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The Disneyland Resort always tops the list as one of the most Instagrammable places on the planet. The new Pop-Up Disney experience will cement DLR for a long time coming.

Pop-Up Disney

Housed in the previous ESPN Zone restaurant, the experience transports guests into 7 themed rooms filled with themed walls and interactive props, all designed to celebrate our favorite mouse.

Upon arrival, we were given a color coded card for our group. Start snapping photos the second you walk into the lobby. The waiting room is filled with great walls, Mickey-shaped ottomans for relaxing on while watching Mickey cartoons, and a listening station complete with Mickey’s 90th Anniversary Edition Beats Solo3 Wireless Headphones.

When our scheduled time arrived, we were led by an employee upstairs. The Disney employees are present in each room and are able to suggest photos to take and serve as your photographer.

TIP: Some rooms are on the darker side, so bring your best low-light camera. I skipped my DSLR and depended solely on my phone.

7 Rooms of Mickey Magic

Each of 7 rooms is uniquely themed to celebrate Disney magic! Although the focus is obviously taking photos with the imagineered backdrops, seeing Mickey through the years and his impact was heartwarming.

Time is not limited in each room, and your group will have sufficient time to snap your selfies. You should plan on approximately 90 minutes to experience the full exhibit.

The themed rooms include: Mickey and Minnie’s Love, It All Started with a Mouse, Mickey’s Friendships, Sorcerer Mickey’s Magic, Mickey Around the World, Forever Mickey, Mickey at Disneyland.

Mickey and Minnie’s Love

An over-size Minnie bow sofa, polka dot wall with yellow Minnie bows, and framed Mickey & Minnie photos await you in Mickey and Minnie’s Love. There are also adorarable hearts to blow kisses in this room.

It All Started with a Mouse

By land or sea, you’ll want to race over for the room honoring the black and white cartoons that catapulted Mickey into stardom. Rest on a wall of Steamboat Mickey plushies. Get behind the wheel of Steamboat Willie’s ship (whistling encouraged) or pilot his plane.

Mickey’s Friendships

Say “Hiya, Pal!” to Mickey’s BFFs in this themed room. Chip & Dale, Pluto, and the rest of Mickey’s besties share the stage.

Why am I angry? Because the 90’s are back…

Sorcerer Mickey’s Magic

Walk through a wave to enter Sorcerer Mickey’s Magic. The small room features features a blue wall with Mickey casting a spell and a Minnie in dots that I really want to recreate for a Minnie birthday party.

Mickey Around the World

Beloved around the world, Mickey Mouse goes international with Asian and Latin-inspired rooms. I’m legit obsessed with the papel picado’s bright happy colors.

Forever Mickey

Mickey is forever, and this room brings in technology in new ways. Light up ears and metallic Mickey are the centerpieces. It’s energetic and fun, but wasn’t my favorite of the rooms.

Mickey at Disneyland

Are you a Disney foodie? This is the room for you! The wall is filled with Disney treats! Plus, there are Mickey balloons for photo ops including a gigantic balloon to climb inside. Snap photos with you both inside and outside the balloon.

TIP: Be on the lookout for Hidden Minnies in each room. Yes, I said Hidden Minnies!

Tickets to Pop-Up Disney

Tickets for the Disneygrammers’ delight are available starting at $30, and must be purchased in advance. 

• $30 Weekdays — Monday to Thursday before 4 PM
• $38 Evenings and weekends — Monday to Thursday from 4 PM to closing and all day Friday to Sunday

There’s no closing date listed. However, if your vacation plans are set, I wouldn’t wait to nab your tickets. Tickets can be purchased at Disneyland.com.

Is Pop-Up Disney for Kids?

Tickets are not required for children under 3. The event is absolutely kid-friendly. My preschooler will adore the experience, snapping photos and pretending to be her favorite mouse. One of my tweens is going through a no-photo phase, so this would not be worth it for her. You will have to decide which family members justify the ticket.

It would make for an amazing night out with friends. Stop by Trader Sam’s for a tiki-themed cocktail or a Naples for dinner.

Other Information

Free 5-hour parking is included at Downtown Disney. Attending the pop-up experience also includes exclusive access to special treats from Marceline’s Confectionery. We sampled Mickey-shaped marshmallows and a Mickey-shaped white fudge pop. The pop was our favorite!

There’s a gift shop available additionally. Grab your commemorative Pop-Up Disney merch here!

Not sure what to wear? Try Disneybounding as Mickey or Minnie. You can also check out #PopUpDisney on social media to get outfit inspiration. There are restrooms available, but not conveniently located were you trying to do quick outfit changes. I noticed people in my group did change, but that’s some straight up Sorcerer Mickey magic.

Looking for discount tickets to Disneyland?

Check out the great deals from Get Away Today.

Use code CC10 for $10 off your packages!

Get ready to say cheese with Mickey Mouse and his pals at Pop-Up Disney! Will you be joining in the fun?

This post may contain affiliate links.  Please read my disclosure policy for more information.

Any time I’m looking for a Disneybounding outfit, I start out by looking for solid colors.  I find them the easiest to transform into a Disney-inspired look.  I strolled through the mall, evaluating my options and stumbled across a solid grey dress that was super cheap.  Perfect!  But grey wouldn’t sell the whole Dumbo look.  I needed a little more pizzazz.

A discount children’s clothing store had bows of every size and color.  I grabbed a ginormous bow for $3.99 and knew I was well on my way.  In hindsight, maybe the bow’s a little too big.  I did start wondering at what age I’ll be too old to wear big ol’ bows.  Apparently, my mid-30’s isn’t it.

Now that I had the centerpiece for my DIY Dumbo bow, I was ready to start the crafting which took a grand total of five minutes.

How to Make an Easy DIY Dumbo Bow

Supplies Needed:

• Yellow hair bow
• Red ribbon
• Black Feather
• Hot glue gun

How To:

The bow I purchased had rhinestones hot glued to the center.  I removed those prior to repurposing it for my Dumbo Disneybounding.

I started by attaching red ribbon to the edge of each bow loop.  My craft collection is getting a little out of hand, so I opted to use ribbon I had on hand rather than purchasing something new.  Red ric rac would be totally adorable in place of the straight-edged ribbon.

Next, I attached the black feather to the bow using hot glue.  You’ll remember that it’s the magic crow feather that Dumbo credits for his ability to fly.

To incorporate the feather into the bow design a little more, I added more ribbon around the center of the bow.

And that’s all!  So simple!  It only cost me $3.99 to bring the bow together thanks to have the ribbon on hand and a friend with a feather stash in her garage (thanks, Tracy!).

If you don’t have supplies at home, Amazon can get them to you in no time. Maybe even faster than a flying elephant could deliver.

Mickey and Donald seemed happy to see me during Halloween Time at the Disneyland Resort.  They’re also wearing costumes this year with Mickey dressed as a bat and Donald as the Devil.  You won’t want to miss all of your favorite Disney characters in costume as the resort celebrates the spookiest time of year.

Have you picked your Halloween costume yet? This #HalloweenTime Mickey is going as a bat, and Donald is the devil! @Disneyland AD

A post shared by Melanie Walsh (@clementinecounty) on Sep 15, 2017 at 10:02pm PDT

Halloween Time has bewitched the Disneyland resort.  Will you be Disneybounding when you visit next?