If we were to assign a Disneyland attraction to this year, it would undoubtedly be Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride – The unexpected twists at the beginning of the year resulting in park closures, sudden changes in direction as what looked like reopenings became disappointing delays, and the descent into a hell-like finale for 28,000 Disney employees who will lose their jobs. We’ll take a look at the current cloud over the Disneyland Resort, preliminary guidance from the state on theme park reopenings, Disney’s resistance to reopening plans, the loss of more jobs than you can wrap your brain around, and some construction and operations updates from the resort as well.
And, lest you think that this article is just one long bummer, we also pay tribute to the Disneyland Hotel, which turns 65 years old today. We have some rare images of the hotel in the early days, as well as reminders of how much it has changed over the years. Take a calming deep breath and let’s plunge in . . .
The Day the Magic Died
A year of hardship just got harder for 28,000 Disney workers and their families as massive layoffs get underway. Our hearts and thoughts are with all you Cast Members facing the end of your Disney journey. Josh D’Amaro (Chairman of Disney Parks, Products, and Experiences) shared this statement last week, confirming the bad news:
These cuts are extensive and happening across Disney’s domestic resorts, as well as at Imagineering and Disney Travel locations nationwide. We’ve heard reports that nearly every department is seeing losses, but particularly in roles that are more deeply impacted by future operational changes and roles that can be automated. For example, due to the need for social distancing, once the parks reopen, there won’t be any character meet and greets, PhotoPass, or theatrical shows for quite some time. As a result, many of those jobs will be lost. Guests will be pushed to prepurchase their meals in the Disneyland app, so not as many cashiers will be needed. And because extremely limited park attendance will mean an approximate 70% decrease in daily visitors from what Disney had staffed for before the pandemic, there won’t be as much need for shops, restaurants, vending carts, etc. So, many of those facilities will either remain closed or operate at reduced capacity . . . thus, needing fewer staff. Even Imagineering has seen a huge cut of over 400 employees as many future projects are canceled or delayed indefinitely.
This is a tiny example of the messages which flooded social media this past weekend:
Reopening, a Missed Window of Opportunity?
It’s been hard to ignore the calls and comments to reopen California’s theme parks. Disney and other theme park operators have been blasting the Governor regularly to release guidance on the reopening of their operations. But after weeks of lambasting the state’s delay in conditions for opening, Disney suddenly threw everything into chaos on Thursday when they asked the governor to delay guidance.
Disney’s former CEO, Bob Iger, had been on a state task force for recovery. One of the reasons he was on the task force was to advocate for the theme park, travel, and entertainment industries. Unfortunately, the guidance the Governor was about to announce was not what Disney had hoped for. So, Bob quit the task force in protest and Disney called on the state to delay guidance to allow more time to push for changes.
The guidelines were rumored to have included expected items, such as limiting park capacity to 25%, requiring face coverings, physical distancing, and other safety precautions. None of which Disney would have created such an uproar over. Indeed, it was at least two other provisions that had Disney so concerned. The first limiting theme park operations to a less restrictive tier in the state’s blueprint for reopening would have been a big setback for Disney. Orange County (where Disneyland is located) is currently in the Red tier, but the park may have been restricted to reopening in the Orange or Yellow tier:
And if the tier requirement wasn’t enough to ruffle feathers at Disney, a mandate to limit attendance to those guests who live within a specific radius of the resort that had them scratching their head. If there were few guests visiting from far enough away to book a hotel room or multi-day ticket package, how would they operate with even moderate profitability? That Disneyland access bubble might have included just LA to San Diego, and out toward San Bernardino, as well as all of Orange County. However, the northern part of the state and residents of other states might have been entirely blocked in the early stages of reopening.
But did Disney overplay their hand? After Disney asked for the delay, conditions began to unravel. The President of the United States tested positive for Coronavirus, and reports indicate a new wave of infections expected for fall. Suddenly, the reopening of a non-essential entertainment enterprise like Disneyland doesn’t seem like the slam dunk it did just one week ago. Had Disney not asked for a pause, the Governor likely would have announced guidance last Friday.
We remain cautiously optimistic that Disney and Universal will be able to work out a deal with the state. But if conditions deteriorate in California before the Governor announces guidance, we could see the reopening of the parks slip to next year. Our feeling is that Disney would be better off getting a foot in the door and opening under whatever terms make the state most comfortable and then pushing for reduced restrictions later.
For more about the controversial pushback to reopening, take a look at the article below.
Theme Park Updates
We have a few little items for you from Disneyland and California Adventure.
Inside, Buena Vista Street looks ready for guests. Signs on many of the lamp posts, sinks, hand sanitizers, everything clean and ready for you.
The grey and orange box is a handwashing sink. Oddly, it’s located just outside the restrooms.
Disneyland is similarly prepared.
A handwashing sink has been placed just outside of City Hall, also near a restroom. A truck parked in front of the Emporium, which is no longer scaffolded.
Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway has hit warp speed. The building has taken shape and you can now see the roofline. That was FAST!
Such a massive scale for a dark ride.
Downtown Disney
Another week, another crazy crowd situation at Downtown Disney. On Saturday, by early afternoon, it was a 75-minute wait in a massive unshaded switchback line in 90º heat to get into the shopping district (from the Disneyland Hotel side of the complex).
Once inside, waits for World of Disney and Marceline’s Confectionary were over 3 hours long and the new Star Wars store was a 2-hour wait.
This situation is only getting worse. Disney clearly needs more capacity in Downtown Disney. We’ve been calling on them to open Buena Vista Street and Main Street for shopping and dining. Well, it looks like something similar may be announced as soon as today (UPDATED: See below, Disney confirmed our news). Disney has stocked the Stage 17 building in DCA’s Hollywood Picture’s Backlot with all sorts of merchandise. A carve-out in the security fence will allow guests to walk through the Esplanade from Downtown Disney and enter the building from the back.
Here’s what Disney confirmed today about Stage 17:
“The Disneyland Resort Backlot Premiere Shop, coming soon to Stage 17 (after walking through Downtown Disney, you can find the entrance located at the east side of the Main Entrance esplanade). Here, you’ll have yet another spacious place to browse your same favorite seasonal merchandise from World of Disney and other select Disney shops.”
UPDATED: We have photos for you inside the new (bare bones) Stage 17 pop-up shop:
Disneyland Merchandise Update: Downtown Disney Expansion Now Open!
That’s a start. But get Buena Vista Street and some ODV carts open for shopping as well and Disney could make a pretty penny.
New scanners have been installed in the security trail before entering Downtown Disney. Guests still start by getting their temperature checked. Then they walk through a new set of scanners where the dogs were. Then they go to the bag-check. And they finally walk through a metal detector. That’s a lot of steps. And they still keep a dog on-site just in case.
Things remain easier on the other side of the resort. We parked at the Anaheim Hotel and walked over with no waiting. If you are visiting Monday through Friday, you can get $10 parking at the Anaheim Hotel (just show the flyer for the MiceChat special offer below). You can still park at the Anaheim Hotel on the weekends, but the rate jumps to $25:
We’ll have a Downtown Disney merchandise update for you tomorrow. Please be sure to check back.
Disneyland Hotel – MiceChat Reader Photos
While Disneyland celebrated its 65th anniversary back in July, as of today, the Disneyland Hotel has also reached that milestone as well. The hotel that opened back in 1955 is wildly different than the one we’re familiar with today, but it’s a longstanding tribute to the genius of the Happiest Place on Earth. Today, we’ve got all sorts of goodies planned to recognize the hotel, including some never-before-seen photos of the Disneyland Hotel in its early days… But we’ll get to that in a little bit. We asked the MiceChat Facebook group to share some of their own photos and memories that have made the hotel special for them. Let’s take a look.
Did you know there used to be a marina at the Disneyland Hotel? While it has since been filled in, there are many aspects of the hotel lost today, but remembered forever in photographs.
The Disneyland Hotel also used to have a collection of unique mini attractions like the Safari Adventure remote-controlled boats. It was a fun little nod to what Disneyland had, just on a miniature scale.
One of the most missed components of the Disneyland Hotel is the Fantasy Waters dancing fountain show.
There also used to be a horseshoe-shaped waterfall with a walkway beneath it. The waterfall is sadly no longer visitable, as it was filled in to become a lawn between the hotel buildings.
Thank you to our readers who shared photos with us this week. To see more of our readers’ photos, be sure to take a look at the MiceChat Facebook group!
Disneyland Hotel’s 65th Anniversary
If you thought we were finished with the Disneyland Hotel, then I’ve got some news for you… We’re just getting started! Next up, we have a collection of rare photos from the Disneyland Hotel’s early days, plus an article from guest author, Don Ballard, who loves the hotel so much that he has written two books about the Hotel. Jump over to this incredible article here:
AND Werner Weiss of Yesterland has two Disneyland Hotel articles which fill us in on the history of the hotel “Then and Now.” Let’s look at how the hotel has changed over the years:
This & That
That’s still not all we have for you today folks. There was a LOT of news this week that many of you might have missed:
D23 Expo Pushed Until 2022
This week, D23 announced plans for its massively popular D23 Expo to resume in 2022. In previous years, the Expo took place every other year, but because of the current situation, planning for an Expo to take place next year would have been next to impossible. Instead, D23 is looking ahead to 2022 and an early kickoff to The Walt Disney Company’s 100th anniversary in 2023. For more information about this announcement, take a look at the article below.
BREAKING: 2022 D23 EXPO to Celebrate 100th Anniversary of The Walt Disney Company
Knott’s Taste of Fall-O-Ween Keeps Adding Dates
The newest food festival at Knotts, Taste of Fall-O-Ween, continues to impress. Over the last few days, Knott’s has had to keep adding more days to their scheduled because they keep selling out! As of writing this article, the only days left are the last two Wednesdays of the month. If you’re interested in checking out our favorite Halloween event of this year, be sure to act fast!
For more about Knott’s Taste of Fall-O-Ween, take a look at the article below, You won’t be disappointed (but you very well may be hungry afterward)!
Disneyland Ambassador Memories
Let’s look back at a happy moment that took place exactly two years ago when the current Disneyland Ambassadors, Justin and Raffa, were selected for their highly prized roles. It was a much simpler time then… who could have predicted what was to happen. New Ambassadors would have been announced in this time frame, but that won’t happen this year. The current Ambassadors have been extended for now.
Disneyland Paris Faces Potential Shut Down
Although our Disneyland is still closed, all of Disney’s other resorts around the world have reopened. Unfortunately, a recent wave of virus is now causing some countries to consider shutting down again. Disneyland Paris was already struggling to land visitors as travel restrictions and limited capacity make tourism in Europe difficult. And as cases begin to spike, there is a looming possibility that the park could face having to shut its gates once more.
For a closer look at the situation, and to see a hauntingly empty (and beautiful) Disneyland Paris, read the article below.
Disney World Update
Our WDW Update really touched a nerve this week. Here’s the latest news from the Walt Disney World:
Let Us Help
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Let’s Hear From You
The last few days have been an emotional rollercoaster, and it’s still only just beginning. Our thoughts are with all the cast members whose world has been turned upside down. For many, this is the best job they’ve ever had. Their coworkers are their friends and their extended family. Disney is a tight-knit community, and that community is hurting. We hope that once the trauma of the job losses is over that there’s something positive waiting for all of you on the other side of these dark clouds.
What are your thoughts on today’s news folks? Disney’s complete reversal on the reopening of Disneyland because of guidance they didn’t like? Stage 17 at Disney California Adventure opening as an additional merchandise location? The likelihood of a travel zone for Disneyland visitation? Disneyland Hotel’s 65th anniversary?
And please leave a memory, thanks, or word of encouragement to Disney’s wonderful cast members – 28,000 of whom may not be feeling the magic right now. It’s time to turn the tables and give a little magic back.