Disneyland Update – Price Hike on Deck, Jobs Slashed, and the Parks Swelter in Record Heat

It has been a wild week at the Disneyland Resort. A record-shattering heat wave is pushing Anaheim to 105 degrees, Disney is cutting a couple hundred more corporate jobs while quietly passing health care costs onto its workers, and the construction walls just keep coming. But the big story of the week is the annual ticket price increase, which could land at any moment. Let’s dive into all of it.

Ticket Price Hike & DISCOUNTS TOO

Our big Disneyland news is the one that hasn’t broken yet. The annual ticket price increase is expected any minute now. The new prices have not posted as this Update goes live, but every sign says Disneyland is about to push the button. Our crew are watching the ticket pages around the clock, and the moment the new prices land, our complete ticket price guide will carry every tier, every multi-day total, and the full percent-change breakdown.

The ticket booths may be coming down, but that’s not stopping ticket prices from going up!

But before the prices go up, let’s talk about how Disneyland is already discounting…

Costco has started selling a new Disneyland ticket deal. The 2-day park hopper ticket with Lightning Lane Multi Pass and a $60 Disney dining card is $329.99. The catch? These tickets are only valid for travel between Oct. 2 and Dec. 18, 2026, and they expire 13 days after the first day of use or on Dec. 18, whichever comes first. So if you want the full 13-day window to use both days, start by Dec. 5. Park reservations are required.

Currently, 2-Day park hopper tickets are $435 per person + Lightning Lane Multi Pass starts at $34 USD per ticket per day (prices vary by date). And you get a $60 dining card. That maths out to $563 (or more depending on the cost of Lightning Lane on the day of your visit), so it’s a savings of at least $200.

While we wait for the new ticket prices to post, Disney is cutting costs from the other direction too, reducing its workforce again with this round landing on the corporate side rather than in the parks.

The Belt Tightens Again!

On September 29, Disney carried out its third round of layoffs this year, cutting a couple hundred employees, primarily in corporate technology and HR. That is a small slice of a company that employed roughly 231,000 people at the end of fiscal 2025, about 172,000 of them in the US. A company spokesperson confirmed the cuts were concentrated in technology and HR, while the TV division and the motion picture studios were spared. It follows roughly 1,000 cuts in April, when new CEO Josh D’Amaro consolidated marketing after taking over from Bob Iger in March, and several hundred more in July across ESPN, Pixar, and Nat Geo.

Now, Disney’s executives are talking about even more cuts on the way. On October 1, Disney Entertainment President Dana Walden addressed the layoffs at the Bloomberg Screentime conference in Los Angeles, calling them “extremely painful” and saying, “We’ve ‘exited’ colleagues who I’ve worked with for most of my career… it is in many ways a harsh reality.” She described the recent round as “a voluntary retirement program, which was extremely generous,” which raised some eyebrows. The voluntary retirement offers went out in August to director-level employees 50 and older with at least ten years at the company. The September 29 cuts were involuntary!

There’s also another disturbing clue that AI is coming for more Disney jobs. Walden warned that “technology set their sights on our business, and we must survive and thrive and grow,” and predicted more Hollywood layoffs across the industry, pointing to the Paramount-Warner Bros. merger. She stopped short of saying whether Disney has more of its own planned. But the signs say more is already in motion. The Wall Street Journal reported October 1 that Disney is planning a restructuring of its television business under Disney Entertainment Television Chairman Debra O’Connell that could eliminate divisions and produce hundreds more layoffs across ABC Entertainment, 20th Television, Hulu Originals, and Freeform.

Meanwhile, the New York Post reports that the cuts Horacio Gutierrez warned about in his September 18 memo to the legal and global affairs team, which we warned you about last week, are now underway. Gutierrez had told his department it would become “a much smaller organization” through automation and outsourcing, reportedly separate from the September 29 round, which suggests still more AI-fueled cuts are coming.

So what does all of this mean for the parks? So far, every round has landed on the corporate and studio side, and parks cast members have been spared. But with Disney describing its cost-cutting as still ‘midstream’ and more restructuring reportedly on the table, it would be foolish to assume the massive parks segment is permanently in the clear… but there are other ways to wring cost out of the parks…

A Less Healthy Future For Disney Employees

The layoffs haven’t hit the theme parks yet, but Disney’s 2027 employee benefits package shows the company squeezing labor costs another way: by shifting health care costs onto its employees.

This isn’t a Disneyland-only story. The Disney Signature Benefits Plan covers full-time employees company-wide, from Disneyland to Walt Disney World to Burbank. The 2027 benefits materials are out, and for employees it’s a pay cut by another name. The company is holding the line on what comes out of their paychecks while quietly making the plans cover less when people actually get sick.

The biggest hit lands on the Kaiser HMO plan for California, which a lot of Disneyland cast members carry. For the same $39 a week out of the paycheck, the plan now comes with a $1,000 individual deductible ($2,000 for families) where cast members tell us there wasn’t one before. An ER visit that turns into a hospital stay now means the full deductible, then 15 percent of the bill after that, plus a $250 ER copay. Only preventive care, the annual physical and screening mammogram, stays fully covered.

Then there’s the new rule for spouses and domestic partners, and this one is national. If an employee’s spouse can get health insurance through their own employer, that spouse can no longer stay on Disney’s medical plan. Dental and vision are unaffected, but medical is not.

And there’s a paperwork trap that could cost families everything, also nationwide. Dependent coverage resets to employee-only when Annual Enrollment opens October 14, so everyone has to actively re-enroll their family by November 12 or lose that coverage with no fix until 2028. Then in early 2027, Disney audits every re-enrolled dependent: no marriage certificate and proof of a shared household, no coverage. The Wellness Rewards program is gone for 2027 too.

How much does Disney save? The company isn’t saying, but the math sketches itself. The average employer family health plan runs about $27,000 a year, with the employer paying roughly three-quarters of it, according to KFF’s annual survey. Every working spouse who moves to their own employer’s plan takes roughly $12,000 a year in premiums and claims off Disney’s books. Across a workforce this size, that’s tens of millions a year, before you even count the Kaiser deductible shifting the first thousand dollars of every member’s care onto employees. Those are back-of-the-envelope figures, but they explain why the company is doing this.

If you are a Disney employee reading this, read the full 2027 benefits summary before October 14, not just the highlights. Don’t forget to re-enroll every dependent, even if nothing in your family changed; gather the marriage certificate and a joint bill or bank statement dated within the last 90 days for the January audit; and talk to your union steward, because contract-covered employees may have different terms under their bargaining agreement. There are real penalties for not paying attention this year, and the deadlines are not flexible.

Unfortunately, parks employees, who, by and large, make the least across the company, will be impacted hardest by these healthcare cuts. And for many Disneyland cast, that will lead to difficult financial decisions as they weigh covering their families versus risking going without healthcare. 

Entertainment

Love it or hate it, Mickey’s Mix Magic is returning to Disneyland Park on Nov. 1 to bridge the gap between Halloween Screams and Believe…In Holiday Magic (with projections during the week and fireworks on weekends). Plaza de la Familia and A Celebration of Coco will run through Nov. 2 in California Adventure.

In 2027, a refreshed Remember… Dreams Come True fireworks, perhaps Disneyland’s best fireworks show ever, and the daytime Magic Happens parade will both return.

Also returning next year is an updated version of the original World of Color show.

We’ll be interested to see what they do to make that old chestnut feel like something that needs to be seen yet again… it was a show that Bob Iger himself got overly involved with just days before its initial debut, resulting in the cut of months of hard labor and creativity in favor of quick cuts to add Disney movie synergy. If Disneyland Entertainment can restore the original creative vision, this may be a show well worth seeing.  

As for Fantasmic!…

While plenty of people are speculating about the return of the animatronic dragon to Fantasmic, they are still just rumors and wishful thinking. But Fantasmic deserves better than the current lackluster Maleficent-on-a-stick version of the show.

If you want to see Fantasmic return to its former glory, it’s time to speak up… because if the show keeps slipping, it will eventually fall victim to the entertainment budget cuts that seem so popular among Disneyland’s executives these days. Fantasmic! has been on the verge of cancellation multiple times in its history, so don’t think for a moment it is forever safe from the accountant’s knife. 

Constructionland

The Eastern Gateway project keeps marching along. The long-promised pedestrian bridge over Harbor Boulevard, paired with a roughly 6,000-space parking and transportation hub, broke ground in late August 2026 and is targeting 2028, in time for the Avengers opening and the LA Olympics.

To make room for the construction, the Toy Story shuttle drop-off is moving to a temporary spot slightly north, closer to Harbor Boulevard.  

For those of you worried about using the Toy Story lot during all of this construction, we’ve been assured that guests should continue to use the lot, and Disneyland is keeping guest access in mind throughout the construction timeline. 

Downtown Disney

Also related to the Eastern Gateway Project, two more Esplanade ticket booths (this time on the southeast corner) were walled off this week, leaving only two ticket booths on the side of the Esplanade closest to Downtown Disney.

With 4 booths all being removed and the area under them reworked, guests arriving from the East side of the resort will do so through construction walls on both sides. 

The current security tent closest to the bus load/unload will soon be removed as well and shifted into the area which once had the ticket booths. This will create more room for the gateway project we told you about above. 

But, no matter how you are arriving at Disneyland right now, you’ll encounter walls. Guests walking in from the Mickey and Friends tram or Downtown Disney will also encounter a maze of walls. The old cypress tree spiral in the Esplanade is being scraped clean on one side and the Porto’s construction is on the other. At busy times, guest traffic splits. Those entering the Esplanade from Downtown Disney are routed along the Porto’s walls, and guests headed toward Downtown Disney are routed closer to the tram loading area. It’s not ideal, but necessary while the pavement is redone in this small stretch of the Esplanade. 

The round circles you see in the ground below once had cypress trees in ornate metal cages. But that design aesthetic is rapidly disappearing from one end of Downtown Disney to the other. 

Disneyland Hotel

Construction continues at the Disneyland Hotel’s Frontier Tower entrance. There is some noise in the lobby, but unless you are in one of the guest rooms directly above the front door, you likely won’t hear much noise, though we did hear some sawing and hammering while we were in the lobby. 

Trader Sam’s Enchanted Tiki Bar and Tangaroa Terrace are getting an exterior refurbishment focused on updating the gas tiki torches that ring the complex. The facility remains open while the work happens.

Grand Californian

Construction scrims are coming down around the upcoming Concierge Lounge…

The new 2-story lounge will be a nice upgrade for guests who pay for the perk. But the lounge won’t have fireworks views, which is why the old lounge will also remain available. 

And while the scrims are disappearing in one spot, newer ones keep popping up elsewhere around the hotel. 

You can see work going on from the pool area as well as inside California Adventure. 

Disneyland

The traffic overflow gate on the east side of Main Street remains behind scrims and construction walls. This is also where Mickey and friends would frequently meet with guests. 

And on the Stagedoor Cafe patio, a strange box has popped up among the tables. Two cast members were chatting about what they think it might be for. Perhaps lighting.  

California Adventure

The Avengers Campus expansion is the big one, with Infinity Defense and the Stark Flight Lab both targeting a 2028 opening. The steel canopy has been up for months, with more side walls and electrical drops hanging from the ceiling. Cranes and lifts are parked all over the site, and the show building is slowly being enclosed.

The new connector through to Cars Land contains the best new restrooms in the park. Family restrooms and a water refill station are available here. 

Over on the west side of the park, the Coco boat ride site sits between the IncrediCoaster and Disneyland Drive. There are new dirt piles, pipe staging, and fresh landscaping going in along Disneyland Drive (you can see new palm trees planted along the road that still have their leaves tied up), and crews are digging a deep trench just behind the fencing near the road.

For those of you wondering if there’s room for a show building… just imagine the road at center removed… there’s plenty of room!

If you close your eyes and imagine with all your might… you can just envision the whimsical land of the dead in this spot: 

And in Paradise Gardens Park, construction walls are up next to the Paradise Garden Grill restrooms and Goofy’s Sky School. Cast members say it is an extension of the restrooms, which haven’t been remodeled since the park opened in 2001 and still carry the old Route 66 theme. The restrooms are still open during the work. The casualty to all this work is the old gazebo, a park opening-day structure that started life as Santa Rosa Seed and Supply, became P.T. Flea Market in A Bug’s Land, and was relocated here in 2010. It hosted character meet-and-greets and served as shaded seating. It has been demolished and is already gone from the Disneyland app map. With the Coco attraction going in nearby, those restrooms will need the expanded capacity.

The Little Mermaid: Ariel’s Undersea Adventure is still undergoing an exterior refurbishment. The building has been wrapped in scaffolding and scrims since August for what looks like a facade repaint and general maintenance. The good news is the ride is still open, with gaps in the construction walls and little seashell signs pointing you to the entrance. You can see King Triton’s trident peeking out over the printed construction scrims.

Disneyland Refurbishment Calendar

The refurbishment news is that many projects have no reopening dates, including Chiller at Paradise Gardens Park (closed since July 26), Indiana Jones Adventure (closed since Sept 8), Tomorrowland Skyline Terrace (closed since Sept 8), and Mad Tea Party (closed since Sept 14). 

Currently Under Refurbishment

• Chiller at Paradise Gardens Park: July 26 – TBA
• Indiana Jones Adventure: September 8 – TBA
• Tomorrowland Skyline Terrace: September 8 – Late Fall 2026
• Mad Tea Party: September 14 – TBA

Upcoming Refurbishments

• it’s a small world ~ Holiday Installation: October 30 – November 12
• Redwood Creek Challenge Trail ~ Holiday Switch Over from Halloween to Christmas: November 1 – 12

Attraction closures to watch for are Davy Crockett’s Explorer Canoes (closed Oct 1, 4-8, 12-15) and Sailing Ship Columbia (closed Oct 1-2, 5-9, 12-16). Plus, “it’s a small world” closes Oct 30 for the holiday overlay, so this is your last chance to ride the OG version until after the holidays.

This & That

Pin Vending Machines

Disney pin vending machines made their debut Oct 1. The Toy Story-themed machines, including Buzz Lightyear and Woody designs, are at Pin Traders in Downtown Disney, Pixar Pier, and San Fransokyo Square. Each $18 capsule contains one randomly selected Series 1 pin. Photos below by the Gumball Princesses, who were excited to find giant gumball machines dispensing pins.

MiceChat Live @ Disneyland!

Catch this week’s MiceChat Live. Yesterland founder Werner Weiss joins us for a ride on the Mark Twain, then we meet up with the Gumball Princesses, who are busy writing MiceChat’s upcoming Gumball Rally. Walking with us were Danny, Jitu, Daniel, Michelle, and Eric. Quite a crew, and a fun afternoon of walking, chatting, and discovering around Disneyland.

Weather Advisory

An Extreme Heat Warning is in effect for the Anaheim area through 8 p.m. Thursday, October 8, and this is no ordinary October warm spell. Anaheim hit 105 degrees on Saturday, breaking the old daily record of 103, while nearby Santa Ana reached 107. More triple-digit heat is on the way: up to 102 on Monday, October 5, and near 100 through Wednesday before real relief arrives toward the weekend. There is a bit of recovery after the sun goes down, so plan your day wisely. 

We are not telling you to skip the parks. But go in with a plan. That short wait in an unshaded queue feels very different at 102 degrees, so build in breaks, drink water before you are thirsty, and know where the air conditioning is.

Be careful out there, and do not risk your health and safety. Heat stroke is no joke, and a day of play can quickly turn to tragedy if you do not keep close track of your health and your family’s in this record-breaking October heatwave.

Holiday Events at Naples

Naples Ristorante e Bar in Downtown Disney has two seasonal celebrations to look forward to: Pumpkins & Pancakes in October and Breakfast with Santa in November and December.

Pumpkins & Pancakes

The Halloween event takes place from 8 a.m. to noon on October 18, 25, 31, and includes a family-style breakfast featuring seasonal favorites (with bottomless mimosas for guests 21+), pumpkin picking and decorating, festive photo ops, and take-home treats. The price is $75 for adults and $39 for kids ages 3-10 (kids under 3 are free). You can purchase Pumpkins & Pancakes tickets HERE.

Breakfast with Santa

Naples’ family-friendly holiday event takes place from 8:30 a.m. to noon on November 28 and December 5, 6, 12, 13, 19, 20, 23, and 24, and includes a festive breakfast, a special visit from Santa, and holiday photo ops. The price is $110 for adults and $55 for kids ages 3-10 (kids under 3 are free). You can purchase Breakfast with Santa tickets HERE.

Tiana is Twirling!

Tiana’s window on Main Street has long been on our “Disneyland Blues” list because the whole window has been lifeless for over a year. But, we were thrilled to see Tiana twirling on the show boat once again, Louis playing his trumpet nearby. While much of the animation in this window is still frozen in place, even this small amount of motion, paired with music and lighting, is a major improvement. We love the animated windows and realize that they have lots of working parts that are constantly wearing out… but it seems to us that if Disneyland is willing to build a complicated window display, they should budget properly for its constant maintenance… just like they do for their rides, restaurants, and shops! 

Plaza Inn New Menu Item

The Plaza Inn has a new-ish menu that will disappoint some of you. First, and foremost… the amazing fried chicken is still on the menu…

But, gone is the pot roast, replaced by a small portion of a very dense meatloaf. We gave it a try, and while it’s acceptable, it’s far from an $18.49 level of acceptable. 

Your Best Nightmare

Disneyland’s two Starbucks locations have a new Nightmare Before Christmas tumbler with a cute man-eating wreath straw topper.

Halloween Parties Sold Out

Our Oogie Boogie Bash ticket tracker is done for the season, as all remaining dates are now sold out!

… Or You Could Buy A House

The Crystal Castle that was in the window of Crystal Arts on Main Street, USA, has sold for $300,000!!!

They have a few smaller pieces currently filling the front window of the store, where the castle once stood. They aren’t sure if a new castle will eventually arrive, but it would take at least six months to manufacture a new one. 

What would you buy with $300,000?  

The History & Mystery of Walt Disney’s Storybook Mansion

If you’ve ever wondered what Walt Disney’s life looked like before Disneyland, MiceChat’s Dusty Sage offers you a rare opportunity to step inside one of the places where much of that story unfolded.

Daytime History Tours

High in the Hollywood Hills sits the storybook-style home Walt Disney built in 1932, during one of the most important periods of his life and career. Walt and Lillian raised their daughters here, entertained friends and colleagues, and watched the Disney studio grow from an ambitious little operation into something much bigger.

The house is privately owned and rarely open to the public, which makes these tours a particularly unusual chance to explore Walt’s world beyond the parks and studio.

The approximately 90-minute guided tour includes both the interior and exterior of Walt’s former home, including his private screening room and the tiny Seven Dwarfs Cottage, the backyard playhouse Walt gave his daughters in 1937.

It’s one thing to read about this chapter of Walt’s life. It’s another to stand in the rooms where some of it actually happened.

You can find dates and reserve Storybook Mansion History Tour tickets HERE.

Storybook Mansion Ghost Tours

And because this is Halloween season, there’s also a darker way to experience the house.

On select Saturday nights in October (and Sunday, November 1st), Dusty Sage leads candlelight ghost tours through the mansion in partnership with Haunted OC. The evening tours explore the home’s history, its Hollywood connections, and the scary stories that have accumulated around the property over the decades.

For dates and tickets, visit Haunted OC Ghost Tours.

Next MiceChat Adventure: Pacific Coast & Alaska Back-to-Back

Ready for another MiceChat adventure? In May 2027, we’re heading north aboard the Disney Wonder for two cruises that can be booked separately or combined into one rather spectacular back-to-back trip.

The first leg sails from San Diego to Vancouver May 6 – 10, 2027. Then, without changing ships, the Wonder heads into Alaska from May 10 – 17, visiting the Stikine Icecap, Skagway, Juneau, and Ketchikan before returning to Vancouver.

Do one cruise or do both. Many of us are booking the same stateroom for the full 11-night journey, which means no packing up between sailings.

If you’ve never sailed Alaska, this is a very different Disney cruise experience. The scenery is the main attraction, with mountains, glaciers, wildlife, and historic port towns unfolding right outside the ship.

And traveling with MiceChat adds another layer to the trip. We’ll have our own group activities, plenty of familiar Disney fans to explore with, and a good chance that whoever ends up at your dinner table already understands why you have strong opinions about Pirates of the Caribbean.

Bookings for the MiceChat group are being handled by Teresa Cory at [email protected]. Booking through Teresa is required to receive the group rates and participate in the MiceChat activities.

Come sail to adventure with us!

MiceShots

Geysers are working on Grizzly River Run again. With a heat advisory in effect through Thursday, many guests may want to prioritize this refreshing ride. And just a reminder, single rider is available on this attraction for a quicker cool-down!

You might also visit the air-conditioned bar at Carthay Circle… one of our favorite spots at the resort. 

Take a plunge on Tiana’s Bayou Adventure…

Visiting the Animation Building in DCA is a must on a hot day, you could spend hours in here learning to draw, visiting Crush, meeting with Anna and Elsa, making your own animated film strip, or just lounging in the lobby watching clips of some of our favorite Disney animated films. 

We have an eye spy for you. Did you know there’s a very hidden Mickey in the terrazzo at Carthay Circle in DCA? 

See if you can spot it on your next trip. 

Nighttime is the right time to visit Disneyland when daytime temperatures flirt with the triple digits. 

The Grand Californian has a Nightmare Before Christmas confectionery display again this year. Jack and Sally on the front, Oogie Boogie on the back. The thing that stood out to me, aside from the whimsical design, was that it took 175 pounds of chocolate to make it.

Just outside the lobby of the Grand, there’s a whimsical pumpkin wreath around the doorway to Storytellers Cafe. Love it. But mind your head, it feels like the Headless Horseman could go riding by at any moment. 

While in the lobby of the Pixar Place Hotel…

I noticed this cute robotic Luxo lamp for $99 (they legally have to call it a “Pixar Lamp” because they don’t have the rights to call it “Luxo”). Pricy, but also felt like something I should own. Then I found out that it doesn’t really light up.  Dealbreaker.  

And, we saw this team measuring a corner of a garden between the Pixie Hollow lagoon and the hub.  I’m sure there’s nothing to worry about here. 

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Let’s Hear From You!

And that’s what’s happening at the Disneyland Resort. Now it is your turn. Are you prepared for the coming price hike? What do you make of Disney’s latest round of layoffs, and the 2027 benefits changes shifting costs onto cast members? How do you survive a park day when it is 105 degrees? And if you had $300,000 burning a hole in your pocket, would you spend it on a crystal castle? Let us know in the comments below, and we will see you next week… or whenever the new higher prices drop!