Returning to The Happiest Place on Earth

Last Updated on May 21, 2021 by Happily Ever Park Hoppers

Starting today, April 30th, 2021 Disneyland is finally reopening!! After being closed for; what felt like an eternity, 412 days!!!

For those of you California residents who have already purchased your tickets and made your park reservations. Here are a few tips and reminders before you head to the parks.

Download the app

Almost everything is done through the app now. So be sure you have the newest version of the app downloaded.

You’re also going to want to check ahead of time that you are logged in on the app with your My Disneyland account. Confirm that everyone in your party is listed, has a ticket assigned to them as well as their park reservation. Then when you arrive to the gates, a cast member will scan the barcode on your tickets.

Mobile Order

Also on the app, is the Mobile Ordering service. In order to reduce indoor lines and crowding, Disney is really pushing this service. With a big majority of the quick service locations being Mobile Order, this is the main way you will be able to order food and drinks

You will also want to be sure that you have a debit or credit card linked to your account that will be used for those food purchases.

AND know that you should order your food ahead of time to ensure you’re eating at your preferred time. If you are in the parks on a day it’s at capacity, the pick up windows might not be for the exact time you’re ordering your food.

Meaning, if it’s 12:05pm and you’re ready to order food at the Plaza Inn, but when you head to the app and see that the next pick up time isn’t until 1:55pm… you might have some hangry family members.

Other dining tips

Make table service dining reservations! You can make dining reservations 60 days in advance. Due to capcity limits, seating is limited so popular restaurants book up quickly. You can make these reservations on the app, the desktop site or by calling Disney directly. I find that “pounding the app” is the easiest way to find reservations. Simply click the + at the bottom of the app screen, then select Check Dining Availability. Enter the number of guests in your party and the date. Toggle between every individual timeframe. If the restaurant you’re looking for doesn’t have any available reservations, keep toggling between the different times. Somtimes out of nowhere, a timeslot will appear. This isn’t a guarantee but I have secured many reservations by doing this.

You now can join a walk-up wait list. If you were unable to get a table service reservation, you can always try and get on the virtual wait list. Just know that there is no guarantee to get on the list or to be seated. So make sure you have a backup plan just in case.

And if you do happen to have a table service reservation, you can check-in on the app. This allows you to save time and notify the restaurant you are ready to be seated without actually having to be face to face with anyone.

Park Hopping

If you purchased a park hopper ticket, you will still be able to do so. Just know that park hopping BEGINS at 1pm.

Guests who have started their morning at Disney’s California Adventure and wish to hop to Disneyland and obtain a boarding group for Rise of the Resistance, will be able to at the 12pm virtual que opportunity. Then those guest can hop over to Disneyland AT 1pm. * *Guest who start their morning at Disneyland will be able to try for a boarding group at 7am AND 12pm.

Lastly, remember to have your California drivers license or some other form of residency. Disney is telling guess that they need to have some proof of residency. So it’s better to make sure you have it on you in case you are required to provide it.

I am so excited for everyone. And slightly a little jealous because I am no longer a California resident. But I am so thrilled to know that the happiest place on earth is creating magic once again.

Spreading magic one post at a time

Kristin