Disneyland Update: Rolling… Heads, Strollers & Easter Eggs

The Spring Break season continues this Easter week. While not everyone celebrates the holiday, Disneyland sure does get an increase in visitors as it’s also the height of Spring Break season. Unfortunately, even as Disney rakes in cash at the parks, there’s some dour news across The Walt Disney Company. We’ll take a look at all that, plus all the latest news, construction updates, and other stories from around the Disneyland Resort. Let’s head to the parks!

Morale Plummets as Heads Roll 

It’s been a painful week for many employees of the Disney Company as they await word on whether or not they will be part of the 7,000 Disney jobs to be shed by early summer. News came last week that a slew of well-known executives, Senior Vice Presidents, and Vice Presidents had been let go from Disney Corporate Communications, ABC News, 20th Television Studios (a former FOX business unit), HULU, and nearly the entire Marvel Entertainment (not to be confused with Marvel Studios) and Disney Metaverse teams. 

But these layoffs are just the tip of the iceberg. The bulk of the cuts will come this month, with more filling out the 7K jobs Bob Iger has confirmed will be cut by this summer. A combination of job cuts and belt-tightening is expected to save the company 5.5 BILLION dollars. You might think that Disney is a company in dire financial straights… but nothing could be further from the truth. Aside from the Disney+ streaming service, which has been growing but also losing money, the rest of the company is doing quite well. And the Disney Parks Experiences and Products team (DPEP) is achieving record profits. 

Since the Parks unit is doing so well, you might expect them to be spared from the bloodshed… but here’s the kicker… DPEP is likely to bear heavy losses as well. And while the front-line park employees aren’t likely to be targeted, they will still feel the pain of an aggressive hiring freeze which has left many teams understaffed and overworked. And, yes, that impacts the guest experience. Talk about killing the goose that lays the golden eggs!  

The grim reaper behind the layoffs is Disney CFO Christine McCarthy, who leads a small team of executives responsible for building the list of who to let go and where to cut. Christine famously got Bob Chapek fired as CEO, largely for doing the things that she demanded. Yes, Bob Chapek was a terrible leader for Disney and focused only on money at the expense of the Disney experience. But, it was Christine who manipulated both him and the board to get what she wanted. Christine herself makes nearly $15 MILLION per year (and millions more in bonuses and stock options) as Chief Financial Officer and Senior Executive Vice President of the Walt Disney Company. But Christine should be careful in her thinly veiled campaign to replace Bob Iger when his contract is up for renewal in less than 2 years, or she might just find that there’s room for one more name on the hit list… Imagine the number of employees the Disney Company could pay for on Christine’s salary alone. 

Life’s a Walk in the Park

To put you in the frame of mind for today’s Disneyland Update, how about you take a look at the conditions of the park for yourself! Every Friday at 5pm PST on our Facebook and Youtube pages, we take a walk through Disneyland to explore the news and see what’s new around the resort. These videos are a bit of a preview to the upcoming Disneyland Update, AND it’s your chance to ask me any burning questions you might have. If you didn’t tune in live for the most recent video, you can catch up below:

Be sure to catch us live this week at 5pm on Friday! And if you ever see us in the parks, don’t be afraid to say hi! That’s how we caught up with our friend Keith Gluck who recently wrote an article for us in a surprise Disneyland visit.

Now that you’ve had a chance to see what things were like on Friday let’s do a deep dive into the Disneyland Resort happenings this week.

The Next Thing: Tomorrowland DVC Lounge 

At long last, something is coming to the pretty-much-abandoned Star Wars Launch Bay. The top floor of the building has been converted into Disneyland’s very first Disney Vacation Club lounge: the Star View Station. To go inside, you (or someone in your party) must be a Disney Vacation Club member. The Star View Station opens in just a few weeks, on April 19.

The DVC lounge features comfortable seating, free wifi, charging stations, complimentary soft drinks, and access to a DVC Member Services team. The whole lounge has a mid-century modern feel and features an array of Disney concept art for Tomorrowland and the city of EPCOT, along with props, and an iconic Mary Blair mural. Take a sneak peek at the lounge below:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by MiceChat (@micechat)

Considering that the lounge is located on the second floor, it is unlikely that guests will enter through the building’s main entrance. Instead, we’re expecting that visitors will walk up the exterior ramp that leads to the second floor.

This DVC lounge is the first of its kind at the Disneyland Resort. At Walt Disney World, there is a DVC lounge located at EPCOT that offers a similar assortment of amenities. However, with the Star View Station seen as a permanent addition, we’re wondering what this means for the future of the mostly-unused Carousel of Progress building. Star Wars Launch Bay remains closed.   

For more details about the Star View Station DVC Lounge in Tomorrowland, including the Mary Blair mural, spaceman, and a vintage look at Disney’s retro-Tomorrow, take a look at the article below:

Disneyland News: Tomorrowland’s Out of This World DVC Lounge

Crowd Flux

This Spring Break season has been a roller coaster in terms of crowd conditions. Some days have seemed as busy as we’ve ever experienced, and others have been manageable for a major tourist season. Add to it a major dance competition bringing hoards of energetic little girls who travel the parks in large packs and a SoCal ticket special that ends in May, and the potential for any day to be packed is always there. However, on Friday and Saturday when we visited to take these photos, the park was fairly easy to navigate, with a few exceptions.

ToonTown remains the busiest land of them all. It’s new, everyone still wants to see it, it has a major new E-Ticket attraction, plus a ride that has reopened after more than a year of being closed, and it’s a cul-de-sac with only one way in and out. 

We made two visits to the land over the weekend. On Friday it seemed packed, but when we were there on Saturday (around parade time) it wasn’t too bad… though the ride waits were long. 

80 minutes at times for Roger Rabbit. But the line would fluctuate up and down. So don’t wait 80 minutes folks. That is usually caused when Runaway Railway suddenly goes down (which happens frequently) and when Roger Rabbit has downtime and needs to accommodate previous Lightning Lane guests who didn’t get to ride at their scheduled time. 

During the parade, we were routed along the dock of Storybook Land to get to the Fantasyland pathway. We’ve never done that before. They’d hold the crowd for a minute to load or unload a boat and then run guests along the dock again. 

When Pirates of the Caribbean wasn’t broken (so much downtime lately) it could generate sizeable waits. But, this one usually looks worse than it really is. Those switchbacked lines over the bridge and through the land move pretty quickly. If the estimated wait is listed at 20 minutes or less, you’ll probably get on the ride much quicker than that. But if the line stops moving, that’s a sure sign that something’s wrong. We don’t wait for more than 5 minutes when the line stops. You can always come back, the waits drop dramatically later in the evening.  

Even with a long line for Pirates in the center of the land, the pathway along the river was wide open. I’m always looking for the easy way through the parks… this just happened to be one of them (but you won’t always get this lucky): 

Since Indy reopened, it’s been VERY popular. Below you see the Standby line has stretched just about to the entry of the Jungle Cruise. Everyone wants to see the new effects. We’re so glad that this ride got the love and attention it deserves and is once again soaking up the crowds in its gigantic queue. 

A cast member told us that since the French Market closed (to become Tiana’s Palace), the eateries still open on the West side of the park have been busier. The standby line for Tropical Hideaway blocked the exit of the Tiki Room. 

It’s a good thing that the shop at the exit of the Jungle Cruise was converted into stroller parking back in 2019. We can’t imagine how bad the traffic flow in the land would be if there were strollers parked in the pathways here. But even with all that covered stroller parking, many strollers still had to park outside due to a lack of room. Disney really needs to revisit their stroller size limits. It’s a small park, but strollers are getting ever larger. There’s just not enough room for huge crowds, gigantic strollers (and wagons), and giant electric wheelchairs. Disney had tried to crack down back in spring of 2019 when they limited the size allowed for strollers and banned those massive wagons… but it sure seems like they’ve given up on trying to enforce that policy.

The Stroller Problem

We’re taking a little aside here. As we watched two cast members move strollers from in front of Small World to a holding area near the Fantasyland Theater, we heard one say to the other, “just wait until you hear them yell at you for moving their vehicle.” And it got us thinking about the ever-growing problem of too many strollers and not enough room to park them. 

There’s a reason Disneyland doesn’t have enough room for stroller parking, the phenomenon of every child needing a stroller all the time didn’t really hit Disneyland until the 2000s. When Disneyland was built in 1955, most guests left their littlest humans at home, and far fewer guests needed a stroller for their older toddlers. When they did bring a stroller, they usually rented one for a small fee from Disneyland or brought a small stroller of their own.

 But that mentality has changed over the decades and so has the size of strollers and what’s considered acceptable in busy public spaces (I doubt you can even find a stroller today as small as the one my family used). So, Disneyland has remained small, but the size of the things guests expect to bring to the park have gotten larger and larger (strollers, backpacks, ECV’s, etc.). 

We see huge strollers on every visit that don’t fit down the aisles of the stores and take up the width of 2+ people. It’s a difficult issue. We know that some guests really need those strollers, but there are many who just bring them as a convenience to hold jackets, purchases, backpacks, pets, sometimes even a child. Don’t shoot the messenger, it’s a real problem that there must be some sort of compromise on… for example: Cheaper rentals at the park of reasonably sized strollers, limits on what age children (who don’t have a disability) are allowed to use a stroller, stricter size limits on strollers (like airlines do with carry-on bags), charge a fee for strollers for children over the age of 3 (perhaps even by the weight of the stroller), etc.

Care.com‘s Dr. Jen Trachtenberg says, “The main reason I recommend limiting stroller use once kids are past the toddler stage is because it’s important for kids to get in the habit of walking, which is great exercise for their muscles, bones and heart.” She further advises ditching the stroller between the ages of 3 and 4.

Of course, a day at Disneyland requires lots of walking, which may be too much for some little ones. I’m not trying to upset anyone here, but a major reason why Disneyland feels so uncomfortable at times is the growing stroller issue. 

We’re curious to hear your thoughts on what can be done to limit the number and size of strollers in the parks that doesn’t unfairly burden Disney’s youngest guests who really do need them. There’s likely no solution that will satisfy everyone, but what are the best compromises in your opinion?

Easter Approaches

Hippity hop, the Easter Bunny is around the corner! However, it looks like he’s mostly avoiding Disneyland this year. Easter is this Sunday, April 9, and there are only a handful of Easter events happening at the resort. Here’s what Easter-related activities you can find this week.

Easter Dining

For many people, brunch is a central Easter activity. In years past, there was a much larger focus on Easter Brunch and Dinner across the restaurants of the Disneyland Resort. This year, the only Easter-specific meals can be found at Goofy’s Kitchen and Storyteller’s Cafe (that we’ve been able to find). 

Goofy’s Kitchen

This wacky character dining experience is offering Easter Brunch and Easter Dinner with a few special items just for the day.

Here’s what’s featured at this buffet-style restaurant:

Easter Brunch (7am-1pm; Adult $60, Child $32)

• Poached Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail
• Stone Crab Claw Cocktail
• Assorted Mini Beignets and Doughnuts
• Daily Deviled Eggs
• Breakfast Pizza

Easter Dinner (1:30pm-9pm; Adult $85, Child $35)

• Slow-Roasted Prime Rib of Beef
• Orange Saffron Salmon
• Holiday Roasted Chicken
• BBQ Pork Spare Ribs
• Macaroni & Cheese

Storytellers Cafe

The only other place for a Disney-sanctioned Easter meal at the resort is Storytellers Cafe at the Grand Californian Hotel. This buffet also features some classic Easter dishes alongside their popular regular offerings.

Here are some dishes to entice you for an Easter meal:

Easter Brunch (7am-2pm; Adult $60, Child $32)

• Strawberry Rhubarb French Toast with Vanilla Mascarpone
• Norwegian Salmon
• An Egg Station
• A Mediterranean Roasted Leg of Lamb
• Bread Pudding

Easter Dinner (3pm-9pm; Adult $85, Child $35)

• Herb-Roasted Chicken
• White Cheddar Cavatappi Pasta
• Citrus Glazed Pork Belly
• Herb-Crushed Roasted Rib Eye

Grand Californian Holiday Cart

In the mood for something Easter-y and sweet? The Holiday Cart in the lobby of the Grand Californian Hotel has opened just in time for the holiday.

 

The current assortment of snacks includes cookies, a carrot cake loaf, rice crispy treats, and also a couple Disney100-themed goodies.

While we love the snack stand, the menu this year is pretty scaled back in comparison to last year:

Considering that spring kicked off at the Disneyland Resort nearly two months ago and Spring Break has been in full effect for a while now, it seems so odd that management would wait to open this popular location at their luxury hotel until the week of Easter despite its proven demand. Anything catch your eye at the stand this year?

Candy Shops Across the Resort

If you’re still looking for something with Easter in mind, you can head to one of the candy shops located throughout the resort for some springtime treats. While the items are by no means new at this point, they’re still perfect for the occasion.

Additionally, this is presumably the last week that you’ll be able to get a coveted chocolate Easter Egg from one of the resort’s candy shops. If you want one of these fudge eggs, be prepared to rope drop and head straight to Candy Palace or Pooh Corner on Monday, Wednesday, or Saturday and grab a ticket with a return time. This week, we saw people returning for eggs as late as 6pm!

Eggstravaganza

The other Easter activities are the Eggstravaganza scavenger hunts. Disneyland, Disney California Adventure, and Downtown Disney each have their own set of hidden character-themed eggs to find.

While it’s free to participate on your own, you can purchase a game board that can be redeemed for a collectible Easter egg. Just keep in mind that game boards can only be redeemed through April 9!

This year, the eggs seemed to be a bit harder to find, and we’ve still been finding hidden eggs! Here’s one that stumped us this week.

Disneyland Blues

There are a few things we should mention regarding some issues Disneyland has to juggle right now. With Spring Break in high demand, the park can’t do many long-term refurbishments. And many attractions have been in unreliable condition lately. But that means that there are periods when multiple attractions are all down at the same time, which seriously impacts guest experience. 

When we arrived on Friday, Space Mountain, Matterhorn, and the Monorail were all down in Tomorrowland. And by the time we got to ToonTown, the new Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway was also down. When we walked through Galaxy’s Edge a bit later, Rise of the Resistance was down. And when we reached New Orleans Square, Pirates of the Caribbean was down. Some of the downtimes lasted an hour or more. And all of that lost capacity has to be made up later for guests using Lightning Lane. It’s an unfortunate situation made worse by the difficulty in staffing and keeping maintenance workers (complex rides require very specific skills and training).  

Meanwhile, all the rain we’ve been having lately has resulted in all sorts of issues for the resort, from peeling paint to split wood to leaky roofs. 

One of the billboards on Pixar Pier is coming apart. 

Some of the issues above will require a bit of downtime. We hope the resort can make use of the short period between Spring Break and summer to address the rides with frequent breakdowns as well as the park infrastructure and details which have weather-related damage. 

And then there are the items we aren’t sure why they are in the state they are. Take the castle for example. When the Disney100 celebration launched in January, the castle was given a simple overlay. New bunting, banners, and fountains were added. And, new sparkly platinum toppers and finials were to be added to the rooftops. While some of them have been placed, many turrets remain without their adornments… pipes sticking out the tops. We are into the 3rd month of the celebration. That’s a long time for the park to come up with a solution. Even silvery flags would be better than this (and should be quick to manufacture). Not a great way to celebrate a century of Disney magic: 

And we’ve been reporting about the broken animated windows on Main Street for over a year. Some days a few of the windows are working, other days they are all broken. Two of them have been covered up for refurbishment. 

With this being the 100th anniversary of the Disney Company, perhaps temporary displays can be put in these windows while something new is constructed to replace them. Or, temporarily lock them into an interesting position and light them dramatically. At this point, it’s been far too many months for these windows to be left dark and frozen. Some sort of temporary solution needs to be implemented until the park can fix or replace these windows for good.  

Construction & Refurbs

Adventureland Treehouse (September 1st, 2021-2023) – Things are finally speeding up at this long-term project. Scaffolds are down at the top levels of the tree, revealing the two rooms at the top of the structure. We can also see fresh stairs and railings. Still missing are the water wheel and even some of the branches, but it seems possible that this attraction could be open by summer. 

Take a look at the concept art above and you can see how close the project is getting in the images below: 

Look at the large posts below. These are tree trunks that have yet to be completed. 

But, this project finally looks like an attraction again!

Tiana’s Palace (February 17-TBA) – And over at Tiana’s future restaurant, scaffolds are up and ready to support the new smokestacks which will adorn the top of the building. 

There are some windows and areas of the facade which have painter’s tape on them or are behind scrims…

The patio is cleared and staged with construction equipment. 

But one thing we are a bit concerned about is that all of the beautiful wrought-iron balconies have been removed from the side of the building along the train station. Hopefully, they are just being refurbished and will be back. But even the doors and windows have been removed and boarded up. 

New Avengers Campus Store – Last Monday, we broke the news about Avengers Campus getting a new shop in the Avengers HQ building. While there’s not much to show you other than a small construction wall, we do want to point something out to give you an idea of how big (or small) the shop is likely to be. 

Although the Avengers HQ building appears to be quite large from inside the land… it’s merely a facade. There’s only a small portion of the building that was actually built, the rest is just a wall. Behind it, the tracks of the Red Car Trolley take up most of the space.  Someday, the Trolley will be rerouted off to the other side of the Guardians of the Galaxy tower and a show building for a new Avengers ride will take up this space. See the image below (I’ve put a yellow circle where the shop will go). 

San Fransokyo – Another project which has started to gain steam is the former Pacific Wharf. The old signage on the bakery building facing the parade route is being repainted and signs are replaced with new ones that fit Big Hero 6’s San Fransokyo theme. 

Anywhere that you see Japanese characters, that’s new signage. 

Note the “Port of San Fransokyo Cerveceria” signage:

I’ve taken a few side-by-side shots to show you the concept art and what the areas look like now: 

Home Store/Wonderground Gallery – The two Disney shops on the west side of Downtown Disney are nearing the final stages of their big project. The atrium has been closed off with a 2nd floor created. Drywall and windows are going in now. 

Jazz Kitchen Coastal Grill & Patio is nearing the end of its big redo as well. A new awning was stretched over the 2nd-floor patio this week.  They’ve somehow managed to make this building look even more boring than the concept art. 

The concept art shows the whimsical saxophone sign replaced with something more simple, but for now, the sign remains. Perhaps they’ve heard all the complaining and are planning to keep this one reminder of the past. But we’re not counting on it. 

Pixar Place Hotel – Not much progress here, but some new giant colorful disks have made their way to the front of the facade. 

They are currently covered with plastic bags to protect them from paint over-spray. 

Disneyland Resort Refurbishments

Currently Under Refurbishment:

• Tarzan’s Treehouse Transformation: (September 1st, 2021-2023)
• French Market remodel to Tiana’s Palace: (February 17th-TBA)
• Mint Julep Bar: (February 17th-TBA)

• Silly Symphony Swings: (February 27th-May 4th)
• Ship to Shore Marketplace: (March 13th-April 29th)
• Big Thunder Mountain Railroad: (April 3rd-13th)

*Upcoming Refurbishments:

• Dumbo the Flying Elephant: (April 11th)
• Matterhorn Bobsleds: (April 17th-TBA)

This & That

Let’s wrap up today’s Disneyland Update with some of the other happenings around the resort.

New Disney100 Popcorn Bucket

Every couple of weeks, there is a new release of a popcorn bucket. This week, the purple Disney100 Mickey Balloon arrived in the parks. It’s essentially the inverse of the previously-released silver bucket. We noticed that people weren’t clamoring over themselves to get this new bucket, which is fairly unusual for a new merchandise release.

The silver buckets seem to be more popular and are still available for purchase. There are also other Mickey balloon-shaped popcorn buckets in different colors available as well. We noticed the ombre green/blue and the pink Magic Key buckets this week.

While the majority of the popcorn carts around the park will have the purple bucket in stock, you won’t find it in Toontown. The land’s “Yummy Popcorn” only sells the area’s specialty bucket or a printed Disney100 bucket. We wonder why that is.

Adorable Merchandise Line Debuts

Speaking of new merchandise, there’s a whole new collection from the artist Joey Chou. This merchandise line showcases the cutest elements of the Disney Parks (the designs include aspects from Disneyland and Walt Disney World) in the best fashion. Here are a couple items you may be interested in:

Our resident merchandise expert, Natalie Kipper, shows off the whole collection in the article below:

Adorable NEW Joey Chou Merchandise Collection Spotted at Disneyland!

Giant Tree in Grand Californian Hotel Lobby??

If you’ve visited the lobby of the Grand Californian Hotel this week, you may have noticed a startlingly sizeable new addition. Right in the center of the lobby is a live tree! While there’s no signage explaining the new piece of nature inside the lobby (yet), we have heard some rumors that it is part of Disneyland’s celebration of Earth Month.

 

We’re a little concerned about how this tree will adjust to living in a fairly dark hotel after growing in full sun for years, but we expect that this will only be temporary and the tree will get planted outside in the near future.

 

While Earth Day isn’t until the 22nd, we’ll likely see some eco-conscious things cropping up around the resort very soon— namely the Cast Member art exhibition made of recycled items in Redwood Creek Challenge Trail. Here’s some of last year’s displays:

Floral Mickey Returns

After just shy of a month, the standard floral portrait of Mickey has returned!

For the majority of last month, Disneyland’s entry floral display was swapped out with Minnie in honor of Women’s History Month. However, our pal Mickey is back and he’ll be staying for quite a while.

We enjoyed the temporary Minnie overlay here. Should the park switch out the Mickey more frequently or even adapt his design for the seasons? 

Knott’s Berry Farm Extends Boysenberry Festival

Okay, we’ll admit this is not a Disneyland story. However, if you’ve enjoyed DCA’s Food & Wine Festival, you really ought to stop by Knott’s Berry Farm for their food festival! Knott’s Boysenberry Festival (which features dishes and drinks all highlighting Knott’s signature berry) runs daily now through April 16— and has been extended to run on weekends (Friday-Sunday) April 21-Mary 8.

There is an incredible assortment of Boysenberry-themed items, from the classic Boysenberry Sausage to Boysenberry Jambalaya. Plus,  Knott’s has entered the beignet game with Boysenberry Sugar Beignets.

It’s controversial to write this (especially in a Disneyland Update), but we honestly think that Knott’s has the best theme park beignets anywhere… crispy on the outside and moist on the inside. If you’re on the fence about visiting a theme park other than Disneyland, let this be the sign to convince you:

Get the full rundown on Knott’s Boysenberry Festival AND a guide to the festival (that’s mobile-friendly or printable!) by visiting the article below:

Extended! Delicious Knott’s Boysenberry Festival Guide!

A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words

We’ll leave you with some images from our trips to the Disneyland Resort this week…

The parks are looking gorgeous with all of their spring florals:

  

 

Spring also means that the little ducklings of Disneyland will stroll throughout the park. Be sure to watch your step!

This giant puppet of Pepita is a highlight of the Magic Happens Parade. It takes a team of 5 people to operate this massive alebrije!

While in Fantasyland, we saw this little guy in the courtyard with Rapunzel. We’ve never noticed him before, but we’ll be keeping an eye out for him now.

In ToonTown, the temporary sign for the Clock Repair shop has been replaced with a permanent one. We’re seeing all sorts of little things still happening in the newly reopened land. 

The Mark Twain Riverboat made our list of Top Ten Attractions for Toddlers!

  

Disney California Adventure has its own moments of charm. 

Grizzly River Run looks pretty good since it’s refurbishment. The queue was freshened up and they even added shade sails above the loading platform. 

            

Let’s Hear From You

You can always count on MiceChat to bring you an informational and thought-provoking Disneyland Update every Monday. Do you find it unacceptable for Disney to punish the Parks division with layoffs when it’s Disney+ causing all the pain? What do you think about the stroller issue in the parks? Did you view the video of the new DVC Lounge? What were your thoughts? Springtime blooms have you ready to make a trip to the parks? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

 

Sharing is caring!