I walked through the door into Main Street’s Candy Palace where a cast member sliced off my paper wristband and asked how I knew about the coveted handmade Disneyland candy canes. “Urban legend” I said and then I plunked down $27 for my two candy canes and went on my merry way. Is there a trick to scoring one of these highly sought after seasonal treats or is it completely luck?
My husband and I planned a surprise trip to Disneyland for our family the day after Thanksgiving. I texted Megan the night before and asked her what was up with the candy canes. She replied “TOMORROW’S THE DAY!” and “LINE UP BEFORE THE PARK OPENS!” – Yes, she was excited. I made her give me explicit instructions on where to line up and what to expect.
We knew we wanted to get to Disneyland early in hopes to beat the crowds but didn’t really find a need to get there extra early for a candy cane. It’s a candy cane, after all. A dime a dozen during the holidays. Could this one from Disneyland be that different?
We cruised through the security and into the gates. In hindsight, I did lead the charge onto Main Street but it wasn’t intentional. I thought we would be too late for candy canes because the park had just opened and the line for the Candy Palace starts to build as soon as the gates open – which is about 30 minutes earlier. There was indeed a line we could see ahead of us and I figured that was the candy cane line. A cast member was handing out the candy cane schedule when I asked if the line was still open. She handed me a schedule and told me that the line was long and there was no guarantee for a wristband at that point. What the heck, I thought. I’m here, we would be at the park all day and this would be the first of many long lines. I sent my husband to Starbucks and we waited.
The cast member continued to tell the people getting in line behind me that there was no guarantee. We quickly inched closer and closer to the door of the Candy Palace. Holy cow, we were going to get a wristband. Ha! Not so fast. I didn’t realize the line was wrapped inside of the Carnation Cafe and changed directions heading back toward the front gates. Yeah, we were deep in line. But, I thought, maybe they candy makers would make extra candy canes for the first day of sales.
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Wouldn’t you know it, we inched our way right up to the two cast members giving out wrist bands. We were going to get a hand made Disneyland candy cane! What I didn’t know was that we had to come back for it. Our wrist band was like a Fast Pass where we had to return between noon and 3pm to collect our canes.
We returned to the Candy Palace around 1pm and were greeted by a cast member who seemed genuinely excited that this was our first time getting a candy cane. I swiped my credit card and gaffed at how much a Disneyland candy cane costs! $12.99. The candy cane is 18 inches long and carefully hand wrapped in bubble wrap. I found this Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives where Guy Fieri gets a behind the scenes look at how the Disneyland candy canes are made. It’s actually pretty awesome and made me appreciate the mastery that goes into making these treats.
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My daughter quickly unwrapped hers and said it taste like any other candy cane. I’ll admit, I was kind of heartbroken. Did I get caught up in the Disney hype over these candy canes? But, my husband and I broke into mine after getting home and it was amazing! It has a full, clean peppermint flavor and the texture is airy with just enough crunch but also soft enough to chew on right away. I really, really enjoyed it and am excited I was lucky enough to get one this year.
So, how can you get a Disneyland candy cane this holiday season? I found this article on how to out race your kids down Main Street for a spot in line. She has a lot of great tips on how to plan your morning taking into consideration security and Magical Mornings crowds. If you’re planning a trip to Disneyland this holiday season, definitely try to get a candy cane. It will cost you the same as any other treat in the park, so why not be part of the urban legend.
