The Journal of a Disneyland Annual Passholder

I've been to some opening days in the past but mainly it was for shows the most recent being the opening night for the 60th Anniversary fireworks. But this year I went to the opening day for Guardians of the Galaxy Mission Breakout which replaced the fan favorite Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. I've been looking forward to Guardians since the announcement since the attraction now fully uses the potential of the ride system to deliver multiple different experiences. The ride system for the DCA Tower of Terror was designed similar to the Tower in Orlando to be able run multiple ride profiles (For DHS Tower of Terror, the drops are randomized.) but wasn't tried until the final months of Tower of Terror when Disney introduced "Late Checkout" which provided the same drop sequence but delivered a different ride experience somewhat. With Guardians of the Galaxy, the Imagineers decided to randomize the experience for Guardians by using 6 songs with each song having its...

Back in August 2015 during the D23 Expo, Bob Iger announced that Star Wars themed lands were coming to Disneyland and Walt Disney World in its Hollywood Studios Theme Park. At Disneyland, the land is being built north of Frontierland, mainly in backstage areas that have long been relocated. The real casualty for the guests is the loss of Big Thunder Ranch and the Festival Arena. Disney also announced that the Rivers of America, the Railroad and Fantasmic would close for 2016 and reopen this year. The Railroad will have a new route and the Mark Twain and Columbia and the canoes would travel a shorter route but would travel along a brand new rear end of the river. The River which represents several known US Rivers will include a new section dedicated to the real life Columbia Gorge. But what many fans were anticipating is the return of a retooled and enhanced Fantasmic!. Over the course of several years, the show has seen technological upgrades but the original story kept intact. T...