Downtown Disney Reopens July 9th - Tracking The Changes & Closures

[Askimosita]

I will be talking to the owner of the Pizza Press tomorrow, I will be sure and share your story.

He is a great guy, and will be happy to hear it.

It was DELICIOUS! So happy we ended up there! I ate half my pizza and I’m pumped for lunch tomorrow

Also, I wanted to add that the customer service was INCREDIBLE. They gave us so many sauces and toppings and asked if we needed anything else. You’d think they were Disney guest relations. Soooo nice! Getting that pizza and seeing Guardians all lit up this evening, it was a perfect end to the day.

 

[Askimosita]

Incredible to see again. There was a rope there originally (as in the earlier photo) but later that evening, the rope was removed. Both park entrances already have plexiglass at the turnstiles, and there are preliminary markings for social distancing stickers.

 

[George Lucas on a Bench]

Closed! Enjoy your Pizza and Starbucks.

 

[1HAPPYGHOSTHOST]

How much food was left in the Kitchen? If they were slammed all day, did they stock enough products?

Edited to add: Still no reason for the Manager to treat you that way.

He should have paused, gave you his attention, explained the situation, and tried to offer you something to appease you. A coupon/discount, give you a round of non-alcoholic drinks and some type of appetizer they still had on the house, etc.

Well said

 

[Askimosita]

Congratulations on the pin! Which one did you get?

I watched a video from the Laughing Place today on the reopening of DTD. The guy doing the video tried asking a manager guy at Naples a question and the dude just ignored him. I bet it’s the same guy!

I got the Mickey and Minnie, non-AP pin! They don’t have any special AP pins due to demand and fear of storming the castle lol

But I wouldn’t be surprised. I really feel for these people, because they are all of a sudden thrust back into the grind PLUS having time accommodate the current situation....

But it was such a damper to an otherwise good evening. He actually told me that open table shouldn’t have even allowed reservations at 8pm and he was nice enough to accommodate those people even... as if telling me that I was damned all along...I’m pretty sure open table didn’t pull that time out of no where? If that was an error, then Naples should correct it with open table, and not tell me I would have been lucky to have been seated if I got there 9 mins earlier for my reservation.

It doesn’t even matter though; the whole thing only seems worse because my husband and I were hangry at the time I was just happy to be there, and my belly was happy after pizza press.


ANYWAY, to anyone that cares, I highly recommend visiting once during this weird time. It was actually beautiful and not crazy, so walking the esplanade with the music and the sunshine, while seeing the gates and cast members.. that was awesome.

 

[mandelbrot]

I read somewhere on this board their milkshakes are around $15. If THIS line is that long then I can't imagine what places like Earl of Sandwich look like lol. Has anyone here tried their milkshakes? Is it remotely worth spending that amount of money on? I might try it when we go but I don't think I spent more than $5 for one ever lol.

Black Tap is currently using their Crazy Shake window for ALL food orders.

 

[mandelbrot]

So I ventured into Downtown Disney this afternoon. I met up with a couple of close friends who had reserved us a table at Naples for 2PM. I had already seen the photos and videos of long lines so I was prepared for mayhem and general unpleasantness.

I arrived at the Western entrance of Downtown Disney and was met with an elaborate health screening and security setup that stretched a good fifty yards towards the Simba lot. It was about 1:50 in the afternoon and while there was a steady stream of people coming in there was no wait for any of it. After getting a gun-like thermometer aimed at my head and told "You're good!" by a masked man under a canopy, I then passed by another masked man under a canopy with a golden retriever wearing a sign that said "NO PETTING". The dog gave an adorable sniff and turned away.

I then proceeded to the actual entrance of Downtown Disney. I was told to keep everything in my pockets while going through the metal detector and while I had objects in my pockets that would have certainly made the thing go off there was no alarm and I breezed through. I wonder if the metal detectors are even operational? Yikes.

Downtown Disney looked to have crowds that were typical for a summer afternoon but for the most part people were just standing around. As there was not much to do I didn't find that all too surprising. Every single person I saw was wearing a mask. Security wouldn't even let people get in the health screening line without a mask.

I met up with my friends and we walked over to Naples. We passed by Uva which was dead and Black Tap which had a line of about thirty people. Naples was reservation-only today and we joined a line of about four other parties waiting to be seated. It took us about twenty minutes to be seated. All the new procedures seem to be confusing and difficult for staff so patience during this time is required.

We were seated at a nice table in the shade with a lovely view of the people waiting in line at World of Disney to snatch up merchandise to sell at marked up prices on E-Bay. We were presented with disposable paper food menus that had a QR code to scan with your phone for the drink menu. The current menu is...limited. Four entrees plus pizza choices. Two salads. Two appetizers. I don't know if the prices have gone up (I rarely eat at Naples) but I ordered the ten inch Funghi (mushroom) pizza with added Italian sausage and it was $30. A 14oz draft beer was $15.50.

As we finished and paid for our expensive meal (tipping generously) we politely asked if we could move over to their shaded lounge chairs and order a couple more drinks. Absolutely! No problem! We sipped on our beverages and reminisced about our Club 33 visits and civilly discussed politics and had a delightful time. A manager showed up with the bill and politely informed us that what we were doing was not allowed. Current policy dictates that any check that has alcohol on it must also have food on it. We offered to buy more food but he said it wasn't necessary but he was required to inform us of the new policy. So don't plan on just having a couple drinks in Downtown Disney for the time being, not that there are many choices anyway.

Naples shut down at 8 just like the rest of Downtown Disney. My friends wanted to go to another spot but I gently informed them that no place on property was open. Normally we'd head over to Jazz Kitchen or Hearthstone or Trader Sam's but none of those places are options currently. We slowly made our way out of Downtown Disney to go home.

There were crowds this morning when Downtown Disney opened but those crowds steadily dwindled throughout the day. Halfway through our luxury-priced lunch at Naples I noticed the line for World of Disney was gone and Naples was down to a dozen or so tables. As we wandered towards the exit around 8:30PM the place was dead. Uva was empty and a couple of tables remained at Black Tap.

There was a lot of talk amongst our group about whether today was a sign that Downtown Disney can stand on its own or if it's just an initial surge of pent-up demand. We all agreed that today was an aberration and that by Monday the place will be dead. The hours are short. The menus are limited (it's not just Naples). The prices may very well be higher. And there's just not much to do. Not one person in my group was planning to return to Downtown Disney until the parks opened and we met a few others who were just there for the opening day experience.

There was a lot of optimism in the CM's I encountered today that Downtown Disney can be a success without the parks. Though I verbally shared that enthusiasm with them, I sincerely believe that today (and probably this weekend) will not be typical attendance going forward. I got the feeling today that so many were just filling their need for ANY Disney experience and now that they've had they won't be back until the parks are open. I could be wrong but I've decided to go back in a week and compare the experience with today. I'm expecting it to be very different. We shall see.

 

[mandelbrot]

It's about $3 more than I think it's worth. But I've still splurged and gotten one of their 'limited' ones which was like $17+tax? That one was NOT worth the money (it was the D23 exclusive to expo attendees milkshake and yes I'm stupid lol). Plus you also have to pre-tip your server strangely as you pay inside before you are seated. So pro tip: get your shake to go and skip the tip for someone who just drops your food off at your table and doesn't actually take your order or do much else. (Sorry BT employees, but I don't like this forced pre-tip before I get any service... IF I get any service... system. Handing me food at my table is not a step up in service from handing it to me at the window.)

But as a non-milkshake fan - I'm much more of an ice cream sundae fan - I think their milkshakes are decent. But the reason I enjoy them is the toppings (cake, brownie, cookies, etc.). The milkshake is actually not as big as you'd think for the price. I'm not a big person and I can finish it in one sitting. However, since you essentially get two desserts for each of these if you consider the topping, I'm willing to periodically splurge to enjoy the silliness of having it.

I also think their fried mozz is terrific. And i also think it's $3 more than it should be. Yet when I can afford to do so, I splurge on that, too.

So: TL DR: If your priority is a great milkshake, skip it. If you want to splurge on something fun-looking at least once that's two desserts in one on a hot day, then I definitely recommend.

Black Tap cast members pool their tips. I appreciate you wanting to give your tip to someone you perceive as doing more work for you but the reality is it all goes into one pot and is distributed equally. Black Tap is a true team-oriented work environment. Pretty much anyone there can do any position and work duties overlap a lot.

 

[mandelbrot]

It tasted like it was from a machine. I have no proof of that, but you know the taste and texture of handmade milkshakes when you taste it. When I had one six months ago, it wasn't handmade.

Black Tap seems to be more concerned about how it looks, and how many Likes you are going to get on Instagram, then how it actually tastes.

Black Tap's "milkshakes" come out of plastic jugs stored in a refrigerator. They don't make shakes in-house. They only decorate them.

 

[Phroobar]

So I ventured into Downtown Disney this afternoon. I met up with a couple of close friends who had reserved us a table at Naples for 2PM. I had already seen the photos and videos of long lines so I was prepared for mayhem and general unpleasantness.

I arrived at the Western entrance of Downtown Disney and was met with an elaborate health screening and security setup that stretched a good fifty yards towards the Simba lot. It was about 1:50 in the afternoon and while there was a steady stream of people coming in there was no wait for any of it. After getting a gun-like thermometer aimed at my head and told "You're good!" by a masked man under a canopy, I then passed by another masked man under a canopy with a golden retriever wearing a sign that said "NO PETTING". The dog gave an adorable sniff and turned away.

I then proceeded to the actual entrance of Downtown Disney. I was told to keep everything in my pockets while going through the metal detector and while I had objects in my pockets that would have certainly made the thing go off there was no alarm and I breezed through. I wonder if the metal detectors are even operational? Yikes.

Downtown Disney looked to have crowds that were typical for a summer afternoon but for the most part people were just standing around. As there was not much to do I didn't find that all too surprising. Every single person I saw was wearing a mask. Security wouldn't even let people get in the health screening line without a mask.

I met up with my friends and we walked over to Naples. We passed by Uva which was dead and Black Tap which had a line of about thirty people. Naples was reservation-only today and we joined a line of about four other parties waiting to be seated. It took us about twenty minutes to be seated. All the new procedures seem to be confusing and difficult for staff so patience during this time is required.

We were seated at a nice table in the shade with a lovely view of the people waiting in line at World of Disney to snatch up merchandise to sell at marked up prices on E-Bay. We were presented with disposable paper food menus that had a QR code to scan with your phone for the drink menu. The current menu is...limited. Four entrees plus pizza choices. Two salads. Two appetizers. I don't know if the prices have gone up (I rarely eat at Naples) but I ordered the ten inch Funghi (mushroom) pizza with added Italian sausage and it was $30. A 14oz draft beer was $15.50.

As we finished and paid for our expensive meal (tipping generously) we politely asked if we could move over to their shaded lounge chairs and order a couple more drinks. Absolutely! No problem! We sipped on our beverages and reminisced about our Club 33 visits and civilly discussed politics and had a delightful time. A manager showed up with the bill and politely informed us that what we were doing was not allowed. Current policy dictates that any check that has alcohol on it must also have food on it. We offered to buy more food but he said it wasn't necessary but he was required to inform us of the new policy. So don't plan on just having a couple drinks in Downtown Disney for the time being, not that there are many choices anyway.

Naples shut down at 8 just like the rest of Downtown Disney. My friends wanted to go to another spot but I gently informed them that no place on property was open. Normally we'd head over to Jazz Kitchen or Hearthstone or Trader Sam's but none of those places are options currently. We slowly made our way out of Downtown Disney to go home.

There were crowds this morning when Downtown Disney opened but those crowds steadily dwindled throughout the day. Halfway through our luxury-priced lunch at Naples I noticed the line for World of Disney was gone and Naples was down to a dozen or so tables. As we wandered towards the exit around 8:30PM the place was dead. Uva was empty and a couple of tables remained at Black Tap.

There was a lot of talk amongst our group about whether today was a sign that Downtown Disney can stand on its own or if it's just an initial surge of pent-up demand. We all agreed that today was an aberration and that by Monday the place will be dead. The hours are short. The menus are limited (it's not just Naples). The prices may very well be higher. And there's just not much to do. Not one person in my group was planning to return to Downtown Disney until the parks opened and we met a few others who were just there for the opening day experience.

There was a lot of optimism in the CM's I encountered today that Downtown Disney can be a success without the parks. Though I verbally shared that enthusiasm with them, I sincerely believe that today (and probably this weekend) will not be typical attendance going forward. I got the feeling today that so many were just filling their need for ANY Disney experience and now that they've had they won't be back until the parks are open. I could be wrong but I've decided to go back in a week and compare the experience with today. I'm expecting it to be very different. We shall see.

Sounds like you got a mob shakedown.

 

[el_super]

There was a lot of optimism in the CM's I encountered today that Downtown Disney can be a success without the parks. Though I verbally shared that enthusiasm with them, I sincerely believe that today (and probably this weekend) will not be typical attendance going forward.

Yeah, it's going to be something to watch. I think generally you are right, and yesterday (or maybe even just this weekend) will turn out to be an anomaly. With all the gates closed and facilities shuttered, Disneyland has had a bit of Willy-Wonka-esque mystery about it for the last four months. Lots of folks have wandered on property or tried to sneak in, just to see what was going on. It wouldn't have surprised me at all if similar crowds had shown up, even if nothing but the esplanade was open.

Now that it's open, and the mystery is gone, how long can it stay open? The virus news is getting worse for OC, and it wouldn't be at all surprising if restaurants are told to shut down again. The economic news is getting worse by the day, and luxury spending is cratering. The only thing Disney may have going for it in Downtown Disney, is that the bad economic news may be forcing people to make terrible decisions to monetize those APs through ebay reselling. Good for Disney, but bad for everyone else.

Thanks for the report though. I am concerned about the restaurants staying open, but I am sure Disney can find a way to make money. If nothing else they could just bring back the round trip monorail tickets they discontinued in the 1990s and give people a REALLY amazing view into a closed Disneyland.

 

[mickEblu]

Fuoco Pizzeria down the street y’all. You won’t regret it. Twice as good and half the price.

 

[Disneyland/DCA]

^You shouldn't have emailed and provoked the bosses. Sounds like they'll have you sleeping with the fishes.

 

[Mac Tonight]

I think “Instagrammable Moment” just surpassed “immersive” as my most hated Disney phrase.

"Our goal is to not rest until Disney Parks are the most "Insta-mmersive" destinations on the planet!" - Bob Chapek.

It really is the worst. I honestly hate what social media has done to the parks in general. I yearn for the days when Imagineers were more concerned with an attraction's overall quality and concept rather creating a loosly connected series of "moments" that people should be posting photos of. Not to mention things like the MK's Purple Wall...

 

[mickEblu]

"Our goal is to not rest until Disney Parks are the most "Insta-mmersive" destinations on the planet!" - Bob Chapek.

It really is the worst. I honestly hate what social media has done to the parks in general. I yearn for the days when Imagineers were more concerned with an attraction's overall quality and concept rather than having "moments" that people would post photos of. Not to mention things like the MK's Purple Wall...

Lol @ insta-mersive. I hate it. Yeah it’s All pretty sad. Everything is just so... shallow.

 

[Mac Tonight]

Lol @ insta-mersive. I hate it. Yeah it’s All pretty sad. Everything is just so... shallow.

It's reflexive of our culture. Everything consumable in 10 seconds or less then it's time to move on to the next thing. We just loooove to scroll through stuff without paying much attention to what we're even seeing. Nothing has a chance to breathe anymore. I mean shoot, we have to have an app that lets us play games while we queue because setting our phones down to take in the scenery and setting we're in is just too boring. Bah...

/rant.

 

[TP2000]

Black Tap cast members pool their tips. I appreciate you wanting to give your tip to someone you perceive as doing more work for you but the reality is it all goes into one pot and is distributed equally. Black Tap is a true team-oriented work environment. Pretty much anyone there can do any position and work duties overlap a lot.

Good to know. It's like Trader Joe's, and that's a good thing! Now if they could just make milkshakes from real ice cream, instead of from a pre-made mix, I might go back.

When I emailed patina about this I got a response with them saying "we will give you a real italian exeprience", with no contact information or instructions. I also have no idea what they meant.

I'm pretty sure the phrase "we will give you a real Italian experience" is a threat to shut up about it if you know what's good for you. The email equivalent of waking up with a severed horse's head in your bed in The Godfather.

 

[Darkbeer1]

Any reports of crowds, or lack of them, at DtD today?

Getting ready for a 2 PM meeting, and that info could be helpful.

 

[socalifornian]

Any reports of crowds, or lack of them, at DtD today?

Getting ready for a 2 PM meeting, and that info could be helpful.

You should be fine

 

[Darkbeer1]

You should be fine
View attachment 482667

Thank you, today's a Zoom meeting, but might physically visit DtD tomorrow for a bit, if it is not Crazy hot like predicted.