We’re officially in the middle of Disneyland’s two-week holiday limbo—the brief pause between Halloween haunts and the Holiday cheer. Over the next couple of weeks, garlands, twinkling lights, towering Christmas trees, and holiday ride overlays will make their way into both parks. And as the holidays officially kick off on November 15, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure will join the lineup with its grand opening.
Disneyland is hoping for a blockbuster holiday season, but with the hefty price tags that come with it, will guests actually show up? Below, we’ll walk you through everything going on at the parks—from seasonal changes and construction updates to the smaller stories that are easy to miss. Let’s dig in…
Holiday Switch-a-roo!
The Disneyland Resort has quite a major task ahead of it. The extensive Halloween decorations, overlays, merchandise, and specialty foods all need to be replaced with holiday versions. Let’s take a look around the resort to see what’s still scary and what’s already merry.
Spooky icons the “Blinky” Mickey and the Headless Horseman have been removed from Disneyland and DCA, and there’s currently only naked turf until Christmas Trees are placed in those same spots. Some of our eagle-eyed contributors noticed the Disneyland Christmas Tree is already assembled and decorated backstage, so we’re hoping it makes its way to Christmas Tree Point soon.
These beautiful springtime flowers will soon be replaced by poinsettias and other holiday-themed plants.
The Dapper Dans have traded their Halloween colors for their regular outfits until the November 15th start of the holidays.
That doesn’t mean there aren’t any festive decorations going up, but the parks and Downtown Disney are definitely an interesting mix of holidays right now.
New Orleans Square, Frontierland, Fantasyland, and Toontown seem to be nearly fully decorated, with just a few elements missing.
The Halloween Tree has already been freed of its pumpkins, but much of the land was an odd transition, with both fall and winter decorations in one place. But, by the time you read this, most of Halloween will be just a memory until next year.
New Orleans Square, on the other hand, has fully embraced the holiday season, with the largest piece (the mask) installed late last week.
Bayou Country also has some decorations up, but they are the same ones used for the old Critter Country. The new Tiana’s Bayou Adventure hasn’t received any decorations yet. We’re waiting to see how Tiana will deck the halls… if at all.
Fantasyland is lightly adorned with garlands above attraction entrances. The only thing missing at this time is the holiday overlay on Storybook Land, but we expect those tiny details to be installed during its upcoming refurbishment.
And Mickey and pals have put the finishing touches on the decorations in Toontown.
For the most part, ToonTown has reused decorations from the 1.0 version of the land. Nothing new to see here.
At California Adventure, San Fransokyo Square and Grizzly Peak are currently the only areas with some decorations. And now that the spooky season is over, we’re looking forward to seeing the giant grizzly in his festive sweater.
Downtown Disney has already installed festive banners and World of Disney and the Disney Home Store have holiday-themed window displays.
Read on for more information about the 2024 Holiday season at the resort.
Holiday Food
The menus for Holiday Time across the Disneyland Resort, as well as at Disney California Adventure’s Festival of Holidays, were revealed today. Surprisingly, there are still a lot of apple-related dishes, like this holiday wreath funnel cake with baked apple topping, which seems a bit redundant after Halloween Time.
There are a lot of returning favorites, like the Thankmas sandwich at Jolly Holiday and Peppermint Sundae at Gibson Girl, and countless additions.
Similarly, the festival booth menus are a mix of old and new. And is it just us, or are there more novelty items than there have been in the past? Some of them are incredibly cute but we are still reeling from the lines from the first days of the Scary Teddy popcorn bucket.
Find every single item in our guide:
2024 Holiday Entertainment
Disneyland’s holiday celebration officially kicks off on November 15, and with it, so do the resort’s festive entertainment offerings.
Always check the Disneyland app for the most up-to-date showtimes, as schedules can change.
Holiday Entertainment in Disneyland Park:
- Christmas Fantasy Parade – Daily at 2:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.
- “it’s a small world” Holiday Lighting – Daily at 4:30 p.m.
- Believe… in Holiday Magic Fireworks – Daily at 9:30 p.m.
Holiday Entertainment in California Adventure Park:
Note the limited dates for Viva Navidad this year. It’s a shame to see this charming show cut back. We hear that other Festival of Holidays entertainment will also be cut back this year. Plan your visits wisely and decide if the cost of a ticket is worth the entertainment offered that day.
- ¡Viva Navidad! Street Party – Saturdays and Sundays (beginning November 16) at , ,
- Buena Vista Street Holiday Tree Lighting – Daily at 4:50 p.m.
- World of Color – Season of Light – Daily at 9 p.m. and 10:15 p.m.
Meet Santa Claus (through December 24):
- Fantasyland Theatre in Disneyland Park
- Redwood Creek Challenge Trail in California Adventure
- Grand Californian Hotel & Spa
- Disneyland Hotel
- Pixar Place Hotel
Read our full guide to the Disneyland’s holiday season here:
Holiday Merchandise
Also in preparation for the resort’s seasonal celebration, a Santa’s bag worth of new holiday merchandise landed at World of Disney on October 29.
In addition, a super cute holiday tote featuring our favorite festive chipmunks is available for $24.99 plus tax with any merchandise purchase of $40 or more.
Before you make your gift lists, be sure to check out our holiday shopping guide:
DISNEYLAND HOLIDAY MERCH: Festive Cheer, New Gear & Merry Must-Haves!
Are the Disney Parks Too Expensive?
Recently a survey by travel platform iVisa reported that 38% of Disney goers say “Disney parks are not worth the high cost of visiting,” with 56% (and 70% of Disney-going parents) who were surveyed saying they skipped a Disney vacation this summer because it was too expensive.
While iVisa states their online survey questioned “more than 2,000 people in the U.S.,” (it was actually 2,002), they noted that 60% (which is 1,200) had visited a Disney theme park “at some point in their lives,” but only 30% of those people (so, 360) had made a trip within the last year.
They also don’t specify whether they surveyed Disneyland guests or Walt Disney World guests (or a combination), but the only two quotes they included (both from their co-founders) were only talking about Florida.
Nevertheless, it should be no surprise to anyone who’s visited any Disney park that about 30% of the people surveyed named admission tickets and in-park food as the biggest contributors to the high costs, although… that means about 70% did not agree with that. And if someone hasn’t visited in several years, they’d definitely have sticker shock if they visited now.
But here’s our problem with this survey: iVisa reports that 59% of Americans have visited a Disney theme park, and there are about 331 million Americans, so 59% is nearly 200 million people. And they surveyed 2,002. Considering many more than 2,002 people pass through Disney’s gates on any given day, that’s probably not a large enough group of people to get a good idea about what Disney guests really think.
We’re certainly not saying that a Disney theme park isn’t expensive – and getting more costly every year – but we’d like to see a study that questions more parkgoers to see if these results stand up.
The fact is that people are having to make hard decisions about whether or not they can actually afford to visit Disneyland at all, and while we still see very busy days in the parks, we’re also starting to see smaller crowds on days we expected to be packed. This shows flaws in Disney’s dynamic pricing strategy as the most expensive days (dates that were previously the busiest) have become the quietest as guests shift their visits to less expensive days.
And with Magic Key block-outs on the way for the Holiday Season, the parks could be quite uncrowded for what was once the most crowded season of the year.
What say you? Has Disney become too expensive? And has that changed your willingness or ability to visit?
To The Spires!
Reservations are now open for the Docking Bay 7 Food and Cargo Nighttime Gathering, which includes a choice of menu items plus reserved viewing of Fire of the Rising Moons from Falcon Overlook. The show adds Star Wars music to Disneyland’s fireworks when viewed from Galaxy’s Edge. There are plenty of good viewing locations in the land, including around the Millennium Falcon and near Kylo’s ship. So, the extra-cost dining package isn’t a requirement, though it does offer one of the best spots.
Package menu options include:
- Fried Cheeseburger Croquette Bites
- Apricot goat cheese topped with honey, za’atar, sour cherry gel, cheddar, Monterey jack and pita chips
- Dragon fruit yogurt topped with lychee popping pearls and fresh blueberries
- Cream puff pair of Black Caf cold brew and blue milk flavors
- Unlimited fountain beverages
- Specialty nonalcoholic beverages in a souvenir novelty cup
A selection of wine, beer, and hard seltzer are also available for purchase for guests aged 21+ (valid ID required).
Know Before You Go:
The price for the Docking Bay 7 Food and Cargo Nighttime Gathering is $89 per guest (includes tax but not gratuity; discounts do not apply). Children ages 2 and younger can attend free of charge as long as they are seated on the lap of an adult.
Reservations are recommended and can be made online or via the Disneyland app. Same-day reservations can be made on a limited basis and are subject to availability. You can cancel at least 2 days before your reservation to avoid a per-person cancellation fee.
Constructionland
With the Tiana’s Bayou Adventure project essentially complete now that the attraction is in previews, the biggest construction story is the expanded Haunted Mansion queue and garden in New Orleans Square.
Haunted Mansion Queue & Shop Construction
This is a three-part project: 1) An expanded and themed queue for the Haunted Mansion. 2) A new gift shop at the exit of the attraction. 3) A new plaza between Tiana’s Palace restaurant and the New Orlean’s train station, which will add expanded seating and a reworked entertainment stage.
While it appears most construction materials around the Mansion are being cleaned up, work continues on the new ADA accessible elevator shaft (themed to look like a mausoleum).
Themed elements are also being added to the new queue and retaining walls.
The stage that’s shared by Tiana’s Palace and the new train plaza is continuing to progress as well, with new lattice now in place.
We have also seen new lights being installed around both the queue and plaza areas.
The XL Madame Leota Shop at the exit of The Haunted Mansion is starting to look like the concept art. Window trim and siding went on between Thursday and Friday, as did some of the roof shingles.
Now that the building itself is complete, the details and theming will progress very quickly.
Pixie Hollow
The Pixie Hollow refurbishment has been extended for a second time as the meet and greet area originally scheduled to reopen in late October has now been delayed to the end of November.
We were curious about the reasons for the delays in the refurbishment project, so it was time to take a ride on the Astro Orbiter to see what what’s going on behind the walls.
At first glance, it may seem like not much is happening; however, a closer look reveals that the small fairy figures and other elements from Pixie Hollow have been removed. In the photos below, it appears that the pond is also being re-coated. We hope that means a water and light show similar to the one that was here before will return.
It appears that the project scope expanded as the refurbishment team began uncovering all the structural needs. It will be nice to see the area return looking fresh and now. It had become rundown and the lagoon was a sad mess of exposed tubing and cracked concrete.
Downtown Disney
In Downtown Disney, the Parkside Market is coming along very quickly, with the scrims taken down and glass installed.
The windows on the corner have colorful panels.
Bricks clad Sip and Wonder (lower part of the building) and you can see a sign (currently covered in black) on the side of the building.
Refurbishment Calendar (updated 11/2/24)
New to the calendar are the Storybook Land Canal Boats and Casey Jr. Circus Train, most likely to receive their charming holiday decorations.
Currently Under Refurbishment:
- 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
- it’s a small world holiday install: Sept. 16 – Nov. 14
- Pixie Hollow: Sept. 16 – Nov. 30
- Redwood Creek Challenge Trail: Nov. 2 – 14
- The LEGO Store: Oct. 7 – Nov. 30
- The Little Mermaid – Ariel’s Undersea Adventure: Nov. 4 – 22
Upcoming Refurbishments:
- Big Thunder Mountain Railroad: Nov. 18 – Dec. 12
- Dumbo the Flying Elephant: Nov. 19
- Storybook Land Canal Boats: Dec. 2 – 5
- Casey Jr. Circus Train: Dec. 2 – 6
- it’s a small world: Jan. 21 – Spring 2025
This & That
Disneyland Live
After an unexpected evacuation from the Disneyland Railroad on Halloween, Dusty and friends took the weekly stroll through Disneyland to show the latest in Disneyland news and share their thoughts.
But don’t worry, if you missed the fun, you can watch it here:
Turnstile Transition
While our attention was directed at the turnstile project at Disneyland’s entrance, across the esplanade, the self-service turnstiles have returned to California Adventure.
But the day after installation and some testing, a construction wall was erected around the new gates.
“It’s a small world” Toy Shop Reopened
After a short refurbishment, the Toy Shop at the Small World exit has reopened.
News From The Bayou
We can confirm that, when Tiana’s Bayou Adventure officially opens on Nov. 15th, the attraction will only be available via complimentary Virtual Queue or paid Lightning Lane Multi-Pass (no standby queue).
Upon our visit on November 4, the ironwork around the car and the tree at the exit were getting some painting touch-ups.
Attraction-themed merch will include apparel, accessories, home decor, and more. The new collection will be available beginning Nov. 13, 2024, in Louis’ Critter Club (attached to Pooh Corner) and Ray’s Beret’s Shop (across from Hungry Bear Barbecue Jamboree).
And speaking of Ray’s Berets… Take a closer look at the many wonderful jars that the fireflies call home. We noticed a firefly jar decorated with pumpkins and candy corn.
If you look closely at the jar, you might notice some interesting details, including the tombstone in the front with Master Gracey’s name on it.
There are other firefly jars with details that you have to look closely to see This one has sheet music for “Almost There.”
For everything you need to know about Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, check out our guide:
GUIDE: Everything You Need to Know About Tiana’s Bayou Adventure!
Are The Pixar Pals Returning?
We spotted a casting notice for performers who look like the members of 4*Town from “Turning Red,” so it’s looking like there’s good news on the horizon for fans of the Better Together: A Pixar Pals Celebration parade.
If you missed the colorful parade introduced during Pixar Fest, you can watch it here:
But if Pixar Pals is returning to DCA, it’s very likely that Paint the Night will be returning to Disneyland.
Another Trip to Hungry Bear
We just can’t get enough of Hungry Bear Barbeque Jamboree. This week we we went back to try a few more items. Here’s what we ordered this time:
Barbecue Pulled Pork Sandwich with Beer-battered Fries ($15.99)
Smoked Barbecue Combo Platter with Coleslaw, Baked Beans, Sausage Link, and Beef Brisket ($21.49)
Smoked Beef Brisket Sandwich with Beer-battered Fries ($16.99)
Sparkling Strawberry-Pickle Lemonade $7.49. We liked it at first, but like most Disneyland lemonades, it’s just too sweet.
So far, there hasn’t been much we didn’t like. And now that we’ve sampled nearly everything on the menu, we have a little secret to share:
Even though it’s not an option via mobile order, the delicious beer-battered fries are a side option for the combo platter if you order at one of the registers. They’re really good.
Check out our full review here:
Mickey and Minnie Halloween Treat
In a twist on traditional trick-or-treating, Mickey and Minnie went door to door delivering Halloween treats to kids in the hospital. The “reverse trick-or-treating” was made possible through Disney’s 20-year partnership with Starlight Children’s Foundation, which deliveries themed hospital wear, care packages, and more to hospitals across the U.S., including Children’s Hospital of Orange County (CHOC).
“We are so grateful to collaborate with Disney to help hospitalized kids and their families celebrate the Halloween season,” said Adam Garone, CEO of Starlight Children’s Foundation. “Our collaboration allows us to transform the hospital experience for kids across the country through play-centered programs that provide entertainment and positive distraction, bringing smiles to kids when they need it most.”
Thanks to Disney VoluntEARS and Ambassadors, patients received Disney toys, plush, books and costumes based on their favorite stories.
MiceShots
Now that we’ve looked at the news of the week, let’s take a stroll through the parks and just enjoy the off-season vibes.
Hidden Mickey on the new Bayou Adventure ride.
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Get Away Today’s Black Friday Sale Has Started!
From now until December 4, 2024, get Adults at Kids’ Prices on theme park tickets for both coasts.
California:
- Disneyland Resort: 3-Day and longer tickets
- Universal Studios Hollywood: All tickets
Florida:
- Walt Disney World Resort: 3-Day and longer tickets
- Universal Orlando Resort: 2-Day and longer tickets
The Black Friday sale deals can even be used with get Away Today’s layaway plans – hold your vacations for just $200 down. It’s the perfect time to plan a trip over the holidays, or for 2025.
With the holidays right around the corner, consider giving the gift of unforgettable memories with a theme park vacation!
And don’t forget we have $50 kids tickets to Disneyland!
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Let’s Hear From You!
As Disneyland transforms from Halloween to Christmas, there’s plenty to talk about. With prices at an all-time high, do you think costs are affecting who’s showing up at the parks—and has it impacted your own visit plans this season? And with big projects wrapping up soon at Haunted Mansion, Downtown Disney, and beyond, we’re curious to hear what you think of all the changes – anything you are particularly interested in or worried about? Drop us a comment below with your thoughts. Let’s chat!
