From left, Mary Niven, vice president, Disney California Adventure Park, Ernst Tanner, CEO, Lindt & Sprngli AG, and George A. Kalogridis, president, Disneyland Resort celebrate the opening of a new Ghirardelli Soda Fountain and Chocolate Shop at Disney California Adventure Park June 7, 2012.
A wonder world of saccharine delights is now open at the Disneyland Resort. A new Ghirardelli Soda Fountain and Chocolate Shop is spreading its sugary sweetness inside Disney California Adventure park. The new location – the first to open inside a theme park – features Ghirardelli’s world-famous hot fudge sundaes and decadent chocolate products, and represents another milestone in the expansion of Disney California Adventure.
Good news, there will be free samples too!
“As we celebrate the culmination of our resort expansion, we are thrilled to welcome Ghirardelli, and to make this unique chocolate experience available to our park guests,” said George A. Kalogridis, president of Disneyland Resort. “Ghirardelli is a perfect fit for our newly reimagined Disney California Adventure, as we both share a rich California heritage.”
“We are excited to partner with the Disneyland Resort to open our Soda Fountain and Chocolate Shop in Disney California Adventure,” said Martin Thompson, President and CEO of the Ghirardelli Chocolate Company. “Consumers associate our premium brand with high quality, delicious chocolate and now they will have the opportunity to enjoy both our intense, slow melting chocolate and our decadent ice cream treats inside the park. Our rich heritage began in California 160 years ago this year and opening this store in Disney California Adventure is a perfect way to celebrate.”
The new soda fountain and chocolate shop is located in Pacific Wharf, the San Francisco-inspired area of Disney California Adventure. Guests can visit the location to enjoy treats including sundaes, shakes, and floats, plus a delicious assortment of chocolates and beautifully wrapped gifts. Each guest can enjoy a complimentary sample of the signature Ghirardelli Squares chocolate.
The expansion of Disney California Adventure culminates on June 15 with the opening of Cars Land and Buena Vista Street. The 12-acre Cars Land offers three family attractions showcasing characters and settings from the Disney•Pixar blockbuster “Cars”, plus themed dining and shopping. Nearby, Buena Vista Street, a new gateway to Disney California Adventure serving a similar role to Main St. U.S.A. in Disneyland, transports guests to a nostalgic Los Angeles of the 1920s and ’30s as Walt Disney might have seen it when he first arrived in California in 1923. The two new lands follow myriad additions to Disney California Adventure, including the nighttime water spectacular “World of Color” and The Little Mermaid ~ Ariel’s Undersea Adventure.
(Photo Courtesy Paul Hiffmeyer/Disneyland)