Disneyland® Resort Re-Opening Weekend Trip Report

    By Tink's Agent, Kathy F. 

After being closed for over a year, the Disneyland® Resort opened its gates for California residents at limited capacity once again on April 30,2021.  My family and I were lucky enough to get park tickets for the opening weekend and return to the magic.  

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The two theme parks were scheduled to be open 9 AM-7 PM during our stay.  We arrived at the front entrance on the Harbor Boulevard side on Saturday at 7 AM and were directed to stand in a physically distanced queue line.  Once the line started moving we went through a temperature and security check and then were directed to stand in another queue line with the guests arriving from the parking lot.  We were in Disneyland® Park at 8:45 AM and walked down Main Street U.S.A. to be greeted by cast members lined up on both sides welcoming us back.  

We immediately headed for some rides and were able to get on many of them without any wait at all.  We found that the queue lines had markers to keep guests six feet apart and they were spacing guests out on rides in every other row or just one family per ride vehicle on some rides.  We enjoyed rides such as Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run with just our family.  We had a boarding pass for Rise of the Resistance in the morning and were able to walk straight on to the ride with no wait, but they did not have us go through the first two pre-show rooms.  Luckily we had already been on the ride previously so didn’t mind missing some of it but this might be disappointing for someone who has not been on it before.  We had park hopper passes which meant we could visit Disney California Adventure® Park starting at 1 PM.  When we headed over to the California Adventure® Park in the afternoon we found that the queue lines for the rides were very short there as well.  

Disney characters were plentiful at both theme parks and we enjoyed the meet and greets.  These were set up so guests could interact and take photos with the characters at a distance.  There was never a wait to see the characters and oftentimes my family hung out with a character for a good five or more minutes before other guests showed up.  At Disneyland® Park, we met princesses at the Royal Hall, Alice in Wonderland and Winnie the Pooh characters in front of It’s a Small World, Chewbacca at Galaxy’s Edge,  Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Pluto and Chip and Dale at the train station on Main Street, U.S.A.  At Disney California Adventure® Park we met Marvel characters in Hollywood Land, Mickey, Goofy and Pluto on Buena Vista Street, Pixar characters at Pixar Pier and Judy Hopps and the Country Bears by the Little Mermaid ride.  

Dining was mostly done by mobile order and the menus were limited to only a few options at each restaurant.  Most of the snack carts were open as well.  We quickly learned that all food and drinks must be consumed while sitting in a designated dining area.  These areas were benches and tables that were clearly labeled.  There were a few table service restaurants open as well and reservations needed to be made ahead of time.  My family and I had a reservation for River Belle Terrace for lunch.  The seating was all outdoors and the service was excellent.  We are vegetarians and had a barbecue tofu dish with a side of mushrooms and vegetables.  We enjoyed taking a break from the day and relaxing as we ate our lunch.  The servers were very happy to welcome guests back and were very attentive to our needs.  

Face coverings needed to be worn at all times by all guests 2 years old and up except for when eating or drinking in a designated dining area.  Unlike at the Walt Disney World® Resort in Florida, at the Disneyland® Resort theme parks, face masks had to stay on for outdoor photos. 

There were no fireworks or parades with the initial reopening of the Disneyland® Resort but I did not feel like we missed out on any of the magic.  FastPass and MaxPass were also not available yet.  Rider Switch service was available and I did utilize this on the rides my daughter could not ride.  With Rider Switch one adult can wait with a child as the other adult rides then they simply switch and the 2nd adult can go through the FastPass queue to get straight on the ride.  

I enjoyed every part of my weekend at the Disneyland® Resort for the reopening weekend and the only thing I wished for was longer hours but it looks like that will be coming in the near future.  I am looking forward to experiencing it again as they continue to reopen restaurants, attractions and special experiences such as Avengers Campus, an all new land at California Adventure® Park.  This new land will be opening on June 4, 2021 and feature a new Spider-Man ride, Pym Test Kitchen- a Ant-Man and Wasp themed restaurant and many more exciting surprises! ​