Hey there, hi there, ho there! We came down to the Disneyland Resort to check in on things before the Lunar New Year festival starts this weekend at Disney California Adventure and we found lots to show you. So come along on our photo tour of the Disneyland Resort.

The trams are not back up and running yet, so these new billboards are on the street that is still a walkway. They aren’t NEW new, but between Halloween and Christmas, we haven’t seen them for a bit.

Downtown Disney

These new window clings are hung at the World of Disney store. They showcase the art style for the new 2022 merchandise line.

Starbucks has finally reopened after being closed for a few weeks. It is scheduled to be permanently closed on January 29 to make way for the Downtown Disney reimagining. Next door, Sugarboo & Co. has already closed, as shown below.

We found some cool new “Star Wars” merchandise at Star Wars Trading Post, like this very detailed hat and, finally, the 2021 holiday Droid Factory astromech — R5-D33R.

Disney California Adventure

Even though the festival doesn’t open until Friday, most of the decorations for the Lunar New Year event are already in place.

The food booths are out as well, repurposed from the last food festival that was held through the beginning of the month.

In what could be one of the biggest Disney news stories of all time, Mr. Potato Head has FINALLY received a refurbishment and his eyes are no longer black. For months, his curtain has been drawn closed during the day as his burnt out eyes were worked on but then reopened without a fix. Now they have been entirely cleaned up and they look shiny and new. We’re very glad to see him get the TLC he desperately needed.

In Big Top Toys, we spotted a few new things for kids and adults alike, whether it’s the collector doll or the wooden train that catches your fancy.

We stopped in for a bite at Studio Catering Co. to try some of their new Lunar New Year-inspired dishes, and also some fantastic new tamale bites. You can read our full reviews by following the links above.

Disneyland

The holidays are over and that means it’s time for Spring to bloom. As the snow melts away from Sleeping Beauty Castle, tulips have sprung up in Town Square at the site where the Christmas tree stood just days ago.

We found some new Play in the Park youth apparel items at the Emporium.

We also ran across a new Sleeping Beauty Castle water bottle and blanket.

And to prepare for the warm months ahead, these three new folding fans have popped out to the Emporium as well.

Across the street at 20th Century Music Co., we found a new see-through pin celebrating the Guardians of the Multiverse.

Down at Chester Drawer’s, we found a new youth hoodie featuring the castle.

And over at Disney Clothiers, we found some new Valentine’s Day Dooney and Bourke bags.

All that shopping made us hungry, so we stopped in to Jolly Holiday Bakery Cafe to try some new sweet treats, and they really hit the spot. You can read our full review right here.

Outpost Mix has returned to Kat Saka’s Kettle on Batuu so we took a transport out to Black Spire Outpost to try it, and paired it with another returning flavor — chocolate popcorn with red Crait salt. You can read our full review right here.

As the sun set, we took a river boat down to Frontierland to try a sweetheart-themed treat, with emphasis on the SWEET. This strawberry cheesecake funnel cake was a delight, and you can read our full review right here.

As dusk set in, we found some cute new light-up balloons that feature Sleeping Beauty Castle.

They’re fun in the daytime, but after the sun really sets is when the magic happens.

The little internal lights bring this cute artwork to life after dark. You can see more in our post right here.

The Haunted Mansion still hasn’t reopened since Jack Skellington moved out after the holidays, but work is being done. As the overlay is removed, we got to see the very last vestige of Fastpass left in the park. This sign won’t last long, as The Haunted Mansion will be available as a Genie+ selection upon reopening.

Sure is beautiful when everything is quiet as the grave in there.

We took the train back to the front of the park at the end of our night and got to marvel at the holiday lights adorning “it’s a small world” for their holiday overlay that is still running into the new year.

As we passed the Fantasyland Theatre, we saw the lights on and work being done to repurpose the theatre for, hopefully, a new show soon. Already, much of the set from the former Mickey and the Magical Map show has been removed. There has been no official announcement on what, if anything, will take over the theatre.

Well, this is our stop. Thanks for riding along with us. We’ll see ya real soon!

The post Lunar New Year Decor, Mr. Potato Head is Fixed, Sleeping Beauty Castle on Everything & More: Disneyland Photo Report 1/18/22 appeared first on WDW News Today.