Disneyland Closed Morning of 3/3/12 – Reopens Approximately 11am Local Time

UPDATE: The suspicious object, reportedly in a tree near the ticket booths on the Downtown Disney side of the Esplanade, was found to be part of geocaching game. The object was considered suspicious because it was essentially a PVC pipe. As of 10:40 a.m. PST guests have been told the park will resume normal operations in approximately 15 minutes. The initial report of the closure is included below:

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Due to police activity in the Esplanade (between the Disney and Disney California Adventure entrances), the parks of the Disneyland Resort are closed. Guests are not being permitted to enter or exit at this time. The initial shutdown began around 8 or 9 a.m. local time and remains closed presently. We will update you with details if/when they become available.

Disneyland itself released this statement via its @Disneyland twitter account at 9:52 a.m. local time:

Unidentified object in Disneyland Esplanade. In abundance of caution, we are keeping guests away from area at this time. Updates to follow.

According to tweets from inside and outside the park, guests are generally being told it could be 4-5 hours until normal operations resume. Guests inside the park are apparently enjoying light crowds and mostly walk-on lines for attractions. Arriving guests are being held in Downtown Disney.  Shuttle service from the nearby hotels that arrive on the opposite end of the Esplanade have been ordered to halt service entirely until further notice.