Category: Disneyland

Disneyland Offering More Galactic Experiences in Celebration of Star Wars Day…and Beyond

Fans of a galaxy far, far away will discover additional, new, limited-time experiences, character encounters, photo opportunities and more this May and June throughout Disneyland Resort. These experiences all add to the galactic adventures already found at both Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge and Tomorrowland in Disneyland park year-round.

In Tomorrowland, Hyperspace Mountain is back for a limited time through July 4th. Guests can once again hurtle through hyperspace while dodging furious dogfights during this high-speed adventure. 

Guests can also make the jump to Star Tours: The Adventures Continue and hop aboard a Starspeeder 1000 for an unforgettable flight to legendary destinations across the Star Wars galaxy. It should be noted that Star Tours is celebrating 35 years of galactic adventures this year!

Over at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, guests can also live their own adventure as they join a climactic battle between the Resistance and the First Order in Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance and take control of the most famous ship in the galaxy aboard Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run.

Star Wars fans will be excited to know that Captain Phasma and a detachment of Stormtroopers have returned for a limited time to patrol Tomorrowland, seeking out Resistance sympathizers and reinforcing the will of the First Order. Plus, stay tuned for new visitors approaching on the horizon.

And a trip to planet Batuu would only be complete with a visit to see everyone’s favorite Wookiee, a selfie with R2-D2, and encounters with Kylo Ren and Rey.

For a limited time, Tomorrowland will be showcasing special photo spots celebrating the Disney+ original series’ set in the Star Wars galaxy. Guests will be able to take their picture sitting on a replica of the palace throne from “The Book of Boba Fett.” Nearby, recreate the moment in season two of “The Mandalorian,” when Grogu connected with the Force at the ancient Jedi temple on Tython.

Also, be on the lookout for Disney PhotoPass photographers offering limited-time Magic Shots featuring Stormtroopers and K-2SO in Tomorrowland. Another, featuring Grogu, is located on the outer edges of the galaxy, on your way to Batuu!

Mickey’s Toontown News and New Restaurants and Shopping Coming to Downtown Disney

Recently Disneyland Resort announced another new look at the exciting shopping and dining coming to the west side of the Downtown Disney District. Disney recently began work on the latest transformation to introduce more innovative shopping, dining and entertainment experiences.

Drawing inspiration from Southern California mid-century modern architecture, the west-end area will become a beautiful blend of vibrant color palettes, design elements and patterns influenced by the region, and will include an open lawn for relaxation and future events, and an even broader and diverse collection of dining and shopping.

Disney will be diversifying their offerings to meet the needs of today’s guests.

The world-renowned restaurant Din Tai Fung will join the district to offer guests their soup dumplings hand crafted right on site. This family-run restaurant will bring flavorful Chinese cuisine to Downtown Disney, where guests can enjoy dishes served family style in a creative space near the new lawn pavilion.

Michelin-starred Chef Carlos Gaytan will bring his inclusive vision of Mexican cuisine to Paseo and Centrico in the locations currently occupied by Catal & Uva Bar, brought to life by Patina Restaurant Group. The restaurant and central courtyard bar and dining area will offer guests a multi-sensory journey to the heart of Chef Gaytan’s homeland.

Disney is also working with Ralph Brennan’s Jazz Kitchen to finalize an evolution that incorporates vibrant California energy and a fresh approach to the menu, while staying true to the heart of New Orleans for this guest-favorite location.

Even more exciting news, the fan favorite Earl of Sandwich will also pop into the district in a special sandwich walk-up location, offering guests the classics they know and love for a limited time beginning later this year.

Mickey’s Toontown at Disneyland park is undergoing a reimagining of its own, and will debut with new experiences and more play for guests, with a focus on families and young children, in early 2023.

Disneyland Resort’s Paradise Pier Hotel Getting Re-Themed

On Wednesday, Disneyland Resort President Ken Potrock met with community leaders about upcoming plans for magical new experiences coming to the Disneyland Resort.

Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel is getting an all-new theme, new shopping and dining is coming to Downtown Disney District, Mickey’s Toontown has extra kid-friendly fun in store, and more!

Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel will soon begin a transformation to an all-new theme. The re-theming of the hotel will weave the artistry of Pixar into its comfortable, contemporary setting. Through carefully curated artwork and décor, guests will gain a new perspective on some of their favorite Pixar worlds and characters.

In the announcement Disney stated –

Guests will be welcomed into whimsical character moments, like the iconic, playful Pixar Lamp balancing atop its ball in the lobby.

Beginning later this summer, guests staying at one of the Disneyland Resort’s hotels will be able to enjoy several new and returning uniquely Disney benefits.

A walkway is currently under construction which will soon give Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel guests a convenient entrance to Disney California Adventure park.

Guests will also look forward to “Hey Disney!”  a new kind of voice assistant which works alongside Alexa on Amazon Echo devices in Disneyland Resort hotel rooms that can make stays more convenient, engaging, and enjoyable.

Something that I’m excited to see is that later this summer, guests of the Disneyland Resort hotels can look forward to the ability to send select theme park purchases back to their resort hotel.

Something else that is great to see is that Disneyland Resort is getting ready to offer early entry access return. As you may recall, this where guests staying at one of the Disneyland Resort hotels can be among the first to enter and begin enjoying select theme park attractions and experiences beginning later this summer.

Disneyland Resort Unveils New Grand Finale in the ‘Main Street Electrical Parade’

As you probably recall, it was previously announced that the “Main Street Electrical Parade” and “Disneyland Forever” fireworks will be returning to Disneyland, and“World of Color” will be back for guests to enjoy at Disney California Adventure park beginning this Friday, April 22!

It’s hard to believe that the “Main Street Electrical Parade” is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. Many generations of guests have been delighting in this guest-favorite spectacular for five decades.  It’s return should be a magical homecoming!  The enchantment will continue for a whole new generation of dreamers.

The “Main Street Electrical Parade” will return with an all-new, enchanted grand finale that celebrates the theme of togetherness, honoring the parade’s milestone anniversary.

Inspired by both the original design of classic “Main Street Electrical Parade” floats and Disney Legend Mary Blair’s iconic art style on “it’s a small world,” the new grand finale brings together more than a dozen Disney Animation and Pixar stories. These stories are interpreted in thousands of sparkling lights and electro-synthe-magnetic musical sound, with unique representations of beloved characters as animated dolls.

Disney created a short video with two of the show directors Jordan Peterson and Robin Trowbridge that talks about the new finale and gives us an exciting first look at the “Main Street Electrical Parade.”

I know that I’m excited for the parade’s return.  I can’t wait to see it again when I’m back visiting Disneyland in September.

Disneyland Resort Announces Return Dates for Nighttime Spectaculars

If you recall, Disney announced last November at Destination D23 that Disneyland Resort’s nighttime spectaculars would return this spring.

Today Disney announced that on April 22, the “Main Street Electrical Parade” and “Disneyland Forever” fireworks spectacular will return to Disneyland, and “World of Color” will return to Disney California Adventure. The resort also announced that “Fantasmic!” will return to Disneyland on May 28th.

But that’s not all!

In the announcement Disney also announced that upon its return to Disneyland, the “Main Street Electrical Parade” will be celebrating its 50thanniversary.

In honor of this milestone, the Disney Live Entertainment team will introduce exciting new elements to the “Main Street Electrical Parade” that will continue to evolve this beloved spectacular.

In honor of the parade’s 50th anniversary, this nighttime spectacular will return with an all-new, enchanted grand finale that celebrates the theme of togetherness.

According to Disney, when the new grand finale passes by, guests along each side of the parade route will see different scenes from classic and contemporary favorite stories such as “Encanto,” “The Jungle Book,” “Raya and the Last Dragon,” “Aladdin,” “Coco,” “Mulan,” “Brave,” “The Princess and the Frog” and more.

“Main Street Electrical Parade” and “Disneyland Forever” will be shown for a limited time at Disneyland. When “Disneyland Forever” fireworks spectacular comes back on April 22, it will run weekends only (Friday through Sunday). “Mickey’s Mix Magic” will present its high-energy, projections-only show during the week (Monday through Thursday). In late spring, “Disneyland Forever” fireworks will then run nightly in the summer.

“World of Color” and “Fantasmic!” will return to their regular schedule upon re-opening.

While not a regular visitor to Disneyland, I go often enough that I’m excited by this announcement.  I cannot wait to see all of these in September when I’m there for the D23 Expo.

 

 

Reminder – Disneyland’s Mickey’s Toontown to Close Soon

As we previously reported, Mickey’s Toontown in Disneyland will soon close in order to begin its transformation into a vibrant symphony of sights, sounds, and sensations with some all-new experiences, more play and interactivity, with a focus on families and young children.

Mickey’s Toontown will be closing on March 9, 2022, and will re-open in early 2023, alongside the new attraction, Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway.

So, if you want to see Mickey’s Toontown one more time before the reimagining begins, be sure to visit between now and March 8!

When Mickey’s Toontown reopens in 2023, it will still be home to favorite attractions such as Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin, Mickey’s House and Minnie’s House! Plus, other attractions will be reimagined in new and exciting ways, including Gadget’s Go Coaster, Goofy’s House and Donald’s Boat.

Disney Drops Mask Requirement for Fully Vaccinated Guests at Walt Disney World and Disneyland Resort

Disney has dropped mask requirements on February 17th  at Walt Disney World and Disneyland Resort for all fully vaccinated guests.

Disney will no longer require masks to be worn at it’s domestic theme parks and hotels for fully vaccinated guests, except when on transportation systems.

Disney issued a statement addressing the change on both coasts –

Beginning February 17, 2022, Face coverings will be optional for fully vaccinated Guests in both outdoor and indoor locations. We expect Guests who are not fully vaccinated to continue wearing face coverings in all indoor locations, including indoor attractions and theaters. Face coverings will still be required by all Guests (ages 2 and up) on enclosed Disney transportation, including Disney buses, monorails, and Disney Skyliner.

Even though technically the change only affects guest who are fully vaccinated, Disney has made no mention of asking for verification of vaccination status.  From a practical and historical standpoint, it’s unlikely that Disney will do so.  Prior to the re-introduction of the mask requirement at Walt Disney World, Disney didn’t ask for or check vaccination status in order to enforce the previous no-mask requirement for fully vaccinated guests.  They will likely continue this policy and operate on the “honor system” with guests.

 

 

Disney Genie and Disney Genie+ Service Coming to Disneyland Resort on December 8th

Late yesterday Disneyland Resort announced that the Disney Genie service will be available at the Disneyland Resort beginning tomorrow December 8th.

The Disney Genie service will be built right into the existing Disneyland app, the service will offer new features to help guests create their best Disney day. All guests will need to make sure that they’ve downloaded the latest version of the Disneyland app and they need to make sure that their notification and location services are turned on so that they can get the most out of the app’s features.

At the Disneyland Resort the service will include:

Complimentary Disney Genie Features

The key part of the Disney Genie service are features like a personalized itinerary creator inspired by the things you tell Disney what you love, helping guests make the most of your park time so you can have more fun! Just tell Disney Genie your favorite things such as foodie experiences, must-do attractions, Super Heroes or princesses; experiences that make your Disneyland Resort day special, and Disney Genie does all the work to suggest fun options tailored to you.

The Disney Genie service will also offer other great features like a personal tip board to see your favorite attractions and dining options in one central place, and forecasted future attraction wait times, helping you predict the best time to visit during the day.

These features are designed to help guests spend less time waiting in line, enjoying more of what they love. The Disney Genie service will even work around your existing plans, even dining reservations!

Disney Genie does all the work behind the scenes and and will update your itinerary continually from morning to night so you can stay spontaneous and make the most of your time in the parks!

Ability to Access the new Lightning Lane Entrance

If guests have been to the Disneyland Resort recently, they may have noticed some new signs being installed for Lightning Lane entrances at a number of popular attractions. The Lightning Lane offers the convenience of saving you time waiting in line. Guests can access the Lightning Lane entrance for select attractions two ways:

1) Disney Genie+ service.

Disney Genie+ will be available for $20 per ticket per day, and allows guests to select the next available arrival window for Disney Genie+ Lightning Lane entrances at a variety of attractions, one at a time (subject to limited availability; limit one Lightning Lane selection per experience each day).

Disney Genie+ will also include unlimited Disney PhotoPass digital photo downloads from the day, as well as fun new audio experiences that let you discover the parks in cool new ways, through fascinating fun facts and behind-the-scenes insights.

Disney Genie+ service will be able to be purchased in the Disneyland app after guests have entered the park and have linked their park ticket. After December 8, guests will also be able to choose to purchase Disney Genie+ prior to their visit when you the park ticket is purchased. Guests can begin making Lightning Lane arrival window selections as soon as they enter a theme park!

AND/OR

2) Individual Lightning Lane Entrance Selection.

This new “a la carte” option allows the individual purchase of Lightning Lane entrance arrival windows for some of the most popular attractions: Radiator Springs Racers and WEB SLINGERS: A Spider-Man Adventure at Disney California Adventure park, and Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance at Disneyland park (subject to limited availability; attractions not included with Disney Genie+).

Pricing for the “a la carte” option will vary by date and attraction. Be sure to check the Disneyland app on the day of your visit for the latest pricing for each available Lightning Lane attraction entrance arrival window. If you choose this option, you may purchase the next available arrival window, one at a time, for up to two (2) attractions per day upon entering a theme park.

It’s important to note that guests can select one, both or none of these options.  Attractions will continue to offer a traditional standby queue, or a virtual queue may be used at select attractions. Check the Disneyland app for attraction queue status.

Disneyland’s ‘it’s a small world’ to Re-Open Next Week

According to ABC7 in Los Angeles Disneyland’s beloved “it’s a small world” attraction is expected to reopen next week, in time for Christmas.

A flood that occurred last month threatened to close “The Happiest Cruise that Ever Sailed” for the entire holiday season, but testing began this past Thursday.

Disneyland Resort officials had said that the repairs would normally would have taken months to fix, but crews have been working nonstop to get it done in about three weeks.

Even though the ride has been shutdown, the “it’s a small world” lighting ceremony has continued to take place nightly, and “It’s a Small World” projections have been an ongoing part of the park’s “Believe…In Holiday Magic” fireworks display.

Mickey’s Toontown in Disneyland to Close March 2022 for Reimagination

In an announcement made at International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA) Expo by Chairman of Disney Parks, Experiences and Products, Josh D’Amaro, Disneyland Resort will be closing Mickey’s Toontown at Disneyland for what Disney calls “an ambitious reimagining of Mickey’s Toontown.”

The reimagined land will debut in early 2023, alongside the new attraction, Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway.

D’Amaro said the transformation will include adding greener and more spacious land with families and young children in mind.

We are so excited to leverage Disney’s powerful brand, develop new stories and share even more magical experiences with our guests.  The newly reimagined Mickey’s Toontown will be a welcoming place where families and younger guests can connect and play together in fun new ways.

Disney  Imagineers are building on the legacy of Mickey’s Toontown and are working to create some all-new experiences so families and young children can have more opportunities to play together inside Disneyland.  Focusing on families with young children, Mickey’s Toontown will feature new play experiences, as well as open, grassy play spaces for everyone to unplug. The land will have landscaping for both spontaneous family play and parental relaxation.

According to Disney, one of the new areas coming to Mickey’s Toontown will be CenTOONial Park, the first space guests will see when they enter. This natural space will be anchored by two interactive play experiences.

When guests enter they will see at the center of CenTOONial Park a fountain, designed for play, which will also become a center icon for Mickey’s Toontown. As its base, water tables will invite guests to play with the water and have a sensory experience. At night, the fountain will be brought to life in a unique spectacle.

Nearby will be a dreaming tree that will be inspired by the tree a young Walt Disney would daydream under in his hometown. Sculpted tree roots will provide an opportunity for children to play, crawl and explore, and undulating topography will offer rolling hills and a place to sit and dream.

In addition to reopening in 2023 with the new, family-friendly and adventurous Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway, Mickey’s Toontown will still be home to many beloved characters including Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Goofy, Donald Duck and more!

Mickey’s Toontown is scheduled to close in March of 2022 in order for imagineers to begin creating these all-new experiences.