Name: Disneyland and California's other theme parks are reopening. Here's what you need to know
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Disneyland and California's other theme parks are reopening. Here's what you need to know

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Copyright © 2022, Los Angeles Times | | | | Advertisement Disneyland and California’s other major theme parks are reopening this spring, thanks to a drop in new coronavirus cases and the rollout of vaccines in the state. The theme park experience at Disneyland, Universal Studios Hollywood, Six Flags Magic Mountain and Knott’s Berry Farm won’t be exactly the same as before the COVID-19 pandemic.For the record:Hugging costumed characters? Banned. Standing in a crowd to watch a parade or fireworks show? Nope. Eating calorie-laden snacks while waiting to jump on a stomach-churning ride? Forget it.AdvertisementBut many of those costumed characters, indulgent foods and beloved rides will still be there to enjoy, along with new safety protocols. Here’s what you should know about visiting your favorite theme park:Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia reopened April 1, the first day allowed under . Here’s a look at how things went in the earliest days: Universal Studios Hollywood reopened April 15 to annual- and season-pass holders and April 16 to the general public. in Anaheim plan to reopen April 30. Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena Park to season-pass holders and May 21 to the general public. For Disney, ending the annual pass program might be “a blessing in disguise,” a theme park expert says: Now the company can revamp the program to boost profits.They’re available now.Disneyland and Disney California Adventure are selling tickets and app. Visitors need to buy an admission ticket before making a reservation. The Disney parks have a five-tier pricing system that charges more for days when demand is higher. with pricing tier designations is posted online.Six Flags Magic Mountain also is selling tickets and season passes . Universal Studios Hollywood , as is .Initially, the allowed only California residents to visit the theme parks, but that rule , allowing people who live elsewhere to visit the parks if they’re fully vaccinated against COVID-19. (A person isn’t fully vaccinated until two weeks after their final shot — their second dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccine or their one and only Johnson &amp; Johnson dose.) SeaWorld was the first to welcome them. But a state public health spokesperson confirmed that if fully vaccinated against COVID-19, people living outside California can attend. Disneyland and Universal Studios aren’t ready yet. SeaWorld in San Diego began offering tickets to out-of-state residents April 19. Universal Studios Hollywood has begun allowing who are fully vaccinated. Disneyland is still selling tickets only to Californians. Groups buying tickets together can include members of no more than three households.Six Flags Magic Mountain, Disneyland, Disney California Adventure and Universal Studios Hollywood have said ticket prices will remain about the same as last year’s prices. Disneyland and Disney California Adventure discontinued their annual pass program in January, and they continue to offer refunds to former pass holders.Attendance will be limited because the state is requiring theme parks to operate below maximum capacity. How far below? That depends on restrictions based on the prevalence of the coronavirus in each park’s home county. Los Angeles County (home to Universal Studios Hollywood and Six Flags Magic Mountain) and Orange County (home to the Disney parks and Knott’s Berry Farm) are now in the orange tier — the second-least restrictive — of the . That caps attendance at 25% of maximum capacity. If the counties reach the least restrictive tier, yellow, the caps on theme park attendance rise to 35% of maximum capacity.That system is likely to change. Gov. Gavin Newsom recently announced a goal of ending many restrictions and on June 15, assuming sufficient supply of COVID-19 vaccines and stable, low hospitalization numbers.Many will be open, but several will be closed — some for pandemic safety reasons and others for maintenance and upgrades. At Disneyland, the Disneyland Monorail, Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage and Sailing Ship Columbia are among those that will be shut. At Disney California Adventure, the Red Car Trolley and the Golden Zephyr will be closed. Here’s a full list: Fireworks displays and parades, such as the at Disneyland, will also be temporarily canceled to avoid attracting crowds that violate physical distancing requirements.At Universal Studios Hollywood, the WaterWorld stunt show remains closed.At Six Flags Magic Mountain, a steampunk-themed indoor acrobatic show and a bumper-car attraction are closed.At all the major parks, opportunities to interact with costumed characters will be radically different. The characters will still be at Disneyland, Disney California Adventure and Universal Studios Hollywood but must stay at least six feet away from visitors. That means no handshakes or hugs with Mickey or Goofy.Six Flags Magic Mountain has temporarily suspended having costumed characters in the park.Yes. Disneyland, for example, has , and Universal Studios Hollywood based on the animated movie “The Secret Life of Pets.”Additionally, some indoor attractions are being shortened to adhere to health rules. Full story: When Disneyland reopens the Haunted Mansion on April 30, some upgrades and additions will be familiar to students of Disney history. An one-eyed cat, anyone? I love this ride. ‘The Secret Life of Pets’ is a celebration of old-fashioned theme park storytelling, where atmosphere trumps the desire to re-enact a movie.No, but one ride — — will require a virtual queuing system that uses the Disneyland app.Visitors to all of the theme parks will be required to wear a mask or other face covering at all times, except when eating and drinking. No eating is allowed in the queues. Capacity will be limited in indoor dining areas. At some parks, such as Six Flags Magic Mountain, Universal Studios Hollywood and Disneyland, your temperature will be taken as you enter. All queues will be outdoors, and state guidelines require members of different households to stand at least six feet apart in queues and when seated in rides, even if they are part of a multi-household group that bought tickets together.Ride operators will separate members of different households, leaving at least one seat or a row empty in between. In addition, some rides will be stopped occasionally to allow employees to wipe and sanitize the seats and the lap bars.If you lose your mask on a ride, park employees are required to give you a replacement, under state protocols.The pandemic protocols will be enforced by theme park employees, either by those who serve food or operate rides or by specially trained workers who patrol the parks in search of violators.Yes, many of the parks’ pandemic safety protocols lean heavily on tech such as mobile apps, digital tickets and touchless payment systems. Here’s the full story: The view from Sacramento For reporting and exclusive analysis from bureau chief John Myers, get our California Politics newsletter. You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. Show Comments For the record: Advertisement AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement AdvertisementAdvertisement

Copyright © 2022, Los Angeles Times | | | | Advertisement Disneyland and California’s other major theme parks are reopening this spring, thanks to a drop in new coronavirus cases and the rollout of vaccines in the state. The theme park experience at Disneyland, Universal Studios Hollywood, Six Flags Magic Mountain and Knott’s Berry Farm won’t be exactly the same as before the COVID-19 pandemic.For the record:Hugging costumed characters? Banned. Standing in a crowd to watch a parade or fireworks show? Nope. Eating calorie-laden snacks while waiting to jump on a stomach-churning ride? Forget...

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Disneyland and California's other theme parks are reopening. Here's what you need to know

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