What to expect for DL's 60th anniversary in 2015 (Starting May 22)

[figment_jii]

Shopping news!
Shopper’s Guide to the Disneyland Resort Diamond Celebration
Assuming it's not a typo, the biggest surprise is that some of the 60th anniversary (non-limited edition merchandise and collectibles) merchandise will be available starting on Wednesday (including Alex and Ani and Pandora). I thought nothing would be available until the 22nd, but maybe they're hoping to distribute the shopping crowds.

 

[figment_jii]

Another Parks Blog posting, announcing that the Dapper Dans, Five & Dam, and the Red Car Trolley News Boys will have new songs for the 60th!
Favorite Musical Groups Sing New Tunes for the Disneyland Resort Diamond Celebration

 

[figment_jii]

The Parks Blog will be live streaming the Media Night Performances of Paint the Night and Disneyland Forever (Thursday, starting around 8:30 pm).
Watch Premiere Performances of ‘Paint the Night’ Parade and ‘Disneyland Forever’ Fireworks and Disneyland Resort 24-Hour Event LIVE on Disney Parks Blog

The same blog posting also confirmed that there will be webcams in the park for the 24-hour day.

 

[gottalovepluto]

Ooohhh- specialty cocktails with glowing "diamonds", I hadn't seen that yet! I wonder if they're mixing up some new cocktails or just replacing drinks that include glow cubes with a diamond shaped glow cube?
https://disneyland.disney.go.com/events-tours/60-years-diamond-anniversary-celebration/

 

[Meemoo]

http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/bl...le-for-disneyland-resort-diamond-celebration/

The Castle is looking pretty I hope I wont be late picking the kids up from school trying to watch the live Paint the Night on Disney blog in an hour and a half!!

 

[Meemoo]

Full shows for if anyone would like to rewatch with better quality, they look soooo good I can't wait, my 149 days til Disneyland app on my phone is depressing *sigh*

 

[dhorner233]

Thanks so much for posting!!! I got goosebumps just watching the video of the fireworks!!!!!! I wish Walt could see this!!!

 

[wildflower329]

Thanks for posting the videos! I watched the live feed last night, but between the quality and the viewpoint I thought the parade and fireworks were neat, but I wasn't amazed. Now seeing them at a great angle (especially the fireworks) and with much better quality, I am AMAZED by what they have done with the fireworks show. It looks like it will be a fully immersive experience! Can't wait for August!

 

[dreamseeker9]

Thanks for posting those! I stayed up late to watch the Paint the Night parade via live feed last night, it looked very magical! I think I'm going to wait and be surprised by the fireworks - I'll be there in just 13 days!

 

[Sherry E]

I hadn't been able to keep up with the Live with Kelly and Michael shows this week as they aired, so I saved them on the DVR and am just now getting caught up (I am still making my way through them).

One segment that was particularly special, I thought, was the one in which all of the different celebrities are talking about their first experiences at DL, and their current experiences. In a couple of cases it seemed like the celebs were struggling to come up with a memory or something to say, but with others you could tell how much they truly love the parks.

I loved Steve Martin's segment, in which he talked about buying the sign (on eBay) from the DL magic shop where he used to work. I also loved Julie Andrews talking about how her first trip to DL was with Walt Disney. And, I love, love, loved Helen Mirren's recollection of her first trip to DL. Here is this elegant, older lady -- she is a Dame, she is an Oscar winner, she is an Emmy winner, she is highly respected among her peers, etc. You wouldn't necessarily look at her and think "Disneyland fan." But she explained that she wanted to see what all the fuss was about when she first went to DL, and she fell in love with it -- so much so that she later brought her mother there. Her mother was surprised that they were going to DL instead of somewhere else, but she, too, fell in love with it and thought it was fantastic.

I had to chuckle, though, as Jerry O'Connell tried to remember the names of assorted rides around DL and DCA. I like Jerry and think he's hilarious, but I had to laugh because Rebecca (his wife) certainly went from being married to a major Disneyland fanatic (who owns Disneyland memorabilia) to someone who can barely remember the names of any of the rides.

 

[Angel Ariel]

I still need to catch up on the Kelly and Michael shows from Wednesday on, but I loved the Disneyland through the years video they put together for Monday's show. I am so excited for our trip in the fall!!

 

[Sherry E]

I must say - after seeing a photo of the Esplanade at 3:30 p.m. today, posted on Facebook and Twitter by DisneylandLive, I am glad that I did not go. The Esplanade was jam-packed with people. Mary Jo said she thinks that this is the most crowded she has ever seen DL. There were crazy, ridiculous lines for everything, including food. Disneyland reached capacity early on in the day. Insanity. Madness!

 

[Angel Ariel]

A friend of mine who used to live in SoCal had friends there today who were turned away from DL this afternoon. She said DCA was at 75% capacity at that point too. Has DCA closed to capacity, or just DL?

 

[Sherry E]

I could be wrong -- I assume that figment_jii will let us know -- but I think that it was just DL that closed at capacity. But if anyone saw that photo of the jam-packed Esplanade posted by DisneylandLive on Facebook and Twitter, that could scare anyone away from either park! No one wants to wait 2 hours for food, let alone anything else!

 

[Angel Ariel]

I just went and looked at the DisneylandLive photos you mentioned, @Sherry E - Oh. My. Word. The mass of humanity is just...wow. I don't think I could handle being in those crowds!

 

[Sherry E]

I just went and looked at the DisneylandLive photos you mentioned, @Sherry E - Oh. My. Word. The mass of humanity is just...wow. I don't think I could handle being in those crowds!

I know! That Esplanade! I've never seen it like that. I wouldn't be able to handle it. I was at the crazy crowded Unleash the Villains event back on 9/13/13, and that was bothersome enough -- but nowhere near as bad as what it looks like at DLR today. I was once at DL on New Year's Eve (back in 2000), and that was scary. But the Esplanade seems like it should be a free-flowing, spacious area that is not oppressive, and yet... today it was a different story!

 

[gottalovepluto]

According to Twitter the line to get in is all the way to Rainforest Cafe! And there are pictures that back that up! I'm excited & all but SO glad I'm marveling at the 60th kickoff from afar...

 

[Sherry E]

According to Twitter the line to get in is all the way to Rainforest Cafe! And there are pictures that back that up! I'm excited & all but SO glad I'm marveling at the 60th kickoff from afar...

Ditto. I would rather be at home, staring at a monitor, than stuck in that madness at DLR, where I would not be able to have a good time. I can't deal with that many people -- it's too much!

 

[lorijohnhill]

I really hope the crowds are not this bad next weekend! I saw that picture of the Esplanade and there is no way I could handle that. My anxiety would be through the roof!

 

[aymekae]

FWIW, I arrived at 12:15 pm. Parking was only 3 deep. Security had no line. Got into DCA for WOC FP and back over to DL quickly. People were lining Main St. so I hurried towards IASW where I understood there would be a unique view of the fireworks and staked my claim to a bench. I could have waited, but I didn't really have anything else I wanted to do. By 3 or 4 pm, all the walkways around me started filling up. Bathroom lines were long, but moved quickly. Food carts moved quickly too though I heard reports of long waits at all the quick service restaurants. By parade time it was super crowded, but I had a good vantage point and it didn't bother me. There was no issue moving to a good viewing spot for the fireworks as it wasn't tightly packed where I was. It did become sardine like as I made my way toward Fantasmic because they hadn't let people in yet. The other crowd I experienced was moving across the Esplanade after the 1 am parade to DCA (I had an unexpected view of the parade from the Carnation Cafe, so I watched it twice!), but it flowed okay and didn't take more than 5-10 minutes. I'm waiting for the 3 am WOC show now. It's packed with people everywhere I can see. I'm leaving directly after this, and I hope getting on a tram and eventually the freeway is not a traffic jam. It's been an excellent experience overall, and I am typically a very anxious person.