Disneyland This Week – NEW Stage Show Announced, Star Wars Offering Surprising Highlights, Highly-Anticipated Popcorn Bucket Release

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 March 31, 2025.

One Big Thing – Is Disneyland's Season of the Force Worth Your Time?

We were there on the first day of the Star Wars Season of the Force celebration at Disneyland to experience all of the new offerings. I can safely say that for Star Wars fans, there are more than enough special Star Wars offerings to fill an entire day at the park, and some of the new offerings this year surprised me and legitimately blew me away. We'll discuss some of the highlights of this celebration below.

This is definitely a good time of year to enjoy a multi-day trip at Disneyland, especially if you're visiting during the period of overlap this celebration shares with the Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival.

Hands-down, the highlight of the celebration was the new nightly projection show that debuted. We think Disney totally undersold how awesome this was going to be, and the amazing quality of the show was a super pleasant surprise. You can see more details, photos, and thoughts on the new projection show in our separate article here.

Luke Skywalker's debut was also a major highlight! We actually weren't really sure what to expect from this character interaction, but we think he is an excellent fit with the land. See why we strongly disagree with some of the negative guest feedback on this character.

There is also some new merchandise that was released for Season of the Force, including a fun new merchandise line from Ashley Eckstein's Her Universe brand. Eckstein is the voice actress of the fan-favorite Star Wars character Ahsoka Tano. You can see photos of this new merchandise in our separate article here!

For the first time, Disneyland Park is offering Star Wars plush for Create Your Own Headbands. The plush includes Yoda, R2-D2, an Ewok, Darth Vader, and a stormtrooper.

On the first day of the Season of the Force celebration, there were very long lines for the new Death Star popcorn bucket! This new popcorn bucket is super cool and lights up.

In addition to these new offerings, the Star Wars overlay Hyperspace Mountain returns during the celebration, and there are some special Star-Wars-themed foods available for a limited time.

Important Disneyland Dates This Week

• The Goofy’s Kitchen Celebrates Springtime! buffet starts this week on Thursday, April 3, 2025. This spring-themed character dining experience features floral decor, music, and Goofy and friends in “garden-inspired garb.” Reservations are currently open for the experience!
• The Avengers Campus show Avengers Assemble will have its last show on Saturday, April 5. Disney has recently been dramatically scaling down live entertainment at Disney California Adventure (potentially in part because lots of entertainment is starting for the 70th in May), and this show is the latest casualty. You can see our coverage of this closure news and our larger thoughts in our separate article. More below on more entertainment news about a new show.
• Starting on Friday, April 4, the Powerline Max Bucket from 90s Nite will be available to all guests! You can see details on its release and where it will be offered in our separate article.
• The Disneyland Easter Eggstravaganza is currently taking place for a limited time! This is a fun search for character-themed eggs throughout the resort. Additionally, the Disneyland Easter treats are currently available! You can see more details in our Disneyland Easter guide.
• Cute new popcorn bucket ornaments are available in World of Disney at Downtown Disney! Buckets include an R2-D2 Light-Up Popcorn Bucket Ornament, a Toy Story Alien Light-Up Popcorn Bucket Ornament, a Pumpkin Coach Light-Up Popcorn Bucket Ornament, and an Elliott Light-Up Popcorn Bucket Ornament.
• Spring Break Crowds! Spring Break is in full force at Disneyland with big crowds at the parks. Spring Break for surrounding states and small local school districts took place during the past two weeks. However, the break for Capo Unified School District (the largest in Orange County) will be from April 5th – April 13th. Crowds will be heavy during this time. All Magic Keys (for the most part) are interestingly not blocked for this period of time, so it will be busy.

• The Disneyland ducklings have arrived! Guests will see Cast Members assisting the little families walking across Main Street or the parks. Side note: please do not try to touch the ducklings or let your children touch them.
• Storytellers Cafe is closed for refurbishment for a few weeks in March. The restaurant page says that during the closure, the Disneyland character dining experience Mickey’s Tales of Adventure Breakfast Buffet and Brunch is available in the Trillium Room. Storytellers Cafe also has a dinner buffet available in the Trillium Room. Hearthstone Lounge will be open in its place with expanded hours and offerings.

Key Disneyland News You Missed

• Downtown Disney Construction Updates! Construction on the two-story Earl of Sandwich in Downtown Disney is making progress, as you can see in the photo above. You can read about the concept for that new space and everything we know so far here. The former Tortilla Jo's is also currently an active construction site with walls up around the building. This space will be transformed into a steakhouse and an ajdacenet barbecue eatery. See more photos in our Downtown Disney update.
• Disneyland just announced the show that will be replacing the just-cancelled Disney Jr. show, along with a new character appearance and more returning entertainment. You can read about those offerings coming to Disneyland this spring here.
• A new In-N-Out just opened that is 2 miles from Disneyland! This is a very popular California fast food chain. The opening of this location is a pretty big deal for out-of-state visitors who can now more easily enjoy a meal here during their Disneyland trip!
• A very respected former Disneyland president shared his thoughts on the incoming new president. You can see what he had to say about the incoming president in our separate article here.
• Some new Disneyland 70th anniversary merchandise is now available in the parks! The items available include shirts, pins, a cute new Lug bag, and more. You can see photos and details in our separate article here.
• Last week, Disney shared the news that Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin in Disney World's Magic Kingdom will be closing for a major overhaul. We are including this news here as we expect these changes could also come to Disneyland's version of the ride in the future! See details on the Disney Buzz Lightyear ride overhaul.
• Bookings are now open for a new character dining dinner at Storytellers Cafe. This character dining experience called “Donald's Tales of Adventure Dinner Buffet” will feature a campfire-style barbecue buffet and characters in explorer outfits! See all the details about the new Storytellers Cafe character dining dinner buffet here.
• Reservations are now open for Paint the Night parade dining packages. See details about the menu for the dining package, the dates it will be offered, and more in our separate article on the Disneyland Paint the Night parade dining package.

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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.

• 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.
• 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 ahead of the start of Star Wars Nite parties that 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 shifts to shorter hours of operation this week with Disneyland Park open until 10 pm and Disney California Adventure open until 9 pm. The parks will have longer hours on the weekend.
• The World of Color – One show runs each night along with the Mickey's Mix Magic fireworks show. Fireworks will be shown along with the 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 feeling really satisfied with all that Disneyland has to offer for Season of the Force and is looking forward to returning for more Star Wars fun at Star Wars Nite!
• Gavin is so excited to see Earl of Sandwich going vertical and hopes this means that we will get Porto's coming to Disneyland sooner than later.
• Lindsay is excited for all of the Star Wars themed entertainment at Disneyland right now for Seasons of the Force, especially the projection show in Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge. Not only is this a great additional nighttime offering, it also helps divide crowds for fireworks which is always a plus for anyone visiting Disneyland during this event.

Where In Disneyland Is This?

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.

The seating area behind the Tiki Room! This is often a great quiet spot to escape the crowds.

Disneyland Crowd Calendar This Week

This week, you can expect to see mostly above-normal crowds as we are into the busy Spring Break season at Disneyland. This part of the spring is one of the busiest times of the year at Disneyland.

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

New Disneyland Ride Closures This Week

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

• Redwood Creek Challenge Trail is closed for refurbishment
• Indiana Jones Adventure is closed for refurbishment
• The Disney Gallery is closed for refurbishment
• “it's a small world” is closed for refurbishment (see guide below for reopening date!)

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 up, we wanted to share this video from Ashley (@magicalfamilies on Instagram) highlighting the live-action Snow White costumes that are on display inside of Carthay Circle.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Ashley ✨ Magical Families (@magicalfamilies)

Next, we have this super fun video from Noah Sunday-Lefkowitz (@noahsundaylefkowitz on Instagram) that is a Disney history lesson set to the tune of Billy Joel's “We Didn't Start the Fire!” This is an amazing creation that I personally sent out to a number of friends when I first saw it. Had to share it here.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Noah Sunday-Lefkowitz (@noahsundaylefkowitz)

And we have this video from Cara (not_your_typical_disney on Instagram) and Anaheim Packing District (packingdistrict on Instagram) sharing a look inside some of the dining locations inside the Anaheim Packing District, home to some of our favorite spots for foodies outside of Disneyland.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Cara 🌎 Travel + Disney 🌏 (@not_your_typical_disney)

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 30, 2025.
• Today is the 180-day window for making Disneyland theme park reservations for September 27, 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 29, 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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