Disneyland Reopening In April

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We are super excited that Disneyland is reopening, and we know that you are too.  Get all of the information we have so far about the opening. Will you need a face covering? Will Magic Morning be discontinued? How will you know you can get in the parks? We are covering all of that and more below.

Update on Disneyland Resort Reopening

Below you will find out all of the current information we have about the Disneyland Resort reopening. Following that, you can see all of the history of the closure. Disneyland closed March 13, 2020 (at the end of the park day) and has remained closed for over a year.

On March 9, 2021, they announced their intention to reopen in late April, and today, March 17, 2021 we have an official date.

Disneyland Resort announces April 30, 2021 Reopening

Disneyland resort announced on March 17, 2021 that they will reopen on April 30, 2021.

Finally! Disneyland Resort has a reopening date. WOOHOO! But before you pack your bags, there are a lot of restrictions, changes, and more that you need to know about. So let’s break it down.

Disneyland is opening April 30, 2021 but you may not be allowed to visit.

Even though Disneyland has announced they will reopen April 30, 2021, you may not be able to visit. Due to California’s reopening guidelines (some of the strictest in the nation), Disneyland will have to not only open at an extremely reduced capacity, but will also be limited to California Residents for the time being.

Disneyland has ways to verify residency, from requiring photo IDs for all adults, to GPS tracking, and more, they plan to follow the states guidelines in this area.

When will non-California Residents be allowed to visit Disneyland?

That is the million dollar question. As an Idahoan, and someone who helps people plan trips to Disneyland from all over the nation and world, I am right there with you. Unfortunately we do not have an official answer.

But let’s speculate for a moment…

We know that all tiers of the reopening plan state that Theme Parks may only open to California Residents. This may seem hopeless at first, but I believe that this is due to California’s quarantine rules. Out of state visitors are asked to quarantine for 10 days upon entering California.

I really think that once that is lifted, the tiers will be updated, and Disneyland will be able to allow out of state residents a chance to visit the parks.

When will this happen? I have a feeling it won’t be too long, as long as things keep going the way they are. I am hopeful for a Memorial Day, or at latest, mid-June opening to out of state guests.

For those of you out of the country, you will need to follow restrictions on international travel before planning a visit.

Reservations Will Be Required

When Disneyland opens, they will require reservations to visit the park. Walt Disney World has been using a reservation system since their reopening, and it seems to work well.

While we do not have the details yet, I have detailed what you should do now to prep to get Disneyland Reservations. I will also update that article with all of the details as we learn more.

What About Tickets to Disneyland?

Disneyland stopped selling tickets when it announced a hopeful reopening in July 2020 (which did not end up happening).

We believe they will reopen ticket sales in the near future, but that they will give those already holding tickets a chance to make reservations first (again, as long as they are a California resident).

What About Tickets I Already Had

If you are still holding onto unused Disneyland tickets, don’t worry. Disneyland has extended the expiration of tickets.

If you have children that turned three, and now need a ticket, or children that have turned 10 and need to upgrade to an adult ticket, we hope Disney will release information soon. Many people, myself included are also in this same boat.

Disneyland Canceled Annual Passes

Disneyland cancelled all annual passes in January. We really hope Disneyland will find a way to honor its most loyal fans and allow them advanced access to either the parks or ticket sales.

You can learn all about Disneyland Annual Passes being canceled, and look over what types of Annual Passes were offered in the past on my Disneyland Annual Pass Guide. I will also update this if/when Disneyland offers a new pass.

Will Everything Be Open When Disneyland Reopens?

Disneyland will have some major changes when it reopens. In addition to temperature screenings and mask requirements, here are some other changes that have been announced or we expect to happen. These changes could be temporary or permanent. So be sure to follow along on my Facebook page for any updates.

• No Early Morning Access – Disney has announced that when Disneyland reopens, the parks will no longer offer Magic Morning or Extra Magic Hour for the time being.
• No Fastpass or MaxPass – Disney has also announced that they will discontinue Fastpass and Disney MaxPass services upon reopening.
• Some Entertainment Will Be Suspended – in order to help avoid crowds, some entertainment will not be available upon reopening. This includes parades, fireworks, and possibly some shows.
• Characters Will Be Different – Character Meet and Greets will not be happening, but Disney will have characters throughout the parks at a distance. This has turned out to be well received in Walt Disney World and I truly believe guests will enjoy seeing characters in new ways.
• Parkhopping – We are not sure if parkhopping will return, but Disney did not list it when they did the other changes. Walt Disney World has resumed parkhopping, after mid-afternoon. We could see something similar at Disneyland Resort.
• Reduced capacity and some closures – Depending on state guidelines, current spread, and other factors, some attractions or dining options may not be available. If you scroll down in the history of the closure, you will be able to see California’s new tier guidelines. At the time of the reopening announcement, Orange County was in the red tier, but that may change before Disneyland reopens on April 30, 2021.

What About The Disneyland Resort Hotels?

Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel will reopen on April 29, 2021, just in time for the parks reopening. The Disneyland Hotel and Paradise Pier Hotel will reopen at a later date.

While anybody may book a hotel stay, remember only California Residents will be allowed into the Theme Parks.

And other hotels:

Some of our favorite hotels are already open, and others plan to reopen soon. No matter where you plan to stay, my partners at Get Away Today can help you book your vacation. You can also save $10 when you use code CrazyAdventure.

TIP: Book your hotel with them now to lock in low prices and they can add your tickets once they are available for purchase again.

If you need an idea of where to stay, check out my huge list of Disneyland area hotels that can sleep 5 people and more!

Take a look back at the history of Disneyland Resort trying to open

Disneyland Resort previously reopened Downtown Disney on July 9. The previously announced Disneyland Parks Reopening on July 17, and Grand Californian and Paradise Pier Hotel on July 23rd were delayed as the state of California did not put out guidelines for theme park reopenings.

On March 9, 2021, Bob Chapek stated during the Annual Shareholder Meeting that Disneyland hopes to reopen in late April. A date will be forth coming so check back here for more information.

Want to get a text message when the official date is released? Text the word MICKEY to 31996 and I will send a text message to you once we have an opening date.

CALIFORNIA GUIDELINES UPDATE:
On March 5, 2021, California Updated the Theme Park Guidelines. All theme parks are now under the same guidelines, as you can see in this chart below.

All theme parks will be required to pre-sale tickets and have reservations. Face coverings will be mandatory through out the park except when eating or drinking. At this time, only California Residents will be allowed to visit, but I will touch on that, and when those of us out of state may be able to visit, below.

At this time:

• Downtown Disney is open to reduced crowds.
• A Touch of Disney is happening at California Adventure March 18 – April 19, 2021
• The Parks and Hotels will announce an opening date in the coming weeks and months

Here is what we know about the opening of Disneyland Resort:

Below are the important things to know about Disneyland Resorts opening if you plan to visit in the near future. 

• Disneyland has temporarily paused new ticket sales. You can still book a hotel with Get Away Today, but we are unclear when tickets will be available for sale again. If you want to know as soon as possible when tickets are available, join the Disneyland with Kids Group I have on Facebook.
• Disneyland has “Sunset” Annual Passes. Disneyland canceled all Annual Passes in January. We expect they will eventually begin a new passholder program, but they have not shared what that will look like at this time.
• At first, Disneyland may only open to California Residents. The state guidelines, updated on March 5, 2020 required Theme Parks, no matter the tier their county is in, to only allow in state visitors. This is most likely due to the quarantine requirement on out of state visitors. We expect this to be lifted by summer, but Disneyland may possibly be California residents only for a month or so.
• Face coverings will be required. You will be able to remove those coverings when eating or drinking but must remain stationary. Anyone age two and older will be required to wear a face mask. If you are eating or drinking, you are expected to be stationary and keep socially distant from other guests.
• Restrictions on types of face coverings are in place. Disney requires that face coverings have ear loops, cover both the nose and mouth, not contain holes, mesh, or vents, and may not be Neck Gaiters, open bottom bandanas and more. Basically, you need a proper mask.
• Temperature screenings are in place. Guests with a temperature of 100.4 or over will not be allowed entry. All members of their party will be denied entry. 

• Disneyland will open at a reduced capacity. They will utilize a reservation system to be revealed at a later date to make sure that they do not have crowds lining up overnight to try and get entrance. My partners at Get Away Today have worked hard to keep Disney updated on all the vacations booked through them to help make sure their guests have access to the parks during their vacations. 

TIP:Be sure to follow my Facebook Page as I keep everyone updated there regularly on these changes.

• Not all dining locations, shows, etc will be available upon the opening of the Disneyland resort. We expect this to include, but not be limited to, parades, fireworks, character dining, and experiences like Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique. Also, depending on which tier Orange County is in, indoor dining will be closed.

Tip: To avoid crowds at dining locations, consider bringing food into Disneyland. 

• Disneyland will likely discontinue Extra Magic Hour and Magic Morning for the time being. While not specifically mentioned, we know this happened at Walt Disney World. 

We saw with Walt Disney World that changes have been announced over a few weeks, so be sure you keep checking back and also turn on live notifications for my Facebook page as I try to go live there when a major announcement is made.

Below you can find the history of info on the Disneyland Closure and Reopening

Disneyland Closure & Reopening: The Timeline

Disneyland Resort Closed on March 14, 2020 due to the current health crisis. Originally announced for the remainder of March, at the end of March, 2020, they updated to say that Disneyland was closed until further notice.

Beginning April 2020, they started taking reservations for dates beginning June 1, 2020. 

On May 6, 2020, Disneyland changed the language on their site and date for new reservations to July 1, 2020.

Disneyland began cancelling reservations for early to mid-June.

No dining reservations are showing as available for July 2020.

On May 20, 2020 Disneyland updated their closure page to note that not all attractions, hotels, or dining options may be open at any given time, that Disneyland Resort may close at any time if necessary, even after reopening.

Also on May 20, 2020, Disneyland extended again, the Disneyland ticket expiration dates for the 2020 Spring Ticket Deals to December 16, 2021 with blackout dates. This included the SoCal Resident tickets that originally were being extended one day for each day of closure. 

As soon as the May 20, 2020 update was published, I did a Facebook live breaking down the changes in the ticket expirations.

As the closure has lingered on, Disneyland has continued to push out the reservations, canceling reservations on what appears to be a rolling three week basis.

On May 26, 2020 it was confirmed that Theme Parks will be part of California’s Phase 3 of reopening. 

Theme parks are slated to open in Stage 3 if the rate of spread of COVID-19 and hospitalizations remain stable,” according to California Health and Human Services Agency spokesperson Kate Folmar.

On May 26, 2020 Disneyland’s closure page was updated to include a COVID-19 warning about the risk of going somewhere with crowds.

On June 1, 2020, Disneyland updated the closure page to say you could make reservations starting July 15, 2020, however, no hotels were able to be booked before July 16, 2020 and our partners confirmed on their end they had no access to reservations before July 16th.

Rumors are swirling that we will see an announcement on June 10, 2020 about a reopening date. Be sure you are following my Facebook page and have notifications for live streams turned on as I will go live there first with any information. (To turn on live notifications simply go to any past live, click the 3 dots and select “turn on live notifications.”

I stopped updating this section once an opening date was announced on June 10, 2020. However the opening was delayed and as of September 3, 2020, we have yet to have an update. 

March 2021, the updates mentioned in the top of this article took place.

Stay Up To Date On Disneyland Opening Announcements

If you would like to stay up to date on Disneyland Opening announcements, I suggest Following my Facebook Page (opting to “see first” ), and turn on live stream notifications for the page as I will hop on there first to share when things are announced.

Secondly, be sure to join my Facebook Group: Disneyland with Kids because I and the other co-founders will be keeping everyone up to date there as well. 

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