Disneyland Resort is opening up a portion of one of its theme parks to visitors starting November 19 for shopping and dining only. Here's what to know.
- One of Disneyland Resort's two theme parks in California will partially open to the public on November 19.
- Attractions will not be open. Theme parks are still closed in California.
- Rather, Disney Parks is extending its Downtown Disney shopping and dining district into part of Disney California Adventure.
- Guests will be charged $10 for parking to go to Downtown Disney starting November 19.
After closing in March, one of Disneyland Resort's theme parks is partially reopening to the public later this month. Just don't expect any of the main attractions to be open.
Thursday, Disney Parks announced it will open part of Disney California Adventure (DCA) on November 19 to the public as part of an expansion to its current Downtown Disney experience in Anaheim, California.
Disneyland Resort's shopping district reopened earlier this summer in July while the two theme parks, California Adventure and Disneyland, remain closed pending California state and local government approvals to reopen.
What does that mean and what can you expect? Insider has visited the Downtown Disney area twice in anticipation of the partial DCA reopening. Here's everything you should know about Disneyland Resort's Downtown Disney expansion.
What part of the park will be open? Buena Vista Street.
In October, Disney Parks announced it will extend the shopping experience into the main street area of DCA. For those who aren't familiar, Buena Vista Street extends from DCA's main gate and veers down the park to the left-hand side.
The boulevard is decorated with stores and several eateries meant to reflect the Los Angeles neighborhood where Walt Disney lived when he first arrived in Southern California in 1923. For the Downtown Disney expansion, Buena Vista Street will expand into part of DCA's Grizzly Peak land to access Smokejumper's Grill.
Here's how that looks on the Disneyland app:
You will not be entering DCA through its main gates.
Because the theme park is not officially open, guests will not be entering DCA through its usual entrance.
A Disneyland Resort representative confirmed to Insider that guests will be entering the park through a separate gate closer to Downtown Disney. Upon our two recent visits to Downtown Disney in November it was not immediately clear where guests will enter the park.
Guests are currently allowed to enter a different enclosed portion of DCA called Stage 17. The giant warehouse was transformed into a pop-up holiday store called the Disneyland Resort Backlot Premiere Shop with sweaters, holiday collectibles, exclusive pins, masks, and attraction merch for The Jungle Cruise and Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: Breakout!
What will be available in Disney's California Adventure? More dining options and some exclusive park items.
During a recent visit to Downtown Disney, a cast member told Insider there will be some exclusive merchandise that is typically only available in the parks. Retail stores that will be open include Elias & Company, Julius Katz & Sons, Kingswell Camera Shop, and Trolley Treats.
Guests will also be able to visit a few dining experiences. Here's what they'll offer:
- Fiddler, Fifer & Practical Cafe will offer hot chocolate and cranberry orange scones.
- Award Weiners will have soft drinks and hot dogs.
- Carthay Circle Restaurant will be transformed into an outdoor dining experience called Carthay Circle Lounge — Alfresco Dining, which will offer Mediterranean-California food. Wine, craft beers, and cocktails will also be available.
- Smokejumpers Grill will have bacon cheeseburgers, chicken tenders, onion rings, waffle fries, kids' meals, and vanilla and chocolate shakes a little farther down in Grizzly Peak land.
It's worth mentioning that Disney may use a mobile wait list system to manage the number of guests shopping when a location or queue is at capacity.
Will I have to pay to access this new expanded area? At this time, you'll only need to pay for parking.
Up until now, Downtown Disney visitors have been able to park free in the Simba parking lot, right off of Interstate 5. It is currently the only Disney parking lot open to the public.
Typically, that parking lot is a bit pricey. During normal operations, it's either $14/hour or $56/day to park in the lot which gives visitors some of the easiest access to the parks, Downtown Disney, and the Disneyland Hotel.
Starting November 19, guests will be asked to pay $10 to park in the lot.
Insider confirmed with a Disneyland Resort representative visitors will not need to pay extra in order to step inside the Downtown Disney expansion at DCA at this time. Insider was told it is possible there may be a charge in the future to enter DCA, but for now, it will remain available to the public at no extra cost.
What you should know before you go: Masks, temperature checks, and when you should arrive.
If you're used to getting up really early to get to Disneyland to try and get on the new "Star Wars" attraction, you can rest easy knowing you can sleep in a little. Unlike the theme parks, the Downtown Disney district opens up at 10 a.m. local time each morning.
Even if you arrive at the park early, Disneyland Resort will not open its parking lot until some time between 9:15 a.m. and 9:30 a.m local time. (We know because we arrived way too early on our first attempt and wound up circling Disneyland Drive quite a few times. Don't do that.)
During our recent visits, we waited in a little bit of a line to get into the parking lot during the 9 a.m. hour on a Sunday. We had no wait to get in on a weekday, though the parking lot was already filling up by the time we parked at 10:15 a.m. local time.
Once you're parked, you'll go through three short checkpoints that require a quick temperature scan, walking past a trained K-9, and then a bag check (if you have one). We quickly moved through all three of these without any wait both times we visited. From our experience, cast members did a good job of ensuring a group of people was never in any one section crowded together at once.
We recommend heading to the area early. During both our visits, we never stayed past noon as it started to get a bit busier. If you go as soon as the shopping district opens, you'll be able to step right into World of Disney, the area's most popular and largest Disney store which often has a queue wrapping around the building and down another portion of Downtown Disney.
If you're planning on heading to Downtown Disney on November 19, we recommend getting there early and heading into the DCA expansion first. And, of course, don't forget your mask.