Disneyland Resort Update for May 10-16, 2021

Disneyland Resort Update for May 10–16, 2021

News and Views

Paradise Pier Hotel targets June reopening

Disney's Paradise Pier Hotel will reopen on Tuesday, June 15, Disney announced last week, albeit at reduced capacity. The reopening is scheduled to take place on the same day that California Governor Gavin Newsom previously said would bring the end of the state's color-coded COVID regulations, and marks the return of the state of California to business as (mostly) usual.

The hotel will open without certain guest benefits and amenities, as was the case when the Grand Californian Hotel reopened. The Paradise Pier Hotel will not offer any food and beverage service, which includes both room service and club level lounges. Hotel guests are encouraged to dine in Downtown Disney, or at one of the restaurants of the Grand Californian Hotel.

The Disney Parks Blog also noted a new service that rolled out at the Grand Californian last week, and will be available to Paradise Pier hotel guests as well. Select Downtown Disney restaurants now deliver to the Disneyland Resort hotels, where guests can pick up their food from the lobby. Disney says hotel guests can scan QR codes from their in-room TV sets to view menus and place orders. This service is one we hope remains available long after COVID restrictions are lifted, especially for the Paradise Pier Hotel, which doesn't offer a quick service restaurant.

It appears that the Paradise Pier's rooftop pool area will be open with modifications, as will the fitness center. Valet parking is not currently offered.

Paradise Pier Hotel guests will be eligible to use the private entrance at the Grand Californian Hotel into Disney California Adventure park, with a valid ticket and theme park reservation, of course. That entrance reopens on May 28. Remember that theme park admission is still limited to California residents, but that could change at any moment.

Rates start at $435 per night for a standard view, or $529 for a theme park view, plus tax. Suites start at $959 per night, plus tax. You can book through the Disneyland web site, or through MousePlanet's official travel partner Get Away Today.

Disneyland Resort expands dining operations

As more people return to the Disneyland Resort, and with the pending opening of Avengers Campus, Disney announced today the return of several new dining options at Disneyland, Disney California Adventure and the Grand Californian Hotel.

At Disneyland, the fan-favorite Blue Bayou restaurant will reopen on May 27, with online reservations opening May 18.

At Disney California Adventure, counter service restaurant Paradise Garden Grill reopens May 13. The Alfresco Tasting Terrace reopens on May 20, but is reserved exclusively for Disneyland Legacy Passholders. Online reservations for that location open May 18.

Starting May 28, both Napa Rose and Storyteller's Cafe will reopen for table service dining to all guests, and not just those with hotel reservations. Currently, the hotel has no table service options, although the Craftsman Grill, Craftsman Bar and Hearthstone Lounge are open exclusively to hotel guests for quick service meals. All three of those venues will open to the general public on May 28. Reservations for Napa Rose and Storyteller's Cafe open May 18.

Storyteller's Cafe will offer breakfast and dinner, served as “three-course meals” instead of buffet style. A look at the website shows a new breakfast menu with a choice of pastries for the first course; fruits or yogurt parfait for the second course; and a variety of breakfast entrées for a third course. The dinner menu features appetizers, entrées, and choice of dessert. Character dining is currently on hold, so don't expect Mickey and friends to join you for breakfast.

At Napa Rose, Disney says both the prix fixe Vintner Menu and the a la carte menu will be offered. [Updated 5/11/21] Disney says the popular chef's counter will reopen at a later date. A spokesperson also said the Napa Rose Lounge will be used for additional dining space, and will not operate as a bar at this time. As with other character dining, the Disney Princess Breakfast Adventure is still not available.

The Craftsman Bar will begin offering reservations on May 28. This seems fairly unusual for a poolside bar to offer reservations, but this is likely a social distancing measure to prevent a queue from forming outside the popular lounge.

As noted above, the Grand Californian Hotel gate into Disney California Adventure will reopen on May 28. In the “before times,” visitors could use that gate to access the Grand Californian Hotel restaurants from DCA, making the Craftsman Grill a convenient option for a meal during the theme park day. [Updated 5/11/21] Disney says that gate will be available to non-hotel guests who hold a reservation at a Grand Californian Hotel restaurant.

Halfway to Halloween

This past weekend, Disney presented a Halfway to Halloween event, a social media production that included a self-guided video tour of Disney's haunted attractions, a TikTok live event from Walt Disney World, and previews of food and merchandise offerings.

Disney also used the occasion to announce Disney After Hours Boo Bash, a Halloween-themed version of the After Hours events held at the Florida theme parks. Boo Bash is the first announced return of the After Hours events, and will take place from August 10 to October 31, the dates that Magic Kingdom usually hosts Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party.

As described, Disney After Hours Boo Bash includes many of the features of Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party, including Halloween decorations, entertainment and treat stops. If Walt Disney World, which reopened so much earlier than Disneyland, and is subject to far fewer government-imposed COVID regulations, is already planning to downsize its Halloween offering for the year, what does that mean for the Disneyland Resort and the Oogie Boogie Bash?

Disneyland hasn't made any announcement about its own plans, which isn't surprising given that theme park operators are still waiting for guidance on what will be permitted in California after June 15. Don't count Oogie Boogie out just yet, but don't be surprised if the event turns into a Halloween edition of the After Dark events hosted on the West Coast.

The Muppets' Uncle Deadly is your virtual host for a self-guided video tour of Disney's haunted attractions. YouTube video.

Orange County gets closer to yellow tier

Neighboring Los Angeles County moved into the yellow tier of the state's Blueprint last week, which meant bars could reopen for indoor service, theaters and baseball stadiums could increase capacity, and theme parks could welcome more visitors. This was great news for Universal Studios Hollywood and other L.A.-based entertainment venues, but Orange County is still stuck in the orange tier for now.

Despite a drop in new case counts and test positivity rates, the county just barely missed meeting the requirements to move into the yellow tier, which would have allowed Disneyland to increase attendance from 25% to 35% of the park's normal capacity.

A county must meet the criteria for two consecutive weeks before moving into a lower tier, so it's still possible for Orange County to meet the goal in time to open things up a bit more by Memorial Day weekend. Much longer than that and it might be a moot point, since California is set to drop the tiered system entirely on June 15.

Park reservations update – when is it time to book?

Good news for vacation planners hoping to visit Disneyland in June – Disney just opened up new reservations slots for most of June at both Disneyland and Disney California Adventure.

The change happened sometime Monday morning, and we thank Twitter user @FLNicolie for the heads up. When we published this article early Monday morning, both theme parks are sold out for the first nine days after Avengers Campus opens at Disney California Adventure. That week is now fully available as of Noon, but dates after June 15th are starting to fill up again.

Disneyland is completely booked out for single park ticket holders for most of May, though Memorial Day weekend is again showing reservation availability. We suspect this change is due to Disneyland preparing for Orange County to enter the yellow tier by the end of May, which allows the park to add capacity.

These reservation slots won't last long, so snag them while you can.

We're getting so many questions about out-of-state visitors, and when the restrictions might be lifted to allow everyone to visit Disneyland again. This is where I dust off the crystal ball and tell you… I have no idea. Truly.

However, I'll tell you exactly what I told family members from Arizona who are trying to plan a future Disneyland trip:

If I were someone who lived in a neighboring state and I was absolutely dying to drive to Disneyland as soon as possible, regardless of reduced operating hours, ride closures, limited dining options and no nighttime entertainment, then I would be making those plans now. I would already have my theme park tickets, and maybe already booked a refundable hotel room for my ideal travel dates. Not because I *know* anything, but because I would be planning for the best-case scenario, which is that the travel advisory is lifted on June 15th and the gates are open wide to out of state visitors.

If that happens, then I don't have to stand in a virtual line to buy my tickets, and would just need to make park reservations. If it isn't lifted, then I could cancel my refundable hotel room and save my tickets to visit later in the year.

However, if I was someone who had to fly to Anaheim, or otherwise make non-refundable travel plans, then it would be silly to make those reservations now. If you would rather wait until you can see Fantasmic, or eat at the Blue Bayou, then hang on until the restrictions are eased.

Anaheim Hotel offers

All that said, if you're a California resident planning a Disneyland vacation this month, or an out-of-state visitor planning ahead, our partners at Get Away Today have two offers for travel through August, 2021.

Get Away Today, in partnership with Visit Anaheim and South Coast Plaza, is offering a $100 Booking Bonus when you book a 4-night or longer stay at a participating Anaheim hotel and two 2-day or longer theme park tickets. This offer is valid for travel May – August, 2021. Booking bonus is in the form of a $50 Disney Gift Card and a $50 South Coast Plaza Gift Card, and also includes free ART Transportation passes.

Visit the Get Away Today website for details, and use promo code: VISITANAHEIM

Quite a few Anaheim-area hotels are offering free night specials, including the Anaheim Hotel directly across the street from Disneyland. Visit Get Away Today for a list of participating hotels and details.

This and That…

…Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters did not reopen with Disneyland park due to refurbishment, and is now scheduled to reopen June 26.

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Refurbishments and Attraction Closures

Attraction, restaurants, and stores that are closed for refurbishment are noted below. All other closures should be presumed to be due to COVID protocols, and are subject to change at any time without notice as the state of California issues new guidance.

All information was current as of this article's publication date. MousePlanet does not edit past Updates; for the most up-to-date refurbishment calendar, check the most recent Disneyland Resort Update, visit Disneyland.com or use the Disneyland 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 February, 2020.

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

Legacy Annual Passholders

Disney Rewards VISA Credit Card Holders

Southern California Residents

Disney Vacation Club Members

Service Members

Hotel & Travel Packages

If you can't see the categories, please let us know!

Park Schedule/Blockout Dates

• DL – Disneyland
• DCA – Disney California Adventure

Early Admission – full description available on the Disneyland website:

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

Disneyland Resort Special Events:

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

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

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