Disneyland This Week—Two Iconic Attractions Reopening, CUTE Freebie, Food Festival REVIEW, Ride Celebration

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

These updates are written for the frequent Disneyland visitor but also written in a way that you can share them with friends who call on you as their Disneyland expert. Each week we cut through the noise to bring you the essential info. 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. Please COMMENT below if you like these updates and share anything that makes them more useful.

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 March 3, 2025.

One Big Thing – Food & Wine Festival Review, Is it Worth Your Time?

We were there during the opening day of the Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival to try and review all of the new foods at the marketplaces and dining locations across the park.

You can see all of the festival foods available and access a FREE 2025 printable of the foods in our Disney California Adventure Food and Wine Festival guide and our guide to the Sip and Savor Pass for tips on how to make the most of this offering and details on the 8-coupon and 4-coupon options available. This year, you can get a free Mickey plate with the purchase of a Sip and Savor Pass while supplies last (pictured below)! Soarin' Over California is back for the duration of the festival, which is always a highlight.

In many ways, the Food and Wine Festival is about bringing theme park foods to more locations than about delivering a true “foodie” high-end festival experience. The event offerings are more populist theme park foods in a festival environment than festival foods in a theme park environment. Hot dogs, macaroni and cheese, hamburgers, and a Snickers-flavored Mickey Macaron don't really stand out to me as elements of elevated foods. In recent years I've called out the fact that so many dishes share the same macaroni or rice base and lack fresh food. Frankly, you can find better “foodie” options at the permanent restaurant locations across the resort at times throughout the year. I joked with another member of the media during the launch event that true foodies seeking non-theme park food should just step out the gate to my favorite secret Disneyland restaurant.

There's reason for this. It's really hard to deliver well-prepared foods in the small temporary spaces. Trying to deliver fresh food on top of this would make it even more difficult. That said, the menus before 2020 were far more fresh and ambitious. Looking back, there were watermelon and artichoke based dishes and even a salmon poke. The 2025 foods at the festival are assuredly less ambitious, made up of less expensive ingredients, and perhaps even more popular.

The foods at the festival today are fun and some of them are quite delicious. Many people including Lindsay and Emily on my team push back on my comments and share that the pasta-based dishes are actually some of what they look forward to the most. What do you think? Perhaps this shift to populist foods has been well received across the board. You can see our review of the 2025 Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival foods for our take on which foods are worth it and which you should skip. For my theme park dollar, I would take a poke bowl from my favorite secret menu restaurant over two or three items here any day. For anyone reading, I am still pitching a zucchini-based booth. This wouldn't be too far off from an “Eat Your Greens” booth that existed years ago features all vegetable-based options.

Beyond the food, there are interesting seminars and a cute Jammin' Chefs show that takes place in front of the Ariel's Undersea Adventure attraction. You can also meet Chef Goofy to the left of the entrance to Hyperion Theater. Read all about the other offerings in our guide linked above.

Important Disneyland Dates This Week

• Indiana Jones Adventure celebrates its 30th anniversary today! The ride premiered on March 3, 1995,  before opening to the general public on March 4, 1995. To celebrate, there is a Disneyland Club 33 Indiana Jones Adventure takeover at Disneyland with fun decor as well as a special tiki mug and other merchandise inspired by the attraction. You can see our photo tour of the Indiana Jones Adventure 30th anniversary Club 33 offerings! Disneyland also announced last week that Magic Key holders could get an Indiana Jones Adventure 30th anniversary pin while supplies last at select pin locations.
• There is a festival-themed Disney Gift Card pin offering available right now. For a minimum activation of $100, this gift card comes with a free pin featuring the Pixar Pal-A-Round. The card and pin set are available at select locations throughout Disney California Adventure.

• The entrance to Disneyland has Minnie Mouse featured for Women’s History Month! Note that the photo of the floral above is from last year.
• Disneyland After Dark 90s Nite parties take place on March 4 and 6 this week. These events will close Disneyland Park early at 8 pm. See more of the Disneyland early closures you should be aware of before your trip. This sold-out event celebrates Disney films, music, and pop culture from the decade with special character encounters, entertainment, themed foods, photo spots, and more. Attendees can enjoy a cavalcade celebrating favorite parades of the 90s, dance parties, a 90s sing-along, and more. You can see our guide to Disneyland After Dark 90s Nite for everything you need to know. 90s Nite will not only feature fun Disney eats but also a brand-new popcorn bucket! The Powerline Max Bucket will be sold in various locations throughout the park during the sold-out event but will also be available “later this spring” at the Disneyland Resort. See our guide to Disneyland popcorn buckets for all of the current popcorn buckets offered!
• The Disneyland Railroad and Monorail both reopen this week on March 7! These two attractions have been closed for refurbishment since January.
• Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission – Breakout! will be closing for refurbishment on March 10. You can see more details on this closure and its duration here.
• Easter Day brunch and dinner reservations are now open at Storytellers Cafe. You can read more about this special Easter dining experience for details on the pricing, menu, and more. We expected this to book up pretty quickly, but lots of times are still available.
• Reservations are also now open for the Goofy’s Kitchen Celebrates Springtime! buffet which starts April 3, 2025. This themed character dining experience features floral decor, music, and Goofy and friends in “garden-inspired garb.”
• The Disneyland Railroad Guided Tour is back, and the booking window is now open. As part of this special Disneyland tour, you'll be able to enjoy a ride in the Presidental Car of the Disneyland Railroad, the Lilly Belle.
• NEW special food offerings are available at locations across Avengers Campus to celebrate the release of Captain America: Brave New World, including the Red Gamma Gulp, Captain America Shield Sipper, Liberty Punch, Pepperoni Pizza Pocket, Red Rage Wings, and Cheese Pizza pocket.
• Disneyland After Dark: Star Wars Nite tickets are still on sale to the general public. The event takes place on select dates from April 8 to May 6, 2025 at Disneyland Park. At the time of writing, there are still tickets on sale for all party nights of the event except for May 4, 2025, which is sold out. We're surprised that the party is selling a little bit more slowly this year.

Key Disneyland News You Missed

• There are reports that Star Wars head Kathleen Kennedy is stepping down from Lucasfilm. You can read our thoughts on how this change may impact the Disney theme parks and Star Wars Galaxy's Edge.
• Disneyland has extended the purchase window of the recently launched premium service Lightning Lane Premier Pass. Visitors can purchase the service up to 7 days in advance of their park visit. Previously guests could purchase 2 days in advance. This is aligned with the purchase window for Disney World. Guests who have purchased a Walt Disney Travel Company package will be able to buy Lightning Lane Premier Pass when they receive their tickets 3 days before their arrival.
• We now have the reopening date for Jolly Holiday Bakery Cafe! This popular restaurant is undergoing an extended refurbishment and now we finally have the reopening date and confirmation from Disney. You can check out reopening details in our original announcement of the restaurant's closure here.
• Napa Rose will remain operational during its multi-month closure in a temporary location, including for the Disney Princess character dining breakfast. You can read what we know so far about the temporary location for Napa Rose here.
• Storytellers Cafe is also closing for refurbishment for a few weeks in March. We do not yet have the exact closure date officially confirmed by Disney. Disney shared that Hearthstone Lounge will be open in its place with expanded hours and offerings. During this refurbishment, you can still book the other Disneyland Character Dining experiences offered at the resort like Minnie & Friends – Breakfast in the Park at Plaza Inn and Goofy's Kitchen.

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Magic Key Benefits Continue in March

Special perks for Magic Key Annual Passholders continue this month and into the next. These are a way for them to incentivize passholder visits during what is a slower time for vacation goers.

• During the Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival, Magic Key holders get a few different perks, including a discount on the 8-coupon Sip and Savor Pass with a special Magic Key lanyard (while supplies last), a special dining and photo-op area between Avengers Campus and Cars Land, and special Magic Key festival t-shirts and pins available (while supplies last) at Acorns Gifts & Goods, Elias & Co., Festival Gifts, and Studio Store.
• Disneyland shared that Magic Key holders attending Disneyland After Dark 90s Nite can pick up a special 3-button set at the Magic Key destination near the walkway to Galaxy’s Edge just past Hungry Bear Barbecue Jamboree. This button set is available while supplies last from 9:00 PM to 1:00 AM on event nights.
• Through March 31 during Women's History Month, Magic Key holders can pose with a special prop for a PhotoPass Magic Shot honoring Mary Blair. This is located in Fantasyland next to the Alice in Wonderland attraction, across from the Matterhorn Bobsleds, and is available from park opening to dusk (approximately 4:30 PM).
• Magic Key holders can enjoy special food offerings including the Box O' Sliders at Galactic Grill, and Ice Cream Floats from Golden Horseshoe (pictured below).
• 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 during the weekdays. There will be early closures at Disneyland Park for 90s Nite on March 4 and 6 and 8pm. On those days, Disney California Adventure will be open until 10pm. The parks will have longer hours on the weekend Friday-Sunday.
• The World of Color – One show runs each night along with the Mickey's Mix Magic show. Fireworks will be shown for Mickey's Mix Magic along with the projection show Friday-Sunday. Fantasmic! will also play on the weekends.
• 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 thinking about how she’s excited about the return of Soarin’ Over California, but…she is actually one of those few people who likes Soarin’ Around the World better as the year-round attraction. Maybe it’s just wanderlust? That being said, she is so ready to deeply inhale that orange smell on Soarin’ Over California once again.
• Gavin loves Soarin' Over California and was thrilled to get to ride it on the opening day of the festival and to get a free Cutie at the exit to celebrate.
• Lindsay is excited to see the Disney California Adventure Food and Wine Festival return as the DCA festivals truly make the park come to life. But she does wish there were more vegetarian offerings that didn't rely on the Impossible brand, not all vegetarians want something that tastes like meat!

Where In Disneyland Is This?

Have you seen this plaque at Disneyland? Share your guess at where it is in the comments below.

Answer to last week's “Where In Disneyland Is This?”: Trader Sam's Enchanted Tiki Bar at the Disneyland Hotel. Click here to see that image.

Disneyland Crowd Calendar This Week

This first week of March, you can expect mostly average crowds (with a few slower days). Though March is generally a busier month due to spring break crowds, this is the sweet spot before crowds start increasing.

You can see our rating of all upcoming dates in our Mickey Visit Disneyland Crowd Calendar.

New Disneyland Ride Closures This Week

This week, the popular thrill ride Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: Breakout! is closing for refurbishment starting March 10.

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

• The Disney Gallery is closed for refurbishment
• The Disneyland Monorail is closed for refurbishment (reopening this week!)
• The Disneyland Railroad is closed for refurbishment (reopening this week!)
• “it's a small world” is closed for refurbishment.
• Jolly Holiday Bakery Cafe is closed for refurbishment
• Grizzly River Run is closed for refurbishment

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.

First, we have a video from Lindsay (@chasingmagicdaily on Instagram) giving us a glimpse at the rare opportunity to ride inside the Lily Belle as part of the Disneyland Railroad Guided Tour that is now open again for booking. This tour is such a cool experience!

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Lindsay – Disney Creator & Disney Mom (@chasingmagicdaily)

Next up, we have a video from Casey (@socaldailycasey on Instagram) revealing this hidden patio with a great view at Disneyland that is tucked away from the crowds. A great spot to take a break!

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Casey Starnes | Disney Parks & SoCal (@socaldailycasey)

In honor of the 30th anniversary of Indiana Jones Adventure, we also wanted to share this fun video from David (@davidvaughn on Instagram) diving into the details of the attraction's storyline that you might have missed…

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by David Vaughn (@davidvaughn)

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 May 2, 2025.
• Today is the 180-day window for making Disneyland theme park reservations for August 30, 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 June 1, 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 $17 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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