We’re back at Disneyland Resort! Today the park hours were 9am-7pm, but they will be extended to 9am-9pm on May 14th. Join us on our trip to Disneyland and Disney California Adventure as we hop back into the magic.
Arrivial Process
Mickey and Friends Parking Structure opens 30 minutes before park opening. It is a bit chaotic, and the lines are incredibly long, so I recommend entering through the Harbor Pedestrian Entrance if you can. Many hotels along Harbor Blvd. are offering parking for cheaper than the $25 fee at Mickey and Friends Parking Structure.
Guests were being put in queues alongside the fences near the Harbor Pedestrian Entrance while waiting for the park to open. This was about 20 minutes before 9am. I recommend getting here an hour before if you want to be one of the first guests in the park. If that doesn’t matter to you, come at 9:15, and you’ll breeze through everything.
Once you make it through temperature screenings and security, you can hop in line in front of either Disneyland or Disney California Adventure.
Disneyland seems to be more popular.
Disneyland
And, we’re back!
The Disneyland Resort Horticulture Team was tending to some gardens today.
First stop, Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. Over at Dok-Ondar’s Den of Antiquities, the newest Legacy Lightsaber is now available. The lightsaber hilt is based on Rey’s final lightsaber, seen at the end of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, and will turn any blade yellow. For more information, click here!
At Droid Depot, a new mini backpack and smartphone case are now available.
The park feels very different than it did a week ago. While there has been no stated capacity increase since reopening, the pathways feel more crowded, wait times for attraction have risen, and extended queues are getting longer.
In Tomorrowland, Star Tours, Space Mountain, and Autopia are all open. The Matterhorn, Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage, Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters, and The Monorail remain closed. It does make this area of the park very quiet. Star Tours sat at a 30-minute wait around 10am.
In Star Traders, you can purchase this Star Wars Rainbow Collection pin to celebrate pride month at Disneyland Resort.
This is $12.99.
The submarines are resting.
Instead of hearing yodelers when passing Matterhorn, loud construction takes their place. There is currently no reopening date for this attraction.
In Frontierland, Rancho del Zocalo is closed. A sign prompts guests to visit The Plaza Inn for a delightful dining experience.
Indiana Jones Adventure started testing a new virtual queue system at Disneyland today.
Around 10:30, the standby line was starting in New Orleans Square. A little bit after that, they began distributing virtual queue groups through the Disneyland app. They did not announce when the groups would be distributed.
This will hopefully help avoid hour waits for this attraction. The process is similar to Rise of the Resistance, be ready to see more of these virtual queues at Disneyland.
The Tropical Hideaway was originally only serving Dole Whip when Disneyland reopened. As of May 12th, more has become available on the menu.
The tiki bowls and sporks are also still available!
Rosita has a beautiful backdrop as Jungle Cruise is undergoing a refurbishment.
It looks hectic along the Rivers of America, but this is partially due to all the outdoor queues.
Over on Tom Sawyer Island, we spotted a few people wandering around. This is not open to guests visiting the park so hopefully, this is good news!
Over at The Briar Patch, the lights were on but it still remains closed.
No signs of any Splash Mountain merchandise.
Time to set sail! Watch our full POV of “it’s a small world” here!
Disney California Adventure
Mickey and Minnie greeted us into the park at Carthay Circle. Many characters meet in this location throughout the day.
Grizzly River Run officially reopened on May 7th, 2021!
The Little Mermaid ~ Ariel’s Undersea Adventure looks great with its fresh paint! Come ride the attraction with us here!
Over on Pixar Pier, things were quiet. Disney California Adventure had much lower crowds than Disneyland. We made our way over here around 6pm, and Mr. Potato Head had already been shuttered.
Toy Story Midway Mania! was only a 5 minute wait, let’s go take a spin!
“I am not your mother – break those plates!” Ride along with us here.
As 7pm approached, the park felt dead.
I always like to walk back to the front of the park from Grizzly Peak; it’s usually empty around closing.
And that wraps up today’s visit. We will be here later this week for the first day of extended park hours. Stay tuned, and thank you for following along. Make sure you read Disneyland News Today and follow us on Twitter and Instagram for additional updates!