‘Twas the week before Christmas, and all through the Land, MiceChat was present, notes and camera in hand.
It’s been a rollercoaster of highs and lows for Disneyland over the past several days. We mourn the loss of a pivotal Disney Legend, tickets for the first two Disneyland After Dark parties went on sale (and only one of them seems to be a hit with potential guests), Magic Keys remain shockingly unavailable for purchase, and the newest blockbuster land opens this week (but not at our Disneyland). Plus, Bob Iger is facing some strong headwinds, a wet holiday ahead, a long wait for regular Haunted Mansion to return, and plenty of pretty parks pictures for your holiday enjoyment!
Another Bad Week For Bob
Bob Iger has been back as the CEO of Disney for just over a year. However, fans and shareholders aren’t letting his short tenure prevent them from criticizing the company’s performance. Recent big-budget films have underperformed at the box office, and Disney+ is lacking in must-see content, continuing to be a drag on the company. Additionally, network television and cable are dying a slow death. And while the parks remain the company’s main revenue driver, they too have become a source of numerous customer complaints.
In the last week, Disney has been under the gun on a number of fronts, but none more perilous than the push by Nelson Peltz of Trian Fund Management to gain seats on the Disney Board. Trian is estimated to own more than 30 million shares of Disney, making it one of the company’s biggest investors. Peltz has nominated himself and former Disney CFO Jay Rasulo as potential Disney board members.
And while we’ve heard a lot of people cheering them on, be very careful what you wish for. Both Pelts and Rasulo are numbers guys who are akin to Bob Chapek, and neither are creatives who would be able to help craft the future of entertainment. They are motivated by Disney’s low stock price, and they aren’t happy about it. That’s a valid concern. But numbers guys have a habit of trying to fix things by cutting.
The last time Peltz made a push for a board seat, he only agreed to step back from the campaign after Iger agreed to move forward on a plan to cut more than 7,000 jobs at the company. So, don’t expect Peltz and Rasulo to be great for future content on Disney+ or more rides for the parks. They could very well end Iger’s big plan to double the size of the parks division.
Iger has coasted on his star power so far, but he may not be able to thwart the enemies at the gate much longer. The company’s stock is trading at 2014 levels. Abysmal. And as long as that remains the case, Peltz and others are going to gain increasing power and influence and further erode any attempt Iger may make to spend the company out of its current malaise.
We need to hope that the board is committed to the creative growth of the company rather than further cuts. This is how once great companies die. Poor results lead to budget cuts. Budget cuts lead to a lesser product. And the cycle continues until the company ends up like Sears (the former largest retailer in the world and now a bankrupt memory).
We need to get to our Disneyland Update, but we do want to mention a NY Times article this past weekend that asks “Disney Is a Language. Do We Still Speak It?” The author asserts: “Disney’s latest offerings feel like the gasps of a culture locked in a death spiral. The so-called live action remakes, laboriously faithful recreations of animated classics, have little to offer in the way of reinterpreting the folklore. They feel, true or not, like the product of stagnated imagination.”
While we don’t necessarily agree with everything in the article, we agree that the company’s recent offerings aren’t hitting the mark. Disney doesn’t have its finger on the pulse of its customer base, but is rather chasing a base of customers that aren’t necessarily interested in Disney. It’s a problem that means no one is happy.
We still think Iger can make some good fixes. But Disney isn’t a company that makes creative changes quickly. It takes years to build a new ride or develop a new movie. But Disney’s investors and detractors (ourselves included) expect immediate satisfaction. So Bob is going to need to make some grand gestures fast.
Perhaps the next item holds a clue to something Disney CAN do right away… restore its luster as the very best at customer service and experience…
Remembering Disney Legend Dick Nunis
We lost one of the great ones last week. Disney Legend Dick Nunis died on December 13, 2023, at the age of 91. Nunis had been with the Walt Disney Company since 1955 and worked side-by-side with Walt Disney as a key contributor in shaping the Disney Parks experience. He had taken on many different roles over the course of his career, including vice president of Disneyland and Walt Disney World, a member of the Walt Disney Productions Board of Directors, and chairman of Walt Disney Attractions. Nunis retired while serving as chairman of Walt Disney Attractions on May 26, 1999.
That same year, Nunis was named a Disney Legend and was gifted a window on Disneyland’s Main Street, USA, above the Disney Showcase, which says:
Coast to Coast Peoplemoving, World Leader in Leisure Management, Dick Nunis, Proprietor, Founded 1955, Offices Anaheim, Orlando, Tokyo, Wave Machines a Specialty
Like the other Main Street windows, it cleverly references key achievements in Nunis’s career, like inspiring California-based Cast Members to move to Orlando to staff the soon-to-open Walt Disney World and playing instrument roles in the creation and evolution of Disneyland, Walt Disney World, and Tokyo Disneyland. The line about “wave machines” is a sweet nod to Nunis’s desire to implement the short-lived wave machine in Walt Disney World’s Seven Seas Lagoon. His dream was later realized in the form of the wave machine used in Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon water park.
What’s important for you to note is that Dick helped implement the Disney Way taught at Disney University. The high level of service that Walt demanded from his employees and the sterling standard of customer service that lasted until it was essentially killed by Paul Pressler and the Disney MBAs of the late 90s and early 2000s. Sadly, over the last 30 years, Disney has slowly chipped away at the original training programs that taught cast members how to dazzle guests and deal with difficult situations… So, we are left with parks that oftentimes don’t feel as magical as the marketing or high price promise.
We at MiceChat extend our condolences to Nunis’s family, friends, and long-time coworkers.
Is it time for the Disney Parks to dust off their old training and practices and truly restore the legendary Disney way of doing things? We encourage you to read more about the indelible mark Nunis left on the Disney Parks and their philosophies in this tribute:
Walt’s Right-Hand Man: Remembering Dick Nunis, Keeper of the Magic!
Happy Holidays… Stay Home!
Christmas is almost here… But that’s sad news for hundreds of thousands of Disneyland Magic Key holders who are blocked out for the season. These are also the the most expensive days of the year to buy a ticket to the parks. Between now and January 6th, most days are $194 for a one day/one park ticket. Make that $259 for a park hopper… but for the cost of a single day at Disneyland, you could get an annual pass to Universal or Knott’s Berry Farm AND enjoy their amazing holiday offerings.
Universal Studios has just launched a sale on their annual passes… yes, a busy and very successful local theme park has actually LOWERED its prices!
Over at Knott’s Berry Farm, they have annual passes for as low as $7 a month!!! AND… they’ve launched a new “Prestige Pass” that has a special entry to the park, preferred parking, a private lounge in Ghost Town, and one front-of-line ticket on each visit. All that for just $32 a month.
Meanwhile, new Magic Keys (Disneyland’s name for annual passes) aren’t even available for purchase — renewals for existing passholders only.
Instead, Disneyland is offering a Southern California 3-day ticket deal for $225 (Weekdays only) and a special kids ticket for $50. It’s a pretty good deal compared to the highest-tier ticket price of $194 per day, but it’s not an annual pass replacement offer. AND, these special ticket prices don’t go into effect until after the holiday season ends in early January.
Let us know your thoughts on Magic Keys and whether you will continue to buy one in the comments below.
More on Disneyland’s current ticket offers in our dedicated article:
Unlock 2024 Savings: Disneyland SoCal Resident Tickets & More Savings!
Speaking of tickets… MiceChat has partnered with Get Away Today travel to offer you Disney tickets and vacations at a discount! When you let us help you save money, you are also supporting the site. We appreciate you always clicking one of our Get Away Today links or banners before booking your travel!
First Round of 2024’s Disneyland After Dark’s Nites Go On Sale
As we approach the end of 2023, it is time to start planning our visits to Disneyland for 2024. One time-tested way Disney is getting double revenue from guests is through after-hours events such as Disneyland After Dark and Oogie Boogie Bash. This coming year promises four themed parties, each one offered on multiple nights:
- Sweethearts’ Nite – January 23, 25, 30 and February 1, 6, 8, 12, 14
- Disney Channel Nite – March 5 and 7
- Star Wars Nite – April 16, 18, 23, 25, and May 2, 7, 9
- Pride Nite – June 18 and 20
Tickets for the first two parties, Sweethearts’ Nite and Disney Channel Nite became available last week (December 12 for Magic Key holders and December 14 for general admission). Party tickets garner high enough demand to generate hours-long waits in the online queue. On the morning of December 14, a friend of a MiceChat staffer waited for 2 hours and 25 minutes but was thankfully able to purchase the Sweetheart Nite date they wanted. By the end of that day, 3 of the Sweethearts’ Nites had already sold out (February 1, 6, and 8). But both of the Disney Channel Nites remained available. Clearly, there’s more demand for the Valentine-themed event than the newer Disney Channel event.
Beyond these separately-ticketed events, the Disneyland Resort has plenty of other festivals and celebrations planned for next year. You can check out all of them, including the return of Pixar Fest, here:
Have You Unlocked Your Disneyland Candy Cane Achievement?
We are already more than halfway through December, but thankfully there are still several dates left for guests to purchase those famous Disneyland candy canes. Of the 14 sale dates for 2023, 5 are left:
- In Disneyland’s Candy Palace – December 19 and 24
- In Disney California Adventure’s Trolley Treats – December 18, 20, and 25
These handmade peppermint candies are a holiday tradition for many families, with some even making special trips to acquire them. And if you plan on doing the same, keep in mind the procedure differs from previous years. The previously used QR code has been abandoned in favor of a combination of an old-fashioned line paired with a mobile phone waitlist.
One contributor recently purchased candy canes at Disneyland and noted that the waitlist was not implemented until the queueing area in the adjacent Gibson Girl ice cream parlor was full. After which, guests needed to speak to a designated Cast Member to be added to the waitlist. You can tell them how many candy canes you wish to purchase beforehand. However, keep in mind that the purchase limit is 1 candy can per person, so if you request 3 candy canes and you are a party of 2, they will put one back (you are not charged ahead of time).
For a look at the history of Disneyland’s candy canes and tips on how to score some sweets for yourself, check out our guide:
Disneyland Hotel’s Lobby Lounge Gets a New Look
If you walk by Goofy’s Kitchen in the Disneyland Hotel, you will notice that the lounge next door looks different. Inspired by the woods Aurora grew up in as Briar Rose, it now features an Art Deco forest motif (similar to the Art Deco art style used in the Sleeping Beauty animated film) with rose accents.
The seats around the bar now form a combined panorama of a woodscape.
The woodland artwork continues beyond the bar and through to the adjacent alcove, where the walls have been painted with a similar backdrop, the couches feature floral prints, and potted plants dot the area.
The areas closer to the entrance forgo a painted backdrop in favor of cutout wooden trees in Eyvind Earle styling (Earle created the beautiful backgrounds for Sleeping Beauty).
Shanghai Disney Resort’s Zootopia Welcomes Guests This Week
Shanghai Disney Resort’s newest land, Zootopia, inspired by the Disney movie of the same name, opens on December 20, 2023. Like Hong Kong Disneyland’s World of Frozen, the new land will provide an immersive experience as guests roam the animal-run city of Zootopia.
The land offers one attraction, “Zootopia: Hot Pursuit,” and an interactive show featuring the city’s residents – called “Disney Zootopia Comes Alive.” Zootopia: Hot Pursuit is a trackless ride that takes guests on a training day as a rookie police officer for the city. They’ll join Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde as they patrol Zootopia’s different climate-based neighborhoods, like Tundratown and Sahara Square, all while encountering audio-animatronic figures of characters from the movie. Like Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway, many of the backgrounds are full motion projections.
During “Disney Zootopia Comes Alive,” life-sized animals chat with each other and passersby from their apartment windows.
Zootopia also boasts film-accurate buildings and food that looks as though it popped right out from the theater screen. The tasty treats (plus various novelty items) will be sold at locations like Jumbeaux’s Cafe and Zootopia Market.
And, of course, there will be plenty of themed merchandise for purchase over Fashions by Fru Fru. In fact, guests can expect over 200 items at Zootopia’s opening, with many of them created specifically for the new land.
So, why did we devote so many words to a new Shanghai land for this update… well, we know that this is one of the concepts currently being considered for Disneyland in California… likely for the 3rd park (More about DisneylandForward HERE). If only they had built Zootopia and World of Frozen in the giant space being underused by Galaxy’s Edge. Well, as they say, hindsight is 20/20.
Disneyland Resort Construction
Now, it just wouldn’t be a Disneyland Update without a lengthy construction section. But these construction updates are getting shorter and shorter. In fact, there’s only one new attraction currently under construction at the resort. But there are a LOT of restaurants on the way…
Downtown Disney West Side Project
Downtown Disney has a slew of new eateries on the way. The new Parkside Market will have a number of smaller establishments in a mid-century modern building next to the new stage and lawn.
Opposite the Parkside Market is the new Din Tai Fung dumpling house, which should open in 2024.
With the old Downtown Disney stage now removed, the walkways in the area are being reworked. Still no word on what will become of the old ESPN Zone building and Rainforest Cafe buildings. Very likely that they will eventually be consumed by the upcoming 3rd park project.
Our thanks to a reader for sending us photos of the West Side construction from her Disneyland Hotel room. You can see the large Din Tai Fung building at center, and Westside Market in the upper right, with the stage and lawn between them. The pinched walkways to the left will soon reopen with the new pavement scheme.
Downtown Disney Paseo & Centrico
As large as the Downtown Disney West Side project is, there’s another big construction zone in the center of the district. The large circular bar being constructed where the old Uva Bar was located is just now getting its covering. Here’s what “Centrico” looks like at the moment.
Beyond the bar, in the building opposite Black Tap Brewery, is the upcoming Paseo restaurant. Work here has been very slow, but the renovation of the old Catal space was a complete gut and rebuild. EVERYTHING was removed and taken down to studs.
Inside the park, there are a few things going on:
Mark Twain & Columbia Refurbishments
Disneyland’s big boat, the Mark Twain, closed in mid-September for a major refurbishment. Railings and windows were removed, smokestacks gilded, and everything is being stained and repainted.
With Fantasmic reopening on May 24th, 2024, the park is taking this opportunity to get all the elements of the show ready for crowds.
The other big ship that plays a role in Fantasmic is the Sailing Ship Columbia. It will close January 8th through 11th for a quick refurb. And, here’s a bit of good news to go along with that… the Pirates of the Caribbean scene in Fantasmic, which takes place on the Columbia, will be replaced with the ORIGINAL Peter Pan segment the show opened with. While we wish the Maleficent Dragon was returning as well, for now, Peter Pan is the big news. But we are still holding out hope that Disneyland will have something good to share about the new grand finale of the show.
More about Fantasmic’s dramatic closure and reopening plans at Disneyland HERE.
Antigravity: Astro Orbitor
The attraction at the entry to Tomorrowland is coming apart piece by piece. Sadly, they aren’t repositioning it atop the PeopleMover platform where it belongs. This is just a normal part of Disney’s heavy maintenance program. Some attractions, like Astro Orbitor and Silly Symphony Swings, are sometimes completely disassembled so gears can be replaced, lubricated, and external parts repainted. But wouldn’t it be great for this attraction to be relocated atop the platform at the back of the land so you could really soar above the land?!
FYI – By Saturday, all of the planets were removed, these photos were taken Thursday.
Tiana’s Bayou Adventure
The attraction formerly known as Splash Mountain has been undergoing a major transformation with a completely new theme. The briar patch is becoming the bayou Song of the South becomes Princess and the Frog. Chickapin Hill has had it’s iconic tree topper removed and is being reshaped to resemble a salt dome.
The drop flume has been disassembled for reconstruction.
The entry to the queue is also being reworked and rethemed. This will be the entrance to the fictional “Tiana’s Foods,” a business Tiana founded after the success of her first restaurant, Tiana’s Palace.
Guests will head off with Tiana and Louis the Aligator to find a “missing ingredient,”… which they will soon find out isn’t food or a spice… but rather magic. Mama Odie is the catalyst for a grand musical adventure with all-new animatronic characters and new but familiar-sounding songs.
GUIDE: Everything You Need to Know About Tiana’s Bayou Adventure!
Haunted Happenings – New Details for the Haunted Mansion
Following the holiday season, some major new elements will materialize at the Mansion… A new shop will be constructed at the attraction’s exit, and a giant new queue will take over Magnolia Park and the existing queue area. But the really heavy duty work will be a new elevator for disabled guests and the reworking of the attraction exit.
There’s quite a bit of space near the exit of the Mansion which was once used as Fastpass distribution for Splash Mountain and for outdoor merchandise carts. But there’s also quite a bit of room to the side of the Mansion that isn’t currently accessible to guests. The shop won’t be huge, but it will allow Disney to move the Haunted Mansion merchandise from the shop in New Orleans Square at the exit of Pirate’s of the Caribbean and over to the Mansion where it makes more sense.
The view below shows just how huge the courtyard in front of the New Orleans train station and Magnolia Gardens really is. The Mansion won’t take all of this space for its new themed queue, some of the real estate will be used for an expansion of Tiana’s Palace dining patio.
The old Fastpass garden will become part of the new queue area as well. The concept art shows a greenhouse here.
But all that work will take time. And Disney will take that opportunity to do a full refurbishment of the ride elements while the exterior details are built. We’ll likely get a new effect or two inside the ride. And that could mean the attraction will be down until next Halloween season starts or even later. It is possible for the attraction to reopen before the new shop and queue are complete, but we don’t expect that to happen before the Halloween season launches in 2024. So, don’t count on seeing the non-Holiday version of the attraction again until 2025!
Wish Photo Spot
Disney’s Wish gets a limited-time photo opportunity in the Esplanade between the parks. There’s a video element and then it takes a 360° photo of you. We aren’t sure how long this will remain available to guests. But the cast members expected it to stay through at least this Thursday.
View this post on Instagram
This & That
There’s always more… so we like to collect the smaller items for you in our weekly updates. This week has a number of interesting tidbits.
The Weather Outside is Frightful
It was a lovely week with warm days and cool nights… but, the wind was unpredictable and caused the fireworks to be canceled night after night. But stick around anyway. Even though the shows may be canceled for wind, Disney still does the snow show.
This week, we’re expecting rain. So, it’s highly likely that many more nights of fireworks will be canceled.
Flames Return to World of Color Season of Light
Some exciting moments for guests watching World of Color this week. Actual flames have returned to the show. After the spectacular Fantasmic fire, flamethrower effects were turned off in Disney shows around the world. We shared last September that Flame effects had returned to World of Color: One. But they didn’t return to the Fireworks, nor to the holiday version of World of Color. Well, they’re back! Our good friend and contributor, Gabe Figueroa, shares this video from last night:
In case you are curious… Dusty was able to watch World of Color this week from the outdoor patio of Lamplight Lounge (You just have to get lucky). He said he was so close that he could feel the fountains and the flames. Here’s a very short clip.
Small Steps
On December 29, 2022, a fire broke out in the break room of the Disneyland Railroad in New Orleans Square. The fire caused major damage to the building that sits next to the themed station. The accident not only damaged the building, but also the Ride Control System that safely keeps the trains distanced from each other. As a result, Disneyland has only been running 1 or 2 trains at a time for the last year. We are glad to report that three trains can now be run on the track once again.
Unfortunately, Disney STILL hasn’t done ANY work on the fire-damaged building itself. Tick tock, tick tock, time to get this building back in shape.
For more information on the fire, read on:
Jungle Cruise – Rough Waters
Jungle Cruise continues to suffer from missing props and broken sets. In fact, the problem seems to have escalated since we last reported on it in early November. In addition to the temple sets being removed due to structural issues and the tiger being placed in a box… there are also elephant issues.
Here’s what the scene looked like before it had to be removed:
Squirt is also missing in action (the elephant who tries to drench your boat). Here’s a reminder of what Squirt looks like:
But so is the 2nd African elephant just after Schweitzer Falls. Here’s what she would normally look like:
And now the group of animatronic explorers being chased up a pole (not to mention the pole itself) are completely missing from the ride…
Here’s what that scene should look like:
That’s a lot of stuff missing, which makes things difficult for the skippers. Hard to make a joke about a missing scene.
Blue Sky Cellar Transformation
It’s been years since Disneyland showcased an upcoming project in the Blue Sky Cellar. Instead, the space has been used by the Imagination Campus education program. However, the space is now being transformed into a Disney Vacation Club experience.
And it’s not just the interior of the building getting a renovation… the outdoor patios are also behind construction walls.
And with the Imagination Campus booted from Blue Sky Cellar… they are taking over a different guest space…
Bye Bye to Beast’s Library!
The Animation Building in Disney California Adventure’s Hollywoodland is a great place to escape the elements and houses several attractions within. Unfortunately, we lost one more of those areas on December 10: Beast’s Library. The location will now be used for Disney’s Imagination Campus program.
The Sorcerer’s Workshop, which was home to Beast’s Library, is still open to guests, but now with just one room (it originally had three rooms). However, it seemed mostly empty during our visit.
The entrance to the former Beast’s Library is now heavily guarded by Imagination Campus Cast Members. We noticed a few guests entering the workshop and asking those Cast Members if the library was still open.
But if you want to relive all that the Beast’s Library had to offer, you can take a take a stroll down memory lane here:
Another One Bites the Dust: A Fond Farewell to Beast’s Library
Say “Kwaheri” (Good Bye) to Tale of the Lion King
The Fantasyland Theatre’s beautifully choreographed show, “Tale of the Lion King,” will take its final bow on January 7, 2024.
The venue won’t remain dark for long, however, as the Fantasyland Theatre will host concerts for Celebrate Gospel on February 17 and 24, 2024, featuring music artists and choirs from all over Southern California, headlined by Marvin Sapp (February 17) and Tasha Cobbs (February 24). Unfortunately, Celebrate Gospel is a brief event, and Disney has not announced what will take its place after the celebration ends.
It is a shame that Disney will lose another live entertainment option, especially such a well-done, engaging one. If you have the chance, this is a show that we recommend seeing before it disappears.
And for a refresher on the show, here’s our coverage from its debut in May of 2022:
FIRST LOOK: Disneyland’s Jubilant Tale of the Lion King Show
DCA Blues
For the last several weeks we’ve been pointing out the situation with burnt out lightbulbs at Disneyland. It hasn’t been this bad in years. But those problems are almost as bad at Disney California Adventure as well. Some buildings, attractions & signs have significant issues. The images below are from just one small portion of the park.
Lamplight Lounge Boardwalk Dining
Many guests love the food and creative libations served at Disney California Adventure’s Lamplight Lounge. But the outdoor bar area, Lamplight Lounge Boardwalk Dining, continues to have incredibly limited hours of operation compared to the main restaurant (closing as early as 3:30pm).
It’s odd for this outdoor space to only be open during the hottest hours of the day and not the cooler evening hours when guests actually want to relax… and enjoy the nighttime views.
Disneyland Live
Dusty is joined in the parks by his friend from Australia, AJ Ford. AJ’s home park is Tokyo Disneyland and he has some observations about how the Anaheim parks are failing to meet Walt’s high standards that the Tokyo parks still strive for. You don’t want to miss this one.
Just a reminder, we do these videos every Friday at 5pm (Pacific). To see Dusty get drenched this coming Friday, be sure to subscribe to our YouTube and/or follow our Facebook Page.
Mice Shots
Now, let’s take a photo stroll through the parks…
Discount Disney Tickets and Travel
Are you ready to get away? Our travel partners at Get Away Today are here to help you make new family memories with discounted theme park tickets, hotels, and vacation packages.
Get extra days, big savings, and perks on travel to Disneyland, Walt Disney World, Disney Cruise Line, Adventures By Disney, and other theme parks and family travel destinations… INCLUDING the new SoCal ticket special and the Kids for $50 offer!!! Great timing for that last minute family Christmas present!
Snap up those deals while you still can, with your MiceChat partners at 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)
Let’s Hear from You
That’s it for this week’s Disneyland Update! How do you feel about how Disney handles their Magic Keys versus Knott’s and Universal Studios Hollywood’s Annual Passes? Would you prefer that Disney open up sales to Magic Keys again? Or should they remain more limited to help keep crowds under control? Are you planning on attending any of next year’s Disneyland After Dark events? Is Shanghai Disney Resort’s Zootopia a land that you would plan a trip overseas for? And is it something that you would like to see brought to Disneyland? And what steps can Disney take, that don’t take years to develop, to help bring the real magic back to the parks? Let us know in the comments below!
More Disneyland Reading
7 Disneyland Mom Hacks to Help You Navigate Like a Parks Pro
Hidden Tributes: Disneyland’s Main Street Windows Revealed (Part Two)