Disneyland Soon Will Be Able to Welcome More Visitors

May 18, 2021, 2:42 PM · Disneyland's home county is now eligible to enter California's least-restrictive tier, which would allow local theme parks to increase their capacity to 35%.

Orange County's Covid infection rate remained below the Yellow tier threshold for the second consecutive week, allowing it to join neighbor Los Angeles County in the Yellow tier. Among the many changes to pandemic rules that come with a switch into the Yellow tier, theme park capacity can rise from 25% to 35%, potentially opening up reservation spots at Orange County's Disneyland, Disney California Adventure, and Knott's Berry Farm that had been unavailable under the old tier.

So if you've been blocked out of getting one of those hard-to-book dates at Disneyland over the next two months, get ready to try again over the next couple of days, as Orange County approves its move into the Yellow tier and Disneyland is cleared to add inventory. Update: It’s go time already on Tuesday afternoon, with much greater availability, including Disneyland reservations now open as early as this week.

For what it's worth, San Diego County's infection rate has not dropped to the Yellow tier threshold, so it will remain in the Orange tier for at least the next two weeks, meaning no capacity increases at SeaWorld San Diego or Legoland California for now.

The capacity change is the only one affecting theme parks with the tier change, so some out-of-state residents may still be barred from visiting and mask and physical distancing rules remain in effect at all parks. However, California officials have said that the state remains committed to lifting its current pandemic restrictions on June 15, which could open up a number of now-restricted operations in the parks. We still do not have details on what new rules might be put into place for theme parks and other mass gatherings starting June 15, so - as always - stay tuned.

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Replies (2)

May 18, 2021 at 6:32 PM

Just checked their availability calendar. Yup, it’s fully available for both parks.

May 19, 2021 at 6:13 PM

I am fully vaccinated (more than two weeks since my second Pfizer shot), and I live closer then some Californians, I'm bummed that I cannot visit.

But I will respect the rules that are in place until I am able to visit. I'm lucky to have visited Disneyland in September 2019 before things hit the fan, and it was a great trip. So at least I have that good pre-pandemic memory.

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