Temperatures may have cooled in Southern California, but the Disneyland news is still sizzling! Get ready as we dive into this week’s Disneyland update. While the parks were a bit quieter, Disney pulled a surprising move that could be a glimpse of a brighter future—if they play their cards right. Join us as we explore what’s new and noteworthy at Disneyland this week!
Blaze Your Path: A Star Wars Adventure
Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge hosted a special event for the Make-A-Wish Foundation, culminating in a stunt show on Sept. 11, 2024, entitled “Blaze Your Path: The Finale.”
Following a private dinner in First Order Square, a live show near the landspeeder garage featured Star Wars characters Rey, Vi Moradi, Chewbacca, and Resistance members. Regular park guests could catch a glimpse of the show from afar.
“Blaze Your Path: The Finale,” will definitely looks familiar to those who attended the 2019 Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge grand openings here in Anaheim and at Disney World. Until now, the show had only been presented for private guests and media members, but this is the first time the show was viewable to daily park guests.
The dinner and show in Galaxy’s Edge for Wish Kids and their families was the culmination of a multi-day Star Wars adventure throughout the resort, which was unlike anything Disneyland has ever offered. (We have a minute of the show so you can get the drift of what it was all about):
At the event’s conclusion, the kids used the Force to defeat the Dark Side and posed for an epic group photo in front of the Millennium Falcon.
While this was a wonderful event for the Make-A-Wish families, we do hope that Galaxy’s Edge will begin offering entertainment such as this to all guests on a daily bases, much like Avengers Campus does.
For goodness sakes… they had Luke and Leia! We need these characters every day!
Why Does Galaxy’s Edge Need More Entertainment?
We’re glad you asked! Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge has always lacked cohesive story-driven entertainment and music, even though it had been promised by Disney in the buildup to the grand opening.
Yes, characters can be seen wandering throughout the land just like in the rest of the park (like Peter Pan, Alice, and the Mad Hatter who can be seen gallivanting throughout Fantasyland and creating magical memories for guests who come across them). While we feel this form of entertainment helps this make-believe world feel alive – and despite the addition of The Mandalorian, Ahsoka, Boba Fett, Fennec Shand, and others – the planet of Batuu has limited character options as it takes place in an exact moment of Star Wars canon just prior to the sorrowful events of “The Rise of Skywalker” movie.
For those not familiar with the backstory of Galaxy’s Edge let me run through a quick retelling:
The story begins in the Rise of the Resistance attraction as the First Order has discovered that a Rebel Base stronghold has taken up residence on the quiet planet of Batuu, and is being used to recruit new conscripts (park guests) to the ranks of the Resistance. When the shuttles transporting Resistance recruits is captured by the First Order, the Rebel Fleet flies in and battles the First Order, while the recruits escape Kylo Ren’s ship before it’s destroyed. Kylo Ren then heads down to the surface of the planet to figure out where this rebel base is (and has a goal to eliminate it).
While the land’s story should not need to be explicitly told to every guest, additional story moments were planned but never executed. How do we know? Several stages were built throughout the land, one in the First Order Square where you see Kylo Ren’s ship The Echelon, another in the Resistance Camp featuring an X-Wing…
The land’s third stage is known as the Garage. It’s location in the middle of the land would make it the logical place for the “finale moment” where the two forces face off, with the Resistance winning in the end, thanks to the numbers it gained by the new Resistance Recruits (park guests) overwhelming the First Order and forcing them to flee.
At the First Order stage, a small character moment plays out several times a day where Kylo Ren steps out from the Echelon and wanders through the crowds of Batuu to see if he can get the location of the Secret Rebel Base as the local platoon of Storm Troopers are having no luck in procuring the information. But this isn’t really a show, it’s just a brief introduction to the characters wandering around the land.
Ideally, guests would also be able to see a show in the Resistance Camp where you can help Vi Moradi (a Resistance spy character created for the land) and other Resistance Fighters find critical information about the First Order’s movements throughout the Batuu outpost.
With this idea of several different stage shows and/or stunt shows throughout the day sharing information from both sides, we begin to see the original vision Walt Disney Imagineering had for this land.
But we have seen exactly this just down the road from the Disneyland Resort, in a little park called Knott’s Berry Farm, thanks to their summer entertainment offering called Ghost Town Alive.
Ghost Town Alive’s story line changes every year, so guests can immerse themselves in the world of Calico and its cast of characters – and what makes Ghost Town Alive fun is that nobody knows how the day is going to end because story lines are influenced by the guests who interact with the citizens of Ghost Town throughout the day. While there are certainly parameters for the cast to follow within the story, unexpected guest-motivated events can occur that even the cast members don’t always anticipate.
All we’re asking for as guests is immersive storytelling, and the whole idea of Disneyland is exactly that – it even says it on the sign above the pathway as you enter:
As park guests, we want to enter these fantastical worlds and be immersed, forgetting about the real world that exists just beyond the berm of the park. And that is exactly what the Make-A-Wish families received, a small break from reality and a chance to live in worlds of fantasy for a short time. Disney already has these stage shows written for Galaxy’s Edge, it’s time for them to be unleashed.
Imagine how alive Batuu would become if storytellers could tell their stories to the audience. Imagine how many children would be inspired by becoming a Jedi, raising their lightsabers, scaring off the Stormtroopers of the First Order, and helping to bring a little light to this dark galaxy.
All that being said, Disneyland has introduced the Fire of the Rising Moons Star Wars-themed musical score to accompany the park’s fireworks displays (and that can only be experienced from inside Galaxy’s Edge). Starting in November, a new dining package from Docking Bay 7 will include Fire of the Rising Moons viewing.
Check out our article covering this year’s story line of Ghost Town Alive and see the level of storytelling a non-Disney Park is capable of, then let us know if you think Disneyland’s Star Wars land could do better:
The Untold Stories of Knott’s Ghost Town Alive – Calico Revealed!
Constructionland
“We’re all mad here!” Mad Hatter says as we begin to look at the different construction projects occurring throughout the Disneyland Resort.
Disneyland Main Entrance
At the entrance of the “Happiest Place on Earth,” work continues on what feels like an old Project Stardust project as we can now visibly see what Disney has been doing around the turnstiles.
In a move to give a little breathing space, Disney is moving the tree planters in front of the turnstiles back by about 20 feet, which will create more queuing space in front of the gates.
Here you can see the first moved tree and the space achieved at the center section of turnstiles.
Work also continues on the gate near the Newsstand gift shop…
…as well as the facade of the stroller rental building.
Disneyland Railroad
Just inside the park, guests are greeted by giant (and not at all photo friendly) scrims covering the Main Street train station. The facade is being refurbished while the attraction is down for track work and Bayou Country construction.
At the base of the staircase, we can see a new sign posted that lets guests know they can visit the Toontown and Tomorrowland Stations to learn about the railroad.
The rest of the signs on the wall are images of all the Train Stations from the different “Magic Kingdom” parks around the globe.
Moving over to the Rivers of America, track work continues on the bridges traversing the fantastical rock work that that separates the river from Galaxy’s Edge.
They’d better work fast before that murder beaver destroys all the crew’s hard work.
Haunted Mansion Expansion
Moving over the New Orleans Square Train Station, work continues as construction crews reconfigure the space to accommodate the Haunted Mansion’s new larger queue.
Not much visible work is occurring around the Train Station Plaza, but we hope Disney can get this much-needed walkway reopened soon.
We can see a brick structure being installed near the center of the rear queue space. While we cannot pinpoint this structure on the concept art Disney provided, it kind of reminds me of a mausoleum, but we will have to see.
And of course, we cannot forget the new gift shop at the attraction’s exit. Work continued this week as the building’s steel frame looks to be almost complete with just the missing A-frame shape to be added to the rear and accompanying roof beam and joists.
I don’t expect to see this portion of the entire Haunted Mansion project to be complete any time soon. It will likely open next year.
Tiana’s Bayou Adventure
It’s time to drop into Critter Country Bayou Country as Tiana’s Bayou Adventure construction crews continue their work ahead of the attraction’s November 15th opening date.
On the day of our visit, we could hear Show Audio testing/playing as logs cycle through the mountain. We could also hear Tiana’s and Louis’s voices clear as day all the way down under Hungry Bear Restaurant. Music could also be heard playing from the portion of the flume that travels next to the Harbor Galley restaurant.
Work also continues around the entrance building. Some scaffolding continues to cover the east side of the building.
We know the ride’s bright yellow barn-like building will feature different murals than the attraction in Orlando, but Disney has not revealed any artwork yet.
Disneyland Monorail
The Disneyland Monorail returned to service this past weekend after several weeks of downtime.
We are also seeing guest reports that, for the first time since the park shut down, guests are being offered the chance to ride up front with the driver, a welcome change that adds capacity to the historic attraction.
Indiana Jones Adventure
Also this past week, the Indiana Jones Adventure attraction was down on several weekdays for refurbishment.
This refurbishment occurs a couple times a year and is mainly to address maintenance problems that cannot be handled during the nighttime maintenance shifts when the park is closed to guests.
Jungle Cruise
Next door to Indy, the world-famous Jungle Cruise is beginning its scheduled several-weeks-long refurbishment.
We suspect the Cambodian Shrine scene will be fixed and we can finally get the tiger out its box.
it’s a small world
Also beginning today, “the happiest cruise that ever sailed” begins a multi-month multi-aspect overhaul project.
The project is expected to touch up many parts of the ride, including ride systems, lighting, and the installation of the holiday overlay. The attraction is scheduled to return on November 15th in holiday mode, but will go under the knife once again post-New Years to finish the technical upgrades.
We can see one of the ride system projects that needs to be fixed just outside the attraction station. Currently Cast Members have to switch the boats manually at the unload split as the sensor system seems to be down. At least a nice little cushion has been placed on the wall for the cast member tasked to do the manual switching all day (and thankfully, they’re in the shade).
Inside the attraction, we can see many of the show scenes are poorly lit and/or with uneven lighting. This refurbishment is much needed.
Other Disneyland Projects
Over at the Adventureland restrooms, construction walls continue to be the first thing you see when you enter the land. Will this project ever be finished?
In Frontierland, the drinking fountain across from the exit for Big Thunder also continues to sit behind construction walls.
The Hungry Bear Barbecue Jamboree restaurant continues it re-theming. While no visible progress could be seen this week outside the restaurant, we hear they could open any time now.
Moving up into Toontown, the facade of the Toontown Powerhouse building has been covered over in scrims.
And finally, a newcomer to the Refurbishment Calander this week is Pixie Hollow. The Tinker Bell and Friends meet-and-greet will be closed from now until October 14th. We’ll check back to see what progress the pixies have made touching up their home in the coming weeks.
World of Color
Jumping parks, over in California Adventure, World of Color – One is currently down for refurbishment.
The fountain show’s platforms are currently raised above the water line in Paradise Bay for maintenance crews to service the fountain heads.
The show currently does not have a return date (and no dining package reservations are available), but we suspect Disney will be hard at work to return the show by the start of the holiday season.
Cozy Cone
The Cozy Cone in Cars Land continues to undergo a major overhaul to its center seating areas and the landscaping space behind and to the south of its famous cones. This is another project that seems to be taking forever.
Peeking through the cracks on the walls that face Cross Street we can see the entire landscaping space has been dug up.
We’re not sure if the two sets of construction walls are related to each other, but together they make the space feel really claustrophobic.
Earl of Sandwich
Outside the parks, work is only just beginning on the future home for Earl of Sandwich on the west side of Downtown Disney.
Parkside Market
At the Far end of the Parkside Market building, work is wrapping up on new Disney retail space.
The Avengers Reserve and D-Landers Shops are expected to open in the coming months.
On the north end of the building (and closer to the main walkway) construction also continues on the Parkside Market.
New Steakhouse and BBQ Restaurant
While we aren’t quite sure what to call these new restaurants just yet, the new Steakhouse and BBQ restaurant from Michelin-starred Chef Joe Isidori has had very little (if any) visible work done except for the removal of the fountain that used to sit out front.
The signs for Tortilla Jo’s have also been removed.
The removal of the sign over the restaurant’s patio revealed an older painted sign for the retired Mexican restaurant.
Disney Wonderful World of Sweets
Work continues on the old Marceline’s Confectionery as Disney is currently getting the space ready for the launch of Disney’s Wonderful World of Sweets shop. Disney expects the shop to open sometime this winter.
The new shop will be twice the size of the old Marcelines.
Lighting Boxes
Circling back on a lingering story, it appears Disney is having issues with shoring up some of the light poles that had to be taken down earlier this year due to safety concerns.
Two construction boxes have appeared near the west end of World of Disney shop where some light posts were located. But these are very tall boxes.
You can check out all the changes happening to Downtown Disney in our article:
Downtown Disney Transformed: Updates on New Restaurants & Shops!
Refurbishment Calendar
- Splash Mountain conversion to Tiana’s Bayou Adventure: May 31, 2023 – Nov. 14, 2024
- The Disneyland Story presenting Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln (adding “Walt Disney — A Magical Life” show): April 16, 2024 – 2025
- The Briar Patch remodel to Ray’s Berets: May 1 – TBA
- Hungry Bear Restaurant remodel to Hungry Bear Barbecue Jamboree: July 8 – TBA
- Critter Country Fruit Cart: July 8 – TBA
- Disneyland Railroad: Aug. 5 – TBA
- World of Color – One: Sept. 9 – TBA
- Jungle Cruise: Sept. 16 – Oct. 3
- Pixie Hollow: Sept. 16 – Oct. 14
- it’s a small world (holiday install): Sept. 16 – Nov. 14
- Pirate’s Lair on Tom Sawyer Island: Sept. 16 – 18
- Sailing Ship Columbia: Sept. 23 – 26
- Dumbo the Flying Elephant: Oct. 1
- it’s a small world: Jan. 21 – Spring 2025
Hispanic and Latin American Heritage Month Food Offerings
In honor of Hispanic and Latin American Heritage Month, several new and special food offers have popped up throughout the Disneyland Resort. Be sure to try them on your next visit!
In Disneyland Park (available through Nov. 14):
- Rancho del Zocalo Restaurante – NEW Torta Cubana (breaded steak, sliced ham, panela cheese, jalapeño mayo, guacatillo sauce, beans, shredded lettuce, tomatoes and Julienne onions on a grilled bolillo)
In Disney California Adventure Park (available through Nov. 14):
- Award Wieners – NEW Torta de Milanesa (Beef Milanesa with grilled ham and panela cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickled onions, jalapeños and avocado spread on a Telera roll, served with Cuties Mandarin Oranges or Filmstrip Fries) and NEW Stuffed Pan Dulce (cream-filled pan dulce with macerated berries)
- Lamplight Lounge – NEW Brown Soul Juguito Hazy IPA
- Hollywood Lounge and Studio Catering Co. – Chile Relleno Burrito (rice, beans, pico de gallo, chile relleno, salsa roja and crema, wrapped in a flour tortilla and served with tortilla chips and salsa roja)
Coco Floral Skull Sipper
Available at the following locations (limit ten per person, per transaction; no discounts apply):
- Disneyland Park: Jolly Holiday Bakery Cafe, Refreshment Corner, Churros near Casey Jr. Circus Train, Churros at Small World Promenade, Lemonade at Small World Promenade, Galactic Grill, Alien Pizza Planet, Rancho del Zocalo, Ship to Shore Marketplace
- California Adventure Park: Chiller Cart, Fairfax Market, Hollywood Lounge, Mortimer’s Market, Paradise Garden Grill, Stadium Vending, Studio Catering Co.
Downtown Disney District (available through Oct. 15)
- Ballast Point Brewing Co. – NEW Chile Relleno Burger (1/2 lb. beef patty with pepper jack cheese and poblano mayo topped with a chile relleno and tomato salsa)
- Céntrico – NEW Chicken Tamal (corn husk tamal with mole rojo, braised chicken, and pickled cauliflower, carrots, watermelon, and radish) and NEW Tamal de Rajas (corn husk tamal, rajas, Mexican cheese blend, and pickled cauliflower, carrots, watermelon, and radish)
- Naples Ristorante e Bar – NEW Quesabirria Pizza (Neapolitan dough topped with fresh mozzarella cheese, slow-braised beef birria, and shredded Chihuahua cheese topped with diced onion and cilantro and served with a cup of consume and fresh lime wedges)
- Paseo – NEW three-course meal for two celebrating flavors from across Latin America:
- Kanpachi Crudo: Aji amarillo and mango agua chile, red onion, cherry tomato, cilantro criollo, and green oil
- Pork belly Chicharron: Black beans and rice, fried plantains, chimichurri, and a mole rojo
- Quesadilla de Pan: Fried plantain cream, dulce de leche whip cream, and crispy rice
- Salt & Straw – Chocolate Champurrado with Sesame Toffee (spiced champurrado ice cream with sweet skull-popping shards of sesame seed toffee)
- Tiendita – NEW Chef’s Special Aguas Frescas (daily selections celebrating the flavors of Latin America)
- Wetzel’s Pretzels – Choco-Churro Bitz (classic Cin-A-Bitz drizzled with dulce de leche and Ghirardelli chocolate sauce)
- Great Maple Modern American Eatery at Pixar Place Hotel – Tres Leches Doughnuts with evaporated milk, condensed milk, and cream
This and That
Special Downtown Disney Offerings
Construction isn’t the only thing going on in the Downtown Disney District this week. Let’s check out all the special offerings guests can experience without even going through the park gates.
National Beignet Day
September 17th is National Beignet Day and, to celebrate, Downtown Disney’s Beignets Expressed will reward the first 250 guests with a free order of beignets. In addition, a surprise glazed flavor will materialize at 4 p.m. and will be available until closing.
Splitsville Happy Hour
Across the way at Splitsville, a new happy hour menu features flatbread pizzas, sushi rolls, cocktails, and more will be available Sundays through Thursdays, from 9 p.m. to closing. So, roll on in and try a few items – and be sure to leave plenty of room to spare!
Villainous Entertainment at Downtown Disney
Downtown Disney is featuring special entertainment through October 31st at the “Downtown Disney LIVE! Stage,” with a capella groups performing a ghastly lineup of Halloween songs, Friday through Sunday evenings, in honor of our favorite Disney Villains.
New Popcorn Buckets
PSA: Several (really super cute) popcorn buckets have made their debut around the resort this week.
Just a reminder, several popcorn stands around the park offer the buckets. We spotted a huge line for the cart in Town Square on Main Street, but carts selling the same merchandise in other lands had no lines at all, so be sure to check other locations before stepping into a huge line. You’re welcome.
Create Your Own Headband with “Inside Out 2” Characters
“Inside Out 2” characters are now available for the ever-popular Create Your Own Headband at Mad Hatter on Main Street in Disneyland and Bing Bong’s on Pixar Pier at Disney California Adventure.
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The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh’s Clock
Over at the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, I had a really hard time telling the time because of this digital clock’s strange screen.
This clock was newly-installed after Disney needed to rework and separate the Critter Country attraction-data infrastructure. Why was this necessary? Back in the good old days of Disney Fastpass, the land’s two attractions were wired together and whenever Splash Mountain went down for refurbishment, Winnie the Pooh could not display wait times at its attraction entrance.
With Pooh finally freed, its displays were replaced, but this clock is really hard to read. Take a look, and tell me the time down in the comments and I will send you…”virtual kudos”…. rant over.
P.S. Hoping this is not a sign for Winnie the Pooh getting put onto Lighting Lane service.
Alice Drinking Fountain
The newly-remodeled drinking fountain at the Alice Restrooms in Fantasyland has been glamorized.
As we mentioned a few weeks ago, this fountain was recently upgraded to have a Water Bottle Filler station, but now the fixture is topped by an Alice Bust and Drink Me bottle. It’s really nice, I just wish I caught a photo while there was still some daylight.
Jolly Holiday Bakery Sign
An ongoing problem that seems to be getting worse as the lights on the marque sign for Jolly Holiday Bakery seem to be almost completely out.
While several of the lights are working (barely), most are displaying colors that this sign is not meant to show.
MiceShots
Fall is one of my favorite times of year around the resort (though not as much as Christmas).
One of my favorite things is all the different pumpkins on Main Street. Over the years (and with addition of projections on the buildings for fireworks) the number of pumpkins have decreased. Hopefully Disney can find more crevices to stash them around the land in the future.
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Let’s Hear From You!
That’s it for this week’s Disneyland Update! Would you like to see Disneyland add more story elements and shows into Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge? Does all this construction around the parks add to your reluctance to visit? Is there are project you are most interested in? Let us know in the comments below!
