Everything You Need to Know About Pop-Up Disney
Pop-Up Disney is now open at Downtown Disney District in Anaheim, CA! What used to be ESPN Zone at Downtown Disney has a complete overhaul and is now an “Instagram pop-up museum” (think kind of like Museum of Ice Cream). Running from April 26 through September 2nd 2019, you can buy tickets to the temporary pop-up that has Mickey and Minnie themed Instagram ops. Let me give you a rundown of the experience and everything you need to know.
You purchase your tickets online for a time slot, which are available in 20 minute increments from 10am-9pm daily (note you can only purchase online, not in person). Tickets are $30 Monday through Thursday, and $38 Friday through Sunday (tickets for guests 3 and under are free). You will want to arrive about 10-15 minutes before your time slot, since late arrivals won’t be accepted. It is the same price for tickets for all guests 3 and older. There’s currently an Annual Passholder discount for 40% off with code POPUPPASSHOLDER27 by visiting the link here.
When you walk in, you will see the check-in desk, where you can get 5 hours of validated parking at Downtown Disney District. Once you check-in, you will be taken to the Welcome Room, which is also completely Mickey themed! They have Mickey cartoons playing, Mickey couches, and even music stations to listen to Mickey-themed playlists while you wait for your time slot group to be called. They bring very small groups up at a time, which was an aspect I loved since it made taking your time to get the perfect Instagram pic a breeze, and not stressful feeling like you’re holding up a line for a photo op.
You are taken up a Mickey-themed staircase to begin the Pop-Up Disney experience, which is seven rooms each filled with multiple Instagram walls and photo ops. The first room is centered around Mickey and Minnie’s love, the second room is themed to classic black and white Mickey and Minnie. Each room has hidden Minnies, and a cast member will let you know upon entering how many hidden Minnies are in each room to find.
The third room is “To Mickey, With Love,” which looks like an art gallery filled with pieces that each of Mickey’s friends made for him. Move on through a neon tunnel playing Fantasia music, and you end up in a whole Fantasia themed room. While this room is dark and not the easiest for photo ops, it’s very magical to walk through!
Next is a room inspired by the countries Mickey visits in the new Mickey cartoons. The main photo ops are one based on China and one on Mexico. The Mexico room I must say has the absolute best lighting of the whole installation. Then comes my favorite part! You walk through a room filled with Mickey hats (and one Minnie ear hat) filled with mirrors and neon, playing music from Disneyland Tokyo! This then leads you to a room with a silver chrome Mickey statue and neon Mickey hats that change color along with the beats of the music.
Lastly is a room with a Get Your Ears on theme, which plays the song from the new Disneyland nighttime show on a loop. The main draw to this room is a giant Mickey balloon that you can stand in. It ends with a black Mickey statue in a head to floor rainbow room. As you exit Pop-Up Disney, you can stop by the retail store with exclusive merchandise, among other cute Mickey merch. The retail store is also open to the public 10am-11pm daily. If you just want to stop by the store, you can get 3 hours of Downtown Disney validation.
It was a really fun experience, and well worth the ticket. You have 90 minutes to experience the pop-up, which was more than enough time. We took our time getting lots of photos and boomerangs and were done in one hour, so 90 minutes is plenty! Some photo ops have great light, others are more challenging with the lighting, but each room has helpful cast members who know the installation well and can help direct you where to stand to find the best light for your picture. They also have plenty of cast members around to help take your pictures too! You can buy your tickets to the Pop-Up Disney experience here.
