Disney historian & author Jim Korkis joins us to talk about what was going on at Disneyland in 1961, which was SIXTY years ago! Jim is known for his meticulous attention to getting the historical details correct. Plus, we discuss current Disneyland Resort events, as always.
Jim Korkis Books
We have authored two books: Cleaning The Kingdom: Insider Tales of Keeping Walt’s Dream Spotless and Cleaning The Kingdom: Night, Day, Past and Present.
The Sweep Spot is a podcast with full episodes every two weeks, focusing on the Disneyland Resort. Lynn Barron and Ken Pellman, former Disneyland Day Custodial Foremen are your hosts.
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***Disney Resort Updates***
Due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 (Corona) Virus, Many Disney Parks, Cruise Lines, and Disney Vacation Club Resorts will be closed until further notice:
Disney is over whelmed with people attempting to rebook / cancel so please be patient with them. They are modifying their cancelation policy to accommodate guests. Many booking services can be handled online (links above). They are reportedly going to extend AP's by one month.
Please be sure to follow CDC and your State's guidelines during this crisis. We will get through this.
Shanghai Disneyland • Shanghai Disneyland is now open.Be sure to check their reservation system which requires everyone, including infants, to have a reservation. The resort capacity is 50%. Go to Shanghai's web page for advance reservations. Please visit their site for details.
Walt Disney World • All 4 Walt Disney World theme parks are open.
• Additionally, Disney Vacation Club properties at Walt Disney World and Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground have begun to reopen to Members and Guests. Disney Springs has already begun to reopen. Upon reopening, theme parks, Disney Resort Hotels, restaurants and other offerings may be modified, limited in capacity and subject to availability or closure. You must have an advance reservation and valid ticket.
• Park Hopping is allowed within strict rules:
1. You must make a reservation at one of the Parks.
2. You must go to that Park first.
3. Park Hopping does not start until 2PM.
4. Access to Parks is still limited to their maximum occupancy. Check the Park you want to go to before traveling to it to make sure it is accepting Hopping guests.
5. Check the Walt Disney World Park Hopper web page for updates to Park Hopping rules.
Disneyland • The Downtown Disney District including Buena Vista Street only of DCA are open.Only restaurants that have take out are open.
• The Hotels of the Disneyland Resort remain closed and will reopen at a later date.
• Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park remain closed and will reopen at a later date, pending state and local government approvals.
• The State of California has announced guidelines for the opening of amusement parks. The biggest part of the announcement is that a county must be in tier 4 before a park can open. Orange county currently estimates it will not be in that tier until at least June 2020.
Hong Kong Disneyland • The Park is closed.
Disneyland Paris • November 25th, 2020, Disneyland Paris made the following announcement: The latest government measures announced for France do not allow us to deliver the Disneyland Paris experience and therefore the destination will remain closed until at least April 2, 2021.
Disney Cruise Lines • Disney Cruise line suspends cruises through January 31, 2021. The web page does appear to be booking future trips, the earliest being in April 2021.
Aulani Resort • Phased reopening began November 1, 2020. The state of Hawaii has strict travel requirements which include a 14 quarantine or negative test within 72 hours of your arrival. Please visit HERE for the latest details.
Walt Disney Family Museum • The Walt Disney Family Museum closed.
INFORMATION CORRECT AS OF January 24, 2021. Please check individual Resorts web pages for restrictions, requirements, and changes.
Disneyland Resort Current Event
Disneyland cancels annual passholder program
Disneyland will start issuing prorated refunds to annual passholders starting on Thursday, Jan. 14, according to Disney officials.
By BRADY MACDONALD and MARLA JO FISHER
UPDATED: January 15, 2021
“Disneyland will start issuing prorated refunds to annual passholders starting Thursday, Jan. 14, according to Disney officials. Disneyland officials won’t say how many people have annual passes, but theme park industry observers have estimated the number to be 1 million.
“A new Disneyland membership program will be unveiled at a later date — presumably after Disneyland and Disney California Adventure reopen.”
...
“Disneyland annual passholders don’t need to do anything to receive the prorated refunds.”
...
“Annual passholders who had active passes when the park closed on March 14 will continue to receive discounts on food and merchandise at Downtown Disney and Buena Vista Street until a new membership program is announced. Disney will boost AP discounts to 30% on select dates from Jan. 18 to Feb. 25 on select merchandise.”
Disneyland Cancels Annual Pass Program
Jan 14, 2021
“The Premier Passport will be canceled after March 31st, 2021, which is the pass type that offered access to both Disneyland and Walt Disney World theme parks.
“Premier Passholders will be able to renew their passes as a Walt Disney World Resort Annual Pass through April 30th, 2021.”
Laughing Place
What will replace Disneyland’s annual pass program?
Disneyland will seek feedback from passholders on factors like price, frequency, spontaneity and the time of day, week and year they’d like to use a new replacement program.
By BRADY MACDONALD
PUBLISHED: January 22, 2021
“Disneyland’s new membership program — which is already in development — will deliver choice, flexibility and value, according to Potrock.”
…
“Past and potential passholders will be surveyed about what Disneyland’s new membership program should look like.”
Orange County Register
Watch Spider-Man star Tom Holland film pre-show and demo gameplay for Avengers Campus ride
The Web Slinger: A Spider-Man Adventure attraction debuts in 2021 in the Marvel themed land at Disney California Adventure.
By BRADY MACDONALD
PUBLISHED: January 19, 2021
“In the latest video, Holland takes a tour of Walt Disney Imagineering’s secretive warehouse where Web Slinger was developed, films a series of pre-show scenes for the attraction and plays the ride’s interactive game with some Imagineers.”
...
“Holland, who plays Spider-Man in a series of Marvel films, appears as Peter Parker in the green screen pre-show introduction shown in the new video. A scale model of the Web Slingers ride vehicle sits on a table next to the Spidey star during the green screen scenes. Dressed in a WEB sweatshirt and t-shirt, Holland explains the attraction’s backstory and demonstrates how to sling webs on the ride using hand gestures.
“The new Web Slinger attraction uses gesture-recognition technology to track the body and eye movements of riders as they sling virtual webs from their wrists at escaped spider-bots.
“Holland dons 3D glasses while on the Web Slingers ride — first with a trio of Imagineers and then with a pair of actors. The eyewear appears to be similar to the Dolby Digital 3D glasses used on Star Tours,”
...
“Avengers Campus appears to be nearly complete based on aerial photos of the 6-acre themed land with work continuing at a steady rate during DCA’s coronavirus closure.
“The first phase of the new land will open with the Spider-Man dark ride as well as a Doctor Strange special effects show, Ant-Man and the Wasp restaurant and Marvel character meet-and-greets and rooftop shows. A second phase will open at an unannounced date with an Avengers E-ticket attraction.”
Orange County Register
Tue, January 19, 2021
First Look at Actor Tom Holland as Peter Parker in WEB SLINGERS: A Spider-Man Adventure Coming to Avengers Campus at Disneyland Resort
by Michael Ramirez, Public Relations Director, Disneyland Resort
“When Avengers Campus opens at the Disneyland Resort at a future top secret date, you will see a very familiar face inside the Worldwide Engineering Brigade – or WEB as the kids call it. As we shared before, Tom Holland reprises his role as Peter Parker for WEB SLINGERS: A Spider-Man Adventure.”
Disney Parks Blog
Downtown Disney turns Rainforest Cafe into Star Wars shop — Is a cantina next?
The Star Wars Trading Post pop-up shop at Downtown Disney will be moving from its temporary location in the WonderGround Gallery to its new more permanent home in the former rainforest-themed restaurant.
By BRADY MACDONALD
PUBLISHED: January 18, 2021
“Disneyland’s temporary plan to set aside its commitment to immersive storytelling experiences just became more permanent as once-exclusive merchandise only available in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge will now be sold in the former Rainforest Cafe at Downtown Disney.
“The Star Wars Trading Post pop-up shop at Downtown Disney will be moving from its temporary location in the WonderGround Gallery to its new more permanent home in the former rain forest-themed restaurant.
“An opening date for the relocated Star Wars Trading Post has not been announced.”
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“Walt Disney Imagineering will transform the former Rainforest Cafe gift shop into a Star Wars shop themed as a hidden jungle Resistance base with Rey’s speeder parked at the entrance.”
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“The west end of Downtown Disney has been a bit of a ghost town since Disney abandoned plans to build a four-star hotel on the site of the Rainforest Cafe, ESPN Zone, AMC Theatre, Earl of Sandwich and Starbucks. The sandwich and coffee shops returned after closing in 2018, but the rain forest-themed restaurant and 12-screen theater complex have remained empty ever since. The ESPN sports bar has been repurposed for a number of Disney pop-up events and shops.”
...
“Disney once boasted that the merchandise sold in Galaxy’s Edge would be exclusively available in the Star Wars land. But the extended COVID-19 closure of Disneyland has changed everything.”
Orange County Register
Star Wars Trading Post Moving Into Former Rainforest Cafe at Downtown Disney, WonderGround Gallery Reopening
Jan 17, 2021
“The Disneyland Resort just announced that the Star Wars Trading Post will be moving into the former Rainforest Cafe at the west end of Downtown Disney, allowing the WonderGround Gallery to reopen.”
Laughing Place
Downtown Disney turns 20 — take a look at how it’s changed
The 20th anniversary of Downtown Disney will be unlike any previous year with California’s continuing COVID-19 restrictions on businesses and restaurants.
By BRADY MACDONALD
PUBLISHED: January 11, 2021
“After a four-month coronavirus closure, Downtown Disney reopened in July in anticipation of Disneyland returning later in the month. A summer 2020 spike in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations put off the reopening of Disneyland and Disney California Adventure indefinitely. Disney’s Anaheim theme parks are not expected to fully reopen until spring or summer 2021.
“The 20-acre mall debuted in 2001 with 300,000 square feet of retail, dining and entertainment venues that served as a “shoppertainment” connection between Disney’s two Anaheim theme parks and the resort’s hotels.
“The mall boasted a mix of Art Deco, Craftsman and Prairie architectural styles that reflected the California postcard theme of the new theme park that debuted in February 2001 across from Disneyland.
Original Downtown Disney businesses still operating today include:
World of Disney
Lego Store
Sephora
Naples Ristorante
La Brea Bakery
Catal Restaurant
Uva Bar & Cafe
Ralph Brennan’s Jazz Kitchen
Ralph Brennan’s Jazz Kitchen Express
Wetzel’s Pretzels
Marceline’s Confectionery
You can listen to show 301 on iTunes or go to Libsyn service here.
Show Notes for Episode 301
Listen to our Show
Disneyland 1961 with Jim Korkis