Wow, it’s been a while since my last blog entry. Like a lot of you, I’ve spent the last year focusing on my family and weathering the pandemic. Also like a lot of you: I’m ready to get back to Disneyland and traveling in general!

So what’s new at Disneyland? A lot. Let me hit the highlights:


Welcoming out-of-state visitors
​Beginning June 15, 2021, Disneyland Resort will begin welcoming guests from out-of-state. While Walt Disney World has been humming along for quite some time, Disneyland just re-opened on April 30 and has until this point only welcomed California guests. With the continuing downward trend in COVID cases and with California’s new guidance for theme parks, Disneyland will throw open its doors for all United State residents. 


Masks
All guests ages two and older, regardless of vaccination status, must wear masks at all times when inside or outside at the parks and in Downtown Disney. The only time masks may be removed is when sitting down eating or drinking. Stay tuned for any updates on this policy!

EDIT on June 15, 2021: As of June 15, masks are optional for all guests fully vaccinated. Unvaccinated guests must wear masks indoors where physical distancing cannot be maintained. 


Reduced capacity
Disneyland Resort is operating at a greatly reduced capacity in order to maintain physical distancing between guests wherever possible. You might be thinking, “great! That means lines will be super short!” But that doesn’t necessarily hold true: rides are also operating at reduced capacity, so while wait times have been shorter than usual, by no means are lines non-existent or super-short. You should still expect to wait a good amount of time for those hot rides like Splash Mountain and Radiator Springs Racers. 


Park Reservations/Park Hopping
Every guest visiting Disneyland Park or Disney California Adventure must make a reservation fo the park they want to visit each day. Park Hopping is only available after 1:00 PM, so no hopping in the morning. These park reservations can fill up quickly— as of today (May 31), the earliest Disneyland Park reservation available is July 1. No more waking up in the morning and deciding which park you want to hit based on your mood. 


No FastPasses
That’s right: FastPasses are put on hold, at least temporarily. The parks are using some of the extra line space to enable more physical distancing. The removal of FastPass does have a hidden bonus, though— because there’s only one line feeding into rides instead of two, the regular standby line moves faster, making the lines feel shorter. 


No parades or firework
For the time being, all parades and fireworks are paused. Basically, anything that would cause a large mass of people to congregate has understandably been put on hold. While those nighttime fireworks shows will certainly be missed, not having to claim a Main Street spot an hour early for fireworks or parades leads to getting more things done in the park overall. 

EDIT on June 15, 2021: Fireworks will return on a very appropriate date: July 4. 


No character meets
I know this one hurts for a lot of people: no close-up character meets, including character meals. You can still see characters from a distance, but no getting an autograph from Cinderella or a photo with Mickey (except at a distance) for the time being. This is for the protection of both guests and cast members. Characters are appearing throughout the parks in new and innovative ways, such as unannounced character cavalcades that travel down the normal parade route.


Dining changes
Many sit-down dining locations remain closed, and those that are open have greatly-reduced capacity. What does that mean? Dining reservations are EXTREMELY hard to come by. You may have better luck with Quick Service dining, but there are big changes there too: all quick service must be done via mobile order on the Disneyland app. Because many more people are using quick service dining than before, mobile order time slots fill up quickly. Setting up your mobile orders a couple of hours before you think you’ll be ready to eat is highly advisable!


Wrap-up
Yes, that’s a lot. A Disneyland trip today looks very different from a Disneyland trip in the past, but it’s still possible to have a perfectly magical trip as long as you know what to expect going in. As we’ve all learned in the past year, things are awakes in flux and subject to change at any tine. For the latest on Disneyland updates, watch this space! 

My dear daughter and I just returned from our second Adventures by Disney trip. After conquering San Francisco last year, we scratched off one of our bucket list items: the Disneyland® Resort and Southern California itinerary. Buckle up, folks; this is going to be a long one. 

First, I should probably start by explaining what Adventures by Disney is. It’s a category of Disney travel that a lot of people aren’t aware of: guided adventures to destinations all around the globe with that legendary Disney level of customer service. Each adventure is planned impeccably, beginning to end. Pretty much everything except your airfare to get there is included in the price, and you travel in small groups of 20-40 people. While most adventures don’t have much to do with Disney itself, the Southern California adventure is an exception as it’s almost entirely Disney-focused. 

Now on to our adventure: we started off in Hollywood for two days, before moving down to Disneyland® Resort for some behind the scenes fun. Note that adventure itineraries change from time to time, so your mileage may vary.

Day 1: Arrival
We arrived at Burbank airport to a driver waiting with a fancy sign at baggage claim. This is one thing I love about Adventures by Disney (hereafter referred to as AbD): you’re taken care of from the moment you get off the plane. She whisked us off to the Loew’s Hollywood Hotel right in the heart of the action. After check-in and a greeting from our Adventure Guides, we had a few hours on our own before a group welcome dinner that night. Being totally amped to be in Hollywood for the first time, we headed out to explore the Hollywood Walk of Fame on our own. 

We jumped into a guided tour of the Dolby Theater (home of the Oscars) right next to our hotel, and lucked into a dress rehearsal for America’s Got Talent which was currently filming. After a quick freshen-up in our room (where we found out we have a fantastic view of the Hollywood sign!), it was time for our first group activity: meeting all our fellow adventurers at our welcome dinner in a private room at the hotel. After dinner, several families were headed off to the El Capitan theater across the street for a viewing of the Lion King, we opted for an early night in bed since we knew there wouldn’t be much sleep for the next few nights. 


Day 2: Hollywood
First activity of the day: a short walking tour down Hollywood Blvd. We learned a bit of history about the Dolby Theater and the surrounding shopping complex. Fun fact: did you know the entryway for the Oscars is actually a shopping mall? They do an exceptional job of hiding that fact on TV. We ended up at the legendary TCL Chinese Theater with a private tour for our group. Simply amazing inside; I’m so glad we got to see this. 

The Jim Henson Company: Next up, a private visit to the Jim Henson Company. That’s right: home of the muppets. A muppeteer gave us a VIP tour, followed by an opportunity to operate a muppet all on our own with some helpful pointers. This visit was certainly a highlight of the day: I had no idea the history of this place. It was originally Charlie Chaplin’s movie studio, so most of his legendary films were shot right where we were standing. 

​Disclosure: While I received a travel professional discount for my Adventure by Disney vacation, the discount did not influence my review. ​

​By David Platt, your Mouse Master specialist to Disney Destinations and beyond
 
Today I’m highlighting a Deluxe resort that sits alone in its uniqueness: Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge. Animal Kingdom Lodge is perhaps one of Disney World’s most stunning resorts, featuring a fabulous African theme.  From the moment you step into its massive lobby, you’re transported to another world. 
 
But what makes it unique? Let’s talk about some of its highlights:
 
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An African Savanna: That’s right—Animal Kingdom Lodge features its own African savanna, with wild animals ‘roaming free.’ If you upgrade to one of AKL’s Savanna View rooms, you can watch wildlife from the privacy of your own balcony. While room view upgrades aren’t usually my thing, this is one exception I’ll ALWAYS make. Because of the lodge’s unique horseshoe shape, all savanna view rooms have a fantastic view. 
 
If a Savanna View room isn’t in the cards for you, there are plenty of public viewing spots where any resort guests can spot animals. An insider tip: at night, the resort will provide you with night-vision goggles.

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Exceptional dining:AKL’s signature dining Jiko—The Cooking Place is not only its best restaurant, it’s arguably one of the best restaurants on Disney property. Featuring unusual fare that you won’t find on most menus, Jiko is an adventurous eater’s paradise. Because of its somewhat remote location away from the other resorts, it’s usually not too difficult to score a last-minute reservation.
 
AKL’s Boma—Flavors of Africa buffet is no slouch either. It features adventurous African and Asian fare along with more traditional American dishes. In particular, Boma’s breakfast buffet is not to be missed. 
 

A quieter lodging option: Animal Kingdom Lodge is divided into two sections: the main building (Jambo House), and the Kidani Village building a short walk away. For a quieter experience, consider booking a Kidani room. You’ll have access to all of the amenities of the resort, but be in a smaller, quieter building. It’s a particularly good option if you have a car, as parking is located directly underneath section of the building so you’ll always be a short walk from your car. Kidani features its own pool and restaurant as well. 
 
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…and so much more: There’s so much more that makes Animal Kingdom Lodge great—multi-bedroom suites, a fantastic pool, and unique activities not available at other resorts (like the Sense of Africa tour). You could almost make Animal Kingdom Lodge a destination unto itself and never set foot in a theme park. 
 
 
Are there any drawbacks?: Sure. As with any resort, it has its quirks. Because it’s located in a remote corner of the Disney World property near Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park, bus transportation times can be a bit long to get to the other parks. For most AKL fans, the utter beauty of the resort makes that a trade-off they’re willing to make. 
 
Some guests may find the resort a bit dark—artificial lighting is kept to a minimum outside to enhance the African savanna experience and encourage animals’ normal rest cycles. 

​By David Platt, your Mouse Master specialist to Disney Destinations and beyond

We’re just over a week into the time period when Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge is open to the public at Disneyland® Park without a hard-to-get reservation. How’s it working so far? 
 

Getting into the land
At park opening, any guest is welcome to enter Galaxy’s Edge. Once the park has reached capacity, a ‘boarding pass’ system will be implemented. Using the Disneyland app, you can request entry. You’ll then be assigned a boarding group number. When capacity allows, they’ll start letting boarding groups into the land. You’ll be notified both via the app and by electronic signs in the park which boarding groups can enter; you have a 2-hour window to enter once your boarding group is called. 
 
So far, the boarding group process has been a complete non-issue. Surprisingly, Galaxy’s Edge has only reached capacity on June 24, the first day that it was open to everyone. I’ll be keeping an eye on this system and report back with any issues or concerns. 
 

Getting on the rides
Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run is the hot-ticket ride right now—because it’s the ONLY ride until Rise of the Resistance opens on January 17, 2020.. There’s no FastPass access for Smuggler’s Run, so everyone uses the standby line or single-rider line. Except for right at park opening, wait times have been very manageable in this first week; wait times have rarely been over an hour, which is unheard of for a brand new attraction. 
 

Building a lightsaber
Building a lightsaber at Savi’s Workshop is for sure one of the hot-ticket items at Galaxy’s Edge. Demand has far outstripped capacity, so they’ve instituted a same-day reservation system. At 7:00 AM, you can use the Disneyland app to get a reservation, at which time you enter your credit card info to get a return time. If you don’t show up, you’re charged full price for the experience ($199.99).  Reservations have gone EXTREMELY fast in the past week, with slots for the entire day completely filled an hour or two after park opening. 
 
If Galaxy’s Edge has reached capacity and is using the boarding group system that day, your confirmed reservation acts as your boarding pass. 
 

Enjoying the cantina
The absolute hottest thing at Galaxy’s Edge has been enjoying a tasty beverage at Oga’s Cantina. The popularity of the small cantina has taken everyone by surprise, and Disneyland appears to be scrambling to come up with a system to accommodate as many people as possible. Right now, the reservation system is identical to the one for building lightsabers: at 7 AM, you can make a reservation for later that day. If you no-show, you’re charged $10/person.  Oga’s reservations are also completely gone by the first hour or two of the day. 
 

Buying other food and merchandise
There aren’t any special considerations to take into consideration when buying any other food and merchandise; there aren’t any other reservations or inside knowledge needed for anything else in Galaxy’s Edge. While building droids is very popular, it has a much higher capacity than the lightsaber experience so no reservation is needed there.   


Wrapping it up
If this past week is any indication, Disneyland has done everything right with crowd control at Galaxy's Edge. Only time will tell how things play out with crowds levels and line lengths in the future, but it's been extremely pleasant overall so far. I'm betting that Walt Disney World® Resort is keeping a close eye on how things are going on the other coast and that we may see some of these same processes in place when their version of Galaxy's Edge opens in a couple of months. 

​By David Platt, your Mouse Master specialist to Disney Destinations and beyond

Today, let’s take a look at which Walt Disney World® Resort FastPasses you’re likely to have the most trouble getting:
 
Magic Kingdom
At Magic Kingdom, it’s no contest for the most coveted FastPass: Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. Before the new Toy Story Land and Pandora World of Avatar opened to take a bit of the pressure off, this was perhaps THE hardest FastPass to get in the entire resort. Except at busier times of year, you can probably book this one at about 60-61 days out. 
 
Epcot
Like in most parks, the newest ride is also the hottest FastPass: Frozen Ever After. The only thing that keeps Frozen Ever After from being nearly impossible to get is Epcot’s tiered FastPass structure. Guests can only select one ‘Tier One’ attraction, meaning they have to make a choice between Frozen Ever After, Test Track, or Soarin’.  While it isn’t as popular as some of the hottest FastPasses at other parks, this one can usually be booked when a 60-day booking window opens except at busier times of year. 
 
Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Until recently, Hollywood Studios was pretty much a walk in the park as far as FastPasses were concerned. That all changed when Toy Story Land opened. The two new Toy Story Land rides are the hottest tickets, with Slinky Dog Dash outstripping Alien Swirling Saucers by a long shot.  Slinky Dog Dash is almost guaranteed to be completely booked at about 62-63 days out.
 
Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park
Pandora- The World of Avatar was a game-changer in a lot of ways, throwing into turmoil a park that had previously been fairly easy as far as FastPasses go. The new Avatar Flight of Passage attraction is indisputably the hottest FastPass at all of Disney World right now. The standby wait time routinely tops out at about 2-3 hours. If you don’t have a FastPass booked at about 64-65 days out, you’re most likely out of luck. 
 

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Wait. Don’t FastPass booking windows open up at 60 days? How can they be gone at 65 days out?
I know what you might be thinking: how can some attractions be completely booked at more than 60 days out? Don’t FastPass booking windows only open at 60 days for on-site guests?
 
Yes, that’s accurate— but at that 60-day point, guests can book FastPasses for the entire length of their trip. Say, for example, you’re visiting for seven days. At the 60-day point, you can make reservations for the first day of your trip 60 days away—but you can also make them for every other day of your trip, up to 67 days away.  Guests with longer trips snatch up those coveted popular FastPass reservations, making them hard to come by right at the 60-day mark. Guests visiting for just a day or two may already find all the popular FastPasses gone when their booking window opens. 
 
I didn’t get a FastPass. What can I do?
Simple answer? Wait in the standby line. But if you’re willing to put in some time and effort, a FastPass is still possible. Guests change and cancel plans all the time, so random FastPasses for even the popular rides pop up occasionally. Sometimes, Disney will extend a park’s hours, meaning more FastPasses will pop up in the system. These methods require tenacity, knowledge of the best times to check for cancelations, and more than a bit of luck. 
 
If you’re willing to throw a bit of money at the problem, there are guided tours that include popular attractions. Animal Kingdom, for example, currently offers the ‘Ultimate Night of Adventure VIP Tour’ which includes instant access to the Pandora rides along with a few others. Or, for high-rollers, there’s the Disney Private VIP Tour Service where you have a personal guide who will tailor a seven-hour minimum tour so you get to do exactly what you want to do, including skipping a lot of lines. 
 

​Are you sold yet? Wait, it gets better. 
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I haven’t even touched on the service aspect of the park. Discovery Cove is darn near all-inclusive— with your standard entry, you get all food (breakfast, lunch, and snacks), beverages (including beer and wine), wetsuits, and parking. They even provide sunscreen if you didn’t bring your own! While there are add-ons you can purchase to upgrade your day, like the previously-mentioned dolphin swim and SeaVenture, it’s entirely possible to step into Discovery Cove and never spend another dime.
 
Another fantastic aspect of Discovery Cove? It’s never crowded. They limit the number of tickets they sell per day, so you’re hardly ever waiting in line for anything. The ONE exception to this rule is at meal times— lines at the restaurants may be long, but move very quickly. 
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We had concerns about visiting Discovery Cove. On paper, it seems like there’s not a lot to do, particularly if you choose not to do the dolphin swim like us. But we easily spent a whole day here, and never felt bored in the slightest. We spent hours exploring the reef, floated down the lazy river multiple times, and quite simply RELAXED, which is something we’re not great at. 

Would I recommend it? In a heartbeat. I can’t imagine visiting Orlando without a visit to Discovery Cove now. 

Disclosure: While I received a travel professional discount for my Discovery Cove package, the discount did not influence my review. 

By David Platt, your Mouse Master specialist

Disney California Adventure® Park is at it again, with massive changes in the air! I almost don’t know where to begin with this one:
 

What’s changing
 
Paradise Pier: it’s becoming Pixar Pier—but only part of it. The area between Goofy’s Sky School and The Little Mermaid—Ariel’s Undersea Adventure will be rebranded as ‘Paradise Park.’ Pixar Pier will include four Pixar neighborhoods: an Incredibles neighborhood, a Toy Story neighborhood, an Inside Out neighborhood, and a fourth neighborhood devoted to other Pixar characters.
 
California Screamin’: the legendary coaster will be re-themed as the Incredicoaster, the linchpin of the Incredibles neighborhood. The new coaster will feature "a mid-century-modern-style loading area, new character moments and a new look for the ride vehicles," according to the Disney Parks Blog.
 
Ariel’s Grotto and the Cove Bar: these two popular eateries will briefly be shut down before re-opening as a yet-to-be-named lounge and grill.  What does this mean for the future of princess dining at California Adventure? Only time will tell. I’m wondering if maybe we’ll get a brand new Pixar-themed character dining experience.

Mickey’s Fun Wheel: while the name will apparently stay the same, the Fun Wheel will now have gondolas themed after Pixar characters. Not to worry—the giant Mickey face will remain!
 
California theming: this is purely my own opinion here, but yet ANOTHER piece of the park’s California theming is disappearing. First Soarin’ Over California is rebranded to Soarin’ Around the World, then the Hollywood Hotel at the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror™ is rebranded to Guardian’s of the Galaxy- Mission: BREAKOUT!, and now California Screamin’ will be rebranded to the Incredicoaster. I feel a renaming of the park coming down the pike, eliminating the ‘California’ in the park name.
 


What’s staying the same
 
The Little Mermaid—Ariel’s Undersea Adventure: there are no plans to make any changes to this popular ride, although the name of the land it’s in will change from Paradise Pier to Paradise Park.
 
Toy Story Midway Mania!®: while the land it’s in will be renamed from Paradise Pier to Pixar Pier, nothing has been announced to indicate any changes to this linchpin of the Toy Story neighborhood.
 
Most of the ‘lesser’ Paradise Pier rides: Goofy’s Sky School, Silly Symphony Swings, Jumpin’ Jellyfish, and Golden Zephyr will remain unchanged, as far as we know.
 


What’s being added
 
An Inside Out attraction: the Inside Out neighborhood will be home to an as-yet-unnamed ‘family friendly attraction.
 
New meet & greets: while the official announcement doesn’t explicitly say anything about new character meet & greets, the description of the Incredibles neighborhood promises a ‘new character moment.’ I’d also be incredibly (see what I did there?) surprised to not see other Pixar meet & greets incorporated into the Inside Out and Toy Story neighborhoods.
 


For the full story, see the original Disney Parks Blog article. 

 By David Platt, your Mouse Master specialist

Recently, Disneyland® Resort unveiled a new Disney FASTPASS® Service add-on called MaxPass. To clear up some confusion surrounding the new service, here’s a list of what it is and what it isn’t. From here on out, I’ll refer to FASTPASS as ‘FP’ for brevity’s sake.
 
What it is

1. A way to save time: MaxPass lets you select FPs using the Disneyland® Parks app on your phone, rather than walking to a FP machine. Once you use a FP and enter the FP line, you can immediately select another FP before you even get on the ride.
 
2. A way to get more FPs: MaxPass shortens the wait between selecting FPs from two hours to 90 minutes, allowing you to select more FPs over the course of your day.
 
3. A way to get more photos: PhotoPass service is rolled into the cost of MaxPass, so you can download all ride photos and pictures taken by PhotoPass photographers.
 
4. A way to select FPs while you take a break: Taking an afternoon break? No problem—as long as you’ve used your park ticket to enter one of the parks that day, you can use the app to select your next FP from your hotel room.
 
5. A way to get FPs from both parks: unlike with traditional FP service, you can use MaxPass to select a FP from either park. So, for example, say you just rode Splash Mountain but you know you’re heading over to Disney California Adventure® Park in a little while. Fire up the app, and pick up a FP for Radiator Springs Racers (if there are any still available that day, of course).
 

What it isn’t
 
1. A free service: Yes, MaxPass is a paid service. It costs $10/person, per day (Annual Pass holders pay a flat fee). So for a family of four, you’re looking at an additional $40/day to use MaxPass. You can purchase it using the Disneyland app for as few or as many days of your visit as you like. (Update on July 10, 2019: current pricing is now $15/day)
 
2. An advance reservation system: A lot of people seem to think MaxPass is a way to reserve FPs in advance, just like the FastPass+ service at Walt Disney World® Resort. It’s not. You can still only select FPs the day you’re in the park, and only one at a time.
 
3. A way to ‘double-dip’ on FPs: A common misconception is that you can reserve electronic FPs using MaxPass and still pull traditional paper FPs too, effectively holding two FPs at the same time. This is not the case—while you can still pull paper FPs after purchasing MaxPass, you can still only select one FP at a time, either traditional paper FP or new electronic FP via MaxPass.
 
4. A way to still get FPs when paper FPs run out: MaxPass FPs run out, just like traditional FPs. Both paper and electronic FPs are pulled from the same pool; once they’re gone for the day, they’re gone.  (Note: there is a slight exception to this rule: if someone cancels an electronic FP for an attraction for which FP distribution has already ended for the day, it goes back into the pool and someone else using MaxPass could potentially grab it). 
 
5. A way to get those coveted Fantasmic! or World of Color FPs early: While there’s evidence that you might be able to use MaxPass to get World of Color or Fantasmic! FPs in the future, right now you still have to pull your FPs for these popular nighttime shows from a machine the traditional way. (Update on July 10, 2019: FastPasses for both World of Color and Fantasmic are now available via the MaxPass system)

By David Platt, your Mouse Master specialist

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It took a couple of months to get here, but I finally managed to record a trip report podcast  for my end-of-May Daddy/Daughter Disneyland trip. We packed so much into this trip, including multiple rides on the brand new Guardians of the Galaxy- Mission: BREAKOUT! ride, all the fun new superhero stuff at Disney California Adventure® Park, and an impromptu side trip to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios Hollywood. We also stayed at Disney's Paradise Pier® Hotel, which I detailed in a previous blog post. These trips with just my daughter and me, who is undoubtedly just as big a Disney Parks fan as I am, are always a highlight of my year:

Listen to my trip report podcast at the Dis Dad's website