt Disney's boyhood home of Marceline, Missouri. Buena Vista Street is inspired by Los Angeles in the 1920s and 1930s, where Walt Disney came as a young man full of dreams and ambition.

There were two new shows that premiered on Buena Vista Street today, and both of them are also about pursuing your dreams. The first is Five & Dime, a jazz group featuring five musicians and Dime, their singer, who have been traveling along Route 66 to L.A. They performed classics like "On the Sunny Side of the Street" and "Ain't We Got Fun."

Zoot suit Goofy performed one number with them.

Here's the video:

The next group was the Red Car Trolley News Boys who sang and danced.

They were joined partway through by a young Mickey Mouse, seeking his fortune with "a suitcase and a dream." It was a great show - both the new shows are terrific additions.

Video:

Fifer, Fiddler and Practical Cafe is the new counter service location, offering hot and cold sandwiches, soups and bakery items. It's got a very large indoor seating area. It's the Starbucks location and serves up the usual selection of familiar Starbucks beverages.

Trolley Treats is the candy store, with quite a selection of "homemade" candies like real pulled taffy, specialty candy apples and gourmet marshmallows. They have a show kitchen where you can watch the candy makers at work.

Here Lee samples their gourmet banana split marshmallow - banana marshmallow drizzled with caramel and chocolate, topped with chopped peanuts and a cherry.

Across the street is the big department store, Elias & Co. I never expected to be blown away by a shop, but this one blew me away. Each "department" has its own lighting and decor - and it's really beautiful.

Here is the men's department (I loved the mannequins above!).

And the Girl's department - you can see how the color is very different.

We went back over to Cars Land for lunch at Flo's V8 Cafe. The food was pretty good - more on that later.

The "jukebox" on the counter has hits by the Motorama Girls.

We also went through the stores - this is a sample of items in Ramone's. It has merchandise from all three Cars Land attractions.

This evening we went to the new Mad T Party in the Hollywood Land area. In addition to a live band (featuring the Mad Hatter and Alice), a DJ (the White Rabbit) and dancers, the "Who Are You" creature, a rainbow-colored human slinky, comes out and performs several times a night.

Cars Land was closed and most of the production equipment had been removed, so there was a great view down Route 66.

This evening we experienced a special World of Color show. As we walked back to Paradise Bay we were all given special Mickey ear hats with colored light-up ears. These "Glow with the Show" ears actually interact with the World of Color show and turn off and on and blink and flash different colors during the show.

It's hard to explain but the effect was just stunning. I didn't know how they could make World of Color any better - but they did. It's hard to see in this picture, but the lights at the bottom are all ear hats. We also saw the new Brave sequence that's been added to World of Color.

It's been another amazing day. No one puts on a show like Disney!

On Tuesday, June 5, I was fortunate to be part of a group of media who were invited to take a "Sneak Peek" at Buena Vista Street and Cars Land. While we were allowed to take photos and video, we were not permitted to share any of it with the public, or even talk about the experience, until Wednesday, June 13. And believe me, that's been very hard!

I'm not even quite sure how to write this blog entry...there's so much I could say, and not nearly enough space to do it.

So I'll say this: "Wow." Everything I've seen (and there's been a lot of it) in Imagineer sessions at D23, exhibits in Blue Sky Cellar, and from following the construction progress in Jason's photos, still did not prepare me for the reality of Buena Vista Street and Cars Land. Stepping into both for the first time was a thrill. And yes, I was able to ride Mater's Junkyard Jamboree, Luigi's Flying Tires and Radiator Springs Racers.

I think it might be easier to show you photos than to try to describe it. I apologize for the lack of some details - we were on a tight schedule and not allowed to wander around on our own. I was also trying to shoot video and stills at the same time.

We started on Buena Vista Street, entering near where real guests will enter the park. While I think 1920s Los Angeles wasn't quite as clean as Buena Vista Street, a lot of the elements are there that transport us back to that time period. There's a lot of familiar names. For example, just inside the entrance is this gas station - Oswalds!

The Chamber of Commerce - aka Guest Services.

And the Los Feliz Five and Dime shop.

In the center of the street is a flagpole with a plaque on it, with these words:
"It was July 1923. I packed all of my worldly goods - a pair of trousers, a checkered coat, a lot of drawing materials and the last of the fairy tale reels we had mad - in a kind of frayed cardboard suitcase. And with that wonderful audacity of youth, I went to Hollywood, arriving there with just forty dollars. It was a big day the day I got on that Santa Fe California Limited. I was just free and happy!"

-- Walt Disney

In front of the flagpole on the ground is another plaque. Buried underneath it is a time capsule:
"Disney California Adventure Rededication Time Capsule
June 15, 2012
May the hopes and dreams represented by the collection contained within the time capsule beneath this mortar inspire a future generation of dreamers when it is unsealed a quarter century from now, on June 15, 2037."

On the other side was the Red Car Trolley stop. (Lockers and restrooms are in their same location to the right of the trolley).

On that side is Mortimer's Market, a fresh fruit stand.

Just past that is the monorail bridge. The design is inspired by the Glendale-Hyperion bridge.

Underneath the bridge is Big Top Toys on the east side...

And Julius Katz on the west.

As the Katz family prospered they opened a new shop next door: Julius Katz & Sons.

Atwater Ink & Paint (perhaps an homage to Lillian Disney, who worked in the Ink & Paint department).

On the corner is Trolley Treats, a candy store, though probably what it will become most known for is the "Candy Mountain" in the window.

Taking up most of the east block is the large Elias & Company department store, reminiscent of the Bullocks Wilshire.

Dominating the end of Buena Vista Street is the Carthay Circle Theater, though in its current incarnation it's a two-story restaurant and lounge rather than a theater.

Looking back down Buena Vista Street towards the park entrance.

One of our really thrilling moments was getting to see the new Walt and Mickey statue. Walt Disney is life-size, and he's at ground level where guests will be able to pose with his statue. A young man with a dream, just like most of us.

We were not able to go into any of the shops or the Fiddler, Fifer, and Practical Cafe.

We came out of Buena Vista Street and entered the Carthay Circle building, where we were able to tour 1901. This is the new private club which will be open to Club 33 members. (1901 is the year Walt Disney was born.)

There's all kinds of great artwork, and the artwork will change periodically. In one big display case right now is the Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs storybook featured at the beginning of the Dutch version of the movie.

We went upstairs to the Carthay Circle restaurant.

It's quite large, and very elegant.

There's a private room that overlooks the parade route, with a table that seats up to 12.

We had lunch there - we received a selection of appetizers to share, but ordered our own entree. Dessert also featured a selection to share. Andrew Sutton, the executive chef for both Napa Rose and Carthay Circle, spoke to us a bit about the menu. There will be more about the food later, but I'll say that the Fire Cracker Duck Wing appetizer (pictured below) was very good. And I had one of the sustainable fish dishes - Jerked Kingfish - which was also quite good.

Unfortunately we really had to rush through lunch, but that's because we had a can't-miss appointment with Cars Land!

We came in what I consider the main entrance, looking right down Route 66. And there it was...Radiator Springs in its heyday.

Fillmore's Taste-In was to our right.

On the left, Mater's Junkyard Jamboree awaited us.

We took a little time to stroll through the queue.

In the center, all of the little baby tractors were waiting for us.

And this is Mater's jukebox. It plays seven original songs, all sung by the voice of Mater, Larry the Cable Guy.

Here is video of my ride.

It was a lot of fun! Everyone I saw was smiling as they rode. I was a little concerned it might make me dizzy (especially right after lunch) but I rode it twice in a row and didn't feel dizzy at all. Those who are sensitive to motion might feel differently, though.

Disney classes it as a "Mild but Wild" attraction. Riders must be at least 32" tall. The bench seat will accommodate up to two adults and one child. All riders are secured by a single lap belt. Those in wheelchairs or ECVs must transfer to ride.

There are two "turntables", with 11 baby tractors per turntable. Each of the 22 baby tractors is slightly different.

Just outside is Mater's Petting Zoo, where a baby tractor poses for photos.

On the other side of the road is Sarge's Surplus Hut - "the headquarters for genuine Radiator Springs gear."

As we continued down Route 66 we passed Sally's Cozy Cones. Looks like the Imagineers had a lot of fun here - the lawn ornaments are cones, the scoops on the waterwheel fountain are cones - Sally is cone crazy! (I think the Imagineers missed a pun opportunity here, though - shouldn't it say "NO VACONE-CY" on the sign?)

We were not able to sample any of the treats at "Sally's Snack Cone-Anza", like pop-cone or chili cone carne. Next time! Here is the MENU.

Radiator Springs Curios looks like classic Route 66 kitsch to me - it'll be interesting to see what's for sale inside, though I expect the usual selection that won't live up to the wonderful exterior.

Across Route 66 is Flo's V8 Cafe, the main dining establishment in Cars Land. The menu features rotisserie NY strip loin, pork loin, and turkey breast, with sides like peas & carrots, mashed potatoes and corn medley. There's also the "Veggie Tater Bake" with roasted vegetables and bulger wheat, topped with mashed potatoes and cheese. Here is the Full Menu.

In the dining area is memorabilia from Flo's days as a Motorama Girl.

Including some gold records, like these for the albums "Brake it to Me Gently" and "Jeep Date".

Luigi's Casa della Tires is easily recognizable by the stack of tires in front of it.

Inside, the queue for the Luigi's Flying Tires attraction winds around and around through a couple different rooms inside - like the tire showroom:

And outside, through the topiary garden. I found the length of the queue a bit scary...if it's that long, it's really going to be a long wait to ride the attraction.

Once we reached the attraction loading area the cast member gave us some brief instructions: get balanced on your tire, and then lean to make it move. After we sat down on our tire we were offered large beach balls to throw around.

Here's the video from my ride:

I have to admit that I was disappointed in this. I like the concept, but I didn't think the actual ride was very much fun. The tires don't move very fast and I couldn't get my tire to move much at all. I've heard that it takes 2-3 times to get the hang of it, so maybe I'll change my mind, but I'd have to say that for me it's not worth the kind of wait it's going to have.

The bench seat will accommodate two adults and a child. All riders are secured by a single lap belt. Riders must be at least 32" tall. Those in wheelchairs or ECVs must transfer to the ride vehicle, which involves stepping up onto the tire. There is a compartment behind the seat for bag storage.

Ramone's House of Body Art is across the street from Luigi's Flying Tires. We didn't go inside, but it sounds like it's a clothing shop. Among other things will be items from the "Low and Slow" line.

At the end of the street is the court house/fire department/police department, with the statue of Stanley in front of it. The statue was covered when I was there, but Jason got a photo of it at the AP preview on Monday.

In between Ramone's and the court house is the entrance to Radiator Springs Racers.

Wow...it was like stepping into the southwest with all of the great rock formations and the plants and trees. It's really amazing.

The queue, not surprisingly, is very long, but there's lots to see while you're waiting.

There was no line, but it still took us a while to walk the queue and reach the loading area. Radiator Springs is somewhat reminiscent of Test Track at Epcot, so the cars are the familiar six-seaters, each seat with its own seat belt. Since the Disney folks asked us to put our cameras away I don't have a ride video from this one. I don't want to spoil it for those who want to experience it for themselves first, so I'm not going to say too much. Though I don't think it's a secret that the ride includes encounters with some of the characters from Cars and culminates in a side-by-side race with another car around Ornament Valley before returning to the loading area. There are some great visuals.

This was the attraction I had most been looking forward to - and it was even better than I expected. A lot of fun seeing the Cars characters, and even more fun racing out on the track with another car. The lead exchanged several times, but in the end the car I was in won. It was all so much fun, but it all went by so fast I didn't have time to absorb it. I can't wait to ride it again!

The height requirement for Radiator Springs Racers is 40". Rider swap is available. As I mentioned before, the seating is like that on Test Track - each car has two rows, with three riders per row. For those in wheelchairs or ECVs, the queue is accessible, but riders must transfer to a car to ride.

Radiator Springs Racers is a Fastpass attraction. For now Fastpass distribution will be located in front of "It's Tough to Be a Bug", so guests won't even have to enter Cars Land to get one. A single rider line is also available.

All too soon it was time to leave Cars Land. There are three ways in/out of Cars Land - we came in from the entrance near the winery, and exited by Pacific Wharf (the third offers access from "a bug's land". While it was very cool to come down Route 66, I think my favorite is going to be the Pacific Wharf route - there are so many spectacular visuals when you enter from that direction!

One of my favorite things was these "Burma Shave" type signs. Really fun.

And there's also a "pullout" with a map, just like you see at scenic vistas everywhere.

Just before we exited we took one last look back into Cars Land. What a great sight! All that "rock work" we saw going up over the last few years is really stunning.

I'm not sure what more I can say. I am really looking forward to having more time to explore Buena Vista Street and Cars Land. As I think you've seen, there is a huge amount of detail that went into both of them, and much more to explore.

DISCLOSURE: As an invited media guest, AllEars' Media Sneak Peek experience and lunch at the Carthay Circle restaurant were provided by the Disney company.

The Grand Reopening of Disney California Adventure is just a week away - June 15, 2012. Deb Wills, Lee Zimmerman and I will be there, blogging and tweeting and doing our best to share the experience as we finally get to see Cars Land and Buena Vista Street!

But we'd like to know...What do YOU, our readers, want to know? What are your questions about Cars Land and Buena Vista Street, the Mad T Party? What are your questions about the attractions, the shows, the shops, and the restaurants? Do you want to know which attraction is the biggest thrill, where to find the tastiest snack foods, how to meet Mater, or what we think is the most tacky-but-terrific souvenir?

Please submit your questions by using either the "Feedback Form" or "Comments" links below. We'll do our best to get as many answers as we can!

Contributing photographer Jason of disneygeek.com visited the parks on Friday, May 25, 2012. Included here in Part 2 are photos and video from the new Mad T Party and the summer edition of the Magic, the Memories, and You!

Another pass through Carthay Circle on my way to Hollywood Land - the clouds had cleared out.

The Mad T Party installation is complete and the party began on Friday night.

The Drink Me bar ready to start serving.

The menu.

The Face Painting area is now on Sunset Blvd instead of next to Muppets.

The stage at the House of Cards is ready to go.

They were stocking the food truck.

Chairs to sit in around the area.

A token machine for the arcade located outside by the House of Cards.

The crowd waiting for the Mad T Party to start.

A count down clock.

The Tweedles take the stage to do the opening.

Video of the final countdown and opening of the Mad T Party.

A video clip of the Mad T Party Band plus introductions of the band members.

Alice joins the Mad T Party band.

The Mad T Party Band performing.

The White Rabbit DJ took over next.

Action shifted to the House of Cards stage for a dance crew.

Video of their performance.

Next up this interesting performer.. guess it is a caterpillar

A video clip from the performance.

A walk around the mad arcade.

The merchandise location was open for business.

The Tweedles out interacting with the crowd.

More chairs in front of the other stage. I never saw any groups take this stage in my couple of passes through.

Time to move on.. I will double back later. Wow 135 minute wait for Tower.. Grad Nite!

The lights were coming on in Radiator Springs.

This evening they had the lights on the range changing color.

A brief video clip.

The summer edition of the Magic, the Memories, and You! started today. Here is a video of the entire show. Note there is a problem with the left and center video/projectors about half way through.. but you can see the summer add on.

A couple pictures of the new segment.

Back over to DCA for some nighttime shots. Oswald's sign was on.

Some pictures of Carthay Circle after dark.

A peak inside thanks to the inside lights being on and the curtain thin.

Heading back to the Mad T Party as the band was wrapping up their final set of the evening.

Another clip of the rainbow caterpillar.

There are projections on the buildings that are now visible.

A video clip of the projections.

A second pass through the arcade.. much less crowded this time around.

The tokens..

The Monsters Inc facade is woven into the show much better.

Video of the Monsters Inc projections.

One last picture as I head out of the Mad T Party.

To close with a fountain picture.

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.

Contributing photographer Jason of disneygeek.com sends us these photos from his trip to the parks on Friday, May 18, 2012. Highlights include the new Cars Land-inspired monorails with their new narrations, Matterhorn bobsled testing and the new Brave Meet and Greet as well as updated construction photos from Buena Vista Street and Cars Land, opening June 15!

The scaffolding is down around the La Brea Bakery.

This year they are doing grad nite differently than they traditionally have. This year grads get a park hopper ticket and wristband. They can visit both parks all day long then after Disneyland closes they have their party until the early morning hours. So as the day went on more and more graduates showed up in the park which made for a different experience and crowd pattern.

There was no line and the bus was boarding so I hopped on for an elevated view of Main Street. Minnie waving as we passed by.

A check in on Carnation Cafe.. it opens June 13th and work was going on all day and into the evening.

The Matterhorn has water flowing again and bobsleds were being cycled.

Hard to see what is going on at Plaza Gardens. Looks like much of the concrete and retaining wall on the North side are gone.

First destination of the day was the Small World Mall to check out the Brave Meet and Greet. As you approach there are banners up.

And some signs.

There are activities and some games too.

There is an archery range as part of the area too, so after your picture is taken you can go shoot a bow and arrow.

The cast members assist you with a quick lesson as the paparazzi snaps pictures.

A closer look at the bow and arrow.

A couple tables for coloring.

A game to test your skill.

These were interesting. Some stones that you can create rubbings with (thank you David for letting us know the process name).

Moving on, the seagulls are still gone from the sub lagoon.

The menu boards at Tomorrowland Terrace are now LCD screens, reminds me of WDW.

Wandered down the trail to the Jamboree next. The cows that were lurking are now gone... wonder where they have wandered off to now, probably backstage hanging out again.

Horace Horsecollar and Clarabelle Cow were out for pictures.

Next up the Monorail. They are promoting Cars Land so each has a name and personality now. Here is Mona Monorail in the Tomorrowland Station. I thought the wrap was pretty well done. It is not as over the top as the previous ones.

Here is a video of the ride to Downtown Disney, the narrations have been replaced and customized per train.

A look in on Buena Vista Street. A check of the Red Car stop.

The signage on Buena Vista Street looks great.

Notice all the sidewalks are in now.

The return trip from Downtown Disney to Tomorrowland aboard Mona Monorail.

Very close to getting a great shot of a new bobsleds splashing down.

A fun hidden mickey on the dock...

A new sled going by the redone bridge.

Manny Monorail going over the Sub Lagoon.

Alice Davis received a window on Main Street since my last visit. It is right next to the one for her husband, Marc Davis.

Time to head to DCA.. only four weeks, 28 days, till the grand openings.

Noticed the awnings are gone from the entrance now.

Minnie arriving at her Charter Airlines. Today she had the full-featured head, with blinking eyes and moving mouth.

Taste Pilots has a tarp up as they work on the building where the plane was attached.

The cafe signage is now done.

A great hand-painted sign.

The sign out front is installed now too.

Another great sign being painted.

Time to check out the Studios portion of Hollywood Land which has been taken over by the Mad T Party.

The Drink Me bar.

Props have been installed on the stage. The stage will feature a live band.

The House of Cards bar area.

The sound stage number has been updated to fit the party.

The food truck has received a new wrap.

The Bugs Life references have been removed from the mural and it is being repainted. Wonder if they are down for the painting or gone forever.

A look down Route 66, which now has striping on it.

Wires now strung on the poles.

The traffic light has been installed.

Most of the construction is done so there are now groups roaming around with no hard hats (the crews on either side were laying sod).

A sod crew working near the Cozy Cones, notice the fence too.

Spotted this new Cars inspired outdoor vending (ODV) cart.

The menu

The scaffolding is down from around Ghirardelli

A new billboard along the boardwalk between Ariel's and California Screamin' (the second one from the left).

While looking at ODV carts.. here is one out on the Pier.

Time for a spin on the Fun Wheel. There were two Racers stopped on the track.

I think this helps with the scale.. remember those are 6 passenger cars, just like Test Track.

The signage is great..

Looks like they are working on the clovers in Flik's Fun Fair...notice all the white tops...the green has been removed.

I did not get a good picture.. but as I was wrapping up my first trip on the wheel they started to cycle the Racers. By this second go around (15 minutes or so later) they were running. Had to take a couple pictures of what I called the USC race!

More props and equipment for the T-Party backstage awaiting installation.

A second look from the Blue Sky Cellar patio, now that the workers have cleared out for the day.

Noticed they have replaced the individual packets of condiments in Taste Pilots with these pumps now.

Monorail Manny in Tomorrowland.

A video from onboard Manny from Tomorrowland to Downtown Disney.

A look at the Mad T Party, noticed plenty of lights on the tower even.

A large sign for the event on the back of the stage.

More signage for Buena Vista Street.

Video of the return trip.

Rumble King at the Tomorrowland Terrace

The Brave Meet and Greet wrapped up at 3:00pm today.

Some of the lights were on at the Carthay this evening.

Also some lights on at the House of Cards.

The Tower of Terror area was very crowded this evening. A two hour wait! It appeared to be mostly Grad Nite kids.

No neon on when I first arrived to check out Cars Land.

Looks like they were set up for something, notice the microphone stands. In the background you could see groups of cast members heading for the Racers where they were doing testing/previews this evening.

Then all of a sudden the lights all came on... crummy picture but you get the drift..

The lights in the cafe were on this evening and you could see the stained glass window.

Some water art being created on Main Street.

Time for Fantasmic which turned 20 last Sunday!

Afterwards we roamed around the Rivers of America and down the Big Thunder trail as Magical was going on.

Made it into Fantasyland as Tinkerbell was taking her final flight.

To close with the Matterhorn waterfalls - they have some great new lighting.

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.

Since Laura was in a week-long training class at work, I (Lee) had the opportunity to take her place at a press event Disney put on for Southern California media to get a look behind the scenes at all the changes coming to the Disneyland Resort this Summer - especially the opening of Buena Vista Street and Cars Land at California Adventure.

This is Part One!

The first half of the event took place in what Disney calls its Cast Showcase at California Adventure. This is an immersive education venue that Disney built to familiarize all 22,000 Disneyland Resort cast members with all the changes taking place around the Disneyland Resort. The Showcase is currently occupying the soundstage venue at California Adventure that is used to hold Who Wants To Be A Millionaire. For those who have been through the Narnia or other "behind the scenes" exhibits for various films that have been installed at Disney Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World, this has the same sort of feel. The Cast Showcase is supposed to run for 20 days.

Our visit to the Cast Showcase began with a welcome by Tom Staggs, Chairman Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. Tom said that Disney recognized that California Adventure was not living up to its potential and began a five year program to remake the park. Highlights so far include extensive changes to the Paradise Pier area, the Little Mermaid attraction, and the World of Color show. The re-imagined entrance and hub for California Adventure, Buena Vista Street, and the new 12-acre Cars Land complete that five-year effort. He explained that the Showcase covers not just the changes at California Adventure but also at Disneyland and Downtown Disney. It is not just about attractions but also about merchandising, food and beverage and entertainment. He remarked that when they re-open California Adventure it will finally be a worthy and complementary neighbor to Disneyland. Re-open was a deliberate choice of words - Disney views the magnitude of the changes and the shift in the story of California Adventure to be significant enough that they are considering this a second Grand Opening for the park.

Tom then circled back to talk about the Disney cast members who he said are the key to bringing the worlds that the Disney Imagineers build to life and to the guest experience. He said that the cast members will visit the Showcase because they love what they do - they are Disney fans and they want to know as much as possible to help their guests.

As his parting shot Tom shared a secret - along with all the other changes coming June 15th, there will be a new segment in World of Color featuring Pixar's latest animated feature 'Brave'.

From here on out the Cast Showcase experience was what the cast members will see. The first room includes displays on the renovated Matterhorn - including one of the new ride vehicles - on the Mad T Party dance party coming to California Adventure (replacing ElecTRONica), and the new Fantasy Faire "Princess experience" area coming to Disneyland.This area also features a kitchen set for the "The Happy Chef" who acts as the master-of-ceremonies for this area of the exhibit. She is putting on a cooking demonstration making a celebratory cake and with each ingredient she adds to the cake there is a video segment from a Disney executive talking about an aspect of the changes. The first video is from George Kalogridis, President of Disneyland Resort, who greets the 22,000 cast members and Imagineers of Disneyland Resort and welcomes them to the cast showcase. He tells the cast members that this is the second largest expansion in the history of the Disneyland Resort and that "the happiest place on Earth just got happier."

Another of the video segments talks to all the changes taking place in Downtown Disney. Those changes include the extensive renovations to the Disneyland Hotel including replacing all the electrical and plumbing, expanding the rooms into the former balcony areas, and upgrading the furniture, carpet, and fittings. Other highlights include the renovated Lego store (we are getting giant Lego sculptures like those at Walt Disney World), the new Wunderground Gallery (Disney collectables), the new Earl of Sandwich restaurant (yea!) and the expanded La Brea Bakery.

The next video segment highlights the recently completed renovations to the "400 block" of Main Street in Disneyland. These changes include complete interior remodels of all the shops and restaurants, most in the Victorian style. The candy store now has a candy kitchen that is twice as big so guests can see two kinds of candy being made at once. The shops have more room for guests to move around and more cash registers to shorten waits to check out. The service area at the GIbson Girl ice cream shop has been moved back into the shop so the queue will now be inside instead of spilling out onto Main Street.

The new Matterhorn ride vehicles

The segment highlighting changes within the Parks included a section on the Matterhorn. This is the first time it's been scaffolded since it was built which allowed them to paint it a new color and add new "snow", and is the first major rehab since 1978. The new ride vehicles are each two connected cars, each with three individual seat compartments instead of the single (shared) set compartment. They are building a new load area to support both a single rider line and load/unload for guests who need "assistance". The Matterhorn re-opens on June 15th.

The changeover from ElecTRONica to Mad T Party in the Hollywood area of California Adventure is almost complete - with a new central stage and the new House of Cards that replaces Flynn's Arcade. The featured act for the Mad T Party is the Mad T Party Band that includes the Mad Hatter and Alice as band members. They will perform for twenty minutes out of every hour and tunes the rest of the hour will be provided by a DJ (see the picture with the glowing bunny ears). There will be professional dancers featured at the House of Cards along with, if Glowfest and ElecTRONica are any indication, lots of dancing guests.

There has been no formal announcement made that we are aware of, but there is a note on the map of California Adventure entertainment below, that reads "Daytime fountain show - our famous Paradise Pier fountains perform, dance and play - in the day".

This map highlights the live performers and character "meet and greet" opportunities around California Adventure

We then moved to the second room in the exhibit - this one decorated like 1920's Los Angeles to highlight the new Buena Vista Street. Our host for this area was an actor playing an old time radio announcer - complete with impressions and sound effects. Various video segments, along with the static displays, told the story of Buena Vista Street and what guests can expect. Buena Vista Street represents Los Angeles as it was in the 1920's when Walt arrived with little more than "his suitcase and his dreams". Buena Vista Street actually starts with the entrance to California Adventure - the entrance turnstile area has been rebuilt to look like the Los Angeles' Pan Pacific Theater . The shops on Buena Vista street have been themed to have a connection to the young Walt Disney (Mortimer's Produce, Clarabelle's Ice Cream, Elias and Company) and the story is that they may have served as the inspiration for some of Walt's early stories and characters.

Buena Vista Street ends in a new hub area with a new "partners" statue and a beautiful fountain that front the Carthay Circle Theater. Just in case you don't know the connection, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs premiered at the Carthay Circle Theater in 1937. This Partners statue features a much younger Walt Disney and an earlier version of Mickey Mouse. The Carthay Circle Theater building will house three restaurants: a lounge downstairs that serves appetizers and "small plate" dishes, a full table service dining room upstairs that seats 200 inside and 56 more on the balcony, and the Club 33 associated private dining room - 1901.

The fountain at the center of the new California Adventure hub. Image copyright ©Disney.

Running up and down Buena Vista Street and into the Hollywood area will be the two Red Car trolleys - based on the Pacific Electric Railroad trolleys that used to run in Los Angeles. Some interesting trivia for this attraction - the cars are based on the original Pacific Electric Railroad cars but are brand new and they are actually battery powered (so all the overhead wires are just set dressing). Their numbers are 623 (for 1923, the year Walt arrived in LA) and 717 (for the 7/17/55 opening day of Disneyland).

There are several new entertainment acts that have been created for Buena Vista Street. Five and Dime is a jazzy band (the Five) with vocalist Dime, who will perform from various locations using their car as their stage. The Red Car News Boys is a six-member group that will serve as the singing ambassadors of Buena Vista Street and may remind some of Disney's 'Newsies' movie and musical. Fans of the street performers in Disney Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World should enjoy the "Citizens of Buena Vista". These four characters include a policeman, a directionally-challenged messenger, a photographer and a slightly crazed dog lady and they will have impromptu interactions with guests making their way down Buena Vista Street. Guests will also regularly see Goofy dressed in a 20's era zoot suit on Buena Vista Street.

Tomorrow "Cars Land" so be sure to check back!

Contributing photographer Jason of disneygeek.com sends us these photos from his trip to the parks on Saturday, May 5, 2012. Part 1 covered Disneyland Park, in Part 2, Jason looks at what's new in Disney California Adventure.

Beginning on Buena Vista Street. Oswald's has its signage now.

A quick look at Buena Vista Street. Less than six weeks till opening now.

The Soarin' sign has been replaced/fixed.

No visible changes to the Taste Pilot's Grill sign.

The Carthay is nearing completion. All the scaffolding is gone and the marquee looks ready to go.

Painters working this morning.

The bridge is looking complete, notice the lights on it now.

A sign being painted on the side of the cafe.

Caught a little of the Minnie Fly Girls Charter Airline show. They had a traditional Minnie in the show, the one with the articulating head was not used. Also she lost her cap while taking the stage.

Some work going on above Off the Page.

The studios section of the Backlot is being taken over by the Mad T Party.

The bar area looks more stationary now compared to ElecTRONica and Glow Fest where it was rolled in nightly.

Plenty of signs telling you what is coming.

The main stage is set to look like a table and features a lot of lights and an led/video wall. Also note it is set up to open toward the other stage.

Moving on toward the House of Cards. Another impressive structure.

They were working on coating the cement.

There will be an arcade as part of the party too.

The Catering Co truck has had the ElecTRONica wrap removed.

The cab photo op outside Monsters, Inc. has not returned.

The gate was open into Cars Land. Cast member families were invited to test out the flying tires attraction.

The old It's Tough to Be a Bug Fastpass machine area is behind wraps. Internet speculation is this will be used as the Fastpass distribution area for the Radiator Springs Racers to help with the expected crowding this summer. (Note the Racers do have their own FP area but rumor is it will not be used till things calm down).

Pluto out for pictures.

Chip and Dale trying to get some ice cream.

Route 66 has been resurfaced. Guessing this is the final surface which means things are on the final stretch.

Looks like the line for the Flying Tires... only six more weeks and we can be spending hours in line there too!

The Little Mermaid was closed for a few days while I was gone for some upkeep. They switched out the CG film clips with traditional animation.

And the big change is Ariel now sports a new hairdo in the Under the Sea area. The ice cream cone do is gone.

Here is a ride through video.

Another new animation clip.

The California Screamin' queue work is done.

The stand has been removed from near the swings (this is the icee one).

Here is a look at Buena Vista Street from Monorail Blue.

A second pass through DCA on Monorail Orange. The new Candy Store sign is installed.

Heading back to DCA. What a difference as you approach the park now.

Forgot to mention the Cars gang has moved on.

But the merchandise booths remain.

No parade lights yet in this area.

The setting sun made for some great lighting.

Time for a spin on the Fun Wheel.

Two Racers were stopped on the track. Wonder if it was a planned stop? They were in a perfect photo location. Also noticed the Finish line sign is now up.

The lights were turned on by my second time around. Looks like all the neon is now on Flos

Guess they are not covering the remaining portion of the backside?

Now some ground level shots.

The radar dish/Condor Flats sign has been removed.

Made a quick pass through DCA later in the evening to see Cars Land. The photos make the rocks look much more red than they did in person.

Part 3 will feature photos from Downtown Disney. For additional photos and details from this trip you can check out the full Disneyland Update I posted on my site, http://disneygeek.com. I have also been Tweeting live pictures from the parks @disneygeekcom.

Jason has been doing a wonderful job with all of the Disneyland photo updates but he has been at WDW recently, so I'm going to try my best to provide this week's update. But I didn't get photos from all of the vantage points he uses, nor am I as good a photographer.

Lee and I decided it was time for a trip to Disneyland - we hadn't been there since February! We arrived in the park about 8:45 am.  Long lines to get in but once inside it was fairly uncrowded.  We got fastpasses for Space Mountain, and since the standby line for Star Tours was only 25 minutes we did that.  It was actually less than 20 minutes before we were seated in our Star Speeder.   I'd never been on the left side of the queue where the baggage scanner is, and it was fun to listen to him - he commented on the "pet" that someone had put in their luggage...see the Mickey ears? :-)

We are in a "Hoth" rut lately - that's the first scene we've had the last 4-5 times, though the other scenes we've had quite a variety.  ("Hoth...why did it have to be Hoth?")

The line for Buzz was only about 5 minutes.  Buzz was apparently on an extended break - there was a curtain around his area. Or maybe we were supposed to ignore the spaceman behind the curtain. :-).  We vanquished Zurg, and, most importantly, my score was higher than Lee's. 

Time for our Space Mountain fastpasses, though the standby was still only 30 minutes. It was fast and fun!

The scaffolding is gone from the Matterhorn. I think the paint job looks a lot different - not nearly as much "snow".   It will reopen with the new bobsled cars on June 15.  

We went to the Jolly Holiday Bakery for a snack. We tried the broccoli quiche which came with fruit.  It was served hot and was pretty good.  Lee also ordered the scone.  It had raisins and some kind of pieces or citrus peel or something in it - I didn't care for it.  I ordered the Matterhorn macaroon, and that was a lot better.  

I'd never noticed the back of the Jolly Holiday Cafe sign before.

We stopped by the Carnation Plaza Garden - today is the final day before it closes for conversion to the new Fantasy Faire (opening 2013). They had school bands from all over the western US performing today, as well as a band from Canada.  (The popular Saturday night swing dancing will move to the Westside Stage in Downtown Disney during construction, then will move back to the new Fantasy Faire stage.)

In Frontierland we rode Big Thunder Mountain Railroad -  just less than 20 minute wait for that. It's the wildest ride in the wilderness!

We went to Big Thunder Ranch to see if there was anything to see or any information on the Big Thunder Ranch Jamboree which start this Thursday (May 3), but there was nothing except the closed gate to the Festival Arena. 

Haunted Mansion was less than a ten minute wait.  I'm so used to riding this during the Nightmare Before Christmas overlay that it seems odd to ride it in its "normal" configuration.  I don't know if people were being quieter than usual or if the sound is better, but I heard a lot of different voices singing in the graveyard scene.  

It's time for another round of menu updates on AllEars, so I was taking menu photos as we wandered around.   I didn't really see anything that looked different, though - the biggest change I saw is that they have converted the menus at Tomorrowland Terrace to LCD screens.  That look might not fit the theme in some areas of the park, but it works there.  And I'm sure it'll make updating the menus easier - just a software change now.

I called this the "Aly San San Tres Leches Cake" dessert in Rancho del Zocalo. :-) That's what it looks like to me. (Aly San San is the spokesdroid for Star Tours.)

Disneyland was getting more crowded so it was time to hop over to Disney California Adventure.  The construction has reached the point that things are visibly changing rapidly now!  

We caught a little bit of Minnie's Fly Girls Charter Airline show.

Jason takes his Buena Vista Street progress photos from the monorail but I didn't think to do that while we were still in Disneyland, so I just have some ground level shots.  I have to say that it looks quite beautiful  and I'm looking forward to seeing the finished product soon!  There's that June 15 opening date again.

Here's the east side of Buena Vista Street.

And a look on the west side, where the bakery and ice cream shop used to be.

The Carthay Circle Theater is a beautiful building.

All of the ElecTRONica setup is gone with the exception of the food truck - and they are going to have to change the "12" number on the Stage 12 sign - that's very TRON-esque.

But they have already begun the Mad T Party re-theming of the stage - another thing with a June 15 opening date.

And the club area is now the House of Cards.

I don't know what this structure is in front of what used to be Flynn's Arcade, but there are lots of lights and speakers in it.

We thought this flower field next to It's Tough to Be a Bug was very pretty. 

From the terrace outside Blue Sky Cellar there's a really good view down Route 66 into downtown Radiator Springs. This looks great! And opening, all together now, JUNE 15!

Blue Sky Cellar now features "The Road to Cars Land"' with concept art and models and attraction posters.

I liked this model of Mater's Jukebox - it will feature seven original songs.

The movie seems longer than the ones they have had before - of course I guess this time they are talking about a whole new land instead of a single attraction or show, so there is more to say.  

We walked through the Pacific Wharf. The old Tortilla Factory is under wraps while it transforms in Ghirardelli Chocolate Factory, opening this summer. I'm looking forward to that, but I expect the line will be horrendous.

Between Lucky Fortune Cookery and the Karl Strauss Biergarten there will be a second entrance into Cars Land, under a big red rock archway.

We had planned to ride California Screamin' but the line was 40 minutes and Toy Story Mania was 50.   Busy day at the park!

We had lunch at Boardwalk Pizza and Pasta and Paradise Garden Grill.  While there were no lines in the restaurants the seating area was pretty full - it's nice to see that, since this area seemed very under-utilized when it first opened last year. Lee had the barbecue chicken flatbread pizza.

I had my usual vegetable and tofu skewer from Paradise Garden Grill - though this time I remembered to ask for a second portion of rice pilaf in place of the cucumber salad.

We also tried the Espresso brownie from Boardwalk Pizza and Pasta. It was a very good brownie. There was no "espresso" in the brownie itself, just in the little round things on top, and even those did not have much coffee flavor. We really liked it.

Lee noticed the propeller on the front of this weather vane above Goofy's Sky School was spinning madly (though you can't see it in the photo).

A view of some of the Cadillac Range - June 15 is coming soon!

We walked back to the Mickey and Friends parking structure via Downtown Disney. The Uva Bar area is undergoing some kind of refurbishment.

These banners are up in the tram area next to the garage - we did two out of three on this list!

It was a fun trip, and we enjoyed doing some attractions for a change - most of the time we just run around and take pictures.

Contributing photographer Jason of disneygeek.com sends us these photos from his trip to the parks on Saturday, April 14, 2012.

Let us start off the tour at California Adventure and Buena Vista Street, a look at the west side of Buena Vista Street from the Esplanade. It was a beautiful day - very different from the stormy, windy day on Friday!

Gutters are on but the down pipes are not connected yet. That may have been useful on Friday with all the rain we got.

Across the street there was a crew working on the building. Notice some of the roof is on, the windows are going in, and an awning ha been installed.

Scaffolding has returned to the tower of the Carthay. Best guess is some touchup/cleanup work.

Noticed some barricades up near the stroller parking for Little Mermaid. Appears to be some work along the base of the building, betting it has to do with the rains.. sure looks it.

The painting of Screamin's queue is moving along.

Next stop for me was the Fun Wheel to check out Cars Land and see if anything was going on this morning. All was quiet.

Just one visible crew up on the roof of Flo's working on the neon.

Where the crew was working last week looks complete now.

The work on the Lion King parking lot looks done. They have tweaked the entrance flow. You now turn in from Disneyland Dr. and then make a left.

The base of the far Cozy Cone is now orange.

The Toy Story photo op near Toy Story Midway Mania has been removed.

Goofy hanging out by his sky school for pictures.

The purple bougainvillea near the winery was bright this morning...

Stopped by the Blue Sky Cellar Patio next to check out Cars Land. Hard to believe in just two months we will be able to walk through and experience this new land.

Stanley is uncovered this week.

A look down Route 66

Now onto Hollywood Blvd. the Red Car cable work looks to be done for the most part in this area.

There was a sign out front of the Animation Building listing the drawing classes for the day. Before you had to ask a cast member inide.

Continuing down the street. The Elephants that once guarded the Backlot entrance have been removed.

Work on the facades near the old Candy Store continues.

The marquee on the Carthay Circle Theater looks to be just about done, ready for the lettering. Also a better new scaffolding.

More detail work on Buena Vista street is emerging and looking great.

The jet has been removed from the front of Taste Pilots.

I headed over to Disneyland next. Not much visible progress here, the work has shifted to the interior.

A random Big Thunder shot as I walked by.

A turtle hanging out along the Big Thunder trail.

Walked through the Fantasy Faire.

Was walking by and heard the announcement for the Calling all Drummers show, so found a spot to watch. For those unfamiliar this show takes place several times over the course of the morning and features some of the drummers from the Soundsational parade in a little skit/performance.

Noticed the Mickey Ears on the shoes..

Now a walk around the Matterhorn..

The tunnel over the walkway has been removed as has almost all of the scaffolding now.

From the Monorail platform.

Now some Buena Vista Street pictures from the Monorail.

The Red Car stop is looking great.

Oswalds

Circling around a second time...

A closer look at the park area. Looks like the walkway is in now.

Plenty of activity around the Matterhorn today.

Stopped by Innoventions. I had not seen the new Honda display and contest that started several weeks ago.

Strolled through Plaza Gardens which will go behind walls the end of the month to be transformed into the Princess Fantasy Faire opening winter 2013. Still sad to see this quiet area of the park go. Also seems odd to start a project in April with a winter opening vs doing it in the off season and having it ready for the busy holiday rush this year.

A black horse out near the village, took this picture from the Mark Twain.

Once back ashore, stopped to see the Billy Hill and the Hillbillies.

The gift cart at the exit to Haunted Mansion was not out today. This really helped traffic flow in the area.

Elvis, Scot Bruce, performing in Tomorrowland.

Only a couple more weekends of swing dancing in Plaza Gardens. Then the event moves to Downtown Disney during the construction.

A walk through Carthay Circle seeing what Buena Vista Street lights are on this evening.

ElecTRONica is wrapping up. The final night is Sunday (4/15).

The line for the End of the Line Club was long.

The truck had no wait though.. guess the alcohol is much more popular than the food.

One last walk through Flynn's Arcade.

The final two crews performed this evening and the winner was to be crowned Sunday at the final of ElecTRONica.

The trophy...

First up Kaba Modern.

Followed by Outer Circle.

Here is a video of the performances.

I closed out the evening stopping by the Blue Sky Cellar Patio to see what was lit up in Cars Land.

To end with a look down Route 66.

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

Contributing photographer Jason of disneygeek.com attended the Annual Passholder Merchandise Sneak Peek on Tuesday, March 27, 2012. In addition to photos from the event he has some photos and video of cars on the Radiator Springs Racers attraction.

There is a Honda display at the Mickey and Friends tram stop (This is what happens when you do not pay attention and the camera is still set for some night time photos from last trip! )

Luckily I noticed I had the wrong settings after only a couple of pictures! Here are some of the banners in the tram stop area.

Along the tram route plenty of banners too. Honda has a "Wish List Sweepstakes" contest going on - prizes include a CRV and a trip to Disneyland.

Inside DCA there are signs directing you to the merchandise showcase.

Time to head to check out the merchandise preview, which is in Stage 17, the site of the former "Who Wants to be a Millionaire - Play It" attraction.

The event is for Annual Passholders only. After showing your annual pass and getting a wristband you could enter.

Outside there was a queue are set up as well as much of the merchandise on display. (There was no line at all but I stopped for pictures).

Inside Stage 17. To the left cash registers. To the right some displays and straight ahead/slightly left the merchandise.

Looking left. No line to check out right now.

To the right a kiosk to buy/renew your annual pass.

First up the Buena Vista Street CM costumes.

Next a display of Mad T Party merchandise and concept art.

For those who do not know the Mad T Party is replacing ElecTRONica. It starts June 15th.

The far corner had a food/beverage location with some of the new offerings. Such as the dill flavored popcorn. You could get a small sample or purchase a regular size order.

The pricing/choices.

Back to Mad T Party.

Mater and Lightning McQueen were out for photos.

A Cars Land CM costume.

Now some photos of the merchandise. Most speaks for itself.

The one item I purchased. The attraction poster pin set. By the way you could get your Annual Pass discount.

Monorail vinlymation.

In the corner was a table where you could pick up the limited merchandise.

A look at each of the posters of the Mad T Party.

The concept art had all been released on the Parks Blog already I think.

Time for a spin on the Fun Wheel (30 minute wait!) As we were just about to move out of view spotted two cars on the Radiator Springs Racers.

On the second time around we stopped and as luck would have it a handful more cars cycled by.

Here's a brief video clip and some additional still images of the Radiator Springs Racer testing.

For additional photos and details from this trip, including more construction photos and a look around Disneyland and Downtown Disney, you can check out the full Disneyland Update I posted on my site, http://disneygeek.com

Contributing photographer Jason of disneygeek.com sends us these photos from his trip to the parks on Friday, March 2, 2012.

They are still working on one of the stairwells at the garage. The wind had ripped the mesh.

More scaffolding is down and Buena Vista Street is looking great.

Another look at some of the Buena Vista Street facades.

Walls up around where the Red Car stop will be.

Still no roof tiles on the Carthay.

All the scaffolding and mesh is now down and you can see the iron work for the marquee.

Is that a hidden Mickey in the iron work (look right in the middle at the top).

Some details of the Elias and Company facade are now visible.

A look through the gap in the wall, the monorail bridge looks to be framed. No bricks yet around the Red Car rails.

Fillmore's shell has been installed.

Work continues on the Wharf bridge and tidal basin.

Touching up the rock work.

The walls are down from the parade route work in front of the Little Mermaid.

The work on the Paradise Pier shops looks to be done. What a difference a little wood siding and removal of the giant clown makes.

They have altered the Fun Wheel exit area a bit. There is a new gate up between the non swinging and swinging gondolas and when you exit the non swinging one now you are directed up the ramp and to use the same gate as the swinging one to exit. This speeds up the boarding of the next group to the non swinging.

An overview of Cars Land.

Most of the scaffolding is down, just one more story to go.

The roof is going on Sarge's.

As well as around the walkway from Fliks. You can barely see it from this angle/distance now.

Looks like all the scaffolding is gone from around the radiator cap (wouldn't it be fun to walk the track like those two right now!)

I kind of like it (Pacific Wharf bridge) with no sign up, the Cadillac Range looks great.

A wood frame has been installed over the steel at the entrance to Cars Land.

The Minnie's Fly Girls show was going on in Condor Flats.

A wide shot of the area. As you can see it does not really impact traffic that much.

Moving on.. work continues around GRR.

Repainting going on, do not worry the shop remained open.

Some work going on in the Studios Backlot.

Plenty of painting projects are underway.

Finally made it over to Disneyland. Some work going on with the seating/planters on Main Street.

Due to the winds the tarps were up so we could see the progress of the work here.

Coke Corner has re-opened.

A look inside.

The Matthorn work is progressing quickly. The scaffolding is already being taken down as the painting proceeds. The new color scheme looks much darker to me.

Wait times around 1:50pm

Still working on the Tomorrowland Train Station.

An area in front of the Opera House was roped off for some Modern Family filming.

Spring has arrived, or at least the plants and trees believe so.

After sunset headed back to DCA. This week noticed all the street lights on the left were on.

A look at the Midway shops after dark.

A bright light on Tower of Terror made for an interesting picture.

Turns out they were setting up for some filming in front.

At ElecTRONica hey added some kinects units around the DJ area. I read they were using them to capture images and project on Monsters. I did not see this in the brief time I was there.

The street in front of Award Wieners was cleared and set up for some disc games.

A video of the event...

There was a brief performance before the games.

More walls in Downtown Disney near Vault 28, appears to be work on the lights against the buildings like all the others.

Work continues where the topiaries were.

Inside the Disneyland Hotel I was happy to see the old photos have returned. They are now on the wall that faces the elevators in the Fantasy Tower.

The other side of the wall is out from behind the curtains too and features a great map of Disneyland.

Wait times around 7:50pm

The Rumble Kings on the Tomorrowland Terrace Stage.

Fantasmic! has returned, so I caught the 9pm show. Did you realize Fantasmic! turns 20 this year?

Since the Mark Twain is being worked on the characters were on the Island for the Finale. Here is a brief video clip of the finale to conclude this update.

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

Contributing photographer Jason of disneygeek.com sends us these photos featuring a look around the Road to Cars Land which opened this past week in the Blue Sky Cellar. This exhibit features models, concept art, and more showing some of the work that went into bringing Cars Land to life. If you would like to see more pictures or higher resolution be sure to visit his March 2 update at disneygeek.com.

A sign near the walkway leading to the Blue Sky Cellar, with a much more period look.

A larger sign on the cellar itself.

The new banner over the entrance.

The videos just inside the entrance have been swapped.

Inside there is plenty to look at, with the usual assortment of concept art plus several models.

The first board has the new attraction posters.

Next up is Luigi's Flying Tires.

Instructions on how to drive your tire.

Moving on the next area featured Mater's Junkyard Jamboree.

The next board is for Radiator Springs Racers.

Next up Flo's V8 Cafe.

And the Cozy Cones

The aerial photo has been updated to one from January.

Also in the display case are some Matterhorn sled drawings.

There is a new video playing in the Screening Room too.

Now a look around the center of the room.

The shovel used in the Cars Land ground breaking ceremony.

The first desk features the Radiator Springs Racers. Here is a picture of the sign. Notice it has the Fastpass clock and standby line. I like the 120 minutes..

The other station features a look at some of the layout of Cars Land.

One of the cases holds a series of models and maquettes. Some interesting notes, from left to right: A ride vehicle maquette 1:10 scale. The left side of this model shows the EPCOT Test Track vehicle so you can see the difference. Luigi from the Racers. This is a 1:10 scale model. Interesting here is the left side is machine-carved and the right is detailed by hand. A Piston Cup Maquette from Flo's/Doc's. This is full scale. A ride vehicle from the Flying Tires maquette at 1:5 scale.

A model of Mater's Jukebox is also in the case. Its scale is 3 inches = 1 foot scale

There is a large model in the center of the room.

Back to the large model.

Above the two artists' desks are signs that you will see in Cars Land.

The board by the exit features Buena Vista Street.

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

Contributing photographer Jason of disneygeek.com sends us these photos from his trip to the parks on Friday, February 17, 2011. Included are photos and video from the new Minnie's Fly Girls Charter Airline show, which started on Friday.

A new direction in marketing? Encouraging the purchase of Park Hoppers instead of Annual Passes?

Starting in Disney California Adventure...Some of the scaffolding and mesh is down on the first section of Buena Vista Street. This is the facade over/around the restroom building.

The Elias and Company Store

Moving on to Cars Land. A new sign for Radiator Springs is up

The tidal basin next to the Pacific Wharf has been drained. Guessing because they are working on Grizzly River Run and needed all the water gone (this is the reservoir for the attraction).

Here you can see the tunnel/pipe the water flows through.

No real visible progress here, but a couple signs with the concept art (same photo that was released with the announcement).

Minnie's Fly Girls Charter Airline debuted earlier today. As you can see the show currently runs Thursday-Monday.

Here is a video of the entire show. (Note: The edges are a little out of focus thanks to the wide angle adapter I was using because of the short distance to the stage).

A few stills from the show:

The facade transformation in Paradise Pier looks almost complete. Just awaiting the new sign.

The Cadillac Range is looking great!

A closer view of the now nearly finished face.

Interesting. In the background looks like they stopped the backside wall? Or just finished a portion of it. Hard to tell from this angle but guessing that may be where the show building starts?

What is that I spy through the trees? Looks like a new sign. Guessing this is the entrance walkway for the Racers. It says Gateway to Ornament Valley.

A look at the Cozy Cones.

A closer look at the new fence facade going up on the backside of Fliks wall.

A closer view of the Cozy Cones.

Construction walls are still up around the parade route in front of Ariel's.

The side entrance to the shops in Paradise Pier is open again. They still have the ATM in its temporary housing but looks like it will be back in the wall soon.

Over in Disneyland - time for the Mardi Gras Celebration that is part of the Bayou Bash.

More scaffolding up at the Tomorrowland Train Station (note the train is not stopping here but is running normally for all other stops).

A check in on Buena Vista Street from the Monorail. Looks like the main portion of the street has been poured and they are ready to start the brickwork around the rail line.

Work continues on the Matterhorn stations. Some concrete has been poured.

Since it is Presidents' Day weekend I stopped by to take in Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln.

A look at some of the nighttime sights at DCA...The lights were on at Mater's Junkyard Jamboree (they were blinking/flickering too).

The new Cozy Cone sign was lit up this week.

In Downtown Disney, Compass Books will be closing soon to make way for Earl of Sandwich.

Out at the Disneyland Hotel the character topiaries across from the Fantasy Tower entrance were gone and the area being worked on.

I walked over because I wanted to see the new map at the entrance and it was behind curtains still.

To close with a picture of Minnie and Mickey (noticed the fountains were off this week in the background).

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

Setting up a mesh around the La Brea Bakery as the remodel/expansion moves along.

In Disney California Adventure, Grizzly River Run is undergoing its annual refurbishment.

The Miner 49ers were performing, their act is being retired.

The Redwood Creek Challenge Trail has reopened. You could smell the new paint/stain/sealer whatever you want to call it.

Nothing really new or different jumped out at me on my quick walk-through.

Dug was out for pictures.

Moving on down the trail scaffolding up as they are working on the building and the lift hill for Grizzly River Run.

The rock face overlooking the Pier is nearing completion. Notice anything missing here? They have removed the safety line and poles that went across the top of the range.

More painting along the Pier.

The facade work on the shops is moving along. What a difference.

A check in on Cars Land. The toothpicks are being removed on the rock face.

Scaffolding is up on the back side of the range. They are working their way around covering it up.

All five Cozy Cones are painted now.

A closer look. You can see the backstage wall taking shape behind the cones. I like the detail. That looks like an A/C unit below the window.

Looks like the frame for a backstage gate being assembled behind the cones. Also looks like one of the Red Car garage doors is open.

The pavement work in front of the Little Mermaid sure looks done. I was surprised the walls are still up.

More scaffolding is down on the radiator cap.

The Ellis Island Boys performing at Paradise Gardens

Work has begun to transform the tortilla factory to the Ghirardelli shop.

Due to the work on both sides it is a very narrow walkway to the first aid/baby care center.

A closer look down the street. The large pile of landscaping dirt has been distributed.

Tires on the roof of the shack now.

Looking down toward Buena Vista Street palm trees have sprung up along the Carthay side and another view of the trees around the fountain.

Walls in Bugs Land. Appeared to be around the water fountain area. This made a narrow walkway even narrower.

The fountain on Buena Vista Street was on today. As you can see the water was being blown around a bit.

A closer look at the detail work emerging on Buena Vista Street. This is above the ice cream store.

An Elias and Company sign taking shape.

Over to Disneyland. Some painting going on.

Valentines day decorations up around Town Square.

More painting.

The waits around 3:30.

The coffee cart is behind walls.

No signs of work at Plaza Gardens yet... really seems like something should be going on.

The moon was visible already.

Some signs have gone up on the Matterhorn construction walls.

A ride on the Monorail to check out Buena Vista Street. Notice the Elias and Company sign on the left.

A closer look reveals something taking shape. Is this the base for the Walt and Mickey statue?

A second ride on the Monorail, looking north now.

The Red Car station is starting to take shape I think (the bricks in the foreground/left of this shot).

In Downtown Disney the Lego Store is behind walls as work is getting under way to remodel and enlarge it.

Get it.. one block down....

They have moved into the old Island Charters space during construction. There are only a couple aisles inside. It felt a little cramped and odd to take pictures inside so I did not.

As you can see the store itself is vary bare bones since it is temporary. And a very small space.

Moving on, the work outside Catal is wrapping up in this area.

A little further down still an open trench.

Back at Disneyland the Soundsational parade greeted me on Main Street.

New Orleans Square is decked out for Mardi Gras which is going to be celebrated for five weekends this year starting February 10.

In an effort to ease traffic congestion they have moved the entrance to Cafe Orleans to the other side of the building.

A closer look at the beads on the light.

The new entrance for Cafe Orleans.

"it's a small world" has reopened after removal of the holiday overlay.

Looks like the clock can use some TLC.

The queue area was blocked so you walked out near the parade route/extended queue.

And back to DCA in the evening...Some lights on the fountain on Buena Vista Street.

Ramones was lit up this evening.

A closer look.

Back to Disneyland and the Small World Mall for the Magic, the Memories, and You! Featuring a new Valentine's Day segment. Video of the show. The new segment starts at 7:01 in this video.

Gone with the Wind will be showing at the AMC Theaters in Downtown Disney on Valentine's Day weekend.

Walked through the Disneyland Hotel on the way out. They are continuing to add details to the Fantasy Tower lobby. The entrance area was behind curtains. Looked like a permanent display/mural/something is going in.

New chandeliers in the lobby & chairs in the waiting area.

The far area is a kids waiting area.

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

Contributing photographer Jason of disneygeek.com sends us these photos from his trip to the parks on Saturday, January 7, 2012.

We arrived to a cool and overcast morning. Most of the La Brea Bakery is behind walls. A small outdoor seating area near World of Disney is not and is open. As well as their cart out front. I read they are expanding the bakery, but have seen no real details. Wonder if they will take this chance to redo the wall too since it was originally designed before the security tents went in.

DCA opens in a couple hours.

Coke had an event going on in Frontierland. Looked to be a breakfast (a couple of pictures later) for some sort of contest winners.

This is the last weekend to celebrate Christmas this year.

The West side of the street from Carnation Cafe to Coke Corner is closed for renovation.

This includes the Gibson Girl (do not fear you can still buy some ice cream across the street at the Main Street Cone Shop.

Since most of the work will be interior reconfigurations the exterior walls are at a minimum right now.

The big news of the weekend is the Jolly Holiday Bakery Cafe is now open.

When you step in the door you have a choice, left or right.. both are the same.

A look around..

I chose to the right by the way (random choice).

Each side had a different display case.

A look at the menu.

Now a peek into the bakery choices..

The woodwork by the cash registers.

A closer look at the iron work.

Some interesting tile work on the floor.

I exited out to the opposite side to check out what was in that display case.

The cases were above these counters.

The bakery was crowded so I did not want to linger too long taking pictures and disrupting the line..

The wait times are always great right at park opening!

Caught the first Toy Soldier Jam of the morning. I took a video last trip if anyone was interested in seeing it visit the 12/23 update or my youtube channel.

The Churro cart in Frontierland has some minor decorations and a special offering as part of the The Kings Day Celebration.

Zocalo Park and the restaurant were celebrating Dia De Reyes (Three Kings Day) this weekend.

The celebration was from 10am to 6pm Friday to Sunday. So it had not yet started today.

This morning in the Rancho Del Zocalo Restaurante there was a breakfast for the Coke event. Their centerpieces.

A face painting area.

Wait times around 9:10am

Headed over to DCA next. Out on the Pier they have started to work on the facades of the shops.

The clown has been removed and the awnings (more shots after the Fun Wheel)

Cars Land just continues to look more impressive every time... even in the overcast light..

A closer look over toward the Luigi's Flying Tires. Looks like the lights are strung now above the attraction as well as to the tire tower.

Slowly painting the base of the radiator cap.

Guess there is no ride testing going on this morning.. a worker on the track working on the rock work. Also noticed only a few more stories of scaffolding to remove on the far wall.

A nice forest has grown between Flo's and the archway for the Wharf entrance.

All the cones are now covered. Looks like the last two have caught up to the first three.

With the Cars Meet and Greet gone you get a clear shot into Maters. Looks like the interior fence is done and the perimeter one is taking shape.

Almost all of the tarps and scaffolding are down on the Carthay, just a little around the entrance area.

This is the right hand side (that overlooks the pump house)

The facade over where the train used to be is framed and has the exterior wall up already.

Sarge's looks ready for its exterior finish.

With the Cars Meet and Greet gone you get an unobstructed view down the street.

The lights are now strung above Mater's.

Did not notice it the first time by, but they have started to put the tile roof on the Carthay.

Notice the trees in the foreground too as they are finishing up the ground level area around the building. Wonder if the walls will come down to open up the area as they move their focus to the inside.

All the scaffolding on the back side is down too and you can see the emergency exit staircase and back wall.

Returned to Disneyland and stopped by the Three Kings Day Celebration. Inside Rancho Del Zocalo they had a special dessert.

Outside the park was packed for one of the Mariachi Divas sets.

As the set was winding down the Three Caballeros came out for pictures. Here was the cast member who was with them.

Moved around the other side of the park to get a better shot (and to get out of the way of the characters)

From this side it was just as crowded.

The line for the characters stretched back to the shooting arcade.

The waits just before 3pm

Passed by the Three Kings event again and this time some dancers were out front.

And Mickey and Minnie were out for pictures.

Moved on to the ranch and Mr. and Mrs. Claus were out for pictures.

Walls up around the Toontown Station and it is under wraps. Guessing it is painting and regular maintenance. The trains are still running normally, just not stopping here.

The Matterhorn goes down for several months of work after the weekend. The current bobsleds will be retired. The new ones have individual lap bars.

The current menu at the Main Street Cone Shop, which had a long line too since the Gibson Girl is closed.

To close with a shot of the La Brea Bakery. Here you can see where the walls currently stop. The outdoor seating area is open for business.

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

Contributing photographer Jason of disneygeek.com sends us these photos from his trip to the parks on Friday, December 16, 2011. The main focus of Part 1 is to check in on the progress of Cars Land as well as Buena Vista Street. Part 2 will feature Disneyland and some of the holiday festivities.

I arrived at the Disneyland Resort right as the afternoon winds were kicking up.

Heading to DCA first to check out the construction progress. The facades on the West side of the street are slowly taking shape.

More framing going up.

The backside.

There were posted warnings that if the winds continue World of Color may be cancelled (it was not). Also surprising they were still passing out Fastpasses in the Yellow section for the first show, an indication that the park was not too crowded yet.

Everything looks so peaceful from this shot. (the winds were really howling at this point).

They were keeping everyone clear of the Christmas tree due to the winds.

Thanks to the winds it was fairly clear as you looked around from the Fun Wheel.

A wider shot of the Radiator Springs Racers area.. wow is it impressive!

The base of the radiator cap is moving along.

The RS can be seen now.