We will be there the first week of Feb. Does anyone think there is a chance they will have fireworks at all? I know it’s not on the schedule and highly unlikely. I upgraded our room to have a downtown Disney view so we could watch the fireworks if the kids couldn’t last that late. I’m thinking about downgrading and spending that money elsewhere. I did see fireworks on the Monday of Presidents’ Day (I think) but I’m guessing that is a rare showing.
No fireworks as they are repaving Main Street. Lots of walls went up today in the Hub. They will return in April. Sorry you will miss them, I would downgrade as well.
That’s what I thought. I wonder why they are on the schedule for one day in mid February?? Anyone have a picture of the walls going up?
It is really terrible. Here’s two from Town Square taken today:
And this monstrosity is in front of the castle:
This is so sad… I wish these sorts of refurbs were announced further in advanced. This was announced within 30 (maybe a bit earlier??) days of our trip. We are too excited to change, and it’s more difficult to change everything now. If it were cheaper and didn’t require airlines it would be easier to change.
We just got back yesterday from being there the weekend & it was so sad to see those walls up! And made navigating incredibly difficult. However, with nothing really going on on Main Street it was never near as bad as trying to navigate between crowds & cards when a parade and/or FWs was going on. So, eyesore & slight pain though it was, it wasn’t so bad. Also, they opened the byways several times on the east side (Opera House/Tomorrowland side) several times in the later mornings & while you don’t get a breathtaking view of returning home to Main St that way, you do get a nice quiet, peaceful walk (in a WIDE walkway) somewhat behind the scenes with attraction posters beautifully placed along the walkway.
Lola it was fun to read all of your adventures in the park! My oldest daughter is named Evie as well 
I’m hoping the walls aren’t up around the statue Feb 1, but I know this is probably wishful thinking. If they open the byways, will it be obvious? I don’t know if I noticed where those are last time we were there.
Yay for Evie’s! It’s her nickname, but she uses it more than her given name so it might as well be her name! They have FWs scheduled for Pres Day so I assume they will have a brief period of time where the walls are down, not sure if it will be by Feb 1st. Now that you mention it, not having the Partners statue and the shortcut it provides crossing from East to West was one thing I missed so much. Especially when I was FP running yesterday & criss-crossing it so often.
For the byways, you have to pay attention as they are kind of tucked into a corner, but if you’re watching for them, it will be obvious. As you walk into Town Square in the back right-hand corner adjacent to the shops that face into Main Street proper, there is a wall where they have characters meet, but if that wall is opened up you can proceed through the byways. It takes you behind that East side of Main Street & spits you out right by the Childcare center, First Aid & the Little Red Wagon tucked back near the Plaza Inn at the every end of Main St.
There’s a byway on the west side too that starts behind Coke Corner & spits you out by the Fire Station but I never saw that open this weekend. Usually the only times I have seen them open is at night & they are directing people exiting the park to use them. This was the first time I saw them open for the daytime & whenever we could, we took full advantage of them so as not to have to navigate strollers through the narrowed walkways.
Evie is my daughters nickname as well, but she has recently been requesting we call her by her full name. I guess she is growing up 
(she is only 7 
)
How is it pushing a double wide stroller through the parks? I just purchased a sit and stand stroller because it is more narrow than the jogging strollers for two kids. We borrowed one last year and it worked well. I contemplated a new double jogger because they navigate easier, but I thought they would be too wide to work will in the parks. (I actually read a blog about how some people think its rude to use a double wide in the parks, I couldn’t believe that one!)
My son is about that same age I am starting to see him losing his sweet innocent little boy-ishness as he becomes bigger & bigger. We went for his 4th bday to Disneyland & he was dressed up as Peter Pan who we got to meet that day & Peter Pan said to him “4 is enough, don’t you think?” and I wholeheartedly agreed & wished I could’ve frozen him just like that!
Anyway, double strollers, we have a double wide that is very lightweight & compact for a double wide & isn’t very long either. I can’t imagine trying to push anything bigger than it around a park that was designed in 1955 with a lot of infrastructure from that era remaining. But we see plenty of bigger, longer, wider strollers. The trickiest place to get through the gates into DL (our double wide takes careful navigating to get it through & if the CM’s have their chairs turned for any reason, we have to wait till they turn them back facing forward otherwise we snag it). Other narrow points to watch out for are: both sides of Astro Orbiter into Tomorrowland, NOSQ especially after as it gets towards the Train Station/Haunted Mansion area, all of Fantasyland behind the castle, and Adventureland in its entirety. DCA though is mostly no problem as it has wider walkways & is a great place to escape during peak crowds. What I noticed was a bigger problem was that with so many rides down the rides that were available had much higher wait times than I would have guessed by looking at how many people were in the walkways. If you’re at all going during Food & Wine, then the booths will take up space in those walkways & it will be noticeably busier making navigating a touch trickier but still better than most of Disneyland.