Disneyland Overhaul Set for Fall

Disneyland officials have their sights set on some major refurbishments immediately after Labor Day. “There will be construction all over the place,” says an employee who was briefed on the plans. “Pirates [of the Caribbean] will be down. The Autopia will be down. And they’re going to really rip up the main entrance for some major, major work.”

Autopia, the mini-freeway ride dating from Disneyland’s opening in 1955, is being reconfigured, a process that will take months. And long-delayed maintenance on the Pirates ride, where faulty sensors and belts have made shutdowns common, could take eight weeks, the employee said. The Town Square area just inside the main entrance also will get a face lift, a section at a time. Look for more paver tiles in place of concrete.

Disneyland fans, including many critical annual pass holders, have been praising strides in upkeep since Cynthia Harriss took over as the park’s top executive six months ago. Indeed, Internet gadfly Al Lutz, whose Disneyland Information Guide (https://member.aol.com/alweho) devoted a whole section to photos of peeling paint and burned-out lightbulbs, has been rapidly replacing them with pictures of spiffed-up attractions.

Also under discussion at the park: dressing guards in uniforms that look less police-like, and perhaps even doing away with their badges. “The security guys are grumbling,” an employee reports. “The badge is a pride thing. The guards are really attached to their badges.”