Disneyland Resort Update for March 22 – 28, 2021

Disneyland Resort Update for March 22 – 28, 2021

News and Views

Disneyland Resort Sets April 30 Reopening Date

More than a year after the theme parks closed their gates due to the coronavirus pandemic, Disneyland and Disney California Adventure are set to reopen on April 30, 2021. Disney CEO Bob Chapek made the announcement Wednesday morning during an appearance on CNBC.

Disney's Grand Californian Hotel will reopen on April 29, followed by the reopening of the Disney Vacation Club portion of that property on May 2. Disney said it will announce reopening plans for the Disneyland Hotel and Disney's Paradise Pier Hotel at a later date. Reservations have not yet opened for the Grand Californian Hotel.

Disney fans will soon get to enjoy this view as part of normal park operations, when Disneyland and Disney California Adventure reopen on April 30. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.

In a Disney Parks Blog post, the company says it will “manage attendance through a new theme park reservation system that requires all guests to obtain a reservation for park entry in advance.” Further, state guidelines limit admission to California residents only. There will be no on-site ticket sales, and no sales to non-residents.

Ticket sales will be limited to small groups of up to 10 people, from no more than three households. In addition to masking and other social distancing measures required of all visitors, groups are not to mix with other groups. Disney has not given any indication of when tickets will go on sale, and we expect the demand for admission to be extremely strong.

Under guidelines released by the State of California, Disneyland and Disney California Adventure will be limited to 15% capacity as long as Orange County, California remains in the red (substantial) tier of the state's color-coded system.

Indoor attractions will be capped at 15% of capacity, with a limit to how long people could remain indoors. The state has yet to issue detailed guidelines for theme park operations, and we don't know what impact the rules might have on longer indoor rides like Pirates of the Caribbean and “it's a small world,” or theater-style attractions like Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln and Mickey's PhilharMagic. It's also unclear whether indoor performances at the Hyperion Theater or the Disney Junior Dance Party can reopen at this time.

Last week, Disney updated the official Disneyland.com website to reflect many of the same operational changes in effect since Walt Disney World reopened last summer. As expected, a number of services will not be offered when the theme parks reopen, including:

• Fastpass
• Disney MaxPass
• Magic Morning
• Extra Magic Hour
• Parades
• Nighttime Spectaculars (World of ColorFantasmic)
• Character meet-and-greets

However, Disney says “Beloved characters will pop up in new ways and sometimes in unexpected places as they remain mindful of physical distancing.”

Goofy and Max go fishing in the Pacific Wharf area during A Touch of Disney. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.

While restaurants in red tier counties are permitted to operate their dining rooms at 25% capacity, the guidelines for theme parks specifically state that there is no indoor dining in the red tier for theme park restaurants. It appears that indoor dining will be permitted at theme park restaurants when the home county enters the orange (moderate) tier, and Disney has already begun to recall cast members who work in table-service restaurants.

If Orange County moves to the orange (moderate) tier by April 30, park managers could increase attendance and indoor operation to 25% capacity. This would further increase to 35% if the county meets the standard to move into the yellow (minimal) tier.  Most of Orange County's COVID-19 metrics already meet the requirements of the orange tier, and it is highly likely the county will qualify for the less-restrictive tier by the time the parks reopen.

Avengers Campus will not open with the theme parks on April 30, but visitors can catch a few glimpses inside the new land from around Disney California Adventure. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.

Regardless of tier, attendance will still be limited to in-state visitors as long as a travel advisory from the California Department of Public Health is still in effect.

The past year has seen a number of changes at the Disneyland Resort, with a new Avengers Campus almost complete in Disney California Adventure, a refurbishment of the Disneyland Hotel underway, and the re-imagining of the classic Snow White attraction in Fantasyland. Snow White's Enchanted Wish will reopen on April 30 with Disneyland park, but Marvel fans will have to wait a while longer to step foot into the Avengers Campus.

Avengers Campus will not open with the theme parks on April 30, but visitors can catch a few glimpses inside the new land from around Disney California Adventure. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.

The Quinjet is just visible from outside the Avengers Campus in Disney California Adventure. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.

A Touch of Disney serves up a taste of the new normal

Disney kicked off the A Touch of Disney event last week, giving fans a first chance to experience almost the entire Disney California Adventure park—albeit without rides—in over a year.

Admission is $75 per person, much more expensive than similar events now happening at Knott's Berry Farm and Universal Studios Hollywood. Despite the price difference, the entire run of the event sold out in 8 hours when tickets went on sale earlier this month, even after Disney extended the original run date by two weeks.

One day after A Touch of Disney tickets sold out, the state of California announced that theme parks could reopen as early as April 1, making it almost certain Disney would not extend the event beyond April 19. So it was a surprise to receive an invitation from Disney a week later to attend the opening day of A Touch of Disney. Disney certainly didn't need any additional publicity for a sold-out, hopefully never-to-be-repeated event, but this did present an opportunity for the company to showcase how it has implemented Covid safety protocols on the west coast in advance of Disneyland's reopening.

We attended Thursday's opening with two goals: to give our readers who already had A Touch of Disney tickets an idea of what to expect during their visit, and also to take a first-hand look at Disney's new normal.

Although the theme parks have been closed for more than a year, the Disneyland Resort has drawn relatively large crowds several times since July—first with the reopening of Downtown Disney, then the debut of the Backlot Premiere Shop in Stage 17 and the expansion of Downtown Disney into Buena Vista Street, and most recently, the opening of the Star Wars Trading Post in the former Rainforest Cafe. For this reason it was surprising to see Disney fumble crowd control for the opening of A Touch of Disney.

Visitors wait their turn to enter A Touch of Disney on opening day. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.

Disney opened the Mickey and Friends parking structure to event guests at 11:30 a.m. for a noon start time, which wasn't enough time for new arrivals to park, pass through health and security screenings, and then walk the quarter-mile tram route to the esplanade between theme parks. Once there, visitors joined a line that snaked around and between the ticket booths before finally leading to the main entrance gates.

Once to the gates, park entry was slowed considerably because for each guest, cast members had to scan the admission ticket, take a photo, and then scan a separate voucher to issue the $25 dining card. In our case, we arrived at the parking structure just before it opened, and it took 80 minutes to get from parking toll booth to standing on Buena Vista Street. Later arrivals said the line to enter the park backed up onto the tram route itself.

A sign at the parking structure warns visitors that advance reservations are required to enter the theme parks. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.

Those who entered the resort from the Harbor Boulevard entrance or though Downtown Disney skipped the parking structure hassle, and were even allowed into DCA a half hour before the event's scheduled start time. Keep this in mind if you have one of the earliest lunch reservations at Carthay Circle Lounge or Lamplight Lounge.

Once inside the park, the event is essentially a scaled-down version of the theme park's popular California Food & Wine Festival, with fewer festival marketplace booths and no live musical entertainment. Most of the food items are returning favorites from previous events, or are menu items brought over from Disneyland for the occasion. It's novel to be able to snack on a Banyan Skewer or a Monte Cristo sandwich inside Disney California Adventure, but Disney didn't push the culinary boundaries with these menu selections.

A Touch of Disney tickets include a $25 Disney dining card. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.

The $25 dining card included with the event ticket is valid only on food and non-alcoholic beverages, and can be used with Disney's mobile order system. Disney is very strongly pushing mobile order as a contactless way to order and pay for your food during the event, and in fact doesn't offer direct purchases from the six Festival Marketplace booths. Customers who want to order from those locations without using the Disneyland app must go to one of two Marketplace Cashier locations to place their order, and then take the receipt back to the marketplace booth to collect their food.

Mobile ordering works quite well in most situations. However, we noticed that some of the most popular locations had a much longer wait when using mobile orders than if you just ordered in person from the marketplace cashier.

In the example below, an order placed through the Disneyland app at 1:49 p.m. wouldn't be ready until an hour later. At that same time, the line to order and pay at the marketplace cashier was about 25 minutes, and there was no need to wait for a “return window” before collecting the order from the booth.

The Golden Dreams marketplace was one of the most popular, and often had an hour or longer wait. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.

Due to physical distancing requirements, lines may look longer than they really are, but it was still a decent wait to pick up a mobile order from Adorable Snowman Frosted Treats. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.

We experienced several other instances where the wait for a mobile order was 60 to 90 minutes, and many where there was either no wait at all, or the wait was shorter than the line at the marketplace cashier. You definitely need to pay attention to the two different options and use the one that's fastest for that location.

As promised, the Disney characters do appear throughout the event, in physically distanced ways. Mickey, Minnie, and Pluto take turns waving to fans from the Silly Symphony Swings loading platform, while Goofy and Max go fishing from a balcony in the Pacific Wharf area. Chip, Dale, and Donald can be spotted in the Grizzly Peak area, though in the case of Donald they took the physical distancing thing perhaps too far.

Mickey Mouse waves to the crowd from the Silly Symphony Swings platform during A Touch of Disney. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.

Dale collects acorns in a field in the Grizzly Peak area. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.

Disney also set up a number of photo opportunities around the theme park, some staffed with PhotoPass photographers, but many more just available for guests to take their own photos. With unlimited PhotoPass downloads—a featured perk of the event—we expected to see more staffed photo locations around the parks.

Donald waves to visitors from the balcony of a suite at Disney's Grand Californian hotel. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.

Luigi's ride vehicles are available for photo ops. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.

A variety of photo opportunities are staged around the festival, including on the side of this marketplace booth. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.

For more thoughts about A Touch of Disney, be sure to watch a replay of our opening day livestream (below), and check out our MousePlanet Twitter feed.

MousePlanet LIVE! at…A Touch of Disney at Disney California Adventure.

While A Touch of Disney may have been a touch less than we expected, the Covid-19 protocols were everything we hoped for and more. Disney has been operating the four Florida theme parks for more than nine months, and it seems that the best practices from that operation have been put into place in Anaheim.

Cast members in face masks and shields stand behind plexiglass barriers at the L.A. Style marketplace booth. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.

Disney has physical distancing markers nearly everywhere, and we saw cast members adding more markers and adjusting traffic flow where needed. There wasn't a situation where we felt an area was too crowded, or where visitors were forced too close to one another. Even in situations where there were more people than Disney had set up markers to handle, park visitors were very conscientious about maintaining distancing and forming safe lines.

Plexiglas barriers are set up at the Games of the Boardwalk to keep players distanced from one another. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.

Physical distancing markers and one-way traffic flow keep visitors safely moving through Smokejumper's Grill. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.

Disney installed plexiglass dividers seemingly anywhere two unrelated people could be expected to interact, even placing panels between the stools at the Games of the Boardwalk. Cast members at food service locations wear gloves and face shields, and there are also plexiglass panels at every counter. Large sections of the park have been devoted to outdoor dining, with plenty of tables for patrons to stop and eat at a safe distance from others.

Paradise Park is set up with well-spaced tables where visitors can stop and eat. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.

Tables and chairs are set up along the performance corridor to provide seating for festival diners. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.

Many Disney California Adventure gift shops are operating with the same Covid-19 protocols in place since Downtown Disney reopened in July, though the very smallest stores are simply shuttered at this time. Several of the outdoor shopping kiosks have been expanded with a larger selection of merchandise.

Of course the rides were not open during A Touch of Disney, and so we didn't get to see how Disney would apply Covid-19 protocols to ride operations. But from what we saw thus far, we feel optimistic about the theme park opening.

…If they could just get people parked and into the parks a whole lot faster.

 

 

 

 

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Watch the first public Cars Land lighting moment of 2021 on our Instagram page.

Luxo Jr. shines atop the Pixar Pier entrance gate. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.

Visitors enjoy the neon lights in Cars Land for the first time in a year. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.

Legacy Passholders: Do This Before Your Next Visit to the Disneyland Resort

In order to continue receiving annual passholder discounts, Disneyland Resort Legacy Passholders need to make an important update in their Disneyland smartphone app.

Disney created the Legacy Passholder designation in February after ending its long-running annual passport program. The designation applies to those who held active Passports when the Disneyland Resort closed on March 14, 2020 due to COVID-19 restrictions. The company said it would continue some passholder benefits for Legacy Passholders for some time, including merchandise and food & beverage discounts at participating shops, until a new program is announced.

Until now, Legacy Passholders only had to show their physical annual pass to receive the discount, but that's about to end. Starting March 16, Legacy Passholders must show a digital discount ticket on their Disneyland app along with their physical passport and valid photo ID to receive any applicable food or merchandise benefits, or to access passholder-only opportunities.

Legacy Passholders can pick up this magnet and button set at a special photo location in Paradise Gardens during A Touch of Disney. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.

The good news is that Disney will automatically associate this digital discount ticket to the accounts of passholders who had previously linked their ticket to their Disneyland app. It may take a few days to appear, so passholders should verify that the digital discount ticket linked to their account is in their app before making purchases.

If you had already linked your ticket but the digital discount ticket does not appear on your account, contact Passholder Member Services at (714) 781-4567 or use the chat feature in the Disneyland app to receive your ticket code

Passholders who had not previously linked their ticket to the Disneyland app must now do so. These passholders will receive an email from Disney with a unique Legacy Passholder discount ticket code and directions on how to link their pass to their Disneyland app, but it may take a few weeks for those emails to come. If you're one of these passholders and are planning a visit to the Disneyland Resort before you get the email (for example, to attend the Touch of Disney event that begins this Thursday), contact Disney directly for assistance before you visit. Contact passholder member services at (714) 781-4567 or use the chat feature via the Disneyland app.

Once linked, Legacy Passholders can use their discount on qualifying purchases when using mobile order and mobile checkout on the Disneyland app.

Passholders may notice that the digital discount ticket has an expiration date of April 30, 2021. We've been assured this was just a programming requirement, and not the end date of the discount, or an indication of when Disney's new program may be announced. Visit the Legacy Passholder discount page on the Disneyland website for the most recent information on available discounts.

This and That…

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Refurbishments and Attraction Closures

Note: Due to the ongoing closure of the Disneyland Resort, refurbishment has been postponed or rescheduled. Information presented below was current as of March 14, 2020, but will certainly change when the parks reopen. We recommend checking for updates as you plan your visit. All information is subject to change without notice. To get the most recent updates, visit Disneyland.com or use the MyDisneyExperience smartphone application on your iOS or Android device.

View the different areas of the Resort by scrolling horizontally and selecting the one you want to read about.

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Resort Events

Check here to see if a large convention, competition, or park event might fall during your next trip to the Disneyland Resort. If you know of any in-park events, official or unofficial, that should be listed here, please send us an e-mail.

New! Just click the year you want to expand (or close).

2021-2022

We also recommend checking the convention calendar at the Anaheim/Orange County Visitor and Convention Bureau website. When looking at that site, remember to note both the number of people and the number of rooms resulting from each convention. A gathering of 25,000 people booking few room nights (indicating most will be driving in to the area for their meeting) can impact traffic around the resort much more than a crowd of 25,000 staying in area hotels. Of course, that second group is going to make finding a hotel room more difficult (and possibly more expensive), so it's best to book your own room as early as possible if you see that a big convention is in town during your trip.

Non-Disney Resort Events

Notable events at parks and attractions around Southern California. If you know of an event that should be listed here, please send us an e-mail.

Current Discounts and Promotions

Disneyland prices as of January 6, 2019.

Note: MousePlanet does not edit past Updates to reflect price increases; for up-to-date prices, check the most recent Disneyland Resort Update. Several current promotions offer discounted admission to the Disneyland Resort. For your convenience, we have grouped the discount offers based on the number of days the tickets are valid. Check out the category that best matches the amount of time you plan to spend at the resort, and pick the offer that works best for you. And keep those tips coming—let us know if you find a better or different offer, so we can share it with other readers!

This first section is a list of discounts on ticket-only purchases. Though it has become more common in recent years, Disneyland tickets are rarely offered at deep discounts unless you are a resident of Southern California or Northern Mexico. For residents outside that area, the best discounts available tend to be simple advance purchase discounts. If you know of any additional discounts, offers, promotions, or contests that should be listed in this section, drop us a line. Note, we are no longer listing offers from the Anaheim-Orange County Visitor & Convention Bureau, as their convenience fee negates any savings.

Don't get scammed! Never buy tickets from an unofficial or secondary outlet, such as through eBay or Craigslist. Never rent or purchase tickets from people approaching you outside the gates stating they have remaining days or leftover tickets. This practice is against the terms of use for Disneyland admission, and may result in denial of entry. It is also common for criminals to shoplift inactivated Disney theme park tickets from supermarkets to resell them. There is no way to determine if these tickets are valid until you try to use them to enter the parks. Only purchase Disney theme park tickets directly from Disney, an authorized seller, or travel agency like MousePlanet travel partner Get Away Today.

Ticket Prices and Promotions

New! Just click the number of days or ticket type you want to view.

Additional Discounts

Did we miss an offer? If you know of an authorized discount on Disneyland Resort tickets, standing offers for Annual Passholders from non-Disney vendors, or other promotions which might interest our readers, please drop us a note!

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Everyone

Annual Passholders

Disney Rewards VISA Credit Card Holders

Southern California Residents

Disney Vacation Club Members

Service Members

Hotel & Travel Packages

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Park Schedule/Blockout Dates

• DL – Disneyland
• DCA – Disney California Adventure

Annual Pass blockouts:

• SL – Southern California Select Annual Pass
• SC – Southern California Annual Pass
• DX – Deluxe Annual Pass
• SG – Signature Annual Pass

Flex Pass blockouts:

• Good to Go – may enter park without prior reservation
• Reservation only – must make advance reservation to enter park
• Blocked out – may not use pass to enter park

Early Admission – full description available on the Disneyland website:

• MM – Magic Mornings for 3-plus day ticket holders and promotional “bonus” tickets.
• EMH – Extra Magic Hour for Disneyland Resort Hotel Guests
• EA – Early Admission for Annual Passholders (not currently offered)

Disneyland Resort Special Events:

• F&W – Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival
• GN – Grad Nite. Canceled for 2020
• OBB – Oogie Boogie Bash at Disney California Adventure

Visit our Annual Passholders Blockout Dates page to see more dates. You can see future calendar schedules at Disneyland. As always, specifics are subject to change without notice (or occasionally, without us noticing) so when information conflicts between what is presented here and that presented by Disney, it is best to assume Disney's information is correct.

Visit the Park Hours section of our Disneyland Park guide for additional details about Magic Morning and Toontown Morning Madness, including available attractions. Entertainment schedule: Go directly to the Disneyland Resort schedule for this week at Disneyland.com here.

The Ticket Tier calendar is published on the Disneyland website for the next eight to 11 months.

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