Hey there, hi there, ho there! We came down to Disneyland today to check out some more Valentine’s Day-themed foods and see what else we could find. So come along with us as we run around Disneyland and Downtown Disney in search of the best there is.
The ongoing refurbishment of the Disneyland Tram loading station in Downtown Disney looks like it may be coming to a close as the scrims have been removed from the fencing surrounding the work area. You can read all about it and see more pictures right here.
Disneyland
Tonight is another Disneyland After Dark Sweethearts Night, so the park is closing early to non-event guests. We went to the first one earlier in the week, and you can check out everything offered at the event, including the special character greetings, the photo ops, and some fun food offerings that we just loved.
Mickey and the gang were out on Main Street Station to greet guests entering the park. It’s always nice to see Mickey, even when you have to look right into the sun to see him.
Pluto, Minnie, and Goofy were all out as well.
Inside the Disney Gallery, the artist station has moved out into the middle of the floor in the back gallery. Previously, the artist would sit in a windowed office in the first room, taking requests for character drawings.
This way, guests can maneuver entirely around the artist to see their process and experience the art creation from every angle.
The Crystal Arcade is still being refurbished and scaffolding lines the façade of the building.
It looks like some new painting is going on.
The old paint is being stripped away on the pieces that are still salvagable, as seen above. Some pieces that are in worse shape are being replaced, as seen below. This is the same decorative piece on the opposite side of the arch, but it has been removed and now the original studs of the historic building are exposed.
As we made our way down Main Street, U.S.A., The Straw Hatters stopped by to delight crowds with a concert.
Behind The Straw Hatters, inside Disney Showcase, we found this J’adore Mickey Mouse t-shirt, perfect for the upcoming holiday.
Across the street in the Emporium, we found a pair of new baseball hats for the new year, above, and for “The Book of Boba Fett,” below.
And what a great day we have for park-going. We never get sick of this sight.
Tarzan’s Treehouse is still definitely under refurbishment, but the scrims have come down. We can now see plainly the massive amount of scaffolding around all parts of the walkthrough attraction.
Work also continues on the Rivers of America as they prep for the return of Fantasmic!
We could see Redd out on the steps of 21 Royal Street greeting guests and chatting with passers-by.
Splash Mountain is down for a refurbishment as well. Disney has confirmed that this is just a routine maintenance and not the beginning of “The Princess and the Frog” overlay, but there is still lots of work to be done.
Scaffolding blocks the mouth of the drop from Chickapin Hill and workers can be seen walking in the track of the ride just before it turns to head down Slippin’ Falls.
From way over at the far edge of New Orleans Square, we could see the train stopped on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, so we headed over to take a closer look.
While the ride was experiencing some unexpected downtime, we got a chance to take some great shots of Big Thunder Mountain with its cousin, the Matterhorn, in the distance.
Up in Toontown, the hills that we saw being installed last week are now being covered in cement.
Crews could be seen applying the covering as they worked from left to right, moving away from Mickey’s house and towards Downtown Toontown.
And while we were here to check on construction progress, Mickey popped out to say hello.
The Snow White Grotto has received some new flowers for spring, and flowers are all around the wishing well as well.
Just around the corner, we came to the back side of the castle to take our Magic Shot for Magic Key Holder celebration month.
Peter Pan’s shadow has slipped away again and he can be found in these special pictures for Magic Key Holders.
Another exclusive for Magic Key Holders is the Magic Key Slush, which we tried alongside the new Spicy Nash Chicken Sandwich and the Galactic Sunrise Slush, all available from Galactic Grill in Tomorrowland. You can read our full review of them all right here.
Also in Tomorrowland, at The Star Trader, the build-your-own lightsaber station is reopened. This is not as intense (or expensive) as the build-your-own lightsaber experience in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, so it’s nice to have options again.
Downtown Disney
At the far end of Downtown Disney, construction walls went up for the removal of the former AMC Theaters, Earl of Sandwich, Sugarboo & Co. and Starbucks. These walls are now lined with artwork celebrating Black History Month.
And on the pavement, Disney chalk artist Marcella Sweet is creating a new mural each week for the whole month. Seeing as she is creating the art right there in real time, she might also take a break and have a chat with curious on-lookers to talk about her art.
This really is a great display, and we’d love to see more of this in the future.
Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa
We stopped in to the GCH Craftsman Bar & Grill to try some of their seasonal cocktails for Valentine’s Day and we fell in love with all three of them.
Disney California Adventure
The refurbishment of Grizzly River Run is continuing, and we can see scaffolding all over the ride track near the final drop.
We stopped in to get our “Peak Adventure” print today, and also the Avengers Campus print over at Wonderground Gallery in Downtown Disney District. Follow the links above to see the prints and learn more.
We checked in on the setup for ESPN’s Super Bowl coverage last week, but a lot has happened since then. The tent is now up, the stage is set, and much of Paradise Park is taken over for the event. We’ll be back to see how they do on game day.
And finally, even with crews all over both parks working on refurbishing attractions and setting up for the Super Bowl, nobody has come out to take down the Christmas tree decorations at Pacific Wharf. Not that it’s a huge deal, but it just feels out of place. At this point, just leave them up and they become part of the year-round décor. We’d be fine with that.
Thanks for riding along with us on this photo tour. We’ll see ya real soon!
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