Jessica Chenoweth 
Things are slowly getting back to normal and the Happiest Place on Earth is FINALLY open! Right now it is only open to Californians, but that will change on June 15th when everyone is allowed to visit Disneyland again. If you and your family are ready to head back to see Mickey, Minnie and the whole gang, there are a few things you should know.
Tickets and Reservations
Right now Disneyland is requiring all guests to have tickets and reservations for the days they want to visit. Luckily this is really easy and can be done all at once on the Disneyland website or through their app. If you are looking to save a little money, you grab a two or more day ticket that will save you for each visit, just note that you must use all days of your ticket with 13 days of your first visit. There are also days that are a little less expensive than others to visit and all of that info can be found at Disneyland.com.
Disneyland App
Speaking of the app, it is VERY important to download the app before your trip and create your Disneyland.com account to go with it. The app will hold digital versions of your ticket and all dining reservations as well as give you updates on wait times. It is also where you can make reservations for Rise of the Resistance and W.E.B. Slingers (the new ride coming to Avengers Campus on June 4th). Also, this is how you can mobile order food (which I’ll go over later because it is VERY important).
Getting Prepared for Your Park Day
On our first trip back to Disneyland I was very unprepared for a full park day. It’s been over a year since we went back to a theme park and my body quickly let me know. Comfortable shoes are of course a must, but there a couple other things to remember. Since summer is here make sure to bring some hand-held fans. Also, if you have a little one invest in a clip on rechargeable fan for the stroller. They aren’t too expensive and your child will love you for it. We also got this hands free fan that is kind of great:
Also, get yourself a reusable water bottle. Disney has installed a few water bottle filling stations throughout the park in the last couple years and it will save you $$$ on water at the park.
Masks Masks Masks
As of this writing, masks will still be required in theme parks in California even after June15th. Since it is hot out I suggest bringing multiple masks that you can easily switch out, especially for the kids. They also have these brand new masks they just started selling at Disneyland that are AWESOME! There is a wire in the front that tents the mask away from your mouth providing more breathing room. It’s easily become my favorite mask.
Virtual Cues
This is the question I get ALL the time from people headed back to Disneyland for the first time in a while. “How do I get on a virtual cue for Rise of the Resistance?” Right now this is the only way you can get on this incredible ride and it will also be the case for the new W.E.B. Slingers Spider Man ride coming to Disney California Adventure on June 4th. The virtual cues open two times during the day, once at 7am and again at 12pm. I use a technique perfected by theme park reporter Brooke Geiger McDonald and it has worked really well for me (I use the B method):
Mobile Ordering
This is my #1 tip to anyone going to Disneyland right now. MOBILE ORDER EARLY!!! Right now there is very limited menus and walk-up options for your meals at the Disneyland resort. Most locations are doing mobile ordering only. The problem is that if you wait to mobile order around lunch or dinner, you might have a hard time finding a location with a window at that time and you might have to wait a couple hours for something to open up. I suggest ordering your lunch and dinner via the Disneyland app early, possibly when you’re in line for your first ride. Just pick an arrival window when you would normally eat and the app will do the rest for you. All you have to do when you get to the location is say “I’m Here” on the app and they’ll let you know when your food is ready. Super, super easy!
NOTE: This includes DOLE WHIP!!! Order it ahead of time because those windows fill up fast.
Shopping
Most guests are trying to get the most out of their Disneyland days right now by riding as many rides as they can while the park is open. This leaves the shopping for the end of the day. Do NOT do this! The end of the day the shops are crammed with people getting in, which makes it harder right now with capacity for the stores because cut off. So take some time during your day to do your shopping instead of waiting till the end of the night. Plus, the stores are much less crowded in the morning and afternoon making for a more comfortable and quicker shopping experience.
