After 13 months, Fantasmic! returns this Friday to once again light up the Rivers of America with visions fantastic. Is it our imagination, or is progress around Haunted Mansion less ghostly as construction begins to materialize? Memorial Day and summer approaches – let’s see what’s cooking at the Resort!
Beautiful Fantasy or Overwhelming Nightmare?
After Murphy the dragon set itself on fire in April of 2023, we are about to find out this Friday, May 24, what the revamped Fantasmic! has in store for us. We know there will be new effects, the return of a sorely missed section, and a reimagined finale. Let’s hope Mickey’s imagination is triumphant!
If you don’t want to camp out for hours on end to stake out a spot for the first show, three restaurants are offering Fantasmic! dining packages: Blue Bayou, River Belle Terrace and – new this year – Rancho del Zocalo. Dining reservations can be hard to come by, but keep checking availability on the Disneyland app or website.
Check out our Fantasmic! viewing guide here.
IT’S BACK! Everything You Need to Know About Fantasmic’s Return to Disneyland
This is MY Dream!
While new shows and attractions are few and far between, menu items change throughout the year. Pym Test Kitchen in Avengers Campus recently added an instant hit: the Humongous Taco Salad. Almost every table around me had at least one of these beauties…
I also tried their Reactor Melt, an upscale grilled cheese sandwich. 
If they can leave the spicy tomato sauce off, the Pepper Particle Pasta sounds tasty. The Pym-ini sandwich and the PB3 have been removed from the menu.
My favorite snack item – the Gyoza Sausage Bun – is moving from the Port of San Fransokyo Cerveceria to Lucky Fortune Cookery starting May 23. This is great news, because Magic Key discounts will now be applicable since it will be sold at a dining location rather than an outdoor vending location.
The carnitas on the Pixar Fest Carnitas Pretzel Bites at carts around Pixar Pier is so delicious that I had to try the Carnitas Wet Burrito at Paradise Garden Grill. The two sauces on the burrito were too spicy for me, so I just unrolled the burrito and ate the filling. The accompanying chips are nice and light. (Is it just me or are many of the new dishes around the resort becoming too spicy?)
The Golden Horseshoe is the perfect place to pop into on a hot day, and just in time for summer, ice cream sundaes and floats have returned. What brought a gleam to my childhood eye, though, is that you can saddle up to the bar and order a Roy Rogers and Shirley Temple! Unfortunately, there was no entertainment at all on the stage. Another little cut for guests.
Starting May 21, Tiana’s Palace will begin serving a Muffuletta Salad. Besides soup bowls at Royal Street Veranda, a Cajun Chicken Salad Sandwich has been added to the mix.
Of the recent treats I’ve ordered, none floated my boat. The Lemon Creme Fraiche Cheesecake from Jolly Holiday had just a hint of lemon and was otherwise soggy and bland.
The Pineapple Coconut Float at Tropical Hideaway was too sweet.
The Pineapple-coconut fritters at Royal Street Veranda had no distinct pineapple or coconut flavor. It seems to me that more taste testing needs to be done before things like this get put on the menu. 
If you are a popcorn bucket collector, Munchlings or Donald Duck fan, this adorable bucket is being released today. You can get it at Refreshment Corner with Spicy Firefly Chips, or at select carts in both parks.
Constructionland – Disneyland Will Never Be Complete
Several construction and refurbishment projects are currently taking place at the Disneyland Resort. Let’s review the progress of ongoing projects as well as the commencement of new ones.
Downtown Disney Construction:
We’ll begin at Downtown Disney, on the west end of the district. Din Tai Fung now has its name displayed on the building, indicating that construction is almost finished. Din Tai Fung employee interviews are being held at the Disneyland Hotel; another sign that we will soon be eating dumplings! 
Just across the park is the Parkside Market, which features several new dining establishments as well as an upstairs bar with a view. Construction on the market building is progressing, with elements of the concept now visible.
The walkway next to Star Wars Trading Post is being overhauled, with workers putting finishing touches on the recently poured concrete.
There is still one more small section of walkway that needs to be completed. This section has been behind a chain-link fence and scrim for so long that the Disneyland Holiday banner is still on the lamp post.
As we approached the Esplanade, we noticed that California Sole has closed, with the windows blacked out. According to the Disneyland website, it is closed for refurbishment, but the sign out front suggests that something new is coming.
Could this be the the future location for Nectar Body & Bath that Dusty was telling us was coming? I sure hope so!
Marceline’s Confectionary is currently closed, but we know that the shop will be returning with more space. In the meantime, there is a small kiosk in front of the shop selling a limited selection of 7 different handmade treats and candy apples. In addition, packaged snacks and bottled beverages can be mobile ordered and picked up at Marceline’s.
While the shop is being rethought, we hope they give equal attention to fixing the lackluster mix of treats the location has been offering for the last few years. Disneyland could take some serious notes from the much more robust offerings at Walt Disney World. More pastries and higher quality items please!
Disney California Adventure (DCA):
There is also work in DCA, with the Redwood Creek Challenge Trail still behind tall construction walls. The very little that can be seen shows scaffolding built up around the large wooden structures that are home to the rope bridges and lookout points. This seems to be a very extensive project.
The new DVC lounge in the old Blue Sky Cellar now has a sign with the lounge’s name on it. Walls are still up around the walkway areas, but the walls have been down on the side of the building that runs the parade corridor.
The new “Golden Vine House” Disney Vacation Club sign pays homage to the attraction which occupied this space when the park opened in 2001, Seasons of the Vine.
Disneyland:
Disneyland is where some of the more anticipated projects are happening. Let’s move on down Main Street, where new building refurbishments are happening. While scrims have come down from City Hall, the fire station, and Walt’s Apartment, scrims have gone up on the South end of the Emporium. Hopefully the awnings and decorated windows will get some TLC.
A little more than halfway down the street, our favorite porch to rest on is also behind scrims.
As we enter Adventureland, we notice that the construction walls on the Frontierland side of the walkway have disappeared, but the walkway looks off. The colors of the wooden boards on the bridge and railings are very different from the existing ones. While we know this is only because the materials are new, we’re surprised they weren’t painted or weathered to match the surrounding area. 
We took a short cruise on the Mark Twain and got a decent look at the work on the Haunted Mansion queue. We can now see that there is rebar for new walls. This project is far from complete, but visual progress is happening quicker now that all of the grading appears to be done.
Tiana’s Bayou Adventure was running water last week and logs were seen going down the drop occasionally. While water ran through the flume, there was no water on the drop. Roofing on the barn that covers the second lift has started going on. Other elements can now be seen.
The electrical wires you can see in the cave at the top of the mountain will have lit bottles hanging on them soon.
Disneyland Resort Refurbishment Calendar
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- Tiana’s Bayou Adventure: (May 31st, 2023-Late 2024)
- The Haunted Mansion: (January 22nd-TBA)
- Redwood Creek Challenge Trail: (March 4th-June 20th)
- The Bakery Tour: (March 22nd-June 1st)
- The Coffee House at The Disneyland Hotel (April 2024-TBA)
- The Disneyland Story presenting Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln (April 16th-TBA)
- Cocina Cucamonga Mexican Grill: (April 29th-May 24th)
- The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh: (May 1st-TBA)
- The Briar Patch – Remodel to Ray’s Berets: (May 1st-June 8th)
- Pooh Corner – Remodel to add Critter Club: (May 1st-June 8th)
- California Sole: (May 1st-TBA)
- Sailing Ship Columbia: (May 12th-23rd)
Testing Underway
Last week plexiglass was installed at the bag check tables at the Mickey and Friends/Pixar Pals parking structure. A piece of the plexiglass is cut out at the bottom so that people can put items from their pockets into a round tray and slide it through to security. Bags are handed to security to examine behind the plexiglass; guests go through the metal detector as their bags are being searched. The process isn’t going well and has resulted in longer waits at security. Some refining of this process is required.
The automated turnstiles that were installed earlier this year at DCA continue to be tested off and on. I experienced the process last Thursday morning. A cast member scanned my ticket (Magic Bands aren’t currently an option to use) from the Disneyland app, and then I had to scan my ticket again at the tablet at the turnstile. The device showed my existing photo, and I had to line up my face with the tablet’s camera so that it could compare the two images. Once confirmed to be me, the gates opened. It took about 10 seconds to enter the park. You can see video of the process below. But it feels like it takes just a bit longer than the old turnstiles.
Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month Wrapping Up
A Turning Red chalk drawing by Pei Jun Tang was created to celebrate Pixar Fest and Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage month. There is a little over a week left to catch AAPI musicians and dancers in Downtown Disney and the Disneyland Hotel.
Also, be sure to check out the AAPI window display at Emporium.
Memorial Day
Military bands usually perform at the Resort over the holiday weekend, but so far the only group listed is the Navy Band Southwest, who will be participating in the Flag Retreat ceremony on Friday, May 24.
This and That
World’s Fair Tributes
In celebration of the 60th anniversary of the New York World’s Fair last month, photo props (and a sticker) were made for the attractions that hailed from it.
MiceChat’s Gumball Rally back in February also celebrated the 1964, New York World’s Fair:
Little Mermaid
The queue for The Little Mermaid – Ariel’s Undersea Adventure has returned to its original location. The queue had been relocated next to Seaside Souvenirs when the attraction was added as a Lightning Lane selection. It remains a Lightning Lane attraction.
Cultivating the Magic Tour
A horticulture tour called Cultivating the Magic has returned with a different script from its previous version. Disneyland’s gardeners make the park look beautiful year-round, so this tour should be magnificent no matter when you book it.
Pizza Planet Trucks
Here are a few more of the hidden Pixar Fest Pizza Planet trucks from around the Resort. We won’t tell you specifically where to find it. We hope you have as much fun hunting for them as we’ve had.
Magic Key No-Show
The Disneyland app has been updated so that Magic Key holders can see how many “No-Shows” they have, along with the dates of the No-Shows. The No-Show count is located just below the line that tells you the number of reservations available on your pass.
Characters Count
Disneyland’s parade and character performers have voted overwhelmingly to unionize. nearly 80% of them voted to join Actors’ Equity, which already represents Disney performers on stage at the resort as well as Disney cast on Broadway and at Walt Disney World.
Disneyland officials recognized the vote with the statement, “We respect that our cast members had the opportunity to have their voices heard.”
Disneyland LIVE
With Dusty on a grand adventure, Mike and I headed into the parks to bring you this week’s Disneyland LIVE video. We think you’ll enjoy this view of the parks and latest projects. Press play to step into the magic:
MiceShots
As we wrap up this edition of the Monday Update, we leave you with some of our favorite shots of the week. This week, Mike Kindrich rode The Jungle Cruise and returned with some photos of his tour. Sadly, some of the attraction’s features, such as the hippo pool and piranhas, are still not consistently working.
That zebra looks dead tired…
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Let’s Hear From You!
That’s enough from us, let’s hear from you! Are you ready for the return of Fantasmic? Do you think it will be a vision fantastic or an overwhelming nightmare? As Downtown Disney continues to be shaken up, what would you like to see added to the mix? Are you getting excited to visit the bayou with Tiana? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
