By Charly SHELTON

It has been over a year since anyone has been on a ride at a theme park. The COVID-19 shutdown really hit home for many SoCal residents when Disneyland, Universal Studios Hollywood, Knott’s Berry Farm, SeaWorld, LEGOland and Six Flags Magic Mountain closed due to the virus. Perhaps none more so than Disneyland, a cultural icon that helps set the standard for everything else. But now, after a year without much public fun, the theme parks are reopening. Many of them are already open, as the guidelines allowed theme parks to operate at limited capacity as of April 1. Let’s take a quick look at some of the reopenings and what to expect from each park. This week, we start with Disneyland and Universal.

One note for visitors: Masks are still required in all parks at all times, social distancing is still in effect and, at this time, only California residents are allowed into the parks, with proof of residency required. Some parks are allowing out-of-state visitors to come in if they provide a shot record or negative COVID-19 test within the previous 72 hours before the visit, but this varies from park to park. Also, all parks are requiring reservations to visit. For single-day tickets, the reservation is sometimes bundled in. But for annual passes, SoCal bundle deals, non-date-specific passes, previously purchased tickets from before the reopening, or parks (like Disneyland) that separate their ticket and reservation bookings, they must be made separately. Always purchase tickets and make reservations online before the day of your visit and be sure to read each park’s specific guidelines.

Disneyland

We start with the big one. Disneyland sets the standard for many other parks and public spaces because of the name recognition over 65 years and the reputation for safety, quality of service, and quality of show. So when Disneyland shut down on March 13, 2020, it was the final bell for the coronavirus closures that we all thought would last for only two weeks. With reopening possible as of April 1, 2021, it was surprising to see Disneyland wait a full month to welcome guests back on April 30. But seeing last week the debacle that was the theme park ticketing and visit reservation system, it seems like maybe they needed more time to work out the bugs.

Tickets went on sale and reservations could be made beginning April 15 and, after eight hours of waiting in a virtual waiting room, reservations became available to actually book. The strain was so hard on the Disney servers that the crash of the Disneyland website caused malfunctions in the Walt Disney World app. But with the crush of people now abated, the reservation system is now functioning properly.

Reservations to visit only Disneyland are gone for April and May, except for five dates, but park hoppers have a greater availability. Ticket prices have gone up as well, with most days in the coming weeks costing either $124 or $154 per day for one park, depending on expected crowd levels of the day, with an upcharge of $55 for park hopping.

Universal Studios Hollywood

Universal Studios Hollywood opened last weekend to positive reviews. The new Secret Life of Pets ride, which was set to debut in late March 2020, has finally opened to guests – first as an added surprise during the last two weeks of Taste of Universal, and now as a full-fledged ride experience for guests. The studio tour also has some refreshes and updates with improvements coming to King Kong 360 3D, among other elements. A new surprise has also broken loose in Jurassic World: The Ride, with an additional spotting of the Indominus rex. Tickets are $99-$129 depending on expected crowd levels, and a park reservation must be made to visit.

Next week, we’ll jump into the remaining parks – Knott’s Berry Farm, SeaWorld, LEGOland and Six Flags Magic Mountain.