This week we discuss the Tropical Hideaway debuts, Galaxy’s Edge training beginning soon, large crowds on New Years Eve, D23 raises their prices, we look back on the big stories of 2018, and more!
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News:
Of course when we skip a week for the holidays, the Tropical Hideaway opens! The new space looks great and has quite a few options in terms of food and different Dole Whips. The food options include Spiced Vegetable and Bulgogi Beef. Dole Whip options include Orange and Raspberry variations, and, of course, classic pineapple. They can be ordered in a cup or as a float. If you want to shake things up a bit, you can also get them with swirl options. – https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2018/12/now-open-discover-the-tropical-hideaway-in-disneyland-park/ and https://micechat.com/213444-disneyland-update-launching-the-new-year-with-crowds-crowds-crowds/
Starting next month, Cast Members will start training in Galaxy’s Edge. The attractions are both pretty much ready to go. There are more things to be completed in the land overall, but the attractions are ready for testing and training. The exteriors are getting paint throughout the land, and the walkways should be getting laid soon as well. – https://micechat.com/212474-david-koenig-tipsy-in-star-wars-land-meet-disneylands-first-tour-guide/
As has been the trend at the resort, crowds for New Years were completely crazy! Wait times shot over four hours for some attractions in California Adventure and attractions that usually had no wait had 45 minute to an hour waits. Even restrooms had long waits at times. The standby lines were not the problem as they were contained to their queue space, but the FastPass return lines were a mess since there is no queue space setup for them. – https://micechat.com/213444-disneyland-update-launching-the-new-year-with-crowds-crowds-crowds/
The day after Christmas, the teams playing in the Rose Bowl, the Ohio State Buckeyes and the University of Washington Huskies, were at the resort. There was a ceremony in California Adventure near the Little Mermaid where some of the players were welcomed by Disneyland Ambassador Alexa Garcia, Disneyland President Josh D’Amaro, and Tournament of Roses President Gerald Feeny. The Buckeyes won 28 to 23 on New Years Day. – https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2018/12/rose-bowl-bound-ohio-state-buckeyes-and-washington-huskies-meet-at-disneyland-resort/
An area of Fantasyland that looked to be more widening of the park walkways is actually for a completely different, but complimentary use. The area outside of Peter Pan’s Flight that is used for Special Assistance has been expanded into a full queue, making for a less congested area near the attraction. – https://micechat.com/213167-disneyland-update-twas-the-night-before-christmas/
A large portion of the Annual Passholder population will be happy to know that the holiday block out period is being lifted on January 6th. If you are listening on the day that we post this, that is a short four days away! – https://micechat.com/213167-disneyland-update-twas-the-night-before-christmas/
Some exciting and less than exciting news has come out of D23 this week. The exciting news is the pin collection celebrating 10 years of D23 is the member gift this year. This set looks amazing and we are excited to get it when it is available. The less exciting news is that for the first time since the fan club started, the membership fees are increasing. The Gold membership will now be $99.99 a year, up from $74.99, and the family membership will be $129.99 a year, up from $99.99 a year. – https://micechat.com/213444-disneyland-update-launching-the-new-year-with-crowds-crowds-crowds/
Adding to the picture perfect spots for Instagram around the resort, a new Wall-E wall has appeared in Hollywood Land in California Adventure. The new mural displays a fire extinguisher that has been used to make the shape of a heart in space. – https://twitter.com/DisneylandToday/status/1076537861988585472/photo/1
A visit to the resort may be pretty costly, but there is something that you can do that is free! The Grand Californian Hotel now offers an hour long tour covering the arts and crafts movement that inspired the design of the hotel. Tours currently start at 1PM, four days a week. For the most up to date schedule, call 714-635-2300 to make a reservation. The tour is limited to 12-15 people, so reservations are highly encouraged. – https://www.ocregister.com/2018/12/22/something-free-to-do-at-the-disneyland-resort-tour-the-grand-californian-hotel/
In Downtown Disney, Ballast Point is all but complete and ready to open. The location is stocked, staff is being trained and final approvals to open are being done. We would guess that it will open in the next week. – https://micechat.com/213444-disneyland-update-launching-the-new-year-with-crowds-crowds-crowds/
Our Social Media manager Priscilla reported to us this week that Sleeping Beauty’s Castle will be going under tarps starting on January 7th, with the walk through portion closing on January 17th. There is no hard return time, except for Spring.
