As far as Disney is concerned, it’s now summer season! And while we are still waiting on the warmest days of the year, the crowds are certainly already on the scene. This week brought masses of guests, the return of Radiator Springs Racers, the reopening of Blue Bayou, some fun speculation on Splash Mountain, and plenty of construction and visible changes around the resort. But that’s not all we’ll cover today, especially since all levels of Magic Keys are now officially sold out. Prepare for a lot of info today, folks.
Splash Mountain Redo Resurfaces
It’s been two years already since Disney announced that the current version of Splash Mountain at both Disneyland and Walt Disney World would be getting an overhaul to become themed to Princess and the Frog. When Disney initially shared the announcement about the transition, there was no mention of a potential opening date.
According to a recent interview on the “Kelly and Ryan” talkshow, Anika Noni Rose, the voice of Tiana, shared that the attraction is projected for a 2024 opening. This was the first mention of any sort of timeline for this project, and we’re pleased to hear it’s still in the works. We did reach out to Disney for any further information they could give us and a Resort spokesperson shared this statement:
“We have already shared how we are bringing Tiana’s story to life at Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resort. While timing has not been determined, we look forward to sharing more details during Essence Festival of Culture in New Orleans in July.”
So, we’re not entirely sure what a more detailed timeline looks like, but we’ll be keeping a close eye on announcements from the Essence Festival this July.
To learn more about the massive changes headed to Splash Mountain, be sure to check out our article: Coming 2024: Splash Mountain’s Princess and the Frog Redo – Everything We Know
Disneyland Resort Crowds
With school letting out for the summer and vacation season in full swing we’re seeing more and more people visiting the parks. As big entertainment returns, Disneyland has been increasing attendance capacity as well… which means more people. Let’s take a look at crowd levels around the parks.
Early mornings are generally very enjoyable, but by lunchtime, the parks start to reach their busy stage. As we strolled through Adventureland on Friday, it was fairly easy to walk, but there are still some squeeze spots. With the old Tarzan’s Treehouse entrance now gone one of those pinch points has been removed from the park and some valuable walking space has opened up between Adventureland and New Orleans Square.
Friday evening saw a 70-minute wait for Splash Mountain that stretched to the opening of the queue by Haunted Mansion. Walkways were crowded with folks watching friends and family take the plunge from Chickapin Hill into the old briar patch.
Project Stardust was intended to open up many walkways and the entrance into Frontierland was one such piece of that project that was desperately needed. The removal of seating and garden space has made getting through this area a lot easier. Though, there are still lots of times that we miss being able to quickly find a seat and sit for a spell. That goes for the whole resort. Have you found it more difficult to find a bench to rest on?
But it’s the evening when the resort gets really packed. At about 7:45 PM on Friday, Main Street was fairly packed with guests either trying to find a place to camp out to watch the Main Street Electrical Parade or get to the Rivers of America to watch Fantasmic!. If you arrive at the parks after 5:00pm, be ready to work your way through some heavy crowds.
Tomorrowland maintains a pretty crowded level of attendance. Combine that with constrictive stroller parking and it can make this area difficult to navigate. That gets worse during the Electrical Parade when crowds get trapped in the land.
But, it’s important to note that all of this is infinitely easier than it was in the days before park reservations. While very busy, the parks aren’t so gridlocked that they feel unsafe as could often be the case in the past. Reservations may not be popular, but they really do keep the park experience from reaching the worst stages in the busy seasons.
Magic Keys Locked
On Tuesday of last week, Disneyland stopped selling the popular Magic Key program. Sales of all key levels are now paused. This comes fairly close to the period where renewals of existing keys would start taking place. Disney has said that current Key Holders will be able to renew, but they have not released any specifics on terms, pricing, or availability, leaving many wondering how the program will work in the future. We’ll have more for you soon.
You might assume that Disney is worried about the parks being too crowded, and that’s why the keys have been sold out. But Disney didn’t just end the Keys (for now) they also launched a new California Resident ticket offer. So it’s more complex than simple supply and demand. The Magic Key lawsuit, Keyholder complaints about not being able to get park reservations, and strong day ticket sales are all factors in the decision.
Speaking of tickets… The California Resident ticket offer starts at just $83/day for a 3-day ticket (one park per day Monday through Thursday). But you can upgrade that ticket to a park-hopper and weekends as well for a bit more. (Disneyland News: Magic Key Locked & New CA Resident Ticket Offer!)
MiceChat can help you with the CA Resident ticket, and there are options to save even more if you need more than 3 days. (It helps us when you purchase tickets and hotels through our links):
So, where do you stand with the Magic Key program right now? Would you like to renew your key or perhaps switch to just buying tickets as needed or when Disney makes special offers available?
Racers Reopened
As you read here, an incident on Radiator Springs Racers a little over a week ago caused the attraction to be shut down for investigation. After some testing, the attraction has reopened. And it couldn’t have come soon enough. This park just doesn’t handle the loss of a major attraction well.
On Friday morning the wait time immediately climbed to 90 minutes. This attraction reopening definitely helps bring down other wait times around the park.
Back on the Blue Bayou
We’ve got a little bit of a mixed bag for you with this one. Here’s the good news: Blue Bayou is back!
The popular restaurant known for its unique ambiance of being located within the Pirates of the Caribbean ride was closed for an extended refurbishment (the restaurant almost always syncs its refurbishments with the attraction it shares a space with).
As of Friday morning, the restaurant has reopened while the Pirates attraction continues with its refurbishment. Before you get your heart set on dining there, you should know two things. First, the construction walls blocking the view of the attraction from the dining area remain up at this time. We’re not sure when guests will have a river view again, but we certainly hope that it won’t take until July 1st to get that ambiance back.
Secondly, Blue Bayou is walk-up only right now. You can join the walk-up waiting list in the Disneyland app. There are no dining reservations available for Blue Bayou at this time (but they should be available again soon).
Celebrate Soulfully
The Disneyland Resort is bringing diversity to its entertainment offerings for the summer season with a continuation of the “Celebrate Soulfully” experience from Black History Month back in February. From now until July 4th, the resort is highlighting entertainment in celebration of Black Music Month in Disneyland and DCA, two food trucks from Black-owned businesses in Downtown Disney, and the “Soul of Jazz” exhibit in the old ESPN Zone building. Here’s what’s being bundled together for the celebration:
Disneyland’s Tale of the Lion King
If you’ve taken a trip back to the Fantasyland Theater recently, you may have seen the revamped show “Tale of the Lion King.” The show has moved from DCA into Disneyland and now has become a hot-ticket item to see. Last week, we featured the debut of the show and we are absolutely thrilled to see how it has been upgraded since its initial run at DCA in 2019.
However, note that the show was unexpectedly canceled for days in a row last week. This may be a staffing/illness situation, but there is no official reason as to why the show has been MIA. Hopefully, it returns soon and Disney can get some additional understudies trained for the rest of the busy summer season.
So for now, the Fantasyland Theater remains darkened with no showtimes listed on the board or in the app. It should return this week.
A related loss is that the Troubador Tavern is only open during performance times, which means the African-inspired snacks are not available at this time either.
Celebrate Soulfully at DCA
Across the way at DCA, things are a bit more festive. For the month of June through July 4th, there are various entertainment groups that celebrate Black music genres like Doo-Wop, jazz, Motown, and more. You can find groups performing in front of Carthay Circle and on the Hollywood Backlot Stage.
We also saw that there are a handful of “Celebrate Soulfully” food items that accompany the event. Over at Award Wieners, there are a couple of selections to choose from.
The Soul of Jazz: An American Adventure
Another “Celebrate Soulfully” component requires no theme park admission at all. An exhibit that first premiered at EPCOT, before touring the US, has made a stop at the old ESPN building in Downtown Disney.
“The Soul of Jazz: An American Adventure” follows Joe Gardner from Soul to take guests on a musical tour of the history of jazz. Take a full tour of the exhibition with our video below:
MiceChat contributor Andy Castro was there on opening day to see what the exhibit was all about. For all the photos and video, please check out his full coverage: Celebrate Soulfully at Disneyland with new “Soul of Jazz” exhibit and more!
Celebrate Soulfully Food Trucks
While you’re at the Soul of Jazz exhibit, it’s pretty hard to miss the two food trucks located just outside the building. The Black-owned Nashville Hot Chicken and Happy Ice trucks will be around through July 4th. Give them a try!
Keep your eyes open for additional entertainment groups performing on the stage near the food trucks in Downtown Disney as well.
Disneyland Resort Construction
There’s a lot of work going on all over the resort. Let’s take a look, there have been some big changes…
Tarzan’s Treehouse:
It’s the end of an era. The large tree stump that served as the entryway to Tarzan’s Treehouse has now been completely removed. Fresh concrete has been poured over the empty spot, making a much roomier walkway. The remaining portion of the treehouse still remains under scaffolding and scrims with no hints as to the attraction’s future.
Pirates of the Caribbean:
If you’ve been missing your pirate-y friends, we’re less than a month away from being able to set sail to the Caribbean once again. The Disneyland website lists Pirates as reopening on July 1st. For now, a vast stretch of construction walls wraps around the attraction on the ground level and the bridge.
Fantasmic:
While Fantasmic! has returned to nightly performances, there are STILL some scrims up in various places around the island as they complete a few minor details.
New Orleans Square has been easier than ever to navigate during the day with the newly opened up walkways… but beware the hours leading up to Fantasmic!
While we really love seeing Mickey’s imagination at play every night, there are some elements that aren’t very reliable. Since the reopening of the show, it has been noted that the Maleficent Dragon and her fire breath haven’t always been working. The other night the Dragon didn’t make an appearance at all during the first performance (being projected on mist screens instead) but showed up with fire breath for the 2nd show. But most nights there hasn’t been any fire breath at all… though the river always catches fire as planned anyway.
Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage:
Things are really coming together now! The lagoon was refilled a few weeks ago, but now there are bubbles and we’ve seen animatronics critters functioning in the water.
There are still some attraction elements waiting to be installed in the lagoon.
Some visual elements are still missing (namely the buoy with the seagulls), though, there is a mysterious tarp that covers that one lonely rock in the lagoon. Some of us are speculating that it is a new element and that it is potentially the seals from “Finding Dory”.
There’s no official opening date yet other than a generic “This summer.”
Old AMC lot:
There has been a little bit of progress on the dirt lot that was once the AMC movie theater building (and was also home to Earl of Sandwich, Sugarboo, and Starbucks).
There’s some new equipment, pipes, and the obligatory dirt piles moving around.
Seaside Souvenirs/Hotel Gate:
Walking through Disney California Adventure, there is an abundance of construction walls around the park. One of the bigger ongoing projects currently visible to guests is the refurb of Seaside Souvenirs, which happens to also be right next to the new hotel guest gate being built.
In the MiceChat Facebook group, it was asked if the service dog relief area was still available in this area. It is indeed. You can see it below.
Over at Ariel’s Undersea Adventures, on Thursday, there were still walls up in front of the attraction along the parade route.
By Friday, most of those walls had come down, revealing some new concrete in the walkway.
There was also a box of construction walls in between Little Mermaid and the still-closed Embarcardo Gifts.
Similarly, there are also walls up across from Wine Country Trattoria.
Disney certainly seems to be putting in a lot of time and effort into walkway improvement at DCA.
Progress in Mickey’s Toontown:
While it doesn’t look like much has changed to the untrained eye, we see that Toontown has progressed a bit in the major construction project that is reimagining the old area.
Goofy’s house is now out from under scaffolding and we can see progress on Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway. The land is not set to reopen until early next year.
The El CapiToon Theater facade looks nearly complete and really changes the profile of the center of the land.
And with Goofy’s garden and ToonTown Park removed, as well as the Jolly Trolley tracks and station, there’s a lot of open space which is all now just dirt.
Disneyland Refurb Calendar (updated 6/3/22):
Here’s a quick look at what’s currently under refurbishment and what’s expected to be coming soon:
Currently Under Refurbishment:
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- Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage: (July 12th, 2021-TBA)
- Tarzan’s Treehouse: (September 1st, 2021-TBA)
- Mickey’s Toontown (March 9th, 2022-2023)
- Pirates of the Caribbean: (March 14th-June 30th)
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Upcoming Refurbishments:
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- Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree: (June 13th-16th)
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Attraction Returning to Operation:
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- Red Car Trolley: (Summer 2022)
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This and That
I promise we’ll keep this section brief this week. Here are a few smaller stories from around the Disneyland Resort this week.
Plaza Point Celebrating Summer
Plaza Point, the year-round holiday shop on Main Street, has been updated to reflect the current season: summer! While you can still get all of your expected Christmas goods at the shop, you can also find some patriotic merchandise in the seasonal section of the shop. Andy Castro gives us a video tour of the summer collection to share with you below.
Ms. Marvel at Avengers Store
There’s a new Marvel character coming to Disney+ this week, Ms. Marvel (not to be confused with Captain Marvel). Over at Stage 17— oh wait, it’s called “Super Store Featuring Avengers Campus”— there is a new display that shows off the costume of the new hero. Are you looking forward to seeing the new show Ms. Marvel on Disney+ starting June 8?
Disneyland Pride Displays
June is LGTBQ+ Pride Month, and while Disney isn’t doing much to celebrate it other than loads of new Pride merchandise, there are some thoughtful nods here and there. The topiaries of Mickey and Minnie at the Disneyland Hotel have a Pride heart placed between them.
And there’s a permanent window at the new holiday shop on Main Street that features a lesbian couple skating.
A Photo Finale
Here at MiceChat, I’m primarily a photographer that also happens to write a little bit. But whenever I can, I always try to share some of my shots from my trips to the parks. I hope that these photos bring you a little bit of magic wherever you are.
Have you witnessed the nightly flight of the crows?
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Let’s Hear From You
It’s been another full Update this week! What are your thoughts on the complete selling-out of Magic Keys just before the busy summer season started? Will you renew your Magic Key or perhaps switch to regular tickets and discounts? Would you dine at Blue Bayou even if the river view was blocked? And how does the newly removed Tarzan Treehouse stump look to you? Leave a comment to share your thoughts!
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