Disneyland Gets Splash Mountain Closing Date; Magic Keys Go Quickly; New Restaurants and New Show Dates

 by Beth Keating

News

DisneyBizJournal.com

April 14, 2023

 

Lots of news out of California this week.

 

Disneyland’s Splash Mountain ride, which opened in 1989, will close for good on May 31, 2023, with its last day to plunge over the 52-foot falls at Chick-a-pin Hill with Br’er Bear, Br’er Fox and Br’er Rabbit taking place on May 30th. Disney World’s Splash Mountain closed in January, with construction chugging ahead toward a projected 2024 reopening.

Construction on Splash Mountain in Disney World

Both of the Tony Baxter-designed Splash Mountain locations are being re-themed as Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, based on the animated Princess and the Frog movie. The attraction’s storyline takes place after the close of the film, with Tiana opening her own restaurant and setting up an employee-owned company called “Tiana’s Foods,” supported by a new salt mine for the company. Signs at the Florida construction site already advertise “Tiana’s Foods…coming soon!”

 

The new iteration of the log flume ride will use the same ride track, but offer up a continuing story in Tiana’s tale, and will showcase characters from the original film, including Prince Naveen, Mama Odie, Louis, Eudora, Charlotte, “Big Daddy,” the King and Queen of Maldonia, and Prince Ralphie as they celebrate Mardi Gras.  Many of the original actors and actresses will be bringing their voices to the adventure’s sound track, but even more exciting, Disney has said they will be adding the scent of beignets to the ride! The accompanying music for the attraction will feature favorites from the movie, as well as newly created tunes.

Interestingly, while some of the animatronic characters are expected to be repurposed (along with many higher tech ones creating new characters for the ride), this isn’t the first time the critters will be reused.  A number of the more than 100 Disneyland ride animatronics were brought in from the original “America Sings” attraction.  

 

If you want to catch one more log to your laughing place, you’d best “Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah” over there soon! Splash Mountain is also available in Tokyo Disneyland, but it has not been slated for closure or re-theming at this time.

 

In other Disneyland news this week, Magic Key Passes (Disneyland’s version of an annual pass) went on sale again on April 11, but not for long.  As of this morning (April 14), only the Inspire Key ($1,599) was still available for new purchase.  (You can still renew at other levels.). At Disney World, guests will get their chance to snap up annual passes on April 20, though Disney Vacation Club members had a shot at it yesterday, April 13, but it was not without its technical difficulties.

 

In more sad Disneyland “closings” news, Catal Restaurant and Uva Bar & Café are also shutting their doors.  But there is good news in there, too, as the eateries will be making way for the new Paseo and Centrico. It should be a welcome addition, as its Mexican cuisine is being brought to the reimagined Downtown Disney area by Michelin Star Chef Carlos Gaytan.

 

And can we have a drum roll, please? Disney also announced a start date for the highly-anticipated Rogers: The Musical at Disney California Adventure. A short, 30-minute, one-act musical, the limited time show will debut on June 30, 2023, at the Hyperion Theater.  Why is this so highly anticipated?  Well, if you aren’t familiar with this send-up of Captain America and his gang of heroic Avengers, the performance first caught audiences’ attention at the 2022 D23 convention, and also made an appearance in the Disney+ series, Hawkeye.  The show will reportedly include the “Save the City” song from Hawkeye, as well as several new original songs created just for the musical.

 

If you’re looking to “do this all day,” you can only grab a seat Tuesday-Saturday at the Hyperion. There will, of course, be appropriately themed merch released at a later date.

 

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Beth Keating is a theme parks, restaurant and entertainment reporter for DisneyBizJournal.

Sales of Magic Key Passes at Disneyland Resort Resume

 by Beth Keating

News

DisneyBizJournal.com

January 17, 2023

 

Disney is following through on a promise made just seven days ago – that Magic Keys (California’s version of annual passes) would be available “from time to time” throughout the year, as “inventory becomes available.” 

 

That time is now.  Disneyland Resort is once again selling its Magic Key passes, a magical feat that began Tuesday morning at 9:00 am (PT). So jump on it before you lose out if you are one of those guests who has been waiting. The last time the Keys went on sale, they were sold out in a matter of hours.

Currently, the available passes include:

Inspire: $1599
Believe: $1099
Enchant: $699 (Unavailable for new sales, renewals only)

Imagine: $449 (Southern California Residents only)

 

Blockout dates and varying perks apply for each level, so be sure to check the Key listings carefully…and quickly. Magic Keys are available at the Disneyland website, and new pass sales are available online only.

 

According to Disney, Magic Key pass availability is limited, and being in the queue does not guarantee the ability to purchase any Magic Key pass. When they are sold out, they are sold out, regardless of your presence in the queue. 

 

And here’s a very significant add-on:  Purchasers need to be aware that new pass sales will be paused each night at 10:00 pm (PT). Disney explained that guests will remain in the queue overnight, as long as they remain connected to the network and keep their browser window open. Pass sales will resume no earlier than 9:00 am (PT), the following day.

 

Guests will have 10 minutes to enter the site when their turn comes up. Entering the site does not guarantee the ability to purchase any Magic Key pass.

As of this writing, wait times were more than an hour. Expect that time to go up, as the Keys are in high demand, and the news of the sales begins to spread.

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Beth Keating is a theme parks, restaurant and entertainment reporter for DisneyBizJournal.

 

Disneyland Resort Resumes Selling Three of the Four Magic Key Annual Passes

 by Beth Keating

News

DisneyBizJournal.com

November 17, 2022

 

(Update, November 18, 2022: One day after announcing that three of four Disneyland Magic Key annual passes went back on sale, Disney announced that those sales were stopped.)

 

Run – don’t walk – if you’ve been waiting to purchase annual passes to Disneyland’s theme parks in California. Three of the four Magic Key annual passes went back on sale yesterday, via either the Disneyland app or the Disneyland website, and one never knows when those sales will again come to an abrupt halt, as they did back in the spring. The last of the passes ceased sales in May, with the higher tiers unavailable since fall of 2021.

Disney warns that passes or certain pass types are subject to limited availability, so if you were planning on getting those passes as Christmas gifts, or heading to the parks for a 2023 vacation, get on your computer quickly. 

 

After a six-month drought, the passes are returning at the same prices they were previously offered. The only pass not currently for sale is the Enchant pass; however, those holding existing Enchant keys will be able to renew them as long as they renew BEFORE their passes expire.  

 

Magic Key prices are:

 

• Inspire: $1,599

• Believe: $1,099

• Enchant: $699 (only for renewals)

• Imagine: $449 (however, they are available to Southern California residents in certain zip codes only)

 

Each pass comes with its own set of block out dates, as well as differing “perks” per level, including varying numbers of reservations that can be held at one time; differing discounts on food and merchandise;  and varying inclusions on parking, PhotoPass offers, and Genie+ discounts.

 

Because of high demand, Disney has established a virtual queue for purchasing the Magic Keys; as of the writing of this article this morning, the wait time in the queue was estimated to be more than an hour before entering the actual purchase link.

 

Could the availability of the Magic Keys have something to do with Disney’s poor showing at last week’s Q4 earnings report?  With inflation looming, dips in stock prices, and news of layoffs and hiring freezes, Disney may be realizing they need the influx of cash from those annual pass holders after all.  There’s been no word yet as to whether annual pass sales will resume at Disney World in Florida.

 

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Beth Keating is a theme parks, restaurant and entertainment reporter for DisneyBizJournal.