Disneyland Resort Update for November 30 – December 6, 2015

Disneyland Resort Update for November 30 – December 6, 2015

Go directly to: News & Views | Join our Networks | Current Refurbishment/Attraction Closures | Resort Events | Merchandise Events | Discounts and Promotions | Park Schedule/Blockout Dates

News and Views

The Most Wonderful Week of the Year | Candlelight Tips | Slivers of America | Not so fast—no end date for Season of the Force | Second Starbucks brewing in Downtown Disney | This and that… | Crowd Forecast

The Most Wonderful Week of the Year

When close friends and family ask me for the best time to visit Disneyland during the holidays, I always recommend the week after Thanksgiving. The majority of decorations are in place, the holiday parade and fireworks are on the schedule, and fresh candy canes are in the Candy Palace, but the peak holiday crowds are still a week or two away. This is also the only weekend to see the Candlelight Processional without a trip to Florida.

If you can't get to Disneyland this week, here are a few holiday photos to put you in the spirit.

The Dapper Dans of Disneyland are decked in candy cane colors for the holiday season. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.

Santa's new Critter Country meet-and-greet location is a bit out of the way, but he still draws a crowd. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.

While waiting to visit Santa, be sure to snap a photo with the Snow Pooh and Piglet display in Critter Country. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.

Holiday shopping may not be your cup of tea, but it's worth wandering through the stores to enjoy the unexpected decorations, like this candy-themed tree inside the photo shop in Disney California Adventure. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.

The Dickens Yuletide Band performs on Main Street. U.S.A. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.

Candlelight Tips

The Candlelight Processional takes place this Saturday and Sunday, December 5 and 6 at Disneyland. Started by Walt Disney in 1958 as a community appreciation event, the show features a Candlelight choir made up of cast members and community choir members, who perform music provided by the Disneyland orchestra. Guest narrators are invited to read the Christmas story in between songs.

The first decorations are in place on Main Street, U.S.A. for this weekend's Candlelight Processional. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.

The narrator(s) for the 2015 show have not yet been announced. If (reliably sourced) rumors are true, actress Geena Davis will narrate on Saturday, December 5, and Once Upon a Time actress Lana Parrilla will narrate the show on Sunday, December 6. We've also heard that the show has been updated for 2015, with at least one new song or arrangement added to the production.

After trying a few times to make this a larger public offering, with dining packages and reserved viewing, Disney has returned to the practice of treating Candlelight as a private event that just happens to take place in the middle of an operating theme park. Invited guests include community and civic leaders, as well as media and Club 33 members. Run as a private function, official details about the event are hard to come by. We hope this unofficial guide will help you navigate the park during these events, whether you wish to attend or merely access the attractions in other lands.

Event schedule

There are two performances on each day. The following is the schedule for Saturday and Sunday:

• 4:45 p.m. – Invited guest seating begins for the first performance.
• 5:20 p.m. – The processional begins when the choir walks from the gate near the Mad Hatter shop to their performance location at the Main Street Train Station.
• 5:30 p.m. – The first ceremony begins at Town Square.
• 7:15 p.m. – Invited guest seating begins for the second performance.
• 7:35 p.m. – The second processional begins.
• 7:45 p.m. – The second ceremony begins at Town Square.

Standby viewing

You have some options if you want to view the ceremony. Standby viewing is very limited, and on a first-come, first-served basis. Bench seating is available near the Christmas tree on the west side of Town Square; standing-room-only locations are near City Hall, the Opera House, and any open spaces behind the seating area in Town Square. Viewing areas for the 5:30 p.m. performance opens at park opening (8 a.m. each day, with Extra Magic Hour and Magic Morning at 7 a.m. on Saturday), but viewing areas on the east side of Main Street does not become available until after the 3:30 p.m. “A Christmas Fantasy” parade passes that location.

All guests must leave the viewing area after the first performance has concluded. The line for the 7:45 p.m. performance then forms at the south end of Main Street, as soon as the 5:20 p.m. Processional has passed.

Guests with disabilities may sit in any of these viewing areas. A special assistance viewing area will also be provided on the east side of the viewing area, outside of the Opera House.

Operational effects

The performances on Saturday and Sunday affect numerous stores and attractions in the Town Square area. Based on last year's schedule, expect these attraction, food, and store closures to be in effect both days:

• Disneyland Railroad – 4:00 to 9:45 p.m.
• Main Street Vehicles – 12:30 p.m. to midnight
• Main Street Opera House – 3:00 to 10:00 p.m.
• Magic Eye Theater – 1:00 to 8:00 p.m.
• The Mad Hatter on Main Street – 4:00 to 9:00 p.m.
• The Disney Gallery – 4:45 to 9:00 p.m.
• Town Square popcorn and churro carts – all day

Traffic flow

Disneyland will again use the backstage passageways behind Main Street, U.S.A. If you don't need to be on Main Street between 5:00 to 9:00 p.m., take advantage of lighter crowds throughout the rest of the park.

Slivers of America

In case you missed it over the long Thanksgiving weekend, David Koening detailed last week the proposed changes to the Rivers of America as part of the construction for Star Wars Land. David writes:

Walt Disney was a “whole ticket book” kind of guy. He didn't think everything should be an E-ticket. Walt believed Disneyland should offer a wide range of “flavors”—some attractions would be big, others small; some loud and action-packed, others quiet and beautiful. For him, the park bench was as important as the bobsled.

So in Walt's Disneyland, for every big showpiece, there was a tranquil corner, something to happen upon or someplace to catch your breath at.

Today's Disneyland doesn't have that luxury. It's become so popular, you even see crowds around wishing wells. More guests means fewer corners get lightly traveled. It also creates pressure on management to convert resting spaces into active areas (both to get more bodies moving through every square inch of the place and to create something splashier and more marketable that will lure in even more guests they don't have room for).

Most of the quiet spots are gone. The Court of Angels (in New Orleans Square) is now a restaurant lobby. Quirky little shops on Main Street are now T-shirt halls in the Emporium. CircleVision and the Pack Mules have noisier replacements. After 28 years, the PeopleMover gave way to the flashier Rocket Rods (which “ran” for 23 months before being replaced by an empty track). The Skyway and the Motor Boat Cruise just disappeared altogether.

By my count, we're down to the Main Street attractions (vehicles, cinema, steam trains) and the Frontierland river attractions (Mark Twain, Columbia, canoes, Tom Sawyer Island).

In six short weeks, that all could change.

Read the rest in David's article, “Sliver of a Rivers of America.“

Not so fast—no end date for Season of the Force

In last week's update, we reported that the Disneyland website listed the Season of the Force promotion as ending on May 26, 2016. We received word from Disneyland that this information had been published on Disneyland.com in error, and that there is still no announced end date for the Season of the Force promotion. The official Disneyland website was quickly updated to remove the reference to May 26.

Some fans were thrilled at the news, hoping this meant that the “seasonal” overlay would last until Star Wars Land opens. Others fear this means Disney will keep the promotion in place at least through Halloween, when Space Mountain—currently operating as Hyperspace Mountain for the event—would normally receive the “Ghost Galaxy” overlay.

Second Starbucks brewing in Downtown Disney

It's official: Disney has filed permits relating to “Starbucks II” on the west side of Downtown Disney. The new 1,098-square-foot store is conveniently located across from the Downtown Disney Monorail station, in part of the former Apricot Lane space. The other half of the Apricot Lane space was converted to a Disney Vacation Club preview and sales center earlier this year.

It's long been rumored/expected that this would be the site of the second Downtown Disney Starbucks, but there had been no visible progress. In November, Ghirardelli opened a pop-up chocolate shop in that space, and will operate that holiday location into January.

This second location is not only much smaller than the 5,600-square-foot, 150-seat cafe that opened on the east end of Downtown Disney in 2014, but is also only about two-thirds the size of a typical Starbucks location. We figure this location will be mostly a grab-and-go shop, catering to Disneyland Hotel and Paradise Pier Hotel guests, as well as people attending conventions at those two hotels. There will likely be some limited outside seating for the location, but a large patio, like the one built at the other location, would probably require removal of a nearby planter.

Disney has yet to announce the new location, and we don't know when it is expected to open.

This and that…

…The Merchandise Events section below is updated through the end of 2015. This upcoming Saturday is especially busy, but there are events all weekend. Here are this week's highlights; scroll down for the calendar for the rest of the year.

A burst of confetti streamers marked the step off for the 25th CHOC Walk in the Park. Photo © CHOC.

…Children's Hospital Orange County just announced that the 2015 CHOC Walk in the Park broke the previous campaign record, bringing in more than $2.5 million dollars. The 2015 walk marked the 25th anniversary of the annual fundraiser, and this year's efforts brought the 25-year total to over $25 million dollars. The 2015 event included 15,000 “CHOC Walkers,” 954 teams, and 70 corporate sponsors.

Team MousePlanet played a small role in this record-setting event, with 59 active members raising $5,841. Thanks to the efforts and generosity of our readers, Team MousePlanet has raised over $54,000 for CHOC since 2008.

…A series of recent building permits seem to indicate that Walt Disney Imagineering is opening a satellite office in Anaheim. The permits include conversion of office space, perimeter fence upgrades, addition of charging stations for electric vehicles, and construction of a canopy over a shuttle stop. With Star Wars Land construction set to begin, it makes sense that Imagineering would want dedicated space in Anaheim, but the project itself may not leave a lot of extra room near the construction site. WDI has several other trailers located around the Disneyland perimeter, but we don't know if all WDW offices will be moved off site to this new complex.

…A small selection of merchandise with Disney's Twenty Eight & Main label has arrived at the Main Street Clothiers. The collection features a canvas satchel with faux leather strap and handles, a coordinating backpack and a zippered grooming bag/dopp kit. The canvas collection is priced from $98 to $278, which is consistent with lines such as Fossil, but much higher than other Disney offerings that don't carry a designer label. T-shirts in the collection run $37, with only a few designs currently in stock.

The new Twenty Eight & Main collection is marketed to the “discerning gentleman.” Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.

…Shellie May, the female friend of Duffy the Disney Bear, has arrived at the Disneyland Resort. You can now find Shellie May merchandise right alongside Duffy.

Shellie May the Disney Bear is now available at Disneyland. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.

…The MousePlanet Newsletter is here! The newsletter contains a recap of the week's articles (in case you miss a day), news that may have developed since the weekly Updates were published, and tips about what's happening at the Disney theme parks for the coming weekend. We'll also include a fun MouseAdventure bonus, such as an Eye Spy or a trivia question. To subscribe to our free newsletter, just enter your e-mail in the box below.

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Crowd Forecast

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MousePlanet

Current Refurbishments and Attraction Closures

Note: Not all of attraction closures have been officially confirmed by Disney, and are all subject to change at any time. Refurbishment schedules are estimates only. We recommend checking for updates as you plan your visit. All information is subject to change without notice. To get the most recent updates, visit Disneyland.com—this information is no longer available from the automated phone service.

Disneyland

2015

• Jedi Training Academy – on hiatus until December 8.
• Starcade – closed indefinitely.

2016

• Jungle Cruise – closes January 11 to remove the Jingle Cruise overlay. Reopening date to be determined.
• Haunted Mansion – closes January 11 to remove the Haunted Mansion Holiday overlay. Reopening date to be determined.
• Autopia – closes January 11 for refurbishement. Reopening date to be determined.
• Disneyland Railroad – closes January 11, 2016 due to the Star Wars Land-related construction around the Rivers of America. Expected to reopen spring 2017.
• Davy Crockett's Explorer Canoes – closes January 11, 2016 due to the Star Wars Land-related construction around the Rivers of America. Expected to reopen spring 2017.
• Fantasmic! – on hiatus effective January 11, 2016 due to the Star Wars Land-related construction around the Rivers of America. Expected to return summer 2017.
• Pirates Lair on Tom Sawyer Island – closes January 11, 2016 due to the Star Wars Land-related construction around the Rivers of America. Expected to reopen spring 2017.
• Sailing Ship Columbia – closes January 11, 2016 due to the Star Wars Land-related construction around the Rivers of America. Expected to reopen spring 2017.
• Mark Twain Riverboat – closes January 11, 2016 due to the Star Wars Land-related construction around the Rivers of America. Expected to reopen spring 2017.
• Starcade – closed indefinitely.

Disney California Adventure

2015

• Blue Sky Cellar – closed; reopening date now TBD. Permits have been filed to expand the location for use by the Disney Vacation Club.
• Luigi's Flying Tires – closed. Ride to be removed and replaced; reopening date unknown.
• A Bug's Land Theater – It's Tough to be a Bug on hiatus until December 14 due to The Good Dinosaur sneak peek.
• Muppet*Vision 3D – closed indefinitely due to the Frozen Fun overlay.
• Aladdin – A Musical Spectacular – closes January 10, 2016. Replaced in Summer 2016 by a new Frozen musical.

2016

• Luigi's Flying Tires – closed. Ride to be removed and replaced; reopening date unknown.
• Soarin' Over California – closes January 4 for refurbishment. Reopening date TBD.
• Grizzly River Run – closes January 11 for refurbishment. Reopening date TBD.

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 (link).

2015

• Disneyland Resort Diamond Celebration – through September 5, 2016
• Holidays at the Disneyland Resort – through January 6.
• Season of the Force – no end date announced.
• Candlelight Processional – December 5–6. Performances are at 5:30 p.m. and 7:45 p.m. each night. Narrator(s) have not yet been announced. If the (reliably sourced) rumors are true, actress Geena Davis will narrate on Saturday, December 5, and Once Upon a Time actress Lana Parrilla will narrate the show on Sunday, December 6.

2016

• Disneyland Resort Diamond Celebration – through September 5, 2016
• 2016 Star Wars Half Marathon Weekend – January 14–17. All running events are sold out, but ChEAR Squad packages are still available. Details on the runDisney website.
• 2016 Tinker Bell Half Marathon Weekend – May 5–8. The 5K and 10K events are sold out, but the half-marathon and Pixie Dust Challenge are still available. Details on the runDisney website.
• Dapper Days at the Parks (unofficial event) – Sunday, May 1, 2016. More information at the event website. This popular event grows larger each year, so it's worth making note of the date if you plan to visit the park during this weekend.
• Grad Nite events – This party for high school seniors graduating in 2016 will be held on these dates: May 13, 14, 18, 20, 21, 23, 25, 31; June 1, 3, 4, 7, 8, 10, 11, 15, 17. The 2016 event includes admission to Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park during regular operating hours, and a private party in Disney California Adventure park from 10:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m.
• Season of the Force – through May 26, 2016.
• 2016 Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend – September 1–4. Registration opens February 2, 2016.
• Dapper Day Fall Soiree (unofficial event) – Sunday, November 6, 2016. More information at the event website. This popular event grows larger each year, so it's worth making note of the date if you plan to visit the park during this weekend.
• 2016 Avengers Half Marathon Weekend – November 10–13. Registration opens April 15, 2016.

2017

• 2017 Star Wars Half Marathon Weekend – January 12–15, 2017. Registration opens June 14, 2016.
• 2017 Tinker Bell Half Marathon Weekend – May 11–14, 2017. Registration opens September 20, 2016.

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.

School Holidays

Notable school holidays that may impact park attendance. If you know of any other holidays that should be listed here, please send us an e-mail (link).

2015

• Thanksgiving Break – November 23–27. Many local schools close for the entire week of Thanksgiving.
• Winter Break – December 21, 2015 – January 8, 2016. Most local schools are closed.

2016

• Spring Break(s) – March 14 – April 8. Most local schools are closed one week during this period. Expect the majority of school closures—and crowds—the weeks immediately before and after Easter Sunday, March 27.
• Local School Holiday – Monday, March 28. Most local schools not already on Spring Break will be closed for Cesar Chavez Day.
• Nevada Day (observed) – Friday, October 28. A school holiday for our neighbors to the northeast creates a 3-day weekend and usually adds to the Halloween weekend crowds. Some Nevada schools take the entire week off as a Fall Break.
• Utah Education Association convention (UEA, a.k.a. “Utah Escapes to Anaheim”) – October 20–21. Expect holiday-level crowds October 19–24 as Utah students and families take advantage of a Fall Break scheduled around an annual state education convention. Not all Utah schools close for UEA, but the impact on the resort is significant enough to mention.
• Thanksgiving Break – November 21–25. Many local schools close for the entire week of Thanksgiving.
• Winter Break – December 19, 2016 – January 6, 2017. Most schools close only two of these three weeks, but some districts close all three weeks due to the Saturday Christmas.

Merchandise Events

Current Discounts & Promotions

Disneyland prices as of October 4, 2015.

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.

Ticket Prices and Promotions

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!

Discounts for:

Park Schedule/Blockout Dates

• DL – Disneyland
• DCA – Disney California Adventure

Annual Pass blockouts:

• SL – Southern California Select Annual Pass
• SC – Southern California Annual Pass
• DX – Deluxe Annual Pass
• SG – Signature Annual Pass
• SP – Signature Plus Annual Pass

Early Admission – full description available on the Disneyland website):

• MM – Magic Mornings for 3-plus day ticket holders, promotional “bonus” tickets, and Southern California CityPASS
• EMH – Extra Magic Hour for Disneyland Resort Hotel Guests
• EA – Early Admission for Annual Passholders (not currently offered)

Disneyland Resort Special Events:

• GN – Grad Nite.
• MA – MouseAdventure (www.mouseadventure.com)
• MHP – Mickey's Halloween Party at Disneyland

Visit our Annual Passholders Blockout Dates page to see more dates. You can see future calendar schedules at Disneyland. As always, specifics are subject to change without notice (or occasionally, without us noticing) so when information conflicts between what is presented here and that presented by Disney, it is best to assume Disney's information is correct. Visit the Park Hours section of our Disneyland Park guide for additional details about Magic Morning and Toontown Morning Madness, including available attractions. Entertainment schedule: Go directly to the Disneyland Resort schedule for this week at Disneyland.com here.