2012: A year to remember:

While the summer of 2012 was an unforgettable time in Disneyland Resort history as we celebrated the transformation of Disney California Adventure Park, there were countless other moments and milestones throughtout 2012 that truly made this a year to remember.

January...

11th...Jolly Holiday Bakery Cafe...Jolly Holiday Bakery Cafe, named for the Sherman Brother's famous song from "Mary Poppins," opened its door in the former Plaza Pavilion building on Main Street, U.S.A., offering bakery goods, deli sandwiches, soups and salads.

 20th...Disneyland Hotel renovation celebration...Hundreds of Cast Members celebrated the completion of the Disneyland Hotel renovation,including the transformation of the three towers,a restyled lobby, convention center and makeover of its 975 Guest rooms. Also big hits: the new Tangaroa Terrance restaurant, Trader Sam's- Enchanted Tiki Bar, recreation area and water slides.

 29th...First Tinker Bell Half Marathon...Nearly 12,000 runners,11,000 of them women, "took flight" in the inaugural Tinker Bell Half Marathon. The female-focused event flew along a new 13.1- mile course through the Disneyland Resort and city of Anaheim.

Febuary...

1st...Third -shift celebration...Third-shift Cast Members were honored with a "Cars"-themed banquet at the Disneyland Hotel. The annual celebration pays tribute to 1,000-plus cast Members.

25th...Time capsule buried...More than 100 items were buried in a steel case under Disney California Adventure Park during construction leading up to the park's grand opening. Among the items to be opened in 25 years are an ElecTRONica shirt, a "World of Color" cap-and a letter from Walt Disney's daughter, Diane Disney Miller.

29th...One More Disney Day...Disneyland Park and Magic Kingdom Park marked leap year with One More Disney Day, the first time both parks stayed open for 24 hours simultaneously.

March...

13th...Heros Work Here... The Walt Disney Company launched Heros Work Here, an initiative aimed at providing career opportunities for returning U.S. veterans.

17-18th...SIGNin` in the Street...Thousands of Guests visited the Downtown Disney District for a celebration of creativity in the deaf and hearing-impaired community.

31st...Disney Fantasy maiden voyage...After traveling more the 5,100 miles to its homeport at Port Canaveral, Fla., the Disney Fantasy carried 4,000 Guests and 1,450 Crew Members on its maiden voyage to Caribbean destinations.

April...

2nd...VoluntEARS of the Year...Diversity Resource Group HOLA was named the VoluntEAR Team of the Year and documentation speciallist Rachelle Allen was recognized as VoluntEAR of the Year.

22nd...Earth Day...Disney encouraged Cast Members to "Get Outside" with tips and events to heighten appreciation of our planet.;

May...

2nd...Gibson Girl and Candy Palace... A newly remodeled Candy Palace and Gibson Girl Ice Cream Parlor debuted to the delight of sweet-tooth Guests at Disneyland Park.

5-25th...Cast Showcsae debuts...Nearly 18,000 Cast Members attended the award-winning Cast Showcase to learn about new summer offerings at the Disneyland Resort.

10th...Window dedicated to Alice Davis...Costume designer extraordinaire and beloved Disney Legend Alice Davis received a window on Main Street,U.S.A.

12th...KaBOOM! build...More than 200 volunteers from the local community and the Disneyland Resort gathered at Stoddard Park in Anahiem to build a playground, benches and plant trees-all in one day! Another KaBOOM! playground was built Sept. 10 in Santa Ana.

May 18...Merida arrives at Disneyland Park...Merida from Disney*Pixar film "Brave" began to greet Guests in Fantasyland, fullfilling her destiny as the newest Disney princess.

25th...Mad T Party...Guests got a preview of the journey down the rabbit hole, partying with the White Rabbit and Alice in a funky new nighttime celebration in Hollywood Land at Disney California Adventure Park.

June...

7th...Disneyland Resort Line goes digital...The Disneyland Resort Line marked the grand reopening of Disney California Adventure Park with a 32-page commemorative issue and, for the first time in cast publication history, an interactive digital edition.

8th...Ghirardelli...Pacific Wharf literally got sweeter when Ghirardelli Soda Fountain and Chocolate Shop officially opened.

9th...WonderGround Gallery...WonderGound Gallery in the Downtown Disney District celebrated the transformation of a blank canvas into pure Disney magic with a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new art gallery.

13th...Carnation Cafe~ Cast Members gathered for a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the reopening of Carnation Cafe`, which debuted a new menu and expanding seating area.

14th...Glow with the Show...Nights shine a little brighter at the Dissneyland Resort thanks to the debute of Glow with the Show hats at "World of Color." The hats use infrared trigger technology to allow Guests to become part of the magic as their hats sync up to the colors and music in the show. The hats now also sync up with "Fantasmic!" and other shows and locations.

15th...Disney California Adventure Park grand reopening...Five years of dreaming, planning and hard work led up to the moment when Disneyland Resort Cast Members proudly welcomed Guests to the grand reopening of Disney California Adventure Park. Buena Vista Street,Cars Land, Carthay Circle Restaurant- and all of the other new elements throughtout the resort-were met with rave reviews worldwide.
 The resort hired 5,000 additional Cast Members, bringing our total to 25,000. The Disneyland Resort is the largest employer in Orange County, growing by 25%.


Matterhorn...After its most extensive refurbishment to date, Matterhorn Bobsleds reopened to the delight of Guests. Adding another layer of mountain magic, the famous mountain climbers also made their triumphant return.

Voices of Liberty...Voices of Liberty began a limited-time run, sharing their angelic voices at the Main Street Opera House, home of "The Disneyland Story,presenting Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln."

Starbucks...Disney Guests get their first taste of that familiar cup of Starbucks inside a U.S. theme park. Beautifully incorporated into the 1920s theme at Fiddler, Fifer and Practical Cafe`, it's the first of several Starbucks cafes set to open at all parks at the Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resort.

20th....Dr Lee's 60 th birthday,cool huh!!!

July...

17th...Olympians get send-off parade...On the 57th anniversary of Disneyland Park, Guests cheered on the U.S. Men's and Women's Volleyball Teams as they prepared to leave for the Olympics in London.

Cast Service Center...The Cast service Center opened, featuring the new home of Disneyland Park Pin Trading Central.

August...

7-8 Canoe Races...The top Cast Member paddlers rowed it out for the title of the fastest paddler in the wilderness. Fariy Princesses took top spot in the women's division, while Flyin` Hellfish grabbed the men's top honors. D.C. United: Catch of the Day edged out the competition in the co-ed division.

29th...Aulani celebrates a milestone... Cast Members at Aulani, a Disney Resort and Spa, in Ko Olina, Hawai`i, celebrated the first anniversary of the resort's operation. The 21 acre vacation paradise has been so popular among Guests that an expansion is already under way.

September...

1st...Pirates League...Scallywags and mutineers found a new home at Priates League in New Orleans Square. The limited-time offering gave Guests of all ages the opportunity to transform into a pirate for Halloween time.

2nd...Disneyland Half Marathon...More than 22,000 participants raced to the checkered flag during the 7th annual race, which, for the first time, ran through the all-new Cars Land and Buena Vista Street.

6th...Service Anniversary Celebration...Cast Members celebrating 10,15 and 20 and above years of service were honored at an exclusive event at Disneyland Park.

7th...Conservation Fund hits milestone...The Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund announced its 2012 annual grants, awarding more than $1.8 million to conservation projects across the globe and marking  the fud's $20 million milestone in conservation giving since its founding in 1995.

11th...Pixie Hollow at Disneyland Park introduced a bit of The Winter Woods, creating a magical environment that immerses Guests into the world of "Secret of the Wings" and Tinker Bell's sister, Periwinkle.

14th...Halloween Time Begins...Grim-grinning Guests began to materialize as Halloween Time got off to a spooky start. New offerings this year, including The Art of Frankenweenie Exhition, Villains Square and Big Thunder Ranch Jamboree Halloween Carnival, have made Halloween Time one of the most popular times for Guests to visit the resort.

October...

8th... 2013-14 Ambassadors named...Megan Navarette and Sachiko White were named Disneyland Resort Ambassadorsfor 2013-14 during a ceremory in front of Sleeping Beatuy Castle.

14...CHOC Walk...More than 16,000 walkers participated in the 22nd annual CHOC Walk. Cast Members and their family and friends -with matching funds from Disneyland Resort-raised nearly $300,000 for Childern's Hospital of Orange County, contributing to the approximately $2 million raised.

20-21...MS Bay to Bay...More than 100 Cast Members, friends and family formed the Disney VoluntEARS team that participted in the Bike MS Bay to Bay Tour. Cyclists on the ride from Irvine to San Diego raised more than $100,000 this year for multiple sclerosis research-surpassed the $1 million mark since it inception 13 years ago.

23...Skating rink opens in Downtown Disney...Tinker Bell and her twin, Periwinlke, appeared at the grand opening of the "Secret of the Wings" ice skating rink in Downtown Disney District.

26...Wreck-it-Ralph characters debut...The arcade world of "Wrech-it-Ralph" came to life at the Tomorrowland Starcade,when Ralph and Vanellope started meeting Guests in Game Central Station.

30...Disney and Lucasfilm...The Walt Disney Company announced it was acquiring Lucasfilm Ltd. and its world-class portfolio of creative content-including the legendary "Star Wars" franchise-along with all of its operating businesses,including Industrial Light & Magic and Skywalker Sound.

November...

2nd...Earl of Sandwich opens...Sandwich lovers rejoiced at the ribbon-cutting ceremony for Earl of Sandwich at the Downtown Disney District, joining existing Disney locations at the Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Paris.

6-7th...`Saving Mr. Banks` films at Disneyland Park...Disneyland Park went back to the 1960s as scenes were shot for the upcoming feature film, which chronicles Walt Disney on his quest to obtain screen rights to "Mary Poppins," and stars Tom Hanks and Emma Thompson. Cast Members jumped at the chance to fill roles for extras.

12th...Holidays at the Disneyland Resort...Things got merrier at "The Happiest Place on Earth" when the holidays kicked off,transforming the Disneyland Resort into a winter wonderland and marking the first holiday season for Cars Land and Buena Vista Street.

15th...New animals join Big Thunder Ranch... A minature Hereford cow named Clarabelle and a black lamb named Thunder joined our four-legged Cast Members at Big Thunder Ranch.


December...

1st...First night of Candlelight...Actor Dennise Haysbert kicked off an expanded 20 nights of the Candlelight Processional and Ceremony performances. These evening performances feature beloved holiday music and the telling of the first Christmas Story.

1,8,15th...Rose Parade float decorating...Cast Members gathered to decorate a Cars Land-inspired Tourament of Roses Parade float. Tune in to ABC on January 1st to see how thier hard work turned out.

6th...New Fantasyland revealed...The Walt Disney World Resort officially revealed New Fantasyland, the largest expansion to Magic Kingdom park since the resort opened in 1971. The expansion continues in 2013.



What a year at Disneyland Resort....Dr Lee