What You Need to Know About Reopening Disneyland Before Planning Your Visit
Disney’s original vacation spot is reopening to the world. Unlike Disneyland, which reopened in July 2020, just months after quarantine began last year, Disneyland has taken a slower approach and reopens later this month with things like tiered ticketing and capacity restrictions. Here’s what you need to know about the new phase of the California Mouse Club.
Which parts of the park are open?
Disneyland is relatively slow, and for good reason: California was hit hard during the pandemic, becoming one of the first states to report cases in the US, including patients with COVID variants . However, with the rollout of the vaccine, the state is gradually resuming recreational activities, including large parks.
Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park will open to California residents on April 30 with reservations. The state allows theme parks to reopen at 15% to 35% occupancy , and Disneyland decides to start reopening at 15% occupancy.
Currently, tickets are only sold to California residents and groups of no more than three households (assuming three people per family ). If you already have tickets, you can reserve your seat online, but only if you are currently a California resident.
The Downtown Disney area is now open to the public , so guests can again visit restaurants, shops and nightlife.
The Disney Grand California Spa will reopen on April 29, but Disneyland and Paradise Pier will remain closed until further notice.
What are the precautions for COVID in the park?
Everyone will be required to wear masks at all times, park staff will check temperatures for all guests, and cashless payment is highly recommended at all payment points, including parking. Disneyland is also adding physical barriers to foster social distancing in addition to the ground markings we’re all used to seeing.
Disneyland does not offer Disney FASTPASS or MaxPasses in the hopes of providing a safer structure for queuing guests. They also closed several crowd-drawing rides such as Magic Morning and Extra Magic Hour:
Also, select rides and certain events that attract large group gatherings, such as parades and nightly performances, will return later. While character greetings and greetings will be temporarily unavailable, characters will appear in our parks in new ways to entertain and delight our guests.
Meal options have changed: orders will be contactless (so don’t plan to use cash) and all meals must be ordered in advance to be picked up at the restaurant. If you plan to travel by downloading the official Disneyland app, you can make contactless travel much easier – from here you can find out which rides are closed, order food and plan your holiday in the park.
What is this tiered ticketing system?
Park visitors with day tickets will be admitted by tier, so you will need to check the Disneyland calendar to see which day you can be admitted according to the ticket tier you are on. Different tiers have different prices : Level one tickets are already sold out on all dates, but will cost you $ 104 or $ 98 for children; Level 5 is more expensive, but allows you to attend any date you like and costs $ 154 or $ 146 for the kids.
Holders of multi-day tickets are not subject to a tiered admission structure , so they can reserve a seat for any day they wish. If you have a parking ticket (allowing you to visit more than one park per day), you can reserve a spot for your first park and then move to another park after 13:00.
The rules can change quickly, so check the Disneyland website for updates and restrictions.