July is Disneyland’s birthday month, so it’s always a busy one at the Resort. This July was no different: parties, announcements, Pokemon, mishaps…never a dull moment at the park.
DISNEYLAND TURNS 61
July 17 is possibly the most important day of the year for Disney fans in Anaheim; it’s Disneyland’s birthday! The park turns 61 this year, and at the end of the summer, the Diamond Jubilee will officially come to a close. To mark the occasion, Mickey and his friends met up on Main Street to dance, sing, release doves, and shoot of streamers.
The party wasn’t as big as last year, but it was still a fun party that brought together Disneyland ambassadors, cast members, characters, and fans. The OC Register has a great photo album of the party on their site here.
THE TOWER OF TERROR FINALLY REACHES THE TWILIGHT ZONE
This week, Disney made a dramatic announcement: the Tower of Terror in California Adventure is closing. A Guardians of the Galaxy drop ride will take its place, and the new ride will mark the beginning of an expanding superhero presence in the park.
If you are interested in why this announcement is so controversial, or where I stand on the issue, you can read my extended post about the announcement here.
NEW OFFERINGS
As the Diamond Jubilee celebration comes to an end, Disney is offering two new packages for guests throughout the summer. First, guests can now purchase a weeklong PhotoPass+ package for $70 (the price for one day is $40). With PhotoPass+, guests can instantly download photos taken on their devices, rather than ordering prints through the photo shop or with a promo code once you get home. For more details about PhotoPass+, visit the official page here.
The second package debuting this month is the Frozen pre-show dining package. Like World of Color and Fantasmic!, the Frozen packages include dinner at Carthay Circle and a fast pass for a reserved seating section in the theater. And if you want an even more exclusive experience, you can book the VIP package, which includes private hors d’oeuvres and a behind-the-scenes tour after the show. To book your dining package, visit the dining package page here.
OTHER UPDATES
If you’re a Pokemon Go player, Disneyland is a great place to be! There have been swarms of players, phones in hand, all over the resort. I don’t play Pokemon Go myself, but I’ve been told that Downtown Disney has a gym and that Fantasyland is a great place to catch Pokemon by the masses.
On Tuesday, July 19, Monorail riders found themselves trapped on the rail after a small mechanical failure shut down the train. Disneyland has two Monorails, and one parked at the Tomorrowland station broke down. There were no passengers aboard at the time, but the other Monorail did have passengers, who had to be towed back to the Downtown Disney station. The Monorail remained closed for about an hour, before reopening and returning to normal service.
Downtown Disney fans may have noticed a few more walls up this month. The Quiksilver/Roxy combo store is officially closed, and will likely be split into two separate storefronts. Disney has not yet announced the incoming tenants, but the new stores will likely begin construction very soon.
And finally, Frontierland visitors got another tiny piece of Star Wars Land info: a new tagline! A mural recently appeared on the construction wall near Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. The mural shows one of the previously released concept art images, and reads “on a remote outpost planet, new adventures await…”
Thanks for the roundup! I’m glad I know what’s going on even when I’m not there.
Happy to share the magic, Greg! 🙂