California received an unexpected surprise this year. The 2019 Moonlight Magic event was much earlier in the year than in the past. Typically the event moves back and forth between each park. 2017 was at Disneyland in November, and in November of 2018 was at California Adventures. We were heartbroken that tickets were sold out before we could get some for the 2018 event. You can only imagine our surprise when we receive a DVC email saying that the 2019 event would be held in January. Here is a list of some of the top 4 things that stood out to us this year.
1. Short Ride times are still a thing. We got on tones of rides as expected since there are less people at the park. We got on Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean, Indiana Jones, Thunder Mountain (3 times), The Matterhorn, Snow White’s Scary Adventure, and Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters. Sadly Space Mountain was closed that night, but I am confident we would have made it on.
2. “Get Your Ears On” Celebration Dance Party. We don’t normally attend the dance parties because it appears to be a poor use of times with ride line so short. However, it was surprisingly fun. We got to see some rare characters join us on the dance floor like Max, the Genie, Pinocchio and Geppetto. Mickey, Goofy, and Pluto were also on the dance floor. It was a great change of pace to see the dance moves of all your favorite characters.
3. Less free things...sort of. This was actually the biggest surprise of the night. If you check out our post on the 2017 event. You will read about all the free things that we received. This year there were only complimentary Ice Creams given out. Which in all honesty was not that exciting as it was a 55 degree winter night. Popcorn, churros, and beverage were still available throughout the park, but at normal prices (slightly disappointing).
4. Meal Vouchers. In lieu of unlimited free snacks, each guest received a $20 meal voucher that could be used at many quick service dining restaurants across the park. Initially this seemed like a bummy deal. The voucher could only be used once, meaning that if you only spent $15 on your meal, you could not spend the remaining $5 at another vendor. Again seems like a bad deal, but the more I thought about it the more I realized here is a work around. Some quick service places have large portions, and meals can easily be shared. One voucher can be used to buy food, and another voucher can be used to buy souvenir cups or popcorn containers.
