Disneyland Update: Toot-Toot, Groot, Splish & Splash!

Southern California just can’t shake the June Gloom but Disneyland is heading into summer with major projects underway, new offerings on their way soon, and big refurbishments in progress.  At Disneyland, Tiana’s takeover of New Orleans Square and Critter Country is in full swing with construction now underway at the French Market and Splash Mountain.  Meanwhile, the Adventureland Treehouse continues to take shape as half of Fantasyland closes for refurbishment.  In Disney California Adventure, a free-roaming Audio Animatronics Groot gets ready for his heroic debut in Avengers Campus.  Meanwhile, major construction is underway at Downtown Disney and two of the Resort’s hotels.  

We’ve got a big update for you this week, so let’s get started! 

Welcome to Disneyland!

Southern California’s “May Gray” and “June Gloom” mean cloudy mornings stretching into the early afternoon with a murky gray overcast. But this year, the ‘Gloom’ has been lasting much longer, sometimes all day. While it makes for some eerie photos, it also means that temperatures have been lovely for a theme park visit.

This weekend the gray skies hung over Disneyland non-stop before finally breaking through for a couple hours Sunday afternoon.  

The overcast made the otherwise cool highs in the low-70s feel a little warmer and humid in the afternoons.  Sunday afternoon’s sunshine, light breeze, and blue skies felt like a perfect springtime day in the parks.   It’s a little weird to be walking around Disneyland with hoodies and jeans this far into June, but it’s better than high temps in the direct sunlight; this change of pace isn’t bad.  

We’ve also entered the traditional tourist season, which these days means high-priced day tickets. So, aside from the gloom, we have some very costly days. The side effect is that crowds are generally lower on the highest cost days. While Disneyland walkways often feel as busy as ever, attraction queues were pretty manageable over the weekend.  Reservations, higher ticket prices, and an unusually late arrival for summer weather seems to have held back summer crowds so far this June. 

Walkways may always feel busy these days and queues often feel worse with the disastrous Genie+ system in place, but the reality is that getting around the parks is nowhere near as difficult as summers past when Disney wasn’t manipulating crowd levels, and crowd flow through park reservations and Genie+.

It’s a double-edged sword but like anything Disneyland implements, we seasoned park guests find ways to make complicated and guest-unfriendly practices benefit us. 

A look at some pretty reasonable attraction wait times on Friday afternoon.

Not too bad for a summer Friday. 

Crowds didn’t feel as heavy in Disney California Adventure either. 

This is Groot!

We’ve been reporting on the ongoing playtesting of an adorable, if not slightly creepy, new Young Groot free-roaming Audio-Animatronic figure at Disney California Adventure.

The Groot playtest took place throughout the week in the Disney Jr. theater in Hollywood Land, in an updated version of the Guardians of the Galaxy: Awesome Dance Off! show that usually takes place in front of the Mission: BREAKOUT! attraction in Avengers Campus.

By the end of the week Disney publicly confirmed the playtesting was taking place and released a video of the new dancing animatronic in action (below).

Check out our last week’s coverage of the free-roaming Groot in the article below:

Baby Groot Play Testing at the Disneyland Resort

 

Following Disney’s announcement of the dancing Groot animatronic, we heard rumors that the free-roaming robot would be added to the daily showings in front of the Mission: BREAKOUT! attraction starting as early as Friday.  Friday came and went and the show performed in its most recent iteration featuring the recently-added Mantis character.  

Mantis is a lot of fun in the show and we hope that she sticks around in Avengers Campus for a while, even if Groot takes her spot in the Awesome Dance Off show. 

Murmurs continued that Groot could still debut this weekend at any time. On Saturday, the Awesome Danceoff show was scheduled throughout the afternoon but shortly before the first showing, all shows were canceled.  Was Groot planned to make his big debut and at the last minute got pre-show jitters?  

We gave the show another try on Sunday but Mantis was back.  So perhaps WDI put the new version of the show on pause to tinker with Groot a bit more before sending him out for multiple daily shows.  We hope to see Groot in the main show soon or even just as a character experience out in the land. But until then, Mantis adds a lot of charm and is so much fun in this show. 

Groot isn’t the only big (er… small?) change coming to Avengers Campus this summer.  Nearby Guardians of the Galaxy — Mission: BREAKOUT!, rehearsals for Rogers: The Musical are underway.   The marquee recently changed to feature a quote from Captain America.

The show is expected to hit around the half-hour mark and we’ve also heard some murmurs that the show will debut with a Virtual Queue as the only way to secure a seat.  While frustrating, we understand Disney wanting to utilize the Virtual Queue system to manage physical queues and wait times for this show, which is expected to be a very popular offering. 

The new show officially opens June 30. While being sold as a Limited Time engagement, Disney hasn’t announced an end date. So, should this show prove to be popular, we could see the “Limited Time” nature of this show pushed out as far as Disney needs to to be.

Inside Avengers Campus, work continues on building out the interior of the Avengers HQ gift shop.  

Avengers Campus opened with the Avengers HQ facade largely being false-front with nothing behind it.  Half of the facade’s ground-level is actually the gates to the Red Car Trolley’s barn.  The rest of the facade’s first level had space earmarked for for the exit gift shop to the future Quinjet-themed E-Ticket that was planned to be built behind the Avengers HQ facade.  With that Quinjet-themed E-Ticket shelved and a new Multiverse-themed E-Ticket announced (but with no set timeline), the gift shop was recently fast-tracked.  As it is, the land only has one small gift shop (adjacent to the Spider-Man attraction’s exit), as well as a small merchandise cart.  With so many Marvel movies, characters, and stories, more retail space in this land is a no-brainer.  Work currently continues on the side of the Avengers HQ facade, likely to add an extra door for easier guest flow, while Imagineers build-out the shop’s interior. 

Tiana makes a Splash

Splash Mountain officially closed on May 30 and work is rapidly getting underway to prep the E-Ticket flume ride for its Princess and the Frog-themed makeover.  Construction walls are now adorned with crate tables for the Southern Dome Salt Company as well as signs for TIANA’S FOODS — Coming Soon!  

The choice of construction wall decorations is a little strange.  I understand Imagineering wanting to drop hints at the ride’s backstory but these labels without context are confusing.  If you want guests to be excited for the all-new storyline, why not add some of the backstory pieces and artwork that Imagineering included with the attraction model at D23 Expo?  That stuff, the panels showcasing Tiana’s journey as a business owner and the history of the Southern Dome Salt Company would be perfect for the construction walls.  

But without that context, the random Southern Dome Salt Mine and Tiana’s Foods logos are strange and confusing for the average guest.  They explain nothing and we’ve heard several guests passing through the area thinking they’re simply turning Splash Mountain into a restaurant.  We’d love to see Imagineering show off what they’re doing at this exciting and important project, but so far, these construction wall signs are missing the mark.  

One highlight is the lovely Louis the Alligator panel where guests can pose for a picture with an instrument as part of the band. Unfortunately, this is located all the way into Critter Country, across from the Winnie the Pooh attraction.  With Splash Mountain closed and Pooh a low-demand ride, many guests simply won’t see this.  This fun, interactive construction wall would be better placed on the bridge directly in front of the mountain’s big drop, where more guests heading to and from Galaxy’s Edge will pass by, see it, and take photos with it.

 

Over the last week, Imagineers quickly got to work on the initial prep work to transform Splash Mountain into Tiana’s Bayou Adventure.   Below, the attraction’s main drop is blocked off for safety. 

Likely the case throughout the mountain, the drained flume is covered with plywood so Imagineers and construction workers can safely walk throughout the attraction.  Below is the portion of the flume that U-turns through the Rivers of America after the big drop. 

Meanwhile, non-structural items throughout the mountain have been asset tagged.  The three different-color tags (blue, green, red) indicated whether an item was being saved in place, removed and destroyed, or removed and sent to the Walt Disney Archives.  By Friday, we only spotted blue tags remaining, with all of the visible items on the exterior of the mountain that were tagged for removal (demolition and archives), already gone. 

The hand-carved Splash Mountain marquee above the attraction’s entrance was removed last week.

It’ll be interesting to see how much of this exterior will change as work gets underway. 

Over in New Orleans Square, work continues on the French Market Restaurant’s transformation into Tiana’s Palace. 

There’s not a ton to see here quite yet.  Scaffolding and trees obscure the majority of work underway.

On the backside of the restaurant, a portion of facade above the Mint Julep Bar has been uncovered, revealing a much brighter color scheme.  

In addition to brighter paint, the wrought iron balconies over the French Market’s outdoor patio are being repainted a bright yellow for the new Tiana’s Palace location. 

You can spot the bright yellow through cracks in the scaffolds and tarps.

It’s hard to tell in the concept art but there is, indeed, a yellow color overlay on the main balcony’s wrought-iron, where Princess Tiana is standing.  Hopefully it makes more sense in the finished product. 

Tiana’s Palace is set to open later this year.  Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is set to open in 2024.

Construction Kingdom & Refurbishment Round-Up

Let’s take a look at some of the other refurbishment and construction projects around the resort.  

Want more information, status updates, concept art, and more on many of the projects in today’s update?  Don’t miss the Disneyland Resort Project Tracker which is regularly updated with the latest news and information on many of the projects underway at  Disneyland! 

Disneyland Resort Project & Rumor Tracker

Fantasyland Fix-Up

In Fantasyland, the eastern half of Fantasyland dark rides are now closed while some much-needed, building-wide roof work is taken care of following Southern California’s very wet winter season.  

The closure affects both Peter Pan’s Flight and Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride in the castle courtyard. 

On the other side of the building, the Alice in Wonderland attraction is also closed.  All three dark rides share one large show building, divided up into three rides. 

Pin trading stations are outside of the attractions during their closures. 

You can’t ride the attractions, but you can read the Golden Book. 

Looks like some equipment to help with the repair work is behind walls on the side of the Alice in Wonderland attraction. 

Unrelated to the dark-ride roof work, the Red Rose Taverne and restrooms on the other side of Fantasyland are getting some facade refurbishment work done.  The restaurant and restrooms are both open during refurbishment. 

(You Can’t) Touch the Grass

In Mickey’s Toontown, the new faux-grassy area in front of Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin is behind walls.  This work is following the leveling of the planter for Walt’s tree in nearby CenTOONial Park which posed a tripping hazard.  Similar issues are at play here and the work is addressing problems with the initial installation of trees throughout the land. 

Elsewhere in Toontown, the rooftop work above Daisy’s Cafe is coming along…

And unfortunately, the Donald’s Duck Pond water features have yet to be completed and turned on.  Hopefully soon.

Adventureland Treehouse construction

Work continues on the Adventureland Treehouse. We are really looking forward to this one finally opening. The concept art looks charming and the attraction has been missed. 

Construction workers were installing parts of the treehouse on Friday.

No opening date has been announced yet besides 2023 but we’re looking to explore the new treehouse when it opens… hopefully this summer.  

Fantasmic! progress

Work continues on fixing Fantasmic! after the dramatic Maleficent dragon fire.  The show is expected to remain dark through at least Labor Day.  New this week, the stage on the island is now completely open for guests to walk on during Tom Sawyer Island operating hours. 

There’s no visible damage or work underway in view of guests.  Hard to imagine the inferno that raged here for hours. 

These stairs were rebuilt and aged to match the stairs on the opposite side. 

New Orleans Square Railroad Station repairs

A portion of the New Orleans Square Railroad Station is still behind refurbishment tarps following a fire that broke out and damaged the building earlier this year. 

San Fransokyo Square gets ready for a summer opening

Most of the scaffolding has come down along the backside of the Pacific Wharf/Port of San Fransokyo buildings that face the parade route.   The new San Fransokyo Square area, which will be infused with more whimsy and character, will roll out over the next few weeks in a phased opening.  Rather than a land in a theme park, the transformed food court will treat itself as an immersive, real-life location when it debuts (similar to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge).  Dining locations will get refreshed menus with Asian-inspired twists while retaining their most popular items such as the popular Quesa Birria Tacos at Cocina Cucamonga and Bulgogi burrito at Lucky Fortune Cookery.  And be sure to keep an eye out for Baymax sourdough! 

The new graphics and added details look great and add some extra visual interest to these facades. 

Scaffolding is now up along the Boudin Bakery as the rest of this large building continues to get refreshed as part of the San Fransokyo Square project.

Don’t expect the Pacific Wharf Canning Co. signage to remain for much longer…

Lots of work underway at the Boudin Bakery and the Pacific Wharf Cafe, which is soon to become the Lucky Cat Cafe by the end of July.

Over at Cocina Cucamonga, the new Port of San Fransokyo Cerveceria continues to take shape.

The facility is being extended to accommodate the new walk-up beer window. 

With the Pacific Wharf Distribution Co. beer truck (which was sponsored by Karl Strauss Brewing) now gone to make room for Baymax — but don’t worry, you’ll be able to sip your favorite Karl Strauss brews again in late July! 

Nearby, some walls are up in the covered area of Cocina Cucamonga, where dining tables were recently located.

And steps away, the construction walls are up where the Pacific Wharf Distribution Co. beer truck was parked since park opening in 2001.  Baymax will soon meet guests here. 

Over at the Lucky Fortune Cookery, the restaurant’s neon sign has been removed for refurbishment.  The marquee was in pretty bad shape.  

Nearby, the area’s restroom facade work is finished and looks nice.  

Love the Baymax restroom decals.

The fictional Salt ‘n’ Sea company sign will remain with new Japanese characters added, to blend it in with the San Fransokyo theme. 

The bridge remains unfinished for now.  It’s likely the new towers will be dropped in overnight, closer to San Fransokyo Square’s completion later in July.  Stay tuned for more info on San Fransokyo Square here on MiceChat! 

Downtown Disney takes shape

Remember the Uva Bar? Good… because your memory is all that’s left of the spot. 

On Friday, Disney announced a new offering will be added between Splitsville and Tortilla Jo’s. “The Alley” will feature activities, lounge areas, and food and drink from Splitsville.  

The Alley will open this summer and per Disney’s official announcement, will offer areas where guests “can relax, play games and create memories in this fun new spot, and enjoy all the delicious food and beverage offerings from Splitsville.”  

For more information on The Alley and other recent Downtown Disney changes, check out our coverage from last week:

https://www.micechat.com/344054-downtown-disneys-updates-earl-of-sandwich-portos-bakery-and-more/

We’re wondering if The Alley is the first step in Disney announcing a replacement for Tortilla Jo’s.  Adding dining capacity here and pulling guests into Splitsville (one of Downtown Disney’s least popular locations) could help if Tortilla Jo’s is set to close. Replacing Tortilla Jo’s seems like a likely next step for Downtown Disney as the high-end Mexican dining at Paseo and Centrico makes Tortilla Jo’s redundant… especially since both Tortilla Jo’s and Paseo/Centrico are owned by the same company (the Patina Group). 

In addition to being another Mexican restaurant steps away from a brand new one, Tortilla Jo’s is also showing a lot of neglect.  The facade has long needed a refurbishment, with signage peeling, paint cracking, and themed elements needing replacement. 

The whole building needs some TLC.

Faded awnings and signage at the quick service Taqueria side. 

Meanwhile, construction has ramped up on Downtown Disney’s west side expansion.  Vertical construction is underway in earnest and going up fast.

Views of the construction site from the Monorail:

We’re excited to see new shopping and dining finally take shape. 

Disneyland Hotel construction

Work continues on the new Disney Vacation Club tower at the Disneyland Hotel.  The exterior is near completion, but work continues inside as the tower races toward its September 2023 opening. 

The colorful art panels are a nice touch. 

It sure makes the old Disneyland Hotel tours look boring in comparison. 

 

Pixar Place Hotel gets some character

Work continues on the transformation of Paradise Pier Hotel into the new Pixar Place Hotel.  

The new Great Maple Restaurant will be added where the former PCH Grill was located, and a new glass-covered patio will be added. 

The glass-enclosed area with the beige supports will be part of Great Maple. 

You can see how the new dining location will look from the outside in the concept rendering below.

Work on a new marquee for the hotel is underway where the old Paradise Pier Hotel signage was. 

Inside the lobby, the Luxo Jr. lamp will be installed here closer to when the hotel officially reopens as Pixar Place. 

Work continues on the check-in area’s theming, art, and decorations.

The new lounge/cafe area got some new character with colorful sketches of famous Pixar characters added to the black-and-white doodle graphics on the walls here.

The color helps a lot here — and we hope even more color will be added throughout the common areas in this hotel.  The project overall feels pretty cold and sterile and desperately needs more color, warmth and charm.  Hopefully it’s on its way. 

Speaking of Great Maple, we hope Disney can get this location up and running quickly.  This hotel needs a dining location desperately. 

Currently, the only food available at the hotel is an empty ballroom filled with vending machines.  For the price guests are paying to stay here with all of the construction underway, a room of vending machines as the only food option is entirely unacceptable. 

This and That

A few odd and ends around the Resort…

717 Back on Track

In Disney California Adventure, the Red Car Trolley’s 717 car is back on track.  On Sunday, the trolley car returned to the tracks after being offstage since the Resort’s 2020 shutdown.  It’s nice to see both trolleys operating in the park again, adding more capacity and added kinetic action to Buena Vista Street and Hollywood Land.  Ding ding! 

In Disneyland, the Plaza Point holiday store is still decorated for spring but should be decked out in its patriotic summer look by now. 

Over in the Tropical Hideaway, the Rosita animatronic isn’t working and was sitting uncovered and non-operational on Friday.

Over at Pirates of the Caribbean, the parrot at the entrance of the ride is missing.  While it’s typical that animatronics are cycled out for refurbishment at big attractions like this, we did notice that the audio for the parrot was still turned on even though it was missing in action.  

A variety of Pride decorations, merchandise, and specialty treats can be found throughout the Resort in celebration of Pride month. 

Around the Parks

Let’s wrap up today’s update with some views from around the parks…

Thanks for reading! 

Thanks for reading!  Are you looking forward to San Fransokyo Square?  Are you ready for a more cartoony New Orleans? Waiting for your chance to see young Groot? Out of everything in the works at the Disneyland Resort, what are you most looking forward to? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below and be sure to share today’s update with your friends and family!  

A big thank you to Mike Kendrich for some extra help with photos this week!