It’s been a beautiful week at Disneyland, (nearly) perfect weather, gorgeous scenery, and a week full of Disney news. After a brief post-spring break lull, the crowds returned in full force this week. We’re quickly approaching the summer season, so crowd trends are sure to change again once more Magic Keys are blocked out. We’ve got some interesting strategies to ensure you’ll still have a good time, even on the busiest days. Plus, we’ll catch up on the latest Disneyland news and construction updates you’ll want to know about. Let’s get this Update started!
Crowds Return… But Never Really Left
During Spring Break, we noted that crowds were worst on weekdays and quite enjoyable on weekends. That was mostly due to the Magic Key blockout calendar and higher prices on the weekends. But now that day-ticket prices have moderated, more Magic Keys have been unblocked on weekends, and the special 3-Day SoCal ticket expires later this month, things have really picked up. Yes, it’s all about prices and passes and not just about when the kids are out of school!
This week looks like it will be busy, with two days of tickets already sold out.
And Magic Key reservations are also in high demand this week, with the entire week booked solid for Disneyland and next weekend as well.
It may be until the higher prices and block-outs kick in for summer before we see more enjoyable crowd levels. Note that July is the highest-priced month of the summer, with ticket prices soaring even mid-week ($159+ for one-day/one-park tickets mid-week and $169-$179 on the weekends):
The crowds really had us thinking about how to best enjoy a day in the parks. And while Magic Key holders can easily skip the long lines and wait for better days, a regular guest on a limited-time visit is not so lucky. We have two different bits of advice. While we hate to give in to Disneyland cash grabs, Genie+ with Lightning Lane is your best bet for ensuring you’ll get to ride enough attractions to justify the high gate price for you day ticket holders. But for Magic Keys, we have a completely different sort of suggestion, consider skipping the big rides entirely on busy days and enjoy the smaller attractions, shows, and street entertainment. You may be surprised just how enjoyable that can be. We even wrote an article all about enjoying those non-ride days in the parks:
A Ride-Free Day at Disneyland? More Enjoyable than You’d Think!
Disneyland & DCA Walkthrough
Now that you’ve tasted what Disneyland looked like this week, why not take a look at the park for yourself? Every Friday at 5pm, we do a live stream on our Facebook and Youtube pages. If you didn’t watch us live, you can see our recent video below:
These videos give us a chance to show you what we see in the parks, plus give you an opportunity to ask any questions you might have. We really enjoy doing these walkthroughs, and we hope you like them! Tune in this Friday at 5pm for a special treat from a very exclusive Disney location outside the parks!
Moving Forward… DisneylandForward
Disneyland has been busy meeting with community groups and holding small forums to inform the public about its plans for resort expansion. While that’s exciting, very little has changed from the earliest days of the project just over 2 years ago. You can read all about the addition of a new entertainment zone and giant parking structure on the east side of the resort, as well as a possible 3rd park on the west side:
https://www.micechat.com/286075-breaking-news-disneyland-resort-future-expansion-details/
And while there isn’t much new news… yet… Disney has certainly increased the frequency of meetings with the public and local businesses about the big project. It has been Disney’s hope that they will secure all the zoning changes they need by this fall or early next year at the latest. Then plans can really be formalized for what, exactly, will be built and when.
For those who think all of this is just pie in the sky, there’s a small army of Disney folks who are working nonstop on trying to make this dream a reality. Time will tell how much actually gets built, but we have a great deal of hope that the most ambitious plans will be approved by the city and by Disney’s highest executives. But given the billions of dollars that will be required for this transformation, nothing is certain.
…Star Wars Bonanza…
May the Force be with you! If you’re a Star Wars fan, then you already know that May is all about Star Wars. It started with Star Wars Day (May the Fourth), and it’s now been extended through the whole month. To celebrate, Disneyland has a whole array of offerings that are available for a limited time. Let’s take a closer look…
Star Wars Month
The official Star Wars Day is celebrated on May 4th, as it inspired the popular phrase “May the 4th be with you,” which is now widely used by Disney and fans across the globe. The month of May holds special significance for the franchise, as it marks the release of numerous Star Wars films, including the original. In recent years, Disneyland has increasingly embraced Star Wars Day, and this year they are hosting a month-long event to honor our beloved intergalactic heroes. For more information, check out our in-depth article on the festivities:
When we visited Disneyland on May 4, we could hardly believe our eyes…
Since the inauguration of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, it has primarily served as a peaceful retreat from the bustling atmosphere of the rest of Disneyland. Apart from the popular Rise of the Resistance attraction, the area generally remains uncrowded, as there are limited activities beyond the two main attractions. However, on Star Wars Day, Galaxy’s Edge experienced an unprecedented surge in visitors. There was a wait time exceeding 45 minutes to enter Dok Ondar’s, one of the few locations offering the limited-edition Cal Kestis lightsaber for $400. Despite the high price, hundreds of guests purchased the set, leading to a complete sell-out both in the park and on shopDisney.
Similarly, Kat Saka’s Kettle (a spot that rarely sees a customer, even on good days) had a taped overflow queue filled with people wanting to get new flavors of popcorn and a droid popcorn bucket.
So, it seems that Galaxy’s Edge can draw a crowd if there’s a good reason, and new offerings was that reason on the 4th. On our special Star Wars Day live stream, a viewer asked what could be done to improve Galaxy’s Edge, and our response remains to add what people are looking for: classic Star Wars characters, music from the movies, fun and whimsy, and at least one more attraction.
For a while on May the 4th, the two attractions in Galaxy’s Edge had standby waits of 120 minutes each!
You can watch our special Star Wars Day live stream from Galaxy’s Edge and Tomorrowland below:
More Star Wars in Tomorrowland: Hyperspace Mountain Returns
Now’s your chance to experience Space Mountain with a limited-time Star Wars overlay, Hyperspace Mountain. This overlay puts you in the middle of the action between the Rebels and the Empire, all while jetting around the galaxy.
This overlay has been wildly popular since its return— often making it the longest wait in the park. When we visited Disneyland, we saw on May 4th that Lightning Lane for the day was completely sold out for the attraction within just a few hours of park opening; when we visited on the 5th, it had a 75+ minute wait!
Strangely, the clock on the sign is missing its hands.
When we rode the attraction, the queue was moving at a glacial pace. We’re wondering if there was an operational change or if they were having an off day.
We also noticed that a single-rider line has returned to the attraction (which we believe hasn’t been offered since 2019). Regular guests stay in the left lane, and single riders now queue up in the right lane before loading.
When we finished our ride on Hyperspace Mountain, we noticed that the Disability Access Service line was quite long, winding nearly to the Starcade exit! With DAS & single rider queuing from the exit of the attraction, as well as bathrooms, things can get pretty crowded here. This guest flow in this area could really use a reworking.
The Hyperspace Mountain overlay is here only for a limited time. You’ll be able to catch a ride on Hyperspace Mountain now through June 4. You can get more details in the article:
The Force Is Strong With the Return of Hyperspace Mountain at Disneyland!
Star Wars Nite
The first round of Star Wars Nites took place last week. The after-hours event featured an assortment of Star Wars characters, party-exclusive food, and lightsaber meetups.
This year, there are 4 party nights: May 2, 4, 8, and 11, and all nights are fully sold out. Tickets for the event ranged between $149-$169 per person. While that seems a bit expensive for our taste, clearly, there’s demand for these events that the other after-hours parties can’t seem to replicate. And with Star Wars now taking over the whole month of May, the park probably could have offered two ‘nites’ per week for the entire month and sold them all out.
Perhaps it’s the characters or the fact it’s a very well-known franchise, but Star Wars Nite is undoubtedly the most successful of the Disneyland After Dark events in the lineup.
Star Wars Merchandise
In true Disney fashion, it wouldn’t be a celebratory occasion without selling some merchandise. This year, there were quite a few Star Wars Day merchandise options to choose from, not only from the parks but from shopDisney and other retailers. We particularly like the Jeff Granito items, like a coaster set and a tiki mug.
And, as you might expect, the baby Grogu sipper was quite popular. (The little creature in his cup is spring-loaded)
Our merchandise master, Natalie Kipper, rounded up the best of the batch in the article below:
Intergalactic Photography
In our recently-revived Friday photography column, MiceShots, we took a look at the photogenic side of Star Wars at Disneyland. If you enjoy Disneyland photos, you’ll definitely want to check out this article:
If you’re feeling a little wistful that you’re not in Galaxy’s Edge right now, we’ve got something to cure that feeling. To celebrate Star Wars Day, we pieced together this amazing montage of the best parts of Galaxy’s Edge:
Disneyland Construction Projects
Let’s take a look at the many Disneyland Resort construction projects.
Adventureland Treehouse
The upcoming Adventureland Treehouse, Inspired by the Swiss Family Robinson, will likely open this summer. The scrims are very slowly coming down. But there’s still a lot to be accomplished here. An elaborate water wheel and pully system is yet to be installed, as well as one of the rooms. But things are moving along quickly.
Tiana’s Palace + Mint Julep Bar
Less clear is how fast things are moving at Tiana’s Palace restaurant.
The one thing of note this week was that the construction walls have been pushed out further. This is an estimated 6-month project, so we hope to see the finished product this fall.
Fantasmic Delay
While the spectacular Fantasmic fire was contained to the Maleficent Dragon and her elevator lift, the rest of the show infrastructure was thankfully unharmed. Disney has yet to make a formal announcement on when the show might return, but internally cast have been informed that the show will remain dark until at least May 28. That date may be delayed further, but due to staffing and scheduling considerations, Disney is letting the crew know that they shouldn’t expect to be scheduled prior to that date.
What’s left of the Maleficent Dragon is still behind scrims as crews work to disassemble the remains of the animatronic.
As of later last week, the island has reopened to guests with the access to the stage area being blocked with construction walls.
Matterhorn
The Matterhorn bobsled coaster will remain closed through the end of this month and is slated to return just one day after Splash Mountain closes for its major transformation.
Toontown
Mickey’s land remains very popular with guests… which must make it hard to deal with some imperfections in the new land that require attention. One of the issues is that the brand-new fountain at the center of the land is beginning to rust.
The speaker boxes under the fountain are already discolored with rust spots.
New Fire Sprinklers have also been installed in the quiet corner of Toontown.
Meanwhile, over at Donald’s Boat, the splash pad still has yet to open.
San Fransokyo
The transition from Pacific Wharf to San Fransokyo is well underway at DCA. This week, the exterior paint of the outermost buildings facing the parade route was finished. The scaffolding is coming down now.
The new additions are quite seamless from what originally was there. This Wharfside Travel Agency features a little flying Baymax.
We imagine that the little dining patio on the side of Pacific Wharf Bakery will soon reopen. This is our favorite little place to eat food; it’s quiet, mostly hidden, and it’s got a great view of the water.
Speaking of Pacific Wharf Bakery, we noticed this cute little lucky cat painted on its exterior. The Bakery will be getting a Lucky Cat Cafe makeover but won’t be dropping the Boudin sponsorship. We expect the Bakery Tour to remain.
Over at the future cerveceria/beer window, the area is still behind construction walls. We’re hoping to see some visible progress soon.
While we were looking at the future spot of the cerveceria, we noticed a little bird’s nest in the Cocina Cucamonga sign with the resident flitting in and out of the O.
The San Fransokyo Gate Bridge construction appears to have been stalled for weeks. We’re still waiting to see the large Torii gate/Golden Gate Bridge structures added to the sides of the existing bridge.
Lucky Fortune Cookery’s sign has seen much better days. The paint is peeling and looks terrible on close inspection.
With the retheme of San Fransokyo, we’re wondering if this eatery will be getting a touchup. We imagine that this sign would be fairly difficult to rehab with its intricate neon structure, but it’s looking quite a bit worse for wear.
Silly Symphony Swings
The major refurbishment of the Silly Symphony Swings is wrapping up. This week, we noticed that the swings and chains have been reinstalled. The project is supposed to be finished on May 18th, so there’s still another week left before you can spin yourself silly.
New Villas at the Disneyland Hotel Tower
More of the new Disney Vacation Club tower at the Disneyland Hotel has been uncovered. Most of the scrims are now coming down, unveiling The Villas at the Disneyland Hotel.
The building itself looks nice, but it does stand out like a sore thumb next to the rest of the hotel complex.
The color palette of the new tower is jarring in comparison to the other 3 buildings. The older towers were all recently painted in a few shades of blue, but the new tower is a combo of warm tones: burnt-umber, orange, and yellow. It really makes you wonder why the older towers weren’t painted in hues complimentary to the new tower. Here’s the current color scheme of the old Disneyland hotel towers:
When complete, the new tower will look like the concept image below:
The Villas at the Disneyland Hotel is set to open in late September. You can get more information about the DVC property, including first video of the interior of the hotel, in the article below:
ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW: The Villas at the Disneyland Hotel – News & Views!
Refurbishments
Currently Under Refurbishment
- Tarzan’s Treehouse Transformation: (September 1st, 2021-2023)
- French Market remodel to Tiana’s Palace + Mint Julep Bar: (February 17th-TBA)
- Silly Symphony Swings: (February 27th-May 18th)
- Matterhorn Bobsleds: (April 17th-June 1st)
Upcoming Refurbishments
- Splash Mountain Conversion Tiana’s Bayou Adventure: (May 31st, 2023-Late 2024)
- The Little Mermaid – Ariel’s Undersea Adventure: (June 5th-7th)
- Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride: (June 5th-15th)
- Alice in Wonderland: (June 5th-15th)
- Peter Pan’s Flight: (June 5th-TBA)
Peter Pan is the only Fantasyland dark ride in the castle show building that still doesn’t have a return date. But the remaining rides in the building will only be down for 10 days.
This & That
There are just a couple of little stories to report on from Disneyland this week. Let’s take a look!
AAPI Month
May is a multitude of various themed months. Not only is it Star Wars Month, but it’s also Asian-American Pacific Islander Heritage Month. The Disneyland Resort is celebrating (somewhat minimally) with a few food options. While Disney’s food guide primarily lists items that are already offered around the resort during regular times, there are a few new items that cropped up this week. Here are a couple of the new items
- Sweet Thai Chile Chicken Tenders at Paradise Garden Grill
- Atomic Pretzel: Salmon Poke Pretzel at Pym Test Kitchen (this is new to us but apparently has been available for a while)
- Poke Bowl at GCH Craftsman Grill (this was previously on the menu… but it’s apparently coming back May 9)
There’s another way that Disneyland is celebrating AAPI Heritage Month, with a window display at the Emporium. It’s a cute display that features a variety of Asian cultures.
Guardians of the Galaxy
If you’re a dedicated Marvel fan, you’ve likely already seen the new Guardians of the Galaxy movie that came out this week. If you haven’t seen it yet (like us), you can still enjoy an increased presence of Guardians content around DCA— without any spoilers (unlike what happened with Black Panther 2). Here’s how you can celebrate the conclusion of the Guardians trilogy.
There are a few new food options around Avengers Campus to celebrate the new movie. The popular item is the Milky Fizz drink (which comes with a sipper). It’s a desert pear cream soda available at Pym Test Kitchen. The sipper is also available with other drink options at the Shawarma Carts around the land.
Pym Test Kitchen also offers Orloni on a Stick (which are kabobs), and a special Cardamom and Caramel Churro Cold Brew (dubbed Experiment 1517). At the Pym Tasting Lab, there are some new bar snacks for sale called Zarg-Bits.
The Cookies & Cream Cold Brew from Pym’s Test Kitchen $6.79
And in true synergetic movie-to-theme-park fashion, there’s a new character in the land that made her debut on Friday: Mantis! The half-sibling of Star-Lord, Mantis is very inquisitive about the customs of Earth and an eager participant in the Awesome Dance-Off. While Mantis isn’t a walkaround character (to our knowledge), she is fun to watch in the little show.
Additionally, there is a slew of merchandise celebrating the release of the film. There are a few items available around the parks and much more online. Take a look at the full collection in the article below:
Join the MiceChat CHOC Walk 2023 Team!
MiceChat is more than just your go-to source for Disneyland news. This summer, we’re supporting the Children’s Hospital of Orange County (CHOC) with the 2023 CHOC Walk. This early-morning walk through Disneyland and DCA helps raise money to support healthcare programs, education, and research at CHOC Children’s Hospitals.
We regularly participate in the CHOC Walk, and we’re looking forward to doing it again on August 20! You can help us reach that goal in two ways:
First, you can join our MiceChat CHOC Walk team— we’d love to walk with you! This is a great way to meet fellow MiceChatters while supporting a great cause. You can find the details for joining the MiceChat team HERE!
The other way that you can support MiceChat for this year’s CHOC Walk is by donating to our team. However you decide to support us, your help is deeply appreciated!
Around the Parks
Let’s finish off today’s Disneyland Update with a few pretty photos from around the resort. We had a wide range of weather this week, from torrential rain to crystal blue skies.
Conspiracy theory alert: we noticed that the vast majority of the balloons sold in the park are the Easter basket balloons. It’s well past Easter at this point, so we’re imagining that Disney is trying to get rid of inventory instead of boxing it up and saving the balloons for next year. Here are two different balloon vendors selling Easter balloons…
We caught the very end of Magic Happens. It’s a fun and upbeat parade; definitely give it a watch on your next trip!
We’re a hungry bunch here at MiceChat. Here’s a few things we devoured this week:
With the occasional rain this week, it made for some fun photo drama.
And let’s put that scene in motion with this amazing timelapse video:
Some lingering clouds looked ominous for a bit but cleared up into the sort of California weather people dream about.
The season of the Pink Trumpet Trees is about to wrap up in the next few weeks. Enjoy these gorgeous pink blossoms while you can!
We saw a few friends this week, characters and animals!
We’re a big fan of the revamped ToonTown— especially Runaway Railway!
We caught some great live music at the Grand Californian Hotel.
The live tree for Earth Month in April was swapped out for a tree stump vase last week… and has now been swapped again for a driftwood and floral sculpture. We’re still wondering what happened to that poor Earth Month tree. We hope it found a forever home…
The evolving floral display. Last week on the left and this week on the right. Which do you like better?
Discount Disney Theme Park Tickets & Hotels!!!
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Check out the latest offers for Disneyland, Walt Disney World, Universal Studios, and Knott’s Berry Farm:
(MiceChat works with Get Away Today to provide you with the best theme park travel deals and we may make a small commission on any sales made through our links)
Let’s Hear From You!
That’s all she wrote, folks. It was a week of weather highs and lows, but mostly packed parks. Avengers Campus again proved that Disney can deliver characters and entertainment as soon as the content arrives in the theaters or on TV. And the number of construction projects going on right now is wild. We didn’t even show you what was happening in Downtown Disney since we covered it extensively last week. Now it’s your turn. What caught your eye? How do you handle the crowded days at Disneyland? And are you an occasional tourist or a Disneyland regular?
We’ll leave you with a moment of theme park zen:
My deepest thanks to Mike Kindrich, Scott Solo, and Nathan Villamor for their help with this week’s update, photos and videos.