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7/28/23 - Disneyland Resort
 The Geek Speaks:

Welcome to the disneygeek.com Geek Speaks section. In this section I will post my comments on trips to the parks or other Disney related events.

7/28/23 - Disneyland Resort

Hello Everyone!

I spent a relaxing Friday afternoon/evening at the Disneyland Resort. The crowds were average for this year, starting off moderate and as usual growing as the evening went on. Wait times were spotty with several opportunities under their norms but at times some would spike. For example I saw Space Mountain as low as 40 and high as 80. Runaway Railway under 30 and around an hour. The weather turned out to be great hitting highs in the upper 80s with a slight breeze most of the day but cooling down to the 70s quickly as the afternoon went on.

A quick note, my Magic Key expires the end of August and hit its 30 day renewal window today. I went ahead and renewed online. The process was quick and smooth this year. Pricing is the same and no discount for renewing.. so it was $1599 for the Inspire Key. I did find it interesting they defaulted to the monthly payment option and not what you used before. Also you cannot use Disney Gift Cards through the website, but you can use the Disney Rewards card if you have one. I saw reports if you want to use a gift card you may be able to if you go to a ticket window.

Thoughts and Observations:

  • Arrived at the Mickey and Friends parking structure close to 12:30 and found only a few cars in line at the toll booth. Cars were backed up halfway down the ramp leading up to the parking level and it was a slow crawl through that merge and around to a parking spot. All cars were being forced to a single lane which slowed things down vs having two open. There were plenty of cast members around so it looks like they were staffed for two but opted for one only. I drew an ok spot about half way down but third row on the Mickey Level, so relatively close to the escalators. No wait at security or for a tram.
  • Started my afternoon at Disneyland checking out the ongoing projects. In Adventureland there was no real visible change on either project, the pipe replacement at the entrance nor the Treehouse. In New Orleans Square Tiana's Palace looks to be on the home stretch with almost all the scaffolding removed so you can see the full facade now and the canopy/cover over the seating area has been installed. Disney has yet to announce an opening date but it seems like it should be sooner rather than later. Further along in Critter Country the peak of the mountain has been removed but beyond that not a lot of visible progress.
  • Today the new Haunted Mansion film opened in theaters. There was little direct reference to that in the parks. No handouts today. There is some new merchandise, food, and sippers to mark the film's release. The sipper is a light up Hatbox ghost. It sells for $32 and was available at the churro stand in New Orleans Square and in Critter Country. Critter Country had no wait while NOS had a couple dozen people in line. Almost all were purchasing the sipper, some were buying the special churro too. In the Opera House Lobby with the Disney Gallery exhibit a costume from the film has been added. It is Madam Leota's that Jamie Lee Curtis wore as well as some concept art.
  • Speaking of $32 items.. a new Disneyland Train popcorn bucket is available throughout the park too. I spotted plenty in stock at the carts closest to each train station. Guests were purchasing a good number of both this and the sipper and you could see bags as well as people carrying them throughout the park my entire visit. Stock seemed plentiful for both.
  • The Pacific Wharf continues to transform to San Fransokyo Square. Several menu items and the new beer window are now available as more details continue to emerge around the area. The project is slated to be completed by the end of August. The bridge portion seems to have slowed down with no real visible progress the last several visits. Even with all the work going on the seating was nearly full with guests looking for places to sit the two times I passed through the area.
  • I was successful in picking up a virtual queue spot for the 4:00pm Rogers: The Musical. I still do not understand why you cannot pick the show time you want and have to just blindly click and take what you are given. I showed up about 30 minutes prior to showtime and the queue area for the orchestra level was maybe 1/2 full and the others had only a few guests in. When the doors opened they were still letting guests into both levels, I did not see the balcony open yet. I was able to get a much better seat for this performance, nearly show center in the third row of the upper section. Since I was under the overhang I could not see how full the upper levels were, but the orchestra did fill up by show time. I watched the show with two people who have not seen it yet. Neither are big Marvel fans and were a little lost so the show did not resonate with either. Also one has some vertigo challenges and the lighting caused them some problems, so something to keep in mind if you have similar issues.
  • I took a stroll through Downtown Disney to check out the crowd and construction. It was around 5:30 and the crowd was mild, guessing due to the afternoon heat just starting to let up. I did find it interesting that only a few groups were in line for ice cream at the two ice cream locations. I would have thought the crowds would be higher. The walls have shifted around at the west end. Some of the new area around the tree across from the Star Wars Trading Post and the Monorail is now available making that area feel a little larger. But further along the walkway to the security screening area is rather narrow and a tad of a maze with a zig zag due to pavement work in the area. Also the area around the former ESPN Zone is fenced off for concrete work. Speaking of the Monorail station it is under wraps for some renovation work too.
  • Recently (several weeks ago now) there was a change to the Coco group in the Magic Happens parade. The Pepita puppet now travels the parade route on a vehicle base instead of carried by the puppeteers. There was one CM working the head and one driving. Originally there were three inside. There are still one on each wing. The driver is visible and a tad awkward looking to me. The old method was more impressive/interesting to me. This felt a little off to me.
  • Last week a new entertainment offering started in the evening on the Rivers of America. Queenie and the Jambalaya Jazz Band perform three sets (7:35, 8:25 and 9:05). They perform on a Tom Sawyer Island Raft with some minimal decorations. While they perform some of the Fantasmic fountains are on and lighting effects. Between sets the fountains stayed on too. I caught the first two performances. It was great to see entertainment and some life around the river in the evening. I would have liked to have seen some variation in the sets though. The fountains and lights add to the show so if you are going to only catch one I would suggest one after dark.
  • On my way out of the park this evening stopped by the Disney Gallery and picked up the Magic Key print they are distributing. You can also pick it up in Downtown Disney and Disney California Adventure. Interesting to note they were not scanning passes, just counting. It is a nice print about 8.5x11. I prefer smaller items like buttons or magnets though. Carrying and storing these prints are a challenge. I was happy that the distribution was all day vs a limited time so I could stop on the way out to maximize my chances of getting it home intact.

Here are some recent posts to the Geek's Blog:

Disney Related Press Releases

Be sure to check out the picture update that goes with this Geekspeak column, it can be found in our Disneyland Resort Pictorial Update section

Trip logs and mileage reports are in the Park Miles section.

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