Friday, April 30, 2021

Pics from Disneyland's Grand Reopening!



 




It's been 412 days, but Disneyland officially reopened to the public today!!! We're not there (boo!) but we've collected our favorite pics from those lucky enough to be there to share with you. 



First of all, check out the people lined up at the crack of dawn to get in! They're keeping the park at very low capacity, so it has to be the fact that the groups are staying 6 feet apart that the line stretches out so far...right???




I absolutely love the welcome back signs!




Cast Members were ready to greet all the guests on their way in this morning, and they even held a flag raising ceremony.




Characters are out (although distanced)!







I love the special reopening merch. The magic is back!!!




A couple of special new treats to try. The "Magic is Here" cupcake and the Dole Whip cookie look especially good!




The April/December portrait is back at the Haunted Mansion.



And basically, things look amazing all around!






If you, like us, aren't there and are just living vicariously through everyone who gets to be at Disneyland today, we hope all these photos made your day a little better!

Wednesday, April 21, 2021

Imagineering Challenge!



 

Now that we are days away from Disneyland reopening let’s have some fun! Who hasn’t walked around the park and said to themselves, family members, friends, cast members, or anyone who would listen, “What Disneyland really needs is an attraction of .........” or “I wish they would bring back .........”


Now’s your opportunity! Take an attraction from Yesteryear and re-imagine it or re-theme it. You are presenting and pitching your idea to Walt!!

Channel your inner Marc Davis, Ub Iwerks, Mary Blair, Marty Sklar, Tony Baxter, X Atencio, Joe Rohde, and Bob Gurr. (Or one of your favorite imagineers - Bob is mine.)

Don’t just say, “I wish this attraction came back.” Really dive into it and get creative. 

I’ll go first! (I saw the idea on another blog and liked it.)


Bring back Adventure Thru Inner Space in the Star Tours area and change it to when Ant-Man goes into the quantum realm. The queue could be changed and have Michael Douglas as Dr. Pym talking about the dangers of going that small. 

Let’s see who’s idea Walt would get excited to remake!



Friday, April 16, 2021

What to Eat When Disneyland Reopens!



 

Who got their tickets to Disneyland??? I mean, not me, but that's ok. I'll just live vicariously through all of you! Whether you plan on going right on April 30th or waiting a while (thinking of you, non-California residents), it's always fun to talk about Disney food. Mmmm....I can taste the Dole Whips already...Where was I? Right, the food!! Here's what you can expect to reopen with Disneyland and California Adventure in just two weeks. 

Thanks to the Disney Parks Blog for the yummy food pics.

Disneyland Park

What's Open (** denotes mobile ordering available)

  • Bengal Barbecue **
  • Cafe Orleans 
    • Open with limited seating
    • Advanced reservations or walkups (over the Disneyland App) available
  • French Market **
  • Galactic Grill **
  • Gibson Girl Ice Cream **
  • Jolly Holiday Bakery **
  • Little Red Wagon **
  • Market House
  • Milk Stand **
  • Mint Julep Bar **
  • Plaza Inn **
  • Red Rose Taverne **
  • River Belle Terrace (reservations available)
  • Ronto Roasters **
  • Ship to Shore Marketplace
  • Stage Door Cafe **
  • Toon-Up Treats
  • Various Outdoor Vending carts for ice cream, churros, drinks, etc.

Our Food Recommendations

  • While the Tiki Juice Bar (and the Tiki Room) will be closed, the full Dole Whip menu along with their other usual goodies will be available at the Tropical Hideaway.
  • All the weird churro flavors are back! Look for fluffernutter, strawberry cheesecake, milk and cookies, and s'mores. 
  • The classic hand-dipped corn dogs are available at the Little Red Wagon AND the Stage Door Cafe. 
  • The amazing Cauliflower Sandwich, flatbread pizza, the Gray Stuff, and more will all be back at the Red Rose Taverne.
  • If you can get a reservation at the Riverbelle, the Skillet Brisket Mac and Cheese sounds incredible!
  • No better way to end your day at Disneyland than with a Firehouse Sunday at the Gibson Girl!! Wait times might even be better than we're used to there since they've added mobile ordering. Fingers crossed!



California Adventure:

What's Open (** still means mobile ordering available!)

  • Adorable Snowman Frosted Treats **
  • Angry Dogs
  • Award Wieners **
  • Cappuccino Cart **
  • Carthay Circle Lounge (reservations available!)
  • Cocina Cucamonga **
  • Cozy Cone Motel **
  • Fiddler, Fifer & Practical Cafe
  • Flo's V8 Cafe **
  • Ghirardelli Soda Fountain
  • Hollywood Lounge **
  • Lamplight Lounge 
    • Open with limited seating
    • Advanced reservations or walkups (over the Disneyland App) available
  • Pacific Wharf Distribution Co **
    • For a limited time mobile ordering will be available through Cocina Cucamonga
  • Poultry Palace
  • Rita's Baja Blenders **
    • Mobile also available through Cocina Cucamonga for the time being
  • SmokeJumpers Grill **
  • Sonoma Terrace **
  • Studio Catering  **
    • Mobile ordering temporarily through Hollywood Lounge
  • Various Outdoor Vending carts for ice cream, churros, drinks, churros, etc.

Our Food Recommendations

  • Award Wieners is now exclusively hand dipped corn dogs, hot link corn dogs, and cheese stick (cheese corn dog?). I'll miss some of their other hot dog offerings, but I'm dying for a hot link corn dog!
  • Flo's Menu is looking a lot more limited, but the Fried Chicken is always amazing, and I'd be interested in an impossible burger!
  • Smoke Jumper's Grill is keeping popular menu items from Touch of Disney, including a 1/2 Monte Cristo sandwich (since Blue Bayou will remain closed), brisket mac and cheese (like we saw at the Riverbelle), and a s'mores shake!
  • This just in! The Cocina Cucamonga Mexican Grill's menu now entirely consists of:
    • Asian style tacos
    • Banyan Beef Skewer (from the Bengal BBQ)
    • Bengal Beef Skewer (also from the Bengal BBQ)
    • Chieftain Chicken Skewer(again from the Bengal BBQ!)



Wednesday, April 14, 2021

Attraction Updates When Disneyland Reopens!



 

Photo Credit: Disney

Disneyland's reopening is two weeks away, and of course there will be some major changes. From masks to distancing, the world is different than it was when the parks closed down over a year ago, so some new rules are to be expected. 

But that's not what we're here for today! Today is all about the behind-the-scenes changes that have gone on during the past year, and what attraction changes you can expect when April 30th rolls around. 

Snow White's Enchanted Wish

Goodbye Snow White's Scary Adventure, hello Snow White's Enchanted Wish! When last we reported, finishing touches were still being made on the updated version of this original Disneyland attraction. But now it's all complete and ready for reopening! 


*Updates to look for*

  • A newly designed animatronic Snow White who can dance along with the dwarves in the opening scene. Instead of passively watching from the stairs, our heroine is in on the action, and we're so here for it!
  • There'll be updates to the whole look of the mine scene, complete with projections and a fantastic looking Dopey animatronic with diamonds in his eyes. 
  • We'll also have a new ending scene. Rather than the witch dies and the ride is over, we'll actually get to see Snow White reunited with the Dwarves and the Prince.

King Arthur's Carousel

While this one is just a standard refurbishment, the Carousel is really the central focus of Fantasyland when you first come through the castle and should always be in peak form. 

Photo Credit: Disney

*Updates to look for*

  • The canopy has been freshly painted with a new color scheme.  
  • They've added shields around the outside of the carousel, representing the Knights of the Round Table.
  • Every horse has been repainted, had its jewels touched up and reset,  and had gold leaf accents added to really enhance the look. 

Haunted Mansion

What I love about updates to the Haunted Mansion is that, unless they're incredibly large focal points like the Hatbox Ghost was, they are often tough to spot since the mansion is dark and very full to begin with. It can be almost like a treasure hunt! Which of these updates do you think will be obvious and which will enhance the overall experience whether you notice them or not?

Photo Credit: Disney

*Updates to look for*

  • The April/December portrait is back! Once one of the main paintings in the haunted hallway after the stretching room, this one has been missing for years but is has returned in an updated form and will be hanging in the space just before you board your Doom Buggy. 
  • The garden area just to the right of the mansion when you're waiting in the queue has new landscaping and new statues of dearly departed pets.
NO COMMENT!!!
  • You may have seen other sites posting that the hanging man may be removed from the stretching room scene, but until it's confirmed, we're not reporting it as fact. If we hear something real, we'll let you know - we promise. 

Coming Shortly after Opening

Even with a year closed, not everything could be ready for opening day. Here's what changes are coming shortly after the parks' reopening.

  • Avengers Campus - Opening June 4!
  • Jungle Cruise Update - no date announced yet but changes are already underway!

Thursday, April 8, 2021

Which Rides WILL and WON'T be At When Disneyland Opens



 

It was only two days ago that we found out how and when we can buy Disneyland tickets, and now we have even more info on the highly anticipated park reopening. We know which attractions will be available! It's actually a bigger list than we initially thought it would be and the easiest way to go through it is to look at what *won't* reopen. 

Some things to keep in mind before you look at the list:

  1. Disneyland has to follow certain guidelines for indoor attractions, so you can expect that even though Pirates will be open, it'll be at a much lower capacity than we're used to. 
  2. We already know that nighttime entertainment won't be available, since the parks will be closing at 7pm for the time being. Don't expect any daytime parades or character meet and greets either. Like in Florida, there may be surprise visits and small drive-by "cavalcades" as a way to see characters and get the parade "feeling" without attracting a large crowd sitting and waiting.
  3. We mentioned it in our earlier post, but here again with a little more info: Fastpass, MaxPass, Single Rider lines, and Magic Morning/Extra Magic hour won't be available to start.
  4. Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters, Jungle Cruise, Matterhorn, and Grizzly River Run won't be open because they're currently being refurbished. Look for those to open sooner than other attractions that, while they may be outdoors, they might be tighter spacing/tougher to staff. 
  5. Splash Mountain WILL be open! We're actually pretty surprised about that one. But it looks like they're not ready to begin work on the Princess and the Frog update. So you can still visit Brer Rabbit in his laughing place for a little while longer. 
  6. The newly refurbished Snow White's Enchanted Wish will be open!!! Can't wait to see all the changes and updates they've made. We'll be sure to share a video when one is available.

What Will Not Reopen When Disneyland Does

  • Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters (Closed for refurbishment)
  • Chip ’n Dale Treehouse
  • Davey Crocket’s Explorer Canoes
  • Disneyland Monorail
  • Donald’s Boat
  • Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage
  • Frontierland Shootin’ Exposition
  • Goofy’s Playhouse
  • Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln
  • Jungle Cruise
  • Main Street Cinema
  • Matterhorn Bobsleds
  • Mickey's House
  • Minnie's House
  • Pirate’s Lair on Tom Sawyer Island
  • Sailing Ship Columbia
  • Sleeping Beauty Castle Walkthrough 
  • Star Wars Launch Bay
  • Storybook Land Canal Boats
What Will Not Reopen When California Adventure Does
  • Animation Academy 
  • The Bakery Tour
  • Golden Zephyr
  • Grizzly River Run
  • The Little Mermaid Ariel's Undersea Adventure
  • Red Car Trolley
  • Redwood Creek Challenge Trail
  • Sorcerer’s Workshop
  • Walt Disney Imagineering Blue Sky Cellar

Anything not on this list is open and ready to go! Who's ready to visit the Happiest Place on Earth?

Tuesday, April 6, 2021

Disneyland Reopening Details!



 



It's finally here - the day we find out all the details of Disneyland's long-awaited reopening. If you're planning on visiting, check out all the details below.

Getting Tickets

  • If you already have tickets (from before the parks shut down), you can begin making reservations on April 12. *If you have tickets that you were never able to use, double check the expiration dates on those because the dates have been extended.*
  • If you need to buy tickets, you can do that starting April 15 and you'll be able to make reservations once you buy those new tickets. 
  • Availability and reservations will open up on a rolling basis, so if you're planning a trip for a little ways out, you may need to wait a little longer before you can buy/reserve your dates. Keep checking back!
Who Can Visit Disneyland for Now
  • For the time being, park tickets are only available to California residents. You'll need proof of your address...no funny stuff!
  • When you make your reservation for your group, please keep in mind that they're asking for groups of not more than three households.

Park Hours
  • As of reopening, the parks will be open from 9am-7pm daily. Yes, that's a bummer that they won't be open late or doing nighttime entertainment, BUT they still have to manage crowds and at 15% capacity you'll have absolutely no problem getting on all the rides before 7:00. 
Park Hopping
  • Park hopping WILL be allowed! 
  • Unless there's a problem with crowds and availability, you'll get to choose which park you go to first with your Park Hopper passes. You can change parks after 1:00pm.
  • If you're booking multi-day reservations, you'll need to state which park you want to go to and when.
Dining and Hotel Reservations
  • Dining reservations won't begin until April 22. 
  • For now, Disney is recommending using the Disneyland App to do as much online ordering and payment as possible. 
  • If you want to stay at the Grand Californian (which seems to be the only open resort hotel at the moment), a KEEP IN MIND a hotel reservation does not equal a park reservation! You'll still need to go through the ticketing and parks reservation process whether or not you've already booked hotel. 
Other Info
  • We don't have a definitive list yet about what rides will be open. Disney still have to follow some rules around how many people they can have indoors at a time so that may impact long, indoor rides (Pirates, I'm looking at you!).
  • FastPass and MaxPass won't be available for now, but there will be some sort of online reservation system for Rise of the Resistance.
  • Parking lots and structures will all be open and available for use.