Spring has arrived at the Disneyland Resort… along with the flowers, the bunny, the walls, and a massive wave of Spring Break humanity filling nearly every nook and cranny.
The parks are looking beautiful right now, but they’re also feeling the strain. Crowds surged, standby lines ballooned, Lightning Lane return times pushed later into the day, and construction projects continue to nibble away at capacity. Add in D23 ticket mania, After Dark updates, Earth Month offerings, and a fresh round of refurbishments, and there’s a lot happening this week.
And yes, right on cue, this guy hopped into Disneyland last week.
Spring Break
Spring Break crowds arrived at the Disneyland Resort in full force last Monday morning, with guests filling the esplanade and queues stretching into Downtown Disney.
And the crowds weren’t limited to the early morning rush in the Esplanade; long lines and crowded walkways were common throughout both parks.
Standby queues in Disneyland were extra long.
And wait times at DCA weren’t much shorter.
Even if guests wanted to take advantage of Lightning Lane to bypass some of the waiting, so many guests were using it that return times quickly pushed toward the evening hours. One way around the limitations is the Lightning Lane Premier Pass, which was priced at $449 per person! A hefty investment in a single day of family fun.
Have you tried the new-ish Lightning Lane Premier Pass? Was it worth the price?
D23 Returns
D23: The Ultimate Fan Event is returning to the Anaheim Convention Center on August 14-16, 2026. If you haven’t been, this is where Disney fans can see the latest Disney merch, explore exhibits and experiences from Disney brands, and most importantly, hear announcements about Disney projects, including new movies and television shows, theme park attractions, and cruise ships.
And, this year, MiceChat returns to the show floor with our largest and most ambitious booth yet as Dusty Sage presents a walk in Walt’s footsteps at the Walt Disney Birthplace and Walt Disney Storybook Mansion. Fans will learn about Walt’s humble beginnings and how his creative vision made him one of the most famous men who ever lived. The booth will also feature a rotating schedule of Disney luminaries, legends, authors, and historians. You’ll find us near the Walt Disney Archives and Walt Disney Family Museum.
At the event in 2024, we learned about the Coco attraction and Pandora-themed land coming to California Adventure, so hopefully, we’ll get updates on those (maybe even projected opening dates).
But we’re also hoping for news about DisneylandForward, which was approved in March 2024, but was noticeably absent from that year’s slate of D23 announcements. And since this is Thomas Mazloum’s first D23 event as the head of Disney Experiences, we’re also hoping he will want to make it memorable with a few surprise reveals… and announcing a third theme park at the Disneyland Resort would certainly qualify!
D23: The Ultimate Fan Event is also where the Disney Legends are inducted at a star-studded ceremony on the event’s final night. During the ceremony, the Legends are toasted (and sometimes a little roasted) by the people who know them best. There are also performances and presentations celebrating their Disney contributions. The 2024 Legends Ceremony was available to watch on Disney+ the day after the event, and we expect this year to be the same.
D23 Ticket Tracker
Following a chaotic day of sales last Thursday that saw the more affordable 3-Day tickets sell out, some ticket options were still available on Friday:
- 3-Day D23 Ultimate Fan Pass (convention center + Honda center) – Only floor seats are available at $2,310 per ticket
- 1-Day D23 Ultimate Fan Pass for Sunday (convention center + Honda center) – Limited seats available at $330.25 per ticket
- 1-Day D23 Fan Pass (convention center only) for Friday or Sunday at $110.25 per ticket
- 1-Day D23 Afternoon Pass (convention center only) for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at $60.25 per ticket
These ticket types are currently sold out, but there’s always a chance more will drop closer to the event dates:
- 1-Day D23 Ultimate Fan Pass for Friday (convention center + Honda center)
- 1-Day D23 Ultimate Fan Pass for Saturday (convention center + Honda center)
- 1-Day D23 Fan Pass (convention center only) for Saturday
Check out our complete guide (and be sure to bookmark it because we’ll be updating the page as new info is confirmed):
D23 Expo 2026: Dates, Tickets, Prices & What to Know Before You Go
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Disneyland After Dark
We’ve been tracking Disneyland After Dark 2026 ticket sales, which have been much more sluggish than in previous years, including Star Wars Nite, which even reduced the number of party dates from last year.
As of Saturday morning, the Star Wars-themed party still had one party date available (April 28), but Disneyland has sweetened the deal with the announcement that attendees on all four party dates will be able to experience the new expanded timeline in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, which doesn’t officially debut until April 29.
The expanded timeline means Darth Vader, Leia Organa, Han Solo, and Luke Skywalker will finally appear in Batuu, along with music from John Williams’ iconic Star Wars scores playing throughout the land.
Next week, Disneyland After Dark: Pride Nite tickets go on sale to the public, no earlier than 9 a.m. PT on Thursday, April 9. Magic Key pass holders will have pre-sale opportunities on Tuesday, April 7 and Wednesday, April 8 (no earlier than 9 a.m. PT) .
Pride Nite returns to Disneyland Park on June 16 and 18, celebrating the LGBTQIA+ community with a fireworks show inspired by Walt Disney’s declaration: “To all who come to this happy place, welcome,” along with a Welcome Pride Cavalcade featuring Mickey, Minnie, and friends, live musical sing-along performances, two separate dance parties, and the always-popular country line dancing.
Exclusive specialty food and beverage items include a Santa Maria-style tri-tip sandwich, Butterscotch beignets, a Rainbow cereal churro (and rainbow dipping sauce), and Jackfruit & mushroom loaded fries (plant-based).
In other Disneyland After Dark news, the specialty food items for Disney Channel Nite were revealed last week, but so far, the exclusive eats and treats haven’t done much to move tickets, as all three dates are still available.
Earth Month
April is Earth Month, and at 10:30 a.m. on every Thursday in April, guests can participate in a fun interactive Earth Month experience on the Frontier Lawn at the Disneyland Hotel.
One of the activities is making origami bees from recycled park maps.
Disneyland horticulturists are sharing information about some of the beneficial insects at the resort.
There’s also a photo op for the new NatGeo “Secrets of the Bees” docuseries on Disney+.
A second Bees-themed NatGeo frame photo op is inside Disney California Adventure on the Hollywood Backlot.
Two Disneyland Cast Members even made recycled art sculptures, which are on display at the Earth Day experience.
Additional recycled artwork is on display in California Adventure. Guests can vote on their favorite by scanning the QR code.
In the lobby of the Grand Californian Hotel, Disneyland pastry chefs created a charming confectionery display to celebrate “Secrets of the Bees” along with Winnie the Pooh’s 100th birthday (the storybook character, not the Disney animated movie).
WALL•E and EVE are celebrating Earth Month at Pixar Place Hotel, where they’re meeting from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. every Wednesday in April.
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Constructionland
Downtown Disney
The new Earl of Sandwich building is looking very close to completion, but still no opening date officially announced.
Disneyland
We spotted our first attraction construction project before we even entered the park… the Monorail is currently closed for refurbishment.
The massive printed scrim is still covering the west side of Main Street U.S.A.
And there’s light post work going on at Plaza Inn.
There’s also a noticeable lack of shade at this restaurant, following the removal of a large tree after it fell across the patio and onto the pathway near the Corn Dog cart.
But while we were there, we also checked out the new Bluey Stumpfest Cake.
Jungle Cruise is still behind walls.
There’s also a large new brown scrim covering on the Matterhorn-facing side of the Galactic Grill building, behind Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters.
And, of course, the forever construction wall at the Tomorrowland entrance remains.
California Adventure
Across the esplanade, there are more scrims in Hollywood Land in the corner of the building that contains Mickey’s PhilharMagic.
The show building for the two new attractions in Avengers Campus hasn’t changed much on the outside. But imagineers are now hard at work on the inside of the building as well.
But the good news is that construction on Grizzly River Run has finally been completed… and just in time for the hot weather and Spring Break crowds. By noon on Thursday, the extended queue was completely full for this attraction, with some temporary ropes set up to handle the demand.
And, while it has been warm the last few weeks, the geysers were turned off (winter mode).
Disneyland Blues
During the live last Thursday, we visited Tom Sawyer Island and found lots of broken elements. We’ll start at the top, where the streams leading down from the treehouse are completely dry.
Sadly, the rope bridge is also off limits.
And several of the interactive effects are also broken… and we understand that they have been for quite some time.
But, in spite of all the broken effects, closed features, and blocked off elements, the island was busy as many guests sought the shade and relaxation of the island, while their kids burned off some energy.
Disneyland Refurbishment Calendar (updated 4/4/26)
Toy Story Midway Mania starts its refurbishment today, but Blue Bayou is still the only project with a posted end date.
Currently Under Refurbishment
- Inside Out Emotional Whirlwind: January 5 – TBA
- Jungle Cruise: February 17 – TBA
- Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin: March 30 – TBA
- Disneyland Monorail: March 30 – TBA
- Toy Story Midway Mania!: April 6 – TBA
Upcoming Refurbishments
- Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters: April 13 – TBA
- Silly Symphony Swings: April 27 – TBA
- Pirates of the Caribbean: May 4 – TBA
- Blue Bayou Restaurant: May 4 – 20
This & That
Before we wrap up this week’s Update, there’s still a little more news.
Disneyland Live @ Five
Dusty, Suzanne, Eric & Ando start this week’s Journey on Tom Sawyer Island, then journey through Disneyland to look at crowds, construction, and talk about the latest news. It’s a nostalgic and fun journey through Disneyland. Be sure to watch, follow, like, and share. We appreciate your support.
And in case you’re wondering how Dusty manages to bring you the most up-to-date theme park news while running around the parks, Ando provided a peek at some of the “backstage” MiceChat magic.
Magic Shots
New Magic Shots featuring Bluey (in Disneyland) and Hoppers (in California Adventure). Big thanks to Ando and Suzanne for the fun demo!
There’s also a Remy Magic Shot in California Adventure for the Food & Wine Festival.
Customized Ears
Plain black or white ear headbands can be customized at a cost of $5 per word or number, $5 for basic artwork, and $7 for premium artwork.
As an example: The customization on these white ears would be $24: $5 for Happy, $5 for Easter, $7 for the flowers, and $7 for the design behind Happy Easter.
There are also pre-printed ears that can be purchased “as is,” or they can be customized further.
Food & Wine News
The Cappuccino Cart in California Adventure has reverted back to having a register for standby orders instead of being mobile order only (mobile ordering is also available).
Currently, they’re offering the Ube Latte with Matcha Foam ($7.75) for the Food & Wine Festival.
And speaking of Matcha… We also tried the Matcha-Raspberry Baymax Macaron filled with Raspberry Gelée and Matcha Buttercream ($7.79) at Lucky Fortune Cookery in San Fransokyo Square. It’s sweet, but good!
And we tried the Asian Street Burrito filled with Korean marinated beef, Kimchi fried rice with bacon, Gochujang, cabbage salad with almonds and toasted ramen, and Gochujang aioli ($14.49) available at Studio Catering Co. It may be our favorite item in the park right now. Delicious!
Our compliments to Chef Goofy!
Seasonal Seating
The Port Royal shop in New Orleans Square has been converted back into an indoor seating area for the Royal Street Veranda.
As much as we hate to see a beloved shop temporarily displaced, the seating is much needed during the busy Spring Break season. But with the queue for Pirates of the Caribbean snaking through the center of the land, we wonder if they would be better off using this as overflow queue space for Pirates instead and temporarily closing the Royal Street Veranda as well.
Soarin’ Poster
Spring Treats
A new Honey Bee Mickey Vanilla Cake Pop with colored chocolatey coating and a chocolatey honey bee is available starting today at Pooh Corner in Disneyland.
A new Monsters, Inc. Scream Canister Bucket will be available at select locations across Disney California Adventure beginning April 9 (while supplies last). We have a feeling this will be a popular item.
The Easter Parade
Walt Disney World still hosts an Easter Parade at the Magic Kingdom. Our Mike Kindrich was there to capture it for you. But it sure does make us miss the days when Disneyland still celebrated the occasion.
We mention these sorts of things because the people currently in charge don’t necessarily know Disneyland’s history… or even its capabilities. And, an Easter parade isn’t just part of Disneyland’s past, it’s potentially a great way to help soak up those huge Spring Break crowds!
We’d like to see it expanded into an entire spring celebration in both parks, not unlike what they do at the Tokyo Disneyland Resort.
Walt Disney Storybook Mansion Tours Return!
Step inside the Walt Disney Storybook Mansion in the Hollywood Hills for a rare opportunity to walk in Walt’s footsteps at one of his most storied homes.
This intimate, small-group tour, led by Dusty Sage, explores the rooms where Walt entertained friends, dreamed up projects, and lived during a pivotal chapter of his career. You’ll hear the history, the Hollywood connections, and the personal stories that make this house far more than just another celebrity address. Space is limited, and access to this home is exceptionally rare.
🎟️ Walt Disney Storybook Mansion Tour Tickets HERE
MiceShots
If you have any questions about what season it is… these photos will assure you it’s springtime!
The new Winnie the Pooh balloon is adorable. Pooh and friends are each holding a bunch of balloons.
The Disneyland Roses are in full bloom.
And look who’s ready for Spring!
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Let’s Hear From You!
Spring Break at Disneyland… are you jumping in the middle of it or steering clear until things calm down? Did you score D23 tickets or miss out in the frenzy? And what are you hoping Disney finally reveals this year? Hop into the comments and tell us!
