Welcome to planDisney, Karylene,
Enjoying the
Holidays at the Disneyland Resort with extended family? Count me in! The lights and decorations. The hot chocolate and candy canes, waving to Santa Claus (or
Santa Goofy!). Seeing the sparkle in little children's eyes. The joy of the season everywhere you go. Yup! That's the merriest time of the year to enjoy the Disneyland Resort!
We've been contemplating a visit to the Disneyland Resort around that time as well. In fact, we've got hotel reservations already booked! We don't know yet whether the Disneyland Resort theme parks will be permitted to open by the Holidays. But we are hoping for the best and planning accordingly. I'm confident the Disneyland Resort is ready to
safely welcome guests back to The Happiest Place on Earth. At this time, they are only awaiting authorization from state and local officials to
open up the gates.
There are a few things to be aware of during the
phased reopening of the Disneyland Resort. First, the Disneyland Resort has already been at least partially open! While the
Disneyland Resort Hotels and theme parks remain temporarily closed, the
Downtown Disney District is already
welcoming Guests to enjoy shopping and dining in the heart of the Disneyland Resort. When the parks reopen, capacity is expected to be limited at first. Guests will be required to book from a limited number of reservations to visit the park. Also, sales of new theme park tickets have been suspended.
At this time, we haven't learned how long the park reservation system will be in place nor when new ticket sales will resume. At Walt Disney World Resort, theme park reservations have been required since the parks reopened in Florida in mid-July. Ticket sales in Florida were also suspended during the park closure. Though they resumed there shortly before the parks reopened. Public health conditions local to the theme parks in California and the corresponding guidance from local officials may require some variation from what we have been seeing at the Walt Disney World Resort. It may still be helpful to look there for some hints at what to expect at
Walt Disney's Original Magic Kingdom.
Ooh! I really hope your grandchildren can have their Christmas wish come true, Karylene. Because we don't yet know for sure when the theme parks can reopen in California, it may be best to try to keep it a surprise for now. (Good luck with that!) I would suggest to plan for the best but stay flexible. I would also recommend staying safe and encouraging all of our friends and neighbors to do the same. I'm wishing upon a star that these "unprecedented times" are quickly overcome by an abundance of community spirit to fight the virus and allow our children and grandchildren to enjoy the fantasy and adventure of the Disneyland Resort again soon.
I hope to see ya real soon!
~Tony