Hello all,

Was curious what type of crowds we would run into during this last Friday of what I would consider the Spring break season. Overall the crowds felt on the higher side than normal but definitely not as bad as they were several weeks ago. Waits for most of the big attractions were well under an hour and the walkways were fairly easy to navigate (except for the Pirates Premiere congestion).

Jason

Trip logs and mileage reports are in the Park Miles section.

Disneyland & DCA Thoughts and Observations:

• First stop of the day was DCA to check out the progress and as you saw in the pictures the Little Mermaid area is cruising along and looks to be just about ready to go. The new dining area and Goofys Sky School both look like they still need quite a bit of work to hit their targeted opening date of June 3rd. The new entrance for DCA looks to be moving along quickly too, wonder if the plan is to have it open by summer? I had read August but it sure looks to be moving faster than that.
  
  
• Decided to go for a ride on Toy Story since it had been a while. The posted time was 40 minutes but it looked shorter. Ended up being just shy of 30. My score showed my rust, but all had a good time. Someday I need to figure out how to get my score to the next level.
  
  
• Not much else of note to report from DCA, everything else seemed about normal and nothing too exciting caught my eye.
  
  
• Over at Disneyland the West side of Main Street that was being repainted is complete and out from behind the tarps. It looks brand new again. Great to see the refresh.
  
  
• The Pirates Premiere for the 4th film will be next Saturday on the Rivers of America (just like the other three). This time around the bleachers do not span as wide as the earlier premieres and instead go further out into the water it appears. Guessing this is because the film is 3D and you need to be more square to the screen to experience it. Also it appears they are building a deck/stage that spans the entire Rivers of America. Should be interesting to see the finished set up. Did anyone purchase the $1,000 tickets or find another way to get invited? If so and you would like to share your experience drop me an email.. curious how it is.
  
  
• Due to the Pirates set up all attractions that have to do with the Rivers of America are closed for the next couple of weeks. The bleachers have lead to increased congestion in the area but it seemed most guests were taking it in stride and many enjoyed seeing the spectacle.
  
  Note if you are going to the park next Saturday Disneyland opens at 7am and closes at 5pm be sure to check out the attraction closing times as some will be closing earlier than the rest of the park to prepare for the premiere. DCA is remaining open until 11pm and adding an extra World of Color. If your goal is to camp out along the Black Carpet for the celebrity arrivals be sure to be there earlier since the die hards will be camping out for the prime spots.
  
  

Interesting Web Finds/Notes:
Below are some interesting links, notes, and rumors I found/stumble across/or have been informed of since the last Geekspeaks column.

• Interesting Web Finds:
  • I have been posting my webfinds to the Geek's Blog as I find them/have time to post them.
    
    
• Disney Related Press Releases
  • 4/28/11 - D23 Celebrates 20th Anniversary of Disney's The Rocketeer at Historic El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood June 21, 2011
    
  • 4/21/11 - It’s ‘Time to Add the Magic!’ at New Disney Hawaii Resort
    
  • 4/20/11 - Disney Twenty-Three Magazine Summer Issue Hits Stands May 3
    
  • 4/19/11 - Disney Family Museum May Calendar of Events
    
  • 4/19/11 - Women Runners To Be Celebrated Amid Fairy Wings and Pixie Dust at Disney’s New Tinker Bell Race
    
  • 4/17/11 - Disneyland Resort Celebrates Soundsational Summer with Premieres of ‘Mickey’s Soundsational Parade’ May 27, Star Tours and ‘Little Mermaid’ Attractions June 3
    
    
• We post some announcements on:
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Be sure to check out the picture update that goes with this Geekspeak column, it can be found in our Disneyland Resort Pictorial Update section

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