Wow! It’s been another busy week with the breaking news that the new Disney Genie Service is going to replace FastPass and MaxPass at Disneyland and FastPass+ at Walt Disney World. Disney also announced it would be making some minor changes to the Disability Access Service that includes some tech upgrades. Plus, we have some very important updates on how Magic Key will work and more info on the Princess and the Frog retheme of Splash Mountain!
Before we get to those major news stories, and everything else that’s new at the resort, I would like to take a minute to share a video of the Disneyland Band. Please take time to watch. You can even leave it playing in the background as you read today’s Disneyland Update. I think you will be very pleased with the quality of the recording. It’s a tribute to the amazing talent of the Disneyland Band members, and it’s sure to provide positive Disney vibes to get you into the mood for today’s update.
Disney Genie Service Coming Soon
On Wednesday, Disney revealed their new Genie service, which will be rolling out to the parks on both coasts. It will replace FastPass and MaxPass at Disneyland, and it will replace FastPass+ at Walt Disney World.
Unlike FastPass, which was free, Genie —or rather, Genie+— will come with a cost. And there will be extras that will cost even more if you want to add them. In some ways, it helps level the playing field for infrequent tourists, but it also increases the cost of a visit to the parks for anyone who wants the benefit of a FastPass-like service (which Disney is now calling “Lightning Lane.”)
Please check out the following article if you want to know all the details.
BREAKING DISNEY PARKS NEWS: New Disney Genie Service Replaces FastPass & More This Fall
Since the upcoming Disney Genie service will be entirely app-based, and it will eliminate FastPass and MaxPass, we thought that now would be a great time to take a look at the existing FastPass distribution kiosks and entries as they are expected to be the new Lightning Lanes as well.
In the past, we’ve spoken about how the Haunted Mansion didn’t need FastPass, it was among the highest capacity rides Disney has ever created. So having FastPass here was just unnecessary and made the line longer. But since Genie+/Lightning Lane is really just about making Disney more money, whether an attraction needs an express line is probably far less important than how much money it can make.
Of course, if fewer people pay for Genie+ then used FastPass/MaxPass, lines could be better than in the past. It’s all about volume of use. We hope that the paid version of Genie which includes the Lightning Lanes, called Genie+, won’t be as commonly used as FastPass/MaxPass. But at $20 per person/per day, it’s a pretty good bet that there will be plenty of Genie+ users every day.
It’s become quite common these days for theme parks and amusement parks to offer express line services. And at $20, Disney’s will be among the cheapest. But would it have been better for them to charge a much higher price to keep the number of users, and thus the length of the lines, down?
Speaking of Splash Mountain, we have some news on the upcoming Princess and the Frog retheme of the Mountain for you below.
We think that if these signs and kiosks are removed it would free up a massive amount of space for stroller and wheelchair parking. But it’s likely they will at least be altered with new Genie+ or Lightning Lane signage.
Disability Access Service Changes and Upgrades
Along with week’s announcement of the new Disney Genie app, Disney has also made changes to the way the Disability Access Service (DAS) will work for both Disneyland and Walt Disney World. The changes help make it easier for qualified applicants to use the program while still making it fair for other parkgoers. Please check the following article for everything you need to know about program:
Disney Parks News: Mobile DAS Scheduling and Virtual Pre-Qualification Coming this Fall
We find it interesting that Disney’s two big announcements this week are mirrored at Disneyland and Disney World. A sign that the way the two resorts are run is growing closer as Disney Parks, Experiences, and Products (DPEP) division prepares to consolidate and move from California to a single location in Orlando. That may be why some of these things feel like they will work better at Walt Disney World than here in Anaheim. For more about Disney’s move to Florida, take a look at the article below.
2,000 Disney Parks, Experiences, and Products Jobs Moving to Orlando
Disneyland’s Halloween Time is Making its Way into the Parks
The official start of Halloween at the Disneyland Resort is September 3rd. Even though that’s two weeks away, we spotted some decorations that arrived early. We also caught a glimpse of pumpkins in front of the Haunted Mansion while it’s closed for its seasonal overlay installation.
Oogie Boogie has returned to his menacing perch above the Disney California Adventure sign.
Oogie Boogie Bash Sold Out!
Earlier this weekend the last remaining dates for this year’s Oogie Boogie Bash sold out. Hopefully, when it returns next year, World of Color Villanous! will be ready again.
The Disneyland App has a small video about Halloween Time. Below are a few screenshots.
The Return of The Bootstrappers
New Orleans Square recently welcomed the return of The Bootstrappers. It’s great to see entertainment slowly returning to the parks. And with all the new Magic Keyholders set to return to the park this week, we hope the process of bringing entertainment back will be sped up.
Here’s a short video of The Bootstrappers performing the sea shanty, The Wellerman. It’s really good.
Low Crowds
Shortly after the new Magic Key program was announced, park attendance plummeted. We do realize that the combination of the current public health situation and the traditional start of school played a factor, but even we were surprised at just how empty the parks have been compared to 2019 and before.
Wait times have been extremely low, and boarding groups have been available for Rise of the Resistance and Web Slingers long after the noon boarding groups become available. These pictures show that boarding groups were available for both rides after 5pm on Saturday.
We regularly checked the park map in the Disneyland app, and it was rare for any ride to have more than a 50 minute wait. There were times during late morning and early afternoon that many E-ticket rides had 5 or 10 minute waits. It was bliss. If you were lucky enough to be there it’s a visit you will remember forever.
Openings, Refurbs, Construction, and What’s Still Closed
Now Open
City Hall has reopened, Guest Relations had been moved to the Tour Garden since the parks opened in April.
Market Street fruit cart as well (at least since my last visit).
Refurbs
New Orleans Square continues a hard-to-miss refurbishment.
The Subs are being cleaned up for a winter return…
And the Monorail platform is under tarps as well. A good sign for a return this fall/winter.
Still Closed
There are a number of things that just aren’t open yet… This includes several food/beverage stalls, gift shops, and the Fantasyland Theatre among other things.
On the way to ToonTown you’ll find a massive repaving project that makes it look like ToonTown is closed. Fear not, you just need to walk down a narrow path to find your favorite toons.
You can still get to the train station.
Just look for the narrow, worn path….
Soon, it should all look pretty like this…
Limited-Time Food and Merchandise
You can still buy the Pineapple Split Dole Whip Sundae with a Jungle Cruise boat at the Tropical Hideaway in Adventureland.
A register has been added at the Mint Julep Bar just outside the pickup windows. This allows people to get their Mint Julep fix even if they can’t use Mobile Order.
Blue boo for you…
Construction
There are no visible changes this week to Mickey’s Runaway Railway.
But it’s always interesting to look at construction photos…
Around the Parks
My favorite time of day is either right after opening, or at night right before security starts sweeping guests out of the park. The first part of this section is just pictures of a mostly empty park. Enjoy!
Some art in the gallery caught my eye…
For amazing coverage of all the Halloween merchandise that you can find in the parks and Downtown Disney please be sure to check out Natalie’s amazing articles:
Your Wait is Over – Magic Keys on Sale Wednesday, August 25th
Disneyland’s passport replacement program, Magic Keys, will go on sale starting Wednesday, August 25th, sometime after 10am. If recent history is any indication, the purchase process could be an absolute nightmare, just like with Touch of Disney, the very first dining reservations, park tickets when they first went on sale, and Oogie Boogie Bash tickets… all of which had disastrous launches. It’s important to remember that Magic Keys are not going to run out immediately, so you don’t have to waste your time on first day drama.
But it’s very likely that the dream conditions we’ve experienced for the last few weeks are about to come to an end. We’ll know for sure very soon.
In preparation for Magic Keys going on sale on Wednesday, we have all your questions answered. The new program is quite different than the previous Annual Passports, so many things are going to be different than the last time you had a pass. For more information about Disneyland Magic Keys, how to purchase and upgrade, etc. you can find everything you need to know in the article below:
BREAKING NEWS: Disneyland Delivers a New “Magic Key” Pass Program Replacement
New Info from Princess & The Frog Splash Mountain Redo
One of the biggest stories from last year was the announcement that Splash Mountain would be getting a complete overhaul to be themed to The Princess & The Frog. We have new concept images and story details for the reimagined attraction to share with you. Spoiler alert: it looks like many of the classic animatronics originally from America Sings and moved to Splash Mountain aren’t going to be tossed out in the redo. Take a look at everything we know about the upcoming overlay in the article below.
UPDATED: New Details on Splash Mountain’s Upcoming Princess and the Frog Theme!
Mickey’s Mix Magic
If you’ve come this far, maybe you’re willing to go a little further.
OK. Enough with the movie references… 🙂
It has been my mission to get a good recording of Mickey’s Mix Magic.
This was just an initial test. I plan to go back and do this again before it glows away, but this recording is very watchable.
If you enjoyed the Disneyland Band video, you will enjoy this one as well.
Disneyland Tickets and Hotel Discounts!
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Let’s Hear From You!
Well folks, that’s the first screams of Halloween, Genie, DAS 2.0, Magic Keys, Princess and the Frog, construction, refurbishments, and views of the Happiest Place on Earth. It’s only been a few weeks since my last visit and it’s really incredible how quickly things change. We’d love to hear your thoughts on what’s important to you, what you like and what you don’t about the recent changes and those coming soon.
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