It’s always nice to have something to look forward to, and Disneyland has a whole slew of super sweet things on the horizon that are filling all us die-hard Disney fans with anticipation. They’re creating new experiences, adding a new land, paying homage to the old-school and celebrating their newer acquisitions. From a brand new hotel (you can stay at one of these in the meantime) to an infusion of Marvel magic, there’s a little something for everyone. See which six things we can’t wait to see debut at the happiest place on Earth.
1. Holidays at the Disneyland Resort: The holiday season comes early to Disneyland. Weeks before Thanksgiving, the happiest place on Earth will begin their onslaught of tinsel, decorated trees and epic gingerbread houses. This year there will be a brand new holiday-themed World of Color — Season of Light and the debut of Festival of Holidays, which will celebrate holiday customs from many cultures. Plus, there will be the holiday fun that we’ve grown to love, like the “It’s a small world” Holiday, Jingle Cruise and Haunted Mansion holiday (and let’s not forget Santa and ALL THE YUMMY TREATS).
2. Return of the Electrical Parade: For the last six years, if you wanted to bask in the beauty that is Disney’s Electrical Parade, you’d have to go all the way to Florida. But those on the West Coast will be so stoked to hear that this totally lit extravaganza will be returning to the place it all started way back in 1972 (it was at Disneyland until 1996). The iconic parade will re-debut early next year and will only run for a limited period. So if you wanna see it before it goes dark, start planning your trip soon.
3. Guardians of the Galaxy — Mission: BREAKOUT: Over the next few months, the Hollywood Tower Hotel will be hosting their last guests. The “final check out date” of the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror is January 2. After that, it will be transformed into The Collector’s Fortress for their brand new Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT! experience. The new ride will combine the free-fall sensation of the old ride with all-new visual and audio effects (plus old school tunage inspired by the Guardians of the Galaxy soundtrack). The new Marvel magic will debut in the summer of 2017.
4. Oldies but Goodies Reopen: We’ve missed some of our old Disneyland faves, haven’t you? Due to allllll the changes happening at the park to make room for the OMG SO ANTICIPATED Star Wars Land, Disneyland mainstays — Fantasmic, the Mark Twain Riverboats, Sailing Ship Columbia, Pirate’s Lair on Tom Sawyer Island and Davy Crocket Explorer Canoes — are on hiatus. But we won’t have to wait long to go for a leisurely ride on a steamboat or get rowing around the Rivers of America; these oldies but goodies will be back in play in the summer of 2017.
5. Star Wars Land: Disneyland is totally toying with us. They’re dangling the promise of the spectacular Star Wars Land in front of us with their fancy pants concept art and drool-worthy deets (as meager as they are), but they aren’t giving us the most important fact. They’re not telling us when ALL this awesomeness will be open. They announced the project at D23 (the Disney fan convention) back in the summer of 2015. The next D23 will be in 2017, so this would be a prime time to announce the grand opening date. Our guess is that it’ll open in late 2020, but we hope we’re wrong and that it’ll open sooner, ’cause WE CANNOT WAIT.
6. A New Luxury Hotel: If you’ve tried to book a room at one of the Disneyland Hotels during peak season, then you know it can be tough, with rooms at their three hotels routinely selling out. So, news that they’re building a new luxury resort is way welcome. The new hotel will be a 700-room, four-diamond dwelling on 10 acres located at the end of Downtown Disney. They’ll start building this yet-to-be named hotel in 2018, and it’s planned to open in 2021. There’s no theme yet, but seeing what they did with the overhaul on the Disneyland Hotel and the beauty of the Grand Californian, odds are it’ll be sweeeeet.
Which experience are you most looking forward to at Disneyland? Let us know @BritandCo!
(Photos via Disneyland Resort)
