Disneyland Update – Reservations About Reservations As Parks Fill Up

The nightmare before Christmas may just be getting a Disneyland park reservation through the holidays.  Unless you have your weekdays free, finding a weekend reservation is rapidly becoming a difficult prospect. We’ll show you the current status of Magic Key reservations, plus news and construction from the parks, new Disneyland Hotel tower, some thoughts about virtual queues for Rise of the Resistance now that Walt Disney World has done away with it, and much more. It’s an interesting week folks and we’d really appreciate your thoughts on which direction you’d like to see the resort go in the near future.  

Magic Key Fears Materialize 

Magic Keys have been around for about a month now, and although making park reservations has been a mostly easy process, we’re noticing some big changes to park availability which is sure to cause concern about the program and whether it is worth the high cost.

Weekends and holidays are starting to book up further and further out. Currently at least 3 weeks in advance (and expected to fill up even quicker headed into the holidays). Even making day-of reservations for Disneyland during some weekdays has become difficult (especially on Oogie Boogie Bash nights).  

You can see that both parks are now booked through mid-October on the weekends with just DCA available on the weekends at the end of October (though you can still park-hop after 1pm if you manage to score a park reservation for either park).  You’ll also note that most of the weekdays this week are also booked. That’s because the special discounted 3-day California ticket expires at the end of September. So folks are rushing to use up their allotment (if park reservations are booked solid and Disney still lets all those unused days expire, there are going to be some very upset folks).  Did you get stuck with unused days on your 3-Day ticket?

 

Park reservations are a double-edged sword. On one hand, reservations help keep park attendance at a reasonable level; the shoulder-to-shoulder crowds are long gone, but unfortunately so are the spontaneous weekend trips to Disneyland for dinner and fireworks.

The culture of Disneyland passholders — now Keyholder — being able to go to the parks whenever they want is rapidly changing. Things are starting to become more like the operations of Walt Disney World, where planning theme park visits and dining occurs months in advance. With the majority of park operations moving to Florida next year and the expected consolidation of many roles, we anticipate even more WDW-style procedures and policies to take root at Disneyland in the months to come.

Are you happy with Magic Key availability? How far in advance are you comfortable making reservations?

Is the highest level $1,400 Magic Key worth it to you if you have to book your visits a month or more in advance? Because that’s where we are headed if Disneyland continues to grow the program by selling more Magic Key passes. 

Disney’s Merriest Nights Blue Bayou Dining

In our early writeup about Disneyland’s newest after-hours party, Disney’s Merriest Nights, we mentioned that there seems to be a serious lack of substance to what constitutes a “party.” With very few special offerings other than character dance zones, the $165+ event seems to be geared towards people who mostly care about character interactions.

Disneyland hoped to sweetened the deal this week by adding a limited number of Blue Bayou dining reservations for Magic Keyholders during the party. I don’t know about you, but the last thing I want to do at a 4 hour $165 event is pay extra to dine in an expensive indoor restaurant away from the actual party.  

Unlike Oogie Boogie Bash, which sold out quickly, there are STILL tickets available for Merriest Nights. The event only offered 5 nights to begin with, but two of those nights are STILL available. 

Our poll may indicate why that is. Nearly 7,000 of you have voted with only 20% of you “very interested” in Disney charging extra for Christmas:

First Week of Fall

For the last few weeks, we’ve been enjoying the fall decor at the Disneyland Resort, but the weather was still very much SUMMER with high temps in the 90s. And while the next few days will feel more fall-like, 90s are set to return by this weekend.

We visited on a “feels-like” 100º day last week and it’s nearly impossible to enjoy yourself in the unshaded areas of the parks (like the furnaces known as Galaxy’s Edge and Avengers Campus) unless you can find air conditioning. Although we were supposed to be there all day, we had to leave after an hour due to the discomfort. We ended up finding a comfortable restaurant off-property to enjoy a long lunch and then returned later in the afternoon.  

It’s important that you remember to hydrate during your visits to the parks on hot days, and know your limits. We recommend visiting during the morning and heading back to your hotel during the peak heat of the day. Otherwise, try to seek shelter and air conditioning in attractions, shops, and restaurants at the hottest parts of the day. (Side tip, I use a cooling towel when it’s in the 80s and 90s and it really seems to help).  

Rise of the Resistance Untethered 

Walt Disney World’s Rise of the Resistance dropped the virtual queue last week and shifted to standby only. You might expect that the ride would maintain insane waits all day long, but that’s not what happened. On Thursday morning the ride opened with a 3 hour wait, but that quickly dropped to about an hour: 

Not too bad.

That has us wondering what you think should happen with Rise of the Resistance at Disneyland. Do you prefer the 7am and noon dash to reserve a spot in the virtual queue or would you rather simply having a standby line like all the other rides in the park? 

Aside from what the guests want, there are a few advantages for Disneyland to simply move to a standard standby line. First, it would require fewer cast members to manage the queue for the attraction. But it would also make it easier for Disneyland to charge extra for the upcoming Lightning Lane. If guests can currently get a virtual queue for free, a sudden shift to paid Lightning Lane would be harder to justify.  By letting guests wait in a long line, Disney could easily sell access for guests to skip the wait.  

So, what do you want? Should Rise of the Resistance drop the Virtual Queue as Disney’s Hollywood Studios has, or should they keep it? 

Roger Rabbit changes

Last week we told you about the upcoming changes to Roger Rabbit Car Toon Spin. Like so many other attractions in the parks, this one is getting an update to address story elements and visuals that Disney’s inclusion team feels are problematic. In this case, Jessica Rabbit will be redressed to be less sexy and her profession will change from actress to detective. Some changes have already been made, such as removing Jessica from the trunk of the weasel’s car and replacing her with drums of toon-dissolving dip: 

This isn’t an attraction we ride often, but it is a bit of a hidden treasure. It has a beautiful and highly detailed queue, the ride system is unique, and it has some clever visual effects. But it’s also an older attraction with a much more limited popularity than most of the nearby Fantasyland rides. 

Lagoon Draining

World of Color has remained down since the parks reopened. Due to some maintenance issues with the fountains and platforms, some major work will be required to bring the show back next year. To accomplish that, the Paradise Lagoon needs to be drained. 

Water is already slowly being pumped out of the lagoon.

But, fear not, the water is being recycled and not dumped into storm drains. Water is diverted into a groundwater replenishment system developed by the Orange County Water District. It is then purified before being released into Orange County’s groundwater aquifer.  

But What About Fantasmic?!

There’s movement on the Rivers of America for a possible holiday return of Fantasmic.  Although it just got a refurbishment back in June, the Sailing Ship Columbia has returned to dry dock (September 20th-TBD). Water screens and fountains for Fantasmic are also under refurbishment.  

It wouldn’t make sense for the refurbishment of the mist screens to happen too far before the return of the show as the park wouldn’t want to undergo this expense twice unnecessarily.  

Additional cleanup and refurbishment has been conducted on Fantasmic infrastructure on Tom Sawyer Island.  While we don’t have a return date, it does appear that the park would like the option of returning the show as needed.  

This & That

Disneyland Hotel DVC Tower Construction

Construction continues on the new DVC Tower at the Disneyland Hotel. It looks like the construction is moving vertical and we should start seeing some height in the near future. Many thanks to the MiceChat reader who sent us these photos (through the tinted windows of her room)!

Spider-Man Fail

On our trip to Avengers Campus this week, we saw something a bit unusual: a case of Spider-Man teleporting! When the stunt-animatronic fails to fly, it can create a somewhat confusing show…

Apparently the Spider-Man stunt animatronic has been experiencing difficulties. So, if the show starts, but the technology doesn’t fly, they just skip that segment in the mini stunt-show at the entrance to Avengers Campus. It doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to do the show if the animatronic isn’t working, as it’s really the only point of the experience. Though, they could still have Spidy climb down the wall for his meet and greet. 

ToonTown Walkway Refurbishment

The half of the ToonTown walkway that was being pavered has been finished. Now the other half has been surrounded by construction walls to finish the transition from asphalt to brick. 

It’s a little jarring to see the abrupt transition from the Fantasyland cobblestones to the brickwork for ToonTown since the separation is really just a straight line. No attempt at a transition was made here, but it does look better than the old blacktop.  

Big Thunder Mountain Testing

Over in Adventureland, the Wildest Ride in the Wilderness has been seen testing this week. Although Big Thunder Mountain has been under refurbishment since September 7, it’s expected to undergo renovation through November 4. We hope that this early testing is a sign that it could return sooner than anticipated because the park could definitely use another E-ticket attraction with so many sold out days on the park reservation calendar. 

Magic Key Avengers Campus Map

The latest of the Magic Key freebies has arrived. If you’re in want of a paper map of Avengers Campus, you’re in luck. You can find this replica of the poster inside the land at the Magic Key Lounge in Disneyland or the Backlot Premiere Shop on Mondays-Thursdays. 

https://www.instagram.com/p/CULR0VavnD6/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

 

Salt & Straw Seasonal Flavors

The new seasonal flavors for Salt & Straw in Downtown Disney have just arrived. I appreciate that there is a vegan option for us lactose intolerant folks without compromising the creative flavors. Do any of these selections stand out to you? 

https://www.instagram.com/p/CUNkOlaprPC/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Disneyland Photos

We have a few gorgeous photos from our photographer Mike Kindrich to share with you!

And a few more from me…

Let’s Hear From You

Well folks, it seems that each week brings a greater certainty that Disneyland is moving toward the WDW model. That’s not necessarily bad for those of you who like to plan things out in advance, but for those of us who don’t know what we are doing for the day until we wake up and look out the window, it’s going to be a transition. What are your thoughts on virtual queue for Rise of the Resistance, park reservations filling up weeks in advance, the demand for extra cost Christmas Parties, or anything else you read above? We always appreciate hearing how you feel about the changes happening at the resort.  

As you read this I’m flying high at 42,000 feet on my way to Orlando for the 50th anniversary of Walt Disney World. We have a dizzying schedule lined up and an equal amount of coverage, videos, and photos headed your way from what Disney is calling “The World’s Most Magical Celebration.” Be sure to follow along here on the site and on social media. I’m planning to do a lot of live streams for those of you who can’t make the trip.