It’s been an interesting week for Disneyland fans. Fantasmic gets a little closer to returning. We show you the remarkable progress from the site of the massive fire. There’s also been a lot of comparison between Walt Disney World and Disneyland in regard to reservations, especially after some new announcements from WDW this week about guest experience enhancements. We’ll take a look, but we aren’t so sure reservations should be dropped here as quickly as they will be at WDW. It’s been a week of crowd booms, construction views, and lots of blooms. Here’s your weekly Disneyland news roundup!
Comparison is the Thief of Joy Theme Park Access
This week, Walt Disney World announced some major changes coming in 2024 that will make planning a trip to The Most Magical Place on Earth a whole lot easier. Changes include the return of Disney Dining Plans, the continuation of extended theme park hours for Disney Resort hotel guests, and new ahead-of-time planning for Genie+. However, by far, the most exciting update was the further relaxation of reservations— going as far as eliminating reservations for date-based tickets.
From a side-by-side comparison, it would seem that WDW is getting all the good stuff— especially in terms of reservations. But we’d like to take a second to show you that pitting WDW against Disneyland isn’t exactly a fair fight. Here’s what you need to know why Disneyland isn’t getting rid of reservations (yet).
In Disney’s recent Quarter 2 Financial Results call this week, there were some revelations about attendance at both Disneyland and WDW. Here at Disneyland, there was an increase in operating income, stemming largely from growth in attendance and guest spending (partly thanks to increases in average ticket prices and average daily hotel room rates). Conversely, WDW saw a decrease in profits. So the plan to relax reservations is a method to increase attendance out in Florida. Here’s a simple breakdown of the financial call:
DISNEY NEWS: Disney World Decline, Disneyland Increase & Other Disney Q2 Earnings Reveals!
Because of the increased attendance at Disneyland, reservations help manage how many people are in the park— balancing what’s best for profits and guest experience. The Disneyland Resort has a significantly smaller footprint than the Walt Disney World Resort, but a much larger pool of passholders than WDW, so managing overcrowding is a major contributor as to why Disneyland still needs reservations. That said, big crowds are becoming a thing again at Disneyland, which we’ll take a look at in just a moment.
What’s the financial incentive for Disneyland to drop reservations? They help load-balance crowds, shifting guests away from the busiest days and onto the least crowded days, making all days a little more even. So, for now, reservations help Disneyland make a little more money and do marginally ensure that the resort doesn’t have the same boom-and-bust crowd patterns of the past. But a change in visitor patterns, drop in passholder demand, or significant drop in earnings could quickly cause Disneyland to change course as well. Now that WDW has paved the way, it is much easier for Disneyland to make similar changes whenever they feel they need to do so. But as long as reservations remain as strong as they are right now, there’s not much incentive for Disneyland to make big changes (though we could see some minor guest experience changes).
If you want to know more about the upcoming changes to Walt Disney World, take a look at the articles below:
BREAKING! Walt Disney World Reveals MAJOR Guest Experience Changes for 2024
Walt Disney World Update: Reservations, Transformations & Consternations!
Summer Crowds Already?
If you felt that recent days in Disneyland have been busier, you’re definitely not wrong. When we were in the park on Thursday, we kept commenting to each other how busy it was! Our recent findings are that it’s largely going to be busy pretty much every day of the week. With end-of-year field trips and Grad Nites taking place, you’ll notice an influx of younger-aged guests.
When we entered the park on Thursday, we caught the end of Magic Happens… and it kept happening and happening. Apparently, the finale float was stalled on Main Street, leading to a major traffic jam as some guests were held up from leaving the park, and guests like us had difficulty getting in.
Thursday was a sold-out day (no reservations available). And while the walkways of the park were particularly crowded, the wait times did not reflect that same feeling. The waits for all the attractions at Disneyland on Thursday were under an hour! Mid-day on Thursday, even with packed walkways, Rise of the Resistance and Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway were both under an hour wait, with many other popular rides under half an hour.
Although we begrudgingly acknowledge the heightened crowds, it’s still easier to manage than during the pre-2020 days of attendance free-for-alls. Reservations are useful in keeping the parks from becoming insanely packed (but that depends on how many reservations Disneyland allows for the day, which varies). Here’s the Magic Key availability as of May 12:
That said, some of Disneyland’s lowest-priced tickets are currently available for purchase, which means those days will likely be busy too. MANY guests wait for these lowest-cost days. There are days over the next few months that are priced at the Tier 0 ($104 for adult 1-day/1-park tickets). You’ll see that the $104 days are sandwiched between $159+ weekends, meaning that crowds will pretty much be guaranteed during the week since the weekends are so much more expensive.
A Walk in the Park AND an Exclusive Bonus!
If you tuned in to our video on Thursday, we didn’t accidentally do our video walkthrough of Disneyland a day early… We added an extra video of the conditions around the park because Dusty had a very special video lined up for the usual time on Friday. Luckily for you, I’ve got both videos for you! First, we’ve got our Disneyland walkthrough on Thursday, where we catch up on reservation news, crowds, and Fantasmic updates:
And now, here’s an exclusive look at Walt Disney’s Historic 1930s/40s estate in the Hollywood Hills! In addition to being the CEO of MiceChat, Dusty is also a Disney historian and caretaker of Walt’s storybook mansion. He spent the entire weekend giving back-to-back tours of this incredible bit of Disney history. Here’s a special look inside this storybook mansion:
We’ll be back at Disneyland this Friday at 5pm, so be sure to follow along on our Facebook and Youtube pages!
School’s (Nearly) Out for Summer
As we mentioned earlier, we’re approaching the end of the school year. For the last few weeks, we’ve seen hundreds of kids participating in Disney Imagination Campus (Disney’s school group activity tours). And as of this past Friday, Grad Nites at the resort have also started.
Grad Nite can be a fun, exciting time for new (or soon-to-be) graduates, but it can lead to exceptionally busy (and sometimes rowdy) days in the parks. We try to avoid days when there is a Grad Nite. This year, Grad Nite takes place on
- May: 12, 14, 17, 19, 21, 24, 25, 30, 31
- June: 2, 4, 7, 9, 14, 16
Do you avoid the annual return of celebratory teens?
Speaking of special events, the final Star Wars Nite wrapped up this week. Now, the only Disneyland After Dark event slated for the future is the upcoming Pride Nite. Tickets for the June 13 event are still available (at the time of publishing). Get the details for Pride Nite in the article below:
Disneyland After Dark Events Continue with First-Ever Pride Nite
Surprising Fantasmic Progress!
It’s been a few weeks since the Maleficent Dragon (lovingly called Murphy) from Fantasmic burned in a blaze of (unintentional) glory. But now, all traces of the dragon’s remains have already been removed. Earlier this week, we heard Murphy being disassembled. However, by the time of our visit on Thursday, the trapdoor in the stage had been closed up and all the temporary scrims were removed. That’s tremendous progress.
We noticed only a small area of scorching near the stairs.
But that spot was promptly covered with a green tarp.
Cast members have been told that Fantasmic will not be returning until at least May 28th, but we’d expect to see that date slip a bit more. Though we’d love to see it return as soon as possible, and I’m sure Disneyland is missing all that revenue from dining packages!
We’re very curious about what the plans are regarding the dragon. Since the dragon is an incredibly expensive element to replace, we’re waiting to hear if the park will bring back an equivalent replacement for the dragon, a less expensive option, or perhaps no replacement at all (projections only).
While we’re on the topic of nighttime spectaculars, there’s one less place to watch Wondrous Journeys for the time being. With Fantasmic down, the Rivers of America doesn’t show the projections for Wondrous Journeys. For the time being, the best locations to watch the nighttime show is from Main Street, Sleeping Beauty Castle, and Small World.
Construction Updates
Across the resort, there are some changes to the major construction projects. Here’s what we noticed this week.
Adventureland Treehouse
The treehouse is still going through its major transformation. From what’s visible, it looks like things are progressing… but fairly slowly. The uppermost room of the second level still needs to be built out. Additionally, items at the ground level still need to be placed— most importantly, the waterwheel. The resort would like to have this open for summer, but there’s no official opening date yet.
Tiana’s Palace + Mint Julep Bar
The conversion of French Market to Tiana’s Palace is still underway. There’s not a whole lot that we can comment on. We prefer the look of the printed scrims over the blank ones… but what we’re really hoping for is to see what’s going on underneath! With a projected early fall return, we’re keeping a close eye for any changes.
San Fransokyo
Things have pretty much wrapped up on the exterior of San Fransokyo, and now the focus has turned inward. This week, the Boudin Bakery Tour has been surrounded by construction walls and scrims.
If you’re still wanting to get that free slice of sourdough— I mean, learn about how sourdough bread is made, the bakery tour is still open. We are not expecting significant changes to the Bakery Tour itself.
The construction walls go all the way to the Pacific Wharf Cafe.
The bridge is still awaiting its new towers.
We’ve heard that Rita’s Baja Blenders may be getting a new name as part of the San Fransokyo conversion.
Paseo and Centrico
At the future site of Downtown Disney’s new Mexican restaurant and bar, Paseo and Centrico, construction is actively taking place. The ceiling of the old Catal restaurant is being removed. We’re very curious to see how quickly this change will take place.
You can learn more about what’s headed to Downtown Disney in the article below:
Downtown Disney Shakeup Continues – Hot Chicken In, Favorites Out, Future Plans!
Jazz Kitchen
The construction walls around Jazz Kitchen have all been removed… but the work still isn’t finished.
The restaurant is still only seating upstairs.
This week, we noticed that the glass of the new Beignet Expressed had been blacked out. Beignets are available at a temporary table outside for the time being.
More Disneyland Project Updates
Looking for more Disneyland Resort updates? Be sure to bookmark the project tracker below for a comprehensive look at what’s going on around the entire resort:
Refurbishments
Here are the current and upcoming refurbs around the parks:
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 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)
This & That
There are just a couple of small stories from around the parks today. Here’s what to be on the lookout for on your next trip.
Menu Swap
If you’re looking for a Cheddar Garlic Bagel Twist, a cult-classic snack, you’ll have to go to a new location for it. The snack has moved from Maurice’s Treats to Edelweiss Snacks.
Maurice’s Treats has also gotten a few new items… and gotten rid of some favorites! Now, you can find a variety of pastries both sweet and savory. However, our favorite item, the Churro Gears, has been removed! We don’t know what the fate of this snack is, but we hope it isn’t gone permanently.
It’s a less than exciting new lineup.
Disneyland Blues: Broken Windows
For some people, a broken window means bad luck. But for Disneyland, that seems to just be a normal day. The animated windows of the Main Street Emporium have been (mostly) nonfunctional for so long that it’s absolutely absurd. We wish that Disney would pose and light the windows while a fix is in the works. Leaving them dark and broken just makes it all worse.
Beloved Disneyland Cat Passes Away
Sadly, Nutmeg, one of the Disneyland Resort’s best-known feral cats, has passed away. Nutmeg was loved by cast and guests alike— so much so that there is an homage to her at the Magic Key Terrace. Next time you’re up at the Magic Key Terrace, take a moment to look at her portrait and the decorative tiles that bear her likeness and think about the little cat that left an impact.
AAPI Month
May is Asian-American Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Around the resort, Disney is celebrating with specialty foods (that were mostly already available around the resort…), performances, and a few nods to the occasion. This week, we tried the Ohana Hibachi food truck in Downtown Disney.
We really enjoyed our orders! We tried the Bulgogi Beef bowl and the Kalua Pork bowl. For $14, you get a sizable amount of food.
While eating our food, we also caught a bit of some live music and dancing.
Theme Park Wars Continue
It’s an exciting time to be a theme park fan. With talks of new parks, new resorts, and new attractions in parks all over the world, the theme park wars are alive and well. Shelly, the Fabulous Disney Babe, shares her insights…
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!
We’ve had a number of new team members join this week, and we can’t wait to add some more! We’re looking forward to seeing you all in August!
Around the Parks
Let’s finish with just a few photos from our trip to Disneyland this week:
The Haunted Mansion is always looking for that 1000th ghost…
Are you looking forward to riding the Matterhorn Bobsleds again when they reopen on June 1?
Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge is back to its normal uncrowded self now that the hustle and bustle of Star Wars Day is over.
With Paseo & Centrico opening in the near future, Tortilla Jo’s days are numbered. Enjoy some Mexican fare at this classic location while you can!
If you’re a fan of Disneyland photography, we have a new weekly column for you to enjoy, MiceShots! Every Friday morning, you can find a MiceShots article that details some of the most beautiful aspects of the parks. This week, we shared a tour of the Rivers of America from the Mark Twain. Here’s a POV video for you to get you in the mood:
You can find the full article with lots of gorgeous photos below:
I would like to thank Mike Kindrich for all of his photos in today’s Disneyland Update— the article wouldn’t have been possible without his help.
Discount Disney Theme Park Tickets & Hotels!!!
MiceChat brings you the BEST theme park ticket, hotel & package deals! (You’ll find extra nights free, big discounts, and special offers as well).
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
And with that, the Disneyland Update has come to an end. Do you think that park reservations are still a good idea, or would we be better off returning to the days of unchecked park attendance? What do you think Disneyland will do about the Fantasmic Dragon? Will they return another amazing animatronic or cheap out in some way? Is there a particular construction project at Disneyland you’re most interested in? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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