Disneyland Resort Update for July 19-25, 2021

Disneyland Resort Update for July 19–25, 2021

News and Views

Oogie Boogie Bust

When tickets went on sale last week for the Oogie Boogie Bash at Disney California Adventure, would-be customers could be forgiven for thinking the Disney Villains had taken over the online registration system. Disney's ticketing system is notorious for crashing under heavy demand, and this event was no different. The problems began almost as soon as tickets went on sale last Tuesday, with some buyers getting right through the checkout process, and others being placed in a virtual queue with projected wait times of “more than an hour.”

Some customers reported problems once it was finally their turn, saying they received an error message at checkout—after their credit card had been charged. One reader reported $3500 in pending charges from multiple attempts to complete their purchase, while another said they got 10 error messages in a row before the system just kicked them out and they had to join the virtual queue all over again.

Disney finally posted an update on the event website acknowledging “higher than normal wait times.” Disney posted another update in late afternoon, explaining that they were deliberately “pulsing” customers through the checkout system. The message also said, “please feel free to try back at a later date.”

For some readers there was no choice but to try back, as they pointed out that they hadn't really planned to spend the day waiting by their computers just to get tickets. And sure enough, there were plenty of tickets to be had the next morning, with almost no wait.

Of course, nobody could be assured that would be the case. While tickets to the Halloween events have never sold out the first day of sale before, in these days of limited-capacity access, there's no telling just how “limited” the tickets really are. Disneyland fans also have the recent example of the A Touch of Disney event, which did sell out on the first day that tickets became available, despite Disney adding more event days.

The good news is that, nearly a week later, tickets are still available for all event nights except October 30 and 31. However, we don't know how long that will remain the case. The event sold out by mid-September in both 2018 and 2019, so we recommend purchasing your tickets as soon as you can commit to a date.

Tickets can be purchased from the Disneyland website, by calling (714) 781-4636, or in person at a Disneyland Resort ticket booth.

Dates and prices are as follows:

Character Dining Returns; More Restaurants to Reopen

Disneyland visitors can dine while greeting their favorite Disney characters as soon as this Thursday. Disney announced last week that Mickey's Tales of Adventure breakfast will resume at Storyteller's Cafe at Disney's Grand Californian Hotel. Breakfast is served until 11:00 a.m., with an extended brunch offering until 1:00 p.m. on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Reservations open Tuesday, July 20. Brunch is $51 per adult, $29 per child, plus tax and tip.

Minnie & Friends Breakfast will reopen at the Plaza Inn inside Disneyland on August 12, and reservations will open at a later date.

Several other restaurants are scheduled to reopen soon inside both theme parks. The Carthay Circle Restaurant at Disney California Adventure will begin indoor service again on July 22, and reservations open July 20. Also slated to reopen in DCA is the Pacific Wharf Cafe, which is back on the schedule as of July 29.

At Disneyland, the Golden Horseshoe will reopen July 29 for food service only—there is no entertainment offering on tap at this time.

Reservations for Storyteller's Cafe and Carthay Circle Restaurant can be made via the Disneyland smartphone app, or through the Disneyland website.

Disney Parks, Experiences and Products Headquarters to Relocate to Florida

Josh D'Amaro, chairman of Disney Parks, Experiences and Products (DPEP), last week confirmed that the Walt Disney Company plans to relocate 2,000 jobs from Southern California to the “business-friendly climate” of Central Florida by the end of 2022. DPEP includes Walt Disney Imagineering, Disney Consumer Products, Games and Publishing.

The story first broke in January, when the Orlando Business Journal reported that Disney was preparing to relocated some divisions from Southern California to a new development in Lake Nona, Florida. A the time, Disney would say only that they were exploring options, but several media outlets reported this as another company joining the “exodus” from California in the wake of the Governor Gavin Newsom's response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In last week's letter to Disney cast members, D'Amaro says the project has been in the works since 2019, and says the new regional campus will allow Disney to “consolidate our teams and be more collaborative and impactful both from a creative and operational standpoint.”

D'Amaro said, “Initially, our new campus will be home to more than 2,000 Cast, Imagineers and employees,” and “we expect that most Southern California DPEP professional roles that are not fully dedicated to the Disneyland Resort… will be asked to relocate to this new Florida campus.”

The letter pointed out that there are already 60,000 Disney employees in Central Florida, and highlights the low cost of living and lack of state income tax as benefits of moving to Florida. D'Amaro's letter also noted that Disney will provide assistance and relocation resources to employees, who will be asked to move over the next 18 months. “As someone who has moved with my family from California to Florida and back again, I understand that relocation is a big change, not only for the employee, but also for their families.”

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Refurbishments and Attraction Closures

Attraction, restaurants, and stores that are closed for refurbishment are noted below. All other closures should be presumed to be due to COVID protocols, and are subject to change at any time without notice as the state of California issues new guidance.

All information was current as of this article's publication date. MousePlanet does not edit past 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.

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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.

New! Just click the year you want to expand (or close).

2021-2022

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 February 2020.

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

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

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!

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Everyone

Legacy Annual Passholders

Disney Rewards VISA Credit Card Holders

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

Early Admission – full description available on the Disneyland website:

• MM – Magic Mornings for 3-plus day ticket holders and promotional “bonus” tickets. (Not currently offered)
• EMH – Extra Magic Hour for Disneyland Resort Hotel Guests. (Not currently offered)

Disneyland Resort Special Events:

• F&W – Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival
• GN – Grad Nite.
• OBB – Oogie Boogie Bash at Disney California Adventure

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

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