Disneyland Update: Fantasyland Strategy, New Signs, Ducklings & Queens
We leave Disney California Adventure and head across the Esplanade for our first Summer 2019 Disneyland update. This is basically everything new in the park except Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge…which isn’t much at all. Nevertheless, we have a lot of photos and touring advice that is potentially important.
First, in case you missed it, all of our Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge coverage to date can be found here. I’m still really excited about all of this, but I realize many of you could not care less about Star Wars, so my current plan is to do one new Galaxy’s Edge post per week between now and the time the land opens in Walt Disney World. If you like theme parks, I really think you should care (remember: you can just think of it as Space Morocco), but obviously I can’t make you care.
Second, and also in case you missed it, Disneyland has not been nearly as busy as anticipated in the last couple of weeks, post-Galaxy’s Edge. We’ve covered this in a few posts, so I won’t rehash it here. Most notably (for future planning purposes), we offer some predictions in our Star Wars Land Crowds: What Happened & Will Happen? post…
Our last Disneyland update was only a few weeks ago, and that covers most of the big Project Stardust changes that culminated around the end of May.
Since then, not much has changed at Disneyland. (Well, aside from that whole “Star Wars Land” thing.) The biggest non-Star Wars projects were two restaurants getting new signs. However, operationally, we’ve seen some interesting trends…
Due to the low crowds post-Star Wars Land, we rope dropped Disneyland several times the last couple of weeks.
One thing I noticed with consistency is that everyone headed to Peter Pan’s Flight, causing that wait time to spike to 50-60 minutes shortly after rope drop. The photo above is from ~5 minutes after rope drop.
Even though we do a lot of it, part of me dislikes itineraries and rope drop strategy because there’s a certain flexibility that’s required when touring a theme park.
To be sure, in our Disneyland Park Opening Strategy & Rope Drop Tips post, we advise readers to do Peter Pan’s Flight first…but we also urge “riding the wave” and skipping anything with a long line.
That’s applicable here because this is the line for Alice in Wonderland at the same time.
For those unfamiliar with Disneyland, this is also a popular dark ride. More importantly, it’s a walk-on while Peter Pan’s Flight has a 50 minute wait. (When I got off the ride, there were only 4 people in line–it was still a 10 minute wait an hour later.)
On a tangentially related note, I don’t think Alice in Wonderland (the dark ride, not the movie) gets enough love.
The Diamond Celebration upgrades were wonderfully done, and this is just a classic. I’m not going to say it’s better than Peter Pan’s Flight…but I do think it has a slight edge on Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride to claim the #2 Disneyland dark ride spot.
Back to Peter Pan’s Flight, the attraction has been sporting about a 20 minute wait once the initial rope drop crowd cycles through, and a 30-40 minute wait in the late afternoon and evening.
The point here is that you need to zig when others zag. Since it doesn’t have FastPass and you can see the entire line is visible from outside the attraction, what you see is what you get with Peter Pan’s Flight. Don’t pull a Michael Scott and drive your car into a lake just because your GPS told you to–adjust your plans on the fly.
Aside from looping Alice in Wonderland, the other thing we did was simply wandered around Main Street.
The weekday rope drop crowd is almost entirely tourists who are trying to do as many rides as efficiently as possible. About 10-15 minutes after Disneyland opens, Main Street is a ghost town. (If it weren’t for that stupid marine layer, I could’ve had some great, totally empty photos of MSUSA!)
And since this is Disneyland, there are free roaming characters all over the place.
One morning, both Mary Poppins and Evil Queen were wandering around the hub, literally by themselves for a bit.
Quintessential Disneyland. pic.twitter.com/jv4nQxjc5g
– Tom Bricker (@Tom_Bricker) June 5, 2019
Be sure to watch all the way to the end, and with your sound on.
The number of cat and duckling photos and video I took at Disneyland the last couple of weeks is staggering.
I’m not sure if I have more photos like that, or of Galaxy’s Edge!
(Of course, my numbers in comparison to what’s on Sarah’s phone. If you follow her Instagram stories, you probably already know animal content is her specialty.)
Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters was also a perpetual walk-on, which gave me a chance to hone my blastin’ skills against sworn enemy of the Galactic Alliance, Guy Selga.
I never broke 900,000, which was pretty shameful. (IMPORTANT NOTE: Unlike the Florida version, the Disneyland Buzz Lightyear requires actual skill, and it’s not possible to max out your score. Getting 999,999 is no achievement in the WDW version once you memorize the ‘gimme’ targets in each room. It’s a totally different ballgame at Disneyland.)
Continuing in Tomorrowland, the final signage is up for Alien Pizza Planet.
It’s…better than the temporary one, I guess? The food is the same, which is the larger problem.
On a related note, Hungry Bear Restaurant got a new sign, and it is glorious.
This mischievous bear was unveiled the day that Galaxy’s Edge opened, arguably overshadowing that Star Wars addition.
We also ate at Hungry Bear Restaurant and it was…forgettable?
This used to be among my favorite spots in Disneyland, but the menu had its best items removed. It’s time for another refresh.
One day, this was my first sight upon leave Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge around golden hour.
As I noted in our full Review of Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge – A Land Like No Other, it’s a bit surreal returning to the rest of Disneyland after being in Galaxy’s Edge. However, the transitions are well done, and seeing sights like this make you appreciate the contrast.
That afternoon, I just wandered the Rivers of America a bit, taking it all in.
I’ve been so worried about how Galaxy’s Edge will change Disneyland forever–and still am–but at least for this reservation period, Disney managed it deftly.
Walt’s Park and Batuu peacefully coexist without either hurting the experience of the other. I really, really hope that remains true once June 24 hits.
I’ve never been more happy to be as wrong as I was about Galaxy’s Edge opening crowds. Now, I’d be ecstatic to be wrong again about crowds from July onward.
I do feel a bit guilty, though.
We had an exceptional time at Disneyland by ignoring our own advice and going for the grand opening while others who heeded those erroneous words of warning missed out.
In fairness, this is not what I expected. We seldom follow our own advice when it comes to crowds–rarely does it turn out like this.
For what it’s worth, you’ll also be able to find us at opening day of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Walt Disney World. I’m 100% not expecting it to turn out like this, though. One way or the other, don’t say I didn’t warn you! 😉
It’s a small world looking absolutely fantastic this time of year.
Overall, I think the substance of the ride is superior in Walt Disney World, but you cannot beat this exterior queue, facade, and load area.
Accurate.
After seeing it repeatedly in person over the course of our time at Disneyland, the new Sleeping Beauty Castle color scheme grew on me.
Our New-Look Sleeping Beauty Castle post wasn’t exactly scathing to begin with, but I like it more now than I did when I wrote that.
A few of you have asked, and we’ll be doing several Disneyland hotel and restaurant review updates soon. We stayed in several hotels in an effort to expand our Disneyland Area Hotel Rankings & Reviews. We are so close to 50 hotels, an “accomplishment” of which I am oddly quite proud.
One that’ll be getting a serious bump (at least for the refurbished rooms–pictured above) is the HoJo. We also returned to the Fairfield Inn to update that review.
That’s an odd note to end on, but that’s all I’ve got at this point. Look for many more single-topic Disneyland and Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge posts in the next few weeks!
If you’re preparing for a Disneyland trip, check out our other planning posts, including how to save money on Disneyland tickets, our Disney packing tips, tips for booking a hotel (off-site oron-site), where to dine, and a number of other things, check out our comprehensive Disneyland Vacation Planning Guide!
YOUR THOUGHTS
What do you think about all of the latest changes at Disneyland? Hyped on the new restaurant signage? Intrigued by crowd trends? Skeptical that the low crowds will continue into July? Do you agree or disagree with our assessments in this Disneyland update? Any questions? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
I was at Disneyland this week and saw so many parents pushing their children around in strollers without proper sun protection. The sun was in their eyes and they were getting sunburned. What are these adults thinking! It’s really horrible that those babies had to suffer, I wanted to say something to them but most went whizzing by me. Also people are bringing dogs to Disneyland and saying they are service dogs! That is a joke. Please leave your pets at home or in your motel room! It’s too much walking and too hot for people, not good for dogs. I saw this lady with a huge white overweight thick furdog that couldn’t keep up. Like a Great Pyrenees dog. I pray the dog didn’t have a heart attack! Disney should not allow these people to bring their pets in!
We were there June 12-16. I was GIDDY with the lack of crowds and gorgeous weather. We couldn’t even make a game plan – too busy riding all the rides! I expected to find the new castle theme annoying, but it really actually makes me happy. Reminds me of the Disney storybook from childhood. I also was quite surprised at how Galaxy’s Edge exists in Walt’s world. I’m impressed with the new land and how one can choose to “live” there for hours – or just ignore its existence.
I’m not on twitter so I appreciate you sharing cute vids on the blog and on your Facebook page. “Soon there’ll be 7” – brilliant!
I’d love to see a review of the Holiday Inn Express and Suites – that’s a hotel that regularly comes up in my searches.
Hey Tom, great reviews on both parks!! Looking forward to the updated restaurant reviews, though I know a lot can change in 11 months!! (When we will be visiting DL)
I love that the characters roam around, will they stop and talk or play if you walk up to them, could we take pictures with them or are they out and about to just watch, and pass by?! Used to WDW!!
I love the Alice in Wonderland and Mr. Toad rides. I always try to loop those 2 rides at rope drop and make sure to revisit on multi-day DL vacation.
I enjoy the free roaming characters at DL especially when it’s a rare fur character.
I love the new sign at Hungry Bear. Another one of Big Marc’s cousins. Hungry Bear is always a must do for me on DL trips and I don’t care if the food is inedible. The theme, view, and atmosphere suck me in every time.
I agree with your sentiments about Small World. I don’t feel there was a need to add modern Disney characters to the ride.
Are you going to SWGE in DIsneyland the first day/week that reservations are no longer required? That might be the “Bananas Disneyland” that we all were expecting. Thanks for all the great updates about the OG of the Disney Parks.
I was so glad to learn you will be a WDW Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge opening to give us a proper Tom Bricker review and comparison! I am curious to know if you and Sarah will pop by Universal for the new Harry Potter ride and write up your thoughts on that.
Are you all permanently located in Florida now? Sad to hear you left California so soon!
Temporarily. Almost all of our stuff still “lives” in California. We’ll be back.
Thanks for the updates. It’s a bummer that Hungry Bear’s menu has gotten so poor, but good to know so I don’t waste a stop. That is the saddest looking burger I have ever seen and the burgers there were never good. The menu at Harbour Galley looks a lot more appealing and you still get the ambience along the Rivers of America. Oh and btw you take the absolute best photos of the Mark Twain I have ever seen. I am going to spend the better part of my trip trying to come up with my own creative compositions that are half as good and unique.
Looking forward to further updates and articles, both Galaxy’s Edge and non.
Harbour Galley is solid–except an update on that soon!
There are two and only two reasons to go to Hungry Bear: 1. Fantasmic To-Go Package and 2. Churro Funnel Cake. Yes you read that correctly. Churro. Funnel. Cake.
I just checked my photos of Mary Poppins at the Grand Floridian’s 1900 Park Fare and the actress in your Anaheim photo is the same actress in my photos. Mary Poppins usually leaves town when the wind changes, so the wind in Orlando must have changed sometime after March 26. Or she got a job transfer.
Mary Poppins made the smart move flying away from Orlando before the summer humidity hit.
Tom,
We’ve been to Disneyland a few times, and I’m thinking you may have just hit it lucky with the lines, as mid-June is not a bad time to go. Last summer, we were there the last week of June, which is when the summer tourists start showing up for real, and there is a huge difference in wait times. Yes, Alice in Wonderland was much better than Peter Pan’s Flight, but it wasn’t a walk-on by any stretch. And Buzz Lightyear’s Astro Blasters? Forget about it if you don’t have a FastPass. If Peter Pan’s Flight is a “must-do” (which it definitely is), better to wait for the post-fireworks rope drop and go late in the evening, IMHO.
We’ve covered reasons for the low crowd phenomenon occurring right now in other recent posts (mentioned at the top).
As for the Fantasyland strategy, it’s generalized advice. You may not be able to do Alice in Wonderland as a walk-on, but if the posted wait for Peter Pan’s Flight is already 30+ minutes, you should absolutely skip it at rope drop–that applies any time of year.
“Would I rather be feared or loved?
Easy. Both. I want people to be afraid of how much they love me. “
Nice Office pull.
There are so many Office quotes I’d love to weave into this blog, but too many depend upon inflection or expressions and just would fall flat. It doesn’t translate well online, but I use “it is your birthday.” with regularity despite that.