Lately all our theme park excitement has been focused on Harry Potter and his Wizarding World, but there’s something new at Mickey’s house just down the street. Unfortunately it’s not a new roller coaster, ride, or attraction, but it is a new way to give Disney even more of your hard-earned cash.

If you’ve had a difficult time deciding between Walt Disney World and Disneyland, your troubles are now over. The Disney Premier Passport will sell for $700, and will grant you access to all the parks in Florida as well as in California. That means all the water parks, that DisneyQuest arcade thing, every theme park, and pretty much anything else that charges an admission fee is yours to visit. You can even get into the Disney Oak Trail golf course, but we’re thinking there’s some other fees for that one that will prevent us from overtaking Tiger Woods on the PGA Tour. ]]> kjb 2010-03-19T09:30:07-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2010/2/16/223213/005

The biggest theme park news lately has been all about Harry Potter, but there’s something else pretty interesting ready to reappear at Disneyland. Captain EO, the snazzy laser-filled 3D movie starring Michael Jackson, is set to return to Tomorrowland sometime this month. We knew it was coming since late last year, but it seems that sneak peeks of the retro attraction might begin any day now.

Apparently testing is already underway as Disneyland employees were invited to check out the attraction last week. An email was sent out to Disney cast members—that’s Mickey Mouse language for employees—describing the testing involved with the movie’s return. Of course they requested that all the secrets of the attraction remain hush-hush, but it looks like someone immediately leaked the email. We’re all for sharing a few secrets among friends, because that’s pretty much why the Internet was invented. ]]> kjb 2010-02-17T08:35:18-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/12/5/144410/489

There's something comforting about these vintage pictures of Disneyland from the fifties and sixties, which evoke a carefree era when father knew best and more doctors smoked Camels than any other cigarette. The park opened in Anaheim, California in 1955, blending classic Americana with future modernism and fantasy, and it defined the idea of the family vacation for years to come. ]]> Victor Ozols 2009-12-05T14:44:10-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/9/14/201321/751

Susan Boyle, the former frumpy songbird from Scotland, has finally made her way to California and where did she go first? That's right, Disneyland. But unlike Rihanna, she didn't get too crazy with her ride choices.

TMZ snapped Boyle riding on the Dumbo ride, which is best known as a kiddie pleaser but is also an original ride from 1955 when the park first opened. TMZ also reports that Boyle enjoyed the revamped It's a Small World ride as well. Guess she's happy with those somewhat controversial renovations.

Boyle is set to sing her cover version of the Rolling Stones song, "Wild Horses," on the finale of America's Got Talent tomorrow night. Her debut album, "I Dream a Dream," will be released on November 23.

Related Stories
· Dumbo Ride, Disneyland [Official Site]
· Susan Boyle coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: 3am]]]> juliana 2009-09-15T09:28:53-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/9/14/81744/1127

While most were firmly planted on the couch watching Sunday’s football games, things were wrapping up at the D23 Expo in Anaheim. Disney hopes that this year’s expo—which is much like Comic Con for Disney fans—is just the first of many for years to come. If they announce as much as they did during this year’s edition, then we’ll definitely be intrigued year after year. However, we did know about a lot of their new projects already, including a revamp of the Star Tours attraction, thanks to the ol’ rumor mill.

One big surprise was to see Johnny Depp himself step onto the stage in full Captain Jack Sparrow regalia. He was in character and playfully going back and forth with one of the Disney suits on stage; he even commented about what poor Kermit the Frog tasted like. Depp was there to confirm that he will be returning in 2011 to star in the fourth edition of the Pirates of the Caribbean film franchise. ]]> kjb 2009-09-15T09:03:53-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/8/4/8123/69395

Apparently the fact that the country is in a huge economic mess doesn’t seem to phase the suits at Disney. We understand that earnings were down this quarter compared to last year, and that you need more cash, but the ticket prices to your parks already cost a lot of money. Nonetheless, over the weekend the admission costs to Disneyland and Walt Disney World both went up by a few bucks, just like they have for the last couple of years.

If you have your heart set on heading to the mouse house in Florida this summer, a one-day ticket will now cost $79. This is an increase of $4 over the former rate, and once you add in the tax, you’re looking at well over $80 for a day with Mickey and friends. Like always, it pays to stay longer—they want to fatten you up on churros. The difference between a three day base ticket and a ten day base ticket is less than $30, but it will still cost you over $200 per person. ]]> kjb 2009-08-04T08:54:23-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/7/22/73648/1000

With Independence Day barely in the rear view mirror, another theme park is already prepping their offerings for Halloween. Hoping to build the excitement for the autumn amusement season, Disneyland in California has announced its plans for the spookiest of all holidays. Halloween Time will run from September 25 through November 1, just in time to take down all the pumpkins and put up all the Christmas trees.

Space Mountain will be getting a special holiday-themed overlay to spice things up for those looking to celebrate all things black and orange. The Ghost Galaxy idea premiered at Hong Kong Disneyland, but the folks in Anaheim will borrow this concept to add some new music and ghostly images to the walls of the roller coaster—sounds spooky awesome. ]]> kjb 2009-07-22T12:04:21-05:00 Search Jaunted string http://www.jaunted.com/search/