DLW 238: Disneyana President Nicolasa

This week, a possible timeline for Splash Mountain, new Star Tours scenes could be on the way, the Blue Bayou has reopened, some updates on Toon Town from the sky, Fantasmic! viewing tips, we talk to the Disneyana Fan Club President Nicolasa, and more! Please support the show if you can by going to https://www.dlweekly.net/support/. If you want some DLWeekly Swag, you can pick some up at https://www.dlweekly.net/store/. Book your travel through ConciEARS at no extra cost to you! Be sure to mention that you heard about ConciEARS from DLWeekly at booking! DISCOUNTS! If you want some awesome headwear or one of a kind items, be sure to visit our friends over at All Enchanting Ears! You can use the promo code DLWEEKLY10 to get 10% off your order! We have partnered with the Howard Johnson Anaheim Hotel & Water Playground to get great deals for our listeners! Book your stay at the Howard Johnson Anaheim and get 15% off your stay (code 1000022077)! Magic Key Holders get 20% off their stay (code 1000025935) as well! Book now! Need the perfect bag for your days in the parks? Look no further than Designer Park Co.! Purchase the Rope Drop Bag as featured on Episode 222 and get 10% off your purchase! Use coupon code DLWEEKLY to get the discount.

News:

Some unconfirmed information set the online theme park community into a frenzy this week. Anika Noni Rose, the voice of Tiana from Princess and the Frog, was interviewed on the “Kelly and Ryan” talkshow and made a comment that the Splash Mountain refurbishment had a projected opening of 2024. This is the first time that a solid timefram has been spoken about. Disney would not confirm of deny the information, but released a statement that they will have more to share at the Essence Festival of Culture in New Orleans in July. – https://www.micechat.com/323486-disneyland-update-new-views-booking-up-locking-out/ At Star Wars Celebration last week, it was announced at one of the panels that new scenes would be coming to Star Tours. No details have been released on what the scenes will be, but it is always a welcome addition to have more options. Once we know more, we will be sure to talk about it on a future episode! – https://www.disneyfoodblog.com/2022/05/27/disney-hints-at-new-star-tours-scenes/ As we reported last week, Radiator Springs Racers was forced to close after an incident where smoke was coming from one of the ride vehicles. After a 10-day closure, the attraction reopened on Friday, June 3rd. Still no official word on what the cause of the incident was, but a former Disneyland Maintenance Cast Member told MiceChat that the ride vehicles break down regularly and curcuit breakers in each car will cause the vehicle to stop when problems arise. – https://www.ocregister.com/2022/06/03/disneyland-reopens-radiator-springs-racers-after-smoking-car-closes-ride-for-more-than-a-week/ and https://www.micechat.com/322588-disneyland-news-radiator-springs-racers-incident-blue-bayou-return-info/ and https://disneyland.disney.go.com/dining/disneyland/fantasmic-dinner-packages/availability-modal/ Guests at Disneyland can dine at a favorite restaurant that has recently reopened in a limited capacity. The Blue Bayou has returned and is not taking online reservations, but guests can join the walk-up wait list for lunch or dinner at the podium at the restaurant, or through the Disneyland mobile app. Pirates of the Caribbean is still closed for refurbishment, so the view may not be as magical as normal. The Fantasmic! dining package lists reservation times starting on June 16th. – https://twitter.com/DisneyParks/status/1532803837068824578 MiceChat was able to obtain aerial photos of Toon Town progress this week. From the air, we can see that all of the pavement in the land has been removed and is currently dirt. The facade of the El CapiTOON theater is looking more and more complete. The area where the new park will be located has been cleared and awaiting work to start. Both fountains in the land have also been removed, along with the gazebo in front of the City Hall building. – https://www.micechat.com/323486-disneyland-update-new-views-booking-up-locking-out/ The former entrance to Tarzan’s Treehouse has come out from behind walls this week. The area is much more open now for guest traffic heading out of Adventureland toward the bridge over the Pirates queue. Once again, there is not any theming on the new concrete. The lack of the entrance also allows parts of New Orleans Square to be visible throughout Adventureland. – https://www.micechat.com/323486-disneyland-update-new-views-booking-up-locking-out/ We are one week into June, and Celebrate Soulfully has officially kicked off at Disneyland. In Disney California Adventure, groups have been performing at the Hollywood Pictures Backlot stage, and in front of Carthay Circle daily, and seasonal food offerings scattered about. – https://www.micechat.com/323486-disneyland-update-new-views-booking-up-locking-out/ For anyone who has never seen Fantasmic! or would like some tips on how to best experience it, the Orange County Register posted some tips. Among the best tips are to make sure to find a spot in front of one of the mist screens. They are located in front of the island, and on both sides. If you find yourself in the middle of the screens, the view isn’t as good. The other stand out tip is to catch the second show of the night. The second show is always less crowded and it is impossible to sit for hours holding a spot since the entire area is cleared after the first show, and fireworks afterward. The longest you will have to wait is about an hour. – https://www.ocregister.com/2022/06/03/7-tips-for-watching-the-return-of-fantasmic-at-disneyland/ Much like the electrical parade, there is a favorite treat at Disneyland that keeps on returning. The Fluffernutter churro is available once again at Willie’s Churros on Buena Vista Street in Disney California Adventure. The churro is a standard churro, topeed with a peanut butter sauce, marshmallow sauce, and chocolate chips. The churro is available for $6.75. – https://dlnewstoday.com/2022/06/review-fantastic-fluffernutter-churro-returns-to-disney-california-adventure/ When we were there last month, there was a line of walls up in front of Ariel’s Undersea Adventure. Those walls have finally come down to reveal that they were just replacing the concrete in this area. This is just some of the walkway repaving that has been going on around the entire resort. – https://www.micechat.com/323486-disneyland-update-new-views-booking-up-locking-out/