Hello everyone! Today I want to discuss some Disneyland Resort news that just came out recently in terms of the Disneyland President’s media briefing conference Thomas Malzloum. So, let’s get started, shall we?!
- Disneyland plans to remove park hopping restriction:
Currently, park hopping at Disneyland requires guests to begin their day in the theme park they made their reservation for, and then they need to wait until 11:00 a.m. to hop to the other park. So if you made a theme park reservation for Disneyland Park, you would need to enter Disneyland and then wait until 11:00 a.m. to park hop to Disney California Adventure. Now, the President of Disneyland, Thomas Mazloum has announced at a business update roundtable, that starting later this year the 11:00 a.m. restriction will be removed, but they will keep the reservation system.
This is welcome news for Disneyland guests and continues the broader shift toward greater flexibility when planning a visit. We got the news that they were making this change soon after they made the decision to make the shift, so all the specifics of the change haven’t been released yet.
The open question we have is how this change will interact with the existing reservation structure. Will guests still be required to physically enter the park tied to their reservation before hopping to the second park? For example, if I have a reservation for Disneyland Park but ultimately decide I want to start at Disney California Adventure, will I still need to scan into Disneyland first? Or, am I able to just start at Disney California Adventure? Does that then shift the reservation buckets to just be one shared bucket between the parks? We will have to wait and see. This may be perceived as a smaller change, but just this morning I ran into the issue when using my Magic Key Annual Pass. I had made a reservation for Disneyland, but wanted to pop into Disney California Adventure for breakfast. Even though there were reservations for both parks I wasn’t allowed to enter Disney California Adventure until after 11 a.m. due to the park hopping rule or to change my reservation.
- The attraction ride Monsters Inc will not be closed early this year and it is pushed back to 2027, but the construction of the Avatar experience will not be delayed. Disneyland knows that young families love this attraction and they want to get an experiment of the attraction. Monster, Inc. Mike & Sully to the Rescue! first opened in the Hollywood Pictures Backlot area of the park in December 2005 with a grand opening on Jan. 23, 2006.
Riders board a Monstropolis taxicab before beginning their journey through the city, per Disneyland’s synopsis. Along the way, an emergency “special report” announces that a human child is loose and wreaking havoc on Monstropolis. Riders are then tasked with helping monsters Mike and Sully as they race to return Boo back home. “As we celebrate 70 years of the Disneyland Resort, we’re also building for the future by focusing on the relevancy and quality of our product — simplifying the guest experience and bringing exciting new attractions and entertainment to The Happiest Place on Earth,” the executive said.
The changes come as the park prepares to embark on a multi-year expansion project that allows for new attractions and infrastructure improvements. On May 7, 2024, the Anaheim, Calif., City Council unanimously approved DisneylandForward, a plan that allows the rezoning of Disney-owned land for a mix of theme park, hotel and entertainment uses. The new center, built on the east side of the Disneyland resort, will provide approximately 6,000 additional parking spaces for guests. The new area will also have dedicated shuttle and rideshare areas, security screening and dedicated access for traffic off of Disney Way. A pedestrian bridge over Harbor Boulevard will also be constructed, leading to an all-new esplanade.
- Disneyland is also going to tackling the ride reliability which that means to keep rides open without having to fix them when they break down. Disney’s leadership team knows the perception is out there. Attractions go down. Guests crisscross the park chasing Lightning Lanes only to find a closure sign. Carefully planned days unravel. It’s not just an inconvenience—it directly affects whether families feel they got value for their ticket. So the headline claim from Disney’s engineering team was this: fiscal year 2025 saw measurable improvements in uptime, resulting in an estimated 1.5 million additional guest ride experiences compared to the previous year.
That’s a meaningful improvement in ride availability.
Behind the scenes, they say several changes are driving those gains. Maintenance windows have quietly expanded, giving overnight crews more time to perform preventative work. Parts management systems were overhauled (Radiator Springs Racers was cited as a prime example), separating long-cycle overhaul components from day-to-day reliability parts to ensure critical inventory is on hand. Refurbishments are being treated as targeted opportunities to fix specific issues that create frequent breakdowns. Even holiday overlays were scrutinized. By restructuring installation processes for Haunted Mansion Holiday and “it’s a small world” Holiday, the team clawed back nine additional operating days this past season. That translated into roughly 200,000 additional ride experiences that otherwise would have been lost to refurbishment time.
The takeaway? The focus has shifted from simply reopening attractions after breakdowns to preventing those breakdowns in the first place, and increasing hourly throughput while they’re at it. Will guests feel the improvements? That’s the real test.
Disney argues that slight increases in guests reporting they “were able to do everything they wanted to do” are already showing up in satisfaction metrics.
Of course, not every downtime is mechanical. Leadership noted that roughly 13% of unplanned closures are due to guest behavior. Dropped items, safety violations, and weather interruptions also cause rides to shut down unexpectedly. But even that acknowledgment felt like part of a broader effort to be transparent about what they can control and what they can’t. We are incredibly hopeful about what we heard regarding efforts to improve the reliability of Disneyland’s attractions, some of which are now more than 70 years old. If reliability is the mechanical backbone of the resort, hospitality is its heartbeat.
Disney leadership acknowledged something that many longtime visitors have noticed. Roughly 60 percent of current cast members were hired in the surge following the April 2021 reopening of the parks. During that frantic time, training was condensed and simplified as the resort rushed to ramp up its operations. “Traditions,” Disney’s foundational onboarding experience, had to be delivered in a shortened and partially virtual format. The emphasis at the time was on safety protocols and operational readiness. Hospitality culture was harder to instill in that environment and was overshadowed by the immediate need. That reset is now underway.
All cast members still begin with Traditions training on day one. Operations cast members then attend a second training program called Step into the Magic. Over the past year, that second phase has been expanded from one day to two full days, with greater emphasis on role modeling, service expectations, and empowering cast members to shape the guest experience.
Leadership is starting by retraining leads and managers first, with frontline reinforcement happening through ongoing development and daily expectations. The goal is consistency. Not just knowing the rules, but understanding how to solve issues for guests in the moment. They also shared some notable metrics. In 2024, more than 500,000 mobile cast compliments were submitted by guests through the resort’s app-based recognition tool. Turnover currently sits around 15 percent, significantly lower than broader tourism industry averages. And in internal surveys, roughly three-quarters of cast members say they intend to stay with the company for five years or more.
Those numbers suggest stability. But that’s only good if the cast members who are staying are the ones who make guest experiences better. The cast member who anticipates a need before being asked. The operator who communicates clearly during a delay. The team member who actually knows what a new menu item tastes like… because they were trained on it. Disney described this effort as a return to fundamentals. Clear standards. Visible leadership. Recognition of good work. Small improvements they hope will be compounded over time. For a resort built on emotional connection, that recalibration may prove just as important as any engineering investment. Culture is not rebuilt overnight. But if this renewed focus sticks, guests will start to feel the difference.
- Disneyland Resort recently shared with WDWNT that there is a big focus on bringing new guests to the park, including young families. A cheaper kids’ meal is part of that effort. $5.99 Kids Meal. It includes a hot dog, a drink, and a Cuties mandarin orange. This is part of Disneyland’s larger push to focus on young families.
Disneyland’s Focus on Young Families
Other recent examples of this focus include adding a new Bluey stage show for “Bluey’s Best Day Ever!” at the Fantasyland Theatre. Beginning March 22, 2026, and continuing through the year, “Bluey’s Best Day Ever!” will invite Disneyland Park guests to an immersive celebration of the heart and humor of the critically acclaimed Disney+ animated series, Bluey, inside the Fantasyland Theatre at Disneyland Park. Fantasyland Theatre will transform into the grounds of Bluey’s school, where guests can join the fun of Bluey’s best day ever. Throughout the day, Bluey and her sister Bingo will appear live on stage, joining a troupe of comedic actors and musicians. Together, they will bring to life the popular music and games that are emblematic of beloved Bluey episodes, inspiring young families and guests of all ages to participate.
- Disneyland $50 Kids Ticket
Disneyland shared that they are proud of the value they are offering young families this spring with the $50 kids ticket. Children ages 3 through 9 can visit a Disneyland Resort theme park for as low as $50 per child with this 1-Day, 1-Park ticket. These tickets can be used May 22 through September 7, 2026, and tickets may be used on nonconsecutive days.
This ticket also offers a variety of options and flexibility. You’ll be able to choose from 1-Day, 2-Day, or 3-Day park tickets. Park hopping is already included with these tickets which makes them an even better value. The President of Disneyland emphasized this saying you are basically getting each park for $25. You also have the option to add on Lightning Lane Multi Pass.
I think that this is great news for Disney fans including me because it will bring much more excitement and plus Disneyland Resort is making sure that they are staying popular and while Universal Studios Hollywood is also a great place to go to, Disneyland is still a better place to go because this is the happiest place on earth!! Let’s not forget about that! Ok?
So, what do you guys think about the Disneyland news update?! What did you takeaway meaning what did you learn? What news popped up the most if you have to choose one and why? You can give as much information as you can! I would love to hear your thoughts, opinions and questions down below! Stay tuned for Disney updates.
