Disneyland Update: Walt’s Wishes, Third Park Theories & SoCal Steals

As we tiptoe up to Walt Disney’s birthday tomorrow (it’s the 122nd anniversary of his birth on December 5th), it’s hard not to wonder what the father of Disneyland would make of his brainchild now. Would he beam with pride at Disneyland’s modern marvels, or would he be scribbling down a laundry list of things to fix? Ah, the eternal ‘What Would Walt Do?’ conundrum.

As we delve into this week’s Disneyland Resort scoop, let’s keep those Walt musings brewing for our pow-wow in the comments section. On today’s magical menu: a dive into a cherished holiday ritual, mulling over the ‘maybe-someday’ of a third park, spilling the beans on a fresh SoCal ticket deal, and a peek at the endless saga of construction updates. Buckle up; it’s going to be a whimsical ride.

CANDLELIGHT: Nostalgia, Celebs, and the Endless Wait

This past weekend, Disneyland resurrected one of its most time-honored holiday spectacles: Candlelight. Picture this: over 600 choir members, a sea of candles and glorious song, all led by a celebrity narrator. This tradition, harking back to the days when Walt Disney himself was wooing sponsors and hobnobbing with dignitaries, has remained a staple since the park’s early days.

Flashback to 1958: The inaugural Candlelight Processional wows the crowd. Fast forward to 2023, and we’re still at it, folks. Our very own Mike Kindrich camped out all Saturday (talk about dedication!) to catch a glimpse of this year’s mystery celebrity. And who graces the stage for a soundcheck? None other than Brie Larson – yes, Captain Marvel herself.

Larson, while perhaps best known lately for headlining ‘The Marvels’ – which, let’s face it, didn’t exactly shatter box office records – brought a surprising depth to the biblical tale. Her performance, filled with genuine emotion that had her teary-eyed, was a sight to behold, delivered twice daily over the weekend.

 

Watch a brief clip of the Hallelujah Chorus: 

But here’s the catch: snagging a seat for Candlelight is like finding a golden ticket. It’s mostly an ‘invite-only’ affair, but for those willing to play the waiting game, there’s standing room around the back and sides of Town Square. Just a tip: the second showing’s usually less of a stampede.

Unfortunately, the backdrop of Candlelight, the Train Station, has some issues. Lights are burnt out and there are missing shingles. It really needs some TLC. Too bad they couldn’t get it done before all those guests were seated staring at it all weekend. 

For the full lowdown on this year’s Candlelight, don’t miss our in-depth coverage – because there’s more to the story than just star power and songs.

UPDATED! The Magic of Disneyland Candlelight: Narrators, Viewing Tips & History

Josh Speaks… 3RD PARK

Last week, Josh D’Amaro, the big kahuna of Disney Experiences (Parks, Resorts, Experiences, and Consumer Products), dropped a tantalizing tidbit at a town hall in NYC. He hinted that Anaheim might just be roomy enough for another Disneyland. Cue the fanfare and speculative frenzy!

“We’ve got so much space to play with. Disneyland, for example, Walt’s original theme park, we still have enough room to build another Disneyland,”  said Josh D’Amaro, Chairman of Disney Experiences. 

Of course, there’s an “If we decided to do so” attached to that… 

Now, before you start envisioning a whole new magical kingdom sprouting up overnight, let’s pump the brakes. This isn’t exactly breaking news. Remember DisneylandForward? That project we’ve been dissecting for the past three years? Yeah, that’s what Josh was talking about. Sure, the idea of expanding on the west side of the resort has been floated as just ‘expansion’, but come on, we’ve been suspecting a full-blown theme park all along, as we shared right here the day it was announced. Why? Simple: more parks equals more days guests spend in the hotels, restaurants, and shops – and more cash lining Mickey’s pockets. Disney has already told the city of Anaheim that they could as much as double the amount of tax the city (and state) receive from the Resort if the full expansion is approved. 

Disney’s recent proclamation to its shareholders about dropping a cool $60 billion on theme park expansions over the next decade is eye-watering. That’s enough dough to churn out 8 to 12 new theme parks! But hold your horses – 1) Very little of that will end up in Anaheim, and 2) it’s not all going into building new parks. We’re talking about beefing up existing parks, new entertainment complexes, swanky Disney Vacation Clubs, additional cruise ships, and spreading the Disney magic into new markets globally. Oh, and maybe a park at Disneyland and one at Walt Disney World as well. It’s an ambitious plan, sure, but it’s not a new revelation.

So, fingers and toes crossed that Disney’s ambition translates into something truly spectacular. Because let’s face it, we could all use a little more pixie dust in our lives.

One of the projects mentioned for a potential 3rd Disneyland park is Frozen. Take a look at our recent visit to the World of Frozen, which opened last month in Hong Kong Disneyland. Anything along this level of quality and immersion would be very welcome indeed: 

Hoo Hoo, World of Frozen Debuts at Hong Kong Disneyland!

For the nitty-gritty on DisneylandForward, check out our full breakdown: 

IT’S APPROVED!!! DisneylandForward Moves Forward What You Need To Know

DISNEYLAND LIVE WITH DUSTY

Dusty is joined this week by former Disney publicist and the original Disney Geek, Jeffrey R. Epstein. They visit ‘small world’ to discuss the recent incident, Tomorrowland for hopes on its future, look at the latest projects, and discuss Disneyland’s expansion. Don’t miss it: 

SOCAL RESIDENT TICKET OFFER RETURNS!

Non-SoCal residents, avert your eyes… Disneyland is bringing back its exclusive, wallet-friendly ticket offer for those who live in zip codes 90000 to 93599. Starting from December 5th, you can snag a three-day pass to either Disneyland or Disney California Adventure. 

Ready for the details? For a weekday adventure (think Monday to Thursday), you’ll only have to shell out $225 for a single-park, three-day ticket (that’s $75 a day). Prefer to visit over on the weekend? That’ll be $275 for any day of the week (including Friday to Sunday), which is still a steal considering the usual rates.

But wait, there’s more. These tickets aren’t your typical ‘use-it-or-lose-it’ deal. You’ve got the freedom to spread out your visits on non-consecutive days. And for those who can’t resist the allure of park-hopping or the convenience of Genie+, you can add those options as well.

These discounted tickets are valid from January 2 all the way to June 2, 2024. Just remember, park reservations are still required.

Let us help you with tickets…

You’ll be able to buy these promotional Disneyland tickets at an even deeper discount from our travel partners at Get Away Today starting December 5th. But you can already purchase Kids tickets for $50… and, YES, those promos stack. These are the deepest discounts on Disneyland tickets we can remember in recent years. 

Visit GET AWAY TODAY (HERE) 

(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) 

CONSTRUCTION 

We have a few interesting tidbits for you on the construction front. There are updates from ToonTown, the Bayou, and beyond…

ToonTown

The trials and tribulations of ToonTown are numerous, but the land remains incredibly popular with guests. But it’s all those bodies that have made the construction issues feel more invasive.  This week we find some very positive changes, and a few things that give us the blues.  

The park, Dreaming Tree, and fountain have all returned and are looking good. The fountain, in particular, is fun to take a moment and watch. The different water effects are synced to the music that plays in the land. It’s charming. 

Goofy’s How To Play Yard has a new addition. When the land opened, there was a birdhouse located between the musical bridge and the slides. But it was removed shortly after opening, a small rock placed in the spot where the post was previously located. Well, it’s back. And it contains a little surprise inside.  

It appears that the little houses are interactive in some way. There are dials and cranks, but they don’t seem to be working yet… at least not that I could figure out. 

Peek inside to see what the birds’ homes look like. 

The teeter-totters on the play side of Donald’s Boat have finally been returned. 

Unfortunately, the splash side of Donald’s Boat is STILL behind construction walls. To the best of my knowledge it has NEVER opened to guests. It’s the cold time of year now, so it’s not a huge issue that the kids can’t get soaking wet right now… But it sure would be great if it could be ready by the warmer spring weather (a year after the land originally opened). 

The picnic lawn across from the Roger Rabbit ride has a small area being repainted… again. 

A few weeks ago, we shared the Christmas decor in ToonTown… which is all recycled from before the land was redone. But the new buildings apparently didn’t warrant any new decor being created for Christmas. So, the new Cafe Daisy doesn’t have any decorations at all. 

Tiana’s Bayou Adventure Construction

There’s not much new to show you here. But you can see that the top of the mountain is now mostly white. This is all new-ish reshaping of the structure. 

Mark Twain Refurbishment

This one has been lingering for a while. It’s a major renovation. But we hope it will all be wrapped up by January since the Columbia is scheduled to start refurbishment on January 8th. 

Astro Orbiter Refurbishment

Tomorrowland’s spinner is closed for a major refurbishment. 

 

The construction walls have signs with information on the history of the attraction and its different versions worldwide. 

Oddly, sign “2” is missing. 

Tomorrowland Entrance Concept Art Refreshed:

Nearby, the concept art sign for the Tomorrowland entry redesign has been replaced again. This is at least the thrid time the image has been replaced since 2019. But still no actual work has been done to build the two round planters. 

Downtown Disney

We’re just taking a brief peek at Disneyland’s shopping district, where a flurry of new snowflake sculptures has landed in the gardens. 

Snow falls nightly in the area around the Christmas Tree (near the Disney Home Store) – Every half hour from 6pm until 10pm. 

The new stage on the West End has been fairly active. It really is a nice addition with plenty of room for guests to spread out. 

It will be great when the Centrico project wraps up. These are the most invasive construction walls in Downtown Disney at the moment. 

THIS AND THAT

MAGIC KEY GIFT

Some Disneyland Magic Key holders have been having issues with their monthly payments.  

One of our staff members saw his payment deducted from his bank account, and then show back up again a day later. His payment still hasn’t been successfully made.

But perhaps this new Magic Key gift will make up for the payment problems.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Jungle Cruise Excavation Site 

When Jungle Cruise suffered a structural failure last month, crews wasted no time restaging the scene so guests wouldn’t be able to see the issues. A giant wooden box has been placed around the tiger in the temple scene. “Archaeological Dig Site” has been stenciled on the outside.

While not a pretty solution, it’s better than the ride being closed until they can restore it. 

The old temple beams have also been removed. It’s now wide open. Here’s what it looked like before: 

It was, unfortunately, too dark for me to get a good shot of the temple arches. But there are a couple other things missing in the Jungle as well. Squirt, the Elephant who nearly drenches your boat, and the second of the two African Elephants (the most feared animal in the jungle, his mother-in-law) are both gone for now. 

Dining Notes: 

Disney’s Grand Californian has removed Mobile Order from Craftsman Grill. Mobile Order makes standby lines unacceptably long in busy locations such as this one. We hope they’ll remove Mobile Order from Lucky Fortune Cookery as well, but there are many other locations that could benefit from the removal of this service. 

There’s a new Espresso Chip Sundae with Cookie Butter Drizzle and Cookie Crumbs at Golden Horseshoe. 

The Thanksgiving sandwich and turkey pot pie soup have been retired at Jolly Holiday. They have been replaced with a ham and pineapple toasted sandwich and a chicken corn soup.

Breakfast is coming to Smokejumpers later this week. DCA really lacks breakfast options. This is good news. But we aren’t sure how appetizing this breakfast sandwich looks:

 

 

 

 

 

 

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I tried the new Gyoza Sausage Bun in San Fransokyo’s Cerveceria. 

The overall flavor was appealing (although some will find the chili-soy dipping sauce too spicy for their palate).

Aunt Cass Cafe Decor

A few new details have shown up on the walls of the Aunt Cass Cafe in San Fransokyo. 

The cat dressed as Stitch cracks me up: 

A New Way to Trade Pins at the Disneyland Resort

Disney is shaking up their pin-trading traditions by mixing in a brand-new way to trade. This style is called “Shadow Box Pin Trading,” and, as you might expect, it involves trading for pins stored inside a shadow box.

However, there is more to this new style than just the display case. It also has a unique set of rules:

• Trading is for 5 or 2 select mystery pin packs only
• Only 1 trader per pack
• No duplicates
• Pins must be purchased and opened at the store where they are being traded in front of a Cast Member (We noticed Cast Members being strict about this, so if you purchase packs intending to trade them, make sure you adhere to this rule.)
• Trades must be for the same pin set

And for those who are not interested in purchasing the new mystery pin pack required to participate in this new method of trading, the original pin boards are still alive and plentiful around the Resort as well.

2024 Merchandise Collection Lands at Disneyland

Ready or not… here comes 2024! We expect more merchandise from this collection, like adult apparel, in the coming days.

Deals? At Disney? 

These deals are good until December 23, 2023, or while supplies last. The same items will be discounted at every location where they are sold. Some items are 50% off! 

 

 

REFURBISHMENTS

Currently Under Refurbishment:

• Splash Mountain – Conversion to Tiana’s Bayou Adventure: (May 31st, 2023-Late 2024)
• Mark Twain Riverboat: (September 17th-TBA)
• Astro Orbitor: (November 27th-TBA)

Upcoming Refurbishments:

• “it’s a small world” – Holiday Takedown: (January 8th-TBA)
• Sailing Ship Columbia: (January 8th-TBA)
• Grizzly River Run: (January 8th-TBA)
• Wold of Color: (January 8th-TBA)
• Paradise Gardens Park: (January 8th-TBA)

MiceShots

Now, let’s have a little fun. Here’s our journey from this week. 

Phat Cat Swinger:

Mistletoes:

A Christmas Fantasy Parade:

  

And that’s our Update folks. We have so much more on the way this week. In the past, the holidays were a slow period for news and events, but this year has been bonkers. Did you get to see Candlelight? Are you becoming more hopeful that a 3rd park will make its way to the Disneyland Resort? How about that deeply discounted SoCal ticket at the same time as a $50 kids’ ticket? See any new food or merch that looks good to you? And what notes would Walt have for the operations and expansion of Disneyland? Let us know in the comments below!