Disneyland Update – Magic Managed & A Soggy Start

So long Christmas! The holiday season has come to an end for SoCal theme parks, including Disneyland. While some of us will miss the sweet holiday memories in the park, there are some exciting things to look forward to this year— like the start of the Disney100 celebration at Disneyland. Today, let’s catch up on the latest news around Disneyland and give a soggy farewell to the holidays. There’s some very interesting news and rumors today from Downtown Disney as well, so let’s get to it…

The Soggy Season

While the rain didn’t completely chase away the crowds, there were far fewer people at Disneyland this week. As the rain briefly let up, more guests started to arrive to the parks. Another wave of showers is expected for several days this week, offering you a chance to splash your way through uncrowded parks. 

On Main Street, it was so soggy that the characters were greeting guests in the Opera House. Although, there was a brief moment when the Opera House needed to close due to a short power outage. 

This is what nearly empty looks like. Without an abundance of tourists to fill up the parks rain or shine, the fair weather locals stayed away when the rain, rain, rain came down, down, down.  

Certain attractions are closed during rain showers, notably Mad Tea Party and Alice in Wonderland.

The Tiki Juice Bar, as well as most other Outdoor Vending locations (usually called “ODV”), are closed as well.

But queues were nearly deserted during the storms. 

If this was Orlando, the guests wouldn’t have been phased… but here in SoCal, any amount of moisture is out of the norm. 

We did find some lines. Hundreds of guests were inexplicably queued up for Buzz Lightyear, in an extended switchback no less. 

And Pirates managed a small extension onto the bridge for a time. 

But the parks weren’t crowded… which makes dealing with the rain much easier. 

But don’t feel too bad for us being trapped out in the rain shooting this update for you. Disneyland in the rain can be a really incredible experience if you are prepared for it. Of course, it’s even better if you’re a duck, no raincoat or umbrella needed!

Because of the strong winds accompanying the rain, the scrims covering the Adventureland Treehouse were temporarily taken down. 

Flag Retreat Special Guests – Buffalo Soldiers Iron Riders

On January 6th, Disneyland welcomed members of the Buffalo Soldiers Iron Riders, who also recently made an appearance at this year’s Tournament of Roses Parade. This group “Preserves, promotes, and perpetuates the history of the Buffalo Soldiers”. The Iron Riders were part of the only bicycle corps the US Army authorized, and one of their most famous journeys was over 1,900 miles from Fort Missoula, MT, to St. Louis, MO.

Some of the members of the Buffalo Soldiers Iron Riders group participated in the flag retreat ceremony.

Full video of the ceremony can be found here –

Disney100 Around the Corner

The Disney 100 Years of Wonder celebration officially kicks off at Disneyland on January 27th. On that day, Mickey’s Runaway Railway officially opens, as well as the “Wondrous Journeys” nighttime spectacular at Disneyland, and “World of Color – One” at Disney California Adventure. Get all of the details below:  

UPDATES! Disneyland’s 100 Years of Wonder Celebration Details

But the big draw will likely be the opening of the Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway attraction in ToonTown. We noticed that the tip of the El Capitoon sign is visible from Fantasyland near It’s a Small World. That will be the entry of the new attraction.  

Some of the construction walls in Downtown Disney, which were Holiday themed just a few days ago, now have a Disney100 wrap on them. We dig that purple and platinum color scheme. 

And, Jan 9-18, Magic Key Holders can pick up a whimsical Disney100 print from Asia Ellington that proves that Cinderella Castle has mice.  And, PLEASE, let there be real swans in the castle moat again for Disney100 as this image indicates.  

The Small World queue was used for distribution today and instantly filled with Key Holders. However, this long line only took about 10 minutes to navigate. Not too bad and will likely go down quickly after the mad rush is over. 

It’s a really cute print, don’t you think?!

Plaza Inn Magic Happens Parade Dining Package

Just after the launch of Disney100 at the end of this month comes the next big thing. The Disneyland “Magic Happens” parade returns on February 24, 2023. If you want to ensure that you get a good spot, The Plaza Inn is offering dining packages that include reserved viewing for the parade. 

This dining package includes:

• • Adult or child meal
  • A voucher for reserved viewing access to the second “Magic Happens” Parade performance (the viewing area is not at the restaurant)

Dining packages are not available during Disney After Dark Events and on April 9, May 13, May 14, May 29, June 18, July 4 and July 8, 2023.

The meal includes:

• • Adult Meal: Short Rib and Fried Chicken with Pesto Mashed Potatoes and Seasonal Vegetables and a Dessert. Choice of Fountain Beverage or Dasani Water.
  • Child Meal: Chicken Tenders, Mashed Potatoes and Seasonal Vegetables and a Dessert. Choice of Dasani Water or Low-Fat Milk.

Pricing is $45 for adults and $25 for children ages 3 through 9. Packages can be booked on the Disneyland website under the dining section.

runDisney Returns to Disneyland in 2024

For you runners out there, there’s a race (or three!) that you should add to your calendar! After 6 years, runDisney is finally coming back to Disneyland with an event planned for January 2024. The event running from January 11-14, 2024, will include a 5k, 10k, a half-marathon, and several other activities. 

Registration for the 2024 Disneyland runDisney event begins next month. Get more details about the return of runDisney at Disneyland in the article below:

runDisney’s Disneyland Half Marathon to Return January 2024

Downtown Disney

Lots of change for us to show you in Disneyland’s shopping district. Now that the holidays have ended, stores and resturants are coming and going as well. Let’s start with how things look. 

Christmas disappeared quickly from the Downtown Disney area as signs were placed in some of the planters stating that new plants would be coming soon. Downtown Disney is the first place in the resort to remove holiday decorations, but it was also the last place in the resort to be decorated for the holiday season. We do hope that Downtown Disney gets back on a regular seasonal decoration rotation as last year the shopping district skipped a couple of seasons. 

Jazz Kitchen is closing on January 9th as they complete the overhaul of the Downtown Disney icon. The location is transitioning to a more bland theme instead of the traditional New Orleans vibe the establishment is known for. While the Jazz Kitchen is closed, there will be a temporary modified experience available… we’re not entirely sure what that means. But follow us for more info soon. 

That’s not the only big change coming soon to Downtown Disney.  La Brea Bakery  has closed… but it’s going to be the future (albeit temporary) location for Earl of Sandwich! Opening sometime in February, the hot sandwich icon is returning to Downtown Disney.

However, the La Brea Bakery location isn’t its permanent spot. That’s because Porto’s Bakery will be built on La Brea’s footprint. 

It’s not just Downtown Disney that LA Brea Bakery is leaving, all of their stores (except for the ones in airports) now show as closed. 

(UPDATED) Tyson Yu, the CEO of Aspire Bakers which owns La Brea Bakery, sent a letter to all associates about the difficult decision to close the cafes and later followed up with a press release to the general public. The cafes are closing so the company can focus on the distribution of their baked products through grocery stores and other partnerships. 

“We are so thankful and hold a tremendous amount of appreciation for our employees, and for our customers who have frequented La Brea Bakery Café over the years. Our flagship Café location on La Brea Avenue in Los Angeles is where the La Brea Bakery magic started 34 years ago. These humble beginnings are an integral part of the brand history, and we will forever be grateful to the local community for their support over the years,” said Tyson Yu, CEO of Aspire Bakeries, which owns La Brea Bakery. 

 

Meanwhile, Disney Home Store & Wonderground have temporarily closed for refurbishment of some back-of-house infrastructure. Disney Home products will be avilable at World of Disney while Wonderground will temporarily be located in the old ESPN Zone building. It’s unclear exactly how long the refurbishments will take, but both stores will return to their locations in the coming months.  

Workers were busy putting up walls and blacking out windows early this morning (January 9th).  

For more information about the updates to Downtown Disney, be sure to read the article below:

Downtown Disney’s Updates! Earl of Sandwich, Porto’s Bakery, and More!

And even more walls are now up in front of the Downtown Disney Monorail Station. The attraction isn’t closed, a temporary entry has been set up to the side: 

Maintenance Woes

There are a few things that caught my eye this week that aren’t up to Disney standards. 

For another year, Disney hasn’t seemed to be able to keep the Christmas Tree fully lit. Given that this has been a persistent issue for the last few years, we hope Disney will find a new lighting solution for next year.

We know that regular cleaning has worn down the dedication plaque, but something needs to be done to preserve it. Perhaps this one should be cleaned up and sent to the archives while a replica is placed here that guests can actually read. 

The submarines at the Nemo attraction are already looking shabby just 6 months after their long-awaited return. So much rust in such a short time. Did they use cheap paint or skip some necessary steps to prevent this from happening?

We know the heavy soot you see on this Small World archway is caused by the train, but why isn’t it being cleaned more often? If it received regular cleaning, it wouldn’t ever have a chance to build up like this. 

There used to be a beautiful light show in the Pixie Hollow lagoon in the evenings. It has since fallen into disrepair. 

The Main Street Train Station also needs some help. The roof of the train station needs some serious cleaning. It’s one of the first icons guests see during their visit, and right now it’s a bad omen for how the rest of the park will look. 

And, at night, many of the popcorn lights on the facade are burnt out. 

Refurb-Mania Starts Today

Now that the holidays have officially come to an end, it’s time for the massive amount of refurbishments to begin across the resort. 

Currently Under Refurbishment

• Treehouse Transformation: (September 1st, 2021-2023)

Work continues on bringing the new version of the Treehouse to life. There’s still no anticipated end date for this revised attraction aside from sometime in 2023. 

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

The major overhaul of Toontown is still underway. Although Mickey & Minnie’s Runway Railway will open on January 27, the rest of the land won’t open until March 8.

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

The holiday overlay of small world will be removed starting today. 

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

This is a major refurb that we’re really looking forward to seeing the end result. With so many elements of this attraction broken, we hope that there’s a lot of effort spent here to bring the show quality back to its heyday.

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

Now is a great time for Grizzly to go into refurb. It’s too cold to ride it right now. The vague Spring 2023 end date is interesting to us, but it’s likely not getting anything other than a regular refurb.

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

The Disney Gallery and Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln will be closing to bring in a new exhibit which will be installed starting today.

• Fairfax Market: (January 9th-14th)

• Disney HOME Store: (January 9th – TBD)
• Wonderground Gallery: (January 9th – TBD)

Two of Disney’s shops will be getting major changes in Downtown Disney. we expect Wonderground to be moving into the old ESPN Zone, and there will be some updates to the HOME Store as well. More details about these dual refurbs HERE. 

Upcoming Refurbishments:

• Radiator Springs Racers: (January 17th-23rd)

This is just a quick refurb on the attraction. We’d love to see a more extensive approach next time it goes down on the calendar, but the last time we rode it, the attraction was in surprisingly good condition. 

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

There’s nothing too exciting happening here, just some new carpet getting installed.

• Haunted Mansion: (January 30th-February 9th)

The Haunted Mansion Holiday overlay is coming down at long last. Just have to make it to the end of the month first…

• Inside Out Emotional Whirlwind: (January 30th-February 9th)

• Splash Mountain Conversion to Tiana’s Bayou Adventure (TBA 2023-2024)

There’s still no date announced for the closure of Splash Mountain. Just know it could go down at any time this year, so ride it while you can!

NEW: Concept Art and Story for the Princess and the Frog Ride at Disneyland & WDW

A Final Look at Christmas 2022 at the Disneyland Resort

It will be 10 months until Christmas returns to the Disneyland Resort, so let’s take one last glimpse at some of our favorite holiday decorations before they glow away.

 

Disneyland’s Competition Heats Up

While this is the Disneyland Update, I’d be remiss not to mention Dusty Sage’s special construction walkthrough of Universal Studios Hollywood’s upcoming Super Nintendo World. This past Friday, Dusty was able to tour the brand-new land, and he says that it surpassed his expectations. The new Mario-themed land elicits pure joy with uplifting music, adorable characters, and animated props scattered about everywhere. The entire land is like a real-world game. Here’s a little tease of what we are allowed to show you: 

If you are a Univeral Studios Hollywood passholder, you can sign up for a preview of the land today (Jan 9th) at 11am. For full information about Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios Hollywood, and how to visit, take a look at the article below:

Visiting Universal Studios Hollywood Super Nintendo World

 

Let’s Hear From You

We appreciate you joining us as we step into the post-holiday season and the coming shows, attractions, and lands that will mark the highlight of the year ahead. We also hope this will be a year of healing for Disneyland and that the resort might return to something more akin to what we loved about the Disneyland experience before the budget cuts, maintenance woes, hoops and hurdles of the Chapek era. 

A recent poll taken by MiceChat readers is quite telling that the current experience is not what guests really want. Nearly 60% of you gave Disneyland one of the two lowest scores in the poll, and perhaps even worse is that only 10% gave one of the top two responses:

In our decades of writing about Disneyland, we’ve never seen the fans so pessimistic about the Disney experience. And while this is a time of great hope with the return of Bob Iger, it’s also a time for Disney to stop and reflect on how the previous regime diminished the theme park magic and refocus their efforts on what can be done to make right those wrongs. While chasing profits over guest experience was the way of Chapek and his minions, it doesn’t have to be the way going forward. 

Let us know your thoughts. What would you like to see for Disneyland in the coming year? What changes would make the experience more magical for you? Are you hopeful for the redo of Downtown Disney? What would you like to see replace La Brea Bakery? Are you ready to take advantage of the glory of an uncrowded rainy day? Let us know in the comments below. 

And let’s end on a high note… a reminder of the sort of joy and frivolity that made us love this place to begin with. Enjoy the Disneyland Band as they perform in front of Sleeping Beauty Castle.

 

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