One reason I took less photos on this trip was a new feature available thru your Verizon Cell phone. This application gives you all sorts of information. Interactive park map with "you are here" feature, attraction wait times, fast past return times, show/parade times and locations and lots of "guest services" type of information.
I believe they just started this system recently, in fact, no one I spoke to at the park was even aware of it. Basically, you text “magic” to “2777”, accept the one day free demo (otherwise it’s a one time fee of $9.99) and this little application loads to your phone. I know the i-phone has something like this for WDW, but this is new for Verizon and Disneyland.
Does it work? Well, YES! Here’s the wait time and fast pass return info for Space Mountain shown on my cell phone.
Yup, it matched the sign perfectly.
The Astro Orbitor was spot on too as was Star Tours. This could come in real handy on busy days. Now if you could actually obtain the fast pass via the cell phone, that would cool!
The system is new, but shouldn’t they have integrated it with the sign at the hub? The nice CM at the sign was calling all the attractions to get their current wait times. I showed him I already had all the times on my cell phone and had in fact just verified several of them to be correct. At first I could tell he thought I was nuts. But as he asked me what I thought the times were and they DID correspond to the calls he was making, he then asked me about Space Mountain and wrote down the times I gave him - I saved him a phone call!!!
Ok, now for a few photos from around the park. Gleaming poinsettias’ at town square.
80+ degrees at 11am, somehow even with Christmas tunes blasting it didn’t feel much like the Holidays. And I do mean blasting, the music and announcements were noticeably loud, I even overheard a CM joking that they couldn’t hear it…
There was a small guided tour parked right in front of the flag pole blocking my picture taking so I just hung out by them till they moved over enough so I could get my photo.
1955 switch plate alert! This wall switch in the Market House has got to be original. My 1958 track house has similar original switch plates in the garage. I didn’t flip it, but you know it must go “CLICK”.
10:30am and Main Street was pretty dead. For it being the Holiday’s it sure was peaceful.
On a recent post (link) I wondered out loud why the porch on the Stage Door Café was removed and smoothed over. Folks commented that it was due to trips, falls, ADA and liability. All this makes sense, but the Stage Door Café is really the exception in Frontierland.
As you can see, the raised porch still surrounds the entire Golden Horseshoe, which I would bet gets more guests than the Stage Door Café with its slimy burgers and mystery chicken chunks.
The main sidewalk in Frontierland is still raised and looks pretty darn authentic.
Even the shooting gallery and Trading post have slightly elevated porches. Maybe the Stage Door Café had its trip prone porch removed because people might be holding trays of food and drinks? Whatever the reason, it sure looked better before.
Fantasyland wasn't too crowded at all (of course Peter Pan was packed). I’m not sure what this nice lady was supposed to be doing, she was just smiling at everyone as they passed by.
Casey Jr. should be re-opened as you read this. My favorite little ticket booth was getting some last minute touch ups.
The paint they use is really cool, it seems to coat the wood like liquid rubber and honestly, it smells great when it’s drying.
Three fences was all alone, no one in sight. I love this spot, I’m claiming it as my own little corner of Disneyland.
The less interesting less photographed side of the Matterhorn.
In the last two years this guy is the only person I ever see driving the fire engine.
The flowers at the hub were not as exciting as usual, maybe its because it was summer hot and these are winter styled flowers?
The blazing sun looks like its faded the red on these poinsettias’.
The fire truck driver gets all the fun!
Spot on and beautiful Mary Poppins. Her accent and the way she carried herself (with no handlers or Burt present) was impeccable. I got a photo with her, but I’m not sharing it.
Mickey Mouse leads the band just one day before his 81st birthday.
Leaving the park around 1pm it did seem to be getting a bit crowded at town square, but the rest of the park was still pretty light and the lines outside to get in were minimal.
And last up, here’s a 1964 photo of Main Street Station from Algo Magazine from last Magazine Monday (link).
The 1964 photo is at a weird angle, but you get the idea in this 2009 photo.
Does it work? Well, YES! Here’s the wait time and fast pass return info for Space Mountain shown on my cell phone.
Yup, it matched the sign perfectly.
The Astro Orbitor was spot on too as was Star Tours. This could come in real handy on busy days. Now if you could actually obtain the fast pass via the cell phone, that would cool!
The system is new, but shouldn’t they have integrated it with the sign at the hub? The nice CM at the sign was calling all the attractions to get their current wait times. I showed him I already had all the times on my cell phone and had in fact just verified several of them to be correct. At first I could tell he thought I was nuts. But as he asked me what I thought the times were and they DID correspond to the calls he was making, he then asked me about Space Mountain and wrote down the times I gave him - I saved him a phone call!!!
Ok, now for a few photos from around the park. Gleaming poinsettias’ at town square.
80+ degrees at 11am, somehow even with Christmas tunes blasting it didn’t feel much like the Holidays. And I do mean blasting, the music and announcements were noticeably loud, I even overheard a CM joking that they couldn’t hear it…
There was a small guided tour parked right in front of the flag pole blocking my picture taking so I just hung out by them till they moved over enough so I could get my photo.
1955 switch plate alert! This wall switch in the Market House has got to be original. My 1958 track house has similar original switch plates in the garage. I didn’t flip it, but you know it must go “CLICK”.
10:30am and Main Street was pretty dead. For it being the Holiday’s it sure was peaceful.
On a recent post (link) I wondered out loud why the porch on the Stage Door Café was removed and smoothed over. Folks commented that it was due to trips, falls, ADA and liability. All this makes sense, but the Stage Door Café is really the exception in Frontierland.
As you can see, the raised porch still surrounds the entire Golden Horseshoe, which I would bet gets more guests than the Stage Door Café with its slimy burgers and mystery chicken chunks.
The main sidewalk in Frontierland is still raised and looks pretty darn authentic.
Even the shooting gallery and Trading post have slightly elevated porches. Maybe the Stage Door Café had its trip prone porch removed because people might be holding trays of food and drinks? Whatever the reason, it sure looked better before.
Fantasyland wasn't too crowded at all (of course Peter Pan was packed). I’m not sure what this nice lady was supposed to be doing, she was just smiling at everyone as they passed by.
Casey Jr. should be re-opened as you read this. My favorite little ticket booth was getting some last minute touch ups.
The paint they use is really cool, it seems to coat the wood like liquid rubber and honestly, it smells great when it’s drying.
Three fences was all alone, no one in sight. I love this spot, I’m claiming it as my own little corner of Disneyland.
The less interesting less photographed side of the Matterhorn.
In the last two years this guy is the only person I ever see driving the fire engine.
The flowers at the hub were not as exciting as usual, maybe its because it was summer hot and these are winter styled flowers?
The blazing sun looks like its faded the red on these poinsettias’.
The fire truck driver gets all the fun!
Spot on and beautiful Mary Poppins. Her accent and the way she carried herself (with no handlers or Burt present) was impeccable. I got a photo with her, but I’m not sharing it.
Mickey Mouse leads the band just one day before his 81st birthday.
Leaving the park around 1pm it did seem to be getting a bit crowded at town square, but the rest of the park was still pretty light and the lines outside to get in were minimal.
And last up, here’s a 1964 photo of Main Street Station from Algo Magazine from last Magazine Monday (link).
The 1964 photo is at a weird angle, but you get the idea in this 2009 photo.
