Disneyland Hotel Renovations and Weddings

A few months ago it was revealed that in addition to the current renovations Disney is making to the Disneyland Hotel towers they will also be making some major changes to the area around them.  Disney will be replacing Hooks Point and the Lost Bar with a new restaurant and bar. In addition, they are going to renovate the current Neverland pool, add a new waterslide area, and replace the waterfalls and koi pond with a grassy area that I read is going to be used for weddings (pre-reception space is my guess).

All these changes will affect Disneyland Hotel weddings because all these changes are taking place in the area surrounding the Rose Court Garden which is a popular ceremony location in the Disneyland Resort.

Here is a Disneyland Hotel map of what currently is around the Rose Court Garden.  The Rose Court Garden is on the bottom right corner.

Here is a map that I also altered slightly to indicate where the Rose Court Garden is in relation to the changes that are taking place.  The Rose Court Garden is again near the bottom right corner of the map.

The Rose Court Garden will stay the same but as you can see the area behind it will change.  There will be a brand new waterslide area and grassy area not far behind the Rose Court Garden that will be replacing where you currently find the waterfalls, Lost Bar, and arcade.  The waterfalls are a popular spot for quincenera and wedding pictures. There have been several times that I have walked by the waterfall area and have seen brides having pictures taken there.  Here is a link to The Disney Wedding Blog where you can see some of the pictures taken in the Disneyland Hotel Area including some by the waterfalls.

Disneyland Hotel Wedding 1 on The Disney Wedding Blog

Disneyland Hotel Wedding 2 on The Disney Wedding Blog

Several of the pictures I've seen that were taken by the waterfalls are really beautiful pictures.  But starting this fall, Disneyland brides will have to think of new photo spots. 
Also, one of the things I really loved about the Rose Court Garden was that when you listen carefully you can hear the sound of the waterfalls. When trying to pick a Disneyland wedding location, it was one of the pros on my list for the Rose Court Garden. I was sad when I realized that this would also be changing.
My fiance and I talked to our Disney Wedding consultant and she assured us that the Rose Court Garden would not be different.  The location is still a naturally beautiful spot for weddings and still my top pick for our own ceremony, but I thought I would point out these renovations that are happening so other Disneyland brides can plan accordingly.
Also, those brides who are using the Sleeping Beauty Pavilion for their receptions will have to consider that the view out of the many tall windows will be different and the construction outside may be visible.
I had been hoping to take wedding pictures by the waterfalls but since they will be gone before we get married, we stopped by there to get some pictures while they are still open.

The waterfalls will be closing August 16th.  Yesterday in the OC Register, it was pointed out that there are several other fans of the waterfalls and that there are different Disney fan sites urging people to write and call Disney to save the waterfalls.  There is also a Facebook page called Save the Disneyland Hotel Waterfalls.  The grassy area replacing it will be used for weddings but I wish they would just renovate the waterfalls instead because it is a great place for those wedding photos and a great spot to visit on those annual pass blackout days.  Maybe if they renovated them so there is more standing space above and around the waterfalls, it could be it's own pre-reception spot!

 

What do you all think?  Should they keep the waterfalls?  I think a lot of the changes they will be making will be good for the hotel but I really think the waterfalls could stay.  Make sure to stop by those waterfalls for some pictures before they're gone on August 16th!

Also- Lost Bar closes after tomorrow!  It's my favorite bar so I'm also sad that's going too.  It'll probably be busy tomorrow but if you're in the area, go and have one last drink there!

If you have any pictures of the waterfalls or other areas around the Disneyland Hotel or any fun memories from visiting there that you would like to share on the blog, feel free to comment or email them to nerissa@sodisney.com!

In the Bag!

On my last post, Carly commented that she wanted to know what else was in the bag of goodies I got at the World of Disney's Summer Sale. (She has just become an aunt! A special congrats to her and her family!)  I had a couple other people ask me about the sale too so I thought I would share a few more pictures of the items I got.   I couldn't take pictures of everything though because I had a few birthday and Christmas gifts in there and don't want to spoil the surprise!

This dress was half off its normal price and was around $20

This is the print on the dress up close.

Tinkerbell notebooks were only $1.

 The pen has a Mickey design on it and was only $3

These cute Magnet Frames were only $2 and the pins were too!  The pins are perfect for trading with cast members!

Pin mystery boxes were $3 each.

Souveneir Keychains $2 each

The items above = around $42

Going on a mini shopping spree and saving a bunch of money at the World of Disney = Priceless. 

Have a good rest of the week everyone!

Back from the World of Disney Sale!

I woke up very early today for the Summer Sale for Annual Passholders and Vacation Club members at World of Disney by Disneyland. Jared, his brother, and I got there a little before 6:30am to find a long line outside the store. While waiting in line we got our wristbands for our free gift (first 1,000 people get one). As we got closer to the door to the store, one of the cast members handed each of us a garbage bag. When we got them, Jared and I burst out laughing. Why would we need a garbage bag?
Well, after we got into the store we found out. The deals were great! So many of the items I've looked at before but were too expensive to purchase were half off or more! There were also Doorbuster deals with items that were $1-$7.  Before I knew it, my bag was heavy and full of items I wanted to buy. After our rush to grab items, Jared and I found a quiet spot and emptied our bags and selected which items we really wanted and which we could live without. When we had entered the store, I had went for the Disney summer dresses first because I'd never gotten one because of the price. I grabbed a few that were my size and stuffed them in my bag so I could pick from them later. I didn't want them to run out of my size and that turned out to be the right thing to do because later when I returned the ones I chose not to take, I saw that all the others that were my size were gone!
It was hard to get up at 5:30am on a Saturday morning but in the end I was very happy I did because I went home with some great stuff and my free gift- Mickey ears that say "The Big Cheese."

One of the items I saw many people leaving with were the Vinylmation Muppets figurines. Usually they are around $10 and they were on sale for $3.98 each. Here's the two we got!

I thought the sale went very smoothly and was very organized. We didn't wait long to get into the store at all. Plus the Doorbuster items were spread out throughout the store so there was no area that was too crowded. I'll definitely be at the next sale and would recommend it to other passholders as well!

Summer Sale at World of Disney

Tomorrow, June 24th, there will be a big sale for Disney Annual Passholders and Disney Vacation Club Members at both World of Disney Stores in Disneyland and Disney World Resorts!  There will be several great discounts and markdowns.  Plus the first 1,000 people will receive a free gift.
The catch is that you have to be there bright and early!  The sale is from 6:30am to 9:00am at the Disneyland Resort and 6:00am-9:00am at the Disney World Resort.  You might want to get there even earlier since there will probably be a line to get in.  Also, make sure you bring your Annual Pass or Vacation Club ID and a government issued ID so you can enter the store and make your purchases!

Happy shopping!  

Disney World Souvenirs for Dogs

When I went to Disney World this year, I found these really cute bandanas for dogs at the World of Disney store in Downtown Disney.  They had some other neat stuff for pets too such as dog bowls with famous Disney dogs on it such as Pluto and cat bowls too.  I haven't really seen items for pets at the World of Disney by Disneyland but I hope that maybe sometime they'll get some similar items as well.  I got two of the Disney World bandanas for my sisters' dogs, Brody and Phineas.  Here are some pictures of the dogs all dressed up in their new bandanas!

Selena Gomez Annouces her Final Season

Selena Gomez recently announced on MTV News that the next season of her popular TV show, Wizards of Waverly Place, will be her last one. It was my 10 year old sister Shannon that told me this big news. She along with many other girls her age are big fans of Selena Gomez. I have watched Wizards of Waverly Place and its movie with Shannon and it really grew on me.  My favorite thing about the tv show is that it is one of the more imaginative shows on Disney Channel.  In the show, Selena's character, Alex, and her brothers are all wizards in training. Once the siblings reach a certain age, they will have to be in a wizard competition against each other to see who gets to keep their powers and remain a wizard. I'm curious to see what happens at the end of next season! Here is the MTV News video:

Also, Selena Gomez has a new movie called Ramona and Beezus that comes out in theaters on July 23rd.  The movie is based on the Beverly Cleary series about Ramona Quimby.  I used to read these books when I was little and am looking forward to the film and hope that it will bring back some interest in the books.  Here's the preview for Ramona and Beezus.




MTV Article

Beverly Cleary books 

Happy Birthday Disneyland!

Disneyland turns 55 today! 

In the picture above is one of the cupcakes being sold at Disneyland to celebrate and one of their special anniversary park maps!

55 years ago today, Walt Disney said these famous words:

"To all who come to this happy place: -Welcome- Disneyland is your land. Here age relives fond memories of the past ... and here youth may savor the challenge and promise of the future. Disneyland is dedicated to the ideals, the dreams, and the hard facts that have created America ... with the hope that it will be a source of joy and inspiration to all the world."

Happy Birthday Disneyland!

[Thanks to Shannon for singing happy birthday with me earlier! =)  ]

Click on the link to the OC Register's article about some of the festivities that have happened at the park today:
Disneyland 55th Birthday

Bastille Day- France Pavilion Pictures

Today is Bastille Day!  Bastille Day is a French national holiday that is much like our Independence Day in the United States.  Every year, Jared and I buy either a nice bottle of French wine, champagne, or Grey Goose to celebrate.  When I went to Disney World my favorite part of the World Showcase in Epcot was the France Pavilion.  To celebrate Bastille Day, in addition to drinking my glass of Perrier Jouet, I thought I would post a couple pictures from France in Epcot.

 

Yummy dessert from the Patisserie

Happy Bastille Day!  

 

All Star Parade at Disneyland

Part of the MLB All Star parade was held at Disneyland today before the All Star Game in Angel Stadium.  Check out some of the pictures my fiance and I took at the event! 

Here are some pictures from around the park:

 

These pictures are from the All Stars of Tomorrow portion of the parade.

 

The rest of the photos are of some of the All Star players!

 

Above:  Torii Hunter- Anaheim Angels

 

Above: Derek Jeter- New York Yankees

 

 Above:  Vladimir Guerrero- Texas Rangers (former Angels player)

 

Above:  A-Rod-  New York Yankees

 

Above:  Jered Weaver- Anaheim Angels

 

Above:  Andre Ethier- L.A. Dodgers

More All Star Mickeys around So Cal

Because today's the day of the All Star Game, here are pictures of some of the All Star Mickey Statues around Southern California!

 

Hollywood and Highland

 

Orange County Performing Arts Center

 

Fashion Island

 

Disneyland Esplanade

 

Hollywood, by the Kodak Theatre

 

Disney's Soda Fountain & Studio Store, Hollywood

 

GardenWalk, Anaheim

This one is my favorite:

Grove of Anaheim

Which one is your favorite?  I hope everyone enjoys the game!

All Star Sunday & Home Run Derby

All Star Game festivities continued yesterday and today here in Anaheim. Yesterday was All Star Sunday which included the All Star Futures Game and the All Star Legends and Celebrity Softball Game.
Here are a couple pictures from All Star Sunday!

Mario Lopez (Slater from Saved by the Bell) and Guy Fieri (Food Network)

Andy Richter

Angel Stadium's shops all had plenty of Disney/MLB merchandise for the All Star game.

Today was the Home Run Derby.  I didn't go to this event but here is a picture of the stadium while the derby was going on.

Tomorrow is the All Star Game! There will be a parade in the morning with the All Star players in it that ends on Main Street in Disneyland.  If you are at Disneyland tomorrow, you should check it out!