DLW 176: Our Touch of Disney Plans

This week, the early bird gets the Touch of Disney worm, tips for making Touch of Disney a better experience, Avenger’s Campus updates, some fun surprises for guests and legacy passholders, we talk about our planning for our visit to Touch of Disney, and more!
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Arriving early seems to be the best bet when it comes to Touch of Disney. For those folks staying at a hotel on Harbor, the access is easier and you can arrive to Downtown Disney earlier than the 11:30am Mickey and Friends crowds. For locals, there is also the option to park at the Anaheim Hotel for $10 and walk over. The crowds do pick up in the afternoon and early evening, so getting in and ordering some food right away is a good idea. Avoiding food and checking out the characters and photo ops in the afternoon when it is busiest is the best idea. – https://www.disneyfoodblog.com/2021/03/18/what-does-a-sold-out-a-touch-of-disney-crowd-look-like-at-disneyland/
Touch of Disney hasn’t been all sunshine and churros. Guests online and even in our community, reported some hiccups with the opening weekend of the event. Guests arriving to Mickey and Friends at 11:30 when the garage opened, then had to walk the tram route, which resulted in getting the the gates after the noon start time. Entrance was slowed down due to having to scan the ticket, take guests photos, then scanning the $25 food gift card to enter. Mobile ordering is highly encouraged, but also had long waits for food once ordered, that in some cases, was faster to stand in line and order at the booth instead. – https://www.mouseplanet.com/12893/Disneyland_Resort_Update_for_March_22__28_2021
Something interesting popped up online this week with guests being able to see different angles into Avenger’s Campus with Touch of Disney going on. It appears that the Web Slingers attraction has a part of the track outside on the roof! We looked at some aerial photos to see if we could 100% confirm this, but there wasn’t a good angle to do so. There is a piece of concept art that has Mission Breakout in the background, so it could show proof of this. We were under the impression that the stunt show would be in this area, so we will see when the land and this attraction officially open to the public. – https://www.micechat.com/285785-disneyland-gets-ready-to-reopen-as-california-adventures-food-festival-kicks-off/
Attendees of the Touch of Disney event are able to look into Avenger’s Campus and see one of the decorative highlights of the new area – the Quinjet! It is parked on top of the location of the possible future location of the phase 2 big Avenger’s e-ticket attraction. – https://www.micechat.com/285785-disneyland-gets-ready-to-reopen-as-california-adventures-food-festival-kicks-off/
Guests were greeted with some unexpected refurbishments going on within California Adventure at the start of the Touch of Disney event. The rotunda for Ariel’s Undersea Adventure is behind scaffolding and being painted, as well as quite a bit of work around Pacifc Wharf, specifically the Cocina Cucamounga. – https://www.micechat.com/285785-disneyland-gets-ready-to-reopen-as-california-adventures-food-festival-kicks-off/
One amazing thing that has returned with the Touch of Disney event are the PhotoPass photographers! There are a number of locations that have been setup to take advantage of their return. There are also some locations that are setup without PhotoPass photographers that are just plain fun! There is a Mickey mural on the side of the D-Lish booth, a D23 Mickey Hands mural near Ghiradelli, butterfly wings by Paradise Garden, and more. For a complete list, check out the link in the show notes. – https://www.disneyfoodblog.com/2021/03/20/heres-every-photo-op-at-disney-california-adventures-new-event/
During the Touch of Disney event, the games of Pixar Pier are open for guests to enjoy. Dividers have been installed between the seats and cast members are cleaning and sanitizing between each game. The games were free to play during the event, but it is unclear if it will remain that way. – https://www.laughingplace.com/w/news/2021/03/19/games-of-the-pixar-pier-operating-during-touch-of-disney-event-at-disney-california-adventure/
Legacy Passholders have a few places to pick up some nice swag at Touch of Disney. Over in Paradise Gardens, there is an AP corner with a photo op for the 20th anniversary of DCA, along with a Legacy Passholder magnet and button. The 65th Anniversary of Disneyland AP magnet is also still available at most merchandise locations, just be sure to ask. – https://www.disneyfoodblog.com/2021/03/18/photos-check-out-the-exclusive-items-legacy-passholders-can-snag-in-disneyland/
More details have been trickling out about the new storyline and themeing for the World Famous Jungle Cruise this past week. The new story will center around Alberta Falls, the granddaughter of famed explorer Albert Falls, and is now the proprietor of the Jungle Navigation Company who operates the Jungle Cruise. For full details, visit the links that we have in the show notes. – https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2021/03/jungle-cruise-adds-new-characters-mischievous-wildlife-and-skipper-humor-to-classic-attraction/ and https://www.micechat.com/280932-breaking-news-major-changes-coming-to-the-jungle-cruise-at-disneyland-and-magic-kingdom/
The Disneyland Hotel turned 65 back in October, and there is finally some merchandise to celebrate. There are tees, a sweater, and more available at the Wonderground Gallery in Downtown Disney. – https://dlnewstoday.com/2021/03/photos-disneyland-hotel-65th-anniversary-apparel-debuts-at-disneyland-resort/
Salt and Straw has done it again with another interesting take on ice cream. This time, some of your favorite cereals are now an option! Some options recreate Lucky Charms, Cocoa Crisps, Peanut Butter Captain Munch, Rice Crispies, and Corn Flakes. – https://www.disneyfoodblog.com/2021/03/20/your-favorite-cereals-are-now-ice-cream-flavors-in-disneyland/
Tortilla Jo’s will have an Easter Brunch Menu on Sunday, April 4, 2021. To make reservations for this unique opportunity, call 714-535-5000. Some of the items include breakfast burritos and enchiladas, chilaquiles, huevos rancheros, bottomless mimosas, and more. – https://www.disneyfoodblog.com/2021/03/20/skip-the-easter-ham-and-opt-for-a-breakfast-burritos-in-downtown-disney/
Bob Chapek was interviewed by Bloomberg this week, and spoke of the guest satisfaction ratings at the Disney parks since their return. In what might be a surprise to some, the satisfaction ratings are above where they were before the pandemic. This could be caused by the lower attendace levels, which makes for a more pleasant experience, the precautions Disney has taken to keep everyone safe, or just that people are happy to be out of the house doing anything. He also stated that the parks will continue to be more magical when more guests return. – https://dlnewstoday.com/2021/03/disney-ceo-bob-chapek-states-guest-satisfaction-at-parks-is-higher-now-compared-to-pre-pandemic/
Bob Iger was interviewed for the SiriusXM business show Leadership Matters. He talks about leaving Disney, what he hopes to do as he transitions out of the company, and more. The interview airs on SiriusXM on April 6th. – https://www.laughingplace.com/w/news/2021/03/22/bob-iger-discusses-whats-next-after-disney-and-the-reopening-of-disneyland-in-upcoming-sirius-xm-business-interview-leadership-matters/

Touch of Disney Menu – https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2021/03/foodie-guide-to-a-touch-of-disney-at-disney-california-adventure-park-opening-march-18/
Knott’s Boysenberry Festival – https://cdn-cloudfront.cfauthx.com/binaries/content/assets/kb-en-us/general-information/play/events/kbf-2021—taste-of-boysenberry-festival-mapv6.pdf