January 18, 2019
It was only 11 days ago that Disneyland Resort was celebrating the holidays and already the page has turned to a new season with Get Your Ears On. With a very rainy week in the rear view mirror, the resort attempts to transition with mixed execution. A little bit of everything seemed to be missing on opening day.
Upon entering the park, there was a noticeable absence of any decor above the entry turnstiles. While there was some bunting, no characters or signage of any sort. Also, noticeably absent were new park guides or the food guides promoted on social media.
Upon entering the park, there was a noticeable absence of any decor above the entry turnstiles. While there was some bunting, no characters or signage of any sort. Also, noticeably absent were new park guides or the food guides promoted on social media.
Inside the park, there weren't additions of much in decor from the previous day. That said, everything on display fits and is a nice touch for Get Your Ears On. Can you go wrong with a focus on Mickey and Minnie?
No new outfits for the characters on this day.
We were surprised to find none of the new popcorn buckets available for purchase in Disneyland. The popular Mickey sipper from last year's birthday celebration did return.
Although the primary focus of the day was Get Your Ears On, we'd be disingenuous to say that the original Haunted Mansion opening back up wasn't a highlight of the day. Although it's 50th anniversary is sure to be overshadowed by the opening of Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge, it definitely will still be a focus for us.
Getting back to Get Your Ears On, there isn't much more to say about decor or characters for opening day. We found some nice little touches in Mickey's ToonTown, but nothing very memorable anywhere in the park.
With the focus of the event seeming to primarily be food and merchandise, we did make an effort to try a few more items than normal. In the end, we purchased a cake pop ($6), the new bow-tie pasta ($10.49) at Alien's Pizza Planet and the 90th Burger ($15) at Smokejumper's Grill. The pasta was the highlight. Very tasty item with cute presentation. The cake pop was standard. Nothing much to say on that one. The burger was interesting. At $15, with no fries, it just seemed like a standard overpriced burger with a more appealing aesthetic. That said, it was quite tasty. It has been awhile since we've eaten at Smokejumper's so we can't compare very accurately to what their burgers normally are. Be advised it's a lot of meat and cheese. We split it for dinner and still left a bit uneaten.
It appears the short return of Paradise Garden Grill was just a tease. Although the original menu returned after the departure of the holiday season, the counter service spot hasn't opened yet and now has just a couple days before they reopen in the Disney Lunar New Year mode.
On the way to setting up to record Mickey's Mix Magic show, we stumbled upon a couple of the Get Your Ears On Food Guides on a counter, at Plaza Inn. We had inquired at a few food spots throughout the day and no one seemed to know what we were talking about. Anyway, it was nice to get a look at the physical guide. We put together a quick video of it, for any that are interested. You can also find a version on the Disney Parks Blog.
Closing out the night, we finished with the debut of Mickey's Mix Magic. This new nighttime show utilizes projection mapping on Main Street and "it's a small world" and lively music to entertain. This 10 minute show is high energy and fun from start to finish. That said, it doesn't have the grandeur of a traditional "kiss goodnight" and rather feels like it should run multiple times a night. The current schedule of one showing per evening brings to many crowds for such a small scale show. All in all, we enjoyed it but just think the time investment should be minimal. We managed to grab video from two different angles, so check them out if interested. Also, we have individualized video for each song.
Thanks for joining us for this big day of coverage! More to come soon.
January 17, 2019
Welcome back! The rain didn't hold us back from getting a second update in at the Disneyland Resort this week. Here is what found on the dreary night.
First up, the new parking structure continues to show progress. It feels like each visit it is noticeably further along.
First up, the new parking structure continues to show progress. It feels like each visit it is noticeably further along.
Meanwhile, at the Disneyland Hotel work continues on Tangaroa. You can now see a bit of the new wallpaper and the classic photos are not up (yet?). Also, the soda machine is now a Coke Freestyle.
Additionally, work on the pool is still happening.
At the Downtown Disney Lego Store, everything is awesome as the store continues to make the newest Lego Movie the center of its displays. The massive "Welcome to Apocolypseberg" set is the newest centerpiece display.
Not to be outdone by World of Disney, Disney Home has added a big food merch display for Get Your Ears On.
Also, Marceline's has the Steamboat Willy candy apple added to its treats.
More displays have been added for Get Your Ears On at the center of World of Disney.
Although the rain has slowed work, there are a few new signs of Disney Lunar New Year. With only a week to get there, lots of advances should be seen by Monday.
Disneyland kicks off Valentine’s Day season on 1/22, so signs of that are also starting to appear in DCA.
We finally got the Get Your Ears On banners we've been looking most for, as they are up at the entrance of Disneyland and on Main Street. Cast Members at the turnstiles said more decor will come tonight above the entryway.
New Haunted Mansion keychains. With the 50th this year, the merch train will be difficult to keep up for Haunted Mansion fans.
Last up, today, is our quick video of the latest from Get Your Ears On.
We'll be back, tomorrow, with much more. Follow along, with us, on our social channels and YouTube.
January 15, 2019
Welcome! This is a brand new addition to the way we cover parks on our routine visits. We don’t plan to do anything different with our social media updates, but we do want to add this spot to include a bit more. In short, there’s only so much we can post on social channels. So, follow along with us there and here!
Our first park update from Disneyland comes on this rainy night. Take a look at Get Your Ears On progress, refurb projects, new merchandise and more. Enjoy!
Let’s start things out with Get Your Ears On. This new seasonal event officially kicks off Monday with a new nighttime show, but banners, merchandise and other nods have been showing up for over a week. If not subscribed to our YouTube channel, you might have missed our first two updates on the event. You can catch up here:
Our first park update from Disneyland comes on this rainy night. Take a look at Get Your Ears On progress, refurb projects, new merchandise and more. Enjoy!
Let’s start things out with Get Your Ears On. This new seasonal event officially kicks off Monday with a new nighttime show, but banners, merchandise and other nods have been showing up for over a week. If not subscribed to our YouTube channel, you might have missed our first two updates on the event. You can catch up here:
And here:
On this visit, there wasn’t a ton new, but the esplanade has been taken over by the event banners and we have our third video in the series here:
In the realm of new merchandise, we found a few new things. First up, World of Disney extender their focus on food-related items with a new display filled with a celebration of Disney treats. Here is a look at it all:
Beyond food items, we found a new Mary Poppins Returns Lenox set in Elias & Co.if purchasing the entire set it retails for a shade under $300.
Over on Main Street in Disneyland, the plush section of Emporium features new Steamboat Willie Mickey and Minnie 1928 knit dolls. They can join Oswald for $28 each.
In Pieces of Eight, we found a new Loungefly Pirates of the Caribbean backpack ($75) and wallet ($50).
While Get Your Ears On begins January 18th, Disney Lunar New Year begins just one week later (January 25th) in DCA. The Paradise Garden Grill and surrounding area are transitioning out of Viva Navidad mode. Currently kabobs are back on the menu, but that should change very soon as the Lunar New Year theming sets in.
As is typical this time of year, lots of refurb projects are underway. This “off-season” is particularly important as it’s the last one before the addition of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. The projects getting the most attention now are Astro Orbitor and Sleeping Beauty Castle, although there’s much more than that in progress:
Haunted Mansion is undergoing its usual eviction process of Jack Skellington and crew and returns to normal operations on January 18th as the 999 ghosts prepare to celebrate their 50th anniversary this August:
Finishing up outside the park, we’ve already touched on the Get Your Ears On touches, but we’ve not looked at the updates to Tangaroa recently. The area has been busy with workers and the spot is being consistently lit at night.
The biggest update recently in Downtown Disney occurred this weekend where Ballast Point Brewing Company quietly opened Saturday evening. While the grand opening ceremony occurs on January 16th, people have been enjoying already for several days. Here is our video of it all:
Alright, that’s a wrap for this update Thanks for joining us! Please leave any comments below.
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