The State of Disneyland: Stardate Summer 2015
Last month, we took a look at the current state of Walt Disney World. Now, it’s time to do the same for Disneyland. It was a long, cold (well, not really, but metaphorically) winter and spring at Disneyland Resort, with large portions of Disneyland and Disney California Adventure “down” for the months leading to the kickoff of the Diamond Celebration.
Normally, the beginning of the year is a slow time in terms of crowds at Disneyland Resort, and consequently, it’s a window filled with refurbishments. This timeframe was extended and the attractions and areas refurbished more ambitious this year, with most of the projects continuing even through the busy Spring Break and Easter seasons.
This all culminated in the kickoff of the Diamond Celebration on Memorial Day weekend, and for locals, I think it’s safe to say the “colder” winter and spring were unequivocally worth it. We cover all of the details specific to the new entertainment in our Ultimate Guide to the Disneyland 60th Anniversary Diamond Celebration Guide, so I don’t want to fixate on those here, but I do want to cover the state of Disneyland, aside from that, in this post.
So, what’s going right and what’s wrong at Disneyland Resort, Stardate Summer 2015? Let’s take a look…
Disneyland
First up, Disneyland (Park). Walt Disney’s Original Magic Kingdom. More or less, the current state of Disneyland is “awesome.” There’s very little for me to fault here, as I think Disneyland is firing on all cylinders. Aside from the new entertainment and plussing of old attractions, the park essentially received a top to bottom refresh, with everything from the facade of ‘it’s a small world’ receiving a refurbishment to Critter Country being totally closed and spruced up.
It seems like much of the park received, at minimum, a spit and polish. The end result is Disneyland looking the best I’ve seen it look in years. What follows is a couple of complaints and their depth of treatment far outweighs these couple paragraphs of praise, so I want to reiterate for emphasis: Disneyland is looking the best I’ve seen it in years. It’s really a joy to be in the park right now during the Diamond Celebration, and this far outshines my quibbles that follow.
I stated above that I didn’t want to fixate on the Diamond Celebration entertainment here since I already reviewed all of the new entertainment, but there’s one way I think is necessary: operationally. While the new entertainment has pretty much been an unmitigated success, it has drawn larger crowds and caused operational headaches from just before the start of Paint the Night until about 45 minutes after the Disneyland Forever fireworks.
During this time, Disneyland’s quaint intimacy becomes a noticeable liability. Not only is the park difficult to navigate and Main Street beyond crowded, but there are bottlenecks that are essentially impenetrable. To their credit, Disneyland Cast Members do a good job of directing traffic (sometimes to the dismay of guests as they have to backtrack considerably to reach destinations), but there simply isn’t enough capacity in the popular areas to accommodate the number of guests who desire to be in those areas.
Getting whatever Marvel thing is coming to Innoventions open ASAP would help, but also drawing guests to other, uncrowded areas would be good. For example, Big Thunder Ranch could offer some basic nighttime entertainment. Likewise, the idea of having a line form for Peter Pan’s Flight in Frontierland during the fireworks creates chaos once Fantasyland is cleared, but not reopened for regular guests, so why form such a line? (I witnessed this firsthand as the area behind the rope was a logjam for 20 minutes after the fireworks as Cast Members slowly allowed the Peter Pan’s Flight line to enter Fantasyland.)
Given the smash success of both Disneyland Forever and Paint the Night, the crowds are unlikely to die down anytime soon, so hopefully some “quick fixes” can be announced at the D23 Expo and opened shortly thereafter. Ultimately, though, being “too popular” is a good problem to have.
One recent change that has been controversial has been the new-look Disneyland Band that debuted on Disneyland’s anniversary, July 17, 2015. For those who don’t follow Disneyland closely, basically, what happened here is that the style of the band was changed and old members (who were previously often “lifers”) had to re-audition to keep their roles. From what I surmise by looking at the band, few, if any, did keep their roles. In watching the new band, my takeaway is that the new performers are very talented, but the change was unnecessary and inappropriate.
The new-look Disneyland Band now features much more audience participation and skews younger. It’s almost akin to a pep rally, which is funny, because Disneyland already has an All-American College Band. It’s almost as if someone in management saw a spreadsheet noting that the Band wasn’t mentioned on enough guest feedback surveys, and issued a memo with buzzwords like “family-friendly” “high energy” and “interactive” in it. The problem with this is that not everything needs to be an E-Ticket attraction or the highlight of every guest’s day. Some things–like area entertainment–is minor and insignificant for many guests.
Moreover, management needs to remember that “family-friendly” and “classy” are not mutually exclusive terms. It seems all too often, when the above-mentioned buzzwords appear, the resulting change is a dumbed-down product that is–in my mind–below the caliber of what belongs in a Disney theme park. That something will be popular with guests should not be sufficient to deem it inappropriate for a Disney theme park. If it were, we’d have a Duck Dynasty Live on Stage! attraction in Epcot. Oh wait, we do. I almost forgot about the lumberjacks in Canada.
Suffice to say, this new Disneyland Band may have all the talent in the world, but in attempting to appeal to a younger demographic, it wholly lacks the classiness found in the previous Disneyland Band. The old act was a perfectly befitting act of Disneyland and the ambiance of Main Street USA, whereas the new act would be an appropriate opening act for a New Kids on the Block concert.
The inescapable fact, though, is that me being able to devote 4 paragraphs to complaints about entertainment and another 4 to crowds during nighttime entertainment without any other real grievances to speak of, aside from the obvious “Tomorrowland Problem”, means that Disneyland is doing pretty well. As I speculate on what the future might hold–I think substantial Star Wars and Marvel announcements are possible for the D23 Expo–I realize that not only is Disneyland the best park in the US, but also one with an incredibly bright future.
Disney California Adventure
Maybe I should have titled this post, “The Disneyland Resort Praise-Fest” because Disney California Adventure is also looking awesome. Or, at least, better than it did over the winter months. DCA definitely has more room for improvement, but it’s in pretty good shape, overall.
The big thing here is the changeover of Condor Flats to Grizzly Peak Airfield. This started with Smokejumpers Grill, which we previously reviewed, and continued with the rest of the land. This was done spectacularly well, and I’m a huge fan. It really scratches me right where I itch with the continuation of the National Parks motif found in Grizzly Peak. Yosemite National Park is my second favorite place in California and the nods to it with the things like the John Muir quotes and decor make my day.
What doubly impresses me is not just the high level of the makeover, but that it could easily be viewed as a superfluous project. It doesn’t add an attraction, gift shop, or restaurant. The “only” thing it does is beautify an existing land, which probably doesn’t move the needle in terms of attendance. As I complained above about the Disneyland Band change seeming like a “spreadsheet” change, it’s only fair to point out that this is the kind of change that would have never happened if the parks were being governed solely by spreadsheet. Kudos to Disneyland Resort management for allocating the money to Grizzly Peak Airfield. It’s probably not a reason why anyone will plan a trip to Disneyland Resort or spend more money while there, but it’s an important thematic change that improves the park as a whole, and heightens the broader guest experience.
This leaves DCA with two big weaknesses as far as I’m concerned, with the biggest being Hollywood Land. Aside from the national treasure that is Schmoozies, Hollywood Land is sort of a mess. I don’t think the whole ‘Frozen’ thing was a runaway success as expected (which is why Mad T Party is back), and Hollywood Land remains a jumble of temporary entertainment and architecture that doesn’t really come together as well as it could (this is one area where Disney’s Hollywood Adventure has a clear advantage). Hollywood Land has been the subject of perpetual rumors of the next E-Ticket addition, and I suspect it’s only a matter of time before something is announced. Perhaps the D23 Expo? I think a “Hollywood that never was, and will always be” theme could work well here, but wouldn’t be opposed to a wholesale redevelopment of the land. I’m already preparing a grassroots #SaveSchmoozies campaign, in case of the worst.
The other area that I think could use help, but is probably unlikely to receive anything in the near-term, is Paradise Pier. The irony here is that after the first stage of the Disney California Adventure 2.0 development, Paradise Pier was one of the best-looking areas of the park. It received a decent amount of attention then, and was looking better than ever. Now that other areas have seen more (and more recent) work, Paradise Pier is showing its age and weaknesses.
Most of what I think needs to be done here is placemaking, and I suspect that will happen once the expansion pad over where Maliboomer was located is finally used. I know nothing, but there haven’t even been weak rumors about that happening anytime recently. Here’s hoping Disney has a surprise announcement, and changes come sooner rather than later. Personally, I don’t think things are that bad in Paradise Pier, so I’m fine waiting on these changes if other big things are happening elsewhere. We can’t have it all, all at once.
From my perspective, things are looking pretty good at Disneyland Resort. While I do expect major Marvel and Star Wars projects to be unveiled at the D23 Expo that will be serious expenditures, I think most of Disney’s attention in the US will be devoted to Walt Disney World (which, frankly, needs it more) in the next 5+ years. Obviously, Disney has the resources to attend to both at the same time, and largely, I think they will. I’m hopeful that Disneyland Resort also addresses its parking and infrastructure issues.
Also, they really need to fix all the targets in Buzz Lightyear’s Astro Blasters so I can better hone my skillz. Oh, and they should also get some more goats. And another thing…would it be too much to ask to sell soft serve ice cream somewhere in Disneyland (park)?! 😉 Yep…as you can see, things aren’t too bad right now for Disneyland fans.
If you’re heading to Disneyland for the Diamond Celebration, we have tons of posts to help you plan, including our Tips for Saving Money on Disneyland Tickets, a look at Disneyland Area Hotel Reviews & Rankings, our Unique Packing List for Disney Trips, an index of our Disneyland Resort Restaurant Reviews, and a number of other things in our comprehensive Disneyland Trip Planning Guide!
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Your Thoughts…
What do you think about the current state of Disneyland and Disney California Adventure? Are you excited about the future of the parks? What would you like to see happen? Star Wars? Marvel? If you have additional thoughts or any questions, please share them in the comments!
Tom, I love reading your post! I just started my own Disney blog and I look to your website as sort of a mentor and learning book. keep it up and thank you for the great reads!
The future of society is bleak when people start viewing me as a mentor. 😉
Good luck on the blog!
I’m excited to hear that Disneyland is doing so well. I went in 2012 and had a great time, and that was even before Carsland opened. The crowds concern me, as I love how intimate it is. Going solo is one thing, but going with my wife and two young girls would be a challenge in a tight crowd. I expect it will die down by the time I get there, though.
We visited over Halloween last year (first trip in 6 years) and the wife might have a convention in Anaheim in September this year. If so, we’ll be headed back.
I tend to agree about the night time entertainment. Some parts of the park are virtually empty and the places where the action is are dreadfully crowded. I can’t begin to imagine when it is busy season.
A few complaints:
I felt that a lot of the pumpkin decorations were sun bleached and weathered. Surprised that they don’t paint / replace them every year.
Does every ride drop you off in the gift shop now? The blurb “Everything at Disney starts in a line and ends at a cash register” rings true, though it wasn’t always like that. Disney should have a little more pride and not try to peddle, say, Buzz Lightyear action figures (all of which can be had for 1/3 the price at Wal-Mart) right off the ride. Do people actually buy a $60 action figure at the theme park and then either lug it around or have it shipped back to the hotel and packed up in a suitcase for a trip back home? I can see some trinkets and souvenirs, but most of the stuff they were selling I don’t think anyone would actually purchase.
Bugs world was pretty weak. We were there in the morning and it was sort of depressing. More like something that could be found at the circus or carnival or state fair or something.
I would be curious to know what sort of reliability numbers they are putting up at disneyland. It sure seemed like a lot of rides would breakdown during the day. Or some of them just wouldn’t get going at all. During our three days, we saw California Screaming, BTMR & Pirates all go down for an extended period. Obviously it is a huge operation with lots of moving parts but I would think with all their resources and decades of experience they would have a little better record in this department.
We’ll see how this trip works out in September, it will probably be the last one for a few years. I am looking forward to having about 5 days there and spend more time just wandering around and checking everything out. Most of my previous trips have been all about doing as much as possible and making the most of every second.
I hope they bull-doze Autopia (too 20th century) and Innoventions and put in some awesome attractions with a few new thrill rides.
Great article. Having just returned from a trip over the 60th anniversary weekend, I can definitely say the California parks are dazzling right now and really looking great. That said, there are many bottlenecks around Disneyland where even small crowds just get overwhelming. Quaint is good and bad in this case.
I also want to give a note of support for the new Disneyland band – We saw a couple of their different sets, and the “Diamond March Along” with characters that it looks like you are referencing was definitely the weaker one. When we saw their actual set when they get to shine, my wife and I both loved it. They of course had to feature “Let it Go”, but their rendition might be the best version of that song I’ve heard yet. Then there was their Disneyland attraction medley, which as my wife put it is “a medley more worthy of the title Disneyland forever than that fireworks show”. My wife (former marching band drum major) was also majorly impressed with their marching technique. It’s definitely a different style, but we found it very enjoyable.
Reading your posts just makes me feel even more excited about my next trip to Disneyland in November!! I can’t wait to see all the 60th Anniversary decorations and the fireworks. Having been going to Disneyland just about every year for the past 40 years, I’ve seen a lot of changes, some for better, some for worse, but Disney seems to get it right most of the time. After all of these years, it’s still the happiest place on earth for me!
Please review the Best Western Park Place Inn when you get a chance! And your review on Disneyland and DCA gets me pumped up for my upcoming trip out there! It will be my first time!
We are WDW regulars, but after 2 recent visits to Disneyland, I wholeheartedly agree that Disneyland is the best US park. I hope that WDW takes notes. Epcot and Hollywood Studios seem especially neglected and dated. Great article.
Walt Disney World is my home resort, and it’ll always have a special place in my heart, but the Magic Kingdom doesn’t hold a candle to Disneyland (park). I do miss Country Bear Jamboree, Carousel of Progress, and the Peoplemover at Disneyland, but otherwise, I’d much rather visit Disneyland.
YES! I so miss Country Bear Jamboree, if for no other reason than I remember going to that attraction with my dad as a kid. And I’m with you on the soft serve front too!
I can’t wait to see it all this winter. Question – you referred to Hollywood Adventure? Is that the official name change?
That was a typo. Nothing is official.
I love Disneyland. There isn’t much I would change of Fantasyland, Adventureland, Frontierland, or New Orleans Square. The only minor quibble I have is that I found the Matterhorn to be painfully jerky, and Splash Mountain just a wee bit too splashy (we got soaked). But otherwise…
For Tomorrowland, I actually like that it’s a bit retro & old school, so I hope they keep some of the charm. That said, they could toss bomb at the Innovations Building & I wouldn’t lament the loss. I look forward to seeing what changes take place & how they incorporate Star Wars.
I am torn on Tiny Toon. On the one hand, other that the Roger Rabbit ride and maybe the Mickey house, I find it boring. And there is a lot of space there where they could add new things. But I also recognize that there is a need for a spot that kids can unwind & de-stress a bit, and attractions for the wee little ones, and to that extent, TT might be perfect. It’s also the only real area dedicated to Mickey, Minnie, Donald & Goofy as opposed to the movie characters of the other parts of the park.
In DCA, I almost have the same problem with Bugs Life as I do TT. It feels like just a bit too much space dedicated to this movie, but it’s perfect for the wee ones who go. And like TT, it has the same elements that allow for said children to play & unwind & de-stress (and even cool off with the water area). But it’s not a place I spend too much time in.
I enjoyed Hollywood area, with the ToT & particularly the Disney Animation Studio. But I see your point too for the rest of the space.
And finally Cars Land: I LOVE the ambiance, I love two of the three rides (and they are fixing the one I didn’t), and they outdid themselves in the imagination department….
But… But…
I feel to a certain extent, Carsland is a lot of space with more shops than there should be. It’s a bit too commercial. There could have been another ride added and maybe 2 less souvenir shops. You have this huge stretch of land, and only three rides? I felt too much consideration was given to parting of money from the wallet, then adding to making the area truly great.
DCA itself still feels a bit too much creepy commercialism compared to the original park, even though there is probably the same amount of shops.
I mean, why even bother having Downtown Disney is you are only going to replicate that in the parks? Get rid of DD then to free up more space for new attractions.
I can’t say I agree with you on Cars Land. When you take away the huge amount of space Radiator Springs Racers takes up, the land isn’t that large. Then, you have to consider the fact that it must track how the area actually looks in the movie, and the amount of space for additional attractions isn’t that great.
Consider my favorite land at Disneyland Resort: New Orleans Square. It has 2 attractions (3 if you count the railroad station) and over a dozen shops and restaurants in a much larger space. Yet, it manages to be one of thematically strongest lands anywhere. I feel the same way about Cars Land.
Good points & ones I hadn’t considered. When you put it that way, then it’s perfect. Thematically, both are super strong.
Schmoozies– I am annoyed in that the Malibu Mocha Frappe, a high point of every trip, and a remnant of “Baker’s Field bakery” is gone. Imagine the best “frozen frapuchino” , then make it with ice cream,instead of ice and add Disney awesomeness. Frozen chocolate caffeine greatness.
PLEASE use your awesome Blog powers to try to get this back.
If there is one thing for which I am willing to subvert this blog, it’s grassroots movements to bring back extinct Disney snacks. As soon as our BeaverTails campaign is completed, we will start on this! 😉
I didn’t think that BeaverTails had spread all over Canada so I was going to say that they don’t belong in Epcot as an iconic Canadian treat. But, I just checked their website to confirm their concentration in Ottawa and Mont Tremblant and found out I was wrong. Boy, was I wrong. Not only are they all over Canada (except Saskatchewan, Manitoba and the north), they are in Utah, Ohio, New Jersey, Tokyo (opening soon), South Korea and UAE! Tom, you’ll need to get your fill on your next trip to Japan.
The high praise here has me pumped for our next visit to Disneyland. It’s been three years since my last visit, and so much has updated or changed. I can’t wait to soak it all in. Also, AMEN to “Yosemite National Park is my second favorite place in California.” Preach, Tom.
I think DCA is “almost there.” The only eyesore is Hollywoodland, which follows the Disney worldwide trend of having anything themed to a “Hollywood backlot” turn into an absolute mess. A makeover into 20s-style Hollywood street (NOT backlot) shouldn’t cost too much and bring the area in line with Paradise Pier and Buena Vista street. One neat period effect they should replicate: The original Hollywoodland sign was lit at night, with the different words flashing at different times.
A not-easily-solved problem is that the current rides besides ToT don’t really fit into the “20s Hollywood” theme. A Marvel ride would bring a lot of buzz but would be completely out of place in this section (or DCA in general). My choice would be (especially if they remove Toontown) an updated version of Roger Rabbit’s Toon Spin since it fits perfectly with the place and time, but doubt this happens as no one remembers Roger Rabbit anymore.
They should also replicate the Brown Derby restaurant in this area.
I agree it’s hard to improve on DL, except for Tomorrowland. It’s great if they replace Innoventions with something interesting, but Captain EO also needs to go. I’d be happy with a cheap substitute like Stitch Encounter, since unlike MK they don’t have Monsters Laugh Floor, and it could help swallow some of the crowds.
The bigger problem is they still haven’t figured out the larger vision of what this entire area is supposed to look like. I don’t want it turned into a single land like Star Wars (and what would they do with Space Mountain?). I like the idea of mixing different science fiction themes, both IP (Star Wars, Buzz Lightyear) and non-IP (Space Mountain). This seems the best place to put a Marvel-themed E-ticket, probably Iron Man-related.
What they really need is a third park, where they could devote entire areas to their Star Wars and Mavel IP properties. I have no idea where it would go though.
Oh man, I totally forgot to go into depth about Tomorrowland. It’s a mess! Based on permits that have been filed, Marvel retail and meet & greets are coming to Innoventions, but it sounds like that might be a temporary fix.
I wouldn’t mind seeing Tomorrowland become “Sci-Fi City” rather than being devoted to a single IP. I’m not a fan of Stitch Encounter, but you are right that it’s a cheap attraction, and if they need to save money on the budget for this new land somewhere, that might as well be it.
Good ideas all around!
The overall attention to detail and updates to attractions we saw in Anaheim were impressive and made me a little annoyed with the current state of Disney World in Florida. While I could see some of the leftover DCA that people disliked so much, the way the park is constituted right now makes me like it better than every park but the Magic Kingdom in Florida. The only spot where I saw a strange jarring shift in theming in Disneyland was the rather sudden change between Fantasyland and the Big Thunder Ranch area, but this was easily forgiven considering the fantastic theming in most of the rest of the park. New Orleans Square in particular is both beautiful and seamless. If I lived anywhere close to the center of the U.S. there would be no doubt that I would choose DLR for a short trip over WDW.
Yeah, that’s definitely the case right now. Had you come in early January, you’d think differently. Disneyland put off *a lot* of maintenance, some of which had been neglected for a while. Now, I’m pretty sure this happened because the resources were tied up for the 60th “sprucing up”, but still, the parks look considerably better now than they did a few months ago.
With that said, normally Disneyland Resort is better maintained than Walt Disney World, by a pretty wide margin.
My money is on a new group of “managers” at Disney who view the old entertainment like they do bacon, wouldn’t enjoy it if it was wrapped around their lattes, ,which i’m sure they consume all day long! Seems to me that there is something in Walts’ dedication speech that welcomes a Marching Band on Main Street, Buzz in Tomorrowland, or HillBillys in Adventure Land. New is not always better, but bacon formed America! Thanks for all your posts, will try to eat much of your advice in August (if I can straighten out my back). markwcricket
I’ve heard the new group of entertainment managers explanation thrown around by those who would know…but I have no clue if it’s actually true. It certainly would make sense.
Did they ever open the backlot area behind mainstreet for helping with the overflow? When we were there this summer they weren’t using it. I thought it was completed.
Mike D
Yeah, they open every night right before Paint the Night.
Fun read! I’d love a more detailed post about crowds/how to avoid them (?) as I’ll be at DLR in early August.
Also, we would need a #SaveAladdin campaign to go along with your #SaveSchmoozies campaign. 🙂
I would think that Aladdin and Tower of Terror are safe. Schmoozies is in the heart of Hollywood Land, and much more likely to go extinct.