The 2024 D23 Expo is less than 2 weeks away and we’ll have plenty of coverage of the event and some predictions leading up to it! Not all of the announcements and changes have to be big though. In fact, both Walt Disney World and Disneyland Resort have infrastructure in place to improve the parks without having to build anything at all. I’ll be looking at both of those resorts but today’s post will start with Disneyland, listing five changes that Disneyland Resort could feasibly do in a short time.

I won’t go as far as to say that these are all small changes I’m proposing. A few of them would take some real investment, largely in entertainment costs. Calling them easy to pull off would be disingenuous, although there are several that wouldn’t cost much.

Instead this post was intended to be some quicker changes. I think D23 will provide fans with some huge announcements. That’s very exciting! But most of those will be years down the road and both Disneyland and WDW could use additions sooner than that.

The majority of these five come down to some personal preference too. While I believe that making these changes over the next year would make Disneyland Resort better, I don’t think every person would agree. I do expect some quick changes to be announced at D23 but I wouldn’t call the following list predictions either. Instead, this is just my wish list of what could reasonably happen by summer 2025 at latest. Enough expectation setting, without further ado…

Make Soarin’ Over California Permanent

I’ve beat this drum for years. In case you haven’t been here for my persistent thumping, bringing back the original Soarin’ in California Adventure seems like a no brainer. Disney does bring back the California version for Food & Wine every year. I’m sure there’s a nice little boost in activity for the attraction, as locals are generally excited to enjoy the ride. With Soarin’ Around the World having had plenty of time to marinate, switching back to the OG full time makes California Adventure a better and more congruent park.

Because they do switch them out for Food & Wine, we know that doing this isn’t especially difficult. I’m guessing it wouldn’t cost Disney anything to do this. Soarin’ Around the World can still exist in Epcot while going back to this version in California gives each coast more exclusivity. Obviously, I like the original version more. Maybe there are some out there that would argue whether it’s better than 2.0. But outside of personal preference, I don’t think there’s a good argument against DCA having Soarin’ Over California full time.

Wondrous Journeys Gets a Full Year or More!

This one may be more controversial. I appreciate that Disneyland offers seasonal entertainment included in a day ticket. Really, it’s wonderful that the parks get so into Halloween and Christmas! But the nighttime spectaculars at Disneyland for each season are tired. Relative to other fireworks and projection displays, Halloween Screams and Believe In Holiday Magic show their age. I would love to see each reimagined or replaced in the next few years. If only there was a nighttime spectacular that has wowed guests and could be a constant to buy the resort time to properly develop those new shows…

Wondrous Journeys debuted in early 2023 and comes and goes from Disneyland, just like all of the firework shows. Despite rave reviews, the nighttime spectacular was only in place for less than 2 months in 2024. While the show measures up to Magic Kingdom’s fantastic Happily Ever After, Wondrous Journeys hasn’t been able to have a proper run to cement a spot in the all-time Disneyland firework shows! This is a more expensive endeavor, which is the only logical reason that Mickey’s Mix Magic is the typical choice to fill in between seasonal shows. But guest satisfaction would go up with a Wondrous Journeys extended run!

Something, Anything in the Hyperion

Remember that giant theater in California Adventure that housed Broadway-level productions for the first decade of its existence? Yeah, it’s still there! Rogers: The Musical performed there for a short run in 2023 and the theater has sat empty since then. For a resort that’s constantly vying for extra capacity, not having a show there is frustrating. This is another cost cutting move.

At this point, I don’t have a big opinion on what should be in there. I’d love for a shortened stage musical like Hercules or Encanto to find a home there. Heck, run Aladdin back! There are likely cheaper options that the resort could consider too. Adding something in there will make all of California Adventure run smoother though. I’m not above begging!

More entertainment in Galaxy’s Edge

Galaxy’s Edge is still a fantastic land, although falling out of the theme park zeitgeist a little sooner than expected. How can that be fixed? By forgetting the timeline and just blowing out the entertainment side of things. To their credit, characters have been added to the land as they’ve expanded the TV universe. Now it’s time to kick it up a notch and add Darth Vader, Han, Nien Nunb (just for my sake) and the rest of the gang. Us theme park nerds all promise to not care about breaking the time rules. This isn’t Avengers Campus, the Time Variance Authority won’t come after you.

Along with every character walking around, add an actual stage show to the First Order section of Galaxy’s Edge! Bring back Jedi Training Academy. Do some weird stuff with droids! Have characters walking around Oga’s, getting into trouble with guests. In the name of fun and paying respect to the original Star Wars movies, it’s time to supercharge (is that company lingo?) Batuu’s entertainment.

A Counter-Service Restaurant in Pixar Place Hotel

The Pixar Place Hotel renovation has been really well received! It’s a strong upgrade over Paradise Pier Hotel, as they made lemonade out of some ugly looking lemons. One smaller change I’d like to see is the hotel to have a full time counter-service spot. There’s already a place to do this (although kitchen space might be limited) with a lovely coffee shop. I’m not talking about adding a 200 seat buffeteria. Just add a few hot item dishes to the Sketch Pad Café! That would take the hotel up another level and can add to the dining overhaul seen at Downtown Disney and the hotels. We love some fresh sandwiches, this seems like an opportune spot to do that!

What do you think of our proposed changes? Have any of your own? Let us know in the comments below. Planning a trip to Disneyland? Check out our Planning Guide here. Looking for discount tickets? Check out this site! If you enjoy what you are reading here on Wandering in Disney please share this post with your friends, as well as like our social media pages. You can also subscribe to the blog via WordPress or email. All of those links are on the right side of this page. Thank you for reading, we really appreciate it!