The calendar may not officially say summer, but Disneyland is already feeling the rush as schools start letting out for summer. Grad Nites, school breaks, and early-summer crowds are filling the parks with students, families, and a constant reminder that teenagers travel in exuberant packs.
So far, the weather has been lovely, with blue skies and breezy temperatures, but that won’t last forever… and a Super El Niño may be on the way.
Disneyland is prepping for the sunny season with “Kids Rule Summer,” expanded covered seating, an island-style anniversary celebration at the Disneyland Hotel, and a new weather-planning partnership that could come in handy once the forecast starts getting rude.
Let’s talk about it all!
Crazy Crowds
The Memorial Day holiday may be over, but the crowds didn’t disappear.
Last week, Disneyland remained packed as the summer vacation season begins to build momentum. Walkways were congested, and many attraction queues were maxed out.
Guests also continued flocking to Galaxy’s Edge to meet iconic Star Wars characters. Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader remain major draws, and the outdoor queue for Rise of the Resistance stretched as far as the eye could see.
Kids Rule Summer
Disneyland is grouping a mix of new and returning family offerings under its “Kids Rule Summer” banner…
…Including Stitch’s Interplanetary Beach Party Blast, which takes the stage at Galactic Grill from 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. daily.
Among the new-ish offerings are Bluey’s Best Day Ever at the Fantasyland Theatre and the all-new Mandalorian and Grogu-led adventure on Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run.
Some of the oldies but goodies listed on the app for Kids Rule Summer are Disney Jr. Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Live! (which debuted in California Adventure last year for Disneyland’s 70th) along with Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, Radiator Springs Racers, and Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout.
The Tomorrowland Theater is now showing a trio of Pixar shorts. The three short films, Luxo Jr., Lou, and Smash and Grab play on an 18-minute loop from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily.
Bonus: the air-conditioned theater is also a nice place to take a break during the hottest part of the day.
Of all the Kids Rule Summer offerings, Mickey’s Park Rangers may end up being the most intriguing. It encourages kids to explore the Rivers of America, Tom Sawyer Island, and the Disneyland Railroad to earn a Ranger stamp.
Kids’ Summer Ticket Offer
For a limited time, kids ages 3 to 9 can visit Disneyland for $50 with a special 1-Day Park Hopper Ticket Offer for visits from May 22 through September 7, 2026 (subject to theme park reservation availability). Lightning Lane Multi Pass can be added at an additional cost per day.
Kids’ Summer Ticket Pricing:
- 1-Day Park Hopper Ticket – $50
- 2-Day Park Hopper Ticket – $100 for a 2-day ticket
- 3-Day Park Hopper Ticket – $150 for a 3-day ticket
Save even more with our travel partners at Get Away Today
RELATED READING:
- Bluey’s Big Disneyland Debut Draws Crowds… Tips & Review
- Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run Gets A Mandalorian & Grogu Upgrade – But Is It Finally The Ride Fans Wanted?
Shady News… In The Best Possible Way
We’ve been complimenting Disneyland for new and expanded covered seating across the resort, including the most recent addition of the charming Edelweiss Lodge in Fantasyland.
Another relatively new covered seating area is Red’s Community Garden in Cars Land (be sure to look for the cute “bugs” while you’re there).
The Port Royal shop in New Orleans Square has also been converted back to indoor seating ahead of the hot summer months.
And Hungry Bear Barbecue in Bayou Country appears to be adding even more shaded seating for the popular quick-service restaurant.
Shade has become a bigger concern for Disneyland guests, especially during the summer months. That’s why we were pleased to see a recent Disney Parks guest survey specifically ask visitors about the importance of covered seating.
We appreciate that Disneyland has continued adding places for guests to sit, cool off, and enjoy a meal without baking in the sun. The survey suggests the resort recognizes the concern and may be looking at additional ways to address it.
And all of this extra shade is arriving just in time. Southern California’s long-range outlook calls for hotter-than-average temperatures this summer, with an emerging El Niño pattern expected to increase monsoonal thunderstorm activity from July through September. Those covered seating areas, along with indoor escapes such as the Tomorrowland Theater and Animation Building, could become some of the resort’s most valuable amenities on particularly hot or rainy days.
Speaking of weather…
Disney x AccuWeather
The latest Disney collaboration actually has practical use.
AccuWeather has announced a new agreement with Disney Experiences to create Disney Weather Check, a weather forecasting and alert system designed specifically for Disney destinations.
“This collaboration enables our guests to benefit from customized, accurate, consistent, and actionable weather insights across many Disney properties,” said Greg Hale, Chief Safety Officer and V.P., Disney Worldwide Safety Assurance. “By integrating AccuWeather’s information and expertise with Disney Weather Check, we are continuing our commitment to providing the best guest experience possible.”
How Does It Work?
The new Disney Weather Check mobile app, powered by AccuWeather, will provide customized forecasts, weather alerts, and location-specific information for Disneyland Resort, Walt Disney World, Disney’s Aulani Resort in Hawaii, Disney’s Vero Beach Resort in Florida, and Disney’s Hilton Head Island Resort in South Carolina.
For Disneyland visitors, the most useful features may be the hyper-local forecasts and UV tracking tools, which can help guests decide when it’s time to seek shade, apply sunscreen, or head for an indoor attraction.
AccuWeather says the app will include:
- Geo-Fenced Experiences within Disney properties, which activate Disney Weather Check features within the app, allowing guests to receive location-specific weather information.
- Custom Hourly Forecast provides specific hourly forecasts for Disney locations, including real-time weather to support informed decision-making and enhanced guest safety.
- AccuWeather MinuteCast provides a hyperlocal forecast of precipitation type and intensity, as well as precise start and end times over the upcoming four hours, pinpointed to a person’s exact GPS location.
- AccuWeather RealFeel Temperature is based on 14 factors, including the impact of sunshine intensity, wind speed, humidity, and air density.
- UV Index with highly localized UV indices and forecasts, providing enhanced protection from UV exposure by allowing users to track their UV exposure hour-by-hour, down to the tenths of a unit.
Trader Sam’s Anniversary Menu
Everything old is new again at Trader Sam’s Enchanted Tiki Bar, at least when it comes to the menu.
Longtime Trader Sam’s fans will recognize many of these drinks and dishes from menus past, while several classic tiki cocktails have finally earned an official spot on the menu. In honor of the iconic tiki bar’s 15th anniversary, five classic Trader Sam’s drinks that have disappeared from the menu over the years are back!
- Ginger’s Pear-adise: Absolut Pears Vodka, Canton Ginger, Lime Juice, Agave Nectar
- Old Kungaloosh: Tito’s Handmade Vodka, Malibu Rum, Midori Melon, Pineapple & Cranberry Juices
- Rosita’s Margarita: Herradura Reposado Tequila, Bols Orange Curaçao, Lime Juice, Agave Nectar, Falernum
- Ka-Blue-ie!: Bacardi Superior Rum, Bols Blue Curaçao, Pineapple Juice, Coco Real
- Lost Safari: Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum, Sam’s Gorilla Grog, Grenadine, Myers’s Dark Rum
The menu also features favorite food items that used to be served at Sam’s, and are available to order once again.
- BBQ Chicken Flatbread ($24): Teriyaki chicken, red onions, mozzarella cheese, micro herbs, Fresno chilies, green onions, and pineapple (option to add Kālua pork)
- Mac Salad ($4.50): Macaroni pasta, togarashi aïoli, and carrots
- Chicken Katsu Curry ($24): Crispy chicken cutlet, Japanese curry, jasmine rice, soy-marinated egg, and pickled ginger
- Furikake Fries ($12): Beer-battered French fries, furikake, green onions, and gochujang aïoli
Last but certainly not least, the 15th anniversary menu features a selection of classic tiki cocktails, which bartenders have always been able to make, but that weren’t officially on Sam’s menu—until now.
- Jungle Bird: Hamilton Pot Still Gold, Demerara 86, Campari, Pineapple & Lime Juices, Simple Syrup, Orange Bitters
- Navy Grog: Planteray Original Dark Rum, Planteray 3-Star Rum, Hamilton Demerara 86, Honey Syrup, Grapefruit & Lime Juices, Soda Water
- Lap Lapu: Myers’s Dark Rum, 3-Star Rum, Orange & Lemon Juices, Passion Fruit, Simple Syrup
- Saturn: Tanqueray London Dry Gin, Lemon Juice, Passion Fruit, Orgeat, Falernum
- Test Pilot: Planteray Original Dark Rum, Flor de Caña 4, Cointreau, Lime, Falernum, Angostura Bitters, Pernod Absinthe
- Three Dots and a Dash: Rhum Clement VSOP, El Dorado 8, Clement Creole Orange Shrub, Lime Juice, Honey Syrup, Falernum, St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram Liqueur, Angostura
How To Get In
Trader Sam’s does not take reservations, but you can add your party to the walk-up list using the Disneyland mobile app on the day you plan to visit, or add your name to the list-in person at the host stand.
The Trader Sam’s Enchanted Tiki Bar Lounge at the Disneyland Hotel is open from 11 a.m. to midnight. Guests of all ages are welcome in the indoor area until 8 p.m.; after 8 p.m., guests must be 21+.
Mixology Seminar
Trader Sam’s is offering a 45-minute mixology seminar on select dates through July 24 (subject to availability). During the class, guests learn the secrets behind making Trader Sam’s cocktails and enjoy one specialty non-alcoholic beverage and one alcoholic specialty cocktail.
The class also includes a 1.5-hour reception in the outside tiki bar with live music, appetizers, and one cocktail (nonalcoholic option available on request). Receptions for 10 p.m. seminars will be indoors and do not include live music.
All participants will receive a Trader Sam’s 15th Anniversary mug to take home.
Available Dates & Times (as of May 30):
- June 22 at 9 p.m.
- June 26 at 8 p.m. and 10 p.m.
- July 20, 2026 at 4 p.m. and 9 p.m.
- July 24 at 3 p.m., 5 p.m., 8 p.m., and 10 p.m.
NOTE: Some dates and times only had a few spots left.
The cost is $183 per adult (plus tax and gratuity).
Disney sweeps the 47th annual Telly Awards
Disney Experiences earned 10 awards (including three Gold wins) at this year’s Telly Awards, which recognize excellence in video and television across all platforms.
Disneyland Handcrafted, the documentary directed by Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Leslie Iwerks about the creation of Disneyland, earned Gold for Best Sound & Sound Design and Best Use of Archival Footage, along with Silver for Best Documentary, Long Form.
The Gold award for archival footage comes as no surprise. Iwerks and her team sifted through more than 50 hours of raw Disneyland construction footage, uncovering long-forgotten outtakes that had remained buried in the Walt Disney Archives for decades.
If you haven’t watched the documentary yet, it’s worth your time.
You can read Dusty’s review of the documentary here:
Disneyland Handcrafted: The One-Year Gamble That Nearly Cost Walt Disney Everything
Disney also earned additional Telly Awards for Imagineering content, social media videos, holiday programming, and creator collaborations. Among the winners was We Call It Imagineering: NEW Robotic Olaf Revealed! Inside Disney Imagineering R&D, which earned Silver for Best Science and Technology Video.
Constructionland
Downtown Disney
It might seem that active work on the Porto construction site has stalled, but that’s mostly due to the same permitting red tape plaguing Arthur & Sons Bourbon Steak and Pearl’s Roadside BBQ, both of which have been waiting for months for their approvals.
California Adventure
Avengers Campus construction is going strong, but still no announcement of an opening date for the expanded land and two new attractions. We’ll certainly learn more about this project at the upcoming D23 Expo.
Two smaller projects in DCA have wrapped up, including the terrazzo project at the entrance to Carthay Circle.
Also complete is the work on Buena Vista Street, which reveals the tribute to Disney Imagineer and 2024 National Inventors Hall of Fame inductee, Lanny Smoot, in the window.
FUN FACT: Lanny is only the second person at the Walt Disney Company to be inducted in the National Inventors Hall of Fame; the first one was Walt Disney.
Disneyland
Walls and scrims continue to cover the entrance to Pirates of the Caribbean, but since Blue Bayou has reopened, we recommend waiting until the Pirates refurbishment is complete to dine there (unless you don’t mind a table with a view of the construction walls).
Across the way, crews are also still working on some of the Fantasmic tech in Rivers of America.
A big stretch of Tomorrowland is still behind scrims and construction walls as work continues on Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters and The Little Green Men Store Command.
But luckily, the Main Street scrims are almost completely down, with only Refreshment Corner remaining.
The refreshed facades on the west side of the street look beautiful, especially with the red, white, and blue bunting and banners that we haven’t seen for a few years due to Disney’s 100th celebration, Pixar Fest, and Disneyland’s 70th anniversary.
The Opera House is also decked out in red, white, and blue.
But Tilly, the Main Street Cinema ticket taker, is celebrating Pride Month. She will likely switch to her patriotic outfit in July.
Disneyland Blues
With Disneyland’s 1.5-year 70th-anniversary celebration wrapping up on August 9, the esplanade centerpiece will be dismantled, but we still don’t think Disneyland should let it deteriorate like this.
The waterwheel at the Adventureland Treehouse has been out of order for months, which is especially frustrating since fixing the wheel was one of Disneyland’s main reasons for reimagining the attraction to bring back the original attraction’s spirit.
And just because we don’t talk about this nonsense every week, it doesn’t mean we approve. It’s time for Disneyland to do something about this forever-construction wall in Tomorrowland. For goodness sake, just put a hedge wall around it to obscure the fact that the promised new entry structures aren’t going to happen any time soon.
The red and green lights in the Disneyland parking structures are supposed to tell us which spots are available and which ones aren’t, right? Well, it seems they may not be as reliable as they once were.
Upon arriving at the Pixar Pals structure last Thursday afternoon, I naively headed to a green light only to discover there were no open spaces…
And it happened more than once.
I was eventually able to find a space, where there was a RED light, but at times of day when spaces are already limited, it would be helpful if the parking lights actually worked.
Disneyland Refurbishment Calendar (updated 5/29/26)
Currently Under Refurbishment
- Inside Out Emotional Whirlwind: January 5 – TBA
- Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters: April 13 – TBA
- Silly Symphony Swings: April 27 – TBA
- Pirates of the Caribbean: May 4 – TBA
- Little Green Men Store Command: May 10 – TBA
- Chiller at Paradise Gardens Park: May 19 – June 13
Upcoming Refurbishments
- King Arthur Carrousel: July 5 – TBA
- Frontierland Shootin’ Exposition: July 5 – TBA
This & That
Live @ Five
Dusty and I started last week’s Disneyland Live on the Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run, where we joined The Mandalorian for a mission to Coruscant. If you’ve been wondering what the changes to the attraction look like, be sure to follow along. Then we take a journey through Disneyland and all the way to Disney California Adventure.
Surprising New Magic Key Perk
Current Magic Key holders who renew any pass type between May 27, 2026, and May 26, 2027, will receive a free Disney Dining Card.
Unlike Disney Gift Cards, Disney Dining Cards can only be used to purchase food and beverages, but not if they’re purchased at a retail location (such as snacks or treats from a shop).
The amount varies by Magic Key tier:
- Imagine Key – $25
- Explore Key – $50
- Believe Key – $75
- Inspire Key – $100
Trying to decide if a Magic Key is right for you? Check out our guide:
Disneyland Magic Keys Program Changes – Everything You Need To Know
Star Wars Buckets
We spotted the new Star Wars buckets in Tomorrowland, but prices vary by location, so shop wisely (limit two per transaction; no discounts apply). The difference isn’t huge, but if you’re buying multiple buckets, it pays to know where they’re cheapest.
Jabba the Hutt Sail Barge Bucket
- $31.99 at Galactic Grill (with side of fries)
- $32.99 at Alien Pizza Planet (with bread sticks)
- $31.99 at Kat Saka’s Kettle in Galaxy’s Edge (with choice of Popped Grains)
- $35.50 at at Jat Kaa’s Coolers: J1-KC in Galaxy’s Edge (with choice of Chocolate Popped Corn or Spiced Chicharrones)
Salvaged Protocol Droid Bucket
- $27.99 at Alien Pizza Planet (with bread sticks)
- $27.99 at Kat Saka’s Kettle in Galaxy’s Edge (with choice of Popped Grains)
- $30.25 at Jat Kaa’s Coolers: J1-KC in Galaxy’s Edge (with choice of Chocolate Popped Corn or Spiced Chicharrones)
Keep your eyes open, it seems there are Star Wars buckets and sippers everywhere.
Pixie Dusted
Every so often, Disneyland still surprises us, and it happened last Monday when members of our MiceChat team were “pixie dusted” with a Slingin’ Sidekick card, which granted them unlimited rides for the day on WEB Slingers: A Spider-Man Adventure in Avengers Campus. It’s not something you can ask for… It’s a reminder that cast members still occasionally have ways to surprise guests.
Did you know this was a thing?
Overlooked
Many park guests hurry past Davy Crockett’s Explorer Canoes on their way between Bayou Country and New Orleans Square, but we’re here to remind you not to skip it, as the paddle around the Rivers of America (and, yes, you really do have to paddle!) provides unique views of Tom Sawyer Island and the river’s edge for a unique vantage.
Guests can be of any height to participate, but the attraction is only open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Disneyland After Dark Ticket Tracker
Tickets are still available for Disneyland After Dark: Pride Nite on June 16 and 18, but we’re also interested in news about Oogie Boogie Bash tickets, which we’re expecting will be available for Inspire Key holders to purchase on June 16 and all other Magic Key holders on June 17.
Dates for the 2026 after-hours Halloween event are:
- August 18, 20, 23, 25, 27, and 30
- September 1, 3, 6, 8, 10, 13, 15, 17, 20, 22, 24, 27 and 29
- October 1, 4, 6, 8, 11, 13, 15, 18, 20, 22, 25, 27, 29, and 31
As always, we expect Halloween night to sell out, but it may sell out especially fast this year since it falls on a Saturday (and it’s the bash’s only weekend date).
Walt Disney Storybook Mansion Tours
Step inside the Walt Disney Storybook Mansion in the Hollywood Hills for a rare opportunity to walk in Walt’s footsteps at one of his most storied homes.
NEW TOUR DATES HAVE JUST BEEN ADDED FOR: June 13, June 27, July 11, and July 25th.
This intimate, small-group tour, led by our own Dusty Sage, explores the rooms where Walt entertained friends, dreamed up projects, and lived during a pivotal chapter of his career. You’ll hear the history, the Hollywood connections, and the personal stories that make this house far more than just another celebrity address. Space is limited, and access to this home is exceptionally rare.
🎟️ Book Walt Disney Storybook Mansion Tour Tickets HERE
The ever charming Gustavo Gomez recently took a tour and shared this great video:
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MiceShots
And now it’s time to say goodbye to all our company… but first, a few final photos to send you on your way…
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Let’s Hear From You!
Disneyland seems to be preparing for a hot and busy summer with more shade, more family activities, and plenty of construction still underway. What stands out most to you from this week’s update?
Are you excited about the return of the red, white, and blue bunting on Main Street and Buena Vista Street?
And will you be joining the Oogie Boogie Bash ticket queue later this month, or are you sitting this Halloween season out? Let us know in the comments below!
