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My family and I were able to get Park Hopper tickets and reservations for May 01,2021. This was the second day of the parks being open after the Covid shut-down. Maximum capacity was no more than 25%.
We arrived at the Mickey & Friends parking structure about an hour and a half after park opening. Arriving a bit after opening made parking and the security check (including temperature check) a breeze.
The weather the day before had been unseasonably hot so we brought water bottles, Gatorade, and misting fans that we had bought at Target earlier in the week. Luckily, the weather turned out to be really comfortable for our Disney day.
Since trams were not running, we walked the tram route to the parks. Welcome sign at start of tram route:
It was a fairly long walk but we were so excited to be back at the Disneyland Resort that we relished every step as we got closer to the Esplanade. Even with masks on I could tell that my fellow park goers were smiling as much as I was.
Sign along the tram route:
Ahhh, the Esplanade- so nice to see again!
We began our Park Hopper day at Disneyland. Hello Mickey flowers:
Walking through the Disneyland Railroad tunnel (on the right side), we were once again on Main Street U.S.A.:
I was not sure how I would feel after finally stepping foot on Main Street after over a year- would I jump with excitement, or get weepy? As I stood taking it all in I felt- home. Disneyland has been my happy place for decades (whoops- I’m aging myself) so this felt like coming home.
Our first stop was the Market House on Main Street (a.k.a Starbucks) for snacks and Frappuccinos. After a short wait to order we got our goodies and found a lovely location to sit, a bench near the Plaza Inn.
View from our dining bench:
This walkway into Tomorrowland is usually packed with people:
Astro Orbitor:
After our snacks we went for a walk, starting at the Hub:
Isn’t this cute?:
View of the Matterhorn (down for refurb.) from near the Hub:
The front of Sleeping Beauty’s Castle:
We made our way into Fantasyland through the castle.
This is in front of the King Arthur Carrousel (and the Sword in the Stone). The horticulture/landscape department is fantastic!:
The Mad Tea Party:
On our way toward “it’s a small world” we saw this Mama duck and her babies out for a stroll:
They got a personal escort toward the Storybook Land Canal (not open):
Walking toward “it’s a small world”:
Characters were social distancing for photos- Hello Pooh:
Social distance seating on “small world”:
I had to get a photo of these guys as our boat entered the “small world” building:
Inside “it’s a small world”:
View of the Toon Town entrance. (A usually busy area):
After riding “small world” we walked into Tomorrowland. Although neither the Submarines nor the Monorail were in operation, I thought this would make a pretty picture:
Castle view as we walk out of Tomorrowland:
Reminders to social distance were all over.This was between the entrances for Adventureland/Fronierland:
At 1:00 p.m. Park Hopping was allowed. Although the crowd level in Disneyland got noticeably larger, particularly in the area between Rivers of America and The Pirates of the Caribbean, it never felt uncomfortably crowded.
In front of the loading area for the Mark Twain Riverboat:
Line for Pirates of the Caribbean:
View from the bridge in front of Pirates of the Caribbean:
We had lunch reservations at Cafe Orleans. The Bourbon Street Chicken and the Three Cheese Monte Cristo were excellent and the portions were big (I love big food portions).
After lunch we walked around New Orleans Square and to the Haunted Mansion.
I noticed that the Club 33 entrance was pretty quiet. I usually see at least two lucky people waiting out front for their Club 33 reservation time::
Cat statue at the Haunted Mansion, near the front door/elevator entrance:
Pretty view of the Rivers of America from near the Haunted Mansion:
Going past Tarzan’s Tree House:
We next headed over to California Adventure. It had far fewer people than Disneyland did.
With no line for Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree, I could not pass up a ride:
After a fun ride we decided to walk around the park and enjoy the near empty walkways.
Path to Cars Land:
View from in front of The Little Mermaid:
Pixar Pal-A-Round:
Paradise Pier:
We next had a reservation at the Lamplight Lounge. Although we had finished a big lunch just a short time before, I have a big appetite and knew I would want a big snack. I went a bit bigger than a snack and got the Cheddar Burger which was so yummy. The Mocktails were a big hit at our table.
After leaving the Lamplight Lounge we decided to walk past Grizzly River Run. We knew it was closed but we did not want to miss an opportunity to walk every inch of the park that we could.
This was the first time I have seen this guy without a lot of people posing for photos around his legs.
As we were walking past Grizzly River Run, we were lucky to see one of the Disney Cats. This cutie had been relaxing at the base of a tree but got up and came over for some attention when we stopped by the fence.
View of Carthay Circle after we said “goodbye” to the cat:
At an hour until closing we decided that we wanted to end the day in Disneyland so we
“hopped” back over to that park.
The line for Haunted Mansion was really short so we rode it. When we got out of the ride it was just past 7:00 p.m. (closing time). We decided to take our time leaving. It seemed everyone was just as reluctant to leave as we were.
The Mark Twain River Boat at sunset:
Main Street was now crowded with souvenir hunters. I was one of them. Due to limited capacity in stores there were long lines but they moved quickly.
A couple of last looks at Main Street as we headed out:
Main Street Railroad Station:
It was now time to say “See you later” to Disneyland and California Adventure:
As we slowly walked (my feet hurt) back to the parking structure along the tram route I was exhausted. Even though the parks were open for fewer hours than in pre-Covid days, I was exhausted. After not walking around the parks for over a year I was not in “Disneyland shape”, but that’s O.K.. I may have been tired, and my feet were ready for a good soak in warm water but my joy at having been back to the parks made it all worth it.
Looking back at the day I am so appreciative of the cast members who came back and gave 100%. I love Disneyland’s atmosphere (which is outstanding thanks to the hard work of cast members/Disney employees), and I love the food (I really love the food), but what makes it great is meeting other guests and the cast members. It’s the people that make Disneyland so special.
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