Spring break is in full swing at the park and it is very crowded. Swiss Family Treehouse is in the process of being turned into TARZAN'S Treehouse. Most of the leaves have been removed and it looks real sad right now. The green construction walls around this area are creating a nice bottle-neck for traffic (like this area didn't have enough flow problems already).
The S.S. Columbia and Mark Twain are still down until they get their safety permits re-approved.
Fantasmic has been delayed due to maintainence schedule problems. Even when it comes back up, the Mark Twain will not be used for its finale due to the problem mentioned above.
December 28
The guests were injured on the Sailing Ship Columbia. This death is significant in that it appears to be that Disneyland is at fault, which is a first. There have been several deaths and many injuries at the park, but almost all have been ruled to be "self-negligence" in following safety rules (ex: standing up on rides).
November 2, 1998
October 17
September 24, 1998
August 4th
July 20th
June 24
The death at Disneyland of a guest is overshadowing the holiday season. The following is a news story about the accident:
"The Washington state man who was struck in the face by a piece
of metal at Disneyland on Christmas Eve died of hemorrhaging in
the brain and a severe skull fracture, the Orange County coroner's office
said Sunday.
An autopsy showed the injuries caused the accidental death of Luan
Phi Dawson of Duvall, Wash., who died Saturday night after he was
taken off a respirator at UC Irvine Medical Center, said Larry Esslinger,
watch commander for the coroner's office.
The 33-year-old Dawson was struck when a metal cleat came flying
loose from a tall ship at the amusement park. Also injured were
Dawson's wife, Lieu Thuy Vuong, 43, who was in fair condition at the
hospital Sunday, and Disneyland worker Christine Carpenter, 30, who
suffered serious leg injuries and was in good condition at Western
Medical Center-Anaheim.
Doctors had declared Dawson brain dead at 10:15 a.m. Saturday,
but waited to allow an out-of-state relative to see him before
disconnecting life support, authorities said." copyright 1998 Los Angelas Times
Also, that same day, a small child was thrown from King Arthur's Carrousel and was injured. He was taken to the hospital by paramedics.
My thoughts go out to those families.
See the links page on this site to learn more about Disneyland deaths.
Disneyland has already set up for Christmas. Decorations and the large tree in town square are in place. It's a Small World Holiday is now open and will run until Valentine's Day. They have passed over the Fall season, in which they normally decorate for. This is probably due to budget cuts.
The Rocket Rods are up again but they seem to be going slower than they used to be. That's probably so they can fit all the cars on the track at full capacity. It's running about a 2.5 hour wait to get on. See Bear Country Vacation Hoe-Down while you can. It will be removed after Christmas to be replaced by a Winnie-the-Pooh dark ride.
The Submarines are now closed. It's a Small World is closed so that it can be changed into It's a Small World Holiday. Construction started on the McDonald's Express that will be in Frontierland. It will be across from Big Thunder Mountain to the right of the entrance to the Rivers of America Dock.
If you haven't heard, the Submarines will close after the Labor day weekend. It will be replaced by an Atlantis themed attraction sometime after Disney's California Adventures opens. There is also rumors that the Tiki Room's day are numbered.
I went to Disneyland on friday for its 43rd birthday. Innoventions was open for preview and I was not impressed at all.
Many of the displays were already broken (Innoventions is highly interactive). It felt like a trade show like they have at the fair or conventions. Almost all the interactions on the bottom floor I can do on my home computer in the privacy of my own home.
The upstairs was very sparse and the people at the displays around the outside on the bottom floor were like sales people with fake personalities. At least we have the Rocket rods (they were closed all day due to problems). That's o.k. because I think they are a waste of time anyway.
I went to Disneyland on Friday (if you haven't noticed, I go almost every Friday) with Brandy and we had a lot of fun. The Mulan parade has started and I'd have to say it was interesting but not spectacular. It was basically a daytime type parade done at night. There are no lights on the floats. I'd give cast members in the parade credit for putting 100% effort into the parade and that has made the difference between a "o.k." parade and "good" one. If you enjoy Lion dances, Wushu-style acrobatics, and traditional Asian costumes, this parade is for you.