DLW 201: Infants and Toddlers in the Parks with Emmie

DLWeekly Podcast - Disneyland News and Information

This week, a new party is coming for Christmas, where to find new villains at Oogie Boogie Bash, a fun detail in Cars Land, two food sculptures for Halloween, how the crowds have been, we talk to Emmie about infants and toddlers in the parks, and more! Please support the show if you can by going to https://www.dlweekly.net/support/. If you want some DLWeekly Swag, you can pick some up at https://www.dlweekly.net/store/. Book your travel through ConciEARS at no extra cost to you! Be sure to mention that you heard about ConciEARS from DLWeekly at booking! If you want some awesome headwear or one of a kind items, be sure to visit our friends over at All Enchanting Ears! You can use the promo code DLWEEKLY10 to get 10% off your order!

News:

Walt Disney World has offered after hours Christmas parties for a few years now, and this year Disneyland is getting in on the game! Disney Merriest Nites at Disneyland Park is a new, seperate ticketed event, taking place over five nights through November and early December. Tickets start at $165 per person and give access to 6 parties put on by Minnie Mouse, snow moments on Main Street, an appearance from Santa Claus, admission to Disneyland starting at 5pm, A Christmas Fantasy Parade, attractions excluding Toontown, Critter Country and Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, photo ops, characters, treats, and of course merchandise. For complete details and to get tickets, visit the link in the show notes. – https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2021/09/celebrate-the-holiday-season-in-a-merry-new-way-with-disney-merriest-nites-an-all-new-after-hours-event-at-disneyland-park/ For those listeners going to the Oogie Boogie Bash and looking forward to the new villains, we have the locations! Agatha Harkness from WandaVision has set up in the Ancient Sanctum in Avenger’s Campus. Sid from Toy Story has set up a sideshow circus, called “The Sid Show Circus” on Pixar Pier in the stage area formerly used by the Pixar Philharmonic. Rounding out the new villains is Cruella DeVille, who is putting on a fashion show in the Hollywood Backlot. – https://www.micechat.com/301430-new-characters-bewitch-the-oogie-boogie-cast-preview/ A fun detail has returned to Cars Land. The ofrenda for Doc Hudson is back this year near Ramone’s House of Body Art. The setup looks very much like the memorial setup that was in Cars 2. – https://www.disneyfoodblog.com/2021/09/12/whats-new-at-disneyland-resort-a-huge-edible-halloween-display-a-new-avengers-campus-character-and-spooky-treats/ The edible Oogie Boogie sculpture in the Grand Californian has returned to the lobby this year. Near the display is a coffee cart that has been setup to offer drinks and some treats (and to encourage guests not to eat the display!). – https://www.micechat.com/301811-disneyland-update-holiday-humbugs-hopeful-happenings/ Once again, the Haunted Mansion Holiday has received its centerpiece of the Gingerbread House in the ballroom scene. We have talked about the hundreds of pounds of ingredients, hours and hours of work to bring it to life and more. This week, we got a look at how the gingerbread house is moved into the Mansion and assembled for guests to see. – https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2021/09/celebrate-20-seasons-of-spook-tacular-fun-with-the-haunted-mansion-holiday-gingerbread-house-at-disneyland-park/ As with every good Disney event, there is new merchandise for Oogie Boogie Bash! A set of pins for this years event featuring different villains, as well as a tumbler donning the Oogie Boogie Bash 2021 logo. – https://www.micechat.com/237070-oogie-boogie-bash-halloween-party-disneyland-resort/ and https://dlnewstoday.com/2021/09/photos-new-vampire-tow-mater-straw-clip-cruises-into-disney-california-adventure-for-halloween/ This Thursday, September 16th, the Carnation Cafe will finally reopen to guests! When it reopens, it will serve breakfast and lunch from 8am to 2pm daily. For those of you who have not dined at this location, it is a great place to take in Main Street and people watch while you get some good food. – https://www.micechat.com/301811-disneyland-update-holiday-humbugs-hopeful-happenings/ New Orleans Square has almost completely returned to normal after the scrims in the area have finally come down. The area looks great now, with just one scrim still up in front of Le Bat en Rouge. Hopefully this will also result in the Royal Street Veranda reopening soon. – https://www.micechat.com/301811-disneyland-update-holiday-humbugs-hopeful-happenings/ Now that the Magic Key Program has been in effect for a couple of weeks, how has this impacted the crowd levels of the parks? Weekdays are delightful, with low waits for attraction and comfortable crowds walking around. In the evenings, more locals are coming in after work to catch the Halloween Screams show. On weekends, they have been busier, but not back to the levels of pre-covid. Overall, it is a great time to visit the parks, especially when compared to what it was like before the shutdown. – https://www.micechat.com/301811-disneyland-update-holiday-humbugs-hopeful-happenings/ and https://dlnewstoday.com/2021/09/photos-new-magic-key-popcorn-bucket-available-at-disneyland-resort/ A change has come to the virtual queue system for Rise of the Resistance and Web Slingers. Guests can login to the Disneyland app and confirm their boarding party up to one hour before the virtual queue opens. This cuts down on the time to secure a place in the queue right at opening. This is a welcome change to the system. Hopefully, Web Slingers and Rise will phase out the virtual queue system sooner than later. – https://www.micechat.com/301811-disneyland-update-holiday-humbugs-hopeful-happenings/ Some great news for those looking forward to igniting the night again soon. The fountains and infrastructure around Tom Sawyer Island that supports Fantasmic! has been under refurbishment! The area around the water jets have been drained and work is being performed. Hopefully this means that a return of the popular nighttime show is not far off! – https://www.micechat.com/301811-disneyland-update-holiday-humbugs-hopeful-happenings/ Guests arriving to the Mickey and Friends and Pixar Pals parking structures are sometimes surprised that the parking lot trams are still not back, requiring a long walk to the front gates. Some are opting to park over in the Toy Story parking lot, which has busses that will drop guests off closer to the gates. The busses that are in use are small, and do not currently have air conditioning. – https://www.micechat.com/301811-disneyland-update-holiday-humbugs-hopeful-happenings/ This week, the Tenaya Stone Spa in Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel and Spa officially opens! The Disney Parks Blog posted all the details of the story and design elements of the new spa. The inspiration for the spa comes from the spirit of nature, indigenous cultures of California, and the Craftsman design of the hotel itself. One of the unique details is the tree root chandelier, which looks like the roots of a tree are growing through the ceiling. – https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2021/09/interior-design-elements-tell-the-story-of-new-tenaya-stone-spa-at-disneyland-resort/

Discussion Topic:

Emmie – Infants and Toddlers in the Parks Toddler Friendly Attractions Map – https://cdn1.parksmedia.wdprapps.disney.com/dam/disneyland/preschool/disney-family-toddler-friendly-attractions.pdf

Feedback:

Hi Tage & Teresa!

I just wanted to let you know how much I appreciated the recent episode on food allergies in the parks. As a mother of a child with severe tree nut & peanut allergies it is a subject near and dear to my heart. While food labeling and safety measures in places like schools are improving greatly from when I was a kid, I always appreciate raising awareness in the general population. I, like all of your listeners, love the Disney parks and love them even more for the care they take in providing safe and magical experiences for all of their guests- allergic guests and all. Towards the end of the episode you and asked Ellie about general resources for people to use in regards to food allergies. I think this is so important because whether you or a loved one suffers form good allergies or not, if your child goes to school you will probably have to send allergy safe snacks/treats at some point. I’ve relied on: https://snacksafely.com/ They have a snack safe guide that breaks down popular brands and products you find in any grocery store and marks whether they are safe for all of the 8 different food allergies. They also include information on allergen labeling and whether products were made in a facility with major allergens or not if cross contamination is a concern. You can download the snack guide, and they update the information periodically as manufacturing processes change over time, and it takes them to contact the manufacturers and research their cleaning/labeling practices. Thanks again for your thoughtful discussion topics that help us realize all the amazing resources we can take advantage of in the Disney parks! Whitney Nolden