Disneyland Update – Snubbed, Overlooked, & Sold Out!

It’s been a rollercoaster week at Disneyland! With the opening of the revamped Tiana’s Palace, success of the new San Fransokyo dining district, and near completion of the Adventureland Treehouse and Disneyland Villas hotel tower, the resort is letting the good times roll. But it’s not all great news. We broke the news about the Magic Key settlement details, which has (un)surprisingly led to ALL Magic Keys being marked as temporarily sold out. Are changes and price increases on the way? On top of it all, there was a bunch of news about new Disney Parks projects around the world… but Disneyland was mostly snubbed. We’ll share all of that and much more, including construction updates around the resort. 

Don’t miss this one, folks… and please be sure to share with your friends and family!

Disneyland Walkthrough

Before we get into the nitty gritty about this week’s news, get into the mood with a live video from Disneyland! This week, we were joined by my very good friend and travel agent extraordinaire, Lauren Masarik! She isn’t a Disneyland regular (Walt Disney World is her home park), so her thoughts about the Disneyland Resort will give you some food for thought. We also show you the latest construction around Disneyland, discuss Tiana’s multiple projects, ponder the Treehouse, and enjoy the holiday decor. It’s a lot of fun, come along for the ride…

Every Friday at 5pm PST, I share a live video from Disneyland to talk all about the current Disney news and share real-time updates from the park. You can watch the video live on the MiceChat Facebook or YouTube pages! 

Destination D Snubs Disneyland

There was a big D23 event over the weekend at Walt Disney World. As part of the multi-day expo-like event, Josh D’Amaro and his Disney Parks team announced a load of projects either in the works or in potential development.

The Imagineers even went so far as to talk about blue sky projects, such as an expansion for Magic Kingdom behind Big Thunder Mountain… even though they didn’t confirm ANY themes or real details.

But there were announcements about Zootopia, Indiana Jones, Encanto, Country Bears, and even Pirates of the Caribbean for Walt Disney World. But it wasn’t just WDW that Josh focused on. His team also shared news about big new rides and lands for Disney parks all over the world… 

🚨 New Attractions and Experiences Coming to Disney Parks Worldwide!

There was a brief mention of the upcoming Avengers Campus ride… But the Disneyland Resort was mostly forgotten at the event… Which left Disneyland fans with a lot of questions and concerns.

Let’s face it: Tomorrowland is an embarrassing relic (with multiple closed and under-used spaces). We sure would have loved to have at least heard someone at the event just say, “And plans are in the works to bring an exciting new tomorrow to Tomorrowland at Disneyland.” But that didn’t happen, folks. But there are, in fact, many MAJOR projects in the planning stages for various parts of the Disneyland resort, so why did Josh ignore the Disney Company’s flagship resort when there was plenty he could have made mention of? 

It’s a pretty safe bet that major redos and new rides, other than for Avengers Campus, will have to wait until the next D23 Expo in August of 2024. 

But there ARE projects in the works for the Disneyland Resort. Teams are working on potential dark rides, area enhancements, and even an Avatar land. And, bigger than any of that is a near doubling of the resort’s current capacity and likely new theme park (currently referred to as DisneylandForward). So why aren’t we hearing about any of it? This is likely because budgets are still very tight and because Disney is locked in a zoning tightrope act with Anaheim that they don’t want to derail. Still, there was a lot that Josh ‘could’ have said if he was willing to commit to Disneyland in the way he has to Walt Disney World. 

Here are just some of the things we’re waiting to hear more about. And if these things aren’t addressed at the upcoming D23 Expo, we should be prepared for long delays and more disappointment. 

Tomorrowland Troubles

The Tomorrowland Theater, Starcade, and old PeopleMover/Rocket Rods track are all abandoned. The old carousel building is mostly off-limits to guests, other than a lounge for Vacation Club members on the top floor. And the Autopia is anything but an example of the future with its toxic fume-belching vehicles. And the front of the land has had a construction wall up for over two years with no work at all done to remove it. 

Disney is well aware of the problems… but is caught in a never-ending loop of project planning, budgeting, and indecision.  If Josh wants to be a hero, he needs to help cement some projects for Tomorrowland and start teasing them. 

Hollywood Pictures Backlot

Nearly as disappointing as Tomorrowland is the half-closed Hollywood Pictures Backlot in DCA. Once the new Avengers Campus store opens to guests, Stage 17 will be freed up once more. And on the other side of the Monsters Inc ride is the long shuttered Hollywood and Dine building. But there are also a jumble of under-used spaces in this mini-land. Mickey’s PhilharMagic plays to a mostly empty theater all day long, the backlot stage is poorly utilized. And the most successful thing in the land, the beer stand, is tucked away behind a kid ride.  

We know that Disney has been contemplating a potential replacement for Monsters Inc for a long time, which could also mean redevelopment of the whole area… But you wouldn’t know that from Destination D.  

Bob Iger spilled the beans about an Avatar project for the Disneyland Resort months ago, and he’s mentioned it multiple times since. But STILL no word from the park on where or what that project will be. It could take over the Hollywood Pictures Backlot or possibly even the Grizzly Peak Airfield. It would be good for Disney to share some details on this project, especially since the CEO of the company seems excited to talk about it so often. 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               

Disneyland Forward

But the biggest project of them all is the 3rd park (yes, they will likely build a whole park and not just expansion for the two existing parks), along with expanded shopping, dining, hotel rooms, and parking. Unfortunately, because Disney doesn’t have the zoning approvals they need for this wide-ranging project, it’s still too soon to confirm any specific details on DisneylandForward other than that they want to build a parking garage behind Harbor Blvd, an entertainment district on the current Toy Story lot, and a multi-use theme park zone on the west side of the resort. If Disney gets everything they want, the impact for the company and city could be a doubling of the resort’s current revenue!

You’d think Josh would have wanted to at least blue sky a bit of that exciting prospect. If he can talk about projects at Walt Disney World that may never even happen, why not get folks excited about something… anything… for Disneyland?

What projects are most in need for the Disneyland Resort in your opinion? 

Money for Magic Keys

Remember the Dream Key? The pass that let you access the two Disneyland parks 365 days a year? Due to difficulty making park reservations and unfair distribution of availability (Dream Keys were frequently unable to obtain a park reservation even when day tickets were still available for purchase for the same day), a lawsuit was filed against Disney. 

After a long battle, Disney gave in and settled prior to an actual trial. Disney claims they did nothing wrong, but if they really felt that way, they wouldn’t have settled. As a result, anyone who purchased a Dream Key, is entitled to $67.41. No form is required to be filled out if you accept the settlement. You will be contacted by a third party company with details on how to receive the payment. You only need to take action if you want to exclude yourself from the settlement or if you want to object.

But here’s the really interesting thing… the day the settlement was released, Disneyland suspended sales of all new Magic Keys! It’s very likely that changes and a price increase are in the works. Disney isn’t just going to eat the cost of this settlement, they’ll find a way to pass the cost on to you one way or another. 

But we are very interested to see what changes may be made to the pass program, if any. And, now that Disney has pretty good data on traffic patterns for day guests and keyholders, might it be possible to loosen the reservation system, as they have at Walt Disney World? Perhaps only requiring reservations before 2pm and on weekends at Disneyland. 

We’d like to hear your thoughts, folks. Was the old Dream Key unfair in the way it handled park reservations and in the way it was marketed? Is the settlement amount sufficient for the harm claimed? What changes to the Magic Key program would you like to see now that the settlement has been announced? Should the Dream Key (365 day availability) return? And how much do you think pass prices will increase due to this settlement? 

Breaking News: Magic Key Settlement Emails Hit Inboxes

Tiana’s Palace Opens

Disneyland’s newest restaurant has opened and, so far, it’s a big hit. Crowds are flocking to the new establishment with New Orleans-inspired food. Be prepared for long waits and food with a lot of flavor. 

Kim Irvine and her team of Imagineers did a great job transforming the restaurant and adding lots of little story details. 

I’ve got to say that I really love this redo and the food. While some of the items are a tad too spicy for me, there are some great new dishes with lots of flavor. This is table service quality food, even though it’s a quick-service restaurant. 

But I’m not the only one who likes the place… Lines to visit Tiana’s Palace can switch back all the way around the patio. 

The line never stopped from open to close. They cut off the line at 8pm on Friday and left a cast member at the end of the line to turn additional guests away. 

Note that the Mint Julep Bar has reopened as well. It still offers its old menu of beignets and juleps. 

One more thing to be aware of, this restaurant offers Mobile Order and has an exterior pickup window. Unfortunately, the mobile order has been making it very difficult to find a table as more orders are being filled than there are tables turning. But getting a mobile order spot is very difficult at the moment. All availability fills up quickly in the morning. And, since Mobile Order pick up is outside, you miss out on the charming new interior details. Choose wisely. 

We have more photos and our review of the menu for you here: 

Now Open: Tiana’s Palace at Disneyland 👉 Full Details!

Oogie Boogie Bash

The completely sold-out after-hours Halloween party has officially begun. We were there on opening night and had a great time. But it was very crowded with long lines for everything.

The highlights of the event are a great parade, which is led by the ride of the Headless Horseman…

Treat trails that feature characters… 

Including two new characters this year. Yokai from Big Hero 6: 

And the truly evil Judge Doom from Who Framed Roger Rabbit, who kills a toon in front of guests. Murdery 💀 

The Villains Grove walk-through experience is my favorite part of the event. Disney needs to be doing more of this kind of thing… or perhaps an honest-to-goodness haunted house…

For the price, the event is too crowded. Since tickets sold out almost instantly, we do hope that Disney will add more nights next year and dial back the number of guests at each night to a more reasonable level. Also, because there is a lack of activity capacity for the number of guests, we hope they’ll bring back World of Color: Villainous and/or add a haunted house or two… can you just imagine how popular that would be?

TragicBand+ Giveaway Continues

What was a mad dash for a free MagicBand+ for Magic Keyholders last week has turned into an abundant supply. To help spur interest in MagicBand+, Disney is offering a limited-time promotion where Magic Keyholders can receive a FREE (Keyholders are always on the hunt for something free!) MagicBand+ with any purchase at participating locations.

Last week, all the participating shops in the resort were running low on inventory on a daily basis… but now the demand seems to have died down. This week, we noticed that there were plenty of Magic Key MagicBand+ available even late into the day. 

For full details about the promotion, you can check the Magic Key portal on the Disneyland app.  

But we aren’t sure that owning a MagicBand will translate into more usage, especially for passholders. Disneyland’s implementation of MagicBand is lackluster at best. You can’t make a purchase with MagicBand or open your hotel room. Nor are there many fun things to do with the bands. There’s a little game in Galaxy’s Edge, and the band lights up and taps your wrist during shows and on some rides. But the main use is to tap in at the entry to the park or at the Lightning Lane entry to rides.

Hopefully Disney can figure out how to make these bands more compelling to use. Mine sits in a drawer uncharged.  

Disneyland Resort Construction

Now, let’s take a look at projects around the Disneyland Resort: 

Adventureland Treehouse

Work on the Adventureland Treehouse, inspired by Walt Disney’s Swiss Family Robinson, is just about complete. While we don’t have a specific opening date, Disney has confirmed that it will open this fall. 

Night shots reveal dramatic lighting throughout the structure. 

The new waterwheel has been installed but is covered in plastic wrap. 

Tiana’s Bayou Adventure

Nothing new to see here… move along…

ToonTown

We were disappointed to see so much missing and broken in the new ToonTown. The land has been open for about half a year, but is already suffering from broken play equipment. And the water play area at Donald’s Boat has NEVER opened to guests… 

The seesaws were removed months ago and have never returned. There’s now an empty nook for them.  

The dry side of Donald’s Boat has similarly removed play equipment. Trashcans sit on top of the spot where two spinning flower seats were located. 

And the splash zone for Donald’s Boat has never opened to guests. 

The central character fountain is also having some maintenance issues. Not all of the water jets at the top of the fountain are animated. 

One of the clams is missing. 

 

Avengers Vault

The new shop in Avengers Campus could open at any time. Disney had promised a “Mid September” opening date, and that’s just about where we are. So, keep your eyes open and let us know if you see anything new. 

Shelving is being set up now. And there’s even some merchandise already on hand. 

Villas at the Disneyland Hotel

A model of the new tower is now available in the Tomorrowland DVC lounge. I took a photo of the back of the model because it gives a great look at the new pool area. 

The villas open later this month on the 28th. We have a guide to the new DVC hotel tower: 

ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW: The Villas at the Disneyland Hotel – News & Views!

Downtown Disney

Let’s take a very quick look at the Downtown Disney construction. The West End is moving along fairly quickly now. We have our usual shot over the wall at Din Tai Fung…

And this great view from our spy in the sky…

That’s Din Tai Fung at bottom. You see a retro-styled box of a building at top center. And in the middle will be a plaza anchored by two mid-century modern shade structures. One of them is a stage. 

The pathways of Downtown Disney are slowly being redone in a new grey and white pattern. Unfortunately, though brand new, they are already starting to crack.

Now that the pavement has been replaced around the old ESPN building, Mickey has returned to his usual spot. 

And, Paseo and Centrico continue to plod along at the center of Downtown Disney. 

I feel bad for Lovepop and Pele… hidden behind the construction walls. Their traffic has dropped considerably since the construction began. Hopefully Disney is comping their rent while they are hidden away like this. Downtown Disney was packed when I took this photo, but there were no guests in this little nook. 

Disneyland Blues

I got a tip that the Monorails have been riding rough and that there is some concern among the cast of the attraction, so I decided to check it out. I did indeed notice that the ride was bumpy in spots. There was one bump that felt like we hit a pothole on the highway. Guests in the cabin commented that it didn’t sound good. It’s no wonder. The Monorail beam is looking in poor repair in multiple spots. If Disney wants the Monorails to last, they need to do some maintenance on the beam. 

There are cracks, rust, divots, patches that are falling apart, and the paint from years ago has all but worn off. Not a good look… but deferred maintenance like this just leads to even more expensive repairs for the Monorails themselves. 

The Monorails just returned from a long refurbishment. But what’s the point in even trying to repair the trains themselves if Disney is just going to run them over a mangled beam all day long?! The road to tomorrow doesn’t look so good.

Refurbishment Calendar

Currently Under Refurbishment:

• • Adventureland Treehouse: (September 1st – Fall 2023)
  • Splash Mountain – Conversion to Tiana’s Bayou Adventure: (May 31st, 2023-Late 2024)
  • Schmoozies!: (July 30th-September 16th)
  • Golden Zephyr: (August 28th-September 28th)
  • Sailing Ship Columbia: (September 11th-14th)

Upcoming Refurbishments:

• • The Golden Horseshoe: (September 12th-16th)
  • Mark Twain Riverboat: (September 17th-TBA)
  • Space Moutain: (September 18th-Fall 2023)

This & That

We’ll conclude with a handful of smaller stories from around the Disneyland Resort.

Snow White Scary Tree Flight

Nothing says hair-raising like trying to navigate purchasing a limited item at Disneyland. This week, there was a special collectible flight rack for purchase at Carthay Circle (and Club 33’s 1901) in homage to the Evil Queen from Snow White. The flight mugs cost $89 and were limited to a set of 1000. Were you able to score one, or the max, two?

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cw09PwEPynA/

Haunted Mansion Trading Cards

The first set of Magic Keyholder-exclusive trading cards featuring the Haunted Mansion have been released! This collection includes 4 cards (one released each week), and this past week featured 

https://www.instagram.com/p/CwlB35drUIJ/?img_index=1

This week, the Haunted Mansion character and Cast Member featured was the singing bust portrayed by Thurl Ravenscroft.

 

New Character(s) in Galaxy’s Edge

There’s been an influx of new characters at Galaxy’s Edge lately. A couple of weeks ago, Ahoksa Tano made her Disney Parks debut for in-park promotion of the new Disney+ series Ahsoka. And now, there’s another set of characters from the show! As of this week, Hera Syndulla and her droid C1-10P have arrived in the land.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cw-HJt-LXAC/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

You can get more information about Ahsoka below:

DISNEY NEWS: Ahsoka Tano Arrives at Disneyland and on Disney+

Pluto’s Pumpkin Pursuit 

A favorite tradition has returned to Downtown Disney. Search for character themed pumpkins throughout Downtown Disney. 

The gardens of Downtown Disney have been filled with pumpkins. 

As have the buildings!

Keep your eyes open for pumpkins that look a little different. 

Let’s Hear From You

Woah, that was a lot for one day! What jumped out at you? Are you surprised that Josh D’Amaro snubbed Disneyland at Destination D? What do you think Disneyland will do with the Magic Key program now that all new sales are suspended? Have you had a chance to visit Tiana’s Palace? Should Disneyland take better care of classic attractions like the Monorail or run them to ruin as an excuse to get rid of them? Let’s hear your thoughts!

And now a little gift from me to you. Some fun photos from my photo shoot this week…

More villains are out and about this time of year. Love seeing them! 

The Disneyland Hotel has some wonderful old concept art on display (Upstairs above Goofy’s Kitchen). This is a concept for the original version of ToonTown. 

Due to the humidity, we had moments with some glorious-looking clouds this week. 

Main Street is in grand spooky-season mode

The star of Halloween is Disney California Adventure…

I’m absolutely in love with the purple trees on Buena Vista Street!

This vintage Halloween window on Buena Vista Street is a delight…

Thanks for joining us, everyone! We have lots more coming this week, so please check back daily!