Myatt's Disneyland Info: Disneyland Trip Report: July 2016

We took our family of eight to Disneyland and California Adventure from July 17th through July 19th. We purchased 3 day park hopper tickets and stayed across the street at the Tropicana Inn & Suites which was a great place to stay. Here is our trip report in pictures:

We checked in to the Tropicana on the 16th at about 4:15 and went to the ticket booth that night to pick up our tickets.

Here is a picture of the ticket prices. One of the major reasons for the over-crowding problems Disneyland is experiencing is due to the monthly payment option Disneyland offers potential Annual Pass Holders. In fact, as you can see from the picture, they actually encourage it by only listing the monthly payment price instead of listing the total price of the Pass

Security was tighter as search dogs were present...

...and metal detectors were in use.

The increase in security lead to longer lines just to get to the esplanade. This picture was taken just a few minutes before 10:00 am.

Here are some pictures from Main Street:

The daily "high four" offered by cast members to early arriving guests. We always get to Disneyland a half hour before it opens to enjoy the smaller crowds in the mornings.

Located inside Great Moments with Mr Lincoln

Here's a close up of the plaque on the bench. A great piece of history to share with the kids.

Clean up following the July 17 birthday celebration. (Disneyland opened July 17, 1955 so every year they do a celebration on main street). As a side note, I was a little disappointed that Disneyland didn't do something special for their guests who attend on the actual birthday of Disneyland.

Main Street Cinema - one of the Park's original opening day attractions.

Another opening day attraction.

One of my favorite stores to look in.

A perfect place to grab a nice cool treat - although our favorite place for ice cream is The Golden Horseshoe in Frontierland.

Castle Bros. had some really nice new apparel:

The Plaza Inn has been operating since July 18, 1965 and before that was called the Red Wagon Inn, Walt Disney's personal favorite Restaurant. It was the only restaurant in Disneyland at the time to offer full course dinners.

About 11:00am each day is when the Park started to feel a bit crowded.

On to Fantasyland...

It's the little details such as this little window display located above the Peter Pan ride that are so often missed that add the extra touch of magic to Disneyland.

A cast member bringing out another boat at 9:30am on the Storybook Land Canal Boats, one of my very favorite rides.

Mr Toad. For some strange reason, this was one of my favorite rides as a kid. The same can't be said of my children, as in the past it has been quite a task to get them to want to go on it with me!

I'm happy to report that Disney has added a thin layer of padding to the seats of the Matterhorn making it a little more comfortable to ride. It is still quite "jerky" as my mom used to call it, and the new Yeti effects that were added last year are a little too intense for my liking.

For those with a little more life experience such as my self (hey, that's a nicer way of saying old), or Disney fanatics, you might recognize these stairs which are hidden out of the way and apparently lead to nowhere in particular. They used to lead to the Fantasyland Skyway Chalet, which as you can see by the blue sky through the trees in the picture, is no longer there. The Skyway was a fun gondola ride that you could use to be transported from Fantasyland to Tomorrowland all while enjoying a spectacular view of Disneyland. It opened in June of 1956 and was closed on November 9, 1994. Once the Matterhorn opened in 1959, the Skyway actually went through the center of the Matterhorn! At the time it was closed, Disney officials gave the reason for the closure as a staffing issue. They explained that the Skyway employees were needed to operate the new Indiana Jones ride that was going to be opening the following year. The LA Times also reported at that time that the Chalet would be used as a dining area but unfortunately those plans never came to fruition and the Chalet was completely demolished in May of 2016.

Now on to Tomorrowland:

The Tomorrowland train station which will remained closed until the Disneyland Railroad re-opens sometime in 2017.

Star Wars temporary home is in Tomorrowland until Star Wars Land opens in late 2018. Dark side banners hang from one side of the now defunct People Mover track...

...while light side banners hang from the other side.

Meanwhile, in the relatively new Star Wars Launch Bay, we had our picture taken with Chewbacca...

...and Kylo Ren. Meeting Kylo Ren is only available to Disney Visa Card holders. And as a warning, he is fully in character and intense...maybe too intense for young Jedi as you can see from my 2 year old in the picture.

Hyperspace Mountain consistently had the longest lines in Disneyland. Although I've never been a fan of Space Mountain, I was looking forward to trying out the newly Star Wars-themed ride.

Around 1:00pm the wait time for Star Tours was 60 minutes. At their peak, the wait times reached about 75 minutes. We got fast passes for it, though I'm embarrassed to admit that I only went on Star Tours one time this trip...Ironically enough, I had been talking to a friend of mine about Star Tours earlier on in the year and he mentioned that he couldn't go on Star Tours because he got motion sickness. I thought he was crazy, until I got a little queezy myself for the first time on it this year. I guess I'm getting old...

A well-themed stroller parking sign.

Autopia recently re-opened with a new sponsor - Honda.

The new blue and silver color scheme looks great!

The marquee had fun things displayed to help pass the time in line.

Autopia was my 9 year old son's favorite ride this year so we headed to it first thing on our second day. Unfortunately for some reason, Autopia didn't open that day until about 8:20 so we wasted some precious early morning time in line at an attraction that should have been open but wasn't.

Yet another nostalgic piece of history...This area was once an attraction called the Motorboat Cruise.. It was one of my favorites as a child. Unfortunately it was said to have closed due to the opening of Toontown, much the same way the Skyway closed for Indiana Jones. This area is now a lesser-known part of the park that is a nice, quiet place to sit and relax or enjoy a meal.

This is what the Motorboat Cruise looked like in 1984.

Off to Frontierland:

The Golden Horseshoe has become a yearly tradition for my family. Their hot fudge sundaes are a must and we've also become quite partial to their chicken nuggets.

The prices are typical Disney prices - on the high side for food - but the food is very filling and good here.

Chicken Breast Nuggets $9.49

Crispy Chicken Mixed Green Salad $9.99

Hot Fudge Sundae - a meal in itself! $6.49

Even though the Mark Twain Riverboat is docked while construction takes place on the Rivers of America, it is still open to exploration by park guests.

This poster, hanging on the construction wall on the way to Critter Country, has created quite a stir and has the rumor mills up and running. In the early days of Disneyland, there was a very popular train ride called the Mine Train Through Nature's Wonderland which operated until January 2, 1977. It was replaced by Thunder Mountain Railroad in 1979, though parts of the old ride still survive today, such as some of the buildings from the faux town which can be seen on the hills above the current waiting area for Thunder Mountain and the mine across the beaver pond on the Thunder Trail. With the re-routing of the Disneyland Railroad to make more room for the Star Wars Land expansion, some people believe that this poster confirms that somehow Nature's Wonderland will be worked into the new Disneyland Railroad Route possibly similar to how the Railroad goes through the Grand Canyon.

Heading for Adventure in Adventureland:

The Jungle Cruise - one of my all-time favorite rides!

On to Tarzan's Treehouse

I love the view from the tree house.

Now on to Critter Country via New Orleans Square:

I would love a chance to stay in the Dream Suite!

Hungry Bear Restaurant.

Even though this store is in the far corner of Disneyland Park, my kids love it! Rumor has it that soon it won't be in the far corner anymore as Disney is expected to build a walkway connecting Critter Country to Star Wars Land.

My girls love to get to Splash Mountain about 30 minutes before the park closes and ride it over and over again until the doors are closed!

I miss America Sings, but i'm glad the old performers were able to find a new home in Splash Mountain.

Last but certainly not least, the construction update:
Mickey's Toontown train station:

Major scaffolding was in place around the train depot.

Rivers of America:

A worker painting some logs. The process he was using was dipping his paint brush in the paint and then using a flicking motion to apply it to the logs, perhaps to give them a more rustic look.

Here's a shot of the cofferdam. Behind the dam, the river has been drained and dirt is being moved to re-route the river, train tracks, and re-shape the island. I like how they have added scenery to blend into the river in front. Also notice the trees immediately behind the dam. Those are trees that were up-rooted from the island and the berms around Disneyland but that are being saved for future use as seen in the next pictures...

Star Wars Land: