Disneyland 2021 Reopening Date & Details

It’s a big day for Disneyland & Disney California Adventure, which just announced their official opening dates in April 2021 for both parks after being closed for over a year. In this post, we’ll share the reopening details, including temporary health safety protocol, rules, restrictions, reservations for entering the parks, and more. (Updated March 30, 2021.)

Regular readers of the blog have probably seen our past ‘progress reports’ from California, particularly in When Will Disneyland Reopen?, which has recapped the roller coaster saga and standoff between Disney and Governor Newsom. That wild ride will make for an interesting book someday. Fortunately, the feud fizzled as California has dramatically accelerated its reopening timeline and revised the state’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy to elevate more counties in the tier system and facilitate more businesses to reopen.

Over the weekend, California hit 2 million vaccine doses administered to the hardest-hit communities statewide, triggering a relaxation of the reopening tier metrics. That immediately allowed Orange County (and Los Angeles County, among others) to re-enter the red tier, which in turn enabled Disneyland and Disney California Adventure to reopen in April 2021…

Pursuant to that, Disneyland Resort has announced the reopening of Disneyland and Disney California Adventure as theme parks with rides on April 30, 2021 with limited capacity. There are some important wrinkles to this, which we’ll delve into in further detail below.

Let’s start with Disneyland’s official announcement, which does contain some additional new info…

Upon the April 30, 2021 reopening of Disneyland, some “new magic” will be unveiled. Most notably, the overhauled Snow White’s Enchanted Wish opens to guests for the very first time. This attraction went down for reimagining shortly before the closure, and Disneyland previewed it as being finished late last year. Conversely, other new additions, such as the Avengers Campus, will later this year. (Here’s our opening date prediction for that Marvel Land.)

In addition to that, there will be character appearances along Main Street, Pixar Pier, in surprise locations, and in new ways to be mindful of physical distancing. Certain experiences that draw large group gatherings (such as parades, fireworks, World of Color, Fantasmic, and other nighttime spectaculars) will return at a later date. Additionally, MaxPass & FastPass, Magic Morning, and Extra Magic Hour will all be temporarily suspended upon reopening.

Because theme park capacity will be significantly limited to comply with governmental requirements and promote physical distancing, the Disneyland Resort will manage attendance through a new theme park reservation system that requires all guests to obtain a reservation for park entry in advance.

Under the newly-released rules, theme park and amusement parks in the red tier can reopen at 15% capacity when their counties are in the red tier, and that includes indoor attractions, albeit with a presently-undisclosed time limit. However, Orange County already qualifies for the next tier, but cannot move up for 3 more weeks per the rules. If the current daily case numbers per 100,000 and positivity metrics hold steady, Orange County will enter the moderate tier within a couple weeks.

March 30, 2021 Update: According to data from the California Department of Public Health, Orange County is now eligible to advance into the less-restrictive orange tier in California’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy reopening framework. This will allow for 25% capacity once the parks reopen on April 30, 2021.

Despite Disneyland’s theme parks reopening then, the change will officially take effect on March 31, 2021. At that time, restaurants will also be allowed to increase their indoor dining capacity from 25% to 50%. Additionally, retail would jump from 50% to no limit, and bars that don’t serve food will finally be able to open. This will definitely have immediate implications for Downtown Disney, but also could allow the company to increase offerings at or even sell more tickets for the “A Touch of Disney” hard ticket event. (More tickets being sold seems highly unlikely, so don’t hold your breath on that one.)

Orange County has an outside shot at the yellow or minimal tier by April 30, 2021. First, because Orange County’s numbers have not just been “holding steady,” they’ve been plummeting–and that’s even with variants circulating in the state. Second, because once California reaches 4 million vaccination doses in the vaccine equity metric, that triggers another relaxation of the rules and would allow Disneyland to reopen at 35% capacity.

There’s a very good chance of that vaccination number being achieved in April 2021. That would, ironically, mean Disneyland reopens in the yellow tier, which was what the original theme park guidelines from last year would’ve allowed. (Albeit with twice loosened metrics–Disneyland would still be closed until summer under the totality of the rules from last fall.)

Even if able to do so, we highly doubt Disneyland and Disney California Adventure will reopen at 35% capacity. That’s the same number Walt Disney World is at right now, and it took the parks several months to scale up to that point. Our expectation is that the parks start at around 20%, move up to 25% within a couple weeks, and hit 35% by Memorial Day. That’s just a guess, though.

To enter Disneyland or Disney California Adventure, both a park reservation and valid admission for the same park on the same date are required for guests ages 3 and up. Theme park reservations will be limited and subject to availability–more details about this new reservation system will be available soon. It’ll presumably work just like the Disney Park Pass system at Walt Disney World, minus the different buckets.

Even with Disneyland ending its Annual Pass program and all outstanding APs being cancelled, there is a lot of pent-up demand for Disneyland. Los Angeles and Orange Counties are two high-population areas that are home to a ton of diehard Disneyland fans. We don’t really need to belabor this point–anyone who saw the intense demand for “A Touch of Disney” already knows this. Park reservations are going to be a hot ticket, especially if the parks opt for a lower capacity.

Additionally, only California residents may visit the parks in line with current state guidelines until further notice. This is due to a travel advisory in place for California.

Pursuant to this, Californians are encouraged to remain local, not traveling more than 120 miles from their home or other place of residence, and avoid non-essential travel. Travelers from other states or countries entering into California for tourism and recreation are strongly discouraged. If you do travel into California, you are advised to self-quarantine for 10 days after arrival, and limit your interactions.

It’s worth noting that this travel advisory was implemented last November, right as California’s case numbers skyrocketed to the highest in the United States. Prior to that, the state never had a travel advisory or quarantine recommendation. With cases now dropping dramatically as vaccine rollout improves, California will likely soon be in a better position than the state was last summer when there was no such rule (or even a recommendation).

Accordingly, our expectation is that California will drop this travel advisory at some point in the near future. That may not happen immediately, especially with troublesome variants presenting a wildcard. However, we’d expect the quarantine recommendation to be relaxed—or at least dropped for those who are vaccinated—before Memorial Day. That would thus allow out of state visitors to Disneyland and Disney California Adventure…if park reservations are still available at that point.

In the days leading up to the public opening on April 30, Disneyland Resort will invite cast members and members of the local community to be the first theme park guests after more than a year of closure. A Touch of Disney, the limited-time ticketed experience which has sold out, will go on as planned from March 18 through April 19, 2021.

Guests will also have the opportunity to stay in the middle of the magic as the Hotels of the Disneyland Resort plan to welcome guests once again, with a phased reopening. Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa plans to reopen on April 29, with limited capacity. Disney Vacation Club Villas at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa will plan to reopen May 2. Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel and the Disneyland Hotel will reopen at a later date.

The health and well-being of guests and cast members remain a top priority for Disneyland. Operational changes will be in place at the theme parks and hotels to align with guidance from health authorities and learnings from theme parks around the world to promote physical distancing, enhanced cleanliness, and reduced contact.

While Disneyland did not reveal specifics, you can bet these will be in line with Walt Disney World and what Downtown Disney in Anaheim has already been doing, meaning masks, temperature screenings, physical distancing in lines, Mobile Order, etc.

The good news is that Disneyland Resort will soon be back, and won’t be closed for the 66th Anniversary of Walt Disney’s original magic kingdom. We feared that might be the case, especially when California released the prior theme park guidelines last fall. Knock on wood.

The other good news is that it’ll be much easier for Disneyland get back on its feet and resume a greater sense of normalcy at some point this year. Disneyland Resort lacks the complexity and demographics barriers that will be significant impediments and complicating factors for Walt Disney World. It doesn’t have a surplus of hotel bookings, Advance Dining Reservations, FastPass+, or Disney Dining Plan reservations to cancel. Hopefully, this is just the start of the good news–and the end of the bad news. After going down this path a couple of times last year, some skepticism is understandable. This time it really does seem different, though, especially with vaccine rollout finally going smoothly. Finally, a light at the end of the tunnel!

If you’re preparing for a Disneyland trip, check out our other planning posts, including how to save money on Disneyland tickets, our Disney packing tips, tips for booking a hotel (off-site or on-site), where to dine, and a number of other things, check out our comprehensive Disneyland Vacation Planning Guide!

YOUR THOUGHTS

What do you think about Disneyland Resort’s plan to reopen on April 30, 2021? Excited and optimistic about this news, or think it’s (still) premature? Any predictions for Orange County’s tier status at that point? Think California will drop its travel advisory by April or May 2021? Do you agree or disagree with our assessment? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!