With Disneyland and Disney California Adventure Park set to reopen on April 30 after a yearlong closure, the reservation system to enter the parks opened at 8 a.m. Thursday — with long wait times online.
Because the state is requiring theme parks that reopen to limit capacity, the Anaheim theme park is requiring all guests ages 3 and older to make a reservation to enter, in addition to having a ticket.
To book a visit time, guests will need to make a Disney account online here.
By 8:10 a.m., the page was displaying a message that due to high demand, the visitor should remain on the page and is “in a waiting room.”
After that short wait, guests can sign up for an account and log in to the site, where they will see the options to “make a reservation” and “select tickets.” Both options prompt the guest to wait for more than an hour due to high demand, but many reported the wait lasting several hours more.
Around 11 a.m., many people were seeing a “recalculating” message after joining the virtual queue.
“Some of our digital experiences may be unavailable at this time. We’re actively working to resolve this issue and provide the best possible Guest experience,” Disney said in a statement.
The queue reopened around 12:30 p.m. Most guests were given an estimated wait time of “over an hour.”
In accordance with state guidelines, only those living in California will be able to visit the theme parks, and groups will be limited to no more than three different households.
Those who previously had valid theme park tickets were allowed to make reservations earlier, starting Monday morning.
Californians who score tickets and visit Disneyland once it reopens in two weeks will see the beloved theme park changed by the pandemic.
Most noticeable will be the smaller crowds — Disneyland Resort theme parks are currently limited to 25% capacity, but that will increase once the county moves to the least-restrictive tier of the state’s four-phase reopening blueprint.
Disney is also pausing parades, nighttime spectaculars and character experiences, and there will be no MaxPass or single rider options.
Click here for more on what’s changing at Disneyland and Disney California Adventure Park.