Disneyland Update – The Other Shoe is About to Drop

Here we are in August, and although there are some signs of activity in the theme park world, our Disneyland parks are still closed and look like they could be for quite some time to come. But even the theme parks that have reopened are showing some distressing earning reports for this year, and that means there are painful business decisions ahead. However, there are also some things to look forward to, like the expansion of Knott’s newest food festival, and extended hours at Downtown Disney. Let’s take a look. . .

Disastrous 2nd Quarter Earning Reports

The world health crisis has had a wide-reaching impact on almost all aspects of life. The entertainment and travel industries have been hit especially hard as almost everything had to close early and even venues which have reopened have suffered abysmal attendance. This past week a few of the leading theme park operators have released information about their 2nd Quarter earnings. It isn’t pretty. 

Comcast, the owner/operator of Universal Orlando Resort released its 2nd Quarter report for the theme parks. The report displayed an unimaginable plunge in earnings and attendance compared to last year.  The theme parks business segment saw a 94.1% drop in revenue. And, of course, that means draconian measures are in order. In the last few days, Universal has launched a 2nd round of deep theme park related layoffs: “We are prioritizing daily operations and shorter-term projects and continuing our pause on longer-term projects such as Epic Universe as we allow the tourism industry to recover.” But it is our understanding that the teams responsible for designing the new Epic Universe resort have been terminated, leading us to believe that the current version of the project isn’t just delayed, it’s very likely shelved in its current form.

And it’s not just future projects on hold, current offerings are being scaled back as well: Kang and Kodos’ Twirl ‘n’ Hurl, Poseidon’s Fury, the new Fast & Furious Supercharged, Storm Force Accelatron, Fear Factor Live, and A Day in the Park with Barney have all been closed and park management scaled back. 

The situation is similar at SeaWorld which had a decline of 6.2 million guests in the 2nd quarter. Understandable since their parks were all closed. But, the nearly $400 million loss in revenue will be a hard pill for the already struggling brand to swallow. SeaWorld and Busch Gardens have already delayed their big new projects until at least next year, but the coming months will foretell their ultimate fate.  

And then there’s Disney. While The Walt Disney Company hasn’t announced their earnings yet, they will share the painful news with shareholders on August 4th. We have already seen Disney talk about the delay or cancelation of future projects, but we’ll learn more about their real plans and labor cuts in the weeks to come. 

In short, the pain of the previous quarter, combined with an expected extreme slowdown in future travel and spending, is going to result in a roller coaster ride for the industry that we are just beginning to understand the scope of. Stay tuned on this one and pray for your favorite projects.  

Disneyland Resort Hotels Accepting New Reservations

In our Disneyland Update last week, we speculated about the potential reopening of the Grand Californian’s Disney Vacation Club tower. Yesterday, we noticed that rooms are available for booking starting September 1st in two of the Disneyland Resort hotels. Rooms at the Grand Californian Hotel and Spa and Paradise Pier Hotel are now accepting reservations starting in September.

Both of these hotels were originally scheduled to open July 23, just after the projected opening of Disneyland. But with the delay of reopening the theme parks, the hotels similarly suspended their reopenings. This could just be wishful thinking, and the reopenings could still be delayed, but as of now you can book Hotels and DVC again beginning September 1st. 

This doesn’t mean that the parks will be reopening any time soon. Due to rising COVID cases in the state, no guidance has been given to Disney and other theme parks in California. It will take Disney weeks to reopen once they are given the go-ahead. As a result, Disneyland made the tough call to cancel its Halloween parties for the year. 

Downtown Disney News

The reopening of Disneyland’s shopping district has been successful. Enough so that they have expanded daily operating hours to 9pm on the weekends (it was previously 8pm). The area opens every day at 10am and closes at 8pm Monday-Thursday and closes at 9pm Friday-Sunday. Keep in mind that eateries may have their own hours, so it’s always best to check. And don’t forget to secure dining reservations for patio service establishments as seating is very limited and generally not available on a walk-up basis.  

Weekdays continue to be the least crowded at Downtown Disney, particularly before 4pm. Things pick up for the weekends beginning Friday afternoon when most folks are off work and conditions stay busy through Sunday. Expect parking to fill up from time to time at peak hours on the weekends. 

Midday on Thursday found conditions (other than the hot weather) very comfortable. 

While crowds were well spread out in walkways, most patio seats in the restaurants were full, and some of the shops had lines of guests waiting to get in. 

Tortilla Jo’s recently reopened. California still isn’t allowing indoor dining, but they have a large outdoor patio for table service.  

Ballast Point has also reopened. They have a very small patio. But they are doing take out if you can’t get a reservation.  

While many of the shops and restaurants at Downtown Disney have reopened, there are still a handful that remain closed. At publication time, here’s what’s still closed:

• • Catal Restaurant
  • La Brea Bakery (and Express)
  • Napolini Pizzeria
  • Ralph Brennan’s Jazz Kitchen (and Express)
  • Splitsville Luxury Lanes
  • Sprinkles
  • Taqueria at Tortilla Jo’s

A number of Downtown Disney’s establishments have been keeping a brisk pace.

Currently featured items in the Dress shop: Jungle Cruise, Fantasia, Ink & Paint, and a Maleficent dress just perfect for Halloween: 

Bags, T-shirts, and Men’s items as well. There are even some face masks to match the outfits: 

Of course, it’s World of Disney which remains the biggest draw. The line to get in stretched the length of the store by 4pm on Thursday afternoon. However, it moved fast and only took about 10 minutes to get in.

The items flying off the shelves right now are facemasks. There are new Haunted Mansion, Frozen, Tomorrowland, Tiki Room, Small World, Donald Duck, Mickey Mouse styles that we spotted. Some of the styles also now come in an XL size, which is welcome since most folks think the masks run a bit small.  

The two biggest lines in the store at the moment are the expanded Ink & Paint and Disneyland 65th Anniversary collections (use the slider to see them all):

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We also like the Mickey, Minnie, and Pet products: 

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And here are a few more odds and ends, including LOTS of leftover product from the beginning of the year for films Onward and Mulan: 

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Overall, Downtown Disney feels pretty safe on the weekdays. Most guests are keeping their distance and doing a much better job of wearing masks. Speaking of masks, we have some additional information about Disney’s evolving mask policies below. 

Mask Updates

This past week Disney released new guidelines on what constitutes an appropriate face covering while visiting its resorts or shopping districts. The newest changes now disallow face masks with valves, mesh material, or holes of any kind. The evolving guidelines are listed below.

The same guidelines are in place for Walt Disney World as well. Disney isn’t the only theme park that’s updating its policies about face masks. Starting today,they have updated their recommendation that masks consist of at least two layers. Additionally, face coverings that cannot be secured under the chin (like triangle bandanas) will no longer be permitted.

Knott’s Partial Reopening

We don’t normally cover Knott’s in our Disneyland Updates, but they are currently the only local theme park that has figured out a way to partially operate within state rules. Their current “Taste of Calico” food and craft festival has proven to be so popular that it has been extended a 2nd time and will be expanded to cover most of the park. It will also get a name change to reflect the expansion and will become “Taste of Knott’s.”  

And in time for the expanded event, the Knott’s Hotel will also be reopening on August 19th.

MiceChat reporter Mike Kindrich and his better half arrived at about 12:30 pm on Friday to an almost empty park. They stopped in the candy shop in the Marketplace before heading to the event. 

You can get a chicken dinner to go 7 days a week. Sounds like a plan. 

All the shops have social distancing marks. 

We just need to remember to stop by for our last minute Boysenberry products on the way home. 

Now . . . on to the food fest . . . And that means a quick trip through a very clever security setup. . . 

Guests walk through a covered tent to make sure they aren’t overly heated before entering a temperature-controlled building with a thermal scanner. The process is super quick. You just walk through the room. If your temperature is normal, they just wave you through. No handheld scanners and everything just keeps moving.

You then make your way to bag check. Before we knew it, we had our tickets scanned and our photos linked to our festival tasting cards.

As we walked into the event, we noticed background music playing and water features for the rides were on, and the gardens were in full bloom. There were no lines at first, the food was fresh and hot, it was fun to walk around the park, and there was a touch of entertainment as well.  

The entry gardens and photo ops set a festive mood. 

But it’s not the whole park that’s open at the moment. You’ll be directed toward Ghost Town and away from Camp Snoopy.  

The Blacksmith was working in his shop and there were Calico characters in stationary positions out of the reach of visitors. There was a politician on the balcony of one of the buildings and an old minor up on the rocks of the Calico Mine Train Ride. On the stage by the train station was an illusionist. Overall, Knott’s did a very good job with the entertainment.

And then there’s the food . . . 

Our first taste was the Gumbo with chicken, shrimp, and boysenberry sausage on Basmati rice, with a small glass of Boysenberry Sangria, at the Wilderness Dancehall Patio. The portions were good size, well worth the price of the tasting card. After trying the gumbo, we quickly thought out our strategy and decided to share the samples. That way, we could get 10 samples instead of five.

At Sutter’s Grill and Sutter’s Funnel cake, we sampled the Pulled Port Sliders with Jalapeno strips and Boysenberry funnel cake. The Sliders had great flavor and just a little kick. It was served with Fries. The funnel cake was ordered with the boysenberry sauce on the side. We couldn’t believe how large the serving was. We took our time eating.

We got lucky with no lines. . . but you can see from the photo below that they are prepared for far more people. 

We headed into the Calico Saloon for a taste of the Boysenberry beer, Boysenberry wine, and another taste of the Boysenberry Sangria. I have to say, while I like boysenberry, I think the Sangria was the one Lisa and I liked the most. 

But the Cucumber lemonade was Lisa’s favorite of the day. It was cool, refreshing, and soothing.

It’s a good sign . . . literally. Knott’s has added employees with signs that show what is served at the stand ahead. It’s a smart move as it marks where the line begins, what’s being served, and allows guests to ask questions if necessary. It’s great customer service and a very helpful addition. 

We previously noted all the seating at the event. We are sure they are adding lots more seating elsewhere in the park for the big expansion of the festival.  

But it’s not all about eating, there’s shopping, crafts and wandering around to do . . . 

There are all sorts of neat things to discover and explore. And it’s a lot of fun chatting with the shop keepers. 

You’ll find many of the Ghost Town shops open as well. 

But not everything is open. Some of the tighter spaces, like the Geode Shop, are still closed. 

It was VERY hot this past weekend in Southern California. Thankfully, Knott’s has created a “Relax Zone” where you can social distance and take your mask off for a bit to cool down. It’s located refreshingly next to a beautiful waterfall. 

And while you wander around, you can’t help but notice the new Knott’s Bear-y Tales sign. There’s been no word on when the attraction, which was originally scheduled for this summer, will open.  

We left at about 5:00 and noticed that there were a lot of people walking in. It looked like the busy time was after folks got off from work and were ready to enjoy the start of their weekend. So be sure to go early! 

Lisa and I really enjoyed the event, and we’re sure that the expansion to the “Taste of Knott’s” will be even better. Knott’s did a great job of being innovative with the space that they have, and the rules that the State, city, and County, laid out. I look forward to seeing the entire park open for normal business when it is safe to do so. . . but this is a pretty good substitute for extraordinary times. Now. . . why isn’t Disney California Adventure doing this?!!!

Nighttime Spectaculars – MiceChat Reader Photos

After months of staying home and social distancing, one of the things we miss the most right now about Disneyland is the live entertainment and nighttime spectaculars. This week, we asked the MiceChat Facebook group to share their favorite photos of Disneyland’s nighttime entertainment, and as usual, we got a lot of fantastic responses! Here are just a few of the shots that were shared. We sure miss seeing fireworks and parades… Hopefully, these pictures will satisfy the craving for a little while longer.

Main Street Electrical Parade

Let’s start with the most iconic offering of Disneyland’s nighttime entertainment, the Main Street Electrical Parade. The MSEP was a long-running show that has dazzled thousands of fans across numerous runs. The on-again-off-again parade was revived last year to help draw crowds back in after the Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge slump. Let’s reminisce in thousands of sparkling lights and electro-syntho-magnetic musical sounds. . . 

Here’s a live stream of the big return. You can jump to the 12-minute mark to get to the good stuff: 

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=667593990422387

Paint the Night Parade

This is a parade we hope comes back soon. It’s fun, upbeat, and there’s plenty of lights. “When can we do this again?!”

Magic Happens!

The newest Disneyland parade, Magic Happens, had an extremely short run before the park shutdown: less than a month! And while it isn’t exactly considered a nighttime parade, there was a short overlap between Daylight Savings and the scheduled runtime where it briefly became night entertainment. Personally, I think it should have a later showtime, because the parade’s magic is really highlighted at night.

Fantasmic!

And it’s impossible to talk about Disneyland and nighttime entertainment without mentioning Fantasmic! It’s got heart, soul, magic, and imagination. What else could you ask for?

World of Color

Now let’s pop over to DCA for a nighttime show, World of Color. It may not exactly have the showy fireworks at the park across the way, but it has a special charm to it.

Do you have a favorite version of World of Color? What is it? 

Firework Spectaculars

And now what you’ve been waiting for, fireworks! Disneyland has done countless shows over the years, and it’s what keeps people staying in the parks all day. There’s nothing better than finishing a Disney day with a bang.

Thank you for sharing your Disneyland nighttime photos with us! It’s been four months and change since Disneyland was last open, and we have loved seeing our readers’ photos. This was just a small selection of the amazing shots shared, and there’s a lot more to see in the MiceChat Facebook group. Keep an eye out for next week’s theme announcement soon!