Disneyland Resort Update for November 20, 2023

Disneyland Resort Update for November 20, 2023

News and Views

Holiday Time at Disney California Adventure

Last week, I focused on the holiday activities at Disneyland, so this week I took a trip across the esplanade to visit Disney California Adventure. The park is home to the Festival of Holidays, with nods to Hanukkah, Diwali, Kwanzaa and Navidad in addition to the Christmas decor.

A 50-foot-tall Christmas tree towers over Buena Vista Street. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.

While Disneyland has its must-see holiday attractions, I feel like DCA is a bit more organic. There isn't a huge classic holiday parade to wait an hour for, but if you step onto Hollywood Boulevard at the right time you might catch a small cavalcade with Mickey and friends. There are plenty of character spots around the park, with some lesser-seen characters visiting for the season.

Mickey and friends dance down Hollywood Boulevard in Mickey's Happy Holidays Cavalcade. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.

Pluto shows off his holiday headband in Condor Flats. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.

Disney is commemorating 10 years of the Viva Navidad celebration at DCA, and the Paradise Garden area is the headquarters for the party.

Panchito, Donald Duck and Jose perform during Disney ¡Viva Navidad! Street Party. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.

Dug got himself wrapped up with the Christmas wreath, but is meeting fans in Disney California Adventure. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.

Nighttime at Disney California Adventure brings World of Color – Season of Light to Paradise Bay. This year, to promote the November 22 release of the animated film Wish, Disney will present what they bill as a “water short” before World of Color, telling the origin of the wishing star from the film. DCA also offers live music from a variety of talented groups at stages throughout the park, making for a festival atmosphere all season.

Disney will show a “water short” before performances of World of Color – Season of Light to promote the new animated feature Wish. Photo courtesy Disney.

Sip & Savor math and menus

Every festival, we crunch the numbers to see if the “Sip and Savor Pass” is a good value for the event. To get the best bang for your buck this year, you need to think outside the Marketplace.

Each Sip and Savor Pass offers eight tasting portions of selected food and beverage items from Festive Foods Marketplace locations as well as some participating quick serve restaurant locations and food carts. The passport itself is a plastic credential with eight snap-off tabs, strung on a lanyard.

Pass prices increased by another $2 for 2023, making it $61 to the general public (average $7.63 per dish), and $56 to Disneyland Resort annual passholders (average $7.00 per dish). You don't pay sales tax when you buy a Sip and Savor Pass. That means you save on the 8% sales tax on festival food that they would otherwise charge if you pay money for the individual dishes.

The price of the dishes also went up this year, with entrées up to $9 each. A Magic Key holder who uses all eight tabs to purchase a $9 entree saves $21.76 compared to paying cash for the same items. You “save” every time you use a tab for an item that sells for $7.00 or more. That seems like a no-brainer—you save money on almost everything by using the pass, right?

What's changed this year is where and how you can use the pass. When the menus for the Festival were published, we noted that instead of two or three entree items at each booth, there are only one or two this year. A Disney chef told us this was done to streamline operations at the kiosks and cut wait times (unlike Walt Disney World, the kiosks in California don't actually cook the food; they just plate and serve items that are cooked elsewhere).

At the same time, Disney expanded the number of quick service locations that offer Sip & Savor portions of new or existing menu items, giving guests more choices while also serving the food where it's actually cooked.

This is all good, but you'll need to refer to the Festival of Holidays guidebook to find out where else you can use your Sip and Savor Pass. We sampled most of these “out of the Marketplace” items over the weekend, and share details below.

You can also use your Sip and Savor Pass tabs to buy select churros and desserts at participating carts around Disney California Adventure, but its hit-or-miss which carts accept the tabs. The new Yule Log churro ($7.75) in Hollywood Land is eligible for the pass, as is the Chocolate Peppermint Churro ($7.25) near Redwood Creek Challenge Trail, but the Fresas con Crema churro ($7.25) near Goofy's Sky School is not eligible for some reason.

When you look at all of the options, the Sip and Savor Pass is a good deal this year, but you'll need to venture off the parade route and away from the Festive Foods Marketplaces to really make best use of the pass. Or you can just get eight orders of the Braised Pork Belly Adobo. No judgment—that dish is an annual favorite for a reason.

Here are the dishes we tried this weekend:

Kielbasa with Pierogi from Smokejumper Grill ($8.99). The sausage had more heat than I expected, which paired well with the potato-stuffed pirogies. I would definitely eat this again.

Signs like this will show you where you can use your Sip & Savor pass at participating locations in Disney California Adventure. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.

The Pan con Pollo from Sonoma Terrace ($9) was unlike any version of this Salvadoran sandwich I've had before. The chicken was not stewed in the tomato sauce as is traditional. Rather, the sauce was served on the side like a dip. The sandwich also included pickled veggies. If I had been handed this without any explanation, I would have guessed it was a bland chicken bahn mi sandwich. This was my least favorite dish of the day.

Pan con Pollo from Sonoma Terrace at Disney California Adventure. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.

I admit to having a fondness for both empanadas and anything that seeks to delivery an entire Thanksgiving meal in one bite, but this Holiday Turkey Empanada ($9) from Studio Catering Company was too greasy. However, the cranberry relish was delicious.

Holiday Turkey Empanada from Studio Catering Company at Disney California Adventure. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.

Paradise Garden Grill has three Sip and Savor items this year, and they're all worth a try. Tacos Gobernador is available as both an entree and in a Sip and Savor portion, and I'll be back to have this as meal. The chipotle-marinated shrimp are delicious, and the taco was crispy without being greasy. The full entree comes with two tacos, rice and beans for $14.99

Tacos Gobernador from Paradise Garden Grill at Disney California Adventure. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.

The Albondigas Soup is made with Impossible™ meatballs, and the Sip and Savor portion, which comes with a side of chips, is the most generous of the “tasting” menu items in the park. This is also available as an entree with three meatballs for $12.99. If it weren't labeled, I would not have guessed this was made with Impossible™ meat.

Impossible™ Albondigas Soup from Paradise Garden Grill at Disney California Adventure. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.

The Chocolate Cake Flan ($7.49) from the main menu is available via the Sip and Savor pass.

Chocolate Cake Flan from Paradise Garden Grill at Disney California Adventure. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.

The Seasonal Festival Cart in Paradise Gardens has both a Chicken Chile Verde Empanada and a Pumpkin Cinnamon Cake, but the empanada was sold out both times I stopped by. If you like pumpkin bread you'll enjoy this cake, which is drizzled with cream cheese frosting.

Pumpkin Cinnamon Cake from the Festive Foods Cart in Paradise Gardens at Disney California Adventure. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.

Candy Cane dates and details

If your holiday traditions include buying a fresh-made candy cane at the Disneyland Resort, we are thrilled to finally have the details you need for 2023. If you're a Magic Key holder, you especially want to make reservations to get yours before the holiday blockouts begin.

In the era before Food Network and social media, the freshly pulled candy canes made at Disneyland were once one of those little Disney gems, known to only a small group of fans. Whether it's the deceptively simple recipe (the candy canes made in-park contain no preservatives) or just the charm of watching candy makers cook, pull, and shape the canes in front of you, people line up early and wait hours to get one fresh from the Disney candy kitchens.

A Disneyland candy maker arranges fresh candy canes on a tray as they cool. MousePlanet file photo.

Prior to the pandemic, the fresh candy canes were first released the day after Thanksgiving, and by 2018 were offered on 28 days between Thanksgiving and Christmas. In 2022 Disney cut the schedule down to 15 days, and for 2023 there are just 14 days.

The official dates for 2023 are:

• Disneyland Candy Palace – December 3, 5, 10, 12, 17, 19, 24
• Disney California Adventure Trolley Treats – December 4, 6, 11, 13, 18, 20, 25

If you have the luxury of being able to go any day you want, your best bet is to pick a weekday when candy canes are being released at Disney California Adventure, which tends to have lower crowds. Sundays will be the busiest days. With almost all Magic Key passes blocked out December 20, 24 and 25, those should be the best days for non-passholders to get one.

Once you decide when to go, check to see what time the park opens and get to the front gates at least one hour early. Disneyland Resort hotel guests still receive early admission every day at both parks, and the gates open 30 minutes before the published time, granting you access to Main Street and/or Buena Vista Street.

As soon as the entrance opens, walk briskly straight to either Trolley Treats or the Main Street Candy Kitchen and look for the cast members who will direct you into a line outside the shop. Once there, you'll use your phone to join a mobile wait list.

You will receive a text message when it is your turn to return to the shop and purchase your candy cane. Depending on where you are in the virtual queue, you may get a candy cane from the first batch, or you may have to wait until the last batch of the day. If you aren't one of the first people in line, be prepared to wait as late as 3:00 in the afternoon for the notice to return.

Special note for day guests: With the introduction of early entry for Disneyland Resort hotel guests, gates open at 7:30 a.m. instead of 8:00 on all these dates. Because you're also allowed to enter the turnstiles along with resort guests to get to Main Street and/or Buena Vista Street at 7:30, you should be at the entrance gate no later than 7:00 so that you can get into the physical line early enough to sign into the virtual queue.

If you're a Magic Key holder, here are the dates each tier can purchase candy canes. Be sure to make a park reservation for the appropriate park. Unfortunately, all of the 2023 dates are blackout dates for the Imagine Magic Key pass.

You can find out more about the Disneyland Candy Canes on their dedicated MousePlanet page.

Beast's Library closing December 10

I found myself in another unexpected attraction line this week, this time for the Beast's Library inside the Animation Building in Disney California Adventure. Disney confirmed last week that this portion of the Sorcerer's Workshop will close on December 10, 2023. The space will be used by the Disney’s Imagination Campus program, a “student enrichment” offering geared towards middle schools, high schools and colleges. With just days left to visit the attraction, fans flocked to take their Disney personality quiz one last time, and watch the room transform.

Visitors stop by the Beast's Library for one last look before the attraction closes on December 10. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.

When the Animation Building opened in 2001, there were three rooms in the workshop. The first room is the Magic Mirror Realm, which features a collection of devices to demonstrate principles of animation. You can also create your own animation strip and use one of the devices to bring it to life. While Disney only confirmed closure of the Beast's Library, cast members said they weren't sure how the closure would happen, or if the Sorcerer's Workshop would be closed as well.

A young visitor takes a quiz to see which Disney character they best match. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.

The second room is the Beast's Library, which transforms every four minutes. There are kiosks around the room where you can take a quiz, guided by animated figures of Lumiere and Cogsworth, to determine which Disney character best matches your personality.

 

 

 

 

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The final room was Ursula's Grotto, where visitors could dub their voices over an sequence from a Disney animated feature. This last room closed in 2014 to make room for a meet-and-greet with Anna and Elsa.

CHOC Carousel of Possible Dreams

It's Thanksgiving week, which is a time of reflection and gratitude. Like many Southern California parents, I'm grateful for Childrens Hospital Orange County. This year the hospital is organizing a unique fundraiser, and it seems like something that might resonate with Disney fans.

Riders will take 50 trips around this carousel to raise funds for CHOC Children. Photo courtesy CHOC.

On December 3rd we will rush on to the carousel at South Coast Plaza and go around and around 50 times! For the weeks leading up to the carousel ride, we are collecting pledges online for committing to this dizzying feat! Our challenge is to raise $20,000 in support of the Thompson Autism and Neurodevelopment Center at CHOC – a multidisciplinary clinic devoted to providing diagnostic evaluations, behavioral consultations, therapy and medical management for children and families affected by Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Through the center’s unique programs, children have a centralized place where they can receive the possibility to reach their true potential.

Because CHOC is a nonprofit hospital, most of these programs are uncompensated by insurance, which means we rely on community support to give our patients the critical support they need. Philanthropic support of the Thompson Autism and Neurodevelopment Center provided vital but non-reimbursable services to children and their families to improve health outcomes and quality of life.

Thank you for donating today and helping us reach our goal!

I have another commitment which keeps me from joining some of my fellow Disney bloggers on the carousel that day, but I'll be there in spirit. If you'd like to join the adventure and claim a carousel reindeer for yourself, visit the Carousel of Possible Dreams website for more details.

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A Word from our Sponsor

2024 Disneyland packages are now LIVE and ready to book through Get Away Today! For a limited time, you can lock in 2023 pricing for 2024 travel.

Now is a perfect time to start planning for next year! When guests book in advance, they get the best hotel availability for some of the most popular travel times like spring break, summer, Halloween Time, the Holidays and beyond. We send every guest a reminder when it’s time to make their park reservations based on the date they entered for their ticket, so they don’t have to worry about forgetting to do so. 

We also have our Layaway Plan available for guests who want to book in advance. For just $200 down, you can book your 2024 package with payment due just 8 days before travel! We recommend final payment 60 days before travel so park reservations can be made. Our Layaway Plan makes planning a vacation affordable and flexible for everyone. 

Whether you're looking for a full 2024 vacation package or just theme park tickets for your 2024 visit, Get Away Today can help.

Book now at Get Away Today or call 1-855-GET-AWAY, and be sure to mention you saw them on MousePlanet.

This and That

…Now that The Little Mermaid – Ariel's Undersea Adventure has been added to the Disney Genie+ service, a temporary Lightning Lane entrance is being used until a more permanent solution can be implemented. Cast members assured us that the attraction's domed entry, modeled after the icon Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco, will not be affected.

The Little Mermaid – Ariel's Undersea Adventure is now included in the Disney Genie+ service. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.

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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 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.

2023-24

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 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
• DCA – Downtown Disney

Early Admission – full description available on the Disneyland website:

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

Disneyland Resort Special Events:

• LNY – Lunar New Year
• F&W – Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival
• GN – Grad Nite.
• 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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