And if you’re visiting DisneySea and you don’t have Happy Entry, AND you didn’t get up at 5 a.m. to go get your spot in line, I hope you like this view:

We got there an hour early and it still took us a full hour just to get through security. This isn’t WDW or Disneyland — say all you want about Japanese efficiency, and most of it is true, but sometimes all that attention to detail just takes too long when you’re trying to get into the park and book a Disney Premier Access (DPA) time for the most-coveted attraction. Also, shuffling through a huge line for an hour simply sucks.

There are way too few security screening stations, and multiple lines were merging at the gates, which made everything painful.

But that is just kind of how it goes in Japan. Everywhere you go in Tokyo there’s a line somewhere — and much of the time you’re only lucky enough to get a spot in that line if you were picked from a lottery to begin with.

So yeah… while it’s super hard to justify essentially an extra $1,000 dollars just so I could have stayed on property and skipped this massive line, I can’t say there weren’t many times that fateful morning that I questioned that decision.

But it was kind of an appropriate primer for the day we were about to embark on. There was plenty of magic and joy, to be sure, but there was also always an underlying sense of everything being bigger and more difficult that it seems like it should have been.

A park of massive scale and scope

While Tokyo Disneyland felt familiar and easy to navigate, DisneySea might be the exact opposite — at least for a first timer like me.

For starters, this isn’t a hub and spoke situation like most Disney parks, but instead a long, out-and-back map. So if you want to get from the main entrance to Fantasy Springs, you’re walking through the entire park, and that’s pretty much all there is to it. Forgot your water bottle somewhere in Mediterranean Harbor? Yeah, you’ll need to walk through the entire park again to go back and get it.

Yes, there are two transportation options — the Electric Railway and Transit Steamer Line (which is just a little passenger boat) — but chances are you’re better off walking most of the time anyways. We waited 25 minutes to take the train from American Waterfront to Port Discovery (the only two stops, btw), which turns out would have taken us about 5 minutes to just walk the damn thing.

In fairness, I never got on the boat, which may have been a better option for actually getting somewhere, as it has three stops: American Waterfront, Lost River Delta, and Mediterranean Harbor.

To be honest, all the handwringing and nerves you see from people planning a trip to DisneySea is more or less warranted. Sorry!

But with all that said, this place is pretty damn incredible to look at. After you pass through an esplanade featuring a pretty cool globe/water feature, you enter the park in earnest, and are immediately struck by the sheer scale of Mount Prometheus, the park’s icon and the show building for one of the best rides at DisneySea.

Oh, and this giant volcano is seen from across a bay that truly looks like you’re in Venice, Italy. It’s really difficult to put into pictures or words just how impressive it all is. This thing is nearly 200 feet tall and takes up 750,000 square feet. So, yeah, it’s big.

Whatever your expectations are for DisneySea, however many pictures you’ve seen or videos you’ve watched, there is no way to prepare for the sheer scale of it. The scale of EVERYthing in this park.

In fact, if I were ever to go back to DisneySea, I would probably try to spend most of the day just looking around at stuff and going, “Wow!”

The DPA that wasn’t meant to be

The first thing we tried to do was book a DPA for Anna and Elsa’s Frozen Journey. Why, you ask? Because wait times regularly reach or exceed — hold on to your butts — 240 minutes.

For those counting at home, that’s four hours of your day waiting in a standby line. Sure, it’s the hottest, newest attraction, but sheeeeesh. And I kind of get it, because if you live in Tokyo, why not throw down $60 and spend a day waiting for one ride if you feel like it? But for the rest of us… well, damn it.

Let me put this bluntly: If you want to ride Frozen at DisneySea, if it’s a must, then the truly only sure way to beat those insane standby times is to book a Vacation Package, which will allow you to prebook a DPA. Alternatively, you’d need to stay at Hotel MiraCosta to get Happy Entry for DisneySea and either get a shorter standby line or the ability to book a DPA before 40,000 other people are also trying.

So in other words, if you’re willing and able to shell out lots of money, then anything is possible.

As for me, I still did not have that extra $1,000 to spend, so getting there early and trying to book a DPA was our best shot. I was through the gates roughly 5 minutes after the park opened — and all the DPAs were GONE.

I checked back throughout the day, and a couple of times I nearly nabbed one, but they kept slipping through my fingers. So in other words, I spent most of the day refreshing the DPA list and had zilch to show for it — and ended up watching a YouTube ridethrough when I got home instead.

Damn it.

So that’s the story on Frozen. I hope you have/had better luck than me.

Instead we booked a DPA for Peter Pan’s Never Land Adventure and rushed our way up to Raging Spirits, as it was showing just a 5-minute standby wait.

Thrill rides here… aren’t that thrilling

Raging Spirits is one of the attractions that only exists at DisneySea, and one of the few “thrill rides” at TDR that we had our eyes set on. As we hurried through multiple lands — the spectacles of which made my jaw drop and only the insistent urging of my wife kept me moving — I had visions of enjoying a sweet coaster I’d never ridden before.

Sadly, the Indiana Jones attraction was still in the midst of a long refurbishment, so this was our chance to get a taste of that adventure life.

The theming was incredible. Waterfalls. Fire. Ancient ruins that look incredibly real. And signs everywhere warning me that my health could be at risk by riding this attraction.

Hell yeah! I was pumped — despite the fact that by the time we got there the wait had ballooned to 50 minutes. Meh, whatever! COASTER TIME!

And then, after we spent nearly an hour getting pumped up, we finally got onboard… and basically got off two seconds later.

Womp womp.

The “thrills” on this ride lasted for about a nanosecond. I don’t understand it, but you would go up, go fast for a heartbeat or two, and then it would slow you down and prep you for the next drop. And after like three of those it just… ended.

And that was kind of the name of the game. It just felt like the thrill factor on most rides was turned down in general. Not sure what’s up with that, but now you know.

The attractions I rode and what I recommend

Because we didn’t want to wait in those insane standby lines, we kind of ended up with a lot of time in between DPAs where we weren’t sure exactly what to do. On top of that, we had an app issue that I mentioned in Part I that was messing with us — which, again, just restart your phone if that happens.

That said, by the end of the day we were able to get in quite a few attractions and even a show while spending money on three DPAs. No Frozen, which was a major bummer, but otherwise I feel like we got a pretty good taste of all the unique things DisneySea has to offer.

Here’s what else, besides Raging Spirits being boring, you need to know about the attractions at DisneySea:

Peter Pan’s Never Land Adventure

I’m pretty sure Neverland is supposed to be one word, but this is how they officially spell it on the website and in the app, so who am I to argue?

Since we couldn’t nab a DPA for Frozen, we instead grabbed one for this unique Peter Pan attraction that’s part of the new Fantasy Springs land. As an FYI, in retrospect we could have left this as our final DPA for the day and nabbed something else instead, as it turned out the DPAs for Peter Pan were available all day long.

This looked like one of the more unique and interesting attractions — and it was! Also, you can check out Skull Rock and Captain Hook’s boat nearby.

To be clear, this ride is totally separate from Peter Pan’s Flight, versions of which which can be found in Disneyland, Magic Kingdom, and even in Tokyo Disneyland. This is a completely new attraction that blends 3D animation and something akin to a good ol’ fashion dark ride.

This ended up actually being one of my favorite rides in all of TDR. The 3D effects are actually super impressive (sorry Flight of Passage, but it beats even that). The blending of practical and digital is seamless, and you get six to seven minutes of ride time, which felt like a lot for the rides in Tokyo.

An important note — if you’re susceptible to motion sickness, there’s a chance this one could trigger some queasiness for you. While most of the ride is pretty chill, there are a couple of parts where the screen is doing some loop-de-loops and whatnot. My wife and I each took a half Dramamine, and were totally fine. This isn’t Mission Space or anything, but be aware of it.

All in all, I’d say it was well worth the DPA for this one.

Journey to the Center of the Earth

Mama Mia!

First of all, you catch a glimpse of the ride vehicles for this one when you first peek Mount Prometheus, so the anticipation builds pretty quickly.

This one doesn’t get as crazy as Frozen in terms of standby times, but it still gets up there — at last check, 160 minutes even on a winter’s day.

So after we booked Peter Pan and while we were in line for Raging Spirits, our next DPA window opened, so we grabbed one for this bad boy. It seems like DPAs for this one are readily available into the afternoon, so you don’t have to be too rabid about it.

This is easily one of the most unique attractions you will ever experience. It’s somehow a mix of dark ride AND thrill ride, and features one of the most impressive animatronics you will find anywhere in the world. The entire vibe of this ride is, as my son would say, peak.

I’m so glad we got to experience this one — but there’s no way in hell I’d wait in the standby line for this. Why? Because it clocks in at a paltry three minutes, and honestly I’m shocked that’s the listed ride time. As was the case with several rides at TDR, it felt like it ended just as it was really getting going. So while it was truly awesome and one of the coolest attractions I’ve ever experienced, there was still something a bit unsatisfying about it.

With that said, you should definitely ride it. And the land where it’s housed, Mysterious Island, is truly one of the most stunning places I’ve ever seen, in a theme park or otherwise. Pictures just don’t do it justice. Believe me, I just checked and decided it wasn’t even worth throwing my crappy phone pics in here.

Any steampunk fans, in particular, will enjoy grabbing a drink at the café and just chilling here for awhile.

Other attractions and what to prioritize

Back to bullet points! Hell yeah!

• Sinbad’s Storybook Village: This was the only ride in all of TDR that we rode twice. That should tell you something. I don’t know why this ride doesn’t get waaaay more hype. And the wait times are almost always negligible. It’s in essence a dark boat ride that follows the exploits of Sinbad. It’s sort of like Small World, with a song that loops endlessly and will get stuck in your head as you travel from room to room — but it’s also not like Small World at all, because it’s a totally different story for Disney and the animatronics are actually kind of amazing. And it’s long! This is truly a hidden gem and I think everyone should ride it. Go now.

• 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea: This is not a retread of your daddy’s submarine ride from Disneyland — this was a really cool, Jules Verne-inspired exploration of the deep. We burned a 40th Anniversary Priority Pass on this one (as a reminder, that’s the free one), but honestly I don’t know that you’d need to. The wait times are usually quite reasonable, and I would have ridden it again if we had just a little more time.

• Nemo & Friends SeaRider: The exterior of this ride is actually pretty awesome, as it’s a real-life version of the Marine Life Institute (MLI) from Finding Dory. That theme carries through as you’re shrunken to the size of a fish and get to take a small adventure through the world of Nemo (& friends, of course). It’s basically like a more chilled out Star Tours experience. The vehicle/theater is much bigger than Star Tours, and the movement is fairly minimal. This would be a great one for littles. It tends to have a shorter wait time, so it’s fine for a filler, and actually I really just dug the theming of it more than anything. Otherwise, it’s one you can probably skip if you’re short on time.

• Tower of Terror: If you’ve watched Behind the Attraction on Disney+ (and if you haven’t, what are you even doing?), you know a little something about all the variations of Tower of Terror out there, and DisneySea has one of the more unique ones. It’s New York in 1912, and you’re on a tour of a hotel made famous by the mysterious fate of its past owner. There’s a pre-show effect that’s super cool, and the attention to detail here is on par with any attraction at any Disney park I’ve been to. Like many of the rides in Tokyo, the thrill factor seems like it’s turned down just a touch, but the unique qualities of this variation still made this one of my favorites, and certainly worthy of a DPA.

• Believe! Sea of Dreams: This is a bit of a cheat, because it’s not really an attraction, but instead the one show we got to see at DisneySea. It’s a water show, akin to World of Color, that takes place in the harbor. We had no problem getting a good spot to stand and watch. We got a bit lucky, but it seemed that the steps near Soaring (they do have the “g” at DisneySea) were a good spot for those coming in at the last minute. This show was… really long. It was pretty cool, with lit up boats, fireworks, classic songs, movie clips, characters, and a general good time. But it seemed like there were like five finales, and yet after over 30 minutes when we said screw it and went to ride something before the park closed, it was still going. I’d say carve out 10 minutes to catch a bit, and then run up to Fantasy Springs and get a short standby time.

What to know about the food at DisneySea

See this thing? Wherever you see it anywhere in the park, buy it and eat it.

In fact, buy two. Two for everyone in your party.

This guy is the Spicy Smoked Chicken Leg, and it’s usually found as a side or snack for just ¥600 ($3.79). This chicken is much more than a replacement for turkey legs (which you can indeed find in DisneySea as well) — these are the perfect little snack that are way easier to eat while still being packed full of flavor.

One of the places they’re available is Yucatan Base Camp Grill, where we enjoyed a mobile order meal that also included the Hashed Beef Yucatan Rice Bowl and a Hot Peach Tea.

Everything here was really tasty, and if this was an option here in Denver, I’d probably go eat it pretty regularly.

Another priority food item for us was the Gyoza Sausage Bun, which we grabbed at Nautilus Galley alongside a seasonal cocktail (which has since been replaced by Hot Wine, it appears).

This is another great snack — not quite as good as the chicken leg, but on par with most steamed buns you’ll find anywhere else. And in a fun shape, too! It also helped that this was in Mysterious Island, my favorite land to just look around.

A couple more quick food highlights, first from The Snuggly Duckling in Fantasy Springs. Here we enjoyed the Fried Shrimp Burger, and it was honestly better than I expected.

My son also had a Rapunzel’s Magical Milk Tea, and it was indeed magical — both with the fun effect after you stir up the little candy stars, but also in terms of solid flavor. The Snuggly Duckling’s theming (essentially a Viking eatery/pub) is also really fun.

Lastly, I have to mention the Chinese Chili popcorn at the popcorn wagon in American Waterfront (the one in front of Liberty Landing Diner). This was definitely my favorite popcorn at TDR and one of the best popcorn flavors I’ve ever had.

One general thing I noticed at DisneySea was that people tended to wait in lines for food, even when mobile ordering was available. Not sure what’s up with that, but mobile ordering seemed more abundant here compared to Tokyo Disneyland, so take advantage of it.

Final tips and closing thoughts

Unlike Tokyo Disneyland where a single day felt like plenty of time, DisneySea probably needs two to three days to get the full experience. I didn’t have that.

The sheer scale of the theming across each land is truly massive, at times bordering on overwhelming. And the layout of the park — in-and-out vs. hub-and-spoke — means lots of steps and wear and tear on the ol’ legs.

And even though I watched a bunch of videos and read a bunch of articles ahead of time, there really wasn’t anything that could fully prepare me for the experience. It’s simply different than any other theme park out there.

Given the chance, I would probably revisit DisneySea, and this time I might just spend more time simply looking around. At every turn it seems like there’s something else to discover. At one point we were walking past Mermaid Lagoon and casually stepped inside a small building to look at a statue of King Triton — then we noticed people going into a hall behind the statue. Lo and behold, we went back there and it turns out there’s essentially an entire indoor theme park in there.

That happened at almost every turn. Beyond the attractions, there’s just an immense amount of exploration to be had.

I’ve heard a lot of people who rate DisneySea as the best Disney park, and maybe best theme park, in the world. I’m not ready to go there just yet, but I do think it’s well worth it for any Disney fan to carve out a day or two to see for themselves what all the hubbub is about.

And not long after Disneyland opened in 1955, in the late ‘50s, a businessman from Japan inquired about the possibility of building a Disney theme park abroad. Walt was actually interested in the idea, but like many of his projects, it ended up fizzling out before it could get started.

Still, the desire from the Japanese to build and house a Disney park of their own never really went away, and by 1983 it had become a reality.

And no offense to L.A., which I love, but you can’t hold a candle to Tokyo in terms of sheer numbers, with 41 million residents inhabiting the metro region — the most populous metropolitan area on the planet.

So yeah, all of Tokyo Disney Resort (TDR) gets pretty busy with not only 41 million people within a train ride of visiting, but all the people who are visiting from around the world, plus things like affordable ticket prices ($50-$70 for a single-day ticket), park-unique attractions, and seasonal offerings.

As I noted in Part I of this series, we only had one day carved out for each park, as this was tacked on to our overall larger trip to Japan. So I’m sure there are folks reading this who have way more experience than I do — but here’s what I learned about Tokyo Disneyland during my one-day visit.

A manageable and familiar park

The first thing I noticed walking into Tokyo Disneyland was something that would stay with me throughout the day: a simultaneous sense of the familiar and new.

Sadly, we arrived an hour later than we planned to thanks to some train mixups, but on the upside that meant we didn’t have to wait in the insane security lines at park open.

Because we were transferring from our stay in Shinjuku, we had some luggage with us. Thankfully, it was easy to find storage lockers near security and store things away for the day. (Sidenote: We used a luggage transfer service for our bigger items — totally worth it. Ping me with questions.)

Getting through security was also a breeze. And as soon as we walked through the metal detector one thing became clear — the scale of Tokyo’s Disney parks is… pretty damn big.

There’s no esplanade here, but instead roughly a 100-yard walk from security to the ticket gates, where you can imagine it was full of eager parkgoers just an hour earlier.

I pulled up my tickets on my TDR app, and we were in with no issues.

And that’s when the familiar/new sensation kicked right in. As we entered what I continue to call Main Street, even though in Tokyo it’s called World Bazaar, I was hit with the familiar shopfronts, a marching band, and all the things you’ve come to expect from a visit to Disneyland or Magic Kingdom.

But then you look up and see the conservatory-style roof covering everything, and notice the side street that cuts through with additional restaurants and shops. The whole thing feels a bit more like a mall than a turn-of-the-century American main street, but at least you have somewhere to get out of the rain/heat/kaiju/whatever else Tokyo throws at you.

And then you walk out of the World Bazaar to the most impressive Disney castle I’ve ever seen in person.

So I need to take some photography classes, but hopefully this gives you a sense of the scale here. Beyond the Partners statue is a huge area for walking and parade viewing before you even reach the castle.

One thing that really struck me about the castle was the sense of realism. There’s more grey and you can see the individual stones (or at least something that’s made to look like individual stones), and as you get closer it truly towers above everything.

And this was common throughout the park: the wide open spaces. Unlike the bottle necks you get in Disneyland, and even at time in Magic Kingdom, there’s plenty of space for everyone to get to wherever they’re going, even though there are probably thousands to tens of thousands more people in the park at any given time compared to the U.S.

From here it was a similar experience throughout the park. All the familiar lands are there, even if some, like Westernland (which is in essence Frontierland) have different names or vary a bit in how they look or feel.

What you need to know about the attractions

The name of the game at both Tokyo Disneyland and DisneySea is reducing the amount of time you’re spending standing around waiting. Especially if you’re like me and you only have one day at the park — and even moreso if you’re really like me and got to the park late because of a stupid train.

So do your homework beforehand and figure out what your priorities are. At Disneyland, you’ll probably end up having some extra time to ride a few extra things if you play your cards right.

Since I’m a pretty regular visitor to Disneyland and have reasonable access to Magic Kingdom, I chose to focus on the attractions that are either totally or mostly unique to Tokyo.

And critically, I wanted to spend as little time in really long lines as possible, while still enjoying as many attractions as I could. Did I mention lines get insanely long there?

So here’s what you need to know:

These are the attractions that have Disney Premier Access (DPA aka the Tokyo version of Individual Lightning Lane):

• Enchanted Tale of Beauty and the Beast

• The Happy Ride with Baymax

• Splash Mountain

And yes, you read that right — they still have Splash Frickin’ Mountain.

Now here are the attractions that have 40th Anniversary Priority Pass access available:

• Big Thunder Mountain

• Pooh’s Hunny Hunt

• Haunted Mansion

• Star Wars: The Adventure Continues

• Monsters, Inc. Ride & Go Seek!

It’s worth noting that most of the classic rides here are more or less clones of the Anaheim parks. Space Mountain is still in the midst of a major renovation, but otherwise there’s not much difference (besides the language) for most of the similar attractions. More on that below.

The most-unique attractions: Beauty and the Beast & Pooh

If you’re a plebeian like me and don’t have a Vacation Package or Happy Entry, then the first thing you’ll want to do when you get inside the park is secure a DPA for Beauty and the Beast. The standby times regularly reach 160 minutes on a slow day, and this is one you do not want to miss.

The immersion and practical effects are on par with any of the best experiences in any theme park in the world, and it is by far the most unique attraction in all of Tokyo Disneyland. Pay the $$$, it’s well worth it.

It’s worth noting that we got into the park a little after 10 a.m. and had no problem getting a DPA for Beauty and the Beast, although our slot was for later in the evening. I think by 11 or noon they were all gone, but they are definitely attainable as long as you prioritize it.

The next thing we planned on doing was to grab a Priority Pass for Pooh’s Hunny Hunt, as we had heard that it’s apparently a banger and pretty unique compared to the U.S. Pooh rides. Sadly, the passes for Pooh were all gone due to our lateness, so instead we grabbed one for Monsters, Inc. Ride & Go Seek!, since that seemed to be the most unique out of what was available.

We opted to wait in a roughly 50-minute standby line for Pooh anyways, and this actually ended up being one of the highlights of the day.

Since I wanted to avoid spoilers, I won’t leave too many here, but suffice it to say this Pooh ride is bigger, better, and longer than any of the other Pooh rides in America. I’d recommend getting an Anniversary Pass for this one, assuming you get there earlier than I did, or hitting it up when you enter while the line is reasonable.

Splash Mountain and other attractions of note

I also want to point out Splash Mountain here. The last thing I’m going to do here is go down any kind of political rabbit hole (there are plenty of other places to do so, if that’s what you’re looking for), so I’ll simply say that setting all that junk aside, it’s pretty damn cool that there’s somewhere in the world where you can revisit this classic attraction. And since it’s all in Japanese and you have to travel a bazillion miles to get there, it feels totally outside all the baggage it would carry at home.

We used a DPA for this one as the wait times, even when it’s chilly, still hit up to 90 minutes or longer on the regular. We got a time in the early evening so I was able to anticipate this one all day long.

And it was well worth the wait — not only is this version at least as good as Magic Kingdom’s, it might even be somehow better. There are even a few scenes and characters that you only get, and only would have ever gotten, in Tokyo.

It’s a little bit weird, assuming you don’t speak Japanese, to watch the story unfold in a different language, but since you probably pretty much know it by heart it doesn’t really affect the experience. I honestly didn’t know it still existed at TDR until we started planning, so the mere fact I was on Splash Mountain kind of just blew my mind the entire time. It really felt like a special experience.

Honestly, between Beauty and the Beast and Splash Mountain, that just about made the entire trip worthwhile.

The one weird thing on Splash Mountain? There was literally no “splash.” For the final drop, there were some misters going, but at no point did I feel even a touch of water splashing into the log. I’m not sure if that’s just how they roll, or if they turned down the splash effects because of the cooler temps.

With all of that out of the way, I’ll try to keep it brief for the other stuff here by using the time-honored tradition of bullet points.

Here are the other highlights in terms of attractions:

• Monsters, Inc. Ride & Go Seek!: It’s fine. For younglings it’s probably a blast. Basically you have flashlights and when you shine them on anything that has a Monsters, Inc. icon, it does something, like bop up and down. Kinda cool. Otherwise, it’s basically like riding through Mike & Sulley to the Rescue in Anaheim. Maybe save this one for when the California attraction is defunct.

• The Happy Ride with Baymax: OK, this was unexpectedly way fun. It’s just a clone of Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree or Alien Swirling Saucers, except it’s Baymax themed. But the best part is there’s a playlist of special songs that play during the ride, and people are FRICKING INTO IT. Each song has it’s own special dance and Cast Members give 100% during each run. Many folks in line and on the ride will join in the dancing as well. Even if you don’t ride this one, just go check it out. We used a DPA for it, and I’d say it was worth it — but I wouldn’t wait in the 90+ minute standby line for it.

• Western River Railroad: Unlike at Magic Kingdom or Disneyland, the railroad at Tokyo Disneyland doesn’t double as a way to commute around the park. Instead, it’s a confined ride. But other than that, it’s pretty much a repeat of the other Disney railroads with the highlights all mashed together (yes, it has the dinosaurs). It’s a fine way to kill some time in between DPAs as the wait time is generally pretty low on this one.

• Pirates of the Caribbean: I’ll never say no to Pirates. This one’s darn near an exact clone of Anaheim and Orlando (it’s even mostly in English) — with the notable exception that the more progressive updates in the U.S. have not yet been instituted in Tokyo. Namely, men are still chasing women and Redd is still up for auction. I guess in Tokyo they keep their Pirates old school.

We also took a round on small world, again because of shorter wait times and DPAs scheduled for later in the day, and it was… fine. The queue is all inside and little bit unique, but otherwise this is one you can skip.

Oh, and a word to the wise: Stitch Encounter is NOT, I repeat NOT, a clone of the Stitch’s Great Escape!/ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter attractions of ye olden days at WDW. Since Splash Mountain is still there, along with some of the other old school versions of things, I just assumed that’s what it was. NOPE. It’s more like Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor where a digital Stitch interacts with the audience… fully in Japanese. So unless you are fluent, I’d suggest skipping this one. Although, I will admit I still had a sense of terror as I prayed that no one in my party would get called upon during the show.

What you need to know about the food

Ramping up to our trip we watched approximately 17,000,000 videos, with a large percentage of them mentioning that the food was pretty meh. We didn’t have a chance to sample a whole lot, but I’d say that myth was fully busted — we got down on some yummy stuff, ya’ll!

Before we dive into the food, a quick heads-up: mobile ordering is much less common at TDR. This is true for both parks, so do your homework ahead of time. Just like basically anything in Tokyo, people will line up and wait if there’s an option to do so, so planning ahead in terms of what you want to mobile order, and what you’re willing to wait in line for, will go a long way.

The first thing we housed was the fried fish sandwich that comes on a Chinese-style bun — basically like the dough you’d get for a bao bun. The buns are also colored yellow and shaped to look like a duck’s foot, since these are available at Huey, Dewey and Loui’s Good Time Cafe in Toontown.

We also got some more basic stuff here, like a Mickey-shaped pizza and some fries. They were at least as good as anything you’d get at the U.S. parks, and the fish sandwich was actually pretty great. Highly recommended.

Nearby we also found one of the few popcorn lines that wasn’t a 45-minute wait, and grabbed some honey-flavored popcorn.

The popcorn is a whole thing at TDR, across both parks. The lines can get pretty long, so check out which flavors you might want ahead of time and plan accordingly. Also, they sell some pretty cool popcorn related items, like a popcorn bucket holder that we got. It comes with a strap and you can place up to two regular sized popcorns in there. We’ll definitely be bringing it with us on future trips.

Sadly, I think the steak plate at Center Street Coffeehouse has already been updated since we were there, but I’m sure it’s still pretty delish. I guess we had the fall-themed version and now it’s winter? But either way, this place was super good all around. That gratin you see in the pic above? So. Damn. Good.

This was the one restaurant we were willing to get reservations for and spend precious time sitting and eating — I’d recommend it if you’re thinking about it.

We also got the Baymax plate, which features beef stroganoff and chicken curry separated by a rice Baymax.

Cute and tasty at the same time.

One cool general thing at TDR is that they will post the dates for seasonal offerings right there in the app, so when you’re doing your research you should be able to see what will be available during your visit, instead of having to guess and scour social media to figure it out.

Lastly, I need to mention these little guys.

The Little Green Dumplings are all they’re cracked up to be. Yummy and sweet cream filling inside a mochi-like wrapper made to look like the aliens from Toy Story. Yes and yes. You can find them in a few spots across both parks at TDR. My only tip for these? Get an order for each member of your party. Maybe two.

That was about what we were able to get in foodwise at Disneyland. The general vibe was that the food was better than I expected, so chow down.

Shows and parades

Sorry, but there’s not a lot I can offer you on this one, other than a few general tips.

When it comes to shows, both Disneyland and DisneySea offer a lottery for every show to get priority seating. Not a virtual queue, a lottery. Several shows also offer paid DPAs to gain guaranteed seating, but it seems those went pretty quick, as when we tried to grab one for Mickey’s Magical Music World they were gonezoes.

In terms of parades, we did catch a little bit of Tokyo Disneyland Electrical Parade Dreamlights. While we saw people nabbing spots for parades well ahead of time throughout the day, we had no problem finding a good viewing spot for this one, even after it had already started. It’s basically the Tokyo version of Paint the Night. Pretty cool, but nothing I’d make special plans for myself.

Otherwise, sadly, I can’t give you any more advice on this front — but if you had a chance to see any shows or parades at TDR, drop a comment!

Final tips and closing thoughts

Here’s the bottom line: You’re probably going to be able to do the stuff you want with little to no issues, even if you only have one day and get there late. To do everything, you could probably easily do so with a Vacation Package or an extra day.

Would I have liked to check out Big Thunder and Haunted Mansion, just to see if/how they differ (and to get my fix)? Sure, but leaving for the day without hitting those attractions really didn’t bother me at all. I came away with a great dose of Disney while also experiencing some cool, new things.

Would I go back? If I go back to Japan, I doubt I’d spend my precious time coming back to Tokyo Disneyland… unless a representative is interested in paying a non-influencer like me to take a special trip to the park to experience the new Space Mountain when it opens…

That said, I’m really glad I got to have the experience, and it’s certainly something I think every Disney Parks fan would enjoy at least once in their lives.

Let’s make one thing clear: There are undoubtedly several of you out there that have spent plenty more time than I have at Tokyo Disney Resort (TDR). In fact, probably a few folks who went to Japan solely to visit TDR and probably spent several days or longer there.

That ain’t me. As much as I love Disney parks, hitting up TDR was always secondary to an overall trip to the Land of the Rising Sun. So my experience is based on that — a trip where we spent lots of time doing other things, and while TDR was a central piece that we planned for and massively enjoyed, my time at the resort was limited to two days, one for each theme park.

But, it’s firsthand experience, and I think I can share a few things that aren’t on the typical “how to plan your trip to Tokyo Disney” content that’s already out there. If you have stuff to add, please, by all means drop a comment or a reply.

With that said, I’m starting with some general stuff that’s good to know. I’ll follow that up with individual posts covering Tokyo Disneyland and DisneySea in further detail.

Without further ado, here are some important things to know for your visit to Tokyo Disney Resort.

Getting there

If it’s your first time visiting the Tokyo area and somehow you haven’t heard this yet — and even if you have heard it, it bears repeating — Tokyo’s public train system is convoluted and confusing. That’s true for a lot of places, but unlike in New York City where management of the train system has at least been centralized, there are still multiple lines running out of most stations that are owned and operated by separate companies.

And several stations are essentially miniature cities, seemingly constantly under construction, and you can’t really count on signs being in English. Several times on our recent trip, we’d feel pretty good that we had found the right path to find the right platform and knew where to go, and then suddenly there just wouldn’t be any more signage pointing you in the right direction. Yes, you can and should use Google Maps to navigate, but when you’re underground it can get pretty spotty.

In other words, if you don’t get lost inside a station or take a train to the wrong place at least once while visiting Tokyo, then you’re probably not using the trains.

That said, it’s a perfectly reasonable, and by far the cheapest, way to get to TDR. When taking trains, Maihama Station is your destination.

Unfortunately, even using Google Maps and researching all of this ahead of time, we somehow ended up on the wrong train — an express instead of a local (I think?), and got to the park an hour later than we planned. That sucked. Don’t do that. I’m not sure how to exactly tell you what not to do, because again, that’s travel for ya, but just don’t do what I did.

The good news is, once you’ve arrived at Maihama, you can literally walk to Tokyo Disneyland. There are even storage lockers at the park entrance which run ¥800 (a little over $5) for the day to store most, if not all, of your luggage if needed.

There’s also a bus, called the limousine bus, that you can take directly from the airport to a TDR hotel. It runs ¥1,000 for adults and ¥500 for kiddos, which is a solid deal compared to the cost of taking a train into the city, but you have to be heading directly to/from a TDR hotel and to/from one of the main airports (Haneda or Narita).

There are some other bus options as well, such as catching a TDR line from Shinjuku Station — it might take longer, but you won’t run the risk of getting on the wrong train. Spend some time well ahead of your trip Google mapping it to see what your options are. A word of warning: Google Maps told me to stay on the train I was on and that it would simply switch lines. That turned out to be wrong and that’s what set us back on time. So, watch out for that, I guess.

Also, taxis were out of the question for us — the cost would have been far too prohibitive, but maybe if you’re a Richie Rich you can choose that route instead. You’re likely looking at ~$100 or more for a car ride depending on where you’re coming from.

And one more quick note: Even once you get to Maihama Station, you’ll still need to transfer to the Disney Resort Line monorail if you’re going anywhere besides Disneyland. It’s super easy to navigate, but it’s an extra step. A little more on that below.

Get an IC card

If for some reason you didn’t just get one at the airport, make sure you get an IC card before you hit up the resort. Even if you’re using a bus to get to TDR, even if you’re renting a car and driving (why would you do that though?), you should get one.

Why? Not because we like you, but because in Japan there are lots of laws, one of them being around mass transportation that makes it so you have to pay to ride the Disney Resort Line monorail. Don’t get stuck at the ticket machines before or after your day at the parks; instead, grab an IC card, load it appropriately (I’d recommend ¥2,000 to start), and then all you have to do is tap at the gates to get in and out of the monorail stations.

You’ve probably read about these, but Pasmo and Suica tend to be the most common in the Tokyo area. We ended up with an ICOCA card because we came into Osaka, and it worked just fine throughout our trip. It really doesn’t matter which one you get, just get one — and remember that everyone in your party who’s older than 6 needs their own card.

Get an eSim for your phone

Just do it. It’s less that $20 for a reliable one. In my case, I actually purchased a 10-day international plan from my carrier for about $20, so I could still call or text, AND an eSim. This proved crucial — in some regions, my carrier’s data service worked great, but at TDR I needed to switch to the eSim in order to have a solid data connection.

And without that connection, you are likely screwed. No mobile orders, no scanning pictures into your app, no paying to skip lines — you don’t want any of that.

I bought one via Ubigi and set things up a day or two before we left for our trip. I went with the 10GB, 30-day plan, and that was plenty good for me. It worked well and I’d certainly recommend it, but I think there are plenty that will be just as serviceable.

It’s also worth looking through your phone’s settings ahead of time to make sure you can switch things around easily. I have an iPhone 16, and all I had to do was go to my settings —> Cellular —> change data sim as needed. It’s not hard, but when you’re in a foreign country trying to figure things out it’s nice to have at least one thing already buttoned up.

The Tokyo Disney Resort app — and fixing that annoying error

One thing that’s fun is when everything has been working great in your app, and then you go to buy a Disney Premier Access pass (DPA) and you start getting errors. It definitely doesn’t disrupt your whole day and cause you to waste an hour changing credit card numbers and talking to cast members while trying to just get your damn reservation for the damn ride you want.

So, here is a crucial tip if you get the error above, OR the oft-referred to error about your credit card not working: simply restart your phone.

Yup, that’s all it finally took for me. I kept changing my credit card because I kept being told that was the problem, until it finally told me I couldn’t change my card anymore. Then I walked to an information booth — which in DisneySea’s case there is basically only one of at the very end of the park, unlike the American parks where you just find the blue umbrellas — and was told I should find some random shop in some other part of the park that was about 80 miles away and physically purchase a DPA.

Thankfully, the voice of reason, aka my wife, told to me to restart my phone, and voila: DPA secured and all app issues ironed out from there.

You’ll also have to enter your credit card information into the app the first time you purchase a DPA or put in a mobile order, which can be nerve wracking if you’re trying to secure a highly coveted spot for something like Enchanted Tale of Beauty and the Beast or Anna and Elsa’s Frozen Journey.

All that said, overall the app experience will be very familiar to anyone who’s visited the American parks. Some words and navigation are different here and there, and it does some wonky stuff (like rotate the map depending upon which park map you’re looking at… why?) but overall as long as you have a good data connection and think to restart your phone if there are any issues, you’ll be set.

You can find links to download the app to your phone here.

Hotels and stuff

We ended up staying at the Tokyo Bay Hilton, and it was honestly great. It was roughly a five-minute walk to the monorail station, there’s a Lawson convenience store downstairs, and these are probably the most spacious rooms you’ll find anywhere during your stay in Tokyo.

But, while it’s great, it comes with none of the on-property perks that the official TDR hotels do. The biggest perk of which is Happy Entry. Happy Entry is sort of like Early Theme Park Entry in the USA (where it still exists, that is), but you can only get in about 15 minutes early. That said, those 15 minutes can make all the difference. We arrived at DisneySea an hour early and it was kind of brutal wading through the sea of lines. Security is very thorough, but not really as efficient as the American parks.

So if you’re really aiming for a certain DPA or hoping to get in a standby line nice and early, Happy Entry is a huge help. But here’s the thing: It’s only available for certain parks at certain hotels. Mira Costa gets you in early at DisneySea, but not at Disneyland. Same deal but reversed at the Tokyo Disneyland Hotel. And as you may have guessed, the on-property hotels are much more expensive. That also means if you want Happy Entry at both parks, you’ll need to be able to book (at least) two different hotels and switch and some point during your stay.

I will say that the Tokyo Disneyland Hotel looks way cooler than Anaheim’s version, but beyond that I can’t give any advice for those. Happy Entry would have been awesome if we could have swung it budget wise, but so it goes.

We did also spend some time looking at Vacation Packages. VPs essentially bundle your park tickets, DPAs, and hotel together — but again, the cost is WAY higher than just getting tickets yourself and staying off property. We ultimately decided we couldn’t justify spending an extra $1,000 essentially to get on one or two extra attractions. More on that in the later posts.

Attraction photos

This might seem like a small thing, but take note: attraction photos are only available on the day you’re visiting the park. I falsely assumed you could just take a picture of the monitor and put the code into the app later on, just like I’ve done hundreds of times.

Wrong! At TDR, you instead open the app, scroll down to Photo Key, and then click Scan Photo Key. You’ll just hold your phone up to the monitor and scan the QR code that’s on your photo, and boom, image saved to your account and you can decide to buy it or whatever. If you don’t do that, you’re basically hosed, so be ready.

Getting tickets and skipping lines

Ahead of time I read about folks having issues being able to buy tickets, and even some horror stories about dates selling out way in advance.

Turns out, the horror stories were largely unwarranted, at least for me. While the parks have indeed been very busy, no single date has sold out since I started paying attention about six months ago. You can go ahead and buy your tickets as far out as two months in advance, but you can wait a sec if you’re still finalizing things.

And if you need to change your date for any reason, you essentially have a year from your original purchase date to play with.

One big difference at TDR compared to the American parks is that there is no concept of multi-day tickets. You buy one ticket for one park for one day and that’s it. Going for three days? That’s three separate tickets, three separate transactions.

I had no issues simply buying my park tickets directly in the app using my credit card.

The idea of a Park Hopper ticket is also more or less a nonstarter. And frankly, I doubt you’d have the legs to hop at these parks anyways, but there is a limited time Park Hopper ticket being offered for early 2026. Learn more about it here. Maybe it’s a sort of test run?

Another difference? The price! While TDR uses a tiered-range, just like the American parks, even on the highest end you’re looking at approximately $70 USD for a single-day ticket. Not too shabby, and it makes paying for extra stuff a little more tolerable.

Speaking of which, skipping lines at TDR, while possible, is a bit different. Here’s a quick overview:

• Disney Premier Access: You pick a time and pay to skip lines. It’s basically Individual Lightning Lane. These are mostly available for the most-coveted attractions and certain ones are harder to get than others. More to come on that in the next posts. You have a two-hour cooldown period in between purchases, but you can buy passes for the same ride more than once.

• 40th Anniversary Priority Pass: This is essentially a free Lightning Lane. You can book one per hour, but chances are you’ll be able to book one and by the time your window is open again they’ll all be gone for the day.

• Standby Pass: If you’re researching a trip to Tokyo Disney, you may have come across mention of something called a Standby Pass. This is equivalent to a virtual queue, and currently none of the attractions at TDR offer it, so just pretend this never came up.

• Unlimited Vacation Package: If you’re ready to sling some dough around, you can of course opt for pre-booking some passes via a vacation package, and there’s even such a thing as an unlimited vacation package. Sadly, I never even thought about being able to afford such a thing, so you’re on your own here.

I will say it is well worth skipping as many lines as you can, as the waits tend to balloon way past what we’re used to in the U.S. Rise of the Resistance will look like a cakewalk by the time you’re done here.

******

That covers most of the general stuff, but if you have any questions, please drop them my way and I’ll do my best to answer them.

Also, I’ll get back to the news updates soon, but I wanted to get these thoughts down while they’re still fresh. Parts II and III on Tokyo Disneyland and DisneySea coming soon!

The first time my wife and I visited Japan, we left the kiddo at home, because he was too damn young for us to pay all that money to bring him along (don’t worry, he was with the grandparents and having the time of his life). We also decided not to spend our precious time abroad at parks that we can more or less visit in the States (we didn’t understand about DisneySea, and we regret it and we’re sorry).

This time, being the little otaku-loving tween he is today, we’re bringing the kid along — and we’re also a bit more Disney parks obsessed than we were roughly a decade ago. But once again we’re being stingy with our time, so we’ll only have one day at each Tokyo Disney park.

Here’s what we’ve learned so far:

This ain’t Walt’s wait times

Like any normal, sane person, I often check the Disneyland or WDW apps to see what current wait times are and either wish I was there and laugh at all the dumb people who went when it was super busy.

But even the most insane wait time you have ever seen at any of the U.S. parks will pale in comparison to what the Japanese are apparently fine with. For the new and insanely popular Fantasy Springs area inside Tokyo DisneySea, for example, the standby times for Anna and Elsa’s Frozen Journey regularly reach in excess of 200 minutes. I recently saw it peak at 240 minutes — yes, that’s FOUR HOURS.

So the name of the game for us will be prioritization. Which rides are unique? Which one or two are the most important for us? We’ll be focusing on those and then the rest will be gravy from there.

The one true crowd calendar

When it comes to U.S. parks, there are plenty of great options for forecasting crowds. But in Japan, there is only one you should pay any attention to: the AOKsoft calendar.

You can find it here: https://yosocal.com/

Apparently the URL changed recently, but the one above will get you there. It’s all in Japanese, but you should be able to either have your browser translate it (with some weird/funny mistranslations) or be able to figure it out well enough to find the dates you’re looking for.

Lightning Lane nomenclature

I’m still not sure I understand it, but there is a form of Lightning Lane upgrades at Tokyo Disney.

Some rides offer free options, which are still called 40th Anniversary Priority Passes, even though the 40th anniversary is way over. And others offer what is akin to an Individual Lighting Lane — paid upgrades called Disney Premier Access (or DPA).

We will absolutely be utilizing DPA for our priority attractions (and maybe even a show or two). It doesn’t feel too bad paying for it as the one-day tickets for both parks in Tokyo are much cheaper than what you’ll pay in the States.

The other option is to utilize a vacation package, which bundles a hotel stay on property along with tickets and advance DPA upgrades. In fact, this is by far your best shot at getting a DPA pass for the Frozen attraction at DisneySea. But it’s quite pricy. We couldn’t quite justify it for this trip, so we’ll see if that comes back to haunt us.

Embracing the unknown

I’m convinced that many people take trips to Disney World and end up having a bad time because they just didn’t know what they in for. It takes research and preparation to make the most of it. It’s such a sprawling area and even just getting from one park to the next can be daunting and time consuming.

While we’re doing tons of research, we’re also just being prepared to not know what we don’t know. We’ve got our food spots scoped out, but maybe there will be hours-long lines for them. We know how to get to the monorail, but we’ll need to be prepared to pay to ride it. We’re nervous about the crowds, but have also heard that Japanese efficiency more than makes up for it.

Most of all, we’ll soak in the discovery of seeing a Disney park for the very first time — something I haven’t done in a very long time. Also, we’ll get to ride the OG Splash Mountain (even if it’s all in Japanese, I will be gloating about this).

I’ll of course put together a post about all the things I learn during our visit once I’m back, but in the meantime, if you have any tips of your own for visiting Tokyo Disney, please drop a comment!

A quick note from our friends at the Hyatt Regency Grand Reserve Puerto Rico | San Juan, Puerto Rico

BLACK FRIDAY: Set on a private peninsula at the foothills of El Yunque National Forest, Hyatt Regency Grand Reserve Puerto Rico invites guests to save on a passport-free rainforest adventure this Black Friday! Offering 25% off stays (or 30% off for World of Hyatt Members), guests can explore the 72-acre private peninsula and take advantage of all the property’s incredible complimentary programming, including free bike rentals to explore the property’s surrounding natural reserve, kayaking and paddle boarding, and so much more.

Making this deal that much hotter, Hyatt Regency Grand Reserve Puerto Rico is also throwing in daily complimentary breakfast for two and a free bucket of the hotel’s exclusive branded craft beers that you can’t get anywhere else -- the delicious PRadise Bliss Lager, which bottles the flavors of Puerto Rico into a delicious cold one, perfect for sipping poolside!

To book: Bookings are available online from November 13-December 25, 2025, for stays between November 20, 2025 and April 30, 2026.

Learn More

✈️ Soarin’ Across America announced for Summer 2026

Yes, one of the fan‑favorites at both Disneyland and Disneyland East is getting its next major revamp. The classic Soarin’ Around the World (at both EPCOT and Disney California Adventure) will transform into “Soarin’ Across America,” debuting summer 2026. The new simulation will showcase iconic U.S. landscapes and cityscapes from coast to coast, aligning with the U.S.’s 250th anniversary celebration.

And yes, of course Patrick announced it:

disneyparks

A post shared by @disneyparks

Side note: In Japan, it’s called Soaring, with the G included. Wild.

🧀 Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure at EPCOT to switch from 3D to 2D

In less‑cheesy but still significant news: everyone’s favorite rat-themed Disney attraction that also regularly featured the worst wait times in the world will be converted from 3D to 2D imagery in a planned refurbishment (scheduled for Nov 10‑13, 2025) with new props and lighting enhancements.

Personally, I dug the 3D — especially the floating head of Chef Gusteau. But I guess I can give the new version a try since I’ll be grabbing some ice-cream filled buns nearby anyway.

👑 Rumor debunked: Evil Queen and other villains are not being phased out year‑round

It’s gone viral: videos of the Evil Queen at Disneyland Park implying she is being “retired” after Halloween. Disney Parks has formally responded: villains remain part of the parks year‑round, though their appearances may rotate by season.

Take that Dis-twitter! (Is that even how you say it?)

Quick Hits

• Some killer Disney drone testing is apparently taking place in the skies of California — is a new nighttime drone-centric spectacular on the way?

• America’s Disney parks continue to dominate theme park attendance.

• People seem to keep dying at Disney World… I mean, I could think of worse places.

• Screw the price hikes! If you want to visit Disneyland for $104 in November, here are your dates.

*****

What’d we miss? Grill us for it. We can take it.

Welp. Prices. Again.

It’s that magical time of year when Mickey and Jiminy get together, sit around a table with a bunch of business people, look at some charts, and then slam their hands on the table and shout “HIKE ‘EM AGAIN BOYS!” At least, that’s how I assume Disney raising the prices of its theme park tickets works.

While there was little change for most ticket prices, the attention will go straight to peak days, which will now run you well over $200 for both Disney World and Disneyland for a single day ticket. Better sell another kidney!

🤖 Disney files patent for AI‑enhanced animatronics

Imagine an audio-animatronic that can react to guests. Disney has submitted a patent for projection tech to dynamically update animatronic faces in real time using AI. Translation: future Walt figures might smile, blink, or shift expressions based on what you say. Creepy, glorious, or both? You decide.

🦖 DINOSAUR ride’s last call: closing Feb 2, 2026

In case you missed every single Disney influencer shedding emoji tears over this one, the long-rumored end is now official: On Feb 2, 2026, Disney will retire the DINOSAUR attraction at Animal Kingdom, along with the rest of DinoLand U.S.A., to make way for the upcoming Tropical Americas / Pueblo Esperanza land. I understand that for some this ride is full of nostalgia, and hey, dinosaurs are always cool. But as a West Coaster Disney-type person, can’t say I’m sweating the asteroid too uch on this one.

The Disneyland drawbridge apparently still works

Roughly 70 years ago the world watched (or at least most of the USA) as a horde of overexcited children awaited the opening of Disneyland — the official opening of which was marked by the drawbridge for Sleeping Beauty’s castle slowly descending into place and allowing those rabid kids to come sprinting into the park.

And, it turns out, it apparently still works, even though it’s only been used twice in history. According to employees who participated in a recent panel, imagineers took a look and said they can actually pull that bad boy up anytime they want. Makes Disneyland an even more attractive place to hunker down during a zombie apocalypse...

Quick Hits

• Star Wars Launch Bay at Hollywood Studios officially and permanently closed Sept. 25 as part of the wider re-theme for the Studios Lot.

• Someone sadly died after suffering a heart attack while riding Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion. There’s a horribly insensitive joke somewhere in there — we’ll leave up to your imagination.

• Welcome to Hell…’s Kitchen. Gordon Ramsay will be opening a new spot, that’s not named after the underworld, at Disneyland Resort.

• As someone who doesn’t have a real baseball team to root for here in Denver, I’m excited to hear that the Savannah Bananas have added Walt Disney World’s ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex as a tour stop in 2026.

🧠 Roundtable Topics

• Will AI-powered animatronics kill or elevate the emotional punch of classic attractions?

• Does putting Walt in Carousel of Progress risk turning an immersive icon into a museum display?

• How radical is the Animation Courtyard transformation? Is this the death or rebirth of park storytelling?

• Are you already mourning DINOSAUR — or pumped for what’s replacing it?

*****

What’d we miss? Grill us for it. We can take it.

Before I heard about the runDisney events, I’m not sure I ever thought about what it would be like to run through Disney parks hours before they actually opened. When my legs feel like fire and my feet stop working after a few days at Disney, my thoughts don’t usually turn to running.

But pretty much as soon as I heard about these events (years ago) I started trying to get a registration, and invariably logged on too late to nab one. But early this year I finally got my spot, alongside some family, for the 2025 Disneyland Halloween Half Marathon, which took place on September 7, 2025.

Now that I’ve had a little time for this surreal experience to settle in, I can reflect, once again, on the many things I did wrong. It might not be much help for Disneyland racers in the long run (yuck yuck), since there will only be one more race weekend in early 2026 before the events go on indefinite hiatus at DLR — but hopefully my mistakes will help you if you end up at a runDisney event in the future, whichever coast you might be on.

Now that I’ve been through it, here’s what I wish I would have known ahead of time.

Schedule park time for AFTER the race

Hey, schedules are schedules, and when you have a kid whose absences and tardies are tracked and make you feel like a terrible parent, then you work around that schedule as much as you can.

But that said, in the most ideal of worlds, I would have NOT spent two full days walking around Disneyland Resort before raceday, logging more miles on my legs each day than I was eventually going to wake up at 3:30 a.m. to run.

In retrospect, I would have arrived the day before the race, hit the expo that evening, kept it chill, and spent all of my park days immediately after the race plus the next one or two days or so. Those first couple of weekdays after a race also appear to be typically very quiet with low wait times (not to mention the weather was much better, which of course is never a guarantee).

I spent those first two days also unable to fully relax and enjoy the Disney spirit, as I was constantly thinking about whether I should have that extra churro or whether I should head home early or skip a few rides in lieu of resting my legs. (If you’re wondering, I didn’t skip a damn thing.)

FWIW, I ended up being totally fine for the race, especially since the first 5-6 miles were within the park and very chill — and it’s not like I was going for a PR or anything. Still, it wasn’t until after the race that the stress lifted and I was in full-on park mode.

Take advantage of photo ops along the course

Coming from Denver, Anaheim was feeling pretty warm, even at 5 in the morning. So I was worried about getting overheated and bonking out. The answer? Dump water on myself at every single water station.

This strategy was actually quite successful overall, but it did make it look like I was the sweatiest human in the history of sweaty humans.

I also didn’t think much about where the photographers would be on the course, because usually I don’t really care all that much. But, this is DISNEYLAND. Of course I should have cared more!

And I’m not just talking about the character stops (that’s a whole other thing), I’m talking about the spots where they snap pics of you while you’re on the move.

Lots of folks around me were making sure to get great poses and taking time to make sure the photographers got the shot. As for me? Well, my brain recognized for about 4 seconds that maybe I should care, and the below is what I got:

Yeah…sweaty, blurry, apparently chewing on my tongue, and missing a great opportunity to get a sweet professional shot in the parks. But at least I waved, I guess?

I should have looked more at the course ahead of time and at least tried to get in some good poses (and maybe worn a different shirt so I didn’t look so soaked).

As for the character and other photopass stops — it’s all about personal preference. Even being in corral D, many of the character stops had long lines that were going to significantly increase my race time, and thusly the time before I was able to get into the parks to eat treats and bask in the glory of finishing a half marathon.

But for some folks, I get that this is what they’re there for. So, it will increase your finish time if you stop and get those extra pictures with your favorite characters, but with less than half the race in the park, I get it. I was good to just look at them as I jogged past, but it’s all about what you will enjoy the most.

Spend more time looking at logistics

In fairness, runDisney could make this a LOT easier for runners. Case in point, here’s the map they give you:

Where is the start line, exactly, you may ask? Where do you actually go through security and enter the area? Who the hell knows!

Well, actually, apparently a bunch of people knew, because as I exited my cozy room at the Best Western Plus Park Place Inn - Mini Suites (not to be confused with the 17 other Best Westerns along Harbor Blvd.)), I saw a line of runners walking the opposite direction of where I expected. So, I followed.

The path went just a bit past the Tropicana and we turned right through a grassy area that had a makeshift platform to guide the way, and then into a big empty parking lot behind the line of hotels on Harbor Blvd. There, we found security and went through, and then finally we were at the race area proper. From there it was easy to figure out where you needed to go, where to drop your gear bag (ahem, sorry gEARbag), grab water, etc. — but getting there was anything but clear and no amount of looking around online ahead of time cured that. Even if you find a Reddit post from a past race, there’s really no way to know if it’s legit for the current year.

So, just follow the other runners or take a minute at the expo to ask about where you can enter the race area.

I also found myself scrambling a bit the night before the race as I realized I had spent very little time thinking through the details of how race morning would actually go. That was due, in part, to the fact that I was in the parks the previous two days and didn’t spend any brain space on anything outside the bubble, but it was also due to a lack of detailed info from the race organizers.

Looking back, I would have spent a bit more time during the 1-2 weeks prior digging through the website and materials to ensure I had a solid plan of what I would do on raceday. Even things as simple as what time I’d leave the hotel I hadn’t really thought through until the night before.

Luckily, it only took me about 10 minutes to get back to the hotel, get my stuff in order, set the alarm for 3:30, and get some anticipatory sleep. I left the hotel by 4:15 a.m. and that was the perfect amount of time for me to get there, use the bathroom, and warm up (again, I was in an earlier corral, so keep that in mind). Worth noting: I brought a bagel and peanut butter with me; definitely extremely helpful to have your breakfast plans in place.

You’ll also want a clear plan for the expo. It was a bit confusing when I arrived, which was on Thursday evening, with race bibs getting handed out upstairs at Disneyland Hotel while the rest of the expo was happening downstairs. Also, keep in mind that things are a bit more restrictive at these races — there’s no picking up your bib without an ID or picking bibs up for other people in your crew.

Provide proof of time

As you can see, it was very early and very crowded (I heard there were ~17,000 half marathon runners). I was in corral D with a predicted time of 2 hours and 30 minutes, which was the fastest time I could project without providing proof of time.

While I’ve run many many half marathons quite a bit faster than that, I didn’t have any recent enough times to prove my worth, and didn’t bother running one in between when I signed up and the cutoff date to get said proof of time.

But if you think you’ll run this bad boy any faster than 2:30, even by a single second, you should go ahead and get your proof of time situation in order. And to be clear, zero shade to anyone who plans to run that time or longer — you’re running 13.1 miles, take as long as you damn need!

However, if you can, it’s definitely worth it to get that P.O.T. For starters, it means you get into an earlier corral. That means a lot less time just standing there waiting. I had relatives a bit further back and they didn’t get across the starting line until probably at least 30 minutes after me. That’s 30 minutes of literally just standing around in your corral waiting.

Even if you’re planning on stopping for photo ops in the parks and aren’t out for any speed records, it’s still well worth it to be in front of as much of the crowds as you can. There are many bottlenecks when you’re in there, which clear up once you’re out on the streets of Anaheim, but it can get a little hairy/slow — and, if you’re like me, you don’t want to rush through the park portion, but you do want to enjoy it and then get the damn race finished so you can come back and eat churros.

When you gotta go, go in the parks

I typically go to great lengths to avoid having to use the bathroom during a race, so I didn’t get to take advantage of this one, but it’s still a good tip to keep in mind.

If you feel like you might need to go, definitely use the bathroom early on while you’re still running in the parks. They’re clean, more private, and hey, more Disneyland time! Otherwise, you’re looking at a roadside porta-thingy where everyone can probably hear whatever is going on in there and you’ll be questioning if your hands are clean for the rest of the day.

Feel the Magic vibes

The first time you do anything new — a longer distance, run in a new place, etc. — it’s hard to know how your body will respond. I usually take the more conservative route in those instances. The first time I ran a full marathon, I brought a full camelback and probably a full meal with me on the course because I didn’t want to have to worry about pacing my fluid intake

I was also unsure how my body would respond to waking up super early and running a race after spending two full days pushing through heat and standing in lines while eating at odd intervals and not really paying attention to what ingredients were coming in.

Turns out, everything was perfectly fine, and I didn’t need to stress at all. Sure, my legs were a bit sluggish at the outset, but the spectacle of seeing the park lit up in the wee hours of the morning, the Rivers of America filled with fog, the custodial team cheering you on as if you just won the Super Bowl (seriously, they win the cheering contest), and so many other super cool and somewhat surreal moments far outweighed any of the tiredness I felt.

Yes, I would have done a few things differently, but most of all I would just let the hell go and fully enjoyed my time in the parks. Growing up, we took trips to Disneyland roughly every four years, so I never take it for granted when I’m there, but I did let my race jitters get in the way just a little bit.

Next time, whenever that may or may not be, I’ll simply relax and go with the flow knowing in full confidence that it will be a magical time no matter what.

🎉 Disneyland turns 70: Celebrate Happy!

Yesterday, July 17, marked seven decades of magic. Sheeesh! And kids are still running into the park just like they did on day one.

The party theme — “Celebrate Happy!” — includes the Paint the Night parade revival, the Celebrate Happy Cavalcade, a “Tapestry of Happiness” projection on It’s a Small World, new food, merch, and even a $70 resident ticket deal. If you can’t make it in person, this is the kind of lineup that makes you wish teleportation was a real park perk.

You can read more about the festivities here (and below).

It’s a Small World gets new lyrics to celebrate Disneyland’s 70th

Another first-time ever tweak: the all-time classic attraction now includes a brand-new third verse — lyrics by Richard Sherman, who wrote the original alongside his brother but penned the new verse before his death in 2024 — to reinforce world unity.

If you don’t want spoilers, close your eyes:

Mother earth unites us in heart and mind

And the love we give makes us humankind

Through our vast wondrous land

When we stand hand in hand

It’s a small world after all.

Meet the new Walt Disney animatronic at Disneyland

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As part of the 70th Anniversary “Celebrate Happy!” festivities, Disneyland unveiled its first fully standing Audio-Animatronic of Walt Disney on July 17 at the Main Street Opera House. The lifelike figure tells his own story using archival recordings and moving from a seated to standing position — real tear-jerker potential.

Sad face accuracy concerns? Maybe. But tech marvel? Absolutely.

Rivers of America permanently closes at Magic Kingdom

Meanwhile, at Walt Disney World, the past is being anything but celebrated.

The frontier flows have dried up: the Rivers of America, Tom Sawyer Island, and the Liberty Square Riverboat officially closed on July 6. Magic Kingdom maps and signage have already been updated. This epic closure clears the stage for the upcoming Piston Peak National Park (Cars Land) and a new Villains land. Frontierland fans, brace yourselves — this is Disney’s boldest land overhaul yet.

Quick Hits

• There will surely be plenty of 70th anniversary merch to sort through, but if you specifically want a statue of Walt sitting on his desk, well they’ve got you covered.

• The Haunted Mansion at Disneyland will be closed from August 9 to August 21 to receive it’s annual and ever-longer-lasting Nightmare Before Christmas holiday theming.

• If you’re at Disneyland in the next couple of days, you can grab a couple of limited-time menu items at Oga’s Cantina in celebration of the cantina’s less-old-than-the-park’s birthday.

• You can now get a peach-flavored Dole Whip at DLR. Yum.

Roundtable Topics

• Does animatronic Walt cross into uncanny doom, or is it heartwarming Imagineering wizardry?

• Are we ready to witness the complete tear-down of frontier nostalgia for Cars & Villains?

• How do you feel about Small World’s new verse?

****

What’d we miss? Let us know!

🔫 Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin to close for refurbishment Aug. 19

The ride that launched a thousand stuck laser triggers is going dark. Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin will close on August 19 for a major overhaul, as confirmed by Disney this week. After 25 years of warped targets and parents rage-tapping the spin control, this could be a much-needed hyperspace refresh — and reportedly it will include a new room, a new character, and upgraded gameplay.

The thing that won’t change? Me bragging all day when I beat my family’s scores.

Coca‑Cola rolls out Star Wars‑themed cans with park-exclusive variants

Just in time for summer park runs, Coca‑Cola and Disney are launching 30 collectible Star Wars cans, and three will be park-exclusive featuring Mandalorian, Grogu, and Chewbacca at WDW, Disneyland, and Tokyo Disney Resort. Each can even unlocks an AR hologram experience via QR — perfect for those epic park photo ops.

WDW monorails are getting a glow-up — literally

Visitors to Walt Disney World might notice a subtle but kinda cool change to the monorail vehicles starting this week — logos that glow in the dark. I mean, it’s simple, but gets us one step closer to Tron being reality, so I’m in.

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Hong Kong Disneyland’s 20th Anniversary kicks off June 28

Celebrations begin this weekend with the “Friendtastic!” parade and castle show, capping off Hong Kong’s Frozen-themed walk-through and a continued “Stark Expo” Marvel presence. It’s a global parks party.

Quick Hits

• Spaceship Earth at EPCOT to close for refurbishment starting Aug 25, with updates to follow later in the year.

• EPCOT now has roaming AI animatronics Ms. Information & Al near Cosmic Rewind — very Westworld meets Tomorrowland.

• Pirates of the Caribbean at Disneyland will cease to have a lightning lane entrance — turns out it was only temporary while they worked on other stuff, like the Haunted Mansion queue.

• The Eiffel Tower scene for Soarin' Around the World is now updated at both EPCOT and DCA.

Discuss Amongst Yourselves

• Is it time for Buzz to get a total rebuild (a la Spider‑Man at Universal), or just a new laser battery?

• Could a real DisneySEA‑style mega‑park come to the U.S., or will we just keep expanding parking lots?

• Are AR Coke cans the future of park merch — or are you saving your money for popcorn buckets?

What did we miss in this edition? Let us know.

Here’s all the Disney parks news you should care about this week.

🏁 Disney revs up Test Track 3.0 reopening – July 22

After a year-long makeover, EPCOT’s speed demon is returning as Test Track 3.0, now hitting 65 mph with a fresh storyline, new soundtrack, cameras, sensors and, yes— light fixtures galore.

The GM sponsorship continues (bye, Chevy), and previews are set for passholders and Club 33 types before the public launch. Buckle up!

Say goodbye to Rivers of America (Magic Kingdom)

Starting July 7, Walt Disney World is permanently closing Rivers of America, Tom Sawyer Island, and Liberty Square Riverboat to make space for the massive new Piston Peak National Park (read: Cars land expansion). Crowd control making you dizzy? Construction walls might too, but hey, at least Lightning Lanes will spare us from trampling tourists, right?

Muppet*Vision funeral ends with a smile

Over at Hollywood Studios, sad trumpets sounded as Muppet*Vision 3D shuttered after nearly 35 years. Fans showed up in muppet-themed best to grieve, prom it up at PizzeRizzo, and remind Disney that nostalgia matters. The theater and entire Muppets courtyard will transform into a Monsters, Inc. land.

But don’t worry, Kermit's legacy isn't going full long-lost puppet — the Muppets will be taking over another attraction which is sort of closing-ish, as they’ll take over the Aerosmith themed Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster at some point in the not-terribly-distant future.

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Star Wars BDX droids are going global

Over at Galaxy’s Edge, imagineers are cranking out self-walking BDX droids—now rolling out in Tokyo, with Orlando and Paris getting theirs soon.

Plus, Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run is getting a Mandalorian/Grogu storyline overhaul, transporting you to Tatooine, Cloud City, Coruscant, Endor—even the Death Star debris. Launch date? May 22, 2026. May the nerd be with you.

Quick Hits

• Disney Starlight: Dream the Night Away parade arrives July 20 at Magic Kingdom

• This guy made the reservation and then was for some reason surprised at how expensive Disneyland’s Princess Breakfast was for five people…

• Monsters, Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue at Disney’s California Adventure will officially be closing in early 2026 to make way for the new Avatar land. More funerals to come, I guess. 💀

• If you don’t feel like shelling out all that cash, standing in lines, or having actual fun, Disney+ is releasing a whole bunch of new POV videos as part of the Disneyland 70th anniversary celebration.

What to talk about over coffee or Kyber Crystal Cartel meetups:

• Are you hyped (or conflicted) about the long goodbye to Rivers of America vs. incoming Cars Land?

• Will Test Track’s tech upgrade satisfy realism-seeking nerds, or oversell automotive symbolism?

• How enthusiastic are you about BDX droids invading every Galaxy’s Edge?

What did we miss? Let us know…

Infants screaming. Eyes stinging. Old people parking their scooters in the middle of stores right in front of where you want to look. Rides shutting down for hours. The smell of roasting meat in the air.

I know—sounds like the apocalypse. But in reality, this is Disneyland on a hot day.

My god.

Anaheim is a generally temperate place, but sometimes it can get real hizzy up in there. In fact, on opening day in 1955 it reached an unruly and unusually high 101°.

Having just returned from a trip to Disneyland Resort (DLR) in a recent heatwave, where at one point my phone told me it was 108°(!!), I’ve seen things.

Here’s what you need to know about surviving Disneyland and Disney California Adventure when the temp is flexing itself and straight up punishing you. To make things easier I’ve broken these tips up by park, leaving some general tips for the end.

There are a lot of tips out there for surviving the heat at Disneyland, and at some point they all start feeling the same—there will be some repeat here as well, but I’ll pepper in my personal experience and a few contrarian opinions.

If you’ll be visiting DLR soon and the needle is pushing anywhere in the 90s or 100° or even higher (you poor soul), here’s what I’ve learned.

Should I go when it’s hot?

This is the bazillion-dollar question, isn’t it? We agonized over whether we should push our trip back or simply cancel it altogether and regroup when we could.

Here’s the deal: At a certain point there’s really not much you can do to escape the heat. Sorry.

If it’s low to even mid-90s and you’re prepared, you’ll get through it, and of course you’ll have a great time. But when it’s pushing triple digits, there will simply be large chunks of the day that are really, really rough.

Our schedule made it very difficult to change things up, so we decided to forge ahead—and we had an awesome time. But it was a way different trip than in the past, and by day two we were making promises to ourselves to NEVER do it again, even if it meant rescheduling.

If you do have the flexibility, I’d say it’s honestly worth waiting, but just be aware of the tradeoffs around park hours or other seasonal happenings. Plus, there’s the fact that another heatwave can easily hit whenever you do come back. It’s been known to push near 90° in February, so, ya know.

But for some, rescheduling just isn’t an option. If you’ve been planning for months and months and this is your one shot, just start preparing and don’t look back.

Beating the apocalyptic heat at Disney California Adventure (DCA)

DCA is definitely a harder park for finding relief from those ungodly temps. It’s designed to mostly be an outdoor experience. That said, there are some things you can do.

Philharmagic

No, it doesn’t have cool ‘80s music or any loop de loops, but this is probably your best bet for an easy, fun, reliable break from scorching heat at DCA.

Philharmagic is located in Hollywood Studios just to the left of the roundabout when you enter the park—next to the best-named food stand of all time, Award Weiners. It’s a little tucked away, but as soon as you get near the entrance you’re hit with a blast of ice-cold air.

The show is altogether about 18 minutes long, so between waiting in the lobby and the show itself, it’s easy to get a good half hour of cold downtime. Plus, it’s a really fun show, and the 3D gimmicks and a little bit of 4D action make it more fun than it really has any right to be.

And even on a busy, super hot day, it never seems to get busy. There’s plenty of room for all, and if you want, you can repeat it as often as you like until temps start to drop for the evening.

Animation building

Just across the street from Philharmagic is a large, barn-like building that features several attractions that can be enjoyed without stepping a single foot back into the fiery pits of Hades.

Animation Academy, Turtle Talk with Crush, and Sorcerer’s Workshop all offer a respite from the heat, meaning you can easily spend an hour and a half—which could cover the hottest hours of the day—in this cool structure.

It’s also a great spot if you just need to get some cool air and sit on the floor for a little while. With very few of these types of areas at DCA, this is a treasure on those hot, hot days.

There are some who conjecture than this attraction will one day close to make room for Avatar or other new attractions—but as of this moment, it’s business as usual.

The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Undersea Adventure

You’ll see this on a lot of “beat the heat” lists, and it’s true, it’s a great way to sit, rest a little, and get in a fun dark ride. The A/C is cranked and at multiple points throughout the ride, you’re hit with an extra blast of cold air.

On warmer days, the line may get a little bit longer and you’ll have to wait outside for a bit, but it’s one of those rides where the line pretty much keeps moving, and even outside it’s mostly shaded.

It’s only about 7 minutes of ride time, but it’s easy to repeat if you feel so inclined.

Grizzly River Run? Maybe

When it’s hot, your first thought may be that getting wet is a great idea. And indeed, it is! But like 12,000 other people also have that same exact thought at the same exact time.

Grizzly is probably the most reliable place to get a splash across all of Disneyland Resort, but it gets busy on hot days, stretching to an hour or more for wait times. An hour might be fine for some under normal circumstances, but not when it’s sweltering and you’re snaking through a crowded line (they had to set up extra ropes when I was there to accommodate).

In general, there is some blissful shade and mist (plus churros) in the Grizzly Peak area. It doesn’t hurt to check out the line and see how rough it looks, or use an LL on this one early in the day to start out feeling good.

Also… sometimes there’s the, uh, unique smell of the Grizzly water to consider. After a recent refurb hopefully it’s not too bad these days, but worth keeping in mind.

Soarin’

Just around the corner from Grizzly River Run, Soarin’ Around Something Or Other Depending On Timing But Usually The World is a solid choice when it feels as if fire is raining upon you.

On quieter days, it tends to have shorter Stand-by times where the entire wait is inside with pleasant A/C. Then you have the pre-boarding line and video, loading and unloading, and nearly 5 minutes of ride time.

By the time it’s all said and done, you’ve been literally chillin’ for a good 20 to 30 minutes. Plus, the ride kicks ass and literally blows cool air on you the entire time.

Soarin’ is also typically a good one to Lightning Lane if you’ve upgraded — the timeslots are usually close and offer a quick reprieve.

Even in Standy-by, misters have been spotted on warmer days, and it’s mostly shaded. Give it a check depending on how hot it gets.

Smokejumpers Grill

Next to Soarin’, Smokejumpers Grill offers burgers, sandwiches, and some of the only indoor dining in all of DCA. It’s a great spot to grab a bite and maybe a cold beer while you pretend you’re among the redwoods.

But be warned: when it hits the 90s or higher, ANY indoor dining space becomes an extreme commodity. If it’s a busier day? Get ready for battle.

Carthay Lounge reservation

Even on the hottest and busiest days of my recent trip, Carthay Circle Lounge (always listed with “Alfresco Dining” in the app) had reservations available, even for the same day in most cases.

Still, get your reservation in early and mention that you want an inside table both when you make the reservation and when you check in. If you need to wait for one, that’s fine, it won’t be long with your reservation.

The seating is very loungelike here and also very comfortable. It’s quite cool and the food is solid.

There is a patio as well, which might be OK when temps are closer to the high 80s or maybe juuuuust pushing 90. It’s fully shaded, but you’re on the same concrete that has been getting hammered all day by sun and pain and people’s shoes melting into it.

Go ahead and grab a reso here when you’re in planning mode, maybe a time for the hotter part of the day so you can hide out, and you can always drop it later if you end up with milder temperatures for your visit.

Finding ice at DCA

All cast members are allegedly required to know where the nearest water refill station is, and even if that’s a lie, they’ve never failed me.

BUT, this is not cold water. It’s not hot either, but on the hottest days, it doesn’t offer much relief unless you’re dumping it down your pants (which is not a terrible idea, frankly). And you’re limited to just a little cup of it.

So, you gotta know where to get ice that you can put right into your water bottle. There are two main spots in DCA for such a rarity:

• Pym Test Kitchen: There’s no indoor seating here, but you can drop inside to grab some ice and cold water from the soda fountain. Although sometimes they do run out of ice when it’s one of those hellish, absolutely horrifying types of heat days.

• Boardwalk Pizza & Pasta: Again, no inside seating here, but there are soda fountains and this area tends to be less crowded. However, it’s less crowded because there is no escaping the heat. There’s some shade, but being at the far end of the pier, it’s not worth spending extra time walking here — especially if you’re coming the long way around from the Toy Story Mania area.

If you’re stranded out in Paradise Pier, there’s not a lot you can do. But, any of the quick service restaurants can give you a cup of ice or a cup of ice water, even if it’s just a walkup. Carts, however, won’t have that for you (although they’ll probably at least have cold water to buy).

Utilize the Radiator Racers Single Rider line

Cars Land is an ungodly place when it’s 103°.

It’s nothing but asphalt and cement absorbing heat and spitting it back in your sweaty, dumbfounded face. Because when it’s that hot, we all just get stupid.

And it’s also inevitably one of the longest, if not the longest, Stand-by waits in all of DLR. For good reason: it’s an awesome ride. The ride itself is mostly inside, and on the hottest of days, I did spot some serious misters going in the line — but not until you’re close to the end.

Going Stand-by or upgrading for an Individual Lightning Lane are fools’ games; instead, head into the Single Rider entrance. I literally walked on using this method.

Single Rider can get busier when Stand-by is especially long, but I don’t know if I’ve ever waited longer than 15 minutesc—ccompared to 120 minutes in Stand-by.

But I wouldn’t count Racers as a heat break. One of the few places you can actually, truly get a blast of cold A/C in Cars Land is the entrance to Luigi’s Rollickin’ Roadsters. I mean, definitely don’t ride that one when that’s hot, but just go stand in there for a few minutes and take a breath.

There was one night that they closed the Single Rider line for Racers, which was super weird, but apparently it can happen. That’s the only time it’s ever happened to me though.

Avengers Store

There used to be this awesome, huge warehouse that sold a bunch of cool Avengers stuff (including an $8,000 Iron Man suit for those so inclined).

Now there’s a itty bitty store at the foot of the Avengers Headquarters building — which, we now know, was probably moved there A) as a gift shop for the upcoming e-ticket attraction in that space and B) because Avatar is going to take over the Hollywood Backlot area where this used to stand.

So, yes, you can get a little cool air here, but it’s going to be a lot more crowded with less fun stuff to look at compared to back in ye olde days.

Utilize Single Rider at WEB SLINGERS

Why do they put WEB SLINGERS in ALL CAPS? Beats me, go ask the Mouse.

That said, WEB SLINGERS has come down a bit from the high levels of interest following its recent opening. It’s still one of the newest rides in either park at Disneyland Resort, but you can now find reasonable wait times.

This queue is stupid if temps are hitting 100°. It’s a ton of snaking because, well, there wasn’t a ton of room for them to just build an entirely new land in the middle of DCA.

BUT, it’s not bad if it’s low 90s and the wait time is 30 minutes or less. They set up some huge industrial fans when I was there and you actually get into the pre-show area pretty quickly (took me about 12 minutes on a quieter day).

But even better is the Single Rider line if you’re cool with crushing a 7-year-old stranger’s spirit with your much higher score. Once you’re inside, it’s cold and you get some blasts of air.

Guardians of the Galaxy - Mission: BREAKOUT!

Again with the text formatting? Really WALT??

The Guardians ride does offer a decent respite from the heat since you’re inside for a good amount of time between pre-show and lift loading. But it’s really only worth it if the line is short or you’ve used a Lightning Lane spot on it.

Otherwise, you’re mostly outside, there’s a lot of standing and a very short amount of sitting. Plus, sometimes you’re walking upstairs, which is just mean when you’re that hot.

That said, it’s one of my favorite rides and spits you right into the chilly Collector’s Warehouse store, so just be smart about when and how you ride this one.

Tips for beating the apocalyptic heat at Disneyland Park

Across the death sea of scorching hot pavement from DCA is the OG Disneyland.

DL has more overall options for finding some shade, indoor dining, and general relief from the fires of Mordor as they descend upon your soul.

Tiki Room

One of the best choices I made was to take a couple of breaks at Tiki Room, with Dole Whip in hand. It truly cools you down from top to bottom.

You can also pop out and head to the Adventureland Bazaar for a little relief, although with the open doors it gets warm once triple digits hit. Or, hell, head right back in for another show.

The only downside here is waiting outside where, for once, the pre-show with the different gods seems downright infuriating and wasteful. Just. Let. Us. Into. The. A/C.

Indiana Jones — check the outside line

Skip Jungle Cruise on those hot days, but do check out the line for Indiana Jones Adventure (and no, Disney, I’m not putting the ™ in there just to satisfy your ludicrous text formatting!).

Take note of how long the outside line is for Stand-by. It’s pretty much all shaded, but you still don’t want to be out in the heat for too long. If there are 50 or so people (or less), you’re golden.

And if you grab a Lightning Lane reservation? Even better, as you’ll head right inside the Temple of the Eye, where pretty much the rest of the line is air-conditioned. Plus, killer ride that is always on everyone’s must-do-at-least-once list.

Pirates of the Caribbean — only when the line is short or at night

With 15 minutes (!) of ride time, and essentially happening all underground, Pirates is indeed a great choice for beating the heat. But the line is mostly outdoors, winding through concrete that is not shaded during the hottest parts of the afternoon.

I saw this one on a lot of lists for beating the heat at Disneyland, but when I looked at a 25-minute line, I was all like, no thank you.

So if you hit a time where it’s 15 minutes or less? That could be tolerable, but I’d still aim for either 10 minutes or less or save it for nighttime.

And, since the time when I originally wrote this article, they have added a Lightning Lane entrance — so if you have one of those whatever-they’re-called-now passes, keep that in mind.

Make a reservation at Blue Bayou, if you can

Last time I went to Disneyland I got reservations for basically anything I wanted like I was Kim Kardashian at … well, Disneyland.

But this time? It was straight-up war. And Blue Bayou was second only to Oga’s Cantina in terms of difficulty getting in. So be ready to book yours as soon as reservations open up — you can always dump it if you decide you don’t need it.

Also, take time to check resos while you’re there, even just the day before. I was able to nab one just a day out thanks to some schmuck who probably bailed like a coward just because it was going to be 102° that day. Suckaaa!

Or, if you don’t mind spending a few bucks to have someone else watch reservations for you, sign up for one of the services. I like MouseWatcher.

It’s also worth checking in with the host just to see if they have a walkup. Even with the app walkup list full, we saw a party of 6 get seated almost immediately.

All that said, if you can get in, this is one of the best places to take a break from the heat, plus super good food, plus you’re inside the frickin’ Pirates ride.

It’s cool in multiple ways, takes a good amount of time, you can grab a cold beer or a mint julep with actual rum in it, and don your best southern accent, ya’ll.

Haunted Mansion — only with a short line or Lightning Lane

I think I felt the hottest when we used our LL spot on Haunted Mansion around 1 or so in the afternoon. It was in the high 90s, and even though we were in Lightning Lane, the ride stopped for maybe 10 minutes and we just stood there, and I watched as my child turned into nothing more than a blue flame and then exploded.

At least that’s what it felt like. This line is BRUTAL in the heat. Any other time, I’m like, hey an hour for Haunted Mansion? Hell yeah! But in this heat, it was stupid. They set up some umbrellas where they could, but it didn’t do anything. It’s just concrete and heat.

Thankfully, once the line got moving, I had a good amount of time out of the heat between the pre-show and the ride itself, which lasts about 9 minutes.

But that line is NOT worth it when it’s baking outside. Even with my Lightning Lane entrance, it was awful and I will never, ever, ever, ever forget it. Until next time I go and want to ride it, of course.

And shoutout to all the cast members wearing the Haunted Mansion costumes and just making it all happen out there during those hot hours.

Editor’s Note: This was written before the updated queue reopened. It still doesn’t seem ideal, but I haven’t personally tested it in the high heat.

Tiana’s Bayou Adventure — Lightning Lane only!

I hate exclamation points, but this is one of the few times it’s warranted.

There is absolutely no reason for you to go Stand-by for Splash Mountain Tiana’s in the middle of the day when it’s hot as heyall. The line gets ridiculously long (I saw up to 120 minutes) and it’s not a nice, cooled, inside line kinda line. It’s crowded and hot and everyone hates everything in there.

And I get it — water ride, right? You’ll get a splash, right?

First off, you only really get meaningfully wet if you’re in the first three seats or there are children in front of you. Otherwise, some big dude blocks the damn water.

You could rope-drop it or hit it early in the day just to get it in and get a little bit of water to start the day. Otherwise, Lightning Lane is the ONLY option — or at night when the line dies down, which during a heatwave can still feel quite nice.

I will say, the Tiana’s update does offer a few small inside A/C moments in the queue, but when it’s super crowded, it really doesn’t give you much relief.

The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh

Winnie the Pooh is fine. I mean … it’s fine.

It’s usually a 5-minute wait, so it’s an option for a quick cool down if Tiana’s is too long or you’ve just come out of it. But if it gets ANY longer than that, you’re outside in the sun for a 3-minute ride through a bear’s weird dream.

Better option: hit Pooh Corner and grab a treat.

Galaxy’s Edge is really, really tough, outside of Smuggler’s Run

Galaxy’s Edge is one of the greatest accomplishments in the history of mankind. It’s that simple.

But when it’s over 100°, it sort of sucks to be there. It does feel pretty authentic to what it must be like on some rando planet in the Outer Rim, but that doesn’t provide much solace.

The shops between the Rise of the Resistance area and where the Millennium Falcon resides are nicely shaded, which definitely helps. But even there, the heat builds quickly. Otherwise, most of the shops and food are outside.

You can try to nab a spot inside at Docking Bay 7, but on hot days it’s every Jedi for themselves. When I was there, there was zero room inside and multiple parties waiting for people to leave to grab a seat.

Your best option during a heatwave at Galaxy’s Edge is to ride Smuggler’s Run, where every line is almost entirely indoors and well air-conditioned, plus the pre-show, loading, and ride itself. And, I mean, you get to fly the Millennium Falcon. Not sure what the problem is here.

You can also get a quick hit of AC at the Droid Depot or Dok Ondar’s Den of Antiquities, aka the place where you spend all of your money on lightsabers.

If you somehow get a reservation to Oga’s Cantina, good on you. You may end up standing, but whatever. The walk-up list was really tough when I was there, so try for reservations, but lately you’ve had to jump on right when they open up to have any chance at a spot.

All in all, Galaxy’s Edge is best saved for a night visit when the heat hits Disneyland.

Fantasyland is hell

Don’t go there when it’s hot, just don’t. Don’t get lured by, “oh, well there are a lot of dark rides.” No. Just stop.

If there is a single nexus in all of Disneyland Resort that absorbs heat, this is it.

And each ride is what, 2-3 minutes at best?

Peter Pan’s Flight is a classic and a great ride. But the line is rarely below 30 minutes, and it always sucks. It’s crowded and hot no matter when you go, and there may be no other line at DLR where you experience that magic feeling of: “oh once I turn this corner I think I’ll be right over there—ope, nope, like 10 more switchbacks to go through here … and then 15 more … and followed by 70 more. PAAAAN!”

So the best ride in Fantasyland has a terrible line, every ride is short, and when it’s pushing anything over 90° your eyes melt.

The one thing you’ll see here is the Sleeping Beauty Castle Walkthrough on a lot of cooldown lists — the thing is, when it’s hot-hot, like anything in the 90s, it still gets warm in there. The A/C is not that great. It does get slightly cooler and gets you out of the sun, so maybe bring a fan in with you if you decide to go through it.

But really, your best bet for an actual blast of A/C in Fantasyland is the small Bippidi Boppodi Boutique, tucked away just next to the Castle Walkthrough entrance. It has real A/C—you just need to, you know, at least act like you have a reason to be a 41-year-old dude with a beer belly walking in there.

“it’s a small world” — only if the line is short or with Lightning Lane

Yes, Disney formats the name of this ride inside quotation marks and all lowercase. I didn’t realize that part of writing this post would be so painful.

This is another one that makes it on a ton of cooldown lists. And I see why: it’s cold, restful, and lasts 15 minutes.

But anyone who enters this line when it’s over 20 minutes is probably already a little screwy. Doing anything more than 5 minutes in the heat is downright psychopathic.

It’s a long walk to the very edge of the park, and if the line is long at all, it’s brutal, with multiple switchbacks and very little shade.

When I was there, it was so hot that numerous rides simply just stopped working. Small World was one of them (plus they probably were crushing the power grid with it), so Lightning Lane times stretched way out into the evening.

But on an earlier day during the week, it was super quiet and we basically walked on. Watch the time to drop to 5 minutes, otherwise try for an LL or just stick to some other attractions until it cools off.

The courtyard outside Space Mountain’s entrance

This may be the best place to cool down in all of Disneyland Park. It’s big, never too crowded, and plenty cool, even if not as ice-cold as some spots.

My phone read 103° when we popped in here, and it felt great. We easily grabbed a booth, set up some fans, and were good to go. Even if the tables are full, it’s a fine place to just sit around on the walls or on the ground. Take your damn time, there’s no rush here.

The Stand-by line for Space Mountain, however, is f@$#ing awful if it even hits the high 70s, let alone 90s or above.

Alien Pizza Planet

This might be the second-best overall spot for cooling down in Disneyland. People start lining up right when it opens at 10:30 a.m., especially when it’s hot. I was there right at 10:30, and there were plenty of spots for everyone.

So rope drop with a light breakfast and knock out your Frontierland or your Fantasyland, and then put in your mobile order at Pizza Planet and go get in line around 10:25 or so. Then sit in the ice-cold dining room — or, sit in the Space Mountain courtyard and put in your mobile order from there.

This is also an excellent place to load up on ice. Load up everything you own with it, including your shorts.

Avoid Autopia at all costs

I mean, you already knew that, but why would you ever do this when it’s hot?

Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage

If the line is 20 minutes or less then you’re in the shade, which is tolerable if you’re at least to the edges of the hottest part of the day. And you’re rewarded with nearly 14 minutes of underwater coolness.

Anything over that can get risky.

Star Tours — if it’s 15 minutes or less

I remember the days of inching forward in this line, standing in the same spot for 10-20 minutes, taking at least 90 minutes to get through.

Today, the Star Tours wait rarely gets over 30 minutes, even on busier days.

But in the heat, look for 15 minutes or less in Stand-by, which you will likely get at some point. That means your wait outside is minimal.

Plus, as always: Star Wars.

Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln (and soon to be Walt Disney, too)

I’ll sit through 15 minutes of great moments with a razor blade to my skin if it has air-conditioning like this.

During a heatwave, this is probably the most reliable place to pop in and cool the eff down. You can do the 15-minute show and sit for a bit, or just look around the lobby and find a seat. They often have art displays or other fun random stuff to look at.

This one saved my butt when it hit 108°.

Other spots to escape the heat in Disneyland

For the most part, if you just need some relief, you can pop into any enclosed store or eatery and get a little dose of AC.

Usually, the Emporium on Main Street is where I thought I’d escape — but when the heat was at its highest, it was still pretty darn warm in there.

Main Street Cinema is another excellent choice to get some quick relief, plus you need to stop in here at least once on every trip.

Otherwise, there are many shady spots to stop and chill as needed—besides, once again, Fantasyland. Avoid the middle of the park if you can.

You can also try the Disneyland Railroad to at least save your legs a bit of walking and get a breeze going, but there’s no A/C on that thing.

Lastly, of all places, you can find a bit of relief in Toontown. Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway offers a fun, air-conditioned indoor queue where you’ll actually be happy when the wait time hits 45 minutes. Next door at Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin you’ll also find an indoor queue, if you’re into whatever the hell is going on in that attraction. And there’s a splash fountain right outside Mickey & Minnie’s entrance, so you wet down your cooling towels or just splash some random kids.

General tips for not burning to a crisp during a heatwave at Disneyland Resort

Let’s make one thing clear: Even if you do every damn thing on this list, your ass is gonna be sweatin’. There’s only so much you can do and it stinks.

But with that said, a few random tips that worked for me at a time when it ranged from 93° to 108° for daily highs:

Maximize morning and night, and consider a long break

Taking a break from Disneyland or California Adventure sucks, and in general I think it’s a stupid idea. I don’t even like to go to Downtown Disney if I have a park ticket that day. But if the temp is approaching three digits, you have to consider it.

In the most ideal of worlds, you’d be able to get up early, even if not rope dropping at least close to it, and get in at least a couple of good hours when lines and temps aren’t too bad.

Then maybe grab lunch and take it back to the hotel, crank the A/C, and just chill for like 3 or 4 hours.

Around 5 p.m. is when I noticed a clear change in the air each night, and the temperature finally started to dip. It gives you a second wind and, depending on what time of year it is, you should still have plenty of park time left.

Save the heavy walking for night, and in general, invest in nighttime as your main time to go nuts.

Monorails SHUT DOWN

This was news to me, but apparently the monorails do NOT currently have air conditioning, and thus they won’t even run when it gets too hot. Take that into consideration if you’re staying at Disneyland Hotel and were going to use that bad boy. That’s a long and hot walk to the park.

Wet towels and neck coolers

You’ll see stuff about these dumb things all over the internet, whether it’s for the heat at Disney or anywhere else.

All they basically are is towels or rags that kind of stay wet for a while. You can bring your own if you want. The material they’re made of sort of stays damp without dripping too much, but who cares.

That said, it does help. You’ll need to keep wetting it down, but you can use bathrooms or whatever to do so.

Handheld fans

I bought a couple of rechargeable handheld fans on Amazon before the trip, and while any of them are fine, this one worked great for me. They’re not too expensive so get one for everyone in your party.

I charged it before I left and never had to recharge once. They really do help and you can stash it in your pocket or the ride pouch once you’re getting into an attraction.

Editor’s Note: I saw some folks with some newfangled power fans in their hands — I haven’t tried them, but they seemed worth trying out.

ICE IN HAT

I don’t use the term “genius” very often, but putting a few ice cubes in my hat and then putting that sucker on my head is by far one of the smartest moments in my life.

This really does feel incredible, and if it’s not too scorching you can use just a few ice cubes and it will last for a decent amount of time. It also sends signals throughout your body that you’re not actually dying and may just live to get that next churro.

I used a running hat with soft material — also go with a white hat if you can to reflect the sun.

Fans + neck cooler + ice

This is the way.

This really probably helped each of us the most. You can also mist yourself down and fan down your arms, neck, and face. Throw some ice into the neck towel or your hat or anywhere on your body, and get ready for a party in your nervous system.

Really a combo, whichever works for you, of any of this stuff is your best bet.

Ice, ice, baby

Speaking of ice, it can be a little hard to come by. Refill ice in every type of container you have whenever you can at the spots I mentioned above. Remember that you can ask for a cup of ice at any quick-service restaurant as well.

You can also freeze water bottles overnight, but frankly, they’ll melt quickly. Bring a soft-sided cooler to help keep things cold for as long as you can, but you’ll need to accept it won’t last that long when it’s very hot, and just keep refilling your ice reserves.

Spray bottle

Just bring a big spray bottle from the dollar store and go nuts with it. It helps with everything else. You can get the misting fans that the park sells, but they’re really only good for spraying water. Which, if you didn’t bring one, go ahead and shell out the $20 for it. Just do it early in the trip.

Consider a single park ticket over Park Hopper

Normally, I’ll run up and down the parks with a Park Hopper based on attraction times and trends. I don’t even care.

But when it’s hot, you need to conserve energy or you will bonk out. Consider a single park ticket so you aren’t tempted to walk from Cars Land to Galaxy’s Edge when it’s 99° just because Rise has a low wait time.

At the very least, try to spend time jumping from cooldown to cooldown within the same lands. Have 30 minutes until your Lightning Lane at Guardians? Instead of running to Radiator Racers for Single Rider real quick, hit the Avengers store instead.

UV umbrellas? Meh

I saw these all over the internet basically saying it would save your life in a heatwave at DLR.

Meh.

We got one, I sort of used it, but when it was anything above 95° it really just didn’t make a difference. I mean, I’m sure there were fewer UVs hitting us, which is good, but holding the damn thing just got annoying.

Unless you’re a parasol person, you can skip this.

Running shorts and Gold Bond powder

I don’t give a crrrraaaaapppp what you think about me — this helps.

I wore running shorts for much of my stay, and was glad to not bother with an extra layer in my under-parts. Dust some Gold Bond powder in there and you’ll avoid chafing, plus get that nice menthol feeling.

Look, I know the word “chafing” is awful, but it’s a real concern when it’s that hot.

Hotels

Think hard about where you’re staying. Grand Californian because you’re a rich bastard? Hell yeah, do it!

Otherwise, you may as well hit a good neighbor hotel across the street, and think about which one. Disneyland Hotel is actually a further walk, and remember: the monorails will shut down if it gets too hot.

We found a last-minute reservation at Park Vue Inn. It’s no-frills, but it’s about as close as walking into Downtown Disney (but do note that there are no elevators).

The Tropicana and Camelot Inn are also good picks.

Lots of sunblock

I mean, duh. But I remember days I’ve gone to Disneyland at other times of the year and never even thought to put on sunblock. Try for every 2 hours.

Frozen bananas and frozen treats

This is the one time you can get a frozen chocolate banana and it will start thawing out before you break a tooth on it. It’s also a great excuse to get down on some ice cream, and it seriously does help.

Electrolytes

Coming from high altitude and running marathons, I’m well acquainted with getting dehydrated. Electrolytes really help you to feel mentally OK when you’re shedding sweat in the heat.

You can get a fizzy drink, like Nuun, or pills.

Take ‘em about every hour or two during the hottest parts of the day.

Insulated water bottles

I used a couple of Contigo water bottles. Take your pick, just make sure you have at least one insulated bottle for everyone in your party.

Beyond that, keep all water on hand and don’t hesitate to buy a cold bottle if you need it. You can always refill your reusable one later — and the plastic one. Even if the water’s warm, you can use it to douse your neck towel quickly or dump on your child for being annoying.

Hey, it’s still Disney

Will you still enjoy your trip if the heat kicks it into high gear? Yes, of course you will. It’s Disney.

Just be prepared for what awaits you and commit fully. You’ll have plenty of new memories.

You will suffer, oh god yes will you suffer, but you’ll have many great moments too.

While it’s not the only Disney news out there, the revelation that Disney would be opening a seventh resort on Yas Island, about 30 minutes from downtown Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, was a pretty unexpected one. Would you be willing to travel to this new destination when it opens?

Here’s what else has been happening the world of nerd + Disney recently.

George Lucas reveals why Yoda talks the way he does

You can be sure of one thing whenever George Lucas decides to open his mouth and “reveal” something about the beloved Star Wars universe that he spawned in his brain — nerds are gonna get angry.

At a recent Empire Strikes Back screening, Lucas told fans that the reason he wrote Yoda’s speech that way was basically to make the audience listen better. As he told the crowd:

Because if you speak regular English, people won’t listen that much. But if he had an accent, or it’s really hard to understand what he’s saying, they focus on what he’s saying

Hmmm, try that on my children, should I?

But really, I think we all know it’s because of the language of Yoda’s species and this is all a bunch of classic Lucas B.S.

Disney shares details on the new Pirates of the Caribbean-inspired pub

The Beak and Barrel is slated to open in late summer and will feature seafaring songs, cocktails, mocktails, and apparently a parrot with a pirate hat.

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Eat candy out of a trash can

But not just any trash can — a MAGIC KINGDOM trash can. You can head over to the Main Street Confectionery at WDW (among other locations) later this month to get your hands on one of these little beauties. And, thankfully, sales are limited to two per person.

No word yet on if you’ll be able to use them as little tables to eat a tiny little lunch, but ya’ll are creative, so I’m sure you’ll find a way.

Quick Hits

• The animated Star Wars: Tales of the Underworld debuted on Rotten Tomatoes with a 100% audience score.

• Disney ain’t slowing down on the Goofy Movie love. Up next? Lorcana cards.

• Darth Maul is finally getting his own show.

• Disney will be preserving Muppetvision 3D, so just calm down.

• If you’ve been wanting to run in a Disneyland half marathon, hopefully you got in this year or will next year, because the event will go on hiatus after 2026 due to Disney Forward construction.

• You can now get a remote-controlled Mouse Droid.

• Finally, you can pre-order a LEGO set of the iconic Pixar lamp.

Giveaway: Win a 5-Star Family Vacation to Park Hyatt Aviara in San Diego

We’re teaming up with some friends to offer up a pretty sweet getaway package for all the fams out there. Click below to get details and enter for FREE!

Enter the Giveaway

Can’t make it to May the 4th at Disneyland or WDW? Meh, you can just watch it on TV

Not that I would ever choose sitting on my couch over heading to a Disney park, but there are certainly moments on those trips when you wish you had your comfy living room setup available.

As part of Disneyland’s 70th anniversary celebration, Disney announced they’ll be releasing two new POV videos on Disney+ — one for Rise of the Resistance and one for an after-hours tour of Galaxy’s Edge.

Both will release on Star Wars Day, aka May the 4th. I, for one, will never turn down a chance to experience RotR, especially if I can drink a beer at the same time.

The Paint the Night parade is coming back

Growing up, I was blessed to be among the Electric Light Parade generation. I saw it shortly after it debuted and from then on it was just a given that I would be regaled with that synthesized night magic on every trip.

So even though I was in attendance the last time ELP “marched” down the streets of Disneyland (I’m not rich, just lucky), I’ve missed that nighttime magic.

Well, Paint the Night is no Electric Light Parade (mostly because of the music), but it’s as close as you’re going to get for the foreseeable future — and that future is bright (get it?), as the parade is coming back to Disneyland starting on May 16, with no end date currently noted.

Light & Magic season 2 is here

Season one of the docuseries Light & Magic, which tells the story of famed special effects outfit Industrial Light & Magic, confirms what I’ve always suspected: George Lucas is responsible for almost everything.

From Photoshop to Pixar, Lucas has at least an indirect hand to play.

At Star Wars Celebration 2025, currently happening in Japan, we found out that the second season has officially dropped, picking up after ILM blew all of our minds with the effects of Jurassic Park.

Study with Max

Disney continues to go crazy for The Goofy Movie's 30th anniversary. This time, it’s a 10+ hour lofi video featuring Max studying.

That’s some hardcore cramming, Max.

Quick Hits

• The Ryan Gosling Star Wars movie has a name (and I’m sure it won’t change before its slated release in 2027): Star Wars: Starfighter

• An Up themed attraction is coming to Disney Adventure World in Paris.

• The building that housed Walt Disney’s original Laugh-O-Gram Studio is getting money to be revitalized.

• Lightning Lane passes at Walt Disney World have been hitting all-time highs.

• If you have one of these Disney collectibles, it could be worth a lot of money.

• The Fantastic Four: First Steps is almost here — this latest trailer proves it.

• Don’t forget to set your alarms — Andor season 2 arrives next week on the 22nd.

You can get tantaun popcorn buckets at Disneyland right now

Imagine if when Han cut open that tauntaun on Hoth to save Luke’s life, he found the animal to be filled with a delicious salty snack.

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I mean, I guess it’s not out of the question that he decided to snack on those innards… and it kind of resembles kernels popping, doesn’t it?

Anyways, you can get your hands on one of these buckets for a limited time at select locations across Disneyland Park.

The Grand Floridian is getting a sweet lobby bar

Not that I’ve ever had the money opportunity to stay there, but if these recently unveiled plans for updates to the Grand Floridian at Walt Disney World are any indication, it’s going to become a more fantastical resort to visit.

Namely, the new bar designed after the iconic lobby bird cage.

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There’s also other stuff — but, hey, a bar! If these updates end up looking anything like the renderings, it should add a bit more fantasy and whimsy to the Grand Floridian.

Disney’s Lorcana TCG bans cards for the first time

Where my Lorcana-heads at? Is that even a thing?

I’ve been interested in Disney’s latest attempt at producing a trading card game that will stick (and presumably bring in lots of revenue), but not enough to actually get my hands on a starter deck and see what’s up. Perhaps now, I will, because you know when they start banning cards from competitive play (and even the fact that competitive play exists), things are getting more legit.

The new Disney villains show at WDW will premiere in May

When the imagineers, or copywriter-neers, came up with the title for the new villains show at WDW, Disney Villains: Unfairly Ever After, they must have been patting themselves on the back for a job well done.

I would have gone with Unhappily Ever After, but I guess what do I know?

Regardless of my brilliant marketing ideas, the show is set to debut at Hollywood Studios starting on May 27.

And The Little Mermaid: A Musical Adventure will FINALLY be back on the same date.

Quick Hits

• Disney is still going nuts with its celebration of The Goofy Movie’s 30th anniversary. The latest? A minute-long version in 16-bit style.

• We hit send a little too early last week to give you the newest Lilo & Stitch live-action teaser, aptly called “Mayhem Unleashed.”

• You’ll soon be able to scuba dive at EPCOT again!

• An actual real screening of the original Star Wars is happening this June — not like that weird Roku thing that was going on. The catch? It’s happening in London.

• This summer comic book readers will be able to see Godzilla take on the Marvel Universe.

• We might be getting a Star Wars horror project.

• If you’re a Disney+ subscriber, you can score $99 per night WDW hotel deals this summer.

So much cool stuff coming to the parks

We missed a slew of attraction news in March. Here are a few of the highlights:

• A Mando and Grogu mission is coming to Millenium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run

• You can see footage of very early testing for Stark Flight Lab at Avengers Campus

• A HERBIE animatronic is in the works!

• These renderings of the load station for the new Monsters Inc. coaster look… insanely innovative.

Andor Season 2 is almost here

Andor will grace our screens once again starting on April 22. The new season will kick off with the first three episodes available upon release. Disney+ has even more to offer in April, including Doctor Who Season 2 (aka Series 15).

A Goofy Movie is somehow turning 30

Whoever had the idea to take Goofy and put him in a situation where he’s just a typical dad in the ‘90s doesn’t get enough credit or accolades.

But as far as I’m concerned, this is still a new and fresh spin on this classic character. Yet, somehow, this movie turns 30 years old this month. And you can celebrate by attending an anniversary screening at the El Capitan.

You can also find a slew of merch at the parks and online.

Quick Hits

• For the first time in forever, both water parks at Disney World will be open at the same time.

• Disney closed out their CinemaCon panel with a clip from Avatar: Fire & Ash, after sharing additional footage for The Fantastic Four: First Steps, among other treats.

• Park discounts, in this economy?

• The live-action remake of Tangled has been paused, and I’m sure you can guess why.

Indiana Jones Adventure turns 30

If you’re like me, anytime you ride this attraction these days, you remark to everyone around you what it was like waiting in that queue back in the day.

I remember inching forward through every square foot of that line, watching that silly little film starring Jonathan Rhys-Davies thousands of times, before FINALLY getting to sit in the Jeep and being whisked away on your adventure. If it was less that two hours, it was the best damn day of your life.

Somehow, this attraction just turned 30 years old, and hell, it’s looking good for its age. Plus, the lines are shorter.

Somehow, you can stream the pre-Special Edition Star Wars on Roku right now

We’ve been waiting for this moment for decades… sort of.

If you have one of the remastered versions of the original Star Wars trilogy on VHS, you’ve been one of the few lucky souls that can watch a pre-Special Edition version of A New Hope. Either that, or you’ve been visiting some really sketchy foreign torrent sites.

Yes, somehow, the original theatrical release has been streaming on Roku — sort of. The quality isn’t what one would call good, but hell, it’s there.

The food for Season of the Force looks delicious

Damn it Disney! Stop having seasonal events with really good-looking food that makes me want to go (further) into debt! The menu for this year’s Season of the Force at Disneyland, taking place March 28 through May 11, features items like Dewback Chili Noodles, Fried Falumpaset Cheese Skewer, and Keshian Spiced Milk Tea.

Quick Hits

• The public will soon get to visit the exclusive and somewhat secret Spaceship Earth Lounge at EPCOT

• We now know that the Ryan Gosling Star Wars movie is set after The Rise of Skywalker

• Will we get a Groot-centric movie??

• The original voice of Meg from Hercules showed up and lit things up at Disneyland’s ‘90s Nite

• A Mara Jade lightsaber is coming to Galaxy’s Edge

• Cementesaurus is gone, and the timeline for the rest of DinoLand’s closing has been confirmed

• Disney Experiences Chairman Josh D’Amaro and Disney Entertainment Co-Chairman Alan Bergman will be hosting an event at this year’s South by Southwest

Powerline is back, baby

Someday I will give up my life as I know it and find a way to live inside Disneyland and attend every single event, but I’m still just about $10 million shy of that goal. So for those of who will be able to get there hands on this Powerline popcorn bucket at Disneyland After Dark: ‘90s Nite, I’m jealous. Apparently, there’s also a mug of Max as Powerline.

Daredevil is back, baby

It’s finally here — Daredevil, Born Again premieres NEXT WEEK.

Here’s a rundown of everything else hitting Disney+ in March.

Return of the Sith is back, baby

We did it. We made the same joke three times.

But anytime a Star Wars movie is in theaters, even if it’s one of the prequels and it came out 20 years ago, it’s still worth noting. Episode III hits theaters (again) April 25.

Quick hits

• Actually, Kathleen Kennedy is NOT retiring from Lucasfilm.

• You can reserve spots for the Disneyland Railroad Guided Tour again.

• The spots at Disneyland only Cast Members know about.

• Cosmic Rewind at WDW now has a standby line.

• Andor season 2 will start releasing in April.

If there’s one thing you can count on, it’s that if there’s a trend that’s blowing up, Disney will find a way to capitalize on it.

And hey, that’s not a bad thing. I’m 100% on board. So when Lofi Girl made it big, you knew it was only a matter of time before Disney got in on the lofi vibes. I’m glad they did — these 10 tracks are perfect for anyone who needs some chill beats in their life along with a hint of magic.

When You Wish Upon a Star

The best covers are those that are unexpectedly good. Taking a classic like “When You Wish Upon a Star” and adding a bunch of weird synth sounds, a warped melody, and moody tones somehow works extremely well.

Wish — This Wish

This movie was… not great. As my son likes to point out: They waited 100 years to make that?! But somehow, this song in lofi format is really damn good.

You’ll Be in My Heart (From “Tarzan”)

I was too old for the animated Tarzan movie from 1999 to have a serious affect on me and was never a huge fan of Phil Collins. Yet this tune’s warm chord progressions translate perfectly into a spacy, lofi and feel-good vibe.

Chim Chim Cher-ee (From “Mary Poppins”)

Sometimes it’s not about lifting your mood, but matching it. Maybe it’s raining. Maybe you just need to brood for a bit. The lofi version of “Chim Chim Cher-ee” will add some mysterious vibes to your day in the best way possible.

Part of Your World (From “The Little Mermaid”)

With retro synths and spacy reverb throughout, this iconic song feels a little less desperate and bit more cheery in this form.

Star Wars (Main Theme)

You don’t spend billions of dollars on one of the biggest movie franchises in history to NOT sanction a lofi version of the main theme. There are a few versions out there, but this one is super chill (aka, the best).

You’re Welcome (From “Moana”)

It’s catchy as hell on its own, and that stands up when you put it in lofi mode. You’re welcome for us sharing this track with you. Yuk yuk.

Some Day My Prince Will Come (From “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”)

It might take a hot minute, but once it hits you what classic tune this track actually is, it transports you to a magical place where birds smile at you and dwarfs whistle.

Go the Distance (From “Hercules”)

Poor Hercules probably doesn’t get the fanfare it rightly deserves. It wasn’t until my son discovered it on Disney+ that I started to appreciate it. This wouldn’t be the first song I’d think would make for a great chill lofi cover, but it sure does.

A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes

Sometimes you just need to be transported to a magical place. Whether you’re working, watching the rain fall, or just need a break from real life, this dreamy and jazzy rendition of a Disney classic will whisk you away.

1. This week’s Three Things.

2. A totally needless Disney-related opinion.

3. Nerdy Disney news you should care about.

Let’s get started…

1. Three things to eat at Disney California Adventure before Lunar New Year ends

Lunar New Year is one of the most magical times at Disneyland Resort. It coincides with generally lower crowds, cooler temperatures, and lots of food and alcohol to stuff down your gullet.

We made a last-minute trip to the House of Mouse last weekend to get in some tasty bites. We’re not those people that are able to try ALL the food (like, how do these people afford all that?), so here’s what we experienced using our Sip and Savor pass (totally worth it as long as you get stuff only worth $8 or more) and a few extras.

Pork Belly Bánh Mì at Paradise Garden Grill

Unfortunately, this one was not part of the Sip and Savor pass, coming in at $14.99. It was also the only snack I forgot to take a picture of. But it was very delicious. This was actually one of the best bánh mìs I’ve ever had.

Fire Chicken Wings at Red Dragon Spice traders Cart & Smoke Jumpers Grill

Whew, these babies can get HOT depending how slathered in sauce they are. But you can also wipe away some of the sauce and still get all the flavor with a bit less spice. They’re included on the Sip and Savor, and are actually slightly cheaper if you buy them out of pocket at Smoke Jumpers.

Toasted Sesame and Red Bean Churro at Churros at Hollywood Land Cart

Let’s get it out of the way — just like every other damn Disney blogger in the word has pointed out, including “red bean” in the name of this dish is misleading. There’s some kind of red bean-ish cream that if you taste on its own kind of taste like red bean, but the star here is the sesame flavor. It’s a tad under $8, so maybe an out of pocket item if you have a Sip and Savor pass.

2. The Totally Needless Disney Opinion of the Day — It’s too damn expensive!

A recent report from the Wall Street Journal implied that many visitors to Disneyland aren’t planning return trips anytime soon due to the ever-rising costs. Oh yeah, no crap? Adding on stuff like Park Hopper and Genie Plus (shut up) has gone up faster than a dozen eggs during a bird apocalypse. Yes, it’s too damn expensive!

And also, yes, I will continue to keep opening my wallet for all the add-ons and Disney will probably see a huge profit this year from the Parks division. In the meantime, 2025 might be the year to grab some discounts on a trip or two or more.

3. The Nerdy Disney News You Should Care About

Here’s some stuff from the last couple of weeks or so from the intersection of nerd and Disney:

• Luke Skywalker and a new projection show are coming to Galaxy’s Edge. I, for one, like it.

• Is Kim Possible getting a reboot?

• New content at it’s a small world? Hell yeah.

• Starting on May the Fourth, you’ll have more options for building a cool lightsaber at Savi’s Workshop.

• You’ll be able to see the Walt Disney animatronic starting in July.

• Phineas and Ferb are coming to EPCOT in topiary form, and you can catch some insane Indiana Jones chalk art there right now.

We’re back with another edition of cutting out the junk and giving you the nerdy Disney news you should care about in the final week-ish of January 2025.

The Former Star Wars Hotel is Getting Less Awesome

When Galactic Starcruiser was announced, I started planning to sell all my worldly possessions and just move in there permanently. Although, I’m not sure that would have covered even one night.

The sadly shuttered building for the ambitious attraction/hotel finally has a potential new use: offices. Pretty lame if you ask me. Although it’s said the offices will house Imagineers, so I guess that’s cool?

Definitely worth a billion dollars.

Lunar New Year at Disneyland Sounds Delicious

I want to eat it all. Sure, there are parades and character appearances from Mulan and Mushu, but the best way to celebrate the Year of the Snake has to be noshing on some of these insanely awesome-sounding snacks:

• Strawberry Milk Tea Macaron

• Quesabirria Eggroll with guajillo pepper consomé

• Mandarin Orange Cream Puff

• Toasted Sesame and Red Bean Churro (!!)

You can see all the limited-time Lunar New Year food items here.

Rumor: We should have seen Padmé in Obi-Wan Kenobi

At least if you believe insider Jeff Sneider, who claimed on a recent podcast appearance that Natalie Portman filmed some scenes for the miniseries while also filming Thor: Love and Thunder. This might not be much more than a rumor, though — I can’t imagine you’d pay Natalie Portman to come in and then not use the footage…

Quick Hits

• The D23 Spotlight Series in February will highlight Indiana Jones Adventure.

• Is Disneyland getting less scary?

• Apparently Doctor Strange will be in Avengers: Doomsday. Chris Evans, however, will not.

• There’s a new animated series featuring Spider-Man on Disney+.

• There’s a new tiger cub you can see at Animal Kingdom.

What’d we miss? Let us know!