On Site: Disneyland's Soundsational Summer Begins

Disneyland holds a lot of personal memories for me. Growing up in Southern California, it was an annual family vacation spot. Every year, we would travel to Disneyland to take in the same familiar rides, sights and sounds. But what's always struck me about Disneyland is that while many things are still the same as I remember them to be, they're also different, too.
 
Those differences can be attributed to the fact that the theme park is always changing and improving, and this year is no different. This month, Disneyland Resort is welcoming two new major rides and a brand-new parade, in addition to making improvements to the historic Disneyland Hotel and overhauling the Disney California Adventure Park.
 
Today, Travel Agent attended the opening ceremony of The Little Mermaid - Ariel's Undersea Adventure. This "dark ride," which is located in Disney California Advenuture Park, takes guests through the world of Ariel from Disney's "The Little Mermaid," infusing the film's famed musical score and numbers throughout the ride. To celebrate the opening of the ride, Disney Parks & Resorts Chairman Tom Staggs welcomed the film's composer, Alan Menken, to the stage, as well as Jodi Benson, the original voice of the film's main character. Benson performed "Part of Your World" for more than 250 journalists who were in attendance to cover the grand opening.
 
Just before the Memorial Day weekend, Disneyland also welcomed its newest parade, Mickey's Soundsational Parade. The parade featured nine themed units, all with an emphasis on melodies and dance performances inspired by some of Disney's most popular films, from "The Lion King" to "Mary Poppins."
 
Tomorrow marks the official grand reopening of the Star Tours motion simulator ride in Disneyland's Tomorrowland. The ride has been updated with new storylines--more than 50 different onces to be exact--and now features eye-pooping 3-D technology.
 
Tomorrow is also when we'll get a recap stratight from Disney executives about all of the company's new projects--including the makeover of Disney California Adventure Park (expected for completion in April 2012), the debut of Aulani, A Disney Resort on Oahu in August and much more.