From the Disney Parks Blog:

Hang on to your hats and glasses because there’s a new signature suite at the Disneyland Hotel – the Big Thunder Suite. Today we’re giving you a sneak peek at the Big Thunder Suite, and in the coming weeks, we’ll also share details of some of the other signature suites, including the new Fairy Tale Suite, Mickey Mouse Penthouse and Pirates of the Caribbean Suite. All are located on the 11th floor of the hotel’s Dreams Tower and boast a distinct design, luxurious amenities and amazing views.

The Big Thunder Suite is the wildest suite in the wilderness and immerses up to six pioneers in 1,400-square-feet of luxurious rustic accommodations inspired by the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad attraction at Disneyland park.

Big Thunder Suite Bedroom

Howling wolves sound to the push of the suite’s doorbell as guests step into a mine shaft foyer inlaid with Fool’s Gold and hear the rumble of a passing runaway mine train. A button on the wall can be pushed to trigger sound effects from the attraction. The mine shaft leads into a living and dining area that separates the suite’s two bedrooms. In many rooms, repurposed wood from a Midwestern barn is used as flooring and paneling, which is complimented by textured earthen walls.

Big Thunder Suite Dining Room

A stone-hearth fireplace in the living area serves as the suite’s centerpiece and houses a mounted flat-panel television. When not in use, the TV is cleverly concealed by one of the many pieces of attraction concept art found throughout the suite. The living area also includes a surround sound-stereo system and displays antique tools once used for mining gold, including an 1850s gold scale and pan.

The centerpiece of the dining area is a knotted table with seating for eight, with a wagon-wheel chandelier. Nearby is a wet bar made of petrified wood and above the bar hangs a “living portrait” of a gold miner who magically changes activities over the course of the day.

Rustic décor belies the luxurious amenities found in the suite’s two bedrooms. The master bedroom is appointed with a desk, sitting area, TV and king-sized bed with a commanding headboard made of rich wood, brown leather and exposed brackets.

The master bath is revealed through a sliding barn door, where a free-standing copper tub is surrounded by a dramatic stone wall. The tub’s copper finish matches the copper piping in the adjacent steam shower, which is tiled with an earth-tone mosaic. A television is concealed behind the mirror above the bathroom’s bucket sinks.

Big Thunder Suite Bathroom

To inquire about prices and availability, please call (714) 956-6425.

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I was at Disneyland for a day and happen to capture quite a bit of newsworthy photos including Little Mermaid, Cars Land, World of Color, and much more…

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Quick look at the self checkout kiosks at stroller rental

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ANAHEIM, Calif. (Aug. 19, 2010) – Disney villains will invade Disneyland park along with Mickey Mouse and his friends in Halloween costumes when Halloween Time returns to Disneyland Resort Sept. 17 through Oct. 31.  Highlights of the Disneyland Halloween season include the return of Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy – the thrillingly “haunted” version of the popular Tomorrowland attraction – and the longtime favorite Haunted Mansion Holiday, in which Halloween and Christmas collide for an attraction inspired by “Tim Burton’s Nightmare Before Christmas.”  Guests also will enjoy the new, nighttime water spectacular “World of Color,” performing nightly at Disney California Adventure park.
Halloween Time offers families a chance to enjoy seasonal attractions and décor, as well as interact with beloved Disney characters decked out in whimsical Halloween costumes.  Guests also will experience spooky fun with Disney’s more sinister characters, the Disney Villains.  In addition, the private-party celebration that has been so popular with guests will return for 10 special nights in October as Mickey’s Halloween Party.

Moving to Disneyland this year with a new name, Mickey’s Halloween Party is the separate-ticket event that invites adults and children to dress up in costume and trick-or-treat at the resort.  This nighttime celebration is scheduled for Tuesdays and Fridays in October (1, 5, 8, 12, 15, 19, 22, 26 and 29) plus Halloween night itself, Sunday, Oct. 31.  Highlights include:

·         Trick or Treating in the ultimate Disney neighborhood, with even more treats along “Mickey’s Hide-and-Go-Treat Trails”
·         New dance parties – at Tomorrowland Terrace and the French Market
·         The “Halloween Screams” fireworks spectacular, hosted by “Master of Scare-omonies” Jack Skellington (presented exclusively for guests of Mickey’s Halloween Party)
·         New surprises in “Mickey’s Costume Party” cavalcade, performed twice nightly
·         Character photo locations featuring Mickey and his pals, princesses and other favorites
·         The opportunity to arrive three hours before the party starts to play in Disneyland
·         Nearly all the favorite Disneyland rides and attractions
Tickets purchased in advance for Mickey’s Halloween Party are $49 most days, while tickets purchased on the event days are $54.  For Oct. 31, all tickets to Mickey’s Halloween Party are $59.
Favorite Disney characters, including Mickey himself, will dress up in their favorite costumes.  It’s the ideal environment to have fun, eat special holiday treats, play interactive games, listen to “spirited” music and watch a nightly character cavalcade that celebrates the season.

For Halloween fun at Disneyland, guests will enjoy Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy in Tomorrowland.  The experience begins as a typical Space Mountain adventure, but suddenly launches voyagers into a haunted section of the universe.  Ghosts appear out of the starry darkness and swirling galaxies of Space Mountain, reaching out as if to grab guests as they speed through space.  The exhilarating drops and curves of the journey are punctuated by piercing screams, creepy sound effects and haunting music.

Jack Skellington also returns to take over the Haunted Mansion and bring back Haunted Mansion Holiday to New Orleans Square in Disneyland.  Transformed to a mix of Halloween spookiness and Christmas tradition, Haunted Mansion Holiday is inspired by the classic animated film “Tim Burton’s Nightmare Before Christmas.”  Jack and his friends provide plenty of havoc and surprises as they celebrate the holidays in their unusual style.  Jack’s return to the Haunted Mansion includes the traditional Halloween/Christmas gingerbread house in the Mansion Ballroom, with some special spooky surprises in this year’s design.

Halloween Time offers frightfully delightful fun for children and adults.

·      For spine-tingling fun, drop in at The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror at Disney California Adventure park, where a “supernatural” event happened on Halloween evening, 1939, forever haunting the building.
·      Main Street, U.S.A. in Disneyland is transformed for the Pumpkin Festival.  More than 300 pumpkins will be on display in shop windows and none of them are the same!
·      Visitors to Big Thunder Ranch in Frontierland will find ranch animals, pumpkin carvers, Halloween décor and activities for youngsters, all presided over by Sheriff Woody.
·      Meeting Disney characters will be easier than ever as Disney villains gather to plot Halloween mischief at “it’s a small world” Mall in Disneyland, while other characters in spooky attire greet guests in Town Square, Main Street, U.S.A.
·      Rancho del Zocalo in Frontierland will honor Dia de los Muertos/Day of the Dead with traditional skeleton figures on display Sept. 19 through Nov. 2.
·      Special Halloween treats will be available in Disneyland, including menu items such as Zero’s Ghostly Ghoulash, served in a dog dish in honor of Zero.
·      Halloween Time gifts are offered in Disneyland Resort shops.  Gifts include jack-o-lantern mouse ears and collectable pins depicting Mickey Mouse and his friends in Halloween costumes.



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DLNT Photographer Michael Wada was at Disneyland yesterday and has a plethora of newsworthy photos to share with us. Lets get right to the photos.

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Starting off at the Stroller Shop…

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From The LA Times:

Radiator Springs Racers in Cars Land at Disney California Adventure

What’s better than an E Ticket ride? How about an F Ticket?

Radiator Springs Racers promises to redefine our expectations of an E Ticket attraction by combining a classic dark ride with a thrilling head-to-head drag race.

Radiator Springs Racers in Cars Land at Disney California Adventure

Currently under construction at Disney California Adventure in Anaheim, the $200-million ride, scheduled to make its debut in 2012,  will take passengers on a four-minute journey through stalactite caverns, around hairpin turns and along high-speed straightaways. Each side-by-side race ends with a randomly selected winner.

Radiator Springs Racers in Cars Land at Disney California Adventure

On-site ride tests this summer revealed a prototype vehicle based on Epcot’s Test Track technology that moved like a giant slot car along a banked and undulating course. The sleek red sports car, with anthropomorphic headlight eyes and smiling bumper, looked like one of the animated characters from the Pixar movie “Cars.”

Crews continue to construct six acres of rockwork resembling the desert buttes and bluffs of the 2006 film’s iconic Ornament Valley, which will take a year to carve and another year to paint.

Spoiler Alert

What follows is a scene-by-scene breakdown of the Radiator Springs Racers ride:

You can read on over at The LA Times Website…

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