Disneyland and California Adventure Park tickets go on sale next week

ANAHEIM, CALIF. -- THURSDAY, JANUARY 16, 2020: R2D2 and members of the Resistance interact with members of the media at the entrance featuring a large turret during a preview of Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance Media Preview at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, Calif., on Jan. 16, 2020. Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
R2-D2 and Disneyland employees at the park before the pandemic closure. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

With about three weeks to go before Disneyland and Disney California Adventure Park reopen, the Anaheim resort announced that those who are holding unused tickets will be able to book admission to the parks starting Monday, and ticket sales for other California residents will begin April 15.

The two Disneyland Resort theme parks, which have been closed since March 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, are scheduled to reopen April 30 with limited capacity and new virus safety protocols. The parks will operate from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Ticket prices will not exceed those of last year, the parks said. The parks have a five-tier pricing system that charges more for days when demand is highest. An unused ticket for a lowest-tier day can be used only to book a reservation for a day in the same tier. The same rule applies to the other tiers, though unused higher-tier tickets can be applied to lower-tier days. A calendar with tier designations will be posted online Friday.

When making reservations, those who buy Park Hopper tickets can choose — pending availability — at which theme park they prefer to start their day, then can visit the other park after 1 p.m. Guests with multiday tickets must make a separate park reservation for each day they plan to visit.

Disney FastPass and MaxPass, which allow visitors to jump ahead in the queue for some of the most popular rides, have been suspended. The annual passholder program was terminated in January, but passholders can still get discounts on food, drinks and merchandise. Disneyland officials say they continue to process refunds to passholders.

Public health rules released last month by the state require that all park visitors be California residents. All queues must be outdoors, and guests from different households must stand six feet apart. Guests from one household should board ride vehicles together; those from different households should be at least six feet apart in the rides.

The rules also require that indoor rides last no more than 15 minutes.

A ride on Disneyland's newest attraction, Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, took 18 minutes before the park closed last year, according to Touringplans.com, a website that compiles data on theme parks. Disney plans to reopen the ride after adjusting its duration. A virtual queuing system that uses the Disneyland Resort smartphone app will also be employed for the ride.

Among other health protocols adopted by the parks, a visiting group can comprise members of no more than three households. Face coverings are required for all parkgoers ages 2 and older. Employees will take the temperature of all visitors entering the resort.

The resort's hotels are scheduled to open in phases. Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa will accept guests starting April 29, and Disney Vacation Club Villas at the Grand Californian will open May 2. Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel and the Disneyland Hotel remain closed.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.