The Disneyland Resort, including the Disneyland park, California Adventure park and Disney’s line of onsite hotels in Anaheim, Calif., is set to reopen on April 30. 

“We are pleased to announce our plans for a phased reopening of the Disneyland Resort,” Disney announced on its website in mid-March. They further stated, “While it may be different from the last time you visited, together we can find new ways to create magical moments—and memories to treasure.”

In line with the State of California’s tight restrictions regarding COVID-19, the resort will be following a phased reopening plan based on the national health guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Unlike its Disneyworld Resort counterpart in Orlando, Fla., until further notice, the Disneyland Resort and parks will exclusively be open to residents of California. 

Apart from the parks limiting national and international visitors, the resort will also be regulating the safety of its park guests based on the CDC’s recommendations for preventing the spread of COVID-19. These precautions will include mandatory face coverings, decreased park capacity to promote social distancing, physical barriers in attraction lines, temperature screenings, limited party sizes and a shift to reservation-only booking for tickets. 

“Starting April 12, 2021, the theme park reservation system will open, and existing ticket holders will be able to check availability and make their park reservations, subject to their ticket type,” the booking tab of the Disneyland website informs. “Starting April 15, 2021, theme park ticket sales will resume, and Guests will be able to purchase new tickets and make park reservations.”

With the limited capacity within the phased reopening plan, it is expected that the Disneyland experience, while similar in some regards, will continue to be restricted in many ways as well.

“Upon reopening, certain theme parks, hotels, restaurants and other locations may be limited in capacity (15%) and subject to restricted availability or even closure based on guidance from health experts and government officials. Furthermore, certain attractions, experiences, services and amenities will be modified, have limited availability or remain closed,” Disney noted in it’s reopening statement. 

While new attractions and areas of the park such as the Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge area and the Snow White’s Enchanted Wish ride will be available for park guests for the first time since their grand opening in early 2020, many classic rides, events and shows, such as the Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters, Jungle Cruise, Fastpass abilities and firework shows will remain closed until further notice.

As Orange County remains in California’s ‘moderate’ tier assignment at this time, based on the severity of COVID-19, it is likely that it will be some time before the Disneyland Resort’s phased reopening will allow for the traditional ‘Disney’ experience. Until then, the wait continues.

In a final statement from Disneland’s reopening plan, the franchise emphasizesd its gratitude for the nation’s patience throughout the COVID019 pandemic: “Given this unprecedented situation, we appreciate everyone’s understanding as we navigate through this process as responsibly as we can.”