Into every life, a little rain must fall… and we made the most of it this week! Bad weather almost always means lower crowd levels, and that really helped us get some unique shots for you. We’ve assembled a stunning Disneyland update for you today with the return of the Magic Happens Parade after a 3-year hiatus and two rain delays this week. Plus, we’ve got some really fun (but expensive) news on a new restaurant, upcoming entertainment, and construction progress throughout the resort.
Rainy Days Are Magic Days At Disneyland
The rain started coming down on Friday and continued through Saturday. Of course, that means a flood of rides and experiences were canceled. But unlike Knott’s and Six Flags, which both closed due to weather, Disneyland remained open… though, the park did close an hour earlier than scheduled both days. But given the very low waits and tiny crowd still in the park after dark, guests could have done nearly every open ride in the park without waiting in the late evening hours.
SoCal crowds are fair weather folks. Since many locals have Magic Keys or are frequent visitors, they tend not to suffer inconvenient weather… leaving mostly soggy tourists in the parks – wearing ponchos and plugging along, enjoying the things still open.
Having rain boots is very helpful on days such as this. Disneyland just isn’t built to handle rain… and that means puddles that grow quickly into small lakes when the showers arrive.
Many outdoor rides do close for the rain, including Alice in Wonderland, the Teacups, Storybook Land, and many attractions at Disney California Adventure. The heavier the rain, the greater the likelihood that an outdoor attraction will shut down.
But the most dramatic thing about the rain is how quickly the parks empty out, especially after the 3:30 parade was canceled. Cold weather, rain, and canceled shows mean that guests can ride just about anything they want and then leave when their comfort demands.
It’s still daylight and the Pirates of the Caribbean was completely empty:
About 12 guests wait for shelter at Mr. Toad:
It’s not often that Fantasyland is this empty on a weekend:
Even normally crowded pinch-points like the Adventureland area were wide open:
Did Magic Happen?
Disneyland premiered a modern and high-energy parade in February of 2020, just weeks before the parks closed for over a year. And while many things were slow to return, it’s been a very long 3 year wait for the Magic Happens parade.
We knew that the reopening performance scheduled for 3:30 pm on Friday the 24th would be unlikely due to the weather forecast… but we also didn’t want to miss out just in case the weather cleared enough for the debut. About half an hour before showtime we heard announcements that the parade was canceled. Bummer. But it just wouldn’t be safe for the performers to dance through all that rain, and it wouldn’t be good for the technologically advanced floats and elaborate costumes either.
But we held our ground along the parade route in the unyielding rain in hopes that there would at least be a rainy day cavalcade… something the park usually does when a parade is canceled. Nothing. A cast member finally asked us if we were waiting for something, and we learned that everything had been canceled and that no cavalcade was planned. Double bummer.
So we returned on Saturday, which was less wet than forecast but still rainy enough for both the 3:30 and 6:30 performances to be called off.
Since it was a rainy weekend, it was easy to get a last-minute park reservation for Sunday and try one more time. BINGO! It was a mostly dry day and we were able to get this great LIVE video for you of the very first public performance of Magic Happens since 2020:
Unfortunately, the Princess and the Frog float was not in the first performance on Sunday due to technical issues. But we hear that it should return soon.
We got lucky on Sunday, but there are likely to be more cancelations ahead in the next 10 days with chilly temperatures and occasional rain forecast:
Don’t miss our full coverage of the Magic Happens Parade, including how to get a dining package with reserved viewing, inspiration for the parade, and more details and video of both the day and nighttime performances:
Disneyland’s Magic Happens Parade Returns – Essential Guide!
Runaway Railway Ditches Virtual Queue
We have some great news for theme park fans (many of whom have trouble figuring out how to compete for a virtual queue spot)… Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway has ended the virtual queue and is using a regular standby line.
Extra cost Lightning Lane also remains an option. Though, it hasn’t really been necessary these last few days.
Most guests seem to be heading straight to Rise of the Resistance at park opening, which creates an opportunity for Runaway Railway in the early morning. But that trend may not continue once guests figure out the crowd pattern.
Throughout the day, the wait times have been averaging 45 minutes to an hour, but can surge well above that. Be sure to check the wait times before heading over to ToonTown. Overall, it hasn’t been too bad for a new attraction… but it’s also been unusual weather, so anything could happen once the big crowds return.
It’s clear that Disney is prepared for the massive crowds when they finally show up. The entire area in front of Roger Rabbit’s CarToon Spin is taped off to be a giant switchback queue:
With even more switch-backs in the Gag Factory play area between Roger Rabbit and the El CapiToon Theater.
With few guests in the park these last couple of days, ToonTown cast haven’t really been able to see how bad the standby can be. But… even with the lower demand right now, there’s still a lot of strollers to park. These are parked in front of the ToonTown food court area… which works right now but will be in the way once the restaurants and the rest of the land opens next month.
Fun side-note: Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway is filled with Disney tributes and hidden Mickeys. One that I just noticed is the “Toonliner,” a tribute to the Tomorrowland Moonliner (designed by Roger Broggie Sr. and Bob Gurr) which preceded the Monorail. You’ll find it atop the sign for the yet-to-open EngineEar Souvenirs shop at the exit of the ride (it’s also scheduled to open with the rest of ToonTown).
Food & Wine Starts Friday!
The next major DCA festival starts this week! The Food & Wine Festival at DCA kicks off this Friday, March 3.
This week, festival marketplaces were placed around the park, with four appearing every morning from Thursday through Saturday. Here are the 12 food booths this year:
Although we’re just a few days away from the start of the food festival, the food guide still hasn’t been released (though we expect it any minute now). Lucky for us, the marketplaces have their menus posted! There are some returning favorites from the last few years, like Blueberry Buttermilk Pie and Garlic Carbonara Mac & Cheese. This year’s menu seems more approachable than some of the wild offerings from last year (we still recoil in horror when we think about the Peanut Butter and Jelly Mac), but we’re skeptical about the Elote popsicle. Take a look at the article below to see what’s cooking this year for the Food & Wine Festival:
Sneak Peek: Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival 2023!
We really enjoy seeing DCA in festival mode— and we think there’s an opportunity for it to be expanded throughout the entire park. Several areas around the park never get marketplaces (Grizzly Peak Airfield, Avengers Campus, Cars Land, and Pixar Pier).
Additionally, the abandoned Stage 12 in the Hollywood Backlot (an eatery when the park first opened) could be used as a festival area with additional marketplaces and/or festival dining. DCA could take inspiration from EPCOT’s Food & Wine Festival and how they use the World ShowPlace event space occasionally during big festivals.
Would you like to see Food & Wine expanded throughout the entire park, or are you content with its current modest setup?
Rogers: The Musical Coming to Hyperion Theater
The upcoming show headed into the Hyperion Theater has been confirmed. The Marvel-themed “Rogers: The Musical” from the Hawkeye series is making a theme park debut this summer.
Disney has explicitly mentioned that Rogers: The Musical is planned for a “limited-time run” at DCA. Although there’s no start date listed as of right now aside from Summer 2023, we’re curious about how long this show is planned for the Hyperion.
When we first heard about casting calls, we speculated that Rogers was among the musicals that could be in residence at the Hyperion. The other that was a major contender was Hercules… and we’re hearing adamant rumors that Hercules is still on the table, especially since Rogers is planned for a short-term run.
We’re holding out hope that Rogers is just a short term marketing promo and that a bigger production, like Hercules, will move in not long after.
Construction & Refurbishments
Getting to everything going on at Disneyland each week is really a challenge right now. There are projects in all the far-flung corners of the resort.
ToonTown
While Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway is now open to all guests, the rest of the land is closed until March 19th. ToonTown was initially planned to open on March 8th, but rain delayed that. We wonder if the recent torrential rain and more bad weather forecast for the next 10 days might further delay the reopening. We’ll keep an eye on that for you.
Beyond the construction walls, a dreaming tree, Goofy play yard, Donald’s Boat water playground, and new interactive fountain are under construction.
Goofy’s play yard has a fort-like structure and play elements.
Roger Rabbit will reopen with the rest of ToonTown. Hopefully, Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway won’t need to queue people here because CarToon Spin is likely to be popular in its own right.
The multi-purpose lawn in front of the ride can be used for queuing as well. With all this empty space, we sure do wish they had been able to save at least a bit of the old Roger Rabbit fountain. This area is green, but lackluster compared to what was here before. It’s missing some sort of central element in all of this space.
We love the look of the new ToonTown hills. If you take a moment to look up, you’ll see all sorts of neat details. That sure does look like Walt’s Barn below.
An image of Walt’s Barn in Griffith Park from the Carolwood Society that maintains it and offers events there on the 3rd Sunday of each month:
And for all those Twitter fanboys complaining that you can see an office building behind Universal’s new Super Nintendo World, enjoy this view of Galaxy’s Edge from ToonTown:
One element of the old ToonTown that survived and is currently open to guests are the interactive props and photo ops in front of the Gag Factory.
More ToonTown soon everyone!
Tiana’s Palace
So long French Market, Tiana is taking over.
Scaffolds now wrap this original New Orleans Square establishment.
The construction area is quite large as the entire patio also needs to be revamped.
The final product won’t look too different than the old establishment. The main architectural detals are some new smokestacks and a sign.
Adventureland Treehouse
The wind and rain have kept large parts of the Treehouse project unwrapped for a couple of weeks. But the extensive scaffolds make it nearly impossible to see what’s happening.
But you can make out fencing, stairs, nets, and some of the exterior room details (such as the front of the ship in the organ room).
Teacups
One thing we noticed over the weekend were some broken teacups in the Mad Tea Party. Note the two cups with tarps over them and red tags. That indicates they are slated to be removed and returned to the shop for maintenance.
Grizzly River Run
DCA’s raft ride is set to return March 16th.
As strange as it may sound, Grizzly and the San Fransokyo project (the former Pacific Wharf) are tied. When Grizzly is in operation, the lagoon at Pacific Wharf/San Fransokyo is the reservoir for Grizzly. Right now, both are completely drained. But Grizzly can’t operate until the lagoon can be refilled as well. So, we know that the bridge project in San Fransokyo will be complete enough by March 16th for the lagoon to be refilled.
San Fransokyo
With the bridge into the future San Francisco now closed for construction, guests must reroute from the two pathways near Cars Land.
The San Fransokyo Gate Bridge footers have been formed and are ready for the bridge structure to be dropped into place.
The new structure is being placed around the existing bridge, which is now being painted to match the new color scheme.
The old color was gray, the new color is a redish-orange.
Disneyland News: San Fransokyo Square Coming Soon to Disney California Adventure
PhilharMagic
In Hollywood Land, Philharmagic has reopened after a short closure to replace the carpet.
Smells like a new car.
In the area just in front of the attraction, which is now seating for Award Wieners, some of the posters have been updated with more recent releases.
Fairfax Market
A major refurbishment of the facades around the Fairfax Market on Hollywood Blvd is nearing completion. With scrims down due to wind, we can see the bold new color schemes.
Wonderground/Home Store
Work continues on the mysterious project at the Home Store and Wonderground. The shops are said to be returning, according to Disney, but the work being done seems extensive. It appears that the atrium sections of the two stores are being enclosed with a ceiling going into the previously open space and a door having been constructed from the current Catal patio.
Disneyland Hotel Vacation Club Tower
We got some new concept art for the new DVC rooms at the Disneyland Hotel this week. “The Villas at Disneyland Hotel” looks nice. The rooms are certainly going to make the old Disneyland Hotel rooms look ancient in comparison. There is no information yet on how much the new rooms will cost, nor what the vacation club points will cost.
The villas will begin booking on March 17th for a September 2023 grand opening. And ANYONE can book these rooms, not just DVC members.
What’s confusing is why the color scheme of the new tower looks completely different from the newly repainted existing towers. The three Disneyland Hotel towers are almost entirely blue, but this one DVC tower is earth tones. An odd choice. Since the project to completely repaint the hotel last year had to have cost a hefty sum, we wonder why they weren’t painted to match or compliment this new tower.
Once the new DVC tower is unwrapped, it will look completely different from the newly blue Frontierland tower adjacent to it:
This is also the first time we can think of that Disney has allowed booking of DVC rooms by members and regular guests PRIOR to points being sold for the property. So, there are no Disney Vacation Club owners yet at The Villas at Disneyland Hotel, but Disney is going to let folks start booking it anyway.
For more on the new hotel, concept art for the rooms, and the dates DVC members, Magic Key holders, and regular guests can start booking (different dates for each), please read the article below:
NEW VIEWS: Disneyland Hotel New Vacation Club Villas Opening Soon
Disneyland Refurbishments
We’ve covered most of this above, but just to put it all into one simple guide for you, here’s the current refurbishment list for Disneyland and Disney California Adventure:
- Tarzan’s Treehouse Transformation: (September 1st, 2021-2023)
- Mickey’s Toontown (March 9th, 2022-March 19th, 2023)
- Indiana Jones Adventure: (January 9th-Spring 2023)
- Grizzly River Run: (January 9th-March 16th)
- Fairfax Market: (January 9th-March 4th)
- French Market remodel to Tiana’s Palace: (February 17th-TBA)
- Mint Julep Bar: (February 17th-TBA)
- Silly Symphony Swings: (February 27th-TBA)
Upcoming Refurbishments:
- Mark Twain Riverboat: (March 6th-9th)
- Ship to Shore Marketplace: (March 13th-TBA)
- Disneyland Monorail: (March 20th-23rd)
- Big Thunder Mountain Railroad: (April 3rd-TBA)
- Splash Mountain Conversion Tiana’s Bayou Adventure (TBA 2023-2024)
There are just a few more miscellaneous stories that you’ll want to catch up on from around the Disneyland Resort.
New Coasters at Hearthstone Lounge
People are obsessed with the coasters of the Disneyland Resort. Just ask the bartenders at your favorite location (Trader Sam’s, Oga’s Cantina, and especially the legendary Club 33), and they’ll tell you people hoard coasters like treasure. If this description fits you, there’s a new coaster to add to your collection. Hearthstone Lounge at the Grand Californian Hotel has updated the coaster to reflect the more modern stylings of the recent menu change. We like the gilding which gives it an upscale feel, fitting for the Grand.
Bruno’s Back!
For a brief spell back at Halloween Time last year, there was a short projection show that coincided with the world’s obsession with Encanto’s “We Don’t Talk About Bruno.” Unsurprisingly, the show featured the song and scenes from the film, plus some projection mapping magic. The show disappeared during the holidays and hadn’t been seen since. This week, the projection show quietly started playing again with regular showtimes nightly. Here’s a video of what the show entails:
Check the Disneyland app for the multiple nightly showtimes.
Earl of Sandwich Tavern Gets Ready to Open
If you’re looking for a hot sandwich at the Disneyland Resort, the Earl of Sandwich is your guy. If you’re looking for a fast-casual table-service restaurant, he’s got something for you too. The new Earl of Sandwich Tavern is now training servers for the soon-to-open eatery. We got a peek inside the small bar area of the restaurant:
The restaurant posted its new concept’s menu on the exterior of the building… and people on our social seem split between looking forward to the new menu and dreading the price point.
While the prices are pretty exorbitant from a 3rd party perspective, it is also in line with their competitors throughout Downtown Disney. We’re hearing that Earl of Sandwich Tavern is expected to open in the next few days. Will you be giving it a try?
Rain Doesn’t Stop Us!
We go live from Disneyland every week on our Facebook and YouTube pages every Friday at 5pm PST. And despite the soggy weather conditions, that didn’t stop us! In this week’s walkthrough, we go on two attractions, look at the reflective beauty of Disneyland in a storm, see the construction updates, and catch up on the Disneyland news. If you didn’t join us live, you can tune into the video below!
If you enjoy these videos, liking, commenting, sharing, and subscribing really helps us! Be sure to catch us this Friday for the start of DCA’s Food & Wine Festival at 5pm!
A Phototastic Finale
As we near the end of today’s Disneyland Update, we’d like to treat you to some spectacular photos from around the resort.
The colors of springtime flowers around Disneyland sure pop out on a rainy day
The Rivers of America in the rain is such a tranquil place to be (you can journey around the River in my live video posted above).
Splash Mountain will eventually be closing for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. Still no date for its closure yet.
We noticed this new statue of a frog in New Orleans Square. It’s aged to look like it’s been here a long time… but it hasn’t.
Monstro looks like he just emerged from the ocean with how slick he is.
Mike waited 10 minutes in the pouring rain to get just the right close-up of this happy duck in Frontierland.
It was a weekend made for the ducks. They were everywhere we looked.
We were told to ride Pirates of the Caribbean this week because it might not be in great shape, but we mostly enjoyed what we saw. It didn’t look bad at all.
Here are a few glamour shots from our ride-through.
This effect is so simple but it’s the perfect storytelling mechanism to get you from the cursed skeletons into the actual pirate sequences.
I spy with my little eye(socket)…
We did notice that a pirate is missing in this scene:
And a very distracting exposed lighting fixture.
It’s a small detail, but hearing the bullets ping off the armor and seeing a bit of movement is so satisfying.
The parrot at the end of the ride had sound but no animation. We noticed a few things, but overall, the attraction looked great.
The Little Man of Disneyland had a tiny Starbucks left at his door this week!
A fountain in the storm.
Drippy the Rabbit.
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Let’s Hear From You
It’s been another busy Disneyland news week. With the rain in the forecast for this upcoming week, we hope that Magic Happens… happens! Do you think Toontown’s reopening might need to be pushed back again due to the weather? Are you looking forward to the start of DCA’s Food & Wine Festival? How do the new rooms at the Disneyland Hotel look? Ready for Earl of Sandwich Tavern? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
If you enjoyed today’s article, please leave a comment and share on social media. It really helps us out a lot!
My thanks to Mike Kindrich and Lilliana Parker for their help with photography and Nathan Villamor for assisting with writing and assembling today’s Disneyland Update!
Related Reading…
Disneyland Merchandise Update: Miles Morales & Under the Sea
Walt Disney World Update: Reservations Relaxed, Festival Swap & Passholder Perplexity
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