Disneyland Update: Follow the Bouncing Bobs

Thanksgiving has come and gone, and has left us with something to be very thankful for this year… a much-needed change in leadership of the Disney Company.  Unfortunately, some fans are getting way ahead of themselves and making pronouncements for what is coming soon to the parks, even though no such meetings or decisions have been made. We’ll put things into context for you.

For now, the Merriest Place on Earth is bustling with crowds for the holidays, so it may take a bit of work and planning to experience all that Christmas magic. Traditionally, the week of Thanksgiving has always been a busy period for the Disneyland Resort, but with reservations and a supposed attendance cap, it wasn’t as terrible as in years past. We’ll get to that, and so much more— including current park conditions, some staffing issues, construction, refurbishments and more!

Oh… and LOTS of GORGEOUS photos for you to enjoy and share…

Follow the Bouncing Bobs

It’s been a week folks… just one short week since Disney set the dial back to 2020 and replaced CEO Bob Chapek with the previous CEO Bob Iger. It was a complete repudiation of the trainwreck the Disney Company became under the leadership of the man I’ll simply call Bad Bob. We’ve never seen the fans so happy about a bit of Disney news. There was truly joy in most of the comments we saw online.  

But with great excitement comes big expectations and some wild hopes. The fans have been quick to share clickbait and wishful thinking on social media, which has a way of then becoming like an alternate universe of fake facts that everyone wants to believe… “The reservation system is ending,” “Lightning Lane is going away,” “Disney is selling to Apple,” you’ve heard all this and more. 

But 7 days is barely enough time to hold some meetings, meet with financial advisors and board members, and start asking senior executives to come up with wishlists, proposed budgets, start figuring out which parts of the company are doing well, which are directionless, which are on fire, and what opportunities there are to turn the ship around. To assume that concrete decisions have been made already at this early stage are ludicrous. Disney is a publicly traded company, big changes will require some sound documentation and reasoning, estimated budgetary impacts, etc. All of which will need to be run by the board of directors. And this will all take time.

Bob Iger is likely still finding his footing, putting his team together, and trying to figure out who will be loyal to him and who are the people still in the mindset of the fallen CEO. He also knows that the main reason that he is back at the helm of Disney is because the all-in gamble on Disney+ at the expense of the rest of the company was rapidly failing. A quarterly loss of 1.5 BILLION dollars for Disney+ and gaining downward momentum quarter after quarter. The rest of the company is doing pretty well. The parks are the golden goose of the company. 

Bob’s immediate responsibility is to respond to the emergency, which in this case is Disney+ and Disney’s multiple streaming service strategies. He must stop the bleeding as quickly as possible and that’s going to mean placing his focus on Disney’s Media and Entertainment Distribution (DMED). Meanwhile, although we all know there is a massive list of problems in the Disney Parks, Experiences and Products segment (DPEP), on a spreadsheet it is making strong earnings, so Bob doesn’t really have to worry about it just yet when he has an existential crisis elsewhere in the company to contend with. 

What does that mean? Well, it means Bob likely hasn’t made any major earnings-affecting decisions for Parks and Resorts because they just aren’t on the radar yet. And that means Disney Parks, Experiences and Products segment will be expected to sort of run itself for a while with its existing leadership. So, Josh D’Amaro will continue to lead Parks, Resorts, Experiences, and Consumer Products (including Imagineering) as he has since May of 2020. 

In that time, Josh has brought us park reservations, Genie+, Lightning Lane, Mobile Order for food & merchandise, a massive cutback in the staffing of the parks, huge increases in the cost of everything, and generally wrung the joy out of the park experience. Don’t get me wrong, Josh is a very nice guy and we loved him when he was the President of Disneyland and later Walt Disney World… But once he began reporting to CEO Bob Chapek, everything changed. The question is… how much of that was Josh, and how much was Bob Chapek?   

We knew Bob Iger’s first priority was saving Disney’s Media and Entertainment Distribution division when his first act on the day he returned to the company was to fire the head of the DMED unit, Kareem Daniel (an MBA from Consumer Products that Bob Chapek had promoted all the way to the top of Disney’s most important creative role). And we’ll likely know that Bob’s attentions have shifted to Parks when heads begin to roll there as well. A day of reckoning can’t be delayed forever… the brand has been too seriously damaged to ignore the flaws indefinitely, even if the profits are strong at the moment. 

And Disney’s Parks, Experiences and Products segment has made some terrible mistakes in the years since Bob Iger left (even though he was himself involved in the early stages of some of this). The move of the DPEP unit from Los Angeles to Orlando was horribly botched, leading to irreparable damage to Disney’s image, employee morale, and the loss of much of Disney’s creative community. The parks managed to make the guest experience more of a chore than something to be enjoyed. And Disney has lost the ability to pretend it cares about its customers after round after round of callous cuts to entertainment and quality all while raising prices through the roof at a rate far higher than inflation. DPEP got cheap and greedy so fast that it was impossible for guests not to notice the rapid change.  

But here’s a bit of hope for you all. Bob’s second act after taking the job was to appoint a council to help restructure the DMED unit to put creatives back in charge. We can hope that something very similar will happen soon on the park’s side of the house. That gives Josh a bit of time to rethink some of the things he cooked up with his previous boss. Not all of the ideas were terrible, but many of them turned out that way due to Bob Chapek’s greed and constant pressure to cut budgets and raise prices. Josh still has an opportunity to be a hero… but if he waits for Bob to start noticing comments such as these, he may just find himself in the same position as Kareem Daniel.

We suggest Bob Iger hire an independent 3rd party company to do some deep surveys of recent Disney guests to determine what they did and didn’t like about the experience and how likely they are to return. Of course, he’s going to hear the worst from fans and the best from current executives. The truth will be what Ma and Pa Topeka thought about their trip. There are no doubt thousands of folks willing to take any amount of abuse and still write Disney a blank check… but we have a feeling there’s a lot more for Bob to learn about what has really happened to the magic in Walt’s Magic Kingdoms.  

OK, folks, this is where you come in. And I need you to keep in mind that Disney is a publicly traded company that has a powerful board of directors to keep happy and can’t make decisions solely to make fans happy. They have to take a holistic view of what they can offer that consumers will buy and that turns a healthy profit. With those conditions in mind, what are the easiest first steps Disney’s Parks unit should take to turn the tide and restore some of the lost magic? I’ve listed out some of the big issues below (choose up to 3) but feel free to add your own. These are just general problem areas to address, not specific solutions. We’d love to hear your thoughts on that in the comments below. 

Here’s another interesting tidbit, today at 9am, Bob Iger is holding a town hall for all Disney employees. We suspect he’ll want to make this meeting reassuring for the hopeful survivors of the short but brutal Bob Chapek era (or should we say “error”?). 

If there’s anything major, we’ll update you here and alert you on our social media.  

Bob Iger Iger Disney Town Hall Notes (Updated)

Bob takes questions from cast members during a live town hall that is broadcast to Disney employees everywhere. While there was nothing really asked or answered that was unexpected in any way, it was how Bob related to each person and made them feel special that was truly unique and important. Bob Iger is exactly the sort of statesman that Chapek could never be. 

Bob shared that the job offer to return didn’t come as a big surprise. He suspected the call might come. And he sought the counsel of his wife who told him to take the job. He also mentioned that he had considered politics, but his wife dissuaded him.

Iger made it clear that he would be focusing on creatives over MBAs in management positions, a big departure from Chapek who replaced creatives with accountants and MBAs.  

The employees were fairly ruthless on their questioning. Asking about just about everything from the move of DPEP to Orlando, to the hiring freeze put in place by Bob Chapek. But Bob had to honestly say that he didn’t have answers yet and was still looking at everything.  

This was essentially Bob’s 3rd day on the job since there was a holiday last week. So he has a lot to get up to speed on. 

When asked about park reservations. Iger said that he has only read about the system, not used it himself yet. He plans to ask Josh about it.

Josh D’Amaro was in the front row… taking notes like crazy.  

The meeting ended without any other major notes.

However, given Bob’s comment about not having used the reservation system yet in the parks… it reminds us that it would be smart for ALL executives and anyone else in a decision-making capacity to visit the park as a regular guest. Buy tickets; park in the structure; take the tram; enter through the turnstile; try to buy food, attempt to ride Rise of the Resistance WITHOUT buying a Lightning Lane… you know, like their customers have to do. 

Overall, it wasn’t about any particular thing Iger said (it’s too soon for answers), it was the dramatic shift in tone and willingness to listen to employees that was noted by those we spoke with. The meeting was a reassuring gesture that made many feel like there was once again hope that the company can get its groove back. 

Disneyland Thanksgiving Crowds

Imagine with me for a moment… picture an ideal Thanksgiving day for a Disneyland fan. If you’re anything like me, the scenario likely means having dinner somewhere in the Disneyland Resort (it’s easier that way, no cooking or cleaning up to do) finding a prime spot to watch A Christmas Fantasy Parade. And capping off the day with hot chocolate and Believe In Holiday Magic fireworks. Sounds blissful, right?

Here’s what Thanksgiving actually looked like this year…

Thanksgiving Crowds

While this whole week was noticeably crowded, it also felt much more manageable in comparison to years before the reservation system was implemented.

As controversial as the reservation system is to many Disney Parks fans, it did keep crowds in check this week… at least to less than the apocalyptic levels of the past when you couldn’t walk through the park without touching other guests.  

With so many people off work or out of school for the long weekend, the situation would have been much worse without some sort of limitation on attendance. Also, due to high winds, the cancelation of fireworks was announced early in the day on Thanksgiving, which caused many guests to turn around and leave the park entirely.  That also helped keep crowds in check. 

Once inside the park, the walkways were full but still traversable. The high-traffic days required a bit more patience— especially in terms of getting through security and on a tram, or waiting for certain attractions. 

Visitors who partook in the Festival of the Holidays found that the marketplaces were pretty much empty despite the crowds in the parade route and in queues. That should be taken as a sign by Disney that the food offerings this year weren’t the best. We still haven’t used all the tabs on our tasting card because we’re not thrilled with the selections. 

To be honest, we were skeptical about what this holiday would look like around Disneyland. Flashbacks of waiting in endless lines on an empty stomach at past holidays certainly colored our memories. Unfortunately, that was again the case for some eateries around the park but it came down to location. When we left Disneyland on Thanksgiving around 8pm, there was an hour wait to get a turkey dinner at Plaza Inn, but French Market which offered a similar meal had walkup availability (but extremely limited available seating). 

The other aspect of dining that felt the crowd crush was Mobile Order. We heard from a CM at Red Rose Tavern that some guests were waiting longer than 45 minutes for a notification that their Mobile Order was ready. What’s the point of mobile ordering at a specific time slot only to have such a delay? On high-traffic days, perhaps Disney should disable Mobile Order (or severely limit it at peak times) as the restaurants can’t keep up with the demand of two separate systems. 

As for attraction wait times during this holiday week, they were all over the place. At 5pm on Thanksgiving, some attractions had out-of-this-world wait times for all the unfortunate guests not paying extra for Disney’s over-subscribed Genie+ system.

But it wasn’t always that way. There were also times when waits seemed reasonable. Or a ride would suddenly shift from a long wait to a shorter one as the crowd flow suddenly adjusted. Remember when they tried to explain that Genie would help level out crowds? It doesn’t! 

The queue for Pirates stretched through New Orleans Square with several switchbacks. 

But why would Disneyland’s super high-capacity boat ride ever have an overflowing queue when situations such as this were extremely rare in the days before FastPass? Because all of these insane skip-the-lines programs that Disney has been toying with for the last 20+ years throw off the entire dynamic of the park. Even though Pirates doesn’t have a Lightning Lane, it’s sandwiched between three popular attractions which do (Haunted Mansion, Indiana Jones, and Big Thunder). If the lines for any of those attractions gets too long, or the ride shuts down, guests flock to Pirates because they don’t need a Lightning Lane pass there.  As a result, New Orleans Square has been turned from a charming themed area into a giant queue on most busy days. 

Splash Mountain commanded an impressive wait this week due to crowds and the unseasonably warm weather we had (it was bumping up on the 80°s for much of the week).  

Disney has no one to blame but themselves for 1) the number of guests they allow into the parks 2) the amount of attraction capacity available in the parks (they can always build more to meet demand or limit the number of guests to match the capacity), and 3) how they choose to manage access to those attractions. All this at a time that the company seems to have no problem with gouging guests with price increases on everything from park tickets and parking to food and merchandise. Genie+ the way it is currently configured is simply a cash grab that diminishes the park experience for those who don’t use it (or can’t afford it). We’re tired of waiting for someone at Disney to start caring about guest experience again and fix this. 

But all this has us wondering what will happen on December 21st when all levels of Magic Keys are blocked out for the rest of the holiday seaon. Will the parks suddenly feel like the off-season? Or will so many day ticket holders flood into the parks that it will still be like it was on Thanksgiving? One thing is for sure, Key holders who are about to be blocked are going to want to experience the holidays in the parks before their passes lock up for the season. And that could create some crazy days ahead… until the big experiment happens.  

Oversold Genie+?

It looks like Disneyland wants to keep its options open about the controversial service that folks seem to love or hate (or both at once). This week, language was added to Genie+ that essentially states that the ability to purchase the service is not guaranteed. 

While we think this language was added to cover Disney’s behind, it could potentially change how the service is used. With as many as 50% (or more on very busy days) of tourists purchasing the service, it leads to the same conundrum stated by The Incredibles‘ villain, Syndrome, when he stated “when everyone’s super… no one will be.”

But what are your solutions for the ills of Disney Genie… assuming that they won’t be willing to give up the revenue completely? They could significantly increase the price for Genie+ to prevent overuse (to as much as $100 or more). They could significantly limit the number of guests who purchase the service, let’s say to a more reasonable 25% or less of daily visitors. Or, perhaps, they could unbundle the program entirely and have guests pay extra for each ride for which they’d like to skip the line. Like the old ticket book days. We’d love for them to get rid of the service entirely… but do any of you think there’s an executive left at the company who cares enough about guest experience to put their neck on the line to fight for quality of experience over profits?  

Let’s get a general sense on how you’d like to see the program change (these options are just general ideas, so select one that is closest to what you are thinking).  We are going to continue revisiting the Genie disaster until something is done to fix or remove the program.  

Character Callouts 

If it seems like there are fewer characters around the resort, you’re not going crazy. This week, many of the characters weren’t appearing at their usual times and spots. This goes for character dining as well.

When we were in the park on Friday, we were told that many of the characters would be returning at a later date because they weren’t scheduled for that day. This was the case for the UP photo op in DCA, where the characters cycle between Mr. Fredriksen, Russell, and Dug; only Russell was on the schedule that day. Additionally, we got a similar answer about Daisy and Clarabelle on Main Street; only Mickey and Minnie were on the schedule.

While characters add to the atmosphere at Disneyland, the number and location of them is much more loosey-goosey than shows and attractions which have more concrete schedules. So Disney can sort of get away with this. However, for something like character dining, you’re paying a premium for character interaction. Over the weekend NO characters were available for breakfast at Goofy’s Kitchen on Sunday morning. 

We just got into breakfast at Goofy’s Kitchen. We were told, “uhh…there’s a slight glitch. None of our characters will be here today.” Um, what? What happened to all of them??

— Lexis (@LexisH0546) November 27, 2022

We sent a staff member to check out the situation and were told that guests were allowed to cancel their reservations without penalty, but there were lots of disappointed people. A few characters did show up later and it looked like Dinner was offered as normal… but what’s going on? Cutbacks? Bad scheduling? Massive numbers of call-outs? Why are characters in such short supply resort-wide? And why aren’t there enough backups to cover them? We’re still looking into this one.  

Candlelight Prep at Disneyland

One of the highlights of the holiday season at Disneyland is the Candlelight Processional. This spectacular bit of Christmas pageantry combines over 600 hundred choir members, a live orchestra, a “living Christmas tree,” fanfare trumpets, a bell choir, soloists, sign-language interpreters, a guest conductor, and a celebrity narrator. And all of that is presented for just two glorious nights (generally the first weekend in December).  

This coming week, December 3rd and 4th, will be this year’s big event. And some of the sets and equipment are already being set up. 

Part of the Main Street Train Station was sectioned off with construction walls.

Sunday evening saw the main stage area get set up in front of the train station. 

Do you have any guesses about who this year’s narrator might be? 

Christmas is Coming: Narrators for the 2022 Candlelight Processional at Walt Disney World

Believe… In Holiday Fireworks Cancelations

My personal favorite Disneyland firework show is Believe…In Holiday Magic. Unfortunately, the spectacular this year has had more cancelations than performances this season due to inclement weather. The majority of last week had performances canceled due to gusty Santa Ana winds.

Not even Thanksgiving was safe from firework cancellations. Around noon on Thanksgiving day, Disney announced that there would be no firework spectacular that evening. 

Disneyland Refurbs and Construction

As you’d expect, refurbishments are at a minimum for the holidays. But there is still quite a bit of work being done in the parks.  

Adventureland Treehouse (Sept 1, 2021-2023)

This week we got a peek into the construction zone for the reimagining of the Adventureland Treehouse. Because of the winds, the scrims covering the site had to be taken down temporarily. 

For more about the Adventureland Treehouse, be sure to take a look at the article below:

BREAKING NEWS: Disneyland’s NEW Adventureland Treehouse Revealed!

Mickey’s Toontown (March 9, 2022 – March 8, 2023)

The major change coming to Disneyland is the reimagining of Toontown. While Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway will open as part of the Disney100 celebration on January 27, the rest of the land is set to open in early March.

It appears that much of the landscaping has already been planted in Toontown, but paving is yet to be completed. 

We’re particularly interested to see how the old ToonTown Park between the entry to ToonTown and Goofy’s house will be transformed. The area is set to become a large (fake) grass lawn, a dreaming tree, some water play elements, and an interactive fountain.

Learn more about what’s in store for Toontown’s reopening next year in our article below:

UPDATED! Disneyland’s Reimagined ToonTown Opening Date Announced!

Frontierland Dock

For the majority of this year, a dock in Frontierland near the Columbia loading area across from the exit to Big Thunder has been behind construction walls. This week, the walls have finally come down… but now it’s roped off. Tables and chairs have been added, so we figure that the dining area will be usable in the very near future. We’re glad that the unsightly walls are gone. 

Downtown Disney

It’s been a little while since we’ve seen what’s happening in the dirt lot of the former AMC theater. There’s been a bit of change. You can see some pits, optic safety netting, and some pipes sticking out of the ground. 

We’ve heard reports that this project is supposed to continue into 2025, so don’t hold your breath waiting for something incredible to happen overnight.

The post-holidays refurbishment list has just been announced, and there’s quite a bit slated for the early part of January. Here are the upcoming refurbs around the resort:

Upcoming Refurbishments

• it’s a small world: (January 9th-TBA)
• Indiana Jones Adventure: (January 9th-TBA) – We sure do hope this is the big one!
• Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln: (January 9th-TBA) – Hmmm. We wonder if this facility is being prepped for use in the Disney100 Celebration. 
• The Disney Gallery: (January 9th-TBA)
• WEB Slingers: A Spider-Man Adventure: (January 9th-TBA) – Also strange that such a new (mostly screen-based) attraction requires an open end date refurbishment already. 
• Grizzly River Run: (January 9th-TBA)

What’s missing from this list is Splash Mountain We still don’t have a date for that.  

This & That

And now for a few of the smaller stories from around the park… plus an interesting rumor! Let’s finish today’s Update strong:

Lunar New Year and Food & Wine 2023 Dates

We love the festival season at DCA. From November through April you can visit DCA and see some kind of special event taking place along the parade route. Just a few short weeks after the Festival of Holidays wraps up, you can partake in the newly expanded Lunar New Year Celebration that runs from January 20 through February 15. And then, Food & Wine Festival starts just a few weeks after that ends on March 3. 

You won’t want to miss the details for Lunar New Year and Food & Wine 2023. Learn more about the events in the article below:

Dates Set for Disneyland Resort’s Lunar New Year and Food Festivals!

Royal Reception Returns(ish)

At long last, the Royal Reception located adjacent to Red Rose Tavern has reopened… but it’s changed. Instead of it being a store, it now acts simply as overflow seating for the Red Rose Tavern restaurant. We’re not sure how effective it is, especially since it only has room for four tables and a handful of chairs. Too bad they weren’t able to be more creative here. 

The Coffee House Updates

We don’t frequently stop by The Coffee House at the Disneyland Hotel, mostly because it operates on limited hours. Luckily, the coffee shop now boasts extended hours from 6am-6pm. 

There is also some live music that takes place Friday-Sunday from 3-6pm. Unfortunately, the spot the musicians perform from is super awkward and not conducive for either the performers nor the audience. 

Need a Bag?

We saw something this week that seemed a bit counterintuitive to Disney’s commitment to sustainability. Jungle Cruise Cast Members have been handing out themed Ziploc-branded plastic bags to guests on the ride. If we have to suffer with Disney’s horrible paper straws (when there are far superior sustainable straws on the market!), why are they also handing out plastic bags at an attraction where your risk of getting wet is minimal? Oh well, sponsor dollars talk… probably why the Autopia is still belching lawnmower gas fumes when it should have gone electric years ago.  

Disney Grooming Standards Rumor

David Koenig shared a rumor on his Twitter account about Disneyland grooming standards being enforced again at the first of the year. But we assume that to mean Disney will be enforcing its newer standards, not rolling back to the old ones.  

Earlier this month, Disneyland announced at Cast Member Roll Calls that it would once again be enforcing its grooming standards. 1/4

— David Koenig (@davekoenig) November 23, 2022

A Day in the Parks

After reading all those updates, let’s end with something easy on the eyes. Here are some of Mike’s gorgeous photos from this week:

We took a cruise through Storybook Land to see all the holiday decorations. Everything looks more charming in miniature, especially Christmas decor.

Tilly is enjoying some wintertime snacks at the Main Street Cinema’s ticket booth.

We’re glad to see Christmas decorations in Downtown Disney… but we can’t help but feel that they’re uninspired. There’s no Disney theming to them whatsoever, which feels no different than going to your local mall. We’d love to see Disney Springs-level of holiday decorations with Disney character-themed trees spread across the district.

Out of all the hanging snowflakes in Downtown Disney, only a single one was lit on our visit. That’s pretty disappointing. Similar with the trees. Though they all have lights, only a few were actually lit.  

Walt and Mickey, they’ve got a suitcase and a dream.

M’Baku in Avengers Campus is a rousing entertainer. 

This week was warm enough to go on Grizzly River Run without freezing afterward.

DCA has a variety of entertainment for the holidays. Parades, bands, and characters in and around Paradise Garden provide hours of entertainment!

Just before sunset, there’s a murder at Disneyland… a murder of crows that is. They just sort of congregate in the treetops at first. Then they take to the sky and flock to Main Street. It’s both a little frightening and also awe-inspiring. 

I can never get enough of the ducks of Disneyland. They’re all stars in my opinion.

Let’s Hear From You

We didn’t mean to write another novel for you today, but it happened anyway. I’ve got to thank Mike Kindrich for the gorgeous photos and Nathan Villamor for writing many of the news, refurb, and construction sections for you. I went from miserable due to allergies brought on by the Santa Ana winds to pneumonia. The guys really helped make sure you’d still have a great update today! 

I’m looking for your thoughts here folks. It’s VERY important that Disney hear you. Not just here, but on social media, in letters to Guest Relations. Address your comments to Bob Iger. What do you want and expect him to do? How can he restore the Disney luster? What has diminished it for you? What do you want to see preserved? This is a pivotal time. It won’t be too long before Bob’s attentions turn to the parks and there may be some preemptive moves by the parks themselves to show that they reject Bob Chapek’s blight on the magic… but what you are asking for most loudly will depend on how reasonable it sounds to the bottom line. Give it some thought and share, share, share…

We’ll be back with you again, really soon!

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