100th Post!

This marks the 100th post in Disneyland Report history. Thank you to the thousands of readers who have been viewing the blog and sending us messages! We appreciate every one of you.

If anyone out there has any suggestions, things they'd like to see us write or even improve upon, don't hesitate. Let us know how we can make the next hundred posts even better.

Josh

Space Mountain: Ghost Galaxy

Every year around Halloween time, Disneyland makes some pretty big changes. One noteworthy makeover takes place in Space Mountain. Each fall, the ride portion of the beloved attraction becomes spookier than usual.

Riders enter a dark tunnel -- pitch black -- and are greeted by a fiery skeletal ghost. You're followed the whole time by these demons that chase you around the galaxy. At the end, riders get a startling surprise.

Unlike the Haunted Mansion's Halloween decorations which make it a fun and cheerful experience, Space Mountain becomes scary at this time of year. So if you're looking forward to some Halloween thrills with the kids, or if you like quality amusement park entertainment, check out Space Mountain: Ghost Galaxy before it's too late.

Market House Starbucks Review

Finally, after much ado, I've made some time to visit the park during this busy school semester. The first thing I wanted to visit was the brand new Starbucks that just opened on Main Street, USA.

As expected, they've gone with a vintage look, just like the location on Buena Vista Street. But the quaint, old-town exterior doesn't quite reflect the cafeteria-like setting indoors.

As you can probably tell, the Starbucks is much more popular than the coffee shop that used to be here, with a queue set up that snakes around the entire building. There are several cash registers and only one pickup counter, which is a total nightmare. While waiting for our drinks I saw at least four people return their orders. I was amazed at how friendly the staff was amid so much heavy traffic.

Although I didn't expect much at all, I was pretty underwhelmed by how poorly the place was set up. If you really need coffee in the morning (which many of us do), I recommend that you pick some up outside the park. I personally detest Starbucks coffee, but it's convenient enough that I'll get some once in a while from the DCA location. Go there instead if you have an annual pass or parkhopper. On the other hand, the coffee cart outside Frontierland makes fantastic coffee. All I know is, I'll probably stay away from this Starbucks at least until the hype dies down.

Disabled Guests Will No Longer Enjoy Shorter Wait Times

This is why we can't have nice things.

Disneyland announced recently that guests suffering from disabilities will not have the privilege to cut lines anymore. A longstanding rule once allowed guests with a handicap pass to skip long wait times, so that they might not have to endure pain or an aggravated condition.

Unfortunately, it was rather easy to obtain these passes. It became common practice for parents without disabled children to hire kids with obvious physical limitations as a child or playdate friend, so that their kids could abuse the system. Even more common was the exercise of lying about an internal disability, that might prevent one from standing around for extended periods of time. As no medical papers or tests were required, it was easy for kids to obtain these passes, forcing actually handicapped guests to wait even longer than necessary.

Maybe they'll bring the handicap pass back, but for now it seems that those suffering from diseases or disabilities will have to wait in line with the rest of us.

Update: Thunder Mountain Reopening Pushed Back

In what's been a slow couple of weeks, (even with Mickey's Halloween Party going on), we finally have an interesting story. The much-anticipated grand reopening of Thunder Mountain Railroad has been delayed. For reasons that aren't yet fully clear, the nearly year-long refurbishment will take another few months.

For those unaware, Big Thunder is undergoing a massive overhaul that had it closed even during the entire duration of summer, the park's biggest season. It was scheduled to reopen in mid-October. But things have changed, and we won't be seeing this ride until the Winter of next year, which could even mean as late as March 2014.

Big Changes to Club 33

Disneyland's secret club, known as Club 33, is about to undergo major refurbishments.

Club 33 is located in a discreet New Orleans Square building adjacent to Pirates of the Caribbean. Members pay a whopping $25,000 initiation fee, on top of a $10,000 annual admission fee. That does not include admission to Disneyland, or the meals served in Club 33. Reservations must be booked months in advance, and a meal alone typically costs around $150.

So with all that extra cash, it's quite expected that Disneyland should update the famous club. Members can expect to see a completely new atrium, kitchen, lounge, new furniture. The menu is also to be updated, but no specific changes have been announced. The club is scheduled to close for half the year beginning in January, so hang tight, 33ers.

Of course, if you're not one of the few members of Club 33, you will not experience any changes whatsoever. But don't worry, Disneyland has probably got something in store for all of us.

Coming Soon: Mickey's Halloween Party

In just two weeks, prepare for Halloween at Anaheim, California. Every year around late September, Disneyland dresses up for Halloween, in a spectacular month-long event known as Mickey's Halloween Party. The party is complete with Halloween-themed decorations, parades, and countless activities.

Basically, the park will close at early hours (6-7:00 PM), and guests with a Halloween Party pass will be allowed to stay until midnight. Those times are when the activities begin. Below is a pricing guide for the events.

This year for the first time, guests will get to experience the Monsters U dance party at the Tomorrowland Terrace, as well as two new locations on the trick-or-treat tour. Many rides will even receive Halloween makeovers. Jack Skellington and the rest of the beloved characters from Tim Burton's Nightmare Before Christmas will grace the halls of the Haunted Mansion, and Space Mountain riders will get to experience my personal favorite addition, Ghost Galaxy (review to come).

Don't be afraid to dress up in your costume (as long as it doesn't frighten too many children) and show up to the park from September 27th until Halloween, because this even lasts all month long.