Disneyland 1991 with Jim Korkis
Show Notes for Episode 319
Listen to our Show
We welcome back Jim Korkis to chat about Disneyland as it was in 1991, back when Disneyland had a Peoplemover,
something called Afternoon Avenue, and we had the promise of WestCOT as the 2nd theme park in Anaheim. Plus,
we catch up on current events at the Disneyland Resort, as always. Jim’s books have our highest recommendation.
***Disney Resort Updates***
Check back daily as information is changing rapidly.
Please be sure to follow CDC and your State's guidelines during this crisis. We will get through this.
Shanghai Disneyland • OPEN. Be sure to check their reservation system which requires everyone, including infants, to have a reservation. You must 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.
• 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.
• "Face coverings are required for all Guests (ages 2 and up) while indoors and in Disney buses, monorail and Disney Skyliner, regardless of vaccination status. This includes upon entering and throughout all attractions. Face coverings remain optional for all Guests in outdoor common areas.". You may temporarily remove your face covering while actively eating, drinking or taking an outdoor photo, but you must be stationary and maintain appropriate physical distancing during this time. Masks must be worn at all other times.
• Park Hopping is allowed within strict rules:
1. You must make a reservation at one of the Parks. They do still require this as a private company.
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 • Disneyland is OPEN!!!!!!! Face coverings are required for ALL guests while indoors except while eating (see Disneyland's web page for complete details).
• Like Walt Disney World, you must have a valid ticket AND make a Park reservation for the day you are interested in attending. Park reservations can only be made 60 days out at the present time. Be sure to check availability of the dates you are interested in before purchasing tickets.
• Disneyland announced its new yearly pass system called Magic Key Pass.
• All Hotels are open.
• The Downtown Disney District is open. Some table service is available following state and local rules.
Hong Kong Disneyland • OPEN. Advanced reservations with names and contact numbers are required. The Park will be closed on Tuesdays and Thursdays except major holidays. Please visit their web site for current requirements.
Disneyland Paris • OPEN. Please visit their web site for up to date information on COVID restrictions and Parkavailability.
Disney Cruise Lines • Disney announces the US ships will be sailing again starting August 2021.
• Disney Cruise line has suspended European cruises through October 9, 2021.
Aulani Resort • OPEN. The state of Hawaii has strict travel requirements which include a 10 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 is open but you must have reservation to enter the building. They will not admit you after 4p, even if you have a reservation. Please see their Welcome back page for details. They continue to provide virtual content. San Francisco County was recently moved into the Orange Tier, so please check their web page for current status. The World War II Special Exhibit opened March 19th in the Diane Disney Miller Exhibition Hall. See web page for availability and restrictions.
INFORMATION CORRECT AS OF October 1, 2021. Please check individual Resorts web pages for restrictions, requirements, and changes.
Disneyland Resort Current Event
Candlelight Processional returning to Disneyland this holiday season, permits show
Disneyland filed a permit with Anaheim received on Tuesday, Sept. 28 for the installation of the Candlelight Processional at the Main Street U.S.A. train station, according to city records.
By BRADY MACDONALD
PUBLISHED: September 28, 2021
“Disneyland filed a permit with Anaheim received on Tuesday, Sept. 28 for the installation of the Candlelight Processional at the Main Street U.S.A. train station, according to city records. The city permit calls for the installation of outdoor steel platforms, audio and show lighting towers and movable folding viewing seats.”
...
“Disneyland has not yet announced dates for the West Coast version of Candlelight Processional. If tradition holds — and there’s no guarantee of that with the tradition-busting pandemic — the Candlelight Processional should be held at Disneyland on Saturday, Dec. 4 and Sunday, Dec. 5.”
...
“A celebrity narrator, kept a surprise until the first show, tells the story of the first Christmas between songs.
“Past narrators have included Cary Grant, John Wayne, Jimmy Stewart, Gregory Peck, Charlton Heston, Henry Fonda, Dick Van Dyke, Chris Hemsworth and James Earl Jones.”
Orange County Register
80% drop in Disneyland attendance last year, report says
Global theme park attendance declined dramatically in 2020 as a result of the coronavirus crisis from a record high of 521 million visitors in 2019, according to a new report.
By BRADY MACDONALD
UPDATED: September 28, 2021
“Disneyland, Universal Studios Hollywood and other major California theme parks saw 80% attendance declines in 2020 due to COVID-19 pandemic closures that kept the tourist destinations shuttered for most of the year, according to a new industry report.”
...
“Disneyland attendance declined 80% from 18.7 million in 2019 to 3.7 million in 2020, according to the TEA/AECOM report. Disney California Adventure saw a similar drop to 1.9 million in 2020 from 9.9 million in 2019, according to the report.”
...
“The Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World remained the world’s most visited theme park even after attendance dropped 67% from 21 million in 2019 to 6.9 million in 2020. Disney’s four Florida theme parks — which saw attendance declines in the 67% to 70% range — were closed from March to July 2020 due to the pandemic.”
...
“China theme parks saw the smallest declines worldwide in 2020 with regional parks that draw local visitors showing 10% to 30% drops while larger parks like Shanghai Disneyland experiencing a 51% fall in attendance, according to the report.”
Orange County Register
Mon, September 20, 2021
Family of Fallen Marine Visits Disneyland to Rebuild Lightsaber in His Honor, Leaves with Unexpected Tribute
by Lisa Greathouse, Internal Communications Manager
“Alicia and Herman Lopez remember how much their son Hunter loved all things Star Wars, even telling his parents before he deployed that he wanted to be buried with the lightsaber he built at Disneyland park in November 2019.
“Less than two years later, 22-year-old Marine Cpl. Hunter Lopez is being laid to rest, one of the 13 U.S. service members killed in the attack at the Kabul airport in Afghanistan on Aug. 26.
“His parents intended to honor Hunter’s request, ‘but I just couldn’t find the courage to part with the lightsaber he built,’ Mrs. Lopez said through tears. So the Lopezes, along with their 18-year-old son and 17-year-old daughter — just six days after Hunter’s death — drove from their home in Indio to build a replica of the lightsaber Hunter had created in Savi’s Workshop in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. And this one, built by his entire family, would be buried with him.”
...
“A friend of the couple, both of whom work for the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department, helped arrange for the family to build the lightsaber privately at Savi’s, followed by lunch at the membership restaurant, Club 33, to which the friend belongs. As soon as Club 33 Member Services Coordinator Rex Roberts heard that the family would be coming later that day, he advised a few resort leaders to see what else they could do, given Disney’s legacy of honoring military service personnel, veterans and their families. Members of SALUTE — the cast member Business Employee Resource Group (BERG) that supports veterans and members of the military — connected with Dan Hughes, vice president of Security at the resort.
“‘We took the American flag that was flying over Disneyland and quickly had it framed and created a plaque, so we could present it to the family,’ Dan shared. In the space of 90 minutes, he was on his way to Club 33.”
...
“Star Wars was his passion, she said. ‘He’d dress up as a Jedi for Halloween, he knew all the movies, all the lines — even the background characters.’ Mrs. Lopez laughed as she recalled that when she was pregnant with her second child, then-5-year-old Hunter asked if he could name the baby ‘Uncle Owen’ after the Star Wars character Owen Lars. “They agreed to keep the name Owen, and laughed as they explained to Hunter why they’d have to drop ‘uncle.’ In fact, Owen had enlisted in the Army just hours before the family received a knock on the door from casualty notification officers about Hunter, who had wanted to follow in his parents’ footsteps in law enforcement with the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department.
“At Club 33, 13 glasses of champagne were lined up on the service counter on the day of the Lopez family’s visit as a tribute to all 13 service members lost last month.”
Disney Parks Blog
Disneyland helps fulfill fallen Marine’s wish of being buried with lightsaber
Marine Cpl. Hunter Lopez, 22, of Indio was one of 13 U.S. service members killed on Aug. 26 in a suicide bomber attack that took the lives of at least 60 Afghans at the Kabul airport in Afghanistan.
By BRADY MACDONALD
UPDATED: September 21, 2021
Orange County Register
The Disneyland Resort Honors Hunter Lopez With Gift Given to Family
Sep 22, 2021
Laughing Place
Dateline Disneyland: Jessica Rabbit covers up as Lightning Lane moves in at Disneyland
By Andy Castro -September 20, 2021
“Mickey’s Toon Town had some late-breaking news last week with the reveal that Jessica Rabbit would be making a career change from famed movie star to private detective. The change will bring some notable updates to Toon Town’s classic dark ride, Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin. The changes are the latest in Disney’s efforts to update the park to be more culturally sensitive. Meanwhile, throughout both parks, Lightning Lane’s eviction of Fastpass is starting to be pretty noticeable with Fastpass machines disappearing quickly. And throughout both parks, various projects from new seating areas to new rides, continue to take shape as Halloween Time rages on.”
...
“Rumors circulated on social media that changes have already happened in the queue, with the removal of Baby Herman’s cigars. The rumors are unfounded, as the cigar props both in an ashtray and in his hand, remain in place. Baby Herman’s hand is animated, you just need to wait a moment to see the cigar move in and out of the baby carriage. “
MiceChat
Disneyland Update – Reservations About Reservations As Parks Fill Up
By Dusty Sage -September 27, 2021
“Magic Keys have been around for about a month now, and although making park reservations has been a mostly easy process, we’re noticing some big changes to park availability which is sure to cause concern about the program and whether it is worth the high cost.
“Weekends and holidays are starting to book up further and further out. Currently at least 3 weeks in advance (and expected to fill up even quicker headed into the holidays). Even making day-of reservations for Disneyland during some weekdays has become difficult (especially on Oogie Boogie Bash nights).
“You can see that both parks are now booked through mid-October on the weekends with just DCA available on the weekends at the end of October (though you can still park-hop after 1pm if you manage to score a park reservation for either park). You’ll also note that most of the weekdays this week are also booked. That’s because the special discounted 3-day California ticket expires at the end of September. So folks are rushing to use up their allotment (if park reservations are booked solid and Disney still lets all those unused days expire, there are going to be some very upset folks). Did you get stuck with unused days on your 3-Day ticket?
“Park reservations are a double-edged sword. On one hand, reservations help keep park attendance at a reasonable level; the shoulder-to-shoulder crowds are long gone, but unfortunately so are the spontaneous weekend trips to Disneyland for dinner and fireworks.”
MiceChat
Trippy Disneyland History – An Adventure Thru Inner Space
By Shelly Valladolid -September 23, 2021
“When I was four, it terrified me. When I was a teenager, I laughed at it. Now, I’m an old woman and I remember it fondly: Disneyland’s Adventure Thru Inner Space. It was Disney’s first Omnimover ride and last partnership with chemical company Monsanto. It had a swingin’ theme song written by none other than the Sherman Brothers and it showcased polyester like no attraction before or since.”
You can listen to show 319 on iTunes or go to Libsyn service here.