If you're a huge Disneyland fan like I am then you likely have a visit planned for the very near future.
I just visited Disneyland this past weekend and was so happy to finally be back inside the park. It's a bit of a different world inside Disneyland with all the masks and social distancing, but you're still all but guaranteed to have fun.
I put together this quick guide on what to expect during your visit to help you navigate some of the changes and ensure your visit goes smoothly.
Above all else, just enjoy being back at the park.
There is no tram
The first thing you'll notice during your visit is that there's no tram running from the parking structure to the park.
This isn't a big deal, but just be prepared to make the walk to the park's entrance. I estimate the walk takes about 15 to 20 minutes if you move at a reasonable pace.
Most restaurants require mobile ordering
Most of the restaurants inside Disneyland now require you to place your order via the Disneyland app. This means you'll need to order online then select a time slot to pick up your food.
Be advised that the later in the day it gets, the longer the wait will be for food and drinks. During the middle of the day pick up times for food orders can be over an hour wait at some of the more popular places.
Also, once your pick up time arrives, you will still have to stand in the mobile order pick up line to retrieve your food. In some cases these lines took 15 to 20 minutes to get through.
You'll definitely want to plan ahead for meals and drinks. Those of you that are thinking of ordering a Dole Whip will want to order extra early, as those time slots fill up fast.
One more thing. The food carts with sodas, water, Mickey pretzels, popcorn and churros do not require a mobile order. You can still pick those up as you go.
Rise of the Resistance requires special reservations
Disneyland's newest ride, Rise of the Resistance in Star Wars Land does not allow walk ups. You will need to use the app to try to get a boarding time on the day of your visit.
The morning boarding times open for reservations at 7:00 a.m. and the afternoon and evening boarding times open at 12:00 p.m. You will need to be very quick if you want to get on this ride. The morning boarding times were gone by 7:01 a.m. on the day of my visit.
We did end up getting a boarding time for the afternoon, but were placed on a stand by boarding time and had to wait until the end of the day to see if we would get on. We got lucky!
Capacity remains reduced
As of this writing, Disneyland capacity is at 25%, but this is likely to increase to at least 35% percent by the beginning of June.
As you'd expect, you'll definitely notice the reduced capacity inside the park. Most lines for rides both inside Disneyland and at Disney California Adventure were around 25 to 35 minutes even at the busiest times during the middle of the day.
Some of the more popular rides did end up with longer lines at some points during the day, especiallly Guardians of the Galaxy, Huanted Mansion, and Space Mountain. Though even those lines were under an hour.
Some restaurants remain closed
You'll also notice that many of the park's restaurants are still closed including my personal favorite Blue Bayou and Alien Planet Pizza. The always popular Oga's Cantina is also closed.
All these closures will really stand out come lunch time when all the mobile pick up orders start flooding in and the lines start getting long.
Blue Bayou is scheduled to reopen this week on May 27, 2021. There are no updates yet on Oga's Cantina or the other stands and restaurants that are currently closed.
I hope you found this short guide on what to expect at Disneyland in June 2021 helpful in planning your next visit. Thanks so much for reading.