Happy New Year everyone. If you’re like us, you’re probably scratching your head wondering where the year went. And while the holidays are traditionally a slow news time, this year there are lots of interesting things going on around the resort.  So let’s take a quick holiday jaunt through the park . . . wait a minute . . . that’s going to be difficult . . . the parks are PACKED . . . let’s take a slow slog instead . . .

Epic Crowds

This week proved the reasoning behind Disney blocking most passes for these last two weeks of the year. Wait times this week have been nothing short of jaw-dropping. Attractions which rarely have a wait were running 45 minutes to an hour. E-Tickets in DCA reached up to 250 minutes! Everything that could have a line, had a line . . . rides, restaurants, snack carts, bathrooms, FastPass machines, stores– it was madness! But, for the most part, the crowds were civil and taking it all in stride.

It was SO busy in the park that they closed the walkway facing window of the Dole Whip stand and were directing customers to the Tropical Hideaway instead.  Even though the Hideaway is brand new, it was processing customers much more quickly than the old Dole Whip stand and doesn’t impact the walkways of the park with a long queue.  It’s a great solution.

Here’s a little video from the park which shows the conditions (and not even at its worst). Many of the lines you’ll see aren’t the standby, but rather the crazy Fastpass return lines, which are blocking up walkways. If Disney REALLY wanted to do something to free up walkways, they don’t need to remove planters, they need to revert back to regular paper Fastpass, which NEVER caused lines like this.

Ballast Point Ready To Launch

In Downtown Disney, there could be another opening this week. . . at LONG last, Ballast Point is just about ready to open. The store has been stocked, the fixtures installed, the staff is training, final walkthroughs are being conducted, and work crews are cleaning up and fixing those final details.

There may be just one little problem . . . the railing on the upstairs balcony may be a bit low.

Ballast Point is upstairs in the former Build-A-Bear building. You enter where Ridemakerz was previously located and take the stairs or elevator up to the brewery.

Murals and artwork are mostly nautical in theme.

Tropical Hideaway Hidden Menu

We had to try this one for ourselves. Candied bacon can now be added to anything at the Tropical Hideaway for $0.99. And it’s really good.

Have you tried it as well? Does bacon make everything better?

Going Up – New Parking Might Just Be Ready In Time For Star Wars Land

Disney’s new state-of-the-art parking structure is going up fast.  And it’s not as boring looking as the original structure. When complete, there will also be a bridge which will make it easy to walk to Downtown Disney.

The escalators are going in now.

Star Wars Gets Real

We covered this last week as well, but the video Disney shared on the Christmas Day Parade Special has been resonating far beyond the Disney fan community. I’ve been called by TV stations, radio stations, asked about it by my hair stylist, and heard average Joes out in the wild talking about Disney’s new Star Wars thingy coming this summer. It’s going to be big business folks, EVERYONE wants to see this new land.

We’ve all had a lot of time to think about this giant new land and how much of an impact it might have on the Resort. Disney obviously thinks it’s going to be huge because they are building a whole new parking structure, widening pathways, opening new vending options, blocking out annual passes for large stretches next summer, and all sorts of changes and tweaks to just about everything the resort does . . . all starting when Star Wars land is expected to open late spring/early summer.

What are your predictions, tips, and how will you alter your usual Disney visiting schedule due to Star Wars land?

The Holidays are Ending Soon

Holiday trees, lights, fireworks and parade end on January 6th. Festival of Holidays and related entertainment, such as Viva Navidad, will end on the 8th.  If you purchased one of those festival taster cards, be sure to use up your tabs before the end of business on the 8th.  Signature and Deluxe annual passes can return on the resort on Sunday the 6th.

Did you enjoy the holiday season this year?

The Diz Thing – New (and new to us) Merchandise

Fuzzy Ice Cream dog toys are in the stores. How long would one of these last with your dog?

Chip-enabled pin-pads are being tested in the stores. The previous pads rolled out resort-wide last year never really worked the way expected and were never enabled for chip transactions.  

Diamonds are a girl’s best friend. A very expensive friend. The limited edition 60th anniversary Diamond Collection Sleeping Beauty doll is now available at Disneyland for the cost of $129.99.

There are some new dresses at the Disney Dress Shop that our staff are wondering about. How long would a white dress keep looking good in a theme park setting?

There are some new ears in the parks that are cute. We’ve seen the bow on the UP ears.

New 2019 sequin ears.

And glow ears.

Speaking of 2019, there’s a NYE glow lanyard on sale:

And with Christmas ending soon, the next big thing is Valentines Day.

And we really like this new balloon which was sent to us by a reader:

January Special Flavors for Salt & Straw

The seasonal flavors for January from Salt & Straw are fairly unexpected. In an effort to appeal to a wider audience, Salt & Straw is expanding their vegan flavors in lieu of a “traditional” themed menu. They will supposedly continue to increase their vegan-friendly offerings as the year progresses. Hopefully, they’ll have some variations without a coconut base soon as well.

Tangaroa Terrace Redo

The reimagining of Tangaroa Terrace continues. When it reopens sometime early in 2019, it will have a full bar.

Posts have been installed around the patio for an awning.

The floor and wall textures are in, but it looks like there is still a bit of work to complete.

Farewell 2018, You Were A BIG Year

As we prepare to close out 2018, we have a question for you, which of the Disneyland Resort stories of the year were biggest for you? Was it Star Wars construction, the opening of Pixar Pier, construction of Marvel Land and closure of Bugs Land, change of the Pirate “Auction scene,” cancelation of the 4th Disneyland Hotel, closure of the west end of Downtown Disney, new Downtown Disney restaurants and shops, parking expansion, walkway expansion project, Tropical Hideaway, troubles with the City of Anaheim, the John Lasseter scandal and termination, or something else entirely? Let us know what you think, because this definitely isn’t a completely comprehensive list so we’d love your feedback!

Do you have New Year’s Eve plans?

New Years Eve at Universal Studios Hollywood

Join your MiceChat pals for a New Year’s Eve like no other.  Ring in 2019 and party until 2 AM at Universal Studios Hollywood’s special park-wide event – EVE – which features multiple party areas with DJ’s, live musical performances, dancing and a traditional New Year’s Eve countdown at midnight with spectacular fireworks displays seen from multiple viewing locations. Our exclusive MiceChat event kicks off at 6 pm and includes admission, Universal Express™ access including one-time express access to each heart-pounding ride and attraction and seated show, as well as a $15 meal voucher (valid at in-park restaurants).  All of this for just $129 per person!

This is Universal’s best offer for the night – Tickets are sold directly by Universal Studios – but you’ll check in with MiceChat in front of the park (to the right of the front gate near Guest Relations between 5:30 and 6pm) to pick up your meal voucher. Anyone can purchase these tickets. While MiceChat will offer a suggested itinerary for the evening, you are welcome to purchase these tickets and head into the park to do your own thing.  Please share the word on this amazing offer. To get the deal, you’ll need to use this link:

TICKET AVAILABLE HERE

---

MiceChat Anniversary and Gumball Rally
Feb 8th through 10th

MiceChat Anniversary is an opportunity to meet with your fellow MiceChatters and enjoy Disney events, social opportunities, win prizes, and have a wonderful time at the happiest place on earth. We’ll have more information for you very soon. Part of our celebration weekend is the world-famous Gumball Rally. . .

The event that you’ve been waiting for is here at last! The Gumball Rally is a race through Disneyland to see who can ride the most attractions in a single day. This year’s event is being held on February 9, 2019, and we’re switching it up a little to keep you on your toes and offer you a much lower price. It also appears that this year’s Rally is . . . . well . . . haunted. After 50 years of being cooped up in their Mansion, Disney’s 999 ghosts have decided to have a little fun and join your adventure!

Tickets are available right now at an early-bird price of just $25 per person. That’s more than half off last year’s price. Act fast! For more information about the game and how it’s played VISIT THE GUMBALL RALLY INFO PAGE HERE

or sign up now on EventZilla:

---

Discount tickets! We have discount theme park tickets for you folks as well. Before you head to the parks, always check here for the best deals!
Discount Disneyland and Attractions Tickets HERE

MiceTrip 2019

Walt Disney World and Caribbean Cruise

For information on this magical MiceTrip, please contact:

[email protected]

Sharing is caring!