It is no secret that Disneyland Resort had the most difficult of all Disney theme parks due to the pandemic.
Almost a full year of closure, Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure have not yet allowed visitors to re-enter the parks to stroll around classic Disney attractions and experience the magic. In addition, Disneylanders, who once held the Disneyland pass (now “Legacy Passholders”), continue to receive refunds for their passes – and the prospect of going down Main Street USA towards the castle seems like a goal that continues extending its reach.
That said, there has been a small bright light for California residents who are missing Disneyland, which is Downtown Disney.
Downtown Disney is the only section of Disneyland Resort property that has reopened since the pandemic began. With crowds thronging the shopping and dining district, Disney even brought visitors an extension of Downtown Disney. Visitors can technically enter the Disney California Adventure, as parts of Buena Vista Street were opened as part of the Downtown Disney extension.
Now that Governor Newsom has lifted the order to stay home, dinner is once again available at Downtown Disney. Reservations for restaurants like Carthay Circle were canceled minutes after they were made available, and if you were unable to make one, don’t worry! There are still many quick service options available for guests to enjoy, and now it looks like even more are on the way.
As seen below in @foodatdisneyland’s Instagram story (as confirmed on the Disneyland mobile app), a new churros cart has been added to Downtown Disney!
Before the stay-at-home order came into effect, there was only one churro cart available for guests. Considering that a second has been added, it just shows that Disneyland is probably expecting an influx of visitors now that food can be eaten back on the property.
Paul (@Paulsthemeparkadventures) introduced a new tram that is currently located in the Downtown Disney District. Previously, it was in front of the Animation Building, but now it is creating a more engaging environment for Visitors – and as Paul demonstrated, a great photo opportunity!
Paul (@Paulsthemeparkadventures) also accessed Instagram to post a photo of new freight carts reappearing in a section of the DCA that is currently closed.
The freight carts that were on the other side of the Cars Land Billboard reappeared.
Could this mean that Downtown Disney will extend again to Disney California Adventure? This reporter speculates that this may be the case, although nothing has been confirmed by Disney at this time.
Disneyland cannot reopen its theme parks until Orange County reaches the Minimum Yellow Level, which means a positive COVID-19 case per 100,000 residents per day. For this to happen, the virus would need to be almost completely eliminated, and California’s case count is a far cry from that goal, so Disney would have no reason to add freight carts to a section of the DCA that will not receive any traffic from pedestrians … unless that’s exactly what Disney expects to happen.
It is important to note that just yesterday we reported that some California state officials are trying to accelerate the reopening of theme parks, including the Disneyland Resort, which you can read more about here.
Related: Guests Respond to Updated Disney Parks Face Mask Guidelines
The extension from Downtown Disney to DCA’s Buena Vista Street was a huge success for Disneyland in several ways. More guests were accommodated, guests were happy, more money was being earned and more cast members were brought back to work. Although Disney California Adventure cannot reopen with attractions, it is permitted to extend your property for visitors to walk.
Related: New Disney Springs gourmet donut location sets opening date
With the reopening of Carthay Circle today, it will be interesting to see if more of the DCA is included in the Downtown Disney District. Stay tuned to Inside the Magic while we assess the situation.
Do you think more of Downtown Disney should extend to Disney California Adventure? Inform us!