The dog days of summer are upon us at the Disneyland Resort. If you were too busy playing Pokemon Go to get out to the parks, don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. But you did miss out on great weather and low crowd levels at the Happiest Place On Earth. Today’s update includes photos and news about Star Wars land construction, the new parking structure which is finally moving forward, Disneyland’s ever-changing security and hundreds of photos from the parks. – Dusty

Disneyland

Securityland

In the wake of increased high profile attacks across the country and around the world, Disneyland has really stepped up security throughout the resort area. Watch towers are on high alert in the parking lots, increased security presence (some with dogs) in Downtown Disney, lots of security personnel in the parks. And, of course, the bag check and metal detectors have been staffed with actual Disneyland security staff and more guests being sent through the scanners. The big question many are asking is if the security perimeter should be increased at the Disneyland Resort. Should bag check/scanning be pushed out to the entry points of the resort so all guests must be scanned before entering Downtown Disney or the hotels? It’s a challenging question both socially and operationally. But given the number of guests who congregate outside the security bubble of the Esplanade, it is a subject which will eventually need to be addressed.

Summer Off-Season



Once the busiest time of year for Disneyland, Summer is the new off-season. Peak surge pricing for park tickets and hotel rooms, in combination with pass holder block outs have made Summer the most enjoyable crowd levels of the year. Most of the photos in this update were taken between 10am and 5pm on Friday the 8th of July, and from noon until 2pm on Saturday the 9th. At no point during that time were the parks at more than moderate crowding conditions, and in most places the park actually felt uncrowded. This was unheard of a few years ago. Disney has successfully engineered a shift in crowds from the busy season to the off season. I’m sure Disney would rather that the parks were a bit more crowded than they currently are. The hotels in particular do not have the occupancy that Disney is accustomed to. So, some adjustment of the system will need to be conducted before next year.

Our MouseAddict app recorded moderate crowding at Disneyland and California Adventure. If you’d like to track crowds in the park (including heat maps of where guests are congregating), you can find out more information HERE.

A Romp Through Disneyland

This was one of the most enjoyable photo shoots we’ve had in a very long time. Instead of rushing to get all the shots as quickly as possible, we took the better part of the day to experience Disneyland as it is rarely seen these days – without the mad crush of guests. A simply delightful day.

All the Season(s) of the Force attractions continue to operate. . .