As the news of Disneyland gearing up to finally open after more than 1 year closed comes out, I wanted to share my recent Disneyland Resort experience with those who are wondering whether Disneyland is really ready to open.
At this time, only Downtown Disney and Buena Vista Street in California Adventure are open and only open for shopping and dining. To Disneyland fans, the opening of Buena Vista Street was super exciting and a good way to see what the parks will look like once they are open. Please keep in mind that, even in California’s yellow tier (least restrictive, currently), theme parks will only be allowed to open at 35% capacity based on current regulations. As of today, Orange County, CA (where Disneyland is located) just moved into the red tier, which would allow 15% capacity. It also appears that, for the time being, theme parks will only be allowed to admit California residents. This could change as travel restrictions change, however. Stay tuned! Because of this low capacity, distancing is VERY possible. Just to get into Downtown Disney, each person has to be in a mask that loops around the ears and covers both mouth and nose. Then your temperature is taken. Once that is cleared, you move on to bag screening, which looks like it always has but with plexiglass partitions between you and the bag screeners.
We had an 11am reservation on a Saturday for LaBrea Bakery and arrived at 9:45am to be sure we had enough time to get through all screenings. At that time, the line was almost nonexistent and we walked through screenings fairly quickly. Once inside, we scanned the QR code sign outside of the new retail store, Star Wars trading Post, to try to get a spot in the virtual queue. We were texted that there were 201 parties before us. (Note: We had to leave at 12:30 and were not texted that it was our turn to get into line for SW Trading Post until 1:40pm so we never made it inside).
With some time before our brunch reservation, we headed to The Backlot Premiere Shop, a pop-up shop in California Adventure that carries some different merchandise from the other stores. When we arrived, we were the 5th party in line. By the time we left, the line was out to Buena Vista Street. Moral of that story: Get there early or you will wait. Note: Backlot Premier Shop will use the virtual queue when the lines get too long.
After that, we headed over to La Brea Bakery for Brunch. Tables were spaced out comfortably and only outdoor dining is available. Even though we had a reservation, this was still an order at the counter and your food will be brought to you experience. Pre-Covid, La Brea offered both table service and counter service options. Overall, the food was delicious and it was a fun place to sit, people-watch and soak up the Disney atmosphere.
Before leaving, my daughter insisted on getting "Disney popcorn", so we waited in line at the cart on Buena Vista Street. There are distancing markers on the ground for all lines as well as measures in place to ensure as little contact as possible. For example, a plexiglass partition between you and the cashier and delivery of your order to a table alongside the cart, while you stand on the distancing marker.
On our way out, we passed many sanitizing stations and a few hand wash stations (pictured below). These have been in-place since Disneyland was going to open last summer so I am positive the rest of California Adventure and all of Disneyland park look similar.
We took a quick photo with the new mural (Raya and The Last Dragon) that went up over the weekend, passed by the Disneyland Hotel entrance (See Ya Real Soon!) and off we went on the long drive home (6.5 hours).
For anyone wondering if Disneyland is "truly" ready to open, I want to assure you that they most definitely are. They have put so many thorough safety measures into place. We even saw someone turned away for wearing a bandana-style mask and heard several announcements reminding people to distance and stay masked unless seated and eating. And, most importantly, all the cast members that I spoke with couldn't be more excited to welcome us all back to the Happiest Place on Earth.
I would love to help you with your magical Disneyland vacation! Email me when you are ready to start planning: Annette@skyesthelimitvacations.com
