Disneyland to reopen to visitors April 30

Disneyland is officially reopening April 30 after being shut down for more than 13 months in the pandemic, Disney said Wednesday.

“The day all of us have long been waiting for is almost here,” Disneyland president Ken Potrock said in a statement.

The reopening is expected to bring more than 10,000 employees back to work.

“We’ve seen the enthusiasm, the craving for people to return to our parks around the world,” Disney CEO Bob Chapek said during a CNBC interview Wednesday. “We’ve been operating at Walt Disney World for about nine months, and there certainly is no shortage of demand.”

Wednesday’s announcement comes after Disney executives and Disneyland fans pushed back in recent months on California’s stricter COVID-19 rules that kept the parks closed. Disney is following a similar playbook at its California parks as it did in Florida when Disney World reopened in July. In California, the parks will be open with limited capacity and require a reservation system for visitors to get in.

CNBC reported the California parks are expected to initially open with 15% capacity and could eventually increase up to 35% depending on the pandemic situation. Disney characters will appear but kept away from close contact with crowds. Masks will be required for those ages 2 and up.

One major change for theme park fans returning to the California parks is the elimination of its annual pass program. The company has not released details on the annual pass’s replacement for its most loyal visitors to return again regularly. In Orlando, the annual pass program still exists, but the company isn’t selling new ones.