FACES OF A REOPENED DISNEYLAND

RELIEVED FANS MAKE A HIGHLY ANTICIPATED RETURN TO THE THEME PARK, WHERE IT MIGHT HAVE TRULY BEEN THE HAPPIEST PLACE ON EARTH

PIT STOP PRO

After being furloughed for about a year, Derek Ballesteros returned to work at California Adventure’s Radiator Springs Racers in Cars Land on his 37th birthday. The Anaheim resident, who started his Disney career as a custodial worker in the flagship park, will celebrate his nine-year anniversary with the company in June. Up next, he’ll serve on the opening team of the star Spider-Man attraction coming to California Adventure’s Avengers Campus.

THE ESSENTIAL WORKER

In her job as a phlebotomist at Howard Hospital in Willits, Lola De Los Santos, 21, affixes a “Little Mermaid” sticker to her badge to bring joy to her patients. In her free time, she runs a Disneyland fan account on Instagram. “Disney’s my escape from working at the hospital,” De Los Santos said. “As you can imagine, during COVID, it’s been very, very difficult. But I’m just so happy that it’s open.”

SHHHH ... HUNTER’S DAY OFF

Eight-year-old Hunter Shimoda, whose favorite Disney movie is “Moana,” skipped school Friday for Disneyland’s reopening day. But if his teachers and classmates in Fountain Valley ask, he was never here.

THE PASS HOLDER

Vilma Urbina, a 37-year-old assisted living homeowner from Los Angeles, visited Disneyland monthly before the pandemic. She was among the annual passholders who were reimbursed by Disney after the program was suspended amid the public health crisis.

COMING HOME

Jose Guerrero, a 32-yearold retail worker from San Francisco, considers Disneyland his “second home.” He waited six hours to reserve his opening-day ticket after waking up at 6 a.m. on April 15 for a prime spot in the park website’s virtual queue. Asked what he planned to do first upon entering the park, Guerrero said, “I guess I’m going to cry.”

THE DREAMER

If a dream is a wish your heart makes, 19-year-old Chloe Ashbach’s dream upon graduating high school is to work at Disneyland in merchandise or as a character performer. While her favorite princess is Rapunzel from Disney’s “Tangled” (obviously), the petite Dana Point resident hopes to someday portray Alice from “Alice in Wonderland” or Tinkerbell from “Peter Pan” inside the park.

THE CALIFORNIAN

How does one distinguish a California resident from an out-of-state tourist visiting Disneyland? “California Disney guests take it easy ... and go with the flow,” said Jen Burton, a 42-year-old librarian from Oakland. Cases in point: Burton and 67-year-old Lydia Sweatt, left, who has been coming to Disneyland since she was a child, had no plan of action upon arriving at the park. “I think we’re just going to walk around,” Burton said. “It’s nice to be around people who are in a good mood.”