It’s August! Summer is my absolute favorite time of year, even when it’s brutally hot…which is pretty much the case right now in most of the US. Disneyland never slows down though, no matter the temps. And July was a busy month across the board. From milestones to new offerings to a very unfortunate water shortage – here’s what happened across the resort.
DISNEYLAND WELCOMES ITS ONE BILLIONTH GUEST
Eight year old Andres Robles had no idea his birthday celebration at Disneyland would become a historic moment. He and his family were invited into the park just before opening to become the ceremonial billionth guests, and got to unveil the new population plaque in front of the train station.
Source: Disney Parks Blog
To top it all off, the family got a VIP tour. Talk about an amazing birthday!
Source: Disney Parks Blog
ANAHEIM BRIEFLY LOSES WATER
In less happy news, Disneyland had a rough day last week. On July 28, the city of Anaheim experienced a major water pressure issue around 6pm. It left most of the resort with little to no water, closing bathrooms and restaurants right at dinner time. The closures lasted for ~2 hours, with mixed reports about whether ALL bathrooms were closed or just some of them. Either way, I’m so thankful I wasn’t there. Yikes.
While it’s true that Disneyland cannot control what’s happening city-wide, I think a lot of guest complaints about the lack of communication were justified. I DMed on Instagram with a friend whose sister was there at the time. She said they found out just by cast members blocking bathrooms. Her comment, which I think is fair:
Disneyland absolutely could have put out a push notification on the app and kept people informed. Lack of communication just started to make people panicked which is not what you want in a packed theme park.
DISNEY JR. LET’S PLAY! RETURNS
Back to better news, Disneyland confirmed the return of Disney Jr. Let’s Play! on August 13.
Source: Disney Parks Blog
This California Adventure party celebrates your little ones, with live entertainment, crafts, and activities featuring Disney Jr. characters.
Source: Disney Parks Blog
For more information about the event’s lineup, check out the Disney Parks Blog announcement here.
OTHER UPDATES
D23 day is almost here! This year’s offerings include complimentary commemorative hats, a special parade, photo ops, and some appearances from rarely seen characters. You can learn more about it here.
You may have seen a bizarre video on social media this month of a man jumping into and swimming around the Rivers of America. This was reportedly a cast member, who was in full uniform. I have no further information about this I could confirm beyond wild TikTok speculation, so if you know what that was about, let me know!
And finally, one of Disneyland’s most beloved cast members celebrated his retirement this month. One of 28 security dogs, Benny served the resort team for seven years. Security threw him a retirement party backstage, including a special treat he wasn’t allowed to have while on duty: a hot dog. His handler Kevin, adopted him and will make sure he has a happy, restful retirement. Cheers to you Benny!
Source: Disney Parks Blog