Disneyland Update – Imagination Resurfacing, Racers Down, New to Batuu

WOW… What a week at the Disneyland Resort! There’s good news and bad today, but it’s all very interesting. On the positive side, Fantasmic and Tale of the Lion King have both returned to the delight of guests. On the unfortunate side is the sudden closure of the uber-popular Radiator Springs Racers attraction following a scary incident. We’ll bring you photos, videos, and news of all the new shows, construction, and notable happenings all over the Disneyland Resort, including what’s new in Batuu. We apologize in advance for loading you up on so much reading for a holiday, but we think you’ll really enjoy this one…

Red, White & Blue

Memorial Day is a time to pay tribute to those who have fallen in service to this great land. But over the decades it has also become the unofficial start of the summer season. And at the Disneyland Resort they acknowledge both of those things. On Main Street and Buena Vista Street, the red, white & blue bunting and banners are strung up on light posts and rooftops. But it’s also the return of larger crowds & returned summer entertainment offerings. 

Today also marks the return of nightly fireworks. The resort has been showing Disneyland Forever fireworks on weekends only, but for the summer season, they’ll be 7 days a week. That is, when high winds don’t cause them to be canceled (as has been happening lately).

Busy, Busy, Busy…

More entertainment means more capacity in the parks, and Disneyland has again bumped up the number of guests who can book reservations. We heard a number of guests lamenting that the promise of reservations keeping the parks from being too busy just didn’t seem to be true. And the parks were indeed packed this past weekend. When Disney starts marking extended queues in tape on the ground, you know it’s busy beyond normal.  

And Lightning Lanes were overflowing all over the place. We are accustomed to seeing long standby lines, but Lightning Lanes were also overly impacted over the weekend. 

Hyperspace Mountain’s Lightning Lane reached Pizza Planet, when suddenly the ride shut down and guests had to reverse course or use the new emergency exit stairs. 

Even rides without Lightning Lane, like the Mad Tea Party in Fantasyland, had a standby line which flooded out all the way to the parade route. More than doubling the attraction’s built-in queue space. 

And there were crazy lines for food as well in certain places and at busy times. The Mint Julep Bar (like the Fantasyland walkway we showed above), is in a very tight spot as it is. Add a crazy standby line and it just becomes a horrible spot to walk through for regular guests. Especially since there is also a public restroom in this same location. 

I have a short video showing just how long that line is. From the Mint Julep Bar all the way to the Pandora shop across from Club 33: 

Conditions weren’t much better at Disney California Adventure. 

Guardians of the Galaxy rarely had a problem containing guests within its garden queue… until the launch of Genie+. Now standby guests have to wait in a giant overflow queue which more than doubles the length of the normal queue space.  All so Disney can make an extra $20 off guests not wanting to wait in line. There’s lots of downside to guests when conditions get like this, but to Disney, this is the best thing that can happen… because the worse the lines look, the more people will buy Genie+. Should theme parks profit off of guest suffering? We know Genie isn’t going away, but this is a horrible situation that needs better limits and controls ASAP!  

Cars Land Woes

Of course, some of DCA’s overcrowding is caused by one of the biggest attractions being down unexpectedly.  Late last week, one of the vehicles on Radiator Springs Racers suddenly halted on the track and began smoking. Passengers belted into the vehicle became worried that it had caught fire. But they couldn’t get out because they were strapped in. A VERY scary situation.  

Disney shut the ride down and conducted some tests over the weekend. Vehicles were running on the track at some point over the weekend, but not for guests.  

Unlike Disneyland, which has lots of big attractions and can handle a ride or two being down, California Adventure doesn’t have as many attractions and downtime of any attraction can have a big impact on wait times across the whole park.  

We’re still waiting to hear when the attraction may reopen. But this 10-year-old attraction has never had a major refurbishment. It would be horrible for guests, but perhaps it’s time. 

As long as we’re talking about Cars Land, we’ll note some additional things in the land. 

The Curios Shop is STILL closed. At this point, since Disney has increased park reservations to a level equal or higher than a normal day in the past, it’s beyond time for everything to be reopened again at the Disneyland Resort.

There’s a bit of maintenance is going on at the fountain in front of Cozy Cone, which is drained and disassembled. 

Normally there’s a little water wheel here. You may be wondering why there’s no construction walls, but I actually prefer this to walls. What about you?

More Entertainment Returns

It’s been a whirlwind of entertainment returns in the past month. Big shows like the Main Street Electrical Parade, Disneyland Forever, and World of Color returned earlier in the month, bringing a lot of missing energy with them. Even the smaller storytelling shows have returned to Princess Fantasy Faire. And this past weekend, two more shows came back…

Fantasmic! is once again lighting up the Rivers of America in Disneyland’s New Orleans Square. The show is now in its 30th year! We were there for the first show on Saturday and snagged the best possible spot to bring you photos and video. 

And how did we get this amazing spot for the show? We booked a Fantasmic dining package from the River Belle Terrace. You just need to make a lunch reservation and then ask your server for the Fantasmic meal package. It’s $50 per person and includes a ticket to the show in a special section right along the river railing. We recommend making an early lunch reservation as available Fantasmic tickets can run out.  

The food was fine. You pick a starter, entrée & dessert. 

At $50, the dining package isn’t something we’d do on a frequent basis. But if seeing the show is important to you and you won’t have many other opportunities to see it, this is probably your best bet. When Blue Bayou reopens early in June, they will offer a dining package as well (price and details have yet to be announced). Hungry Bear offers a boxed meal package with Fantasmic tickets… but that viewing location isn’t as good. The Hungry Bear spot is located to the side of the stage directly across from Haunted Mansion. 

The dining package tickets instructed us to check in after 7:30pm. But wanting to make sure we had a good spot for you, we hung out for a couple of hours before that. Unfortunately, the restaurant didn’t know where to tell us to check in and we were sent to several different spots before we finally found a leader who knew what was going on.  They ended up opening our viewing section more than an hour early.  One of many miscommunications about times and locations we experienced during this whole process. 

Many guests were staking out standby spots all over the area. Some were allowed to stay, others were swept out of their spots by Disney cast members. 

As showtime approached, New Orleans Square filled up rapidly. Disney opted not to use the virtual queue for Fantasmic (at least at this time) even though they use it at World of Color and had implemented a FastPass system for the show prior to the park shutdowns. The reason for that was to prevent guests from camping out and crushing the area looking for spot to see the show.  

Then it was finally time for the 9pm show. 

The moment the narration began, I got goosebumps. I have so much nostalgia about this show. It’s one of those things that made me fall in love with Disneyland so many years ago. 

“Welcome to Fantasmic! Tonight, our friend and host, Mickey Mouse, uses his vivid imagination to create magical imagery for all to enjoy. Nothing is more wonderful than the imagination — for in a moment, you can experience a beautiful fantasy or an exciting adventure! But beware… nothing is more powerful than the imagination — for it can also expand your greatest fears into an overwhelming nightmare. Are the powers of Mickey’s incredible imagination strong enough and bright enough to withstand the evil forces that invade Mickey’s dream? You are about to find out. For we now invite you to join Mickey and experience Fantasmic! — a journey beyond your wildest imagination.”

I have seen this show well over a hundred times in my life. The new projects added to the show in 2017 really help brighten up the stage and make everything a little more photogenic.  

If there’s one thing about the show I’m not a fan of it’s the Pirates of the Caribbean section. It’s fine all by itself, but it just doesn’t visually fit the rest of the show like the old Peter Pan segment did (which it replaced in 2017). There was such a push to shoehorn Jack Sparrow into the parks back then. They added him to the ride, World of Color, and Fantasmic. In all of those cases, a realistic-looking Johnny Depp was added to a show which was largely animated (or in the case of the Pirates of the Caribbean ride, otherwise whimsical). But they were out of place then and even more so now that it’s been so long since the character has been in the theaters. 

The Maleficent dragon will always be the highlight of the show for me. 

The dragon didn’t shoot fire during our performance, but the river did light up anyway. 

(Huge shoutout to Mike Kindrich for these incredible shots. This is a very difficult show to photograph)

Treat yourself to the best seat in the house. Here’s my live video from the dead center of the viewing area along the river. If I was any closer, I’d have caught fire! Enjoy…

Tale of the Lion King

Fantasmic wasn’t the only show debuting on Saturday. Tale of the Lion King also opened at the Fantasyland Theater. I really don’t want folks to miss out on this wonderful show. There is so much heart and energy to this production. It’s really a breath of fresh air and a refreshing change of pace from previous retellings of this story. I can’t wait to see this one again.   

Part of what makes this version different is that it’s told by human storytellers who then assume the roles of the characters they are talking about. So you don’t see a bunch of animal costumes or puppets. As a result, the music and story are familiar, but the staging, choreography and art direction will all feel brand new.   

When this show was being performed completely unshaded under the brutal sun in Disney California Adventure’s Paradise Park (where you watch World of Color at night), it was generally too uncomfortable to sit and watch a full performance. But in the covered Fantasyland Theater, it’s a real treat. It’s mostly a new show with all new sets, costumes, and directions.  

If you have little ones, come early for special crafts before the show. 

The show opens on an energetic high as the cast comes dancing into the theater from the back of the stadium seating. It really helps pull the audience into the show right off the bat.  

A large semi-circular screen at the back of the stage projects gorgeous hand-drawn visuals that really help set the mood.  

I’m hard to please when it comes to theater, but I loved just about everything about this show. 

For more about all of the nighttime spectaculars, how to find seating, plus photos, videos, merchandise and special foods, please visit our Disneyland Nighttime Spectacular Guide HERE.  

More Star Wars Headed to the Parks!

If you’re a big fan of Star Wars, then you already knew that this weekend was the Star Wars Celebration event across the way from Disneyland at the Anaheim Convention Center. Over the course of four days, a convergence of the biggest Star Wars fans took place with big wigs from the Star Wars creative universe. And along with it came some new additions to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge!

One of our biggest concerns about Galaxy’s Edge was the lack of characters that people had a connection with. As of this weekend, that’s been shifting in a better direction with some more recognizable faces around the land. There are two new walkaround characters, Boba Fett and his righthand bounty hunter Fennec Shand from the hit show “The Book of Boba Fett.”

But that’s not all. The characters that people have come to love over the past few seasons of The Mandalorian, the series’ stars Din Djarin (The Mandalorian) and Grogu (The Child) will be coming to Galaxy’s Edge in the hopefully not-so-distant future. We can’t wait to see the adorable Grogu in real life!

One of the reasons many well-known Star Wars characters haven’t appeared in Galaxy’s Edge is because of a strict timeline that Imagineers set for the land (The ONLY land at Disneyland to set such a tight restriction for itself). Fantasyland is a collection of your favorite characters across time. While New Orleans Square and Main Street USA represent very specific periods in time in how they look, Disney can put any character into the land that fits the general idea of the land without worry. So you can see a period Jazz or marching band at one moment and a modern parade the next. Mickey and pals are all welcome even though they aren’t of the Victorian era. It works because, gasp, you are in a theme park to have fun and no guest has ever walked into Guest Relations to complain that Mickey doesn’t belong in the timeline of Main Street!

But Imagineering unnecessarily handcuffed themselves (and you) by limiting which characters, films, and timelines they can showcase in Galaxy’s Edge. At the same time, they robbed the land of the chance to be a real celebration of all things Star Wars. For example, I’m a HUGE Star Wars fan. But that fandom is for the first three films that I grew up with. The characters I know best such as Luke, Leia, Darth Vader, Lando, Han, etc. aren’t even in the land! Instead, there are characters I can’t even remember the names of. And I’m fine with the new characters being there… but the more popular characters should ALSO be there. And the only reason they can’t be is because of this artificial limitation placed on this one land in the park. 

So, how is Disney getting away with adding these newly announced characters to the land even though they don’t really match the timeline? They’ve had to make a head-scratching partial reversal of their previous stance:

While we as visitors may be able to experience different stories throughout Star Wars history, the characters on Batuu can not. They will remain in their specific story and timeline and won’t intersect with other characters or stories that would not be appropriate for them.

So, why not push this idea just a bit further? Why not include characters from the other Star Wars films? We’d love to see Vader, Luke, Han Solo, Obi-Wan and more around the land too. What are your thoughts on this? Is it time to give up on the magical handcuffs Disney Imagineering unnecessarily imposed on themselves? 

While we’re in Galaxy’s Edge, there are also a few new pieces of merchandise that were released as part of Star Wars Celebration. There’s a locking cargo case in the shape of an  ice cream maker camtono for $50.

There are also some new pins and a few t-shirts to celebrate the Star Wars convention.

For more Star Wars Celebration and all the new Star Wars things coming to Disneyland and Walt Disney World, take a look at our article: From a Galaxy Far, Far Away to a Disney Park Near You (HERE)

That’s not all the Star Wars stuff from this week. In fact, there are two more stories of note pertaining to Star Wars and Disneyland. First up, the effectively abandoned Star Wars Launch Bay in Tomorrowland appears to be prepping for a return. CMs have been telling guests that the Star Wars museum/store/photo-op may be returning soon… 

The important sign from the image above is this one: 

 

The other Star Wars story is the 35th anniversary of Star Tours at Disneyland. It feels like just yesterday that the attraction was introduced into the park— and some of our staff would argue that it’s potentially the best Star Wars attraction that currently exists at the Disney Parks even after all this time. To commemorate the occasion, there was a small line of merchandise available at Star Traders.

And if you want to see new destinations added to the attraction… that’s not off the table. It was mentioned at Star Wars Celebration that they’d still like to do more Star Tours. We hope they do. It’s the best example of the fun of Star Wars from any timeline.   

Avengers Campus

When we were walking through Avengers Campus this week we noticed that some aspects of the land are already changing. As the resort ramps up entertainment, it looks like DCA is trying to wean guests off from using the Hyperion Theater patio for PYM Test Kitchen overflow seating. We saw that there are significantly fewer tables in that courtyard. All of the tables in the main queue area have been removed and tables are only placed in the smaller section closer to the parade route and Guardians of the Galax. We HOPE that means Disney would like to return a show to the theater. It’s a massive amount of attraction space in a park that needs more things to do. 

The Pym Tasting Lab (the bar of Avengers Campus) also has a portion of the patio sectioned off which means there’s even less seating available in the land right now. We’re really hoping that while this section is cordoned off that there’s a plan to install some kind of permanent shade structure. That patio (and land as a whole) is brutal in the summer heat with little shade protection. It’s almost like the people who design theme parks these days have never actually visited one as a guest (I snark because this is a VERY important comfort issue that should be of much more concern to Disneyland).  

Construction & Refurbishments

It’s another week filled with construction projects around the resort. Here’s the latest to catch up on.

Finding Nemo’s Submarine Voyage is still kept behind scrims and construction walls. Although it may look like things are progressing slowly, there is work happening. On Saturday, the bubbles were turned off and we were able to get a perfect view of the newly installed crabs. We even have a video of the crabs moving.

The lagoon itself is just about ready to go. 

As we zoomed past the attraction on the monorail, we couldn’t help but notice that Crush the turtle was stacked as though he’s about to be discarded.

Looking at the shape of the tarp on this rock in the lagoon, it sure does look like the seals from “Finding Dory” may be added to the attraction. If that is the case, I’m so excited! But we won’t know for certain until that tarp is removed.

What do you think? Is something like this possible? 

The Treehouse Formerly Known as Tarzan – got a little smaller this week. The tree stump entry to the climbing attraction was finally completely removed this past week. There’s nothing left of this impediment in the middle of the walkway. 

All that’s left is a hole in the ground. 

Tomorrowland Tease – It’s been over three years now since Disneyland posted this concept art for the Tomorrowland entry gardens, and no work has been done at all. What’s the holdup? We HOPE it’s because new concept art for something more ambitious will be released at the next D23 Expo this fall. But it’s just as likely that the budget for this little bit of cosmetic work isn’t available at the moment. 

Here’s what the garden is supposed to look like according to the concept art.

On Main Street, the street-side entry to the Refreshment Corner (Coke Corner) is being replaced. There is pretty abrupt language used on the sign telling guests to use the door around the corner. The tone is a little harsh considering even the recycling bins have a polite “recycle please” on them. Don’t forget to say please and thank you and your mother won’t have to spank you. 

Across the way at DCA, Seaside Souvenirs is closed for refurbishment and for the additional Disney hotel guest entry gate being built next to it. From the looks of it though, this seems like it won’t be a heavy-duty refurb since the awnings have simply been rolled up and not removed for replacement.

The new entrance gate is sandwiched between the Corn Dog stand and the Souvenir Stand behind these walls. 

The pathway to that gate (on the other side of this fence) is just about done. The walkway is in and it appears the lighting is as well. Looks like there is some nice landscaping. 

In Downtown Disney, we are finally seeing movement at the dirt lot that use to be the AMC movie theater. There’s still a long way to go before it becomes anything resembling the future plans for this area.

Disneyland Resort Refurbishment Calendar

For a more complete look at the refurbishment schedule at Disneyland, we’ve listed it out below:

Currently Under Refurbishment:

• Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage: (July 12th, 2021-TBA)
• ‘Tarzan’s’ Treehouse: (September 1st, 2021-TBA)
• Mickey’s Toontown (March 9th, 2022-2023)
• Blue Bayou Restaurant: (April 21st-June 23rd) – the return date on this isn’t accurate. The plan is for this restaurant to “Soft open” as soon as this week. No reservations will be accepted at first and the establishment will be walk-up only until they are ready to start taking reservations later in the month.  
• Pirates of the Caribbean: (March 14th-June 30th)

Upcoming Refurbishments:

• Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree: (June 13th-16th)

Attraction Returning to Operation:

• Red Car Trolley: (Summer 2022)

This & That

It’s hard to believe after so much today, but there’s still some more news from the resort. Here are a collection of the smaller stories from around Disneyland.

Eats and Treats

Part of the Disneyland experience is the various food around the resort. Here’s a few observations from this week.

If you’re a fan of all-things churros, you’ll be pleased to know there’s an assortment of churro-flavored treats to choose from. Many of these items aren’t new, but they are part of a growing collection of items. In the bakery cases last week were a churro cookie, churro rice crispy treat, a churro cupcake, and of course, the thing that kicked off the craze, churro toffee. 

Can you have too much of a good thing? 

For something a little different, you can head over to Kat Saka’s Kettle in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. The new seasonal flavors are a caramel and chocolate kettle corn combo and also a white cheddar popcorn.

Dusty’s tasty tip: get a bag of each and mix them together for a sweet and savory snack.

If you’ve walked through Downtown Disney recently, you’ll notice there are some new food trucks are parked in the west end of the district. There are expected to be sticking around through July 4th. We’re not sure if will be the same ones throughout, but we’re glad there are some new food options for a while. When the parks are busy, it can be very hard to find food during peak times. 

To round out this food section, there’s a new menu at the Magic Keyholder Lounge at DCA. Here’s a look at the menu (click for full size):

This new menu is a pretty big departure from the previous one. Do you see anything you want to try? Are you disappointed to see the cult classic Beef Tenderloin Sliders now off the menu? I’m not sure I see a single item I really want to eat (I don’t do dairy or seafood). Oh well, best to move along…

Disneyland Kugel Ball Working Again

If you’ve been missing the germ Kugel ball in Tomorrowland, the fountain component is working again so you can push the stone ball to your heart’s content. We’re not entirely sure what the draw is, but kids seem to like it… they also enjoy licking railings and windows… but I digress. 

Chip ‘n Dale Rescue Rangers Photo Op

The latest Disney movie, Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers has a limited-time photo op located on the Hollywood Backlot of DCA. It’s pretty basic as far as photo ops go, and not overwhelmingly popular. So if you’re a fan of the movie, you can stop by and take a picture against the backdrop…. which appears to simply be the old Captain America shield repainted. 

Paradise Pier Hotel Pool Reopened

Good news to folks headed to the Paradise Pier Hotel! The pool complex that has been under renovation for months has wrapped up and now you can visit the pool to cool off. Good news for the warm days approaching soon. 

Just for fun… Is this Disneyland’s Ugliest Statue? Nestled at the base of a tree near Cafe Orleans, is a perplexing statue. It’s so hideous that I’ve fallen in love with it. 

Pretty Pictures…

That was a LOT of news and info. Let’s wrap things up with a few pretty shots from the Disneyland Resort the MiceChat crew collected this week.

Our photographer Brian has really been taken with long exposures of the Main Street Electrical Parade, and we can see why! 

And now you can see the whole parade in just a few seconds…

Join Dusty on a Disneyland Walkthrough

In case you were skimming through today’s mega-sized Update, you can get a lot of the same info presented in video form while getting a tour of Disneyland. Sit a spell and watch the video below to catch views of the park and get your dose of Disney news.

Let’s Hear From You

Happy to have Fantasmic back? (And, yes, I know it’s supposed to be “Fantasmic!” but I refuse to use the extraneous “!” in the middle of a sentence because it’s confusing to most readers.) What’s your thought on the strict Galaxy’s Edge timeline? 95% of our readers think it needs to be loosened up.

Should Disney keep Radiator Springs Racers down to perform a full refurbishment, or rush it back open as soon as possible? Do the nighttime spectaculars make the park experience feel normal to you again? And what can be done about the cascading queue overflows caused by Lightning Lane? It’s worse that it ever was with the old FastPass system. 

AND… we’re still waiting to see what Disneyland is going to do about Magic Key renewals in August. That news is overdue! What do you think they are going to do (or should do)?

We look forward to your thoughts!