Disneyland Construction Update: January 2016
In early January 2016, Disneyland closed a number of attractions around Rivers of America to begin construction on Star Wars Land, and to make layout changes to the park to accommodate this huge new land. Once the project gets going, it will be larger than any construction in decades, perhaps approaching the makeover and reboot of Disney California Adventure a few years ago. While this project won’t be as disruptive to guests as DCA 2.0 (after all, they rerouted the park entrance then!), Disneyland is much busier of a park, so it could have a greater impact on guests.
Because of that, some readers have asked for information about construction progress, impact, and the construction timeline so they can plan their visits. While I can’t provide the last bit of information since I simply don’t know it, I did head to Disneyland yesterday to capture some photos documenting the current progress that convey how the park presently looks, how the construction walls affect guests, and other random stuff.
I’ll probably continue to do this about once per month so long as people are interested in seeing and continue reading my thoughts on the updates. That is, unless I lose interest in taking photos of construction walls. As far as photo subjects go, they aren’t exactly the most exciting. Although, maybe this series will finally earn me my first (long overdue, if you ask me) Peabody Award?!
This post contains 75+ photos across 3 pages of text detailing the state of Disneyland and Disney California Adventure as of January 26, 2016. The first page features photos of traffic flow and the current state of the construction walls. Page 2 assesses my thoughts on the impact of the refurbishments on the park and includes photos of the alternate entertainment. Page 3 covers other random changes and photos.
Oh, before we get started, how about a moment of silence for The Goats of Disneyland Park® at the Disneyland Resort® in Disney Big Thunder Ranch® Presented by Brawny®, aka Goat Galaxy. Big Thunder Ranch permanently closed to make way for Star Wars Land, so the goats are gone. You will be missed, my beloved Goat Homies.
Aside from Big Thunder Ranch, every other closure is temporary. The attractions on the list below that are along the Rivers of America are down for over a year. My best guess as to when they reopen would be Memorial Day 2017, but that’s just a guess.
Here are current Disneyland refurbishments, along with anticipated re-opening dates:
- Disneyland Railroad
- Fantasmic!
- Pirates Lair on Tom Sawyer Island
- Sailing Ship Columbia
- Mark Twain Riverboat
- Davy Crockett’s Explorer Canoes
- Soarin’ (Closed weekdays; reopening TBD)
- ‘it’s a small world’ (Reopening February 4, 2016)
- Jungle Cruise (Reopening May 5, 2016)
- Autopia (Reopening April 28, 2016)
Alright, now let’s take a stroll around the parks. We’ll start with what I presume most of you care about: CONSTRUCTION WALLS!
First stop, Adventureland. There’s only one explanation for this wall: social experiment to determine the tipping point for guests to go insane encountering random walls throughout Disneyland. Expect new walls up next week as the experiment continues. (Unlikely alternate scenario: bridge refurbishment.)
Big Thunder Trail is closed off as work is preparation for Big Thunder Ranch’s removal and subsequent foundational work.
We’ll become pretty familiar with this wall over the next couple of years…
Looking past the wall, you can almost hear the faint bahs of the spirit of Goat Galaxy in the distance.
Signs in Fantasyland advise guests of the Big Thunder Trail closure.
Some random walls in New Orleans Square. The signage here might lead you to believe they’ve installed a bridge so the ‘it’s a small world’ dolls could deliver beignets from the train station to the Mint Julep Bar without being trampled by guests (safety first!), but this is actually to support temporary electric while refurbishments to the permanent structures take place.
On to Critter Country…
Walls are up all along the entrance to the Canoes, with signage. While Disneyland has indicated that all Rivers of America attractions will return, I wouldn’t be shocked to see these canoes go. I hope they come back–and signage acknowledging their existence is promising–but I could see this as an opportunity to quietly kill a minor attraction.
Cool attraction posters on this wall, including one for Nature’s Wonderland. Props on that.
Next up, Hungry Bear Restaurant. I have it on good authority that this is Bob Iger’s favorite restaurant in the entire world.
The Rivers of America-facing side of the restaurant upstairs is covered by scrims depicting fall foliage along a river. It looks rather nice, but it’s super-easy to see through when the sun isn’t directly overhead.
See? I wonder if another layer will be added to the river-side to deter weird bloggers like me from documenting construction progress.
Downstairs, the walls are solid, making for a dark atmosphere. Perfect for naps!
There are some great posters lining this wall, and the origins of some of these posters are beyond me. Obviously, the above is the Mark Twain attraction poster…
But what’s the source of this? Port Orleans Riverside? EuroDisney?
A few Google searches revealed nothing, but I’d be shocked (and really impressed) if these posters were designed solely for the refurbishment.
All of the posters have lights above them, except this one. Presumably because New Mexico is an awful place, and SHOULD GO BACK TO MEXICO WHERE IT BELONGS BEFORE WE BUILD A WALL AROUND IT.
Whatever the source, these posters are great, and it’s nice to see Disney giving some life to the walls, with the attraction posters outside, foliage scrims upstairs, and location posters downstairs.
This is a nice explanation of the Rivers of America, and I thought I recalled reading it somewhere, but couldn’t recall where. The Google Machine revealed there was a Disney Parks Blog post with the same info. I assume this is the internal WDI backstory for the Rivers of America, but really have no clue.
This is the type of exposition that couldn’t be posted along the Rivers of America normally, but is a perfectly fine “breaking of the fourth wall” during a refurbishment. Hopefully it gives some guests a greater appreciation for the Rivers.
Let’s be real: if a bear is hungry, he’s eating whatever rodent this is, not that burger. Let’s not glamorize the soulless killing machines that are bears.
If I haven’t already bored you to death, click here to read page 2.
There, I’ll start by offering my thoughts on the walls (you’re on the edge of your seat, aren’t you?!) and continue with photos of the alternate entertainment at Disneyland during the construction…
Love all the pictures, hints…commentary- good stuff. Thank you!
SO devastated that Jungle Cruise is re-opening the day we leave Anaheim for San Diego on our honeymoon! The Jungle Cruise is one of my absolute favorites. Where else in the world can you find so many good puns in so little time?
As far as the updates go, this was really spectacular! Any updates on merch would be great, too.
Hey, Tom! I was getting ready to book a June trip to Disneyland. I go to Disney World every year, but this will be my first trip to California. Any thoughts on a June trip? Still too much construction for a first timer?
Thanks for the update; looking forward to following along on your blog!
Great detailed post! Reading your blog is like little visits to Disney without the crowds! I get my daily fix you keep me updated and have some good laughs along the way. Not a fan of mixing Disney and Starwars,do not like Star Wars and am very sad about this but I guess I am a rare exception. So the sooner they get this done the better. So very much appreciate your updates.
Great photos! Great ideas on keeping us posted on the walls and closures! Really enjoy this blog and all your commentary.
Tom,
Great update. My wife and I celebrated our 31st(!) Anniversary at Disneyland Resort this past weekend (1/28/16-1/30/16). Both parks were CROWDED on Saturday! RSR had a 150 minute wait in the evening, and FP took over 30 minutes to reach the front. Single Rider was almost 45 minutes at one point. We still had a fantastic time there (of course!), although we were greatly disappointed with all of the attractions being closed. We DID get to see the “Paint the Night” Parade twice, once with just a 20 minute wait (hang out between the Tea Cups and Alice rides). And the Fireworks were great!
Man, the writing and images in these posts just get better and better! I so appreciate the updates. Has anyone here ever attended a Dapper Day? I may be able to get to Disneyland for this Spring’s event, but have very little to plan with. Any tips?
Hi,
Thank you for the update!
My wife and I were in Disneyland Jan 13-17 and it is amazing to see how much has changed. When we were there, Wed & Thur were nice and quiet, but Friday was the start of a #runDisney weekend, so Fri & Sat were very crowded.
Thanks!
Re: quality of the article: I’m a pretty committed reader, checking in here twice a week or more for updates. I tend to skip off-site hotel reviews (I use VRBO or airbnb when I visit DL, and I’m a dedicated Irlo Bronso Rodeway Inn girl at WDW. Can’t beat $32 per night!) I do read on-site reviews just to get my Disney Fix.
I like this article, just as it is. I enjoyed the combo of what’s happening in the parks right now, both the construction updates and “day in the life of a visitor” stuff, complimented by pretty high-quality photos that are varied in their subject matter and composition. Yay!
I would love to read more articles of a similar structure and style, with perhaps some juxtaposition of “here’s the scrim in Jan, here’s where they moved it in March” “oooh, look at the spring flowers where there were just green plants” before and after photos.
Dreaming of a year in SoCal so I can do what you are doing…but not happening soon.
-Kim Ann
I second this!! These are the types of posts I enjoy reading the most to help me get my fix, please don’t stop!
How come Disney doesn’t know that they Pirates Lair thing sucks? I guess I’m just an old fart who likes old fart things, but I want TSI back, without the plastic “booty”. I hope TSI gets retroimagined during the construction.
This was perfect. Keep it up and thank you! Reading your blog is such a treat.
Wait, are Fantasmic and Tom Sawyer closed FOREVER?
Nope, they’re on the list that will reopen in 2017, right?
TOM! I love your writing style. Apart from this last trip with my family in December I hadn’t been to Disneyland since 1992. I didn’t really get what all the fuss was about with friends going multiple times a year and reading blogs and following every movement. I’m a convert. We saved for a year and surprised our sons (7 and 10) with a Disney trip the week prior to Christmas. It was crowded but it was an AMAZING trip. I’m a convert. We’re already saving for the next trip. I am devouring your posts and keeping notes and planning the next trip to include much more down time and checking off those must sees and must do. Thankfully I indulged in (a few) Matterhorn Macaroons this last visit so that’s off the list, yeah right.
Keep up the great work and thank you for sharing all your insight. I for one am excited to see your posts about the construction and can’t wait to see it progress
Love this post, your humour, your thoughts, and above all your pictures!!! We had planned to come in the spring but with all the changes we will be holding off. Sounds like possibly fall of 2017 there may be no walls. Please keep the updates coming. Any way you choose to do it is awesome….as long as there are photos, lots and lots of photos.
I haven’t been to Disneyland in 20 years and my kids have only seen WDW, so I am loving the photos and updates giving me an idea as to when would be the best time to take them.
Thanks for the great update! Planning to go to DLR at the end of April, so it’s great to see the photos so we know what to expect and can plan around all the refurbishments and reconstruction.
I definitely appreciate these updates! We’re going to be there in April, so it’s helpful to know in advance if pathways are blocked off, and if there is a decent reason to stop by the “replacement” activities (like possibly seeing Tiana, b/c otherwise we’re coercing two kids onto a standstill boat for no reason from their perspective). Quick question – is Hungry Bear a sad place to eat with all of the scrims around? Part (most?) of the joy I get out of Disney is the atmosphere/theming, and if there is essentially none there, it’s off my list as a possible lunch spot!
Clearly, when it comes to the goats, you are a bleating heart.
“All of the posters have lights above them, except this one. Presumably because New Mexico is an awful place, and SHOULD GO BACK TO MEXICO WHERE IT BELONGS BEFORE WE BUILD A WALL AROUND IT.”
Excuse me?!?!
Tom, you used to be one of my favorite people, but I may have to hate you now. Or were you joking? Santa Fe and northern NM is the most beautiful part of these United States. Ok, there’s no beach there, but there’s mountains and skiing and deserts and aliens. And there’s Carlsbad Caverns and White Sands. And there’s lovely pueblos, filled with lovely people. And there’s delicious food.
You make me sad…
I thought this was very clearly conveyed as sarcasm, from the statement that New Mexico came from Mexico to the ALL CAPS style.
If it’s unclear, the joke here is that I’m feigning ignorance as to New Mexico’s status as a state–a misconception that is scarily common–while further advancing the impractical notion that we should build a wall around Mexico (and by extension, New Mexico).
Ok. Sorry. 🙁
No worries. Didn’t mean to sound harsh! 🙂
Your joke was very unclear.
Is there not a ‘construction wall of Disneyland’ website? You can beat everyone to the punch!