Disneyland Resort Update for September 4 – 10, 2018

Disneyland Resort Update for September 4 – 10, 2018

Welcome to a soft launch of the new look for our DIsneyland Resort Update. While the content categories and their order remain  relatively the same, we now have an enhanced, refreshed look. The new green button at the top lets you quickly skip ahead (jumping over introductory comments like this) to the major sections by way of a drop-down menu. Clicking on a major section heading, highlighted in light green and marked with ☆, will take you to the next one, while the last one takes you back to the top. Each of the News and Views items, highlighted in light blue and marked ✍, will do likewise. There are some other format changes you'll find along the way, and a few more may come along in future weeks. If you encounter an error or problem, please let us know by email, including as much detail as you can about the error (such as your browser and operating system).

News and Views

Anaheim agrees to drop tax incentives for Disneyland Resort | August 2019 AP blockout calendar released | Booze on Baatu | Halloween Time begins Friday | Mickey's Halloween Party sales tracking | This and that…

Anaheim agrees to drop tax incentives for Disneyland Resort

The Anaheim City Council voted last week to set aside two agreements that provided tax breaks to the Disneyland Resort for current and future investment in Anaheim. The request to end the accords came from Disneyland Resort president Josh D'Amaro, who called the two controversial tax agreements “divisive,” and said they had led to “a difficult working relationship with the City.”

The decision came just two weeks after Disney announced it had put on “indefinite hold” construction of a planned fourth hotel at the Disneyland Resort due to a conflict with the City of Anaheim over one of the rebate programs.

In ending the agreements, Disney walked away from a deal that let the company retain 70 percent of the transit occupancy tax paid by guests of a new four-diamond luxury hotel for the first 20 years of its operation. The tax rebate was estimated to be worth $267 million to Disney over 20 years.

Disney also ended an agreement from the city of Anaheim not to impose an entertainment tax on theme park tickets, or to reimburse Disney for any tax amount collected should it impose such a tax. That agreement was to have remained in place at least through 2045, and was tied to a commitment by Disney to invest at least $1 billion in Anaheim.

With the two tax deals now dead, the Disneyland Resort, Anaheim's largest employer and tax payer, is likely exempt from a living wage initiative that appears on November's ballot. The union-backed measure seeks to raise the minimum wage for hourly workers to $15 by January 1, 2019, and to $18 by 2022. If it passes, the initiative applies only to employers within the Anaheim Resort district that accept subsidies or tax breaks from the city.

Disney has previously said it will look outside Anaheim for future development opportunities if that initiative passes. In July, Disney reached a three-year agreement with four labor unions to immediately raise the hourly minimum rate to $13.25, climbing to $15 by January 1, 2021. The deal includes another increase, to $15.45, by June 2020.

Now that the two sides have agreed to set aside the tax incentives, the stage is set for Disney and the city to reenter negotiations on future development in Anaheim, although any such discussions would likely come after the November elections when Anaheim residents will elect a new mayor and fill three council seats.

Even without a new deal in place, Disney has quite a few options for developing the now-vacant west end of Downtown Disney. The tax break was tied specifically to the construction of a four-star quality hotel, on par with the Disneyland Hotel and Grand Californian Hotel. Disney could instead opt to build a three-star hotel, on par with Disney's Paradise Pier Hotel, a four-star hotel as originally planned, or a mixed-use resort that incorporates additional Disney Vacation Club units.

August 2019 AP blockout calendar released

Deluxe annual passholders can circle Monday, August 19, 2019 on their calendars and request time off from work now. That appears to be the first day holders of the Deluxe pass can visit Disneyland, and get a look at Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge without buying separate one-day admission, according to new AP blockout calendars released this weekend.

Passholders with the Southern California pass have to wait another week, until August 26, 2019, for their Disneyland blockout period to lift.

In June, the Disneyland Resort introduced park-specific blockout calendars for the annual passport program. Under the new calendars, Disneyland park and Disney California Adventure park have separate schedules of blockout dates, and there are days, weeks, and even months where some passholders can visit Disney California Adventure, but are blocked out from visiting Disneyland. This new blockout schedule applies to all Disneyland Resort annual passports purchased, renewed, or activated on or after June 2, 2018.

Keeping with the patterns we saw with the previously released blockout calendars for June and July, 2019, the Deluxe annual passport offers 30 days of admission to Disney California Adventure in August 2019 (the Saturday of Labor Day weekend is blocked out), but is valid at Disneyland only 10 weekdays at the end of the month, plus one Sunday.

The summer blockout for holders of the Southern California and Southern California Select passports ends on August 19 in 2019, but only for Disney California Adventure. The SoCal pass is valid at Disneyland for four days starting August 26, but the SoCal Select pass is blocked out at Disneyland for the entire month. Once their summer blockout begins on May 30, we don't know when—or if—SoCal Select passholders can again use their pass at Disneyland.

There are still no changes to the blockout dates for Signature or Signature Plus annual passports, which retain park hopper access on all days those passes are otherwise valid.

Disney usually publishes the blockout calendar on a rolling 12-month basis, expect to see the September 2019 calendar around the end of this month.

Booze on Baatu

Yes Virginia, there will be alcohol in Star Wars Land. That was the big takeaway from a Disney Parks Blog article last week by Imagineer Scott Trowbridge, who unveiled plans for Oga's Cantina in Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge:

“Patrons of the cantina come from across the galaxy to sample the famous concoctions created with exotic ingredients using “otherworldly” methods, served in unique vessels. With choices for kids and libations for adults, the cantina will make for a great stop!”

In answer to a reader's question, Trowbridge added,

“We are developing a specialty cocktail (non-alcohol- and alcohol-based) menu that will include creatively themed custom cocktails, and proprietary beer and wine options.”

This announcement really should be no surprise, as it was almost a given that the cantina in the version of Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge under construction at Disney's Hollywood Studios in Florida would serve alcohol. All of the Walt Disney World theme parks sell alcohol, including table service restaurants inside the Magic Kingdom, so there was no chance that the Florida iteration of Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge would be dry.

The only question was whether Disney would choose to keep the West Coast version alcohol-free, thus preserving Disneyland's unique place as the only dry Disney theme park (assuming one ignores the offerings at Club 33).

Is it the end of an era? Absolutely. Still, it's a change that we've all been expecting. The only real question is whether Disneyland keeps the booze within the boundaries of the Black Spire Outpost, or more likely, how soon until we see a Magic Kingdom-esque creep of the wine list to other restaurants inside the park.

Halloween Time begins Friday

Halloween Time starts this Friday, September 7. Halloween Time brings the return of popular attractions to Disneyland and Disney California Adventure. While Jack Skellington has claimed Disneyland's Haunted Mansion as his own—transforming it to the Haunted Mansion Holiday—Oogie Boogie will return to Disney California Adventure park across the esplanade. The main entrance gates will feature an Oogie Boogie sculpture, and a cloud of bats will swirl around the spire of the Carthay Circle Theater. Buena Vista Street will be treated with Halloween decor, including the popular Headless Horseman statue introduced in 2017.

Cars Land will again host the Haul-o-Ween festival, featuring the Radiator Springs residents in their Halloween costumes. Mater’s Graveyard JamBOOreee and Luigi’s Honkin’ Haul-O-Ween attractions will each feature Halloween music and decor for the season. The Guardians of the Galaxy – Monsters After Dark overlay will return for 2018.

In addition to the Haunted Mansion Holiday at Disneyland, Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy returns for Halloween Time. Also returning are the popular Dia de los Muertos displays in Frontierland and the Main Street Pumpkin Festival. This is always a fun time to visit Disneyland, with the Disney characters dressed in Halloween costumes and the park decorated for the season.

Mickey's Halloween Party sales tracking

As of publication, all Friday night Mickey's Halloween Party events at Disneyland are sold out.

• Sold out – September 21, 28; October 5, 12, 19, 26
• Available – September 19, 24, 26; October 2, 9, 16, 23, 29, 31.

In 2017, all event nights sold out by September 15, so you should buy your tickets as soon as you can commit to a night. Tickets are available via Disneyland.com, at Disneyland ticket booths, or by phoning (714) 781-4636.

But what happens if you had your heart (and vacation plans) set on attending a specific, sold-out night? Before you turn to Craigslist, StubHub, or eBay (all of which bring with them the very high risk of being defrauded), here are official ways you may still be able to buy legitimate party tickets directly from Disney:

• Call Disneyland and order tickets by phone – a limited number of tickets may be available by phone for events that are sold out on line. Call (714) 781-4636 to purchase by phone. Expect to wait on hold for at least 10 minutes.
• Visit Disneyland and purchase tickets in person – a limited number of tickets may be available at the Disneyland ticket booths for events that are sold out on line. However, if you tried to purchase tickets by phone and the night you wanted was sold out, they will not be available at the ticket booths.
• Disneyland Resort Hotels – if you are a guest staying at one of the three Disney-owned hotels (Disneyland Hotel, Paradise Pier Hotel, or Grand Californian Hotel), check with your hotel desk the morning of the event to see if they have tickets available for purchase. Last year, MousePlanet Community Leader Angela told us that a small number of tickets were reserved for Disneyland Resort Hotel guests, and were released for sale at 5:30 a.m. the morning of each party. Officially these tickets are intended only for concierge-level guests, but we've heard conflicting stories about that, and it seems some guests in standard rooms have been allowed to buy the tickets as well. If you're already staying on property, it does not hurt to ask. Angela warns that these tickets sell out very quickly, so don't wait until the party starts to try to make your purchase.
• Friends or family – if friends/family already have tickets, they may be able to purchase additional tickets the day of the party. Again, a small number of tickets are reserved for same-day sales to help accommodate ticket holders who may have miscounted how many they need, or who had friends/family unexpectedly join them. As with the tickets reserved for hotel guests, these are very limited, and go on sale as soon as the ticket booths open in the morning. If at all possible, get there first thing in the morning to increase your chance of getting tickets. You must have the other event tickets with you the cast member needs to see them, and cannot just trust your word that “so-and-so already has tickets.”

This and That…

…Disneyland's iconic Dole Whip treat is now available without the 30-minute wait, thanks to the mobile ordering feature on the Disneyland app, available for iOS and Android. The Tiki Juice Bar is one of three quick-serve locations that now offer mobile ordering. You can also use the service at Harbour Galley in Disneyland, and at Bayside Brews at Disney California Adventure. In the coming weeks, Disney will roll out the service at four more Disneyland locations, including Edelweiss Snacks, Stage Door Café, Refreshment Corner and Royal Street Veranda.

…The Earl of Sandwich may be planning a return to the Disneyland Resort, according to job notices posted on several hiring sites over the last two weeks. Some of these job postings are for a “Theme Park Earl of Sandwich Anaheim,” while others provided the address of the now-shuttered location in Downtown Disney. We have no confirmed details about where or when the Earl might reopen shop.

…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 bonus, such as an Eye Spy or a trivia question. To subscribe to our free newsletter, just enter your email in the box below.

Join the MousePlanet Newsletter Email:

Crowd Forecast

Join Our Networks

@MousePlanet on…

On Facebook:

Refurbishments and Attraction Closures

Note: Not all attraction closures have been officially confirmed by Disney, and are all subject to change at any time. All 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 DisneyWorld.com or use the MyDisneyExperience smartphone application on your iOS or Android device.

NEW ENHANCEMENT! View the different areas of the Resort by scrolling horizontally and selecting the one you want to read about. If the menu bar does not work on your screen, please let us know by email (include which Browser and Operating System you are using)!

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).

2018

2019

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 June 1, 2018.

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!

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

For Everyone

For Annual Passholders

For Disney Rewards VISA Credit Card Holders

For So Cal Residents

For Disney Vacation Club Members (SECTION COMING SOON!)

For Military Personnel

Hotel & Travel Packages

If you can't see the categories, please let us know by email (include which Browser and Operating System you are using)!

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

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:

• F&W – Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival
• GN – Grad Nite. May 4, 5, 11, 12, 15, 16, 18, 19, 22, 23, 29 and 30; June 1, 2, 5, 6, 8 and 9.
• 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.

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

Share, Links, Comments & More