The ground was moving under Disneyland last week as Southern California felt one of the biggest earthquakes in the last 50 years. The 7.1 magnitude quake made national news and rattled SoCal residents, including Disneyland. This week’s update will take you through both parks and show you all the stuff that’s going on. We’re shaken, not stirred.
And be sure to read all the way to the bottom of today’s update for something that has us really shocked and saddened.
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Earthquake!!
Last week we had two major earthquakes here in California. While both were located outside of Orange County, they were felt strongly throughout the area. The first happened on July 4, traditionally one of the busiest days of the year for Disneyland, with a magnitude of 6.4. Rides automatically shut down and guests were evacuated from attractions. Then, just one day later, a 7.1 hit and the procedures were repeated. Keep in mind that the quakes were over 120 miles away from Disneyland, so the impact wasn’t a fraction of what the poor folks in the Ridgecrest area suffered through.
Everyone evacuating from the Millenium Falcon. Bizarre to be in Battu for the aftershock #disney #disneyland #earthquake pic.twitter.com/ArOhYVnf14
— Kyle Reilly (@kylereilly) July 6, 2019
This is what it looks like when almost the entire park is down at the same time:
What happens when the big one hits?
Disneyland has procedures for every attraction and public space. If the quake is a minor one, most rides will cycle through and stop for inspection. More extreme shaking will cause seismic sensors to automatically stop the ride and guests will be evacuated when it is safe to do so. If guests are in danger of falling debris, they will be instructed to move to large outdoor spaces such as the Central Plaza or Small World Mall.
Keep in mind that much of Disneyland was built in the 50’s and 60’s and not all areas have the same earthquake readiness as newer areas such as Galaxy’s Edge or California Adventure. Every time there is a quake, we start receiving calls and requests for information from frazzled tourists. “Is Disneyland safe in an earthquake?”, “What happens when a quake happens if you are on a ride?”, “Does Disneyland shut down when a quake hits?”.
Disney has trained their cast for emergencies and teams are ready to respond and assist guests, not just for earthquakes, but for any natural disaster, fire, or terrorist threat. In many ways, you may be safer at Disney than at home or the mall.
Crowds Return. . . Sort of. . .
Independence Day holiday is generally one of the busiest weeks of the year for Disneyland, often reaching capacity. The past month at Disneyland has seen the lowest crowd level in decades. But this past week saw that rebound a bit. Though, you can see below that while E-Tickets had long-ish waits, they weren’t terrible, nor were the waits for smaller attractions bad at all.
By this past weekend, things had died down a bit more. This was Saturday afternoon:
Galaxy’s Edge remained in “Open” condition throughout the week; the “Boarding Pass” reservations haven’t been necessary . . . Although, if you want to visit Oga’s Cantina or Savi’s Workshop (lightsaber experience) you will want to make your reservations at 7am when they become available (use the Disneyland.com website as it is much easier to do it there than find it on the app).
While Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run has wild wait swings, it averages less than an hour, even during this busy week. We recommend keeping an eye on the Disneyland App and make your way to Galaxy’s Edge when the attraction wait drops below 60 minutes.
And just in case you think that the low attendance isn’t a problem, Disneyland has begun aggressive cost cutting, including cutting the shifts and hours for Cast Member’s. Area businesses are calling on Disney to unblock annual passes and offer ticket discounts. Fears are now that attendance may remain soft during the popular Halloween and Christmas seasons if Disney doesn’t do something.
Did you Enjoy your 4th of July?
We made our way to the park on the 4th of July to see the fireworks, here’s a bit of the big, bang, boom!
Craftsman Bar Soft Opens
The Grand Californian Hotel (and soon to no longer have a spa) has opened a lovely new pool bar.
The classy outdoor space had live entertainment this week as well.
This isn’t just a bar, you can get a substantial meal or nibbles here has well. There’s California healthy Avocado Toast, Lobster Quesadilla, or artisan-style Pizza. And look at those desserts! Root Beer Float, Waffle Churro Sundae, or Salted Chocolate Chip Cookie Fingers with dipping sauces.
The drink menu (Scroll left and right for images):
Delicious sliders and pizza . . .
And at night the place takes on a magical glow.
We may have gone overboard . . .
Mickey and Friends/Pixar Pals Update
Disneyland’s newest parking structure is having growing pains . . . and taking Mickey and Friends down with it. While all gates lead INTO the structure, both garages lead to the same old exit that Mickey and Friends has used since day one. Unfortunately, that can bring both structures to a standstill after nighttime spectaculars when everyone wants to leave at the same time. Guests were kept waiting up to TWO HOURS to exit the structure on the 4th of July. Unacceptable.
In the still-working-out-the-kinks department . . . the fancy parking availability indicator lights are not working yet. They were turned off in Pixar Pals . . . but left on in Mickey and Friends even though they weren’t displaying the correct information.
One great thing about the new structure is the increase in the number of elevators. Mickey and Friends has just two, the new structure has five.
Speaking of the bridge, while the structure itself is fully in place, the pathway leading to Downtown Disney is just getting underway.
The public sidewalk was removed around the Pixar Pals Structure entrance. It’s a bit confusing to walk to or from Downtown Disney at the moment.
Once the bridge and new pathways are built, this issue will be resolved.
Now that the tram loading has been moved under the Pixar Pals structure, that allows Disney to rework the old tram plaza. Eventually, trams will unload onto the plaza but load under Pixar Pals. That keeps the two big groups of guests separate and helps with crowd flow.
Downtown Disney Parking
The Downtown Disney Parking Lot by the Disneyland Hotel was closed this week. With little signage notifying drivers, we watched a conga line of guests making U-Turns just past the old parking entry.
The Pick-Up and Drop Off lot is still being used
Informational Signage around the resort has not been updated to reflect Downtown Disney parking changes.
The old map is still up. Pixar Pals isn’t listed, nor is the updated walking path and Downtown Disney parking options. A temporary map, or even stickers, would be most helpful. Even us regulars aren’t quite sure where to go at the moment.
Currently, Downtown Disney parking is on the Simba and (no-signage to indicate) Zazu lots.
But if there’s one issue in the new parking corridor for Disney to address, it’s egress from the Pixar/Mickey and Friends parking garages. After a long day in the parks, the last thing a guest wants to deal with is a 2-hour queue just to leave. That’s longer than the wait for Smugglers Run!!!
Pixar Pals added sorely needed parking capacity but it definitely didn’t solve the exit nightmare… pic.twitter.com/ysU68Z4B6h
— Imaginat1on (@imaginat1on) July 5, 2019
Marvel Land
Let’s take a look at the next big thing . . . Marvel Land!
You’ll note the giant scrims in front of the old Tough to be a Bug Theater. This will be the new Spider-Man ride.
From the air, a dirt mound grows in Marvel Land.
There’s finally some vertical construction in the area as well.
This and That
Synergy Unchained
Frontierland has an Adventures by Disney poster.
Jungle cruise has one too.
New Topiary Sprouting
As you travel through Downtown Disney, you’ll find a new array of plastic topiaries. You’ll notice the giant flowers first . . . but then you’ll see the modern art which becomes beloved Disney characters when you look just the right way.
It might look like modern art at first . . .
…but if you find the Black shoeprints on the ground, a different view comes into focus . . .
They are pretty cute…
All these Modern Art topiaries remind me of the New Mickey Mouse cartoon that was released over the weekend.
Pluto and Chip and Dale are fully 3D figures and can be viewed at any angle
All American College Band Returns
The 2019 Disneyland All American College Band has hit Main Street. Band Director Ron McCurdy is sadly missing this year.
Thanks for all of the love and support. Time to pass the baton! “Onward and Upward!” Strayhorn. #Disney #AACB pic.twitter.com/XYGwxk6THj
— Ron McCurdy (@Ronmccbop) February 27, 2018
It is so much fun to see the band perform, they are full of energy and it’s infectious.
A Few Other Things
They have pulled Jamitor show out of mothballs at DCA.
The Mickey Figure has been missing for several weeks from the top of Silly Symphony Swings.
Wait times for the new Emotional Whirlwind have been hovering between 30-45 minutes.
The Luxo Jr. figure on the top of Pixar Pier sign is broken again.
Spider-Man is still sporting his baggy old outfit. We are wondering if he’ll get an updated one for the new Spider-Man: Far From Home film now in theaters.
I like the new suit from the film. What about you?
Work continues on the seating area enhancements at Award Wieners.
Main Street Cinema is much busier now that the drapes have been pulled back. Now they just need to replace these outdoor benches with something more comfortable and Victorian looking.
At park closing, they now lock up the Cinema with this new red tarp.
The former Info Booth in the Esplanade between the parks is behind construction walls.
Don’t Soar Away
We’ve received a lot of comments from our readers about California Soarin’.
Stay? Go? New version? One in each theater? Let Disney know what you’d like to see:
What The . . .
It was the fight heard round the world. Everyone is talking about the ToonTown brawl that seemed to go on forever before Disney broke it up. This video is disturbing. A woman is being beaten, a child is left in the middle of it all, and regular guests are forced to put themselves in harms way to stop the insanity.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7gtoLmHd5w&feature=youtu.be
While we understand that cast members can’t put themselves in the middle of a situation which might endanger them, regular guests and kids were left to witness this. Clearly, some additional resources and procedures are needed for that awkward time between the start of an incident and when Anaheim PD can make it to the scene. What if the violence were turned on other guests? Who would jump in to help and how long would it take for someone to do something?
Anaheim PD responds:
What are your thoughts folks? Should Disneyland Security intervene in a circumstance such as this? Should they simply keep guests safely away from the situation and wait for the Police? Should they have the authority to use tasers or restraints to protect guests? This is a very sensitive and difficult situation. We understand that there aren’t easy answers to these questions.
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And that wraps up this update!
Most locals likely aren’t shaken by all the recent quakes . . . but how do you tourists feel? Are you reluctant to visit Southern California right now? What if we tell you the parks aren’t very crowded? Is that a good trade-off? And what’s the solution to the exit issues at Mickey and Friends/Pixar Parking
