Welcome to the first Disneyland Update of 2023! Last year was a difficult one for the Disneyland Resort and its fans, but this year looks like it could be an exciting one. We’ll be right here with you through all the highs and lows ahead. Last week, Magic Keys were blocked out of the parks, which provided some interesting info on how Disneyland operates with (nearly) all tourists and few passholders in attendance. We’ll also look at a VERY soggy New Year’s Eve, some exciting news about shops in transition, and even a fire in the park! And don’t miss the videos and special polls we have for you today below…
Soggy New Year
Normally, New Year’s Eve is the busiest day of the year for Disneyland. And the park was clearly planning on a big crowd (with a larger than normal reservation cap).
The park even used special navigation signs (printed on lighted balloons) to help with crowd control. Something they don’t do on a normal sold out day.
And temporary walls were set up in places to allow walkways to remain unobstructed by those trying to view the fireworks and castle entertainment.
If you watched Dick Clark’s Rockin’ NYE on ABC you might have thought Disneyland was dry and filled with celebrity performers (due to all the pre-taped footage)… but we practically had to swim home!
Unfortunately, due to high winds and non-stop rain, most of the New Year’s Eve entertainment was canceled in the park and the big countdown moment was done without fireworks. Over at DCA, they moved what little they were doing for the celebration into the tiny Disney Junior theater.
Even without pyro, the lights caught the rain and created a gorgeous display.
If you could see over all the umbrellas.
Due to the heavy downpour, the DJs mostly stayed off the stage, showing up just for the important moments before disappearing again. But the music was thumping all night (from about 5pm until 1am).
I captured the big moment LIVE on our YouTube, which you can see below:
At one point just after the 9pm countdown (celebrating Walt Disney World’s midnight), I could barely make out the castle for a few moments in the deluge.
And while there were certainly a loyal throng of die-hards waiting all night in the rain just in front of the castle…
The uncomfortable conditions did wash out most of the guests. Enough folks left the park that Disneyland announced they’d be closing one hour earlier than originally planned (1am instead of 2am).
The park simply wasn’t packed like we are accustomed to on NYE. Many guests either abandoned their reservations and never showed up, or stayed for a few hours earlier in the day and left as the rain and wind started picking up in the evening.
After the 9pm countdown, most guests headed out… myself included. Though I did stay long enough to get a hot chocolate from Jolly Holiday (a 2 minute wait), and ride the train all the way around the park (5 other guests waiting).
Happy soggy NYE from #Disneyland. Torrential rain and high winds washed out the fireworks and most of the guests. Here’s some video of the beautiful but blustery celebration. pic.twitter.com/GsfFjZenue
— MiceChat (@MiceChat) January 1, 2023
This is NOT the sort of crowd you expect to find at Jolly Holiday on NYE. Essentially no wait just after 9pm. So, it was miserable outside, but guests didn’t have the long waits that are traditional on this generally busy day… you can thank Mother Nature for that.
Crowd-ish
Aside from the unusual conditions on New Year’s Eve, the whole week was strange without Magic Keys and parks filled with mostly tourists. It was a noticeably different sort of vibe… very few guests in Spirit Jerseys, mouse ears, or Loungefly bags. And nearly everyone was trying to use Genie+ (which was $30 per person). In fact, so many guests were using Genie+ that it actually sold out on several days this past week!!!
Areas of the park which would be absolutely gridlocked in previous holidays were wide open this week.
And, because of all the people using Lightning Lane, lines could be VERY long at times. Those following along from home by looking at wait times may have assumed that the parks were packed… but they weren’t. Yes, park reservations were sold out… but the attendance cap was low enough that it was fairly easy to find a spot to sit and rest, shop, move around the park, or just about anything else you wanted to do. That’s uncommon for the busy week between Christmas and New Year’s Day. But riding attractions could be very time-consuming in the middle part of the day.
At 4pm on Friday, there were two rides with standby waits around 2 hours and 4 more with waits over one hour.
So, the problem with this week wasn’t the number of guests in the park, but rather that Genie ruins the park experience. Even guests using Genie are negatively impacted since the cascade effect of long standby lines causes longer waits at non-Genie rides as well (like Pirates and the Railroad) as guests seek lines that actually move. Too many guests paying for front of line means standby lines hardly move at all.
The overflow lines for the Railroad and Mansion meet at 4:45pm.
There is a golden lining… Tourists get to the park at opening… so, by 7pm they start leaving. And after fireworks, there’s a mass exodus from the park. Between 5pm and 10:30pm on Friday, we were able to ride 10 attractions without the use of Genie. AND… we were even able to see some of the fireworks show from the Submarine lagoon. Normally, there would be a flood of locals headed into the park just about the time that the tourists are leaving. But not so this past week since Magic Keys were blocked.
If Disney is going to continue to block Magic Keys during busy periods, perhaps they should consider selling an after 6pm ticket for half off and keep the parks and restaurants open a bit later.
On the food service front, there was another situation. Tourists don’t really use Mobile Order, so standby lines were impacted at the busy dining hours. It’s really frustrating to look at a restaurant kitchen and see so many staff just standing around waiting for non-existent mobile orders when the standby line is long and only has one register running. Disney simply MUST fix this situation. If guests don’t want to use Mobile Order, DON’T FORCE IT!!! Reopen all those standby lines and keep just one lane for Mobile Order, since that’s all that’s really necessary. It shouldn’t be so difficult to just walk up and order food.
Overall, the parks were VERY enjoyable during a season when they were nearly impossible to navigate in the past. Disney learned something… they can charge top dollar for park tickets and front of line, block passholders, create a better park experience, and still make a record amount of money per guest.
By 5:30pm, very few guests were still in line for Pirates.
The long overflow line for Pirates, which was filled early in the day, empties out later in the day…
By 5pm, no one was waiting to have their photo taken with the Walt and Mickey statue. It had a huge line earlier.
The losers here are Magic Key holders. Disney now has proof that they don’t really need you… at least for those busiest days around Christmas. We’d suspect that Disney will continue to push the envelope to see how many additional days they can block some (or all) Key holders so they can make the really big money on tourists. We have a bit more on Magic Keys further below.
Be Nice!
If you think people have become ruder than normal, Disney agrees with you! Disneyland has added a “courtesy” section to its What To Know Before You Go page:
The dropdown for “Courtesy” reads:
We ask all who come to this happy place to treat others with respect, kindness and compassion. To help Guests have a safe and enjoyable experience, we regularly update our Disneyland Resort rules.
On one hand, it’s embarrassing that parkgoers need to be reminded to treat others “with respect, kindness and compassion,” especially as the majority of guests are adults. But it’s also reassuring that Disney is looking out for its employees and guests and will not tolerate abuse. The question is… what are they going to do about guests who refuse to be nice?
While this is an interesting addition to Disneyland’s website, Walt Disney World implemented a similar change in mid-December that takes it a step further. WDW states that guests that can’t comply with common courtesy may be asked to leave the WDW Resort:
What do you think about Disney asking its guests to be courteous?
Fire in New Orleans Square
In the early morning on Thursday, there was a fire at the New Orleans Square train station. The fire was extinguished fairly quickly, but enough damage would have been visible to guests that Disney had to wrap part of a building in walls and scrims to hide the scene.
The trains were operating soon after park opening and were not impacted directly by the fire. However, the building contains an employee break room which is no longer accessible to cast.
When we visited on Thursday morning, we could still smell the smoke.
Of course, the most important thing is that no one was hurt in the incident.
Magic Key “Benefits”
New year, new benefits! As part of the Disney100 Celebration at the Disneyland Resort, Magic Key holders will be granted a selection of new benefits. Keyholders can expect to enjoy exclusive food, merchandise, and photo ops starting no earlier than January 9.
Here are the upcoming benefits:
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- New menu items at the Magic Key Terrace, like Barbeque Short Rib Sliders and a Mint Julep Cocktail
- A Disney100-themed popcorn bucket for purchase with $1.50 refills through February 12
- Magic Key holders booking the Walt’s Main Street Story Tour between January 9 and 26 will receive a commemorative button.
- From January 9 through 19, two special PhotoPass Magic Shots at Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure with complimentary downloads
- An exclusive art print by Asia Ellington as a gift
- A Magic Key-themed Pandora charm available for purchase
Across the board, these “benefits” have us scratching our heads, especially since they largely come at an added cost to Magic Keyholders. And for something like the refillable popcorn bucket that only has a refill period of just over a month, it’s really just a way for Disney to make a little extra money off of Key holders on a product which costs Disney pennies. We aren’t sure the new benefits make up for the hoops and hurdles of dealing with park reservations, block-out calendars, and large annual price increases. But what do YOU think? Do these perks make you want to keep your keys?
In our recent article about the Magic Key benefits, we included a poll asking how people felt about the Magic Key program. The results are really quite astounding, with over 75% giving less than a positive response. We’ve never seen such low satisfaction from Disneyland’s biggest fans. We hope Disney is paying attention because satisfaction seems to be slipping fast.
You can add your vote in the poll below:
New Disneyland Magic Key Benefits for 2023 – Are They Enough?
Changes Coming to the Main Street Magic Shop
The vendor who owns the Main Street Magic Shop at Disneyland, Houdini Magic, has been purchased by Vanishing Inc. But it looks like there’s more than just a minor change to the sign out front on the way to this location.
Houdini took over the Magic shop in November of 2009 with a collection of books, magic tricks, and other products. But it hasn’t seen much change since then.
The new owner is working with Disney on updates which will make the store more impressive inside and out. We’re very optimistic about this changeup as the old store was all too easy to overlook with its dated offerings. Employees seem overjoyed by the news… a very good sign.
Wonderground & Disney Home Store Changes
There are some big changes headed to some Downtown Disney stores as well. Disney Home store and the Wonderground Gallery will both close starting January 9th to begin some transformations.
We’ve heard that Wonderground will be moving to a new location in the abandoned ESPN Zone building. The facility has been mostly empty since the summer of 2018 with a few limited-time exhibits and sporadic events.
We think that Wonderground moving into the old ESPN Zone building is a great decision. It’s a significantly larger footprint than the current store — and could potentially open the door for something akin to the Marketplace Co-Op at Disney Springs. We’d love to see the interior of this building converted into several small boutiques (and is it too much for us to request a cafe as well?).
As for the Disney Home store, there is a long refurbishment slated to begin January 9. With Wonderground leaving its space, we’re very curious to see if the Disney Home store could potentially expand into the gallery’s former space as well. The Home store is among the most compact of the shops in Downtown Disney, so getting some extra elbow room would help the merchandising crew get more product on shelves and more customers into the building.
Much of the merchandise will continue to be available in other Downtown Disney locations and both stores will eventually return in some form.
Disneyland News: Wonderground Gallery & Disney Home Set For Transformation
It’s Rally Time!
The world-famous MiceChat Gumball Rally is rolling your way on February 4th. The Gumball Rally is a competition to see who can ride the most attractions at Disneyland in a single day. You compete in teams of 2 to 4 individuals. It’s truly the most fun you’ll ever have with your friends and family in the park… if you don’t disown them before the day is over.
For more information and to sign up, visit MiceChat.com/Rally
Disneyland Refurbishments
Now that the holiday season is winding down, we’ve got a clearer look at refurbishments over the next few months. If you are visiting on January 9th, you’ll notice LOTS of things closed or behind scrims all over the place.
- Tarzan’s Treehouse Transformation: (September 1st, 2021-2023)
Work continues on the future Adventureland Treehouse Inspired by the Swiss Family (that sure is a mouthful!). We’re keeping a watchful eye on what we can see, but not much has visibly changed. There was lots of talk elsewhere this past week that the Treehouse might be opening in February, but we don’t believe that to be true.
- Mickey’s Toontown (March 9th, 2022-March 8th, 2023)
We’re still several months away from the grand reopening of Toontown. However, when Disney100 kicks off at Disneyland on January 27, guests can get a sneak peek at the land while riding the brand-new Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway. The rest of the land will open on March 8.
- Fairfax Market: (January 9th-14th)
- it’s a small world: (January 9th-19th) – Christmas overlay removal and some attraction fixes.
- Radiator Springs Racers: (January 17th-23rd) – This refurb has been shrinking in length, which is unfortunate. We hope Disney is still able to address the many issues with this complex and beloved attraction.
- The Disneyland Story presenting Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln: (January 9th-25th)
- The Disney Gallery: (January 9th-25th) – These two attractions are being updated for the Disney100 celebration. There’s a lot of stale content in this facility with an aging Haunted Mansion exhibit, out of date Disneyland projects display, unused presentation screen, and lots of space for a potential Disney history exhibit.
- Indiana Jones Adventure: (January 9th-Spring 2023) – This is the most important refurb currently scheduled. There are so many broken effects in this attraction which must be addressed. Plus, with a new Indy movie on the way, there’s lots of potential for studio money to assist with a film tie-in and updates.
- Grizzly River Run: (January 9th-Spring 2023)
- Mickey’s PhilharMagic: (January 24th-February 3rd) – There’s a short refurb of the theater lobby to replace some of the carpet.
- Haunted Mansion: (January 30th-February 9th)
Jack and his scary friends have had a long run this holiday season, from September to the end of January. We’re very ready for the Mansion to return to its corrupted state. Just remember, it’s only about 8 months away before Santa Claws will be making a return…
- Inside Out Emotional Whirlwind: (January 30th-February 9th)
This & That
We’re closing out the first Disneyland Update of 2023 with a few smaller stories from around the resort.
Rose Bowl Teams at Disneyland
On December 28, the two teams playing in the Rose Bowl today met for their first official pre-game appearance (and only joint appearance before the game) at Disneyland. Coaches and players from the University of Utah and Pennsylvania State University participated in a cavalcade down Main Street.
Other participants included the 2023 Rose Queen and Royal Court, along with Pasadena City College Tournament of Roses Honor Band.
Mickey and Minnie will be on the Rose Parade route to deliver the game ball to the teams later today. The 134th Rose Parade will be live at 8am PST, and the 109th Rose Bowl Fame will air at 2pm PST with Mickey and Minnie delivering the ball before kick-off.
Balloon Warnings
On our trips to Disneyland this week, we saw some new generic-looking new balloons which are just perfect for the future lawyer in your life.
There’s a basic Disneyland Mickey logo on one side and an equally large warning banner on the other side of the balloon.
The warning sign is larger than the Disneyland logo! Surely there could have been a more elegant way to display the message!
Upcoming DCA Festivals
There are just a few days left to enjoy the current Festival of Holidays at DCA (which ends January 8). But in just a couple of weeks, the marketplaces will be transformed for the Lunar New Year Celebration! Starting January 20, DCA will host an array of offerings that honor the new year for several Asian cultures. This includes food (with an all-new marketplace this year!), a colorful processional, and all sorts of activities.
And shortly after Lunar New Year Celebration wraps up, the Food & Wine Festival will take its place starting March 3. After a somewhat disappointing Festival of Holidays, we’re really hoping that Disney pulls out all the stops for Food & Wine. Are there any dishes you hope will be making a return?
The marketplaces for Lunar New Year and Food & Wine have been confirmed for this year and can be found in the article below!
Dates Set for Disneyland Resort’s Lunar New Year and Food Festivals!
SoCal Ticket Offer Starts Today!
As of today, the special SoCal ticket offer for Disneyland is now live! This offer for Southern California residents is a 3-day single-park ticket that can be used for weekdays from January 2 through May 25 (with a reservation). If you’re a SoCal local (with ZIP codes 90000-93599 and Northern Baja California residents within ZIP codes 21000-22999) without a Magic Key, this is a great opportunity to see the holidays AND the Disney100 celebration.
Disneyland has new fireworks and a new ride opening in January.
You’ll be able to experience the new World of Color ONE plus the festivals at DCA.
And don’t forget that Magic Happens returns in February with ToonTown returning March 8th. There are plenty of reasons to make multiple visits.
You can purchase Southern California Resident Tickets HERE!
For more details about this ticket offer, take a look at the article below:
Disneyland Walkthrough with Dusty
That was a lot of news to catch up on! If you prefer to take your Disneyland news through video form, we’ve got you covered. Join Dusty on a walkthrough of Disneyland in the video below. We go live from the parks every Friday at 5pm, and links will be available on all our social channels. Here’s our video from December 30:
We’re trying something new with our YouTube, so be sure to like and subscribe to our channel for regular updates!
Disneyland Photo Fun
Haunted Mansion broke down while I waited in the portrait gallery downstairs. I finally asked a cast member if there was an exit… which just happened to lead me out through the crypts you see from the outdoor queue. It was sort of fun to pass by these legendary puns…
The Mickey floral and swirly garden have been replanted recently. We’d expect that they will be replanted again before the Disney100 campaign kicks off.
Just after fireworks on Friday, we waited for Fantasyland to reopen (it closes briefly due to fireworks shot off from the castle).
We were able to ride all of the darkrides in about half an hour. Amazing.
In recent years, Disneyland has had a hard time keeping the Christmas Tree lit. The bottom of the tree was out both Friday and Saturday.
Discount Disney Theme Park Tickets & Hotels!!!
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If you live in Southern California, there’s a very special ticket offer for you that runs from January 9th through May 25th:
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Let’s Hear From You
It’s a new year and we still haven’t heard from Josh D’Amaro about his plans for the parks now that Bob Iger is once again his boss. It’s time he speaks up about park reservations, mobile order, Genie+, park maintenance issues, things that STILL haven’t returned to the parks, and an overall sense that the parks are costing more than ever and offering less. Disney has such a magical product, it’s too bad that Bob Chapek’s team was able to so quickly plunge the whole company, including the parks, into a pit that really dishonors the company’s customers and guests. We’re pretty confident that Bob Iger has a handle on what to do about Disney Studios and streaming, but we have yet to hear ANYTHING encouraging about long-term plans for the parks. And that means it’s time for fans to start speaking up. Sometimes Disney only makes the changes they need to make when they fear a backlash. The poll shared below clearly shows that one is already on the way.
Thanks for joining us for the first Disneyland Update of 2023! You can expect another 51 of these Disneyland Updates over the course of 2023. Did you brave the wind and rain at Disneyland to welcome in the new year? What do you think about the new benefits for Magic Keys that kick off next week? Is the program living up to your expectations? Are you looking forward to the start of Disney100 at Disneyland in the next few weeks? What do you make of the changes to several shops in the resort?
Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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