A Touch of Disney begins March 18, 2021

[Stevek]

Disney’s new food festival has a few kinks — here’s how to work around them

The launch of A Touch of Disney last week at Disney California Adventure was plagued by problems as visitors faced long waits to park, enter the front gate, place mobile orders and pick up food.

www.ocregister.com

>>Disneyland still has plenty of kinks to work out and some rust to knock off its operational gears after a yearlong coronavirus closure as the Anaheim theme park uses its new food festival as a rehearsal run for a full return in late April.

The launch of A Touch of Disney last week at Disney California Adventure was plagued by problems as visitors faced long waits to park, enter the front gate, place mobile orders and pick up food during the new festival, according to Disney fan websites.

“It was surprising to see Disney fumble crowd control for the opening of A Touch of Disney,” wrote MousePlanet’s Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.

Disneyland teams have been working hard since day one to enhance the sold out A Touch of Disney and have made operation modifications to create a more seamless guest experience, according to Disney officials.<<

>>Robert Niles said it took 35 minutes to get through the parking toll booths and park in a physically distanced spot. Disneyland’s parking lot crews used orange cones to block every other space.

After passing through COVID-19 temperature screenings and security checkpoints, visitors then had to walk the length of the parking lot tram route toward the DCA front gate. Trams will remain out of service during A Touch of Disney due to social distancing concerns.<<

>>Social distancing mandates requiring six feet of separation between parties meant the artificially long line to reach the DCA front gate on A Touch of Disney’s opening day zig-zagged through the closed ticket kiosk queues and stretched to the tram route, according to Theme Park Insider.

It took 45 minutes for Theme Park Insider’s Niles to navigate the entry queue.

A series of steps slowed the front gate entry process — with ticket takers required to scan visitors’ event tickets, take their photo, scan their dining voucher and issue a dining card, according to MousePlanet’s Vincent-Phoenix.<<

>>Disneyland pushed visitors to use their $25 dining cards to place mobile orders for food — but the work-in-progress system was clunky.

Using the dining card was more difficult than it should have been — with visitors required to type a tiny 16-digit account number on the back of the card into the Disneyland app every time they placed an order.

MiceChat’s Castro called the confusing problem a “glaring oversight” — especially for a food event based around using the dining card.

“Hopefully Disney is able to fix this issue quickly,” Castro wrote for MiceChat. “Surely, an easier way to figure out how to add the gift card as a payment option and the ability to store the gift card as an in-app payment option would save guests time and help Disney accomplish their goal of encouraging mobile ordering.”

Those who couldn’t figure out how to load their dining cards onto the Disneyland app or who simply didn’t want to bother opted instead to wait at a pair of marketplace kiosk cashier stations — which had some of the longest lines of the event on opening day.<<

>>Mobile food orders took 60 to 90 minutes to be fulfilled on A Touch of Disney’s opening day, according to SFGate’s Julie Tremaine.

“The lines for the food were long,” Tremaine wrote for SFGate. “It took me hours to use my $25 food voucher included with admission, simply because my options were to stand in line for an hour to order, or use the mobile ordering Disneyland is trying to push as a contactless option, which was offering an even longer wait for pickup than the line was.”<<

Disney’s new food festival has a few kinks — here’s how to work around them

The launch of A Touch of Disney last week at Disney California Adventure was plagued by problems as visitors faced long waits to park, enter the front gate, place mobile orders and pick up food.

www.ocregister.com

Sounds like an absolutely enjoyable day and well worth $75!

 

[Stevek]

Huh.

I didn't know that Castro was back working at MiceChat.

He shouldn't be affiliated with any site at this point. He's up there with the worst of the worst...along with Tommy Boy.

 

[PiratesMansion]

He shouldn't be affiliated with any site at this point. He's up there with the worst of the worst...along with Tommy Boy.

Why?

What did he do?

 

[Stevek]

Why?

What did he do?

He's got a long history of being incredibly insulting to people in the fanbase. I'm pretty tame on Twitter, only 2 people have every blocked me...him and Tommy. They can't handle it when you question anything they say. I think ultimately he got such a big ego that nobody was allowed to talk back to him anymore.

 

[CaptinEO]

Disney’s new food festival has a few kinks — here’s how to work around them

The launch of A Touch of Disney last week at Disney California Adventure was plagued by problems as visitors faced long waits to park, enter the front gate, place mobile orders and pick up food.

www.ocregister.com

>>Disneyland still has plenty of kinks to work out and some rust to knock off its operational gears after a yearlong coronavirus closure as the Anaheim theme park uses its new food festival as a rehearsal run for a full return in late April.

The launch of A Touch of Disney last week at Disney California Adventure was plagued by problems as visitors faced long waits to park, enter the front gate, place mobile orders and pick up food during the new festival, according to Disney fan websites.

“It was surprising to see Disney fumble crowd control for the opening of A Touch of Disney,” wrote MousePlanet’s Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.

Disneyland teams have been working hard since day one to enhance the sold out A Touch of Disney and have made operation modifications to create a more seamless guest experience, according to Disney officials.<<

>>Robert Niles said it took 35 minutes to get through the parking toll booths and park in a physically distanced spot. Disneyland’s parking lot crews used orange cones to block every other space.

After passing through COVID-19 temperature screenings and security checkpoints, visitors then had to walk the length of the parking lot tram route toward the DCA front gate. Trams will remain out of service during A Touch of Disney due to social distancing concerns.<<

>>Social distancing mandates requiring six feet of separation between parties meant the artificially long line to reach the DCA front gate on A Touch of Disney’s opening day zig-zagged through the closed ticket kiosk queues and stretched to the tram route, according to Theme Park Insider.

It took 45 minutes for Theme Park Insider’s Niles to navigate the entry queue.

A series of steps slowed the front gate entry process — with ticket takers required to scan visitors’ event tickets, take their photo, scan their dining voucher and issue a dining card, according to MousePlanet’s Vincent-Phoenix.<<

>>Disneyland pushed visitors to use their $25 dining cards to place mobile orders for food — but the work-in-progress system was clunky.

Using the dining card was more difficult than it should have been — with visitors required to type a tiny 16-digit account number on the back of the card into the Disneyland app every time they placed an order.

MiceChat’s Castro called the confusing problem a “glaring oversight” — especially for a food event based around using the dining card.

“Hopefully Disney is able to fix this issue quickly,” Castro wrote for MiceChat. “Surely, an easier way to figure out how to add the gift card as a payment option and the ability to store the gift card as an in-app payment option would save guests time and help Disney accomplish their goal of encouraging mobile ordering.”

Those who couldn’t figure out how to load their dining cards onto the Disneyland app or who simply didn’t want to bother opted instead to wait at a pair of marketplace kiosk cashier stations — which had some of the longest lines of the event on opening day.<<

>>Mobile food orders took 60 to 90 minutes to be fulfilled on A Touch of Disney’s opening day, according to SFGate’s Julie Tremaine.

“The lines for the food were long,” Tremaine wrote for SFGate. “It took me hours to use my $25 food voucher included with admission, simply because my options were to stand in line for an hour to order, or use the mobile ordering Disneyland is trying to push as a contactless option, which was offering an even longer wait for pickup than the line was.”<<

Disney’s new food festival has a few kinks — here’s how to work around them

The launch of A Touch of Disney last week at Disney California Adventure was plagued by problems as visitors faced long waits to park, enter the front gate, place mobile orders and pick up food.

www.ocregister.com

Bad crowd control, long lines. Sounds like Disney is back to their typical BS. I like how TP2000 once found that they have an "entry experience" manager on payroll. Seems like they should be due for a replacement.

 

[EPCOTCenterLover]

Ego over being part of a big Disney fan site? We must have lost sense of what really is important.

 

[Stevek]

Ego over being part of a big Disney fan site? We must have lost sense of what really is important.

Yep, pretty much. I would say that many of the Owners (or CEOs as some of them call themselves) of some larger fan sites have major ego issues. Big fishes in a little pond.

 

[1HAPPYGHOSTHOST]

Disney’s new food festival has a few kinks — here’s how to work around them

The launch of A Touch of Disney last week at Disney California Adventure was plagued by problems as visitors faced long waits to park, enter the front gate, place mobile orders and pick up food.

www.ocregister.com

>>Disneyland still has plenty of kinks to work out and some rust to knock off its operational gears after a yearlong coronavirus closure as the Anaheim theme park uses its new food festival as a rehearsal run for a full return in late April.

The launch of A Touch of Disney last week at Disney California Adventure was plagued by problems as visitors faced long waits to park, enter the front gate, place mobile orders and pick up food during the new festival, according to Disney fan websites.

“It was surprising to see Disney fumble crowd control for the opening of A Touch of Disney,” wrote MousePlanet’s Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.

Disneyland teams have been working hard since day one to enhance the sold out A Touch of Disney and have made operation modifications to create a more seamless guest experience, according to Disney officials.<<

>>Robert Niles said it took 35 minutes to get through the parking toll booths and park in a physically distanced spot. Disneyland’s parking lot crews used orange cones to block every other space.

After passing through COVID-19 temperature screenings and security checkpoints, visitors then had to walk the length of the parking lot tram route toward the DCA front gate. Trams will remain out of service during A Touch of Disney due to social distancing concerns.<<

>>Social distancing mandates requiring six feet of separation between parties meant the artificially long line to reach the DCA front gate on A Touch of Disney’s opening day zig-zagged through the closed ticket kiosk queues and stretched to the tram route, according to Theme Park Insider.

It took 45 minutes for Theme Park Insider’s Niles to navigate the entry queue.

A series of steps slowed the front gate entry process — with ticket takers required to scan visitors’ event tickets, take their photo, scan their dining voucher and issue a dining card, according to MousePlanet’s Vincent-Phoenix.<<

>>Disneyland pushed visitors to use their $25 dining cards to place mobile orders for food — but the work-in-progress system was clunky.

Using the dining card was more difficult than it should have been — with visitors required to type a tiny 16-digit account number on the back of the card into the Disneyland app every time they placed an order.

MiceChat’s Castro called the confusing problem a “glaring oversight” — especially for a food event based around using the dining card.

“Hopefully Disney is able to fix this issue quickly,” Castro wrote for MiceChat. “Surely, an easier way to figure out how to add the gift card as a payment option and the ability to store the gift card as an in-app payment option would save guests time and help Disney accomplish their goal of encouraging mobile ordering.”

Those who couldn’t figure out how to load their dining cards onto the Disneyland app or who simply didn’t want to bother opted instead to wait at a pair of marketplace kiosk cashier stations — which had some of the longest lines of the event on opening day.<<

>>Mobile food orders took 60 to 90 minutes to be fulfilled on A Touch of Disney’s opening day, according to SFGate’s Julie Tremaine.

“The lines for the food were long,” Tremaine wrote for SFGate. “It took me hours to use my $25 food voucher included with admission, simply because my options were to stand in line for an hour to order, or use the mobile ordering Disneyland is trying to push as a contactless option, which was offering an even longer wait for pickup than the line was.”<<

Disney’s new food festival has a few kinks — here’s how to work around them

The launch of A Touch of Disney last week at Disney California Adventure was plagued by problems as visitors faced long waits to park, enter the front gate, place mobile orders and pick up food.

www.ocregister.com

so...was it worth the money?

 

[TP2000]

Bad crowd control, long lines. Sounds like Disney is back to their typical BS. I like how TP2000 once found that they have an "entry experience" manager on payroll. Seems like they should be due for a replacement.

That entry experience guy was introduced as such when he cut the ribbon on Disney-Pixar Inside Out Emotional Whirlwind. I think he was actually a VP or Senior VP, if memory serves.

Lemme go see what I can find on that guy again, because I remember it was hilarious...

Found it! His sleek and tidy title is "Vice President of Disney California Adventure Park, Downtown Disney, and Guest Arrival Experience, Patrick Finegan!" That executive title just rolls off the tongue, and is apparently why events like this $75 For $25 Worth Of Food Festival Experience are going so well for them.

 

[TP2000]

Disney’s new food festival has a few kinks — here’s how to work around them

The launch of A Touch of Disney last week at Disney California Adventure was plagued by problems as visitors faced long waits to park, enter the front gate, place mobile orders and pick up food.

www.ocregister.com

>>Disneyland still has plenty of kinks to work out and some rust to knock off its operational gears after a yearlong coronavirus closure as the Anaheim theme park uses its new food festival as a rehearsal run for a full return in late April.

The launch of A Touch of Disney last week at Disney California Adventure was plagued by problems as visitors faced long waits to park, enter the front gate, place mobile orders and pick up food during the new festival, according to Disney fan websites.

“It was surprising to see Disney fumble crowd control for the opening of A Touch of Disney,” wrote MousePlanet’s Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.

Disneyland teams have been working hard since day one to enhance the sold out A Touch of Disney and have made operation modifications to create a more seamless guest experience, according to Disney officials.<<

>>Robert Niles said it took 35 minutes to get through the parking toll booths and park in a physically distanced spot. Disneyland’s parking lot crews used orange cones to block every other space.

After passing through COVID-19 temperature screenings and security checkpoints, visitors then had to walk the length of the parking lot tram route toward the DCA front gate. Trams will remain out of service during A Touch of Disney due to social distancing concerns.<<

>>Social distancing mandates requiring six feet of separation between parties meant the artificially long line to reach the DCA front gate on A Touch of Disney’s opening day zig-zagged through the closed ticket kiosk queues and stretched to the tram route, according to Theme Park Insider.

It took 45 minutes for Theme Park Insider’s Niles to navigate the entry queue.

A series of steps slowed the front gate entry process — with ticket takers required to scan visitors’ event tickets, take their photo, scan their dining voucher and issue a dining card, according to MousePlanet’s Vincent-Phoenix.<<

>>Disneyland pushed visitors to use their $25 dining cards to place mobile orders for food — but the work-in-progress system was clunky.

Using the dining card was more difficult than it should have been — with visitors required to type a tiny 16-digit account number on the back of the card into the Disneyland app every time they placed an order.

MiceChat’s Castro called the confusing problem a “glaring oversight” — especially for a food event based around using the dining card.

“Hopefully Disney is able to fix this issue quickly,” Castro wrote for MiceChat. “Surely, an easier way to figure out how to add the gift card as a payment option and the ability to store the gift card as an in-app payment option would save guests time and help Disney accomplish their goal of encouraging mobile ordering.”

Those who couldn’t figure out how to load their dining cards onto the Disneyland app or who simply didn’t want to bother opted instead to wait at a pair of marketplace kiosk cashier stations — which had some of the longest lines of the event on opening day.<<

>>Mobile food orders took 60 to 90 minutes to be fulfilled on A Touch of Disney’s opening day, according to SFGate’s Julie Tremaine.

“The lines for the food were long,” Tremaine wrote for SFGate. “It took me hours to use my $25 food voucher included with admission, simply because my options were to stand in line for an hour to order, or use the mobile ordering Disneyland is trying to push as a contactless option, which was offering an even longer wait for pickup than the line was.”<<

Disney’s new food festival has a few kinks — here’s how to work around them

The launch of A Touch of Disney last week at Disney California Adventure was plagued by problems as visitors faced long waits to park, enter the front gate, place mobile orders and pick up food.

www.ocregister.com

Yikes!

This sounds like a nightmare. Coming from the always flattering and suck-uppy (not a word) Disneyland beat writers at the OC Register, this means it was a real mess.

And some folks here criticized those of us who passed on this opportunity to pay $75 for $25 worth of food and the chance to be treated like dumb cattle, while TDA execs claim we are "valued guests" and that $25 of food is worth $75.

I'm also reminded of my statement here about two weeks ago that I would avoid Disneyland for at least the first few weeks, if not a month or more, when they reopen and try to operate the parks entirely via App.

This DCA festival experience thing didn't even have rides, showtimes, or any timed elements, it was just a downsized food festival experience where you wandered around an empty park eating $25 worth of food for $75.

But, at least there are well paid executives and managers who unironically have the title "Guest Arrival Experience" in their titles.

 

[TP2000]

Okay, so now that I've made fun of TDA a bit, here's something in that article that stuck out to me that they should be commended for...

" ...it took 35 minutes to get through the parking toll booths and park in a physically distanced spot. Disneyland’s parking lot crews used orange cones to block every other space."

Can anyone here think of any other business or government agency that has Socially Distanced their parking lots?!?

That's not a thing that happens when you go to Target or Ralph's or South Coast Plaza or Wells Fargo or the DMV or the Veteran's Administration or a Metrolink station or anyplace else.

Heck, when I went to the government run vaccine site at Soka University, they had dozens of volunteers parking cars in a 4 level garage with 3 empty levels. But the volunteers condensed everyone to one level and parked us all side by side into assigned spaces, just like Disneyland used to do in the old days. No one was Socially Distanced. You had elderly un-vaccinated people all parking next to each other, getting into and out of their cars right next to each other. This was how a government run vaccine site parked us twice, 21 days apart when my freeway-phobic friend got both her Pfizer shots there.

Only at Disneyland would they Socially Distance a parking lot with cones, so that you aren't even exiting your car next to anyone else.

And yet Sacramento refused to let Disneyland reopen because it just wasn't "safe" and Disney couldn't be trusted. Brilliant!

 

[MarvelCharacterNerd]

A series of steps slowed the front gate entry process — with ticket takers required to scan visitors’ event tickets, take their photo, scan their dining voucher and issue a dining card, according to MousePlanet’s Vincent-Phoenix.<<

Wait. They're still taking people's photos? In masks?

 

[MarvelCharacterNerd]

Okay, so now that I've made fun of TDA a bit, here's something in that article that stuck out to me that they should be commended for...

" ...it took 35 minutes to get through the parking toll booths and park in a physically distanced spot. Disneyland’s parking lot crews used orange cones to block every other space."

Can anyone here think of any other business or government agency that has Socially Distanced their parking lots?!?

That's not a thing that happens when you go to Target or Ralph's or South Coast Plaza or Wells Fargo or the DMV or the Veteran's Administration or a Metrolink station or anyplace else.

Heck, when I went to the government run vaccine site at Soka University, they had dozens of volunteers parking cars in a 4 level garage with 3 empty levels. But the volunteers condensed everyone to one level and parked us all side by side into assigned spaces, just like Disneyland used to do in the old days. No one was Socially Distanced. You had elderly un-vaccinated people all parking next to each other, getting into and out of their cars right next to each other. This was how a government run vaccine site parked us twice, 21 days apart when my freeway-phobic friend got both her Pfizer shots there.

Only at Disneyland would they Socially Distance a parking lot with cones, so that you aren't even exiting your car next to anyone else.

And yet Sacramento refused to let Disneyland reopen because it just wasn't "safe" and Disney couldn't be trusted. Brilliant!

I think both Uni and Disney started doing this in their parking lots early on in the pandemic, starting in FL, but I seem to recall them doing it here pretty early on, too, for DTD and Citywalk? Though now you can park anywhere you want in Simba Lot at least.

 

[George Lucas on a Bench]

I thought it was crazy when I heard that some folks were going to this event twice but just read about a certain long time Disneyland podcaster is going 5 times. This is the same podcaster I chastised a decade plus ago for pleading with his listeners to donate money so he could go to WDW and do binaural recordings for his show. Man, I need to make podcaster money (I don’t for a second think he’s making much off his pod BTW).

Binaural ASMR recordings of Disneyland?

 

[Stevek]

Binaural ASMR recordings of Disneyland?

Yes I believe so...so you can "surround yourself with the magic"

 

[MisterPenguin]

Wait. They're still taking people's photos? In masks?

The eyes are the windows of the soul.

The phototelemetry of the visible portion of the eyes, brows, and wrinkles (and their height from the ground) are just to make sure people aren't sharing a ticket/AP. They aren't screening for access to a nuclear bunker. Close enough is close enough.

 

[TP2000]

I think both Uni and Disney started doing this in their parking lots early on in the pandemic, starting in FL, but I seem to recall them doing it here pretty early on, too, for DTD and Citywalk? Though now you can park anywhere you want in Simba Lot at least.

That's interesting, and good to know!

It's also another example of how the theme park industry, born in California and headquartered here, leads the way when it comes to operating within Social Distance and Covid guidelines. They certainly don't bother with any of this stuff at Target or malls or government-run vaccine Supersites.

Which only begs the question again... why is the theme park industry so looked down on and ignored by Sacramento? They seem to be able to do this far better than any other business, or any other government facility.

 

[mickEblu]

Yikes!

This sounds like a nightmare. Coming from the always flattering and suck-uppy (not a word) Disneyland beat writers at the OC Register, this means it was a real mess.

And some folks here criticized those of us who passed on this opportunity to pay $75 for $25 worth of food and the chance to be treated like dumb cattle, while TDA execs claim we are "valued guests" and that $25 of food is worth $75.

I'm also reminded of my statement here about two weeks ago that I would avoid Disneyland for at least the first few weeks, if not a month or more, when they reopen and try to operate the parks entirely via App.

This DCA festival experience thing didn't even have rides, showtimes, or any timed elements, it was just a downsized food festival experience where you wandered around an empty park eating $25 worth of food for $75.

But, at least there are well paid executives and managers who unironically have the title "Guest Arrival Experience" in their titles.

Yeah this has me wondering if I want to go to DL soon. Assuming I can even get tickets. Not sure spending the money to stay onsite for a couple nights will be worth it at first. Maybe a day trip and/or a offsite hotel. On that note, I wonder how the park reservations will work. Will they allow reservations 30 days in advance? Strategically it might make sense to shoot for less desirable weekdays since these tickets will probably sell pretty quick. That is if you pick your dates first. You may need to win the lottery just for the chance to pick a date for all we know.

 

[TP2000]

Yeah this has me wondering if I want to go to DL soon. Assuming I can even get tickets. Not sure spending the money to stay onsite for a couple nights will be worth it at first. Maybe a day trip and/or a offsite hotel. On that note, I wonder how the park reservations will work. Will they allow reservations 30 days in advance? Strategically it might make sense to shoot for less desirable weekdays since these tickets will probably sell pretty quick. That is if you pick your dates first. You may need to win the lottery just for the chance to pick a date for all we know.

If they can't even get this right on a simple food festival experience where nothing is happening except snack bars and a handful of restaurants, all at very low capacity, then...

I'm happy my gut told me to steer clear of Disneyland for at least a few weeks after it reopens. Perhaps a month or more.

Imagine how this will all work when they are trying to use an App to schedule thousands of paying customers visits down to the quarter hour. Your tickets, your rides, your meals, your entertainment, your movement throughout the property.

On April 30th I will make a nice, quiet cocktail at home and say a prayer for the CM's.

 

[mickEblu]

If they can't even get this right on a simple food festival experience where nothing is happening except snack bars and a handful of restaurants, all at very low capacity, then...

I'm happy my gut told me to steer clear of Disneyland for at least a few weeks after it reopens. Perhaps a month or more.

Imagine how this will all work when they are trying to use an App to schedule thousands of paying customers visits down to the quarter hour. Your tickets, your rides, your meals, your entertainment, your movement throughout the property.

On April 30th I will make a nice, quiet cocktail at home and say a prayer for the CM's.

Yeah just something simple like mobile ordering some food sounds like it ll be a hassle.

To be honest I’m feeling a lot less desperate for entertainment than I did a couple weeks ago. I’m a simple man really. Going out to eat a few times the last week and a half has been nice since they lifted the dining indoor restrictions. Weather has been pretty nice too. So far we ve visited one of our favorite local Indian spots, Gus’s BBQ (not to be confused with Gus’ World Famous Fried Chicken which is also fantastic) 2x and Din Tai Fung at the Americana in Glendale (outdoor Caruso designed “mall” that’s kind of Disney- Esque with its impressive fountain, jazz music, Main Street like feel with shops and a trolley, and Pink flowering Tabebuia tree lined sidewalks.

I might be able to hold off on Disneyland for a little longer than I thought especially if those negative reports start pouring in. With that said, not sure there is anything to lose by snagging a park reservation/ refundable ticket or ticket that can be modified/ used at a later date.