Valerie D'Avril
Related Articles
Hi Hi Hi ! With the blackout dates slowly starting to fade, one magic key level at a time, it’s time for the holiday crowds to calm down and for the magic key holders to return to the happiest place on Earth. . Join us to visit the two parks of the Disneyland Resort, as well as Downtown Disney.
Disneyland
Throughout the resort, the holidays are in full swing. The decorations are still hanging, Christmas music is still playing on repeat, and the holiday food and merchandise offerings are always plentiful.
The characters are still in their best winter too. Mickey, Minnie and Goofy came out to greet us just as we entered the park.
Even though the New Year has already arrived, we still love the holiday look of the castle.
A holiday overlay has already fallen – Santa Claus, who was meeting guests at Pooh’s Thotful Spot, has returned home to the North Pole until next year.
Many characters had come out to greet guests today. We spotted Tinkerbell at Pixie Hollow, showing off her super cute winter coat.
In New Orleans Square, Redd waved to guests at 21 Royal as they entered his attraction below.
And at the edge of the galaxy, R2-D2 interacted with guests as he rolled around the earth.
We’ve been keeping an eye out for those pesky Toontown weasels as Jessica Rabbit slowly takes over as the private investigator who clears their wave of crimes at Roger Rabbit’s Car TOON Spin.
In the queue for the trip, the martens that usually walk through the window have been stationary for several weeks. It is likely that this effect will not be corrected while the ride is open, but will instead wait until the nationwide shutdown in March for a major reimagining.
Much progress was made in Toontown even before it closed. Work on the upcoming Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway attraction is progressing rapidly.
With Plaza Point Holiday Shoppe now open on Main Street, USA to meet any holiday merchandise needs anyone could dream of, the Castle Holiday Shoppe in Fantasyland was a bit redundant. It closed at the same time as Plaza Point opened, and now we have a name and new art for the store that will take its place.
In the Emporium we found lots of new clothes, accessories and more, like this Mickey hat, above, and this cute little backpack, below.
We also found 2022 brand merchandise – like this truck seen above and a pair of sweatshirts, one of which is seen below.
After seeing this shirt for the first time on shopDisney the other day, we also found it in the park at Disney Showcase.
Also on the Disney Showcase, we spotted this new Belle nuiMOs doll and a whole bunch of wintery outfits, like the Lunar New Year outfit seen below.
There were a ton of new pins released today. Among them was this awesome little Star Tours pin celebrating the 35th anniversary this year.
At Tomorrowland, new Star Wars clothing has hit shelves, including a “The Book of Boba Fett” shirt above and a collection of space-celebrating clothing, as seen below.
While at Tomorrowland, we hopped aboard the monorail and were treated to great views of the lagoon from Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage being renovated.
Everything looks shiny and new. A fresh coat of paint can go a long way in making the attraction its best.
We will definitely miss this view when the monorail drops for another long shutdown starting January 24.
We had so many great shots in one quick lap that we decided to make it a bit artistic with one.
Disney downtown
The Monorail dropped us off at Downtown Disney, where a few establishments are getting ready to close their doors.
The Downtown Disney end will close this month to have the area reinvented with more open space for festivals. It’s time to see the old AMC theater, the old ESPN zone, and even the old Rainforest Cafe disappear. But we’ll definitely miss Earl of Sandwich.
The Starbucks store and Sugarboo & Co. are also closing. Sad to see them go, but progress requires sacrifice.
This Caramel Grogu Apple from Confiserie Marceline was all the rage so we stopped to grab one and had an impromptu photoshoot at the Star Wars Trading Post.
We might have got a little carried away, but it’s so cute.
Salt & Straw has five new flavors to try this month, made with vegan cupcakes. The store operates with reduced hours due to the health crisis, but they are still open.
With the return of streetcars from the parking lot at any time in early 2022, the Downtown Disney loading area is getting a facelift. Fences and scrims have been erected at the drop-off / pick-up point in front of World of Disney.
Disney California Adventure
As we made our way to Disney California Adventure, we noticed a new banner on the lampposts. Avengers Campus has been added as a featured attraction alongside classics such as Grizzly Peak, Carthay Circle Restaurant, and The Little Mermaid: Ariel’s Undersea Adventure.
There isn’t much visible progress in Paradise Bay. Although the bay is filled with water, there are still platforms just above the surface for further work.
After being unavailable for a while, the Iron Man Infinity Gauntlet Cup Holder is finally back on Avengers Campus.
Ant Man says goodbye to us as we leave Disneyland Resort.
Thanks for riding with us. See you very soon!
