Happy Cyber Monday everyone, or Cyber Week, or whatever they are calling it these days. I know you’re all tempted by the latest deals, but if you’ve got a moment to spare, let’s take a look at a big week for the Disneyland Resort, which is just about to celebrate one of its most heartfelt events, Candlelight. Plus, news about changes to Snow White’s Scary Adventures, the holiday boom and bust, and whether or not the test of paperless Fastpass has been a success. We’ll also have a look around the Resort at a number of construction projects and changes in the last week. There’s a lot to see, and we’d really appreciate your comments below.
Did you get your Disneyland Candy Cane? We can help you with that too in the sections below . . .
Candlelight Returns This Weekend
The Candlelight Processional was started by Walt Disney himself as a way to celebrate the season in a sincere way with the sponsors and dignitaries who made the park possible. It has continued all these years, generally the first weekend in December.
The Main Street Train Station is transformed into a stage for this one-of-a-kind show. Construction walls conceal the equipment being staged at the station.
The rooftop of the station reveals some rigging used for lighting the herald trumpeters.
Across from the station, Town Square will be covered in chairs and used as a stadium for the twice-nightly shows on Saturday the 7th and Sunday the 8th.
While seats are not available for regular guests (those tend to be reserved for celebrities, dignitaries and Club 33 members), any guest can hang out on Main Street on the sidelines by the Opera House or Guest Relations to experience the procession and/or performance. But be warned, this event is VERY popular and space fills up very early in the day as folks camp out for a spot.
The anniversary of Walt Disney’s birth is December 5th, so this is also a fine reminder of the man who started it all. Have you attended Candlelight at Disneyland or Walt Disney World? What is your impression?
Cyber Monday Disney Travel Deals
This one is both a news item and a word from our sponsor. Our travel partners at Get Away Today are offering Disneyland tickets at kids prices for adults on 3-day tickets (with NO BLACKOUT DATES). And special prices on cruises and Disney World as well. But you’ll need to book by tonight!
If you like the idea of giving someone the gift of travel, you can save even more with MiceChat. Be sure to use our links (or mention MiceChat when you call) for the lowest prices. AND – Here’s a special MiceChat extra. Use promo code MCD23 for an extra $10 off 2+ night rooms/tickets.
Holiday Boom . . . and Bust
Thanksgiving was a bit of a bust for Disneyland. Torrential rain and colder than average temperatures washed the crowds away on Wednesday and Thursday, but they returned in force when the weather subsided on Black Friday.
Wednesday and Thursday were like a dream for those who could stand the cold and buckets of rain.
But the holiday crowds didn’t stay away for long. By Friday, the waits skyrocketed back up to an hour or more for the big-ticket rides.
Is Paperless Fastpass a Success?
Last month, Disneyland shuttered the Fastpass machines in Tomorrowland and consolidated them into 4 digital terminals in front of Space Mountain. The new machines allow a guest to select from any of the Tomorrowland attractions and schedule a return time. If your admission ticket (or annual pass) is attached to your Disneyland app, you’ll be able to see your scheduled Fastpass return time in the app. Otherwise, you’ll just need to note the return time on your own, because no paper tickets are printed.
So, was this test successful? Disney has had many uncrowded days and several jam-packed days since the test started. Aside from the lack of a machine or two on the busiest day and a bit of a learning curve for some of the guests, the test has actually gone very well.
Disney could do away with even these machines if they completely moved to a mobile/online system. We’d like to see them at least test that as an option as well. But, for now, it looks like the days of the old paper Fastpass machines will soon be over.
Have you used the new paperless Fastpass terminals? Did you like the system? Did you find it easy to use? What suggestions do you have for Fastpass as a whole? Should all guests use the online system, similar to the Fastpass+ system at Walt Disney World, instead of maintaining terminals in the parks (Guest Relations would still be available to assist guests without a smartphone)?
Upcoming Disneyland Refurbishments & Anniversaries
Snow White Lives
Much has been said here about the changes coming to the attraction, which will leave it less scary and give the attraction a happy ending. But the real story is that the attraction will be staying at all. There have been many rumors in the past few years about potential replacements to several of Disneyland’s older attractions, including Snow White and Pinocchio. The modest revisions on the way to Snow White ensure that it will be sticking around a while longer. That’s good news as far as I’m concerned.
Many of the iconic scenes will remain. But some new scenes will be added, including the waking of Sleeping Beauty.
We rode the attraction this week so we could record it the way it looks pre-refurbishment (the cover image of the video is the new happy ending):
Indiana Jones
The 25th anniversary of Indiana Jones and the Temple of the Forbidden Eye is coming up in March of 2020. To prepare the attraction for its big birthday, Disneyland has filed permits with the city to spend over $300,000 in refurbishments for this technical masterpiece of a ride. While the bridge and some rockwork are the focus of the permits, we hope that some of the originally planned effects that didn’t quite make the final cut might make their way back into the attraction for the big anniversary.
At the top of our list for enhancements would be the restoration of the falling rocks (as you first see the giant Mara room), three-dimensional dart throwers in place of the flat blacklight ones, and the smoke ring effect from the Tokyo version of the attraction. Some projection mapping would improve the spider effects as well as the lava pit.
Are you an Indy fan? Are there any enhancements to the queue or ride that you’d like to see in celebration of the 25th anniversary?
MiceChat Anniversary & Gumball Rally
Speaking of Anniversaries, we turn 17 years young next year and will be celebrating with a weekend of celebrities and events at the Disneyland Resort February 7th through 9th, 2020. While our celebrity events have yet to be announced, tickets are already available for our world-famous Gumball Rally on February 8th. The Rally is a race through Disneyland to see who can ride the most attractions in a single day. It’s absolutely the most fun you’ll ever have in the parks.
Join over 500 of your fellow Disney fans to see who’s got the best strategy for riding the attractions. Compete in teams of 2 to 4 individuals and have the time of your lives.
For more information about the event and to register, visit the Gumball Rally Info Page HERE. But act fast, today (Cyber Monday) is the last day of our early-bird rates, ticket prices must go up on Tuesday the 3rd of December.
Disneyland After Dark Events On The Way
2020 will see the return of Disneyland After Dark events to the Disneyland Resort.
More information about the events on MiceChat:
Set the date to buy your tickets:
- Dec. 3: Tickets on sale for Disneyland Resort Annual Passholders
- Dec. 4: Tickets on sale for the general public
Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge News
Did you feel the disturbance in the force? That’s hundreds of Disney employees getting the blockbuster new Rise of the Resistance attraction ready to open this week in Orlando. Meanwhile, the cast and crew of the Anaheim version of the ride are now testing at Disneyland. Our version doesn’t open until January. Jealous yet?
Rise of the Resistance Opening
This week, Disney and Star Wars fans around the world are anxiously awaiting the December 5th launch of Rise of the Resistance at Walt Disney World’s Hollywood Studios park. The ride promises ground-breaking and cutting-edge technology and effects throughout.
This is a long-form interactive experience that uses multiple ride vehicles and a mix of special effects to actively place guests into the story, instead of as just audience members.
To help launch the new attraction, there are magnets with the attraction’s name available at Resistance Supply.
But Disneyland fans will have to wait until January 17, 2020 for the ride to open in Anaheim. Are you planning to be one of the first to experience this new attraction in either Orlando or California?
Oga’s Cantina Promotion
A new advertisement for Oga’s Cantina went out on Disney media channels last week. The 18-second video boils down to one thing: book a reservation to visit the Cantina. It sounds like the novelty of the Cantina may be wearing off. This is a very expensive location and the prices have continued to rise since the opening. The Cantina is my favorite part of Galaxy’s Edge, but it’s on the high end of what I’m willing to spend for a drink, so I don’t even try to get a reservation anymore. What about you?
Not-So-Baby Yoda
The continued fascination with The Mandalorian’s Baby Yoda (as proven by this week’s Episode 4) still has people clamoring for merchandise from Star Wars land. So far, the only official item remains the plush of Regular Yoda that looks similar to Baby Yoda in the show.
Construction
It feels like just days ago that we covered construction around the Resort. Well, that’s because that was the focus of our Surprise Disneyland Black Friday Update! Here’s a quick overview of what’s going on in the parks. For more detailed information, be sure to read the article below.
Tomorrowland
The french fry rocks in front of the Astro Orbitor have been cleared away (except for the ones nearest the Castle) and now a fully fenced garden stands in their place. This is how it will remain until it gains decorations next spring.
One of our readers asked why there’s no entry sign into Tomorrowland. We just wanted to point out there are actually two of them: one on either side of the Astro Orbitor.
In the concept art for the Tomorrowland entrance, the aforementioned entrance signs are obscured by the Astro Orbitor’s arms but they will most likely remain where they are.
The other two construction projects in Tomorrowland have not made a lot of progress towards completion over the last few weeks. The emergency exit staircase of Space Mountain had some tarps stretched over it to help mitigate rain dripping through the construction scrims.
Meanwhile, the scrims on Star Tours and Buzz Lightyear were rolled up because of inclement weather. There’s been no visible changes since the last time they have been rolled up.
Matterhorn Repairs
Now that the Matterhorn has resumed operation on both sides, the wait for the attraction has significantly reduced from the past three months. We wanted to see if they’ve been able to match the rockwork repair with the surrounding mountain.
It took Disney over three months to repair the rockwork of the mountain after a chunk of it fell off in August.
Mickey & Friends
At the Mickey & Friends parking structure, the bulk of the esplanade has been finished and the Mickey counterpart to the Pixar ball has been installed.
Almost all the construction in the area has been completed. The only things left are attaching metal grates to the Mickey & Friends structure, and finishing the installation of the second set of elevators.
Holiday Updates
The Disneyland Resort has been in holiday mode since the start of November. But for some people, Christmas doesn’t begin until after Thanksgiving. Now that it’s December, that means it’s time to grab Santa hats for everyone because we’re all celebrating the holidays together!
Problems on Main Street?
The iconic Christmas tree on Main Street has been having some lighting problems lately.
The massive 60-foot tree is comprised of several segments that light up independently from each other. It’s better to have some lights than none at all, but it doesn’t really set you in the holiday spirit when the Resort’s most iconic Christmas tree isn’t fully functioning. This light problem seems to occur intermittently. Hopefully, they’ve ironed out the kinks.
YOU GET A CANDY CANE, AND YOU GET A CANDY CANE!
The long-awaited Disneyland Resort Candy Canes have begun distribution for this season. These handmade candy canes are highly prized, and people are willing to stand in line for hours just for the chance to buy one!
The candy canes are made fresh and only in limited quantity. But they aren’t available every day. Note the schedule below.
It’s an interesting phenomenon that has taken the Disneyland fan community by storm; Instagram has definitely fueled the popularity of this holiday treat
If you’re interested in getting your hands on one, be sure to check out our Essential Disneyland Candy Cane Guide:
All Good Things Must Come to an End
While the holidays at Disneyland are the most magical time of year, the Resort has to return to normal in January. Once the garlands, trees, and decorations come down, Believe in Holiday Magic will be replaced . . .
For the holiday season, Disneyland has had fireworks on a nightly basis. Once the season ends, the new default projection show, “Mickey’s Mix Magic,” will resume operation until further notice. In previous runs of Mix Magic, the projections were shown on a nightly basis while the pyrotechnic aspect was reserved only for the weekends. We expect that to become the norm again come January.
Will you miss nightly fireworks? Do weekday projection-only shows hold your attention?
This and That
Now, a bit of rapid-fire updates for you from all over the resort . . .
Main Street Cinema
I’d like to make a simple request . . .
Now that the Cinema pulls in much larger crowds all day long every day, can we get some seasonal program changes to the movies being screened? Wouldn’t it be great to have some of the old vintage Disney holiday shorts being played here?
There are wonderful Disney clips just perfect for all the seasons of the year. Add a well-themed concession stand and this would be a great spot for Disney to make a little money AND showcase Disney’s amazing catalog of animation.
Too Much Inventory
For the Haunted Mansion’s 50th anniversary this year, there was a wide array of special merchandise. Many of the items sold out or became regular park merchandise. However, one of the items previously available only inside the park has now moved to World of Disney at a discounted price ($30 off!). I almost bought one . . . but they still seem overpriced to me even at half off.
Although these were available online at shopDisney, you could only physically purchase them from within Disneyland at the merchandise cart at the Mansion’s exit, and eventually were added to Disneyana on Main Street. Now they are available at World of Disney in Downtown Disney, at half their previous price. That’s right folks, a sale a Disneyland!
Spirit Sweater
A new Sweater Spirit Jersey has made its way to the Disneyland Resort. It’s a knit sweater that’s very soft that has the signature DISNEYLAND RESORT knitted into the sweater design itself.
It’s an interesting take on the traditional Spirit Jersey. What do you think of it?
Lego Disneyland Station and Train
The worlds of Disney and Lego intersect perfectly in this collecter’s Lego set of the Disneyland Train Station. It’s an eye-catching display, but it’s not cheap. This model set costs $330!
Asian Street Eats
Asian Street Eats, the food truck with a fancy facade still hasn’t opened. We wonder what the holdup is. This is a regular food truck that they just wrapped some wooden siding around.
Downtown Disney Disco Elf
We’ll end on a cute (albeit strange) note. On our last visit through Downtown Disney, one of our staff members noticed something staring at him through the forest of neon trees.
Yes, that’s an elf inside the tree. Maybe he’s related to the Little Man of Disneyland…
This little guy is haphazardly attached to his spot with a thick black strap, which has us questioning if this is supposed to be here or perhaps placed there by a well-meaning guest or cast member. Have you seen other elves hiding about the Disco trees?
Let’s Hear From You
Are you headed to Orlando to be first to ride Rise of the Resistance? Is a long day waiting for Candlelight in the cards for you? Candy Cane dreams dancing through your head? What are your thoughts on the future of Fastpass? Let us know in the comments below . . . and if you enjoy these Monday Updates, please do us the favor of sharing with your friends and family and we’ll keep them coming!
Have a great week everyone and be sure to stop by throughout the day all week long. We’ll have news for you from the opening of Rise of the Resistance, the launch of Universal Studios holiday celebration, and Candlelight among many other stores (and some surprises)!
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