Disney California Adventure Discussion Thread

[Austin]

I keep track of all the progress of the construction as it happens and I'll post updates here as I get news.

NPN just posted this video of world of color. Its truly a amazing show and the video was from a hotel balcony, can you just imagine what it is going to be like right there in front of it!

<iframe frameborder="0" width="450" height="380" src="http://www.LaughingPlace.com/embed.asp?type=video&ID=1306">
</iframe>

DCA Projects Completed


Toy Story Midway Mania - Completed June 17, 2008
Sun Wheel - Transformed into Mickeys Fun Wheel, Opened on May 4th, 2009
Midway Games - Transformed into Games of the Boardwalk, opened on April 7th, 2009
Golden Zephyr - Completed in early April 2010. Was completely repainted and cleaned up. It is now a bright red
California Screamin - Completed. Mickey ears were removed off the loop and the new Paradise Pier signage installed on the loop. Finished in April 2009
Golden Dreams - Demolished. Was removed to make way for the Little Mermaid ride
Princess Dot Puddle Park - Completed. Underwent a minor refurbishment
Award Wieners - Completed. Underwent an extensive refurbishment while the Red Car Line was being built in front of it
Golden Vine Trattoria - Completely renovated and expanded. Renamed Wine Country Trattoria.
Redwood Creek Challenge Trail - Completed a minor refurbishment.
Orange Stinger - Soft-opened on May 28th, officially reopened on June 11th as Silly Symphony Swings.
The Vineyard Room - Merged into the former Golden Vine Trattoria and opened as Wine Country Trattoria on June 11th.
Paradise Bay - World Of Color has officially opened on June 11th.
Golden State Amphitheater - Completed. Converted into a viewing area for Disney's World of Color and renamed Paradise Park
Tower of Terror Fastpass - Completed. Fastpasses was not offered from April 15 to August 15 to facilitate construction of a permanent route to Bugs Land
Bug's Land/Tower of Terror connector - Completed. It was closed from April 19 to August 15 to make it a permanent route between the two areas
S.S. Rustworthy - Removed. Closed the day after labor day to be demolished to make way for the dining patio of the Boardwalk Pizza and Pasta restaurant
Little Mermaid - Completed. New dark ride themed to Little Mermaid.
Burger Invasion - Replaced by another restaurant.
Corn Dog Castle - Renovated and opened in late Spring 2011.
Souvenir 66 - Reopened as Seaside Souvenirs in Spring 2011.
Mailboomer/Park - Park opened in early 2011.
Mulholland Madness - Reopened in early July with a Goofy theme.
Pizza Oom Mow Mow - Reopened in early July with a new look.


Under Construction and Planned

Cars Land - Under Construction. All buildings are under some form of construction. Ride systems are in place in all rides. Painting is continuing and the scaffolding is starting to come down on alot of the completed areas. Scheduled to open in 2012
Red Car Line - Under Construction. Phase 4 has begun and will open to everyone in early 2012.
Buena Vista Street - The new entrance has opened and this whole project will take approximately 9 months to complete. Golden Gate bridge will begin to be removed in mid July.
Blue Sky Cellar - Closes periodically to update the displays. Next update will showcase the next phases of Paradise Pier mainly on Little Mermaid

[Jp]

wow. Amazing

[Austin]

The end where it all goes red and etc is one of the most amazing pieces of a show I've ever seen. Props to Disney on an amazing addition!

[Changsucks]

I can't wait to see it.

[Austin]

The whole Paradise Pier is looking great. That viewing area is really really nice and has come along so much in the past 2 weeks. Walls on that are supposed to be coming down this week sometime but wont be open to the public yet. While im on those projects ill get the list up top going.

Ive updated the first post with all the current DCA projects including a update on each project.

[palmer]

Maybe DCA can send Maliboomer to a different park, perhaps GADV, who needs it, really, really, really bad.

[Austin]

I think Mailboomer, while it was a great thrill ride and popular, just wasnt Disney. I hope it gets sold to another park though.

[Changsucks]

Maliboomer was just a filler ride, like Mulholland Madness, the Orange Stinger (now Silly Symphony Swings) and Jumpin' Jellyfish. They're there to make the area look decent now, but once everything in Paradise Pier is finished, they can move on with phase two and replace them with quality rides.

[nitrofan]

So they're basically renovating the entire park?

[Changsucks]

Eventually, pretty much. It's a small park.

[Austin]

I think if they took the time to renovate Orange Stinger it will end up staying for at least the next 10 years. Too bad they didn't follow through on the Fun Wheel. I cant wait until they start major work on the front section of the park. But like I said, they've already cut corners on some parts and they could again elsewhere in the park.

[Austin]

Heres an update from April 9th.

Little Mermaid has gone vertical.

http://www.disneygeek.com/progress/pier_mermaid/2010_04_09_IMG_1473.jpg

A new display case has been added in Blue Sky Cellar to show pictures of construction behind the walls of Cars Land and the Red Car Line and Paradise Park.

New and more detailed street lamps have been installed along the current stretch of the Red Car Line construction site. Some light poles down by the Parade Gate have lights used for parades now and the rest will be up soon. This section of the Red Car Line will be completed in the next 5 days. The next section of construction looks like it will start where the bricks in this picture end.

http://www.disneygeek.com/progress/dca_redcar/2010_04_09_IMG_4394.jpg

Silly Symphony Swings: Railing has been installed and the lower half of the walk way buildings have taken shape and some details are beginning to emerge. I thought they was going to do a wooden boardwalk around the base?

Cars Land: The white test track has been given a surface to match the rest of the track. Rebar and forms are going up for other parts of the ride to begin building the track there. Footers for other sections of the ride have gone in and the show building has its footers going in.

Paradise Park: On April 9th walls and curtains were placed around the testing trailers and on the 10th the outside walls were removed. In the center stage area some woodwork and painting was being done. Earlier in the week execs came out to watch the play fountain test but might not be ready to open.

Heres an overview:

http://www.disneygeek.com/progress/wonderful_world_color/2010_04_09_IMG_1375.jpg

This is right by the fountain:

http://www.disneygeek.com/progress/wonderful_world_color/2010_04_09_IMG_1691.jpg

Anyone want to hack a play fountain? lol.

World of Color: No major changes except weights were added to the corners to weigh the platform down and stabilize it.

http://www.disneygeek.com/progress/wonderful_world_color/2010_04_09_IMG_1349.jpg

[Austin]

Heres an update from 4/16/10

Red Car Line - Walls down Sunset/Hollywood Boulevard have been taken down except for one small area to continue replacing a lightpole and concrete work. Walls are going down around Tower of Terror and will be put up down the stretch of the walkway that goes past Tower of Terror to begin the next section of the track.

Cars Land - More concrete has been formed to create the base of future track to be built. Additional steelwork has been done that will hold the rockwork. Footers continue to go in for the show building.

Silly Symphony Swings - Hand railing is still being installed and the ride was tested and video taped for some reason.

Little Mermaid - Building continues to grow and expand daily.

Paradise Park - This section has now opened mostly. Lower boardwalk and area of the trailers was still closed off. Lower boardwalk just needs to have the steps finished before it can open. By the end of the day they were finished but needed to be stained.

World of Color - Testing began before the park closed. Some waterscreens were moved around as part of the adjustment period.

[nitrofan]

Walls down Sunset/Hollywood Boulevard have been taken down except for one small area to continue replacing a lightpole and concrete work.

Finally! I couldn't believe Disney would do something like that.

I think it may have been better for them to just close the park for 6 months and hammer out the whole park refurb and open looking brand new though.

[Austin]

Well it was still accessible but they had to put signs up to let people know that only the sidewalks were.

Yeah that might have been better but I'm pretty happy I get to see it in progress lol. I have no idea what they'll do when they get to working at the lobby to build the theater thing at the corner.

[Jp]

More pictures havve been posted!!
http://www.westcoaster.net/updates.php?updateCD=041910

[Austin]

Yep lol. I get my updates off of westcoaster and disneygeek, mainly westcoaster since geek does an update once a week but its usually a really good update.

[Jp]

http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2010/04/the-date-youve-been-waiting-for-world-of-color-water-spectacular-debuts-june-11-at-disneys-california-adventure-park/
Lights, water, fire, music and animation will come together like never before on June 11 when “World of Color” makes its dazzling debut at Disney’s California Adventure park. You will get to experience some of your favorite Disney stories – from the charming to the adventurous – in a magical, new way.

Many of you, as readers of the Disney Parks Blog, have been following our documentation of the development of this playful, nighttime water spectacular. I’ve loved reading your comments and sharing in the enthusiasm for this highly anticipated show, and we want you to be among the first to see some up-close footage we recently captured during a rehearsal.

Enjoy the video and a special introduction from the man behind the magic, Steve Davison from Walt Disney Imagineering Creative Entertainment.

As you saw in the video, the show is brilliantly choreographed as it combines nearly 1,200 powerful fountains, popular Disney music, larger-than-life projections, lasers, fire, fog, surround sound and stunning images. On top of that, the magnificent, moving fountains are capable of reaching enormous heights — from 30 to 200 feet -– while maintaining their dazzling colors.

As I’m sure you know from reading the Disney Parks Blog, “World of Color” is a major milestone in the multi-year expansion of Disney’s California Adventure park.

“World of Color” debuts this year as part of Summer Nightastic! –- a lineup of exciting, after-dark entertainment at the Disneyland Resort. Summer Nightastic! will run from June 11 through August 29, and you’ll be able to catch “World of Color” year-round at Paradise Bay.

Now that you’ve had a glimpse of the show, what do you think about “World of Color” so far?

New video up. Nothing on Alice in Wonderland or lil' squirt....

http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2010/04/the-date-youve-been-waiting-for-world-of-color-water-spectacular-debuts-june-11-at-disneys-california-adventure-park/
http://parksandresorts.wdpromedia.com/media/disneyparks/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/woc410008LARGE.jpg

[Austin]

Construction walls have now moved directly in front of the Tower of Terror and the temporary entrance to TOT has also opened. In addition, the temporary pathway connector to Bugs Land has also closed.

http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d20/nonob88/89993566-325fdc7fcf61fab86c270254d5.jpg?t=1271984059

[palmer]

I never realized how much stuff they really are working on out in DCA. I thought it was just bye bye to Maliboomer, bringing the Cars land, the new swing ride/Little Mermaid, and the water show. They are just completely going all in on the park. Let's hope this all works in the long run for the park.

[Austin]

Thats only phase 1 lol. Phase 2 will pretty much shut the main gates down when they start working on building a giant theater and other attractions in the area as well as updating the area to fit the new theme. I think it will work though.

[Jp]

Today they released pictures of one of the Radiator Springs Racers Vehicles, for Carsland!
http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2010/05/first-look-cars-land-welcomes-the-first-test-vehicle-for-radiator-springs-racers/
Vroom, Vroom…Vroooooom! If you’re in Disney’s California Adventure park this week, you just may hear the sound of engines revving. It’s very exciting because you’re actually hearing the first early ride system tests for Radiator Springs Racers, the new E-ticket attraction coming to the all-new Cars Land, which opens in 2012.
http://parksandresorts.wdpromedia.com/media/disneyparks/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/cars1_10238small.jpg
This Radiator Springs Racers test vehicle arrived this morning, and while you’re not likely to get a good view of the car on a visit to the Park, we’re sharing some fun behind-the-scenes photos we took earlier today.
http://parksandresorts.wdpromedia.com/media/disneyparks/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/cars3_1small.jpg

[Austin]

Definately nicer then the ones at Test Track

[nitrofan]

Why are they testing it 2 years before the ride opens?

[Austin]

because it took forever to get test track to work correctly and they dont want to have the same issues this time. That was the main complaint against Radiator Springs

[Austin]

Updated the completed and planned projects list.

[palmer]

Is there any stats on this ride?

[Austin]

I'll get updates on them all once westcoaster puts in the newest report.

[Austin]

Ill have ride updates this afternoon sometime. Theres been a substantial amount of work done.

Now for some ride updates:

Blue Sky Disney: A quick change up took out a few things to show off more on World of Color
Golden Vine Trattoria and The Vineyard Room: Opening dates have been pushed back. Construction of a large wooden trellis is underway currently. Everything seems to be wrapping up on it though
Tower of Terror/Bugs land Connector: No visible progress
Redwood Creek Challenge Trail: Should be finishing up in the next three days. Just a general refurbishment
Plaza outside of S.S. Rustworthy: Concrete pouring is finishing up and could be open in the next few weeks
Cars Land: Steel for another ride has arrived on site and the first car for the Racers has arrived
Silly Symphony Swings: Most of the scaffolding has come down and work is rapidly finishing up. It looks really good from what I can tell
World of Color: Adjustments are wrapping up it appears and they have been lowering the platforms to storage level more frequently
Red Car Line: Westcoaster hasnt taken a look over the walls so not much of an update. About right now id say they are laying the track
Little Mermaid: Show building is still being constructed and the roof is being finished up

[Austin]

Update from May 21st from Disneygeek.com

Silly Symphony Swings - CM's have been given a tour now, the swings are painted red, and everything is about finished except for some painting and definitely looks to be ready by the 28th
Red Car Line Phase 2 - New light poles have replaced the older, less detailed ones. Not much else can be seen though.
Little Mermaid - Nothing major compared to the 17th
World of Color - Sandbags have been strapped to the decking in an attempt to level it out even more.
Park outside of the SS Rustworthy - Everything is finished and will probably open with the Silly Symphony Swings Friday. Looks very nice I must say.
Cars Land - More concrete poured, additional steel installed, the usual stuff. No testing though on the Racers.
World of Color viewing area - The lower boardwalk looks complete and trashcans and life preservers have been placed around the walk. Should open soon also. My guess would be this Friday to go with the swings, and the new park.

[nitrofan]

VERY IMPORTANT UPDATE!!!

The park has been renamed. It is now Disney California Adventure.

Why did they even bother renaming it?

[Austin]

No idea haha. I updated the page today as I was going through all of them.

Also, Silly Symphony Swings has opened. Its very very detailed. The ride op booth is themed as a conductors stand. Very nice little things all over it.

[palmer]

VERY IMPORTANT UPDATE!!!

The park has been renamed. It is now Disney California Adventure.

Why did they even bother renaming it?

Did they change anything in the name?

[Austin]

They changed Disney's to Disney

[nitrofan]

Did they change anything in the name?

Appearently Disney no longer owns the park.

[Austin]

I think they still own it. I'll find out more later on tomorrow.

[say hi]

I'd think they would still own the park with all the money being pumped into it. I'd say the name change has more to do with getting the theme of the park away from being Disney's representation of California's history and the such to, ITS A DISNEY ADVENTURE IN CALIFORNIA WITH PIXAR AND MICKEY.

at least, that's how I saw it...

[nitrofan]

I was being sarcastic. Of course they still own it. haha

[Austin]

Disney does know this sounds completely weird right haha?

[say hi]

I was being sarcastic. Of course they still own it. haha

Ah. I thought I caught it (the sarcasam) but then posted otherwise. Oh well. And @Austin: its by far the most awkward change. At least its still...DCA...right?

[Austin]

Heres a little update: World of Color is in "dress rehearsel" to open on Friday this week. And the water fountain playground on the viewing area also opened this week. For some reason the lower half of the viewing area (boardwalk) is still blocked off.

[nitrofan]

can you just imagine what it is going to be like right there in front of it!

I can imagine seeing what I'm seeing on that video, but getting wet at the same time.

[Austin]

Wow. Thats all I can saw after seeing disneygeeks pictures of the show and premier events. Its just utterly amazing.

With that said, World of Color is officially open, Silly Symphony Swings are officially open, and Paradise Park is completely open.

Pretty much, Paradise Park has its key elements finished aside from Little Mermaid. Time to update the first post.

Also, Blue Sky was updated and showed the concept art for the replacement of Pizza OOM Mow Wow, Souvenier 66, the replacement of the rest of the S.S. Rustworthy, and Mailboomer. Also released was the full concept art of the rethemed Mullholland Madness (same type of wild mouse as Road Runner Express at KK) to become Goofys Sky School. Based off the shorts featuring goofy that ran from 1940s to the 50s where goofy learned how to do things, like how to fly, how to get a job etc.

Overall next Spring Paradise Park will be complete. And It will look amazing. After Paradise Park is finished focus will shift to the parks entrance and the completion of the Red Car Line. The Park is finally living up to the Disney name.

[Austin]

Theres been some considerable progress recently.

First the 2nd of 3 phases on the Red Car line has been installed. The tracks now run from the backstage storage building for the trolleys to just past Tower of Terror. All thats left is the portion of the line to be installed between the already completed sections and then it should be just about ready to begin operations.

The new connector to Bug's Land has also been finished so they no longer use the temporary entrance by Tower of Terror.

Mesh for the rock work has gone up on the front of Cars Land and the show building continues to rise. The large turn around has pieces of track in place and the temporary track from the test loop has been removed. The pit for Luigi's Flying Tires is almost complete and forms have been placed in it. Flo's Dinner also has gone vertical recently.

Little Mermaid has finished vertical construction and they are now place sheet rock, piping, concrete, and that stuff onto the building so pretty soon we wont be able to see inside =/

New walls by Burger Invasion have gone up around a former smoking location that will become home to a new shop/restaurant in the new Victorian Gardens portion of the Pier. work will begin soon on the transformation of Burger Invasion to get it finished by next May. Next spring will mark the end of the transformation of Paradise Pier!

Mailboomer will also be removed in the next month or so to give the new Victorian Gardens a place to expand into. Mulholland Madness will be closing soon also to receive its new theme which will re-open next spring also.

[Austin]

Ok a quick update on construction.

Carsland: Steel for the show building rock work is rising still. The foundation work for the Icon of carsland is being poured and forms and concrete are now installed in Luigis.

Red Car Line: Walls are now set up to connect the finished portions of track. The walls do however block the back of the backlot area so you have to go through Flik's Fun Fair for a while to get to Hyperion and Tower of Terror. While the back is shut down they are painting the Hyperion and refurbishing the facades.

Glowfest: This has moved out of the backlot and into Sunshine Plaza.

California Screamin': The tubes that cover the launches are being painted a brighter blue.

Mulholland Madness area: Behind the walls that was set up recently is the ground work to prepare to move PT Fleas once Bountiful Farms closes.

Little mermaid: Duct work continues.

Not much else going on but major developments in the past few days. Red Car Line construction is estimated to take about 3-5 weeks.

[nitrofan]

Does anyone else find this sign pathetic?

http://www.westcoaster.net/images/updates/092010/092010-dca004-sm.jpg

http://www.westcoaster.net/updates.php?updateCD=092010

[Austin]

No because Mailboomer doesnt fit the park. Plus the concept art shows the replacement will make the park much better.

[nitrofan]

No because Mailboomer doesnt fit the park. Plus the concept art shows the replacement will make the park much better.

That's not the point, I just found that sign to be pathetic.

[Austin]

Then whats wrong with the sign?

[Truth Seeker]

I believe it's the, "Lush new park," part.

[Austin]

Its to be used in conjuction with the new Paradise Pier dining Complex (Burger Invasion and Pizza Oom Mow Wow)

Plus it gives the park something it needs. Mailboomer didn't. The park doesnt need it and never did need it.

[nitrofan]

Its to be used in conjuction with the new Paradise Pier dining Complex (Burger Invasion and Pizza Oom Mow Wow)

Plus it gives the park something it needs. Mailboomer didn't. The park doesnt need it and never did need it.

The fact that the sign says "We're planning a lush new park just for you" as a reason for why the giant drop tower is being dismantled seems kind of pathetic to me.

And I don't really understand why the theme park needs a "grass park". If someone wanted to sit in a bench with grass, they would have gone to a free park instead of paying $76 to sit on Disney's benches.

[Austin]

You dont get it do you? Mailboomer and Tower of Terror. Two identical rides. Disneys of course is the higher quality/high tech/dark ride drop tower and less then a football field away is a low tech ugly S&S.

The park is being added like I said repeatedly before to be used as part of the Paradise Pier dining area.

[nitrofan]

You dont get it do you? Mailboomer and Tower of Terror. Two identical rides. Disneys of course is the higher quality/high tech/dark ride drop tower and less then a football field away is a low tech ugly S&S.

The park is being added like I said repeatedly before to be used as part of the Paradise Pier dining area.

So you would rather have a park with grass and benches that you can eat food on than a drop tower? A drop tower matches the boardwalk theme of the area better than grass does. Have you ever seen grass growing on a boardwalk?

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v647/dustysage/bsc-paradise-pier-before.jpg

And you think this looks ugly? I think it fits into the skyline really nicely and looks good in the area.

[Austin]

No the drop tower never did fit the theme and never will fit the theme. Its not a boardwalk theme, its a 1940s theme. There never was a boardwalk theme.

It does fit the skyline but since when did skyline matter when it came to park needs? Sorry there is no need for duplicate rides. Especially when there is one 100x better at the same park. In fact its the only ride being removed. Guess what, DCA is more then compensating for it. 3 new E-tickets, two re-themed rides, a whole new area that was built from scratch, a new C and D ticket rides, and the Red Car line as well as the new entrance area.

You cant argue that removing it will kill the park. The park has nothing to lose.

[nitrofan]

I don't think it will kill the park, I just saw their sign, and when I read it, I thought "So they're removing a drop tower, and replacing it with grass and benches." How many people do you really think will be excited (outside of enthusiasts).

[Austin]

No one, but I am. Its moving the park in the right direction. No one has even complained about this at all until the walls went up last week.

Just for comparison, Epcot had just received a new meet and greet location for Mexican Donald and all it was is a giant long wall themed to a temple. Nothing else. Yet people went ecstatic over it, and it was just a wall. The finished product will look great at DCA. If all goes to plan Paradise Pier should be completed by June of 2011! Then focus should be shifted towards the Hotels and the Park Entrance area.

[nitrofan]

Where are you hearing that people complained about the ride?

And who are these "people" at EPCOT?

[Changsucks]

I'm torn on the removal of Maliboomer... Like Austin said, it doesn't fit the park and it isn't needed. It's a filler ride. But if it isn't going to be replaced by anything better than grass and benches, I don't see the point.

[Austin]

No one said a word about the removal and replacement until this week even though I had confirmed it several weeks back and other more reliable sources confirmed it also. All I had heard was complaints against the rides shields.

[Austin]

Walls are now up around the mural outside of the entrance. Looks like we will see big changes to the entrance and entrance plaza once ElecTRONica is finished.

[Austin]

Heres a mini update.

More detail work is popping up behind Little Mermaids black tarps.

Looking through the Mailboomers tarps you can see that about 1/4 of it has been removed.

Over in Carsland/farmers area work has progressed on the new buildings substanially. The Cozy Cones are going up. The initial concrete rock facade is now ready for paint and the Racer track is ready to get its coating.

In the dining area in Paradise Pier, Pizza Oom Mow Wow has now been completely gutted leaving only Burger Invasion to be stripped down. Concrete removal is also underway. In addition the remnants of the Rustworthy have been completely removed and Mullholand Madness has about 3 weeks left before it closes.

In the front, the right side mural is slowing being removed. About 1/3 is gone on that part.

In the Red Car Line/Backlot area the painting is completed and all thats left is one small work area on a marquee sign. Red Car Line phase 3 is coming close to being finished.

[Austin]

The last planned ride to be closed has now closed. Mullholand Madness will be behinds walls until April 30, 2011

[Austin]

The first youtube video has been found of the parks Firework, Fountain, Fire and Laser show to welcome in the New Year and its, well I have to sya I was blown away. I havent seen anything like that before:

<object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/JWKSLCGzGUI?fs=1&amp;hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/JWKSLCGzGUI?fs=1&amp;hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>

[Jp]

Thats FREAKIN' amazing they did alot better than Fiesta Texas did (Youtube Video)

[nitrofan]

I watched the first 2 minutes. Did I miss something? It was cool, but I wouldn't say I was blown away. Did something amazing happen in the last 3 minutes?

[Austin]

How can you not be blown away? That beats anything SFFT can throw at it.And we even have a SFFT local who loves that show say that that was pretty amazing and better. Watch all of it.

[Changsucks]

Lmao, Justin Beiber comes on and everyone boos. :p But that was really cool, wish I was there...

[Austin]

Haha I laughed about that. I wish I was there to haha.

[nitrofan]

How can you not be blown away? That beats anything SFFT can throw at it.And we even have a SFFT local who loves that show say that that was pretty amazing and better. Watch all of it.

I watched the rest of it, and it was cool, but I still wasn't blown away.

[SFNE Expert]

I have to agree with nitro here. The fire part was pretty cool but thats about it. But then again. I <3 fire.

[Austin]

Ok time for an update. Well ok a pretty big update.

Mural Rmoval: Both murals have been removed

New Entrance/California letter removal: Letters have been taken out and now a major portion of the walkway has been walled up to allow the new entrance gate to be built. The current plan is to close the rest of the entrance and move the entrance to the backlot behind Soarin' to allow the entire original entrance to be built and finished.

Sunshine Plaza: The Sun Icon, and reflectors have been removed. The walls behind the elecTRONica stage have been pushed out further as the removal and grading of the new Carthay Circle Theatre continues.

Red Car Line: The third phase of the construction has ended. No more progress will be made until the entire plaza and entrance is closed.

Playhouse Disney: Closed. Will reopen next month with a new addition to the show and new characters.

Little Mermaid: One side of the building is mostly done. The front is stil under heavy construction but wont take much longer. The roof pieces are going up now and the covered queue is also being installed. Inside the ride is most likely coming close to being nearly done. Just 4 more months until the ride opens!

Goofy's Sky School: The ride has closed, all themeing has been removed and as of this last week the ride has begun to be painted. Another 4 or 5 months left for this one also.

Mailboomer/Paradise Park: Yes its still hanging around. Some things have been left over and have been sitting around for the past couple of months. The queue covering, the poles that held the signs and warnings etc also. But they have started removing them and work is expected to accelerate now. 4 Months on this also.

Boardwalk and Pizza and surrounding area: The new facade is being erected at a mind blistering pace. The new floor has also been poured and the interior is also going in. The former Burger Invasion has no facade. The seating area between them and Goofy's Sky School has some trees and the pipe work is going on. Scheduled to open in 4 or 5 months.

Carsland: In the past few months Carsland was topped out, a majority of the steel has been installed and the buildings for other things have been flying together. The rockwall by the Wharf has been getting painted. Luigi's flying tires has gotten its floor and the facade and queue are under construction, the crazy cones have been under heavy construction. The racers station has is roof and the exterior is going up fast. The mesh for the rock walls have gone up on just about every steel section there is. Bountiful farms has been graded and recieved piping. Still on track for 2012. Pretty impressive super structure for the rocks I must say.

[Jp]

Exclusive First Look Behind the Scenes if The Little Mermaid - Ariel's Undersea Adventure
As the exciting expansion of Disney California Adventure park moves forward, the Disney Parks Blog continues to give you a front row seat and backstage pass to all of the excitement. Since the expansion was announced, we have opened Toy Story Mania!, Games of the Boardwalk, Mickey’s Fun Wheel, Silly Symphony Swings and of course, the nighttime spectacular, “World of Color.” Now, Walt Disney Imagineering has turned its sights to the next highly-anticipated opening: The Little Mermaid ~ Ariel’s Undersea Adventure, coming soon in 2011. In this video, Imagineer Lisa Girolami takes you behind the curtain (or under the waves) to give you a first look at Ariel’s world. From the drawing board to the incredible scenery, this is an attraction sure to make a splash with guests.
http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2011/01/exclusive-first-look-behind-the-scenes-of-the-little-mermaid-ariel%E2%80%99s-undersea-adventure/

Check the VIDEO on LINK!!

[Austin]

The weekend update:

Paradise Park: Trees will be arriving soon
Little Mermaid: The blue curved roof is slowly wrapping its way around the building. The dome for one of the towers is also onsite. The facade is coming along also.
Carsland: The turnaround track for the Racer's has recieved its anti-skid coating. Cadillac Range is finishing up getting the wire framing and concrete is being poured also. Work continues on everything else.
Goofy's Sky School: Supports are nearly done being painted light blue and the track is about 40% white.

Everything else is about the same. The big news being the Sky School's paint.

[Austin]

Its been a few months so I think its time to put out a mini-update on what its probably the biggest theme park redevelopment/expansion ever attempted.

Little Mermaid - The exterior is 98% completed. All scaffolding is down on the building and the rotunda was unveiled in its new colors. Which contrast completely from the actual building. All that is left is the outside queue, finishing up covering the queue with the blue room and the landscaping around it.

Paradise Park - It is partially open and from the pictures isnt anything to write home about. They put new covers on the old mailboomer queue so that raises some questions as to what they replacement is for this area. Which by all signs is a temporary placeholder until the 2nd phase of the expansion around 2015. Its not official but its been talked about alot.

Goofy's Sky School - Everything is re-painted, scaffolding is going up now to begin adding the theme to it. The water tower that will serve as the entrance is also up and looks very nice. All trains are back on the ride and have all the details that were shown added to them. They even did a few test runs on Saturday.

Carsland - All the tail fins on Cadillac Range have been poured except the very last one. Once it is finished roughly 90% of the rock work will be completed (from a concrete perspective) The radiator cap in the center is getting its wire frame and will likely begin to get poured soon. all the buildings are going up and some are even getting a few details added. Mater's retaining wall is also almost finished which means work should begin sooner than later on the majority of the ride. Just around a year to go on this piece of the park!

Souvenir 66/Corn Dog Castle - The area is under alot of work as the effort to re-theme the buildings is underway to open with the rest of the area in may/june. The walkway outside has new planters and a new concrete route which means the parades can fit through this area once again.

Paradise Pier Food Court area - Both resteraunts are in various stages of exterior progress. the Board Walk Pasta & Pizza is mostly enclosed and should begin getting the exterior touches put on soon. The other building is just beginning to get major work but its the smaller of the two and most work so far has been inside. both open with Goofy, Mermaid, and Corn Dog Castle/Souvenir 66. The food court seating area is also coming together. The beer stand is framed and is getting the exterior details it needs to be complete. The seating area is framed and is getting the roof put on.

Disney Junior Live - The show has re-opened with its new facade giving it a more 1930's-40's look.

Electronica - The show has moved almost entirely into the Hollywood Pictures Backlot as the walls are pushed out to allow for construction on the Carthay Circle Theatre.

Entrance gates - The area has gone vertical and the tops of the new towers are visible above the tarps. This project should be winding down soon since it isnt that big of a project in terms of scope.

Carthay Circle - The building has also gone vertical which means Electronica's giant stage had to be removed. It is now located in the backlot. Also a giant crane is on site to help construct the buildings skeleton.

Overall major changes to the look of the park. the next major news out of the park will be in May/June when they re-open all of Paradise Pier once again! Definitely excited for that

[Austin]

We got about another week to go before Paradise pier is complete! Friday Corn Dog Castle, Seaside Souvenirs were opened and the walls around Little Mermaid were removed. Tremendous progress I would say.

The last half of Paradise Pier is slated to open on June 3rd.

Now for the update on each piece of the makeover.

Carthay Circle Theatre - The building's skeleton has been completed. Metal roofing is going on now it appears.

Goofy's Sky School - All the signs on the ride are installed and the panels are painted to a cloud look. As of Friday they were cycling a few cars through the circuit. Opens around June 3rd.

Mermaid - Ride is close to completion. Just minor work left more than likely. All the walls are down showing off much of the exterior detail work. Opens June 3rd also.

Carsland - All tail fins are poured and are sculpted. Just left to paint now. Many buildings are under construction and it appears they are about to install the final pieces of track for Radiator Springs Racers.

Paradise Pier Food Court Area - The former Burger Invasion location is close to being finished. It just got the cashier stands installed and is getting various facade work but looks like it could be done soon. Boardwalk Pizza & Pasta is in various stages of being complete. The interior is just about done and the facade is about 50/50. The roof is going on it now while the drywall on the building is being painted and sculpted. Bay Brews is almost done also. The seating area is looking very nice. Palm Trees were just placed along the walkway and the covered portion is getting finished up. Opens June 3rd also.

Red Car Trolley - The finally stage of installation has begun. Walls are now installed out into the old plaza and run to the end of the last set of rails.

Overall most of the progress is located in Paradise Pier. Looking forward to the up close look at how it all looks when it all opens in about 14 days.

[nitrofan]

The Little Mermaid is currently soft-opening, and someone filmed a POV of the ride. Check it out!

<iframe width="560" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/aIarm5FEQXI" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[Austin]

Wow... what a great addition to the park! They really hit this one right out of the park! I cant even wait to see the one at WDW now.

[say hi]

Best part of that ride video, THE AWESOME CAST COSTUMES FOR THE RIDE.

/end sarcasm.

but no really, WDI has their mojo back! This and Star Tours II look VERY promising and look like worthy adds to any of their parks.

[Austin]

I can't believe I went before I could ride Star Tours 2 :(

[say hi]

I was happy I got one last ride last year on the original, that sucks you barely missed it. I missed Midway Mania's soft opening by...a week on my trip in 2008. I was highly annoyed.

[Austin]

You missed a great ride. WDI is definitely back. I'm looking forward to the next trip :D

[say hi]

YES it is great, got to ride it last year. I wasn't expecting much but...I loved it. a whole lot. but anyway, back to the DCA discussion. I really hope I can make it out to DLR in the next couple of years to see all of the changes. Honestly, I've been waiting for DCA to get it's act together and not be a construction mess whenever I visit.

Same with New Fantasyland at WDW I might not be there for a while either.

[Austin]

Yeah. I'm looking to go back to WDW around 2013 when the Dwarf coaster is done. DLR might be sooner since its only 2 parks so its going to be cheaper.

[Austin]

A new progress update is on the first post of the thread.

The park is really beginning to come together much more. Paradise Pier is now complete. Cars Land is about 6-8 months at the earliest from completion. Buena Vista Street is 9-10 months from completion. This is really becoming a true Disney park!

[Austin]

Wow I can't believe that in about 8 months the whole park will be pretty much finished!

The new temporary entrance has been opened which they actually put a little bit of time into to make it look nice.

Carthay Theater is getting its exterior facade added. And crews finished a portion of the Red Car Line route so that the work walls could be split in 2 allowing for guests to get around the park easier.

Most of the facades in the former entrance area have been removed.

Out in Cars Land they are beginning to remove the scaffolding on the rocks. They also are now putting the scaffolding up on the back of the rocks to cover the backside up and make it look complete. The majority of the work near the track for the Racers has been completed. And a few of the rides are actually mostly installed. As it starts to get close to opening they have now begun to add the exterior to all the buildings and will then move work inside.

The entrance area will open on May 30th with Cars Land opening within a month of that date.

[Jp]

Austin wish you kept on updating us!

[Austin]

Lol sorry for the lack of updates. Not much changes. But heres a year end review:

Buena Vista Street: Buildings are gutted and all new steel has been installed. Interior work is beginning. Also, ground work in some areas is progressing. I expect this area to open no later than April or May.
Cars Land: The entire mountain range (front side) has been painted and scaffolding is down to under 50-70 feet or lower. Concrete is now going in over the back of the mountain that faces the streets and buildings which should also be finished by June. Cozy Cones are being finished up. Lots of details have gone in like the leaning tower of tires at Luigis. Maters and Luigis are now in the test and adjust phase.
Carthay Circle: Alot of the scrims and scaffolding has come down in December. It looks overall complete from the exterior and I could see the walls around it coming down soon as well.
Red Car Line: This is a finished project, almost. Due to Buena Vista Street construction and the reopening of a path between Buena and the Carthay construction has been stopped pretty much. However track has been installed entirely. But in the pathway that was opened up they didnt add all the bricks. Instead they filled up the gaps with concrete. That will be removed and replaced with bricks this spring.

Paradise Park was complete this year. So now 1/2 of the park has been remodeled.

I really cant even believe my favorite theme park project is wrapping up :( Announced in 2007 (?) and now 5 years later there wont be anything to look at construction wise. Its really exciting to watch a park be reborn.

[CSM0fficial]

I'm going this summer so I'll try to get some pictures up!

[Austin]

I'm thinking of going for a quick 3 day trip in 2013. 2 days at the parks (1 each) and 1 to mess around town and what not.

[CSM0fficial]

^^You can definitely mess around in Downtown Disney lol. However I would recommend visiting Knott's Berry Farm, it's pretty close to Disneyland

[Jp]

I plan on going also! But I want to go to DCA on New Years!

[Austin]

DTD isnt much of a destination as WDW's lol. I might do Knott's on the day I leave and take a night flight home.

[CSM0fficial]

^yeah you could do the whole DTD in like 2 hrs ahahah. I would, Knott's is a decent park!