Show 276

In this episode we discuss the History of Disney California Adventure. We go from what was going to originally be in that spot, to what it became and the changes over the years. We also talk about our recent Disneyland trip. We are former Disneyland Custodial Cast Members talking Disneyland Resort and more.

Disneyland Resort Current Event

Disneyland raises ticket prices, breaking the $200-a-day mark
By Hugo Martín
Feb. 11, 2020

"Under a new five-tier pricing scheme that charges more for days when demand is highest, one-day ticket prices rose as much as 5%. For the lowest-demand days — such as Tuesdays and Wednesdays in March — a one-day ticket to visit either Disneyland or Disney’s neighboring California Adventure Park stayed unchanged at $104. For peak days, such as most Saturdays and Sundays, the price of such a ticket rose to $154 from $149. There are also three middle-priced tiers.

"One-day park-hopper tickets, which let a person visit both Disneyland and California Adventure, rose to $159 from $154 for lowest-demand days and to $209 from $199 for highest-demand days.

"The MaxPass, which enables a park visitor to digitally book reservations for rides and attractions instead of waiting in line, increased to $20 from $15. Disney representatives point out that two rides — Autopia and Monsters Inc. — were recently added in the MaxPass reservation system, bringing the total to about 20 rides and attractions."

...

"The price of the least expensive annual pass, the Select Pass, which blocks out holidays and peak-demand days, rose 5% to $419 from $399. The most expensive annual pass, the Premier Pass, which gives guests access to Disney parks in Anaheim and Orlando, Fla., without blocking any dates, jumped 13% to $2,199 from $1,949."

LA Times

Disneyland raises prices on some tickets and all annual passes
The lowest-priced tickets for one-day single park and a mid-priced parkhopper ticket remains unchanged.
By Brady MacDonald
PUBLISHED: February 11, 2020

"Since 2000, the price of admission to Disneyland has more than tripled from $43 to $154, the new single-day ticket price on the park’s busiest days.

"With the latest round of price increases, Disneyland broke its former three-tier ticket system into a new five-tier plan. Gone are the value, regular and peak tickets. In their place: Tier 1 through 5 pricing. Disneyland will employ the Tier 1 pricing on the slowest days of the year and Tier 5 pricing on the busiest days.

"Disneyland’s new Tier 1 ticket remains the same price as the former $104 value ticket. The new $154 Tier 5 ticket represents a 3% price increase compared to the former $149 peak ticket."

Orange County Register

Disneyland raises MaxPass prices 33% as Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run joins FastPass lineup
The cost to use Disney’s digital MaxPass system, which lets visitors book FastPass attraction times via a mobile app, will rise to $20 per day.
By Brady MacDonald
PUBLISHED: February 11, 2020

"Disneyland raised prices on the MaxPass mobile app 33% as the Anaheim theme park announced that the new Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run attraction in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge will soon join the lineup of rides on the FastPass system.

"The cost to use Disney’s digital MaxPass system, which lets visitors book FastPass attraction times via a mobile app, will rise to $20 per day."

Orange County Register

Disneyland has a new 5-tier price system: Here’s how much you’ll pay
The average Disneyland daily single-park ticket price through June is $136.
By Brady MacDonald
PUBLISHED: February 13, 2020

"With the latest round of price increases, Disneyland introduced a new five-tier pricing plan for one-day, one-park tickets: $104 (Tier 1), $114 (Tier 2), $124 (Tier 3), $139 (Tier 4) and $154 (Tier 5). Disneyland will employ the Tier 1 pricing on the slowest days of the year and Tier 5 pricing on the busiest days."

Orange County Register

Bubble Watch: Disneyland ticket price hikes look frothy
Disneyland has upped a popular ticket from $43 in 2000 to $154 today
By Jonathan Lansner
PUBLISHED: February 14, 2020

"It’s hard to find any noteworthy price that’s grown like a Disneyland admission over 20 years.

"My trusty spreadsheet tells me the Consumer Price Index is only up at a 2.1%-a-year pace since 2000. Los Angeles gasoline? Increases run 5.1% a year this century. Meanwhile, the tab for a college education has averaged 4.6% yearly growth."

Orange County Register

Disneyland Ticket Prices Jump for 2020 – Too High?
By Dusty Sage
February 11, 2020

MiceChat

A Twitter Thread on Concerns about Price Increases

Twitter

Disneyland’s Rise of the Resistance fills up fast. Why you may still score a seat
By Hugo Martín
Feb. 14, 2020

"But for all the grousing about how hard it is to get on the new attraction, analysis by theme park fans and industry experts suggests that Rise of the Resistance has an above-average daily rider capacity that is on par with other park favorites such as Space Mountain and the Matterhorn Bobsleds."

...

"Touring Plans, a travel planning site that offers crowd data on several major theme parks, came up with an hourly and daily capacity by assigning employees to count passengers exiting the ride for two hours a day for more than two weeks after the ride opened. Other Disney watchers have been able to estimate the hourly capacity rate by tracking the pace that the smart phone app issues new boarding groups.

"Based on those methods, the attraction is estimated to be serving 1,100 to 1,500 visitors an hour but can increase to 1,900 passengers an hour when the attraction operates without glitches. That means that 17,600 to 30,400 people can ride the attraction on a day when the park operates for 16 hours, according to Touring Plans and other estimates."

LA Times

Tue, February 11, 2020
Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run Soon to be Offered Through Disney FASTPASS and Disney MaxPass at Disneyland Resort
by Kelsey Lynch, Public Relations Manager, Disneyland Resort

Disney Parks Blog

Launching Soon: Smugglers Run FastPass at Disneyland
By Chloé Ferreira
February 11, 2020

"Disney just announced that Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run FastPass/MaxPass are coming soon! No official launch date yet, but once added, this will bring Disneyland’s FastPass attraction count up to 20. (Autopia and Monsters, Inc. Mike & Sully to the Rescue! were just added to the FastPass lineup today.)"

MiceChat

Disneyland’s Glittery New “Magic Happens” Parade in Detail!
By Natalie Kipper
February 11, 2020

"When Mickey’s Soundsational Parade ended in July, it was unclear when its replacement would arrive. Well, starting February 28, 2020, (showtimes for that day are 3:30pm and 6pm) there will be an all-new parade to watch that looks quite promising."

MiceChat

Disneyland reveals new details about the Magic Happens parade
The new Magic Happens parade launches Feb. 28 along Main Street U.S.A. at the Anaheim theme park.
By Brady MacDonald
PUBLISHED: February 11, 2020

"The parade opens with Mickey at the helm of an iridescent float topped with a 15-foot-tall sorcerer’s hat. Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy, Pluto and

Chip n’ Dale will dance alongside the float in artsy blue and purple fashion-forward costumes."

Orange County Register

Here’s what started Disneyland fire that closed Adventureland
The fire that erupted in a backstage area between the Disneyland Firehouse and the Emporium gift shop was quickly extinguished by Disneyland’s fire department and Anaheim Fire & Rescue.
By Brady MacDonald
PUBLISHED: February 12, 2020

"A state agency that inspects amusement rides has concluded that a backstage fire that forced Disneyland to temporarily close Adventureland and caused isolated power outages in the Anaheim theme park was caused by a construction generator.

"The fire that erupted in a backstage area on Feb. 6 between the Disneyland Firehouse and the Emporium gift shop was quickly extinguished by Disneyland’s fire department and Anaheim Fire & Rescue."

Orange County Register

Small fire at Disneyland closes Adventureland
By Brian Rokos
PUBLISHED: February 6, 2020

"A small fire in a backstage area at Disneyland prompted the closure of Adventureland on Thursday night, Feb. 6. The fire was quickly extinguished.

"A Disneyland official said an area of vegetation burned. Disneyland’s fire department and Anaheim Fire & Rescue put out the flames. Main Street remained open.

"No guests or employees were injured, and no structures were damaged, the official said."

Orange County Register

Fire Breaks Out At Disneyland Behind Main Street
February 6, 2020

MiceChat

Why there’s never been a Mickey Mouse ride at a Disney theme park
Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway trackless dark ride debuts March 4 at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Florida and in Mickey’s Toontown at Disneyland in 2022.
By Brady MacDonald
PUBLISHED: February 13, 2020

"Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway trackless dark ride debuts March 4 at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Florida and in Mickey’s Toontown at Disneyland in 2022.

"The first theme park ride ever dedicated to Mickey Mouse will take riders on a chaotic journey aboard a runaway train that encounters hurricanes, waterfalls and stampeding bulls.

"The iconic pair’s ambiguous backstory presented a fun challenge for Imagineers when they were developing what would become Runaway Railway, Rafferty said."

Orange County Register

Are Mickey and Minnie Mouse losing their luster? Iconic Disney pair sees drop in merchandise sales
The decline in sales of Mickey and Minnie merch was partially offset by higher revenue from Frozen, Star Wars and Toy Story products in Disney’s Parks, Experiences and Products division.
By Brady MacDonald
PUBLISHED: February 8, 2020

"Mickey and Minnie merchandise sales at Disney’s theme parks and other experiences were lower in the company’s first quarter, according to Disney’s latest earnings report.

"The decline in sales of Mickey and Minnie merch was partially offset by higher revenue from Frozen, Star Wars and Toy Story products in Disney’s Parks, Experiences and Products division.

"But have no fear, Mickey and Minnie aren’t on their way out at Disney’s theme parks. The world-famous animated mice, who share a “last” name but have never married, are an essential part of Disney’s DNA. The droop in merchandise sales comes during a lull between a pair of high-profile celebrations at Disney’s Anaheim theme parks honoring Mickey and Minnie."

...

"The dip in Mickey and Minnie merchandise sales came at a time when Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge was opening at Disneyland, Pixar Pier was just completed at Disney California Adventure and “Frozen 2” was getting a big push in the parks — explaining the higher revenue from Star Wars, Toy Story and Frozen products."

Orange County Register

Disney reveals new details about Avengers Campus that promises to ‘blow people away’
Disney California Adventure vice president Patrick Finnegan reveals new details about the Marvel-themed Avengers Campus set to debut this summer.
By Brady MacDonald
PUBLISHED: February 7, 2020

"The first phase of Avengers Campus will open with a Spider-Man attraction, Doctor Strange show, Ant-Man and the Wasp restaurant and Marvel character rooftop stunt show. A second phase will open on an unannounced date with an Avengers E-ticket attraction. The existing Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout indoor drop tower ride will serve as the anchor for the new Avengers Campus.

"A high-flying Spider-Man autonomous “stuntronic” robot is expected to swing by a web and perform midair acrobatic feats over Avengers Campus."

Orange County Register

You’ll need a secret identity and super powers to get a job in Disney’s new Marvel land
Disneyland took an unusual approach to assembling the team charged with opening the new Avengers Campus themed land by combining Marvel comic book storytelling and role playing games to illuminate qualities in job candidates like leadership, problem solving and teamwork.
By Brady MacDonald
PUBLISHED: February 3, 2020

"Disneyland took an unusual approach to assembling the team charged with opening the new Avengers Campus themed land by combining Marvel comic book storytelling and role playing games to illuminate qualities in job candidates like leadership, problem solving and teamwork."

...

"Disney used a novel job hiring process to select the 35-member Avengers Campus test-and-adjust team that works with Walt Disney Imagineering to prepare the attractions for opening day and train the Disney cast members who will work in the new Marvel land.

"The Disney team tasked with selecting the crew that will open Avengers Campus decided to throw out its run-of-the-mill hiring routine and add an unprecedented level of storytelling to the process."

Orange County Register

Soarin’ Over California Returning to Disney California Adventure
By Chloé Ferreira
February 1, 2020

"We’ll be smelling those sweet, sweet scents of orange groves, pine forests and ocean mist again very soon…
Soarin’ Over California is set for another limited-engagement, running in conjunction with the upcoming Disney California Food & Wine Festival. The festival begins February 28th and runs through April 21st at Disney California Adventure."

MiceChat

Soarin’ Over California returns for another limited run during Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival
Soarin' Over California will return Feb. 28 to April 21 during the Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival, according to Disney officials.
By Brady MacDonald
PUBLISHED: February 3, 2020

"The original 2001 attraction that took riders on an aerial flight above the Golden Gate Bridge, Malibu beaches and other California locales was replaced in 2016 with Soarin’ Around the World that tours the Swiss Al.