monthly update - TouringPlans.com Blog

Welcome to the June 2012 edition of “This Month at Disneyland Resort,” your “CliffsNotes” guide to everything imminent at the Anaheim attractions. Better buckle up tight, because we are about to accelerate into the most momentous month at Disneyland since the turn of the millennium.

According to a count by the Orange County Register, 18 new “entertainment offerings” will be open within the next few weeks. So if you haven’t already booked your summer visit to Disneyland, you may want to consider holding off until autumn, since the resort is about to embark on what may be its busiest few months in memory.

All photos copyright Disney.

Crowd Calendar

Kiss that last relatively crowd-free month goodbye. As the June 15 relaunch of Disney California Adventure approaches, attendance is expected to intensify right up to the start of summer break, and stay stratospheric all season.

Quietest Day: Tuesday, June 12, will be the last “slow” day before the Cars Land crowds descend, with the resort at 5 out of 10 overall, and Disneyland Park predicted at only 3.1 (though it is a Grad Night).

Busiest Day: Because DCA will be closed on June 14, Disneyland will be at peak capacity on that day. After June 15, crowds will remain high at DCA and moderate at Disneyland, peaking on June 30.

Subscribe to the Touring Plans Disneyland Crowd Calendar for full details on predicted attendance for the next 30 days.

Special Events

• The entire Disney California Adventure park will be closed to the public all day on June 14 for press events, and to prepare for the grand opening the next day.
• A dedication ceremony will be held at the entrance to DCA on June 15 prior to its 9am opening. Thereafter, a daily “rope drop” ceremony will be held each morning.
• Grad Nights continue at both parks on June 1, 6-8, 12-14 (Disneyland on on 14th), 19, 21, and 22.
• Sneak Preview events at DCA will be held on June 9 and 10 for Passholders, Club 33 members, and D23 members purchasing special tickets.
• Annual Passholders can register now online for two early entries (one for each park) on select days between June 18 and September 13.
• Disneyland Resort introduces Extra Magic Hours on June 18, allowing Disneyland Resort hotel guests early entry into both parks on alternate days. The existing Magic Morning Hours program will continue to operate alongside Extra Magic Hours for purchasers of “bonus” parkhopper tickets.

Openings, Closings and Refurbishments

Disneyland Park

• Main Street U.S.A.’s Carnation Cafe reopens on June 13 with expanded seating and a refreshed menu.
• The Matterhorn Boblseds return to operation on June 15 following a lengthy refurbishment. Alpine climbers ascending the mountain will also return to the entertainment schedule.
• The Voices of Liberty, an Anaheim offshoot of Epcot’s a capella Americana act, begins daily performances in the Main Street Opera House (a.k.a. Mr. Lincoln’s lobby) on June 15.
• The special summer edition of The Magic, The Memories, and You that debuted on May 25th will continue to run on it’s a small world all month long.
• Billy Hill & The Hillbillies will relocate to the Festival stage behind Big Thunder Ranch for the summer season. The Laughing Stock Co. will perform inside the Golden Horseshoe.

Disney California Adventure

• The Ghirardelli Chocolate Shop & Soda Fountain opens inside the former Mission Tortilla Factory on June 7.
• The entire park will be closed to the public on June 14 for private press events and preparations.
• The Buena Vista Street and Cars Land areas, and all their attendant attractions, eateries, and amenities, officially open on June 15. That includes the Red Trolley Car vehicles, Radiator Springs Racers, Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree, and Luigi’s Flying Tires.
• Along with the new rides, live shows in the new lands include Red Car News Boys, the Five and Dime jazz group, and improvisational Citizens on Buena Vista Street; and a DJ car and squirting fire truck in Cars Land, along with interactive character photo-ops.
• A wealth of other new entertainment options also open on June 15, including daytime fountain shows with Conductor Goofy and Dancin’ with Disney interactive dance party in the seldom-used Stage 17.
• Beginning June 15, Hollywood Pictures Backlot will be rechristened Hollywood Land, and the former “Golden State” land will officially be divided into Grizzly Peak, Pacific Wharf, and Condor Flats on park maps.
• The Mad T Party, already in “soft opening,” officially begins on June 15.
• A Brave-themed segement will be temporarily be added to nightly showings of World of Color beginning June 15, replacing part of the Pirates of the Caribbean portion.
• The Pixar Play Parade returns to daily performances starting June 15 after a lengthy absence with some slightly revamped floats.
• The Carthay Circle Restaurant opens June 15 on Buena Vista Street, including the Carthay Circle Lounge and the members-only 1901 Club.

Downtown Disney

• The UVA Bar and LEGO store have both recently reopened after refurbishment.
• The WonderGround art gallery opens on June 9 in the former Island Charters space.
• Earl of Sandwich will open on a yet-unannounced day in June, replacing Compass Books.

Be sure to visit us daily during the DCA grand relaunch week for on-the-scene reports from the Touring Plans team!

Welcome to the first monthly installment of This Month at Disneyland, TouringPlans.com‘s regular round-up of upcoming events and operations in and around the Anaheim resort. If you are planning a visit to Disneyland in the next 30 days, this is your one-stop-shop for imminent information that may impact your vacation.

In addition to Disneyland.com and the Official Disney Parks Blog, much of the following news and photography comes courtesy of our friends at MousePlanet and MiceAge. Visit those sites for more images and up-to-the-minute updates.

Crowd Calendar

May may be your last best chance for crowd-free touring at Disneyland in 2012, since we expect the resort to be packed following California Adventure’s relaunch in mid-June. Weekdays this May should be especially low-key, with growing wait times on the weekends building towards Memorial Day.

• Quietest Days: Resort attendance should be lowest (1 out of 10) on May 3 and 7-9.
• Busiest Days: Resort attendance should be highest (8 out of 10) on May 25-28.

Subscribe to the Touring Pans Disneyland Crowd Calendar for full details on predicted attendance for the next 30 days.

Special Events

• Disneyland celebrates Cinco de Mayo on May 5. Look for decorations around Rancho del Zocalo, and a special menu at Tortilla Joe’s in Downtown Disney.
• AIDS Services Foundation of Orange County holds a charity walk at Disneyland early on the morning of May 6.
• On May 10, Disney Legend Alice Davis will receive a long-deserved tribute window on Main Street USA. The Imagineer was responsible for the costume designs of classic attractions including Pirates of the Caribbean and it’s a small world. Her window will be next to the one honoring her husband, late Imagineer Marc Davis.
• To celebrate the 20th anniversary of Fantasmic! on May 13, Disneyland is holding after-hours parties for Annual Passholders on May 14, 15, 21, & 22.
• Grad Nights return on May 10 & 11, 16-18, 23-25, 30 & 31. Expect large platoons of busses delivering hordes of teenagers to the resort for all-night parties on those evenings.

Opening, Closures, and Refurbishments

Disneyland

• The candy store, Penny Arcade, and Gibson Girl ice cream parlor on Main Street USA reopen on May 2 following a major refurbishment. Carnation Cafe remains closed until June 2.
• The Carnation Plaza Gardens closed forever on April 30, to be transformed into the Princess Fantasy Faire in 2013. Saturday swing dancing will be relocated to Downtown Disney in the interim.
• Beginning May 2, the Frontierland Festival Arena stage will become home to the Big Thunder Ranch Jamboree, with characters and crafts Friday-Sunday. This will also be where school musical groups perform.
• Matterhon Bobsleds remain closed for a major overhaul until June 15.
• Indiana Jones Adventure is closed for a quick refurb on May 1&2.
• Enchanted Tiki Room is closed May 7-10.
• Frontierland Shooting Exposition is closed now through May 25.
• A new summertime sandcastle sequence featuring “Phineas and Ferb” will be added to the Magic, Memories, and You show starting May 25.

Disney California Adventure

• Ariel’s Grotto restaurant is closed through May 3, and the attached Cove Bar is closed through June 1.
• Ariel’s Undersea Adventure is closed through May 3.
• Goofy’s Sky School is closed May 7-17.
• Buena Vista Street and Cars Land remain under construction until June 15, though some soft-openings are possible later in the month.

Downtown Disney

• The large LEGO Imagination store is under refurbishment, with no exact reopening date announced. The temporary LEGO store in the former home of Island Charter will become the WonderGround art gallery on June 9.
• Compass Books and Coffee is permanently closed, and will be replaced by Earl of Sandwich later this summer.
• The Sunglass Icon store is being remodeled and will reopen later this summer.

Other Area Attractions

• Transformers: The Ride officially opens on May 25th at Universal Studios Hollywood. The new 3-D dark ride is currently running in soft-opening; read the rave reviews on MiceChat here.