Disneyland This Week—Major Construction Across Resort, Thrill Ride Reopening, SURPRISE Character, Big Crowds, and More

Welcome back to Mickey Visit Disneyland This Week! Each week at Mickey Visit we unearth Disneyland news and tips you could easily miss completely. We have all of the essential dates for your visit.

These updates provide the most important information for your visit every single week whether you are a frequent visitor or visiting for the first time in years. We cut through the noise to hone in on what dates and news matter for this week. Click here to see our most recent Disneyland This Week update from last week for all the things you missed at Disneyland and our first Disneyland This Week update for all my thoughts on what we are hoping to achieve with these weekly updates.

My name is Gavin Doyle. Each week I and members of my team including Lindsay Brookshier, Emily Midgley, and Bridget Waldman from @CaliforniaDisneyBliss, will work together to bring you the most essential Disneyland information. This is your one-stop resource for everything happening at Disneyland the week of April 21, 2025.

One Big Thing – Disneyland Construction Ahead of the 70th Anniversary Start Date

The Disneyland 70th anniversary celebration kicks off in a few weeks, and Disneyland is hard at work getting ready for this. You can expect to see a lot of construction taking place in the parks and Downtown Disney. Some of these projects are to get ready for the 70th anniversary and others are for the long-term development of the resort. Here is an overview of some of the construction happening!

In Downtown Disney, construction is taking place to introduce a new two-story Earl of Sandwich and transform the former Tortilla Jo’s into a steakhouse and barbecue eatery. The steakhouse and barbecue eatery has made very visible progress over the last few weeks. Additionally, construction work has begun to introduce a new Lululemon store to the former ESPN Zone. We don’t anticipate that any of these projects will be completed in time for the 70th anniversary celebration start date, but they are making steady progress. We also recently received the news that construction for Porto’s at Disneyland will be moving forward.

Fantasyland in particular will be undergoing some tune-ups in time for the anniversary celebration. There are construction walls up as the extended refurbishment of “it’s a small world” continues, and the exterior of Pinocchio’s Daring Journey is getting some work done, although the attraction remains open. Starting this week leading into next week, a few Fantasyland rides will be closed for refurbishment for small windows, including Dumbo the Flying Elephant, Mad Tea Party, and King Arthur Carrousel. There are also some other refurbishments coming up next soon, right before the 70th anniversary celebration—you can read about those spring closures here.

Over in Disney California Adventure, construction continues on the exterior of Carthay Circle Restaurant (which remains open) as well as the Disney Theater in Hollywood Land, which is getting a new stage show called  “Disney Jr. Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Live!” that will debut at the start of the 70th anniversary celebration. Dirt is also moving behind Avengers Campus to prepare for the new Disneyland ride going there.

Construction also continues on the Disney’s Grand Californian private entrance to Disney California Adventure as they install the new entry gates. Disney previously shared that the construction will last through “mid-May.” We were anticipating that they were aiming to have this completed by the anniversary start date, but it looks like there is not a lot of visible progress that has been made since we last checked.

Important Disneyland Dates This Week

• Disneyland After Dark Star Wars Nite has party nights this week on Tuesday, April 22, and Thursday, April 24th. Tickets are still available for this event. See our guide to Disneyland Star Wars Nite for more details. We attended one of the first parties, and you can see our Disneyland Star Wars Nite review for details on our experience and whether or not it’s worth it! Also, check out our Disneyland Star Wars Nite food guide for a full list of all the galactic dishes you can enjoy with pictures and descriptions.
• Disneyland just announced the surprise appearance of an extremely popular Pixar character for Earth Day on Tuesday, April 22. See that reveal in our separate article here!
• Indiana Jones Adventure reopens this week on Friday, April 25! The ride has been closed since mid-March for a longer refurbishment spanning most of the Spring Break season at the park. We expect this thrill ride’s reopening to slightly lessen the demand for Hyperspace Mountain during rope drop, especially.
• There are a few unofficial themed events taking place at Disneyland this week on Sunday, April 27, including TikiLand Day and Bats Day. Both of these events happening on the same day will impact crowds at Disneyland Park in particular—this may not necessarily affect ride wait times, but you will definitely feel the presence of these two groups in the park on this day. You can see our separate article on the impact of these events here.
• Heads up for next week! New Disneyland menu items are coming that will be available starting April 30 (next Wednesday). See the descriptions below. In addition to the new plant-based items coming to Pym Test Kitchen, Disneyland also recently introduced a new plant-based addition to Bengal Barbecue.
  • Pym Test Kitchen:
    • Neutron Nachos: Blue and shrunken red corn tortilla chips, IMPOSSIBLE taco meat, seasoned black beans, cheese sauce, pico de gallo, sour cream, and pickled jalapeños
    • Nachos Assemble!: Blue and shrunken red corn tortilla chips, IMPOSSIBLE taco meat, seasoned black beans, sour cream, and cheese sauce served with yogurt, a Cuties Mandarin Orange, and a small DASANI Bottled Water (Kids meal offering)
  • Rancho Del Zocalo Restaurante
    • Shrimp Ceviche: Shrimp, aguachile marinade, salsa macha, and guacatillo with tostadas
    • Fresas con Crema: Strawberries with sweet cream and cheesecake bites
    • Iced Cafe de Olla: Cold brew, horchata cream, and flan custard

• We anticipate that Spring Break crowds will wind down soon at the end of April. The end of this month in particular is one of our recommended best times to visit Disneyland. Starting at the end of this week and leading into next week, we expect crowds to be much lighter.
• On Thursday, April 24, dining reservations for Father’s Day brunch at the Plaza Inn open for June 14 and 15! This is a good reminder to get a park reservation for Father’s Day weekend now, too!
• Pride Nite Tickets are currently on sale to the general public! See details in our Disneyland Pride Nite guide here and our review of the party from last year.
• Reservations for the World of Color Happiness Dessert Party and Paint the Night parade dining package are now available! You can see details and dining package menu offerings in our separate article here.
• Create Your Own Hat is now available at Disneyland! The plushes for the popular Create Your Own Headband can now be used for a hat! This is a great option for those who don’t like the feel of headbands or prefer a hat for sun protection. The hats are black and feature a simple Disneyland D design.

Key Disneyland News You Missed

• We just got some super exciting new details and concept artwork about the new storyline coming to the Millennium Falcon next year from a presentation at Star Wars Celebration in Japan this past weekend. See all of the details on the ride changes and concept art here!
• Disney just shared more details about the new build-your-own lightsaber experience coming to Galaxy’s Edge for a limited time. See those details and new photos revealed in our separate article here!
• The reopening of “it’s a small world” at Disneyland was delayed. The ride has been undergoing a long refurbishment that took place in two parts, before and after the holiday season. You can see details on when the ride will be reopening in our separate article here.
• Disneyland revealed showtime details for the Paint the Night parade and the new 70th anniversary cavalcade. You can see those new showtime details in our separate article here.
• We finally have a sign that progress for Porto’s at Disneyland is moving forward! This highly anticipated new location was first announced 2.5 years ago, so fans have been eager to see new developments. See more details in our news coverage here.
• In an interesting move, Disney is now openly discussing membership for its exclusive Club 33. See our separate article for more details and our thoughts on why they’re doing this.
• Disneyland Magic Key annual pass holders were recently sent a survey that hinted at new benefits Disney could be considering for the program. These were very interesting and I am quite curious to see if any make it into the program. See details about what Disney may be considering for Magic Key holders in our separate article here.
• The Star Wars Season of the Force celebration is happening, and the highlights include an impressive new projection show in Galaxy’s Edge and Luke Skywalker meeting guests in the land. You can read our separate articles on why we disagree with guest criticism of this character encounter and why the new Star Wars projection show surprised us.

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Magic Key Benefits Continue in April

Special perks for Magic Key Annual Passholders are available this month. See details below.

• Magic Key holders get a 25% discount on Lightning Lane Multi Pass, which is extra essential for getting on rides during these busy Spring Break months.
• At Star Wars Nite parties, Magic Key holders can get a commemorative 3-button set on event nights. This will be available on event nights at the Magic Key destination near the walkway to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge just past Hungry Bear Barbecue Jamboree from 9:00 PM to 1:00 AM, while supplies last.
• Magic Key holders can enjoy special food offerings including the Box O’ Sliders at Galactic Grill, and Ice Cream Floats from Golden Horseshoe.
• Magic Key holders can get select meal combos that include a special Magic Key tumbler at Alien Pizza Planet or Galactic Grill via mobile order, while supplies last.
• For the Pixar Putt mini golf course, Magic Key holders get a special discounted rate of $25 per Magic Key Holder.

Disneyland Operational Updates

• Disneyland has shorter hours of operation this week with Disneyland Park open until 10pm and Disney California Adventure open until 9 pm. Star Wars Nite will close Disneyland Park early at 8pm on April 22 and 24. On these two nights, Disney California Adventure will be open until 10pm. Expect crowds to rise around 6 pm in Disney California Adventure due to Star Wars Nite and the mix-in for the event starting at that time. With the early park closures this week, arriving earlier in the day is best. Also, parking around 5-7 pm at the parking structures will be much busier, with guests coming in for the event.
• The World of Color – One show runs each night. The Mickey’s Mix Magic projection show and Shadows of Memory: A Skywalker Saga will show every day except Tuesday and Thursday. Fireworks will be shown along with the Mickey’s Mix Magic projection show Friday-Sunday. Fantasmic! will also play on the weekend.
• Disneyland has not announced a parade that will be offered in the time between now and the 70th anniversary celebration (click here for details). There is currently a Mickey and Friends Cavalcade along the parade route at Disneyland Park twice a day. Disneyland will be bringing back Paint the Night and Better Together: A Pixar Pals Celebration starting in May 2025.

What We’re Thinking About This Week

• Emily is extremely excited about the changes coming to the Millennium Falcon ride. The concept art looks incredible, and getting to choose the last destination makes this ride experience even more interactive and repeatable. It looks like they are really going all out with this new storyline to bring this ride to its fullest potential!
• Gavin just got back from a day at Universal’s new Epic Universe theme park in Orlando. He’s excited about the future of theme parks in the US and how the competition between Universal and Disney will cause both parks to overdeliver for guests.
• Lindsay is hopeful that the refurbishment on Indiana Jones Adventure will help the ride’s downtime issues since this ride is so popular!

Where In Disneyland Is This?

Hint: This is one of the best people-watching spots at Disneyland! Share your guess in the comments below!

Answer to last week’s “Where In Disneyland Is This?” Click here to see that image so you can guess first.

New Orleans Square.

Disneyland Crowd Calendar This Week

This week, you can expect to see the heavier crowds from Spring Break season begin to gradually die down. In our “Important Disneyland Dates This Week” section above, we discuss how two unofficial events held on Sunday are going to have an impact on Disneyland Park in particular. Heading into the start of next week, we anticipate that crowds will be much lower. You can see our rating of all upcoming dates in our Mickey Visit Disneyland Crowd Calendar.

New Disneyland Ride Closures This Week

Dumbo the Flying Elephant is closing for a brief refurbishment this week from April 22-23.

Here are some of the other current ride closures that are continuing into this week:

• Indiana Jones Adventure is closed for refurbishment (reopening this week)
• The Disney Gallery is closed for refurbishment
• “it’s a small world” is closed for refurbishment (new reopening date announced)

You can see reopening dates for some of the above attractions and other upcoming closures in our Disneyland ride refurbishment guide.

Other Disney Content We’re Watching

Each week we’ll share some of our favorite information and fun content from across Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube in an effort to spotlight some of the great creators who work so hard to share details from Disneyland.

This week, we wanted to share this video from Lilly Davis (@dear_and_darling on Instagram) recounting this touching moment from her experience being “friends with Pluto” at Disneyland. We are so appreciative of the Cast Members who really go above and beyond every day to make magic and lasting memories for every guest.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Lilly Davis (@dear_and_darling)

Next up, we have this video from Ella (@ella_enchanted_adventures on Instagram) showing that the popular castle bow tee has been restocked! Check it out below…

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Ella | Disney, Universal & Fandoms (@ella_enchanted_adventures)

We also wanted to include this video from Sometimes Castles (@sometimescastles on Instagram) with an overview of the highlights of Disneyland Pride Nite! Tickets are now available for the event.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Sometimes Castles (@sometimescastles)

Heads up! Reservations Open for Disneyland Dining / Park Reservations

For any trips before the below dates, you should be considering booking park reservations and dining reservations.

• Today is the 60-day window for Disneyland dining reservations for June 20, 2025. 
• Today is the 180-day window for making Disneyland theme park reservations for October 18, 2025. This applies to most non-Annual Pass tickets.
• For Magic Key Annual Pass Holders, the 90-day window from today to make theme park reservations is July 20, 2025.

See our top tips for getting Disneyland dining reservations and the best Disneyland restaurants we would recommend.

Disneyland Lightning Lane Cost This Week

• Today, the Lightning Lane Multi Pass service costs $36 if you purchase it when you arrive.
• For the two Lightning Lane Single Pass rides, the cost is $28 for Rise of the Resistance and $22 for Radiator Springs Racers.

You can see our guide to Lightning Lane Multi Pass at Disneyland for our expert tips on making the most of the service.

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