DISNEYLAND UPDATE: New Gates, Dragons & Haunted Mansion Closed!

Of course, the winter weather generally forces several attractions across both parks to close, including some Fantasyland and Toontown favorites such as the Mad Tea Party, Alice in Wonderland, and Chip and Dale’s Gadget Coaster.

  

In California Adventure, attractions such as Luigi’s Rollickin’ Roadsters and Goofy’s Sky School typically close in the rain.

The rain can impact some dining locations as well, such as Cafe Orleans in New Orlenas Square… where the small indoor dining area remained in use but the large patio was closed throughout the day due to the rain. 

The rain cleared up for a beautiful Sunday before the rain returned in the evening.  

Maingate Makeover

Last week, Disneyland filed permits to begin work on removing and replacing the existing turnstiles and gates at its theme parks.  According to a park officials, the existing turnstiles will be replaced with automated gates, similar to those in use at Disneyland Paris, which will open after the guest’s ticket, Magic Band, or Magic Key pass has been scanned in.  

Currently, Cast Members scan in each guest at turnstiles.  These turnstiles will be replaced with new automated gates.  Guests will likely scan their own tickets or Magic Key moving forward, with the automated gates opening once validated.   Cast Members, albeit likely fewer of them, will still be on hand to help with any issues and ensure guests are using admission media that is theirs.  And yes, all tickets will still require an accompanying guest photo.   

The project is expected to get underway at Disney California Adventure first and then move across the esplanade to Disneyland’s main entrance gates. 

Say goodbye to Disneyland’s classic turnstiles and hello to automated gates.

What do you think of this change?  Have you been to Disneyland Paris and used their entry system?  Were you a fan or would you prefer for Disneyland to keep it old school with classic turnstiles?  Or, would you rather Disneyland adopt Walt Disney World’s gateless entry? I’d personally be happy with anything that speeds up the line. Be sure to let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.  

Extreme Makeover: Haunted Mansion Edition

The big news over the week was the Haunted Mansion’s newest resident: a bulldozer.  The attraction remained open through the weekend with its holiday overlay still running.  Starting today, however, the Haunted Mansion will be closed through at least this summer.  The closure will bring some pretty big changes to the Mansion and surrounding New Orleans Square area.  

The entire extended queue on the side of the Haunted Mansion will be redesigned and that part of the project is underway already.  Bulldozers moved in last week and turned that large outdoor queue into a major construction site.  

The walls have taken over a good portion of the charming Spanish Fountain/Magnolia Park area of New Orleans Square.  The entire area will be redeveloped. The new, expanded Haunted Mansion queue will take over some of this space, with new gardens and a new fountain being added to a reimagined plaza.

Disney has said that some of the “historic trees” here will be saved and integrated into the reimagined area. We’re expecting that some of them will unfortunately be removed entirely.

We’re going to miss this fountain.

This was such a beautiful part of the land.  Of course, it would often be turned into overflow queue for the Haunted Mansion, especially during the holidays.  But when it wasn’t being used for overflow queue, it was a really beautiful, quiet part of the park to escape to.  Quiet areas like this don’t really exist much at Disneyland anymore, unfortunately.  

Over the next several months, this fountain plaza area will be reimagined to look like the concept art below.  The new plaza will be much smaller in size, with the Haunted Mansion’s new walled queue eating into the footprint of the old plaza.

The scene on the other side of the construction walls is quite a shocker.  The main extended queue area on the side of the mansion has been ripped up and reduced largely to rubble. Don’t be too sad, it was a pretty tight switchback. 

 

The old and abandoned Fastpass distribution area is now gone.  Expect a larger extended queue will absorb that space as well as half of the Magnolia Park area.  

The outdoor queue will be totally reimagined with new, larger themed queue spaces, as seen in the concept art below.  

Additionally, A new elevator for disabled access will be installed here, allowing guests in wheelchairs to exit the Haunted Mansion in a more streamlined way. The crypt doorway that can still be seen is an exit hallway used by Cast Members and during emergency exits.  The new ADA elevator is expected to be built and installed in this area.  

Guests will still enter the Haunted Mansion through the front door but the new elevator will allow them to disembark their Doombuggies and exit the attraction via a new elevator. That elevator will result in guests in wheelchairs exiting on the side of the outdoor extended queue, rather than having to ride the stretching room elevator back up to the attraction’s main entrance.  This change will streamline the exit experience for guests in wheelchairs and improve the guest experience for everybody as the standby queue will no longer need to wait for ADA guests to exit through the stretching room.  This is a great change for everybody, all guests and Cast Members alike. 

At the attraction’s exit, construction on a new gift shop will soon get underway.  This gift shop will absorb what was once Splash Mountain’s Fastpass distribution area, and then later a bit of extended queue, and recently overflow Haunted Mansion retail space. 

A new carriage house will be built here and will be themed to Madame Leota.  The shop will be dedicated entirely to Haunted Mansion merchandise and collectibles.  

Guests exiting the attraction won’t be forced to exit through the gift shop but it will be easy to slip into as you’re fleeing the exit crypt. 

But that’s not all!  In our What’s New and What’s Next 2024 article, we shared a bit of information on what’s going on inside the Haunted Mansion over the next few months.  The closure is expected to bring a totally refurbished graveyard scene.  We aren’t expecting any major show changes here, but the 55 year old attraction is getting some much needed infrastructure reinforcement and improvements.  This will be great for guests, as animatronics and effects will be refreshed and fixed up as part of the project.  

Where we might see some changes, however, are with the attraction’s iconic hitchhiking ghosts.  A ghost will still follow you home but they may do it with some new digital pizzaz.  We’re hearing Disneyland is experimenting with new, more technologically impressive, digital phantoms that will appear to interact with guests. 

 

Elsewhere in New Orleans Square, Lightning Lane has debuted at Pirates of the Caribbean.   This will (hopefully) only be a temporary addition while the Haunted Mansion is closed for much of the year and Disneyland has a need to offer another Lightning Lane option as part of the Genie+ program. 

  

Tiana’s New Tower

Next to the Haunted Mansion, work continues on Tiana’s Bayou Adventure.  Recently, the Tiana’s Foods water tower was installed at the Disneyland version of the attraction.  

 

Walking around the other side of the mountain, you can see a quote on the back of the water tower that riders will see as they pass by.

“Never ever lose sight of what’s really important”

Lots of work is underway 

The entrance of the attraction is behind scaffolding because much of that facade has been removed. 

Lots of work on the mountainscape behind the exit of the attraction.

Lunar New Year 2024: Year of the Dragon

Over at Disney California Adventure, installation of the 2024 Lunar New Year celebration was underway over the weekend.  The cultural, entertainment, and food festival kicks off this year starting tomorrow, January 23, and runs through February 18. 

 

 

A look at some of the menus for Lunar New Year. These menus are an improvement over the disappointing Festival of the Holidays menus, offering two food items per booth instead of only one.  

New this year, a themed meet-and-greet with characters from Pixar’s “Turning Red” will be added on San Francisco Street, next to the Little Mermaid attraction.

Concept art for the new “Turning Red” meet-and-greet with Meilin and her mother Ming. 

Almost Ready for Check-In: Pixar Place Hotel

Outside the parks, the finishing touches are being applied at the Pixar Place Hotel.  The reimagined hotel, replacing the Paradise Pier Hotel, officially opens just over a week from today, on January 30.  

Scaffolding is going back up on the sides of the hotel — perhaps to install signage? 

The hotel has been transforming before our eyes over the last year or so.  The hotel is no longer stuck in the 1980s with early 2000s flair — it has been updated throughout with a fresh and modern 2020s aesthetic with a lot of Pixar flair that gives glimpses into the Pixar creative process.  

The atrium lobby is behind curtains while the big Luxo Jr. sculpture is installed.

The new stylized character mobiles hang overhead.

Nearby, the Sketch Pad Cafe is open but only operates for several hours every morning.  This area used to be a casual hotel lobby bar with food service as part of the Paradise Pier Hotel.  It’s a shame it’s now reduced down to a limited-hour coffee bar. Hopefully there are plans for all day snacks and beverages. 

Signage in a lot of this hotel is kind of hard to read — none of it is very well illuminated.  Strange.

We’re about a week away from officially reopening but most of the hotel is finished and open to guests already.  Is the remodel successful?  We’ll get an in person look at the new rooms and pool area next week and will share our full opinion then.  

Below, the main check-in area of the lobby.

Corridors and seating areas feature oversized character sketches and framed digital wireframe versions of the characters.  

The rear entrance to the hotel lobby, from the parking garage, has new signage and theming around its entry doorway. 

At first glance, we thought the new themed entrance was just a themed construction wall.   But no, that’s the final, permanent product.  

This hotel certainly needed an update and feels fresh and new — but some of the open spaces feel a bit too cold and sterile.  Lots of corporate branding and modern aesthetics. We hope it resonates with guests staying here as they’ll be paying that hefty Disney surcharge for the privilege.  What do you think?  Will you be booking a stay at Pixar Place Hotel or will you opt for one of the other Disneyland hotels or perhaps an offsite hotel?  Let us know your thoughts in the comments section! 

Refurbishment Roundup / Construction Kingdom

The winter months bring a lot of refurbishments to the parks along with ongoing construction projects. Here’s a quick guide to what’s down or about to be refurbished: 

Disneyland Attraction Refurbishment Calendar:

• • Splash Mountain: Conversion to Tiana’s Bayou Adventure: (May 31st, 2023-Late 2024)
  • Mark Twain Riverboat: (September 17th, 2023-February 9th, 2024)
  • Astro Orbitor: (November 27th, 2023-TBA)
  • Grizzly River Run: (January 8th-February 29th)
  • Inside Out Emotional Whirlwind: (January 22nd-February 8th)
  • The Haunted Mansion: (January 22nd-TBA)

Upcoming Refurbishments:

• • Disney Junior Dance Party: (February 12th-15th)
  • Radiator Springs Racers: (February 26th-March 1st)

Now, let’s take a look at some of that…

Esplanade Lost and Found, Lockers, & Restrooms

In the esplanade, the large Lost and Found, Lockers, and Restrooms building  to the west of Disneyland’s main entrance turnstiles is getting refurbished.  All of the facilities remain open, however. 

Town Square Refurbishments

Inside Disneyland, the large failicity housing City Hall, restrooms, the the fire department (and Walt’s apartment) are all behind scaffolding for refurbishment

Hopefully this bell atop the fire station, that has been missing for quite some time, will finally be replaced

Astro Orbitor 

The Astro Orbitor’s refurbishment continues at the entrance of Tomorrowland…

 

Mark Twain Riverboat

Work continues on the Mark Twain Riverboat’s refurbishment. 

Stage Door Cafe

Stage Door Cafe remains open while it gets a facade touch up. 

Donald’s Duck Pond

In Mickey’s Toontown, Donald’s Duck Pond is STILL behind walls.  The new water play area never opened last year with the rest of the reimagined Mickey’s Toontown.  Hopefully, it’ll finally open this year.

Hyperion Theatre

In Disney California Adventure, the loading stairs at the Hyperion Theatre are getting some refurbishment work…. again. They had to be refurbished before “Rogers: The Musical” last year due to extensive rusting.

Could that mean a new production on the way soon? Why spend the money to refurbish a building that isn’t being used?  

Disney Vacation Club at the Blue Sky Cellar

Work on the Disney Vacation Club project that’s taking over the long-dormant Blue Sky Cellar preview center continues.  There’s no official word yet on what this project will offer for guests or when it will open. But the work appears to be extensive. 

We definitely miss having a dedicated preview center at Disneyland. Especially with so many big projects on the way, including the 3rd park.

 

Grizzly Peak facilities and Grizzly River Run

Facade refurbishments are underway at the Humphrey’s gift shop across from Soarin’ and the adjoining restroom facility.  The shop and restrooms remain open during the refurbishment. 

 

Around the corner, Grizzly River Run is closed for its annual winter refurbishment. 

Grand Californian Lobby

Over in the Grand Californian, the lobby’s custom carpet was replaced.  Work was underway over the weekend to reinstall the lobby furniture.

 

Downtown Disney Reimagining

One of the bigger projects underway at the Resort is the ongoing multi-phase Downtown Disney reimagining and expansion project.  

Near the esplanade, the former La Brea Bakery and current home to a temporary Earl of Sandwich shop, will soon be demolished.  In its place, a brand new Porto’s Bakery and Cafe will be built, serving Cuban pastries, sandwiches, and more.

Porto’s is wildly popular and serves up a lot of great options for cheap — we suspect this location will be in high demand and are expecting the new building to take up more space — likely including a lot of this outdoor seating area.

With Earl of Sandwich closing once again, the popular sandwich shop will be popping up in another temporary location next to the Star Wars Trading Post at the west end of Downtown Disney.  The popup location will serve a limited selection of sandwiches while a new permanent, custom-built location is built nearby.  And good news for Earl fans — we’re hearing from folks close to the project that this all-new Earl of Sandwich will house the popular quick-service walk-up sandwich shop, a permanent version of the popular sit-down Earl of Sandwich Tavern, as well as a new bar upstairs.  We can’t wait!

The temporary location being prepped across from the old ESPN Zone isn’t pretty, but its also much larger than the average food truck. 

In the center of Downtown Disney, the new Paseo and Centrico restaurant and bar continue construction.  These new contemporary Mexican concepts by Michelin-starred chef Carlos Gaytán will bring more upscale dining options to Downtown Disney.  

With new Mexican food on the way, the nearby Tortilla Jo’s has announced its closing at the end of March.  We saw the writing on the wall for this location for quite some time and it’s good to finally have a time frame.  We suspect that with this Mexican dining location closing at the end of March, the new Paseo and Centrico could be opening soon after.

The facade and signage of this restaurant have been in bad shape for a while now.

Is The Alley ready to help absorb some crowds after Tortilla Jo’s closes for good? 

At the west end of Downtown Disney, the new Parkside Market next to the Downtown Disney LIVE stage and lawn continues to move along.  The new Din Tai Fung location is also progressing nicely.  There’s no official timeline on these locations but we’re optimistic for summertime.  

Another big new mid century style shade/seating area is under constriction at the back end of the new Downtown Disney LIVE park area.

 

Work continues on the new Din Tai Fung dumpling house restaurant. 

Below, views of the backside of the Parkside Market facility and Downtown Disney LIVE! area as seen from the Monorail 

This & That

The projector boxes in front of Sleeping Beauty Castle have been replaced with new supersized versions.  They’re quite a bit larger than their predecessors and throw off the scale of things just a bit.  Hopefully the improved nighttime projections are worthwhile!

Meanwhile, most of the snow is gone from the Castle.  There was only a bit off on the east side of the castle over the weekend.  

In Disney California Adventure, the holidays have disappeared as well, except for the lighted buoys near San Fransokyo Square.  These remained in place for quite a while after the holidays last year, so we’re not sure if they’re sticking around again this year, perhaps they’re being used as evening complements to the Lunar New Year decorations? 

 

Meanwhile, the holidays have transitioned into Mardi Gras in New Orleans Square. 

We love that New Orleans Square gets decked out for Mardi Gras every year, but wouldn’t it be great if they brought back the Mardi Gras-themed New Orleans Bayou Bash event from 2012?  That event brought seasonal entertainment, character meet and greets, and specialty food to New Orleans Square during Mardi Gras season.  It was a lot of fun and added a lot of life to New Orleans Square to complement all of the Mardi Gras decorations. And certainly fits the Tiana vibe Disney is going for in New Orleans Square these days. 

Around the Parks

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

   

And don’t miss our comprehensive look at What’s New and What’s Next in 2024 at Disneyland! 

Disneyland Resort: What’s New & What’s Next for 2024!