Disneyland Will Reopen California Theme Parks On April 30

After being closed for more than a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Disneyland Resort in California is set to open once again. Disney has announced that both Disneyland and Disney California Adventure will open their gates to visitors on April 30 at reduced capacity. Meanwhile, Disney's Grand Californian Hotel & Spa is planning to reopen one day earlier on April 29.

With the parks opening come some new restrictions, though. As mentioned above, attendance capacity for Disney's California parks will be limited. To gain access, guests must both purchase admission to the park and make a reservation through a new system. Due to state guidelines, only citizens of California will be able to access reservations. Details about how the reservation system will work have not been announced and it is not known if park hopping between the two parks will be available.

For now, Disney is bringing back over 10,000 employees as the parks prepare to open. When guests return, those who visit will notice some changes made over the course of the last year. The most noticeable difference is the reimagined Snow White ride in Fantasyland. Per a press release from Disneyland Resort, the new Snow White's Enchanted Wish "comes alive in dazzling new scenes, including a dancing figure of Snow White joining the dwarfs in their cottage as the scent of a baking pie wafts through the air. Vibrant new shadow projections show the dwarfs as they march off to the mine happily singing 'Heigh Ho,' and the new lighting, glittering jewels and shimmering effects make the mine sparkle. Guests then travel through the Queen's den to see a new library of spell books, glowing potions and bubbling flasks, toward the famous magic mirror. In the end, Snow White and her Prince ride joyfully into a golden sunset to live happily ever after."

Additionally, Disney still plans to open Avengers Campus at Disney California Adventure later in the year. The land was originally meant to launch in July 2020, before the parks closed.

One thing that will be missing when the parks open again are events that draw large crowds, like parades and fireworks shows. Disney says those will return at some point in the future. Character meet and greets, however, will take place in a physically distanced manner. Much like Disney and Universal are doing with their characters at their respective Florida parks, guests will be able to wave to and take selfies with characters from a distance.

If you don't envision yourself going to Disney's theme parks anytime in the near future, soon enough they may be coming to you. It was previously reported that a new Disney+ TV series is in the works based on the characters and locations inside Disney's parks, so at the very least that might tide you over until you feel comfortable going back--though that universe of shows is still a ways off.