And, over in Disney World, Epcot's International Festival of the Arts kicks off Jan. 13 and can be combined with that SoCal resident ticket offer so, you know, might be worth making a few trips. If you were planning to hold off until Spring Break to visit Disneyland Resort, just know this bombastic celebration lasts through Feb. 21, but know that I am plenty excited for it to begin. We are a mere nine days from the greatest celebration Disney California Adventure hosts all year: Lunar New Year! I'll get into it more later this month once it kicks off Jan. Turning a profit as we reach whatever end of the pandemic is essential for the business, but my editorial Spidey sense tells me there's an issue brewing here that isn't going to show itself for a few years, and when it does, will be challenging to untangle.
Yes, boosting the price of soft serve and beer and entrees is incremental and yes, this happens regularly, but it's important to note that it seems like we're reaching a tipping point as we inch towards an $8 complex carbohydrate shaped like a familiar mouse. When you evaluate all these changes together, though, they're essentially giving guests more reason than ever to leave the "Disney Bubble" for meals, snacks and groceries. The old mentality used to be that it's beneficial to keep guests on property, as they'd end up spending all their money onsite. With admission costing more, FastPass+ converting to a paid system with its own paid upgrades, and the cost of transportation to and from the airport factored in, even more theme park planning prowess is required to navigate a Disney trip for the same price point as before.
Price increases at the parks are standard, and typically the sentiment is that people react poorly but continue to go - but these days, even die-hard fans can feel those fees adding up. These kinds of upticks are incremental and happen often, but have now boosted the price of a Dole Whips to $5.99 and Mickey Pretzels and cheese to $7.50. There's some food news coming out of Walt Disney World and, well, you're not going to like it.ĭisney Food Blog is reporting on hundreds of price increases across the parks on everything from Mickey Pretzels and ice cream to beer, burgers and bottled soda. If you want to board Remy's Ratatouille Adventure more seamlessly, you can always purchase the Individual Attraction Selection through Disney Genie to skip the regular line - which is still offered, despite virtual queue going away - or, if you're a Disney World hotel guest, you can scurry through the French kitchen during Early Entry each and every morning. There is now a standby line for Epcot's newest ride for the first time since its debut, allowing guests to wait it out in real time instead of doing their best to grab a spot in the virtual queue as early as 7am each day. Just when you were getting the hang of Lightning Lanes and Boarding Groups, Remy's Ratatouille Adventure switches up its approach. Tuck in for some procedural changes, price increases and even a look towards festivities later this month: Buffets may not be en vogue at the moment due to our never-ending pandemic, but we've still got a hearty selection of Disney Parks news from the past week. January is routinely one of the slowest months at the parks, but that doesn't mean there's nothing going on. From pretzel price increases to pandemic updates, here's everything you need to know from the past seven days: WAITS, WINE AND WHAT'S NEXT AT DISNEY Welcome to this week's Theme Park News roundup! Cue the somber music and pour one out for Shrek while getting amped for some special events around the corner.