The holiday season has officially begun at the Disneyland Resort! While many of the offerings remain the same, there are a few new additions to see this year including a beautiful love letter to Walt Disney, the new Adventureland Treehouse. There’s also a new mid-century-style stage in Downtown Disney that’s worth checking out. Plus, we have interesting news from the Jungle (Cruise, that is), a look at Toontown’s continuing struggles, and lots and lots of beautiful photos and videos. Join us as we embark on a festive (if a bit frustrating) look at Disneyland!
Dusty is en route to Hong Kong to bring you coverage of the new World of Frozen land at Hong Kong Disneyland, so today’s update is being brought to you by Mike Kindrich and Photomatt with some additional help from Samantha Davis-Friedman, Dusty, and the crew. It takes a village…
Imagineering Brings New Life to the Treehouse
The treehouse in Adventureland is on its third re-theme, and this time it has an original story line created by Walt Disney Imagineering. Although we don’t see the actual characters who call the Treehouse their home, we know about them and how they live from signs and items we see in their rooms. Under the Direction of Imagineer Kim Irvine, the old Tarzan’s Treehouse (and once Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse) is now the Adventureland Treehouse inspired by Walt Disney’s Swiss Famly Robinson.
According to Kim, the amazing waterwheel system, which is central to the story of all the mechanical workings of the Treehouse, was built by Garner Holt Productions.
The level of detail throughout this walk-through attraction is incredible and will certainly inspire many repeat visits. It feels like a little puzzle that reveals more of itself on each visit.
The ostrich, Jane, has become a star. Everyone stops to take a photo. Jane herself is a reference to the previous owner of the treehouse, Tarzan. Tarzan’s love interest isn’t the only reference to previous versions of the treehouse, either.
Keep your eyes open for little Easter eggs and story reveals. Some of our favorites are the items that mention the Society of Explorers and Adventurers (S.E.A.). Most guests will never notice the books and papers scattered about, but if you take the time to look (particularly in the daughter’s room), you’ll spot these hidden gems.
The Adventureland Treehouse isn’t the only place in the park that references S.E.A., but just like the organization itself, the Easter eggs are hidden in plain sight. One example is two new paddles that have been added to the Tropical Hideaway, just behind the registers.
You may notice Aya Kouame-Beauciel is the author of the note on the Daughter’s desk, which explains why her paddle has a telescope attached to it.
This is an often overlooked display. Lots of visual storytelling going on here. Take some time to read the plaques on your next visit, and you’ll find many clever references. For example, there are piranha bite marks on S. Shio’s paddle from the Amazon River, bullet holes in B.T. Bullion’s (the proprietor of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad), and an alligator skull attached to M.A. Pleasure’s (Pleasure Island in Walt Disney World).
That letter from Aya also states a special lens for the Daughter’s telescope will be held by Alberta Falls, the proprietor of the Jungle Navigation Company. Indeed, if you take a trip on the Jungle Cruise, a special box is sitting in the boathouse queue with the Hightower Industries logo on it (a reference to the Tower of Terror at Tokyo DisneySea). It’s all very connected.
Of course, Adventureland is brimming with references to the S.E.A. if you happen to know where to look…
The Adventureland Treehouse is also stunning at night. Do be aware that it closes from 9:15pm to 10pm for fireworks. We expect that time frame to expand when Fantasmic returns next year.
Often missed, Mother’s Room has a loft above the seating area.
Daughter’s Room really pops at night!
For the full story on the amazing Adventureland Treehouse, including our walkthrough videos, check out this article:
NOW OPEN: Disneyland’s Adventureland Treehouse – Photos, Video & Info!
Crowd Crush
The exciting opening of the treehouse created some extra crowding around New Orleans Square where the queues were extended for both the Treehouse and Pirates of the Caribbean. At various points throughout the day, the queue for the Adventureland Treehouse had to be closed to prevent an overflowing queue from blocking access to walkways.
Because Splash Mountain is currently closed for its conversion to Tiana’s Bayou Adventure and Indiana Jones Adventure occasionally closes due to technical issues, queues for other attractions, such as Pirates of the Caribbean, can be extremely long. On Friday, wait times of over an hour were common throughout the day. Heavy crowds were also present all day in every corner of the park from New Orleans Square to Fantasyland to Main Street, which we attributed to the “trifecta” of opening a new attraction (Adventureland Treehouse), beginning the holiday festivities, and a school holiday (Veteran’s Day)— all on the same day!
Crowd levels can change drastically in any part of the park at any time, here’s a time-lapse of the crowds just thirty minutes before the start of A Christmas Fantasy Parade on Main Street.
New Downtown Disney Stage
The new stage on the west side of Downtown Disney has opened – and as soon as the walls went down around the new stage, they went up around the old one (just steps away) and it was quickly demolished. This new area has artificial grass with rolling hills and a few seats. We’re not sure the hills will last long, but for now, they seem like a fun play area for kids. Just be careful if you have shoes with high heels as the artificial turf is extremely squishy (we fear it will be also difficult to navigate in a wheelchair).
We love the mid-century look, and there are details that remind you of vintage Disneyland. Now, the question is will they get some decent bands to play the stage? The current mix ranges from fun diversion to high school garage band quality.
The colorful construction walls hide the Parkside Market under construction.
The hills are fairly dramatic. We love the look, we’re just curious about their practicality.
Directly opposite the stage, at the far end of the lawn, is shade structure that evokes the feeling of the stage. It really helps tie the whole area together thematically.
Even the trash cans are themed to match the stage walls.
Meanwhile, out in the main drag of Downtown Disney, the old stage is now dismantled and they are prepping for more pavement work. Soon, the whole area will have a new style of pavement in various stripes of grey.
The Holidays at Disneyland
This last year has flown by and here we are back at the holidays once more. On Friday, Disneyland kicked off its official Holiday season with new merchandise, food, and even new festive outfits for the characters.
Let’s take a look at the offerings for 2023:
AND LOOK AT THIS!!!!!! 👇
It’s a Disneyland Park Winter Wonderland…
Many of the holiday offerings in Disneyland are in the form of sippers and popcorn buckets, which are always extremely popular (some can also be found in Disney California Adventure). In fact, by mid-day on Friday, the vast majority of park guests were carrying at least one of these adorable holiday novelties and (no surprise) every popcorn cart line was much longer than usual.
If you’re looking for a extra delicious holiday treat, head over to the popcorn cart across from Tiana’s Palace for Christmastime popcorn. The popcorn is mixed with red and green M&Ms and marshmallows, which is a yummy combo with the buttery and salty popcorn!
A Christmas Fantasy Parade
There were some cuts to the Christmas Fantasy Parade this year including some missing units and dancers. I heard guests saying “Where are the skiers.” Yet, it still feels overly stretched out with repetitive music and long pauses between segments. I’m ready for a new Christmas parade. Still, there’s a lot of magic here…
We love the reindeer, snowmen, and snowflakes…
Clarabelle is a star.
Conspicuously, the toy segment was the one hit with the most cuts. Jessie walks alone in front, now missing her toy car and Green Army Man companion.
Buzz’s toy rocket is missing as well— he’s been moved to the front of the toy factory float.
it’s a small world Holiday
The it’s a small world Mall was one of the most crowded areas of the park this past weekend with many guests waiting for the popular it’s a small world Holiday. However, the attraction had continuous issues throughout the day, resulting in down time and delays.
After waiting in the queue for 45 minutes the attraction broke down, so we came back to ride in the evening. However, during our ride, we faced technical difficulties and ended up coasting through the attraction very slowly with no ride audio. Occasionally we heard announcements over the PA system asking everyone to remain seated while they worked on the issues.
Here are some video clips as we inched through the attraction. It was incredibly disappointing to see such a beautiful attraction have so many issues on opening day for the holiday season. At least it didn’t flood this time and cause a long-delayed opening.
Despite the issues, we were able to take some beautiful photos of this festive attraction.
Haunted Mansion Holiday
Even though it has been running since early September, Haunted Mansion Holiday also remains VERY popular, with waits frequently topping an hour.
Disney California Adventure Park
DCA has its own distinctive seasonal style as the Festival of the Holidays kicked off on Friday with music and flavors from around the world. Many of the booths offer only one or two savory items this year. Our team sampled some of the festival food, and while there were several items we loved, there were certainly others we did not.
The Togarashi Karaage Chicken Slider was one of the big misses for our group. Mostly because the slaw bordered on disgusting. And the chicken isn’t much larger than a nugget. For $9 it’s a ripoff.
Thankfully the other item at Winter Sliderland was a hit.
Over in Cars Land, you can find the new Mater popcorn bucket, and there’s also cozy Festival of Holidays merch this year.
Viva Navidad
At Paradise Gardens, you can experience the festive Viva Navidad celebration, which offers a variety of food and entertainment options. Including this MASSIVE sandwich which can feed a family of 4.
Character meet and greet opportunities are also available. During our visit, we ran into Goofy on his way to greet guests.
Among several of the favorite returning entertainers are the Mariachi Divas, who perform at the Bandstand in Paradise Garden.
The Viva Navidad Street Party is one of our favorite shows as it is very dynamic and you can’t help but tap your feet as you listen to the music. Although it’s a returning show, we were happy to see Mickey, Minnie, and Donald all have brand-new colorful costumes.
There is no bad place to view the show, but if you want to sit up front, you’ll need to get there early. Just be aware there is no real shade in the area. We’re also not sure why this hasn’t been reworked into a location where more people can watch at one time.
And… to end the night…
Believe…In Holiday Magic Fireworks
The classic Believe…In Holiday Magic returns for another year of spectacular fireworks shows.
Unfortunately, the wind kicked up on opening night and the fireworks were mostly cut from the show after the beginning. Interesting how they can adjust the show on the fly… as you can see in Dusty’s live video below…
World of Color – Season of Light
World of Color – Season of Light returns to Paradise Bay this holiday season. It’s a beautiful show that embraces friendship, family, and love through the holidays. One of our contributors had not seen this show, but it’s now one of their favorite shows in DCA.
If you’d like to see the show in its full length:
Disneyland Live
Our Live at 5 video on Friday was a special one! Dusty takes you into the new Adventureland Treehouse, explores all the Christmas offerings in both parks, and he and Nathan discuss their hits and misses of the season. You won’t want to miss it:
News From Toontown
Toontown officially reopened at the beginning of the year and Disney still can’t seem to make everything work— but there have been improvements.
On Saturday night, most of the features in the fountain were working; the only things that didn’t were the flowers.
Several areas were rehabbed recently. Many issues were fixed.
…Except for Donald’s Duck Pond. It still has yet to open for play and has NEVER been open to guests (as far as we know).
There’s also a themed crate still covering equipment in Goofy’s How-to-Play Yard.
Stroller parking has become a bit of a nightmare as of late. Cast members are standing outside of Toontown asking for guests to park their strollers there because there’s no room to park inside the land.
There’s likely an element of understaffing making this worse. Cast members have to round up probably hundreds of strollers being brought into a particularly small area with three attractions. There seem to be far too few cast to accomplish this at peak times during the day.
Disneyland Resort Refurbishments
Splash Mountain – Conversion to Tiana’s Bayou Adventure: (May 31st, 2023-Late 2024)
Mark Twain Riverboat: (September 17th-TBA)
Upcoming Refurbishments:
Indiana Jones Adventure: (November 27th-30th)
Astro Orbitor: (November 27th-TBA)
Incredicoaster: (November 27th-December 1st)
This and That
Hang on to your hats folks, we’ve got more for you. There are a few more items we need to share…
Schmoozies Reopens
The long refurbishment of Schmoozies is finally complete. The beverage establishment in DCA’s Hollywood section reopened today… with a little twist. You can now add alcohol to almost any drink, like their seasonal lemonade (it’s watermelon flavor at present), fruit smoothies, or specialty coffees. As expected, the bonus booze boosts the cost a bit, with prices ranging from $15 to $19 dollars depending on the base drink. Cheers or jeers from any of us, it’s sure to be popular with guests.
Disneyland Celebrates Veteran’s Day
On Saturday, Disneyland held a special flag retreat ceremony that included Military Veteran Cast Members, the Marine Corps Marching Band, and a special low pass of an Air Force C-17 cargo jet. It’s lovely that the resort continues this tradition.
It’s a Jungle Out There!
Jungle Cruise unexpectedly closed down for several days last week due to what appears to have been a structural issue with one of the sets. The attraction has now reopened with some temporary changes— The temple where the tiger resides has been boarded up, except for the tiger himself, creating a rather silly “tiger in a box” effect. “Work” equipment like pickaxes have been scattered around the site in an effort to theme the construction.
Unfortunately, this is not the only issue plaguing the recently refurbished attraction, as it struggles to maintain a “show-ready” state. Some of the piranhas are also no longer working. Instead of these carnivorous fish leaping out of the water, some stay in one place with water spitting up into the air.
As you approach the Lost and Found (Gift Shop), you’ll find that Squirt the elephant is no longer cooling off guests with his trunk. The Squirt just past the elephant bathing pool no longer functions properly either. That’s the tip of the iceberg of how many smaller effects aren’t working very well— even some of the new and refurbished figures from 2021 aren’t animating correctly!
In the boathouse, a board is missing on the ceiling of the first floor.
We’re hoping some maintenance resources can be quickly allocated for this guest-favorite attraction. Maintenance issues seems to be a recurring theme throughout the resort lately with frequent ride breakdowns. That’s one trend that needs to be revered quickly.
Pin Trading Restrictions
For many years, pin traders have gathered at the benches near the entrance to Frontierland (you’ve likely seen them taking up benches with large binders and bags completely full of trading pins). Recently, they even started setting up lights at night. But now, pin traders will have dedicated places to trade— a significant compromise that allows pin trading to happen without blocking the benches for other guests.
While Disney has not discouraged “professional” pin traders in the past, trading has caused issues with guests not having any place to sit. Disney has now officially taken action to restrict pin trading with new rules to govern the niche activity.
It’s Finally Here!
The Port of San Fransokyo sign has finally been installed on the side of the dock by the San Fransokyo bridge, completing the major re-theme of the old Pacific Wharf. The new theme has been wildly popular with Baymax and Hiro making regular daily appearances in their new meet and greet area, as well as new menu items that have the land buzzing more than it has in many years.
Send Your Bulbs
For Christmas, we’re going to send Disneyland the gift of light bulbs. A number of buildings have noticeably burnt-out bulbs. The Main Street train station is the first Disneyland Park icon guests see, so it (and all of Main Street) should always be a priority.
However, here’s what this year’s Candlelight attendees will be staring at… unless they break out the ladders and screw in a few new bulbs.
Another obvious spot that needs new bulbs is the merchandise location near It’s a Small World. Guests exiting ToonTown walk directly toward this spot:
Holiday Photos Around the Resort
We hope you enjoyed this week’s walk around the parks and we leave you with some of our favorite images we captured during our weekly adventure.
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Let’s Hear From You!
What’s your favorite part of the holidays at Disneyland? Ride overlays, festive foods, that super cute Mickey Toy Soldier popcorn bucket? And what do you think about the new Adventureland Treehouse? We think it’s a charming addition to the park that also adds motion and kinetic energy to Adventureland (perhaps Kim and her team can make some similar fixes in Galaxy’s Edge, which lacks movement, water, excitement, and Disneyland whimsy).
Let’s hear from you below…
