Disneyland Resort Update for April 1, 2024

Disneyland Resort Update for April 1, 2024

News and Views

Spring Break reservations

If I wanted to write a really click-bait April Fools headline today, I could go with,

“You can’t get into this Disney park for ANY amount of money this week!!!”

The reality is that there are no reservations available at Disney California Adventure this Monday through Friday for guests holding one-day, one-park tickets. The same is true at Disneyland on Monday and Tuesday, when both parks are out of reservations for that ticket type.

Theme park reservation availability varies by ticket type, and is always changing. MousePlanet photo.

If you change the ticket type, the availability changes. At press time, guests with park hopper tickets could book Thursday, Friday and Saturday at Disneyland, or Friday and Saturday at DCA. Customers with the SoCal resident 3-day pass can visit Monday, Tuesday, Friday and Saturday, but not Wednesday or Thursday. And of course this all fluctuates as people make and change their reservations.

What this means is that you should not head to Disneyland or Disney California Adventure this week without a park reservation. We’re years into this program, but there will still be those folks who hit the road and have no idea about advance ticket purchase or theme park reservations. You’re reading this site, so you know better, and can hopefully inform your friends and family before they find themselves trying to make a day in Downtown Disney.

Season of the Force begins Friday

Disneyland’s Season of the Force promotion begins Friday, April 5, bringing new and returning attractions, food and merchandise offerings to Tomorrowland and Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.

The Mandalorian and Grogu may appear in your next Star Tours flight. Photo courtesy Disney.

Attractions

Star Tours – The Adventures Continue will add characters and locations from three Disney+ series, “Ahsoka,” “Andor,” and “The Mandalorian.” These additions include appearances by Ahsoka Tano, Cassian Andor, and The Mandalorian and Grogu, and visits to the planet Peridea as seen in “Ahsoka.” The new variables mean there are now more than 250 possible story lines when you ride Star Tours, but we expect them to be featured heavily in the rotation for the first few months after they are added.

The popular Hyperspace Mountain overlay is also back through June 2, with a Star Wars soundtrack and on-ride effects.

Fire of the Rising Moons debuts Friday at Disneyland. Photo courtesy Disney.

Entertainment

“Fire of the Rising Moons” will be performed select nights starting April 5, offering a alternative version of Disneyland’s fireworks shows. Instead of the standard score, viewers who catch the fireworks from inside Galaxy’s Edge will instead hear a soundtrack featuring John Williams’ classic music for the Star Wars films. “Wondrous Journeys” is scheduled with fireworks nightly from April 5 through 14 at 9:30 p.m., so those who want to view the Star Wars version should head to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.

Disney is also hosting a Star Wars “Seek and Find” scavenger hunt. There are few details about this promotion, with Disney saying only, “Start at The Star Trader to search for hidden cylinders that reveal a code and receive a keepsake—available for a limited time.” We don’t know if this is a free or added-cost activity.

The Jabba the Hutt bucket will be available Friday at Disneyland. Photo courtesy Disney.

Food and Merchandise

Food and merchandise increasingly go hand-in-hand at Disneyland, especially when it comes to Star Wars. There are nearly a dozen novelty items for fans to collect, including a new Jabba the Hutt popcorn bucket available only at the Galactic Grill or the Tomorrowland popcorn cart. (I’d check to see if you can mobile order this item at Galactic Grill and avoid the popcorn cart line, though it would probably come with fries if you do).

There is also a new Salvaged Stormtrooper Helmet popcorn bucket available at the same locations, as well as at the beverages carts inside Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. Rounding out the new items is a Darth Vader Stainless Steel Tumbler, available at the Galactic Grill (again, go for mobile order if offered), the Tomorrowland Fruit Cart or the Craftsman Grill at the Grand Californian Hotel. Disney didn’t mention where the Salacious Crumb straw clip will be sold, but I’d check the Tomorrowland churro cart and locations which sell bottled beverages.

Returning food premium items include the Grogu Sipper introduced last year; the Millennium Falcon popcorn bucket; Death Star and Millennium Falcon glow cubes; the Rancor Beer Flight souvenir board from Oga’s Cantina; a Darth Vader helmet mug; and the Acid Spitter Orb sipper mug.

There are a variety of dishes offered for Season of the Force. Photo courtesy Disney.

There are even more items to taste on the Star Wars menus created for this promotion.

Disneyland Park 

Docking Bay 7 Food and Cargo (Available April 5 through June 2; mobile order available) 

• Fried Chicken Baos: Two crispy chicken baos, spicy katsu sauce, and creamy slaw (New) 
• Dewback Chili Noodles: Spiced fettuccine noodles and gingered ground pork with broccolini stems and shredded red cabbage

Galactic Grill (Available April 5 through June 2; mobile order available) 

• Bantha Burger: Angus beef and vegetable patty, marinated pork belly, American cheese, Asian-inspired slaw, and sambal sweet mayo on a toasted brioche bun (New) 
• Chorizo Loaded Fries: Waffle fries, pork chorizo, chile de arbol cheese sauce, and black beans topped with avocado-tomatillo sauce, green onions, and Oaxaca cheese
• Wookiee Parfait: Chocolate sponge cake, chocolate pudding, and caramel mousse on a chocolate-coffee crust with chocolate pearls
• Watermelon Slush with Death Star Glow Cube (New)
• Granny Smith Apple Slush with Millennium Falcon Glow Cube

Kat Saka’s Kettle (Available April 5 through June 2)

• Celto Slush: Plant-based pandan-flavored horchata topped with cold brew (New) 

Milk Stand (Available April 5 through June 2; mobile order available)

• Toydaria Swirl: Green Milk with chili seasoning and mango jellies

I’m not a drinker, but I’m told that two of the new cocktails offered at Oga’s Cantina – the Fiery Mustafarian and the Silver Sea Martini –  came from the menu of the Sublight Bar onboard the Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser. It also seems that Disney is clearing out their inventory of Sublight Bar glassware by offering two specialty drinks in souvenir glasses.

Oga’s Cantina (Available April 5 through June 2) 

• Oga’s Obsession: Minute Maid Lemonade, wild strawberry flavor, yogurt-filled boba, and strawberry and grape candy pebbles with a bursting dried fruit mixture
• Fiery Mustafarian: El Mayor Añejo Tequila, Aperol Aperitivo Liqueur, peach purée, peach syrup, and lime juice served with a dropper of spicy lava syrup (New) 
• Silver Sea Martini: Hendrick’s Gin, Minute Maid Lemonade, ginger syrup, honey, and mint syrup topped with a shimmery butterfly pea flower tea (New) 
• Chandrilan Chalice: Hendrick’s Gin, Minute Maid Lemonade, ginger syrup, honey, and mint syrup topped with a shimmery butterfly pea flower tea served in a souvenir wine glass (Limit two per person, per transaction; no discounts apply) (New) 
• Chandrilan Orb Glass: El Mayor Añejo Tequila, Aperol Aperitivo Liqueur, peach purée, peach syrup, and lime juice served with a dropper of spicy lava syrup in a souvenir wine glass (Limit two per person, per transaction; no discounts apply) (New) 

Ronto Roasters (Available April 5 through June 2; mobile order available) 

• Pasaana Punch: Orange juice, white grape juice, red passion fruit, and hibiscus

This Black Spire sculpture will be on display at the Grand Californian Hotel during Season of the Force. Photo courtesy Disney.

Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa 

Grand Californian Great Hall Cart (Available April 5 through June 2) 

• Macaron Box (New) 
• Star Wars Sugar Cookie
• Wookiee Cookie
• Pretzel Lightsabers
• Tropical Whoopie Pie
• Milk Chocolate Lollipop

GCH Craftsman Bar and Hearthstone Lounge (Available April 5 through June 2) 

• Bitter Martini: Hendrick’s Gin, Campari Liqueur, lemon juice, simple syrup, and green grapes (New) 

Disneyland After Dark: Star Wars Nites

There are even more entertainment offerings, merchandise collections, food and beverages on tap for the after-hours Disneyland After Dark: Star Wars Nites events in April and May. Tickets are still on sale for all but the May 2 event, and start at $159 per person. Details at the event website.

Meet the new Critters

Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is set to open at both Walt Disney World and Disneyland later this year, with the Florida attraction having already refilled the flume and started ride testing. Last week Disney provided another preview of the attraction, and shared a critical plot point.

Apollo the Raccoon is one of six new critters revealed to be part of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. Photo courtesy Disney.

When Disney first shared the storyline for the attraction last year, they wrote,

“Tiana wants to give a big thanks to her family and friends and the entire community for all the support they’ve given her by throwing an amazing party during Mardi Gras season. When it turns out there’s been a bit of a mix-up with the party preparations, Tiana invites us to meet her at Tiana’s Foods to help with the missing ingredient for the party.”

With last week’s reveal, we now know that the missing ingredient is music for the party, and that’s where these critters come in. These six critters form a Zydeco band, and are the first set we meet in the attraction, playing “Gonna Take You There” from The Princess and the Frog.

Not only will these critters appear in the attraction, plush versions of three of them will be available for sale in Louis’ Critter Club.

D23: The Ultimate Fan Event tickets sell out

Tickets to D23: The Ultimate Fan Event sold out in under three days last week, with some ticket types selling out during the two pre-sale dates offered to D23 Gold members and to Visa cardholders.

The D23 sale began in the manner that fans have come to expect from Disney event ticketing – with computer errors and delays. On Tuesday, the first day of pre-sales for D23 Gold members, Disney paused ticket sales for about 90 minutes to fix an error. Even after sales resumed, some customers were impacted by an error which kept them from buying tickets. When they finally reached the ticketing screen, a message said tickets would not go on sale until August 7, and they were unable to add tickets to their cart. Disney sold out of the limited tickets allocated to the gold member pre-sale in under 3 hours, and told customers they’d have another chance Wednesday.

Some fans waited in a virtual queue for hours, only to reach a screen that said tickets would not go on sale until August 7. MousePlanet photo.

Those who had not yet been able to purchase tickets did not retain their place in line overnight, and had to rejoin the virtual queue when pre-sales resumed Wednesday for D23 Gold members and Visa card holders. The 3-day Ultimate Fan Pass ticket, which included the Honda Center events, sold out in less than an hour, with other ticket types selling out by the time the pre-sale ended Wednesday night.

By the time general sales opened Thursday, the only ticket available that included admission to the Honda Center events was the 3-day Preferred Ultimate Fan Pass, with prices up to $2,599 each. Customers could also purchase 1-day passes to the Anaheim Convention Center events for Friday and Sunday only, but not Saturday. Those remaining tickets lasted less than three hours before the event was completely sold out.

Fans who were successful in purchasing tickets to the events are now waiting for D23 to provide more details about what to expect at the Ultimate Fan Event, and we expect the company will trickle out information in the weeks to come in a way to keep building excitement.

Those who purchased Ultimate Fan Passes will especially be looking for details of how Disney plans to transport thousands of attendees between the Anaheim Convention Center and the Honda Center each night for the evening presentations, as well as parking and ride-share details for the venue.

And those who were unable to purchase tickets at all will likely want to know which panels and presentations Disney will live-stream, in an effort to stay informed despite not being on site in Anaheim.

We will continue to share details from D23 as we get them, and help you navigate this Ultimate Disney Fan Event.

Fantasmic

The Orange County Register reported last week that when Fantasmic returns to the Rivers of America on May 24, the popular Peter Pan sequence will once more be part of the show. The sequence used the Sailing Ship Columbia as a floating stage for a stunt battle between Captain Hook and Peter Pan, and for years also featured a giant Tick-Tock crocodile following behind. We have no information as to whether Tick-Tock will return for this version of the show.

Disney pulled the Peter Pan scene during a 2016 refresh of the show, and replaced it with a Pirates of the Caribbean sequence, also featuring the Columbia.

We’re hoping Tick-Tock also makes a return to Fantasmic in May. Disney file photo.

Fantasmic has been on hiatus since April 2023, when the 45-foot-tall Maleficent dragon figure went up in flames during a performance. When Disney announced that the show would return this year, they also said, “At that time, the show won’t include the dragon figure, but it will feature new special effects and a thrilling new battle scene between Sorcerer Mickey and Maleficent.”

Fantasmic will return in spring 2024 without the Maleficent dragon figure. MousePlanet file photo.

Fantasmic will return to Disneyland on May 24. MousePlanet file photo.

Let’s keep it social

It looks like the Walt Disney Company has resumed posting to X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, at least for some of its official accounts. For others, including the official @Disneyland and @WaltDisneyWorld accounts, it appears Instagram and Facebook are still the preferred social media platforms. If you’re used to getting your official Disney news from X, you’ll want to check other channels as well.

Easter Brunch at Great Maple in the Pixar Pier Hotel @Disneyland . Couldn’t say no to the donut-of-the-month: Lucky Charms! pic.twitter.com/k2cAwTIxa9

— MousePlanet (@MousePlanet) March 31, 2024

The Spring Break of All Spring Breaks with Get Away Today

Spring Break is Here!

This Spring Break is going to be the Spring Break of all Spring Breaks at Disneyland! From March 22 – April 14, 2024 you can experience ALL of the following at the Disneyland Resort:

• Wondrous Journeys (back for a SUPER limited time)
• Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival (now – April 22)
• Season of the Force (April 5 – June 2)
• “Magic Happens” parade
• World of Color – ONE

Take advantage of Extra Day Free Disneyland Resort tickets from Get Away Today, extra night free Anaheim-area hotel offers and more! With so much to see and do, there’s never been a better time to visit.

The best package deals can be found online at Get Away Today or call 1-855-GET-AWAY, and be sure to mention you saw them on MousePlanet.

This and That

…The refurbishment of the Astro Orbitor was delayed again, and the ride is now scheduled to reopen on Friday, April 5.

…Updated 4/3/24. We previously reported that The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh would only close for 11 days in May due to the construction in Critter Country. The Disneyland website now shows the ride as closing May 1, with no scheduled reopening date.

…The City of Anaheim will host an informational open house about the Disneyland Forward project on Wednesday, April 10 from 6-8 p.m. This event gives residents the opportunity to ask city staff questions about the proposed project before the City Council votes on the proposal during its meeting on April 16.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by City of Anaheim (@city_of_anaheim)

…It’s been one month since Disneyland resumed sales of new Magic Key passes, and at press time all but the lowest-tier Magic Key type is still available for purchase. At this point we’re going to stop reporting on availability each week, and will only note if one or more passes sells out again.

…Tickets are still on sale for all but one of the Disneyland After Dark: Star Wars Nite events. Details at the event website.

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Refurbishments and Attraction Closures

Attraction, restaurants, and stores that are closed for refurbishment are noted below.

All information was current as of this article’s publication date. MousePlanet does not edit past Resort Updates; for the most up-to-date refurbishment calendar, check the most recent Disneyland Resort Update, visit Disneyland.com or use the Disneyland smartphone application on your iOS or Android device.

View the different areas of the Resort by scrolling horizontally and selecting the one you want to read about.

Please let us know if the menu bar doesn’t work on your screen.

Resort Events

Check here to see if a large convention, competition, or park event might fall during your next trip to the Disneyland Resort. If you know of any in-park events, official or unofficial, that should be listed here, please send us an e-mail.

2024

We also recommend checking the convention calendar at the Anaheim/Orange County Visitor and Convention Bureau website. When looking at that site, remember to note both the number of people and the number of rooms resulting from each convention. A gathering of 25,000 people booking few room nights (indicating most will be driving in to the area for their meeting) can impact traffic around the resort much more than a crowd of 25,000 staying in area hotels. Of course, that second group is going to make finding a hotel room more difficult (and possibly more expensive), so it’s best to book your own room as early as possible if you see that a big convention is in town during your trip.

Non-Disney Resort Events

Notable events at parks and attractions around Southern California. If you know of an event that should be listed here, please send us an e-mail.

Current Discounts and Promotions

Disneyland prices as of October 11, 2023.

Note: MousePlanet does not edit past Updates to reflect price increases; for up-to-date prices, check the most recent Disneyland Resort Update. Several current promotions offer discounted admission to the Disneyland Resort. For your convenience, we have grouped the discount offers based on the number of days the tickets are valid. Check out the category that best matches the amount of time you plan to spend at the resort, and pick the offer that works best for you. And keep those tips coming—let us know if you find a better or different offer, so we can share it with other readers!

This first section is a list of discounts on ticket-only purchases. Though it has become more common in recent years, Disneyland tickets are rarely offered at deep discounts unless you are a resident of Southern California or Northern Mexico. For residents outside that area, the best discounts available tend to be simple advance purchase discounts. If you know of any additional discounts, offers, promotions, or contests that should be listed in this section, drop us a line. Note, we are no longer listing offers from the Anaheim-Orange County Visitor & Convention Bureau, as their convenience fee negates any savings.

Don’t get scammed! Never buy tickets from an unofficial or secondary outlet, such as through eBay or Craigslist. Never rent or purchase tickets from people approaching you outside the gates stating they have remaining days or leftover tickets. This practice is against the terms of use for Disneyland admission, and may result in denial of entry. It is also common for criminals to shoplift inactivated Disney theme park tickets from supermarkets to resell them. There is no way to determine if these tickets are valid until you try to use them to enter the parks. Only purchase Disney theme park tickets directly from Disney, an authorized seller, or travel agency like MousePlanet travel partner Get Away Today.

Ticket Prices and Promotions

Just click the number of days or ticket type you want to view.

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Additional Discounts

Did we miss an offer? If you know of an authorized discount on Disneyland Resort tickets, standing offers for Annual Passholders from non-Disney vendors, or other promotions which might interest our readers, please drop us a note!

Just click the category you want to expand (or close).

Everyone

Magic Key Holders

Disney Rewards VISA Cardmember Perks

Southern California Residents

Disney Vacation Club Members

Service Members

Hotel & Travel Packages

If you can’t see the categories, please let us know!

Park Schedule/Blockout Dates

• DL – Disneyland
• DCA – Disney California Adventure
• DCA – Downtown Disney

Early Admission – full description available on the Disneyland website:

• EE –Early Entry for Disneyland Resort Hotel guests.

Disneyland Resort Special Events:

• LNY – Lunar New Year – January 23 through February 18, 2024
• F&W – Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival – March 1 through April 22, 2024
• GN – Grad Nites – May 10, 14, 15, 17, 19, 22, 23, 28, and 31; June 2, 5, 7, 9, 12, and 14.
• OBB – Oogie Boogie Bash at Disney California Adventure.
• DaD – Disneyland After Dark

The Ticket Tier calendar is published on the Disneyland website for the next eight to 11 months.

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