Disneyland Update – And The Verdict Is…

Even though yesterday was Christmas, we knew that we still had to write a Disneyland Update for our readers who expect one every Monday, rain or shine— or holiday! There’s a lot of great info in today’s article. We take a look at how the parks feel with Key Holders blocked out for the season, peeking ahead to Disney100, and we finish with some photos from around the park. Join Dusty and me for the last Disneyland Update of 2022!

What Happened When All The Keys Were Blocked?

WOW! What an improbable week. In previous years, Disneyland was always its most busy from just before Christmas until New Year Day. And in previous years, there was always at least one pass level that was able to access the parks during that period. And, almost always, the pass holders got blamed for the massive crowds… But this year was different. 

With all Magic Keys blocked this year, we’ve all been waiting to see if the parks would still be packed or if the lack of pass holders would mean empty parks. Well, we have an answer…

Full! Park-hopper reservations are booked solid through the end of the year (single park tickets have very limited availability Tuesday and Saturday at Disney California Adventure only). And while very busy, this isn’t the same sort of packed that we remember from 2019 and before. Park reservation limits have been set low enough that you can easily navigate the park, find somewhere to eat, and ride quite a few attractions even though this is traditionally the busiest season of the year. 

But what Magic Keys should be worried about is that Disney now knows they can fill the park without them, and provide a good experience for those paying for the most expensive park tickets of the year ($179 for a one day/one park ticket and $65 extra to make it a park hopper, that’s $244 to see both parks in one day at this time of year!!!). Which all means that Disneyland has been making RECORD profits since the Magic Keys blocked out last week. And not only are the guests currently in the parks paying more for tickets, they are also paying more for Disney’s skip-the-line service, Genie+. On Christmas Eve, the cost of Genie was $30 per person. 

And judging from the length of the Lightning Lanes in the park, lots and lots of guests were paying the extra cost for Genie+. So much so that sometimes the Lightning Lanes appeared to be longer than the standby. But the standbys moved like molasses on many popular Lightning Lane attractions. 

We spent Friday in the park and found it busy but enjoyable, with all reservations sold out for the day.

There were some hiccups here and there…

Rise of the Resistance had a 3-hour line at one point. Because Disney is charging extra for Rise of the Resistance (and Radiator Springs Racers over in DCA) separate from Genie+, they have to do whatever they can to satisfy all those who paid. If the ride functions well, there isn’t too much trouble, but when it has long breakdowns, it gets harder and harder to manage both the standby line and the Lightning Lane. So Disney sends even more Lightning Lane guests than normal into the ride, resulting in standby lines growing to epic proportions at times. 

There was also a moment when the line for the ladies’ restroom at Rancho Zocalo stretched all the way out to the line for the restaurant itself. Most of the line you see below was not for dining, but rather for the ladies’ room (or guests for the restaurant getting in line behind those waiting for the facilities). 

But the problems were few and far between this week. Although the park had set up a huge overflow queue for Pirates of the Caribbean, when we walked by around 3pm on Friday, very little of the overflow was being used. While the line can get quite long at times, there are many times when the line is short. Keep an eye on waits and follow the shorter lines. This is true of many attractions. 

The courtyard was filled as you’d expect…

And there was even a short line that wrapped around onto the nearby bridge. 

But the massive switchback that runs through the heart of New Orleans Square was empty. 

Haunted Mansion, which sometimes has waits over an hour, also had waits as low as 30 minutes over the weekend (though it tends to get longer after the sun goes down). Again, keep your eye on the wait time page in the Disneyland app.  

Aside from the moments before and after parades, fireworks, and spectaculars, it was a very enjoyable day crowd-wise for a major holiday weekend.

We were even able to walk right up to Tropical Hideaway without any wait. 

The reasonable crowd levels in the park also extended to Downtown Disney, which was good for guests, but not necessarily for the tenants. One of the shopkeepers was telling us that because Key Holders didn’t have free parking, it was affecting the success of the stores in this important Christmas week. They hope that next year Disney will at least offer free parking for pass holders to shop when blocked out of the parks for the holidays. 

And, it appears that the holiday blockout period will be two days longer next year, starting one day earlier and ending one day later.  

Hard to imagine right now with park reservations almost impossible to get, but the first part of the year is looking quite different. January and February have nearly full park availability. 

In fact, Disney appears to have noticed the weakness themselves. The special SoCal ticket, which was supposed to have kicked off on January 9th will now start on January 2nd instead. More for you on the Disneyland SoCal Ticket Offer – HERE.

You can see the crowd conditions for yourself at Disneyland in our most recent park walk-through on Friday at 5pm in the video below:

You can join us live on our next video at 5pm this Friday, December 30th on our Facebook page!

Disney100 One Month Away

There are just a few days left in 2022 and while Christmas cheer will linger through January 8th, we’re looking forward to what’s coming a little later in January. Starting January 27, Disneyland will kick off the 100th anniversary of The Walt Disney Company.

The three major components of the celebration at Disneyland include new nighttime spectaculars at both Disneyland and DCA, the grand opening of Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway, and the return of Magic Happens Parade. 

Wondrous Journeys at Disneyland will feature nods to every Disney animated movie. While the projection portion of the show will be performed nightly beginning January 27th, fireworks will only be added on select nights (which has usually meant weekends and holidays). We’re really looking forward to this show— especially with Baymax flying over Sleeping Beauty Castle!

At Disney California Adventure, the big new spectacular is World of Color – One. This one explores a century’s worth of storytelling, and how one action can lead to a ripple effect of change. 

Also opening on January 27 is the newest attraction to the Disneyland Resort: Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway. Although the whole ToonTown area isn’t set to open until March 8, this attraction is sure to be a hit!

For more about Runaway Railway and the overhaul of Toon Town, take a look at the article below:

https://www.micechat.com/307775-disneylands-toontown-closing-in-2022-for-enhancements/

The other major aspect of Disney100 at Disneyland is the return of Magic Happens Parade which is set for February 24. We are really excited to see this parade come back, especially since it ran for such a short time in 2020. 

For a refresher of what Magic Happens will be like, we’ve got you covered in the article below!

https://www.micechat.com/245353-new-magic-happens-parade-to-debut-at-disneyland-this-february/

For more about the Disney100 celebrations at Disneyland, get the full details below!

UPDATES! Disneyland’s 100 Years of Wonder Celebration Details

 

Refurbishments & Projects

This week, there were a few updates added to the refurbishment schedule in January. Here’s what’s planned for a refurb over the next few months. 

Currently Under Refurbishment:

• Tarzan’s Treehouse Transformation (September 1st, 2021-2023)

• Mickey’s Toontown (March 9th, 2022-March 8th, 2023)

Upcoming Refurbishments:

A big chunk of attraction capacity will close on January 9th this year…

• it’s a small world (January 9th-19th)

The holiday overlay will be removed just in time for the start of Disney100. Will you miss the small world/Jingle Bells medley?

• Radiator Springs Races (January 17th-23rd)

This is just a quick refurbishment, so nothing too in-depth. There are a few things we’d like to see touched up, like the animatronics of Mater when you enter the show building, but for the most part, the attraction was in pretty good condition on our last ride through. 

• The Disneyland Story presenting Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln (January 9th-25th)
• The Disney Gallery (January 9th-25th)

It’s likely that the closures of the Disney Gallery and The Disneyland Story are to facilitate a Disney100 installation.

• Indiana Jones Adventure (January 9th-Spring 2023)

We’re really hoping for some good things to come out of this refurb. Last week we saw an animatronic snake being worked on backstage, so we’re trusting that some elements of the severely-broken attraction will get fixed.

• Grizzly River Run (January 9th-Spring 2023)

• Mickey’s PhilharMagic (January 24th-February 3rd)

We’re very curious about what’s happening here. It would be GREAT if this attraction got a little update or Disney100 tie-in. But with just 11 days of down time, there’s not much time for anything major to take place.

• Haunted Mansion (January 30th-TBA)

The Mansion’s holiday overlay will be sticking around much later than usual and won’t be closing to remove it until the end of January! 

• Inside Out Emotional Whirlwind (January 30th-TBA)

Projects at the Disneyland Hotels

There is a lot of work taking place across several of the Disneyland Resort Hotels. 

• Pixar Place Hotel Conversion

The Paradise Pier Hotel’s conversion to its new Pixar theme is still underway. This project is anticipated to wrap up sometime next year.

• Disneyland Hotel DVC Tower

Construction continues on the new DVC tower at the Disneyland Hotel. Work has been moving quickly here as nearly all of the exterior glass has been installed.

This & That

We’re keeping things short this week. Here are a few stories to be on the lookout for.

Balloon Bonanza

While walking through Downtown Disney this week, we noticed that a new balloon design (standard Mickey-shaped balloon with a snowflake-patterned exterior) had made its way to the resort…just in time for the conclusion of the holidays. But that certainly isn’t stopping Disney from selling out-of-season balloons. In the cloud of balloons being sold, there were also designs from summer and spring!

Tomorrowland Garden Update

It appears that the retro-inspired gardens planned for the entrance to Tomorrowland are still on the table. This week, we noticed that the sun-faded and yellowed picture of the concept art had been replaced with a fresh print of the art. There doesn’t seem to be any work happening immediately here, but we’re hopeful that this project will still happen. 

New Year’s Eve Celebrations

In just a few days, we’ll be staying up and counting down the seconds until 2023 begins. If you’re still trying to figure out what Disney has planned, you aren’t alone. There’s very little info that’s been officially confirmed. Expect a countdown at Midnight with some fireworks and likely a DJ or two. But Disney hasn’t been as forthcoming this year as they have in the past, which is a likely sign that they aren’t doing much they feel proud enough to promote. 

Lunar New Year Approaches

While the current Festival of Holidays continues through January 8, Lunar New Year will follow shortly thereafter. Starting January 20, there will be an array of food booths, entertainment, and merchandise all themed to the Year of the Rabbit. For more info about the upcoming Lunar New Year celebrations, take a look at the article below!

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

A Not-Quite-Farewell to the Holidays

We’re ending on a sweet note. Although Christmas may have passed, there’s still holiday cheer to enjoy for another couple of weeks.

Sleeping Beauty Castle will soon trade snow and icicles for special Disney100 bunting and perhaps fountains in the lagoon as well. 

If you time it right, you will see the sky filled with crows. The irony is not lost when seen from Dumbo.

Golden hour along the Rivers of America is always a good time to stop and admire everything. 

It’s hard to think that the Main Street Train Station would be empty during the traditionally busiest time of year. But it was early on Friday evening when we passed by and the area was practically empty. 

Unfortunately, we also saw a few lightbulbs burned out on the iconic structure. 

For some of the most beautiful photos of Disneyland in its holiday best, be sure to look at the article from our friend Adam Kent below!

Merry Christmas From Disneyland: These Are A Few Of Our Favorite Things…

Let’s Hear From You

And that concludes our holiday Disneyland Update! Imagine Dusty and I sitting fireside with cups of cocoa and plates of cookies sorting through Disney photos and news and co-writing this article. The weather outside was far from frightful. While much of the rest of the country was dealing with bitter cold, we had an 82º Christmas in Anaheim!

What do you think about the crowd conditions around the park without Magic Keyholders? Can you envision Disney slowly increasing the number of days Magic Keys are completely blocked out? Are you planning to visit Disneyland during the Disney100 celebration? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

We wish you a very happy holiday season and a joyous new year from everyone here at MiceChat.