The Sorcerer's Guide

Easter has a long and rich history at Disney parks, dating back to the opening of Disneyland in 1955. Since then, Easter has become a beloved tradition at Disney parks around the world, with special events and activities that celebrate the holiday in magical ways. One of the earliest Easter traditions at Disneyland was the annual Easter Parade down Main Street USA. The parade featured live performers and Disney characters dressed in their Easter best, and it quickly became a fan favorite. The parade continued for many years, and it remains a cherished memory for many Disney fans. In the 1970s and 1980s, Disney parks began to introduce new Easter traditions, such as Easter egg hunts and Easter-themed merchandise. These activities proved popular with visitors and helped to establish Easter as a major holiday at Disney parks. In the 1990s, Disney parks began to introduce even more elaborate Easter celebrations, including live shows and interactive experiences. For example, Disneyland int...

It’s October, which means we’re half way through the Halloween season! We want to report on the Crowd Calendar’s performance. We’ll make this a habit, so you can expect a monthly update with some statistics. This report will be about a combination of the two, but we post Disneyland and Walt Disney World calendars separately. Across Disneyland and Walt Disney World, our average error was 0.2, with a standard deviation of 1.5 points. 67% of our predictions were within 1 point, and 92% were within 2. There were only two predictions that were off by more than 3: September 10th at Disneyland was a 2, and we had predicted a 6. The lower crowds were likely because of the D23 expo. This was the day of the Disney Parks panel. So this would have been the day that the biggest park fans would be at the expo most of the day. We’ll need to take this difference into account for the next Expo. September 26th at Epcot was an 8, and we had predicted a 4. Magic Kingdom on this same day was a 7, when ...

Halloween time is one of the most profitable seasons for theme parks. The demand keeps growing, and more destinations are adding events. Disneyland’s Oogie Boogie Bash at California Adventure is a separate ticketed event that allows exclusive access to the park on select nights leading up to Halloween. To accommodate the party, the park closes to regular day guests at 6:00, and that has an impact at the Crowds at Oogie Boogie Bash. Impact on Waits What impact can this have on the lines for rides? There’s a lot that goes into a decision about which park to visit, and what time to be there. Here are some ways that guests behavior changes because of Oogie Boogie Bash. Some people choose to go to California Adventure because they’re going to the party Some people choose to go to Disneyland instead to avoid the extra crowd Some people choose to go to Disneyland instead because they prefer to have their theme park hours later Some people choose to go to California Adventure earlier in the d...

If you haven’t heard about the MagicBand+ that was recently introduced at Walt Disney World, a quick Google Search will tell you that the bands have technical issues. The batteries were advertised to last three days. But for some, they’re dying after just a couple hours. And the show elements are not responsive. It’s clear that some work needs to be put in to improve technology side. But aside from the tech issues, the features are weak and need some work. Disney is clearly aiming to replicate what Universal did for their Harry Potter and Nintendo areas. The biggest issue with Disney’s implementation is that it’s not creative enough. The MagicBand+ itself gives them the right tool, but they need some creative investment to follow through on it. Universal’s Interaction In the Harry Potter areas, you can buy a wand that can be used for interactive elements in the land. Looking through the land, you’ll find displays with a card showing you how to perform a spell. If you perform the spe...

Like many of you we are current Magic Key Holders. Unfortunately, Disney has given us no information on when and even if we will be able to renew those passes. So what’s going on? The passes are only a year old, why aren’t there Magic Key renewals yet? Is Disney going to announce anything? Let’s take a look at what is going on behind the scenes of Magic Key Renewals. History When Disneyland Resort closed in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, current Annual Passholders wondered what was going to happen. No one could use their passes, so Disney gave extensions, and then eventually started issuing refunds. They declared everyone who had an active pass when the park closed a “Legacy Passholder”. Disney said they would use the time to revamp and create a brand new program. Surveys from Disney were sent out, and people thought the new passes would end up similar to the old Flex Pass. In August of 2021, after months and months of waiting, Disney finally announced an annual pass replacement p...