The Magic is Back - Share your Experience! Superthread

[DizMe]

I believe this link will show you park reservation availability for hotel guests (even if you don't yet have tickets linked or hotel reservation):

https://disneyland.disney.go.com/availability-calendar/?segments=ticket,ph,resort&defaultSegment=resort

I get a "this site can't be reached" message when I try the link.

 

[brightlined]

I get a "this site can't be reached" message when I try the link.

There's an HTML error in that link. Try this:
https://disneyland.disney.go.com/av...gments=ticket,ph,resort&defaultSegment=resort

 

[Skyegirl1999]

Has anyone seen fresh fruit for sale? I thought I read that fruit carts wouldn't be open. We buy from those all the time. If those aren't open, is there anywhere to get melon, water bottles, apples, etc?

Does Starbucks still have protein boxes and fruit/cheese boxes for sale?

Most of the mobile carts are closed, but the cart across from Big Thunder was open. We bought a pickle there. I didn’t notice which fruit options they had, but I’m pretty sure I saw a few. They also had chimichangas and I think I glimpsed Mickey pretzels... looked pretty fully stocked.

The big fruit stand right inside the DCA entrance is still closed, didn’t notice other options over there. Never went into Starbucks.

No idea about

 

[DizMe]

There's an HTML error in that link. Try this:
https://disneyland.disney.go.com/av...gments=ticket,ph,resort&defaultSegment=resort

Thank you! That did the trick

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

A question about parking since you tried it two ways. Which got you to the gate/in the park the quickest? I’m really stressing over the fact that M&F doesn’t open until 8:30. I want to be through the turnstiles as close to opening as possible. I don’t see how it’s even possible if the structure opens at 8:30. the actual length of the walk is no concern to me, I more want to be able to arrive early and get through security with the least amount of backup.

The walk from Anaheim Hotel was faster, though I expect it to fill up sooner as word gets out.

Question re the train - with the characters sometimes appearing around the Main Street station, is it open for boarding? Thx.

As you face the Main Street Station, you enter on the left side (near the Omnibus loading area and on the Opera House side) and exit on the right side (on the Town Hall side). The center area is roped off and where the characters go up to the main platform and on the steps mezzanine.

Has anyone seen fresh fruit for sale? I thought I read that fruit carts wouldn't be open. We buy from those all the time. If those aren't open, is there anywhere to get melon, water bottles, apples, etc?

The Mortimer shop when you enter DCA and the fruit stand by Award Wieners were closed. I also noticed that there was no fruit stand on Main Street by the Market House. This may change in the near future, though the fruit may be wrapped, or they won't let guests just grab it.

 

[midnight star]

How has the parking structure been around 9am this week? I haven’t seen pics of long lines so I assume things are going well?

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

How has the parking structure been around 9am this week? I haven’t seen pics of long lines so I assume things are going well?

I was there on Saturday about 8:30 or so, and it was a normal line to get in to Mickey and Friends. I think that the line will be long on the weekends right before park opening, though. I got to the walking path to the parks when they were still closed, so the line was stopped. Once the park opened and the line started moving it didn't take long to get in - it was a slow and steady walk. Personally, I'd rather get there just before 9am and avoid all that standing and waiting.

 

[midnight star]

I was there on Saturday about 8:30 or so, and it was a normal line to get in to Mickey and Friends. I think that the line will be long on the weekends right before park opening, though. I got to the walking path to the parks when they were still closed, so the line was stopped. Once the park opened and the line started moving it didn't take long to get in - it was a slow and steady walk. Personally, I'd rather get there just before 9am and avoid all that standing and waiting.

That what I did Saturday. Granted I waited about an hour-ish on the tram route when I arrived at 7:30. I Didn’t know if coming when the park was already opened would make the line shorter...

 

[midnight star]

If you’re at the parks or DTD this weekend here are some food options at DTD. Catal reopens today (5/6). Black Tap has a Halfway to Halloween shake May 7-9.

 

[Mathmagicland]

As you face the Main Street Station, you enter on the left side (near the Omnibus loading area and on the Opera House side) and exit on the right side (on the Town Hall side). The center area is roped off and where the characters go up to the main platform and on the steps mezzanine.

Thank you!

 

[SOCALMouseMommy]

The walk from Anaheim Hotel was faster, though I expect it to fill up sooner as word gets out.

So ignoring the length of the actual walk, was it faster to get through security? What time does the Harbor side open? I want to avoid waiting in a long line of cars at M&F and then waiting in a long security line and missing the park opening. I want to be at the gate before they open the turnstiles if possible. I’m coming on a weekday in May.

 

[midnight star]

Legacy Passholders who are going after May 20!

 

[KimberMama]

We spent the day at Disneyland 5/5 and I have to say that for my family, sadly, the magic wasn't back. Indeed, as my young adult son put it late last night, the park seems to be missing most of its soul.

(TL;DR Even without crowds, Disneyland without entertainment and spontaneous character interactions just doesn't have enough magic for us. Food was mediocre. Galaxy's Edge and RotR didn't wow us.)

We arrived at M&F parking lot at 7:50 -- the sign said the lot opened at 7:45 and while I doubt that was true, no cars were moving until 8:00. It may be that we were being held while they parked a previous group allowed in. Our line moved super slowly. We have a tall van so we parked on the ground level, and that didn't happen until 8:45. Temp screening and security were fast. Then we walked the tram route to the parks, with stops and starts once we got closer to the esplanade, and waited in line for entry to DL. We entered the parks at 9:24 a.m.

The lack of crowds overall is fantastic, reminding of how it used to be where our kids were little (not all the time, but most of the time). While this is a plus, and the main reason we chose to go now, we didn't realize how much we would miss the entertainment, specifically the DL band, the smaller bands, the Dapper Dans, etc. We also missed seeing the character interact with children, which brings a lot of magic even when your kids are all grown up -- characters interacting in the park is part of the magic.

I believe our day went like this: Space Mountain, DLRR, RotR, early lunch (more on this later), Big Thunder, Haunted Mansion, Smuggler's Run, shopping for a light saber, Dole Whip, Pirates, Peter Pan, It's a Small World, snacks and beverages (Main Street), shopping for mugs (Main Street), Tiki Room, shopping for Star Wars shirts, Space Mountain.

There's something to be said for lower crowds and not chasing Fast Passes or Max Passes. We checked wait times occasionally, but mostly wandered and decided what we wanted to do. The first time we wanted to do Pirates we were turned away because they had reached line capacity. We never ended up on Indy because of long waits and it closing due to mechanical issues (during which they have to dump the line).

For DH and I, this was our first time in SW:GE. We had Sig+ passes until mid December 2018, when we let them go because of anticipated Star Wars mania. Our boys had been in August 2019 and so had see the and and ridden MF:SR but none of us had been on RotR. We managed boarding group 25. We had managed to avoid almost all spoilers other than knowing that Rey is in the preshow, which of course we didn't see because of C19 protocols. While there were a few good moments, it's telling that none of us wanted to try for boarding passes again at noon. Our two sons and DH are all huge Star Wars nerds. DH and I didn't love SW:GE at all and it's likely we won't bother to go to the land at all on future trips. It's too big, but for me, more than that, it requires a leap to believing the land belongs in DL, which I don't think it does. I can ride Star Tours and for that brief time imagine myself in another world, but DL is now asking me to step into a land that is an entirely new planet. It's jarring.

Food was a disappointment. We ordered fried chicken from the Plaza Inn and it had never been so bad. Clearly made well ahead of our pick up (at 11:05) and without flavor in the chicken or the coating. It was as if the chicken hadn't been brined and maybe they changed suppliers. My biscuit was so bad I didn't eat it. My son received a slider sized dairy free burger from Galactic Grill, about 25% the size of his brother's gluten free burger. It wasn't worth it to go back and complain because we know the employees are doing the best they can. Fries were under-filled compared to usual, probably to get orders out faster. There aren't enough food options -- you can't even get a hot dog (which one kid wanted). None of the food available is special -- the exception would have been if we'd had CO reservations to get the Monte Cristo, but now I'm just glad we didn't spend the money only to be disappointed if the food wasn't up to standards. We even shared the corn dog from Little Red Wagon and it wasn't that good.

A few CMs were super friendly and cheerful, but most were neutral (kind, but disengaged or maybe just overwhelmed and tired). I think maybe the return is wearing on them with the staffing shortages. One CM at Smuggler's Run was about to lose it. From what I heard, they should have had four CMs there. DS and I went there because our party was in line and we were rejoining it after using the restrooms. There were three CMs there when we arrived, and they were already in a tizzy because they didn't know where the fourth was. There's no queue for them to have guests in as they wait for help (for example, rider switch passes, DAS returns, etc.). The third CM (the one who told us where to wait for our party and how to rejoin it) left to find the fourth, which meant there were two CMs, one of whom is supposed to be letting the line through. That CM was really upset, trying to do his job while also trying to keep guests from just coming into that area. Without anyone watching the guests, some walk right into where the line is going. He was mostly concerned about the lack of social distancing, I think, from what he was saying to the other CM. There was no way to control the guests.

My sons witnessed a guest going off on a CM who asked him to wear his mask properly (over and over we saw CMs doing their best to enforce mask policy). At least this time there was a suit nearby who stepped in and told the guest his behavior was unacceptable. Other times I could tell the CMs felt disrespected when they would tell someone to cover their nose with their mask, etc. I totally get it -- I struggle with wearing a mask because of low lung capacity, and I really wish I hadn't had to wear one (fully vaxed and I feel comfortable outside unmasked as long as not crowded together), but the policy is in place for a reason and I wouldn't want to ruin it for anyone or cause a CM distress.

As it is right now, we don't plan to go back for quite awhile. We had thought we'd go back in December for Christmas, but it will depend on what's going on with C19. I don't intend to go again if I have to wear a mask all of the time -- I would be fine masking in indoor locations and queues and in crowded outdoor situations such as fireworks without social distancing. But if entertainment isn't back fully then we won't go. And while we had thought DH and I would get APs (or whatever the equivalent ends up being), I don't see that happening until Disneyland can be what it once was, minus the crazy crowds of the past 10-15 years.

 

[Pookie9922]

Most of the mobile carts are closed, but the cart across from Big Thunder was open. We bought a pickle there. I didn’t notice which fruit options they had, but I’m pretty sure I saw a few. They also had chimichangas and I think I glimpsed Mickey pretzels... looked pretty fully stocked.

The big fruit stand right inside the DCA entrance is still closed, didn’t notice other options over there. Never went into Starbucks.

No idea about

My husband will be so happy! The chimichanga ride and the corndog ride are his favorite rides in the park!

 

[Skyegirl1999]

We also missed seeing the character interact with children, which brings a lot of magic even when your kids are all grown up -- characters interacting in the park is part of the magic.

I’m sorry your family had a less-than-magical day. It sounds like you encountered several unfortunate situations, and I’m so sorry that you didn’t enjoy your time.

I do just want to address one thing you mentioned, about characters, for other people reading along on this thread. I happened to pop onto this post moments after sharing a bunch of character interactions on Instagram - this was my caption there, referencing the way my 8-year-old interacted with a bunch of characters in some videos and photos:



While that was from opening day, I’ve had friends there most days this week, and they’re sharing similar experiences. So, if you’re reading and worried that there aren’t character interactions, fear not! There are some great ones available. ☺

ETA to add a few pictures - we experienced 18 character interactions and saw several more from a distance or waved as they passed by.






The face characters were SO CHATTY.

 

[V & S]

If you’re at the parks or DTD this weekend here are some food options at DTD. Catal reopens today (5/6). Black Tap has a Halfway to Halloween shake May 7-9.

We went to the UVA bar for breakfast on our last day, and they asked if we wanted to sit up on Catal's balcony. It was lovely, and the food was fantastic. Highly recommend.

 

[evilmommie]

.

 

[somecrazedfan]

For only being open for less than a week, I was impressed. Cast Members are the Magic at Disneyland and I felt that magic throughout both parks on my two visits 4/30 and 5/4. Things will slowly return as more CMs are hired back/retrained and get their "sea-legs" back so to speak. If you are looking for the full Disneyland experience (which will include crowds) wait until later in the year, or even next year to go. I was so thrilled to be back in the parks as a "Legacy Passholder" and get to do some of my long-time routines in the parks, albeit a bit modified. I cried walking thru the gates and would gladly re-live that experience 100x over.

 

[NoelleCagle]

We went Fri, Sat, Sunday and it was wonderful. The only downer was some of the other guests! Parents screaming at their toddlers, college kids loudly cussing in line, and oh my, the booties hanging out of shorts and too small of tops. It was less family friendly than what we were looking forward to. Luckily, it was a minority and almost everyone else was like us, just happy to be there. Otherwise, it was a really fantastic 3 days. On Sunday, at 8am we drove by the crazy long line to get into Mickey & Friends parking and opted for parking at the Fairfield Inn by Marriott on Harbor. It was $25 (cash only) and a much shorter walk to the park. We wish we would have parked there all 3 days. Longest wait was 25 minutes for HM!

 

[SOCALMouseMommy]

On Sunday, at 8am we drove by the crazy long line to get into Mickey & Friends parking and opted for parking at the Fairfield Inn by Marriott on Harbor. It was $25 (cash only) and a much shorter walk to the park. We wish we would have parked there all 3 days. Longest wait was 25 minutes for HM!

Thank you for the report and glad to hear you had a great time! Can I ask how long it took you to get through security on Harbor after parking at the Fairfield at 8am? I am really hoping to be inside the park by the 9am open and feel like avoiding the structure is the way to go!