- How Disneyland's Downtown Disney district
has changed due to the pandemic.
I'm Chris, this is Yellow Productions.
I do travel guides that are fun,
informative, and entertaining and today
I'm at Downtown Disneyland on their reopening day.
They've been closed for months and today
is the first day that they're open.
So I'm gonna show you everything
that has changed here due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The first thing that has changed
is the theme parks are closed.
California Adventure is closed, Disneyland is closed.
This is the least busy I've ever been
standing here between the two theme parks,
but as we go through you'll also
see everybody's wearing masks.
Mask requirement to come in.
And the security screening process
to come into Downtown Disney is also all new.
There are two entrances open to Downtown Disney.
There's one open by the Disneyland Hotel
and there's another one open by Harbor Drive,
but either one you come in the first thing
you'll be greeted with is somebody
how is going to take your temperature.
They are contracted from Hoag Hospital,
a local Orange County institution.
After passing through the temperature checks
then you'll go through a canine dog check.
If you're wearing a bag like mine on your arm
they'll ask you to take it off
and hold it as you walk past the canine.
After the canine check is then the standard bag check.
The bag checkers are behind plexiglass.
Then you go through a metal detector.
If for some reason you fail the metal detector
well then they'll wand you.
When they wand you they stand behind
plexiglass when they do that.
On the Disneyland website they tell you
to park in the Simba lot which is at
the intersection of Katella and Disneyland Drive.
Parking is free in that lot.
Now when I got here that lot was full,
so I actually parked at the GardenWalk shopping center.
It's $3 per hour, but there was at least parking
and I came in the Harbor Drive entrance.
So in this walkthrough I'm gonna show you
how Downtown Disney looks starting
at the Harbor Drive entrance,
starting at the World of Disney, and then walking down
to Earl of Sandwich which is the other entrance.
If you parked over there, well just reverse it
and that's how it'll look from the way you come in.
It's also worth noting that all the other
parking lots are currently closed.
Okay, so leaving the theme park area, coming into
Downtown Disney, I'm gonna turn the camera around
so you can actually see what I see
instead of looking at me the whole time.
The first thing we see is La Brea Bakery.
This restaurant, even though it has
a lot of outdoor seating, currently closed.
So big change to the World of Disney store.
It's so popular they've implemented a virtual queue.
This, which used to be the entrance, is now the exit.
And if you want to go into the World of Disney
you have to come just across from this exit
to where this guy holds a sign that says end of queue.
And over here they've got some friendly people
that you give them your cell phone number,
they'll sign you up to get a text and when
it's your turn to go in the World of Disney you get
a second text that says you're ready to go in.
Once you get your text you hop in the return here
line in front of the World of Disney.
One of the friendly cast members will check your name.
That's what they use to check that you got the text.
Provided your name matches the name on the list,
then you're queued to get in the line
and head into World of Disney.
This line moves pretty quick once you're in it.
It took about an hour and a half from the time
I signed up to get a spot to go in the World of Disney.
And only one person needs to sign up for your whole group.
Once you head inside World of Disney it's nicely
air conditioned, and not too many people in here,
so people are definitely social distancing which is good.
They've got a different set of signs
inside World of Disney that remind you
of the same things that you saw outside
just in the tall variety in here.
The biggest change inside of the World of Disney
is they now sell cloth face masks.
They are $6 each or four for $20.
Limit four per guest.
You can see they've got the Yoda mask
down here if you wanna look just like me
or lots of other cool Disney characters.
They got a sizing guide to help you decide
which size mask that you want.
I'm not sure that you really carry a ruler
with you when you come here, but small's
for little kids, mediums are for big kids,
and large are for adults like me.
Other than that, the rest
of the merchandise in the World of Disney
is pretty similar to what it usually is.
I do wanna point out though, if you've
been watching The Mandalorian, new arrival.
This just in, they've got Baby Yoda.
He's so cute.
The likeness I think is pretty striking.
What do you think?
Another thing that's kinda weird about
being inside the World of Disney,
since all the entrances are closed
except one, there's people peering in from
the other side wanting to see what's inside.
The cashiers are behind plexiglass now.
They've got numbers on the floor
to number the cash registers, they've got spots
in the lines to show you where to stand,
and they've also go new signs to let you know
that they now accept contactless payment.
I'm doing great, how about yourself?
And a nice touch, they've also got some
hand sanitizer right next to the credit card machine.
And in case you're wondering what I got
from the World of Disney store,
of course some Winnie the Pooh masks.
Why?
Winnie the Pooh is awesome and they're yellow.
Out in front of the World of Disney you'll find
a couple carts that are open for food.
There's Diggity Dogs and Wetzel's Pretzels.
Further down is California Churros.
Now definitely not all of the carts are open.
If you wanna sign up for a Disney Rewards
Visa credit card, you'll have to come back another time.
But if you want to wash your hands they've set up
some hand washing stations throughout
Downtown Disney so you can wash your hands
outside without having to go into the bathroom.
Walking around Downtown Disney you'll see
tons of these signs to remind you about
your health and safety, to wear a face covering,
maintain social distancing, to wash your hands.
Washing hands, coughing or sneezing cover your mouth
and avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth.
Also at the places you might sit
they've got signs here on these bench areas
to let you know to sit six feet apart.
Now whether people are actually doing that
I'll leave that determination up to you.
And apparently this bench area, this has been fenced off.
There is no social distancing here
'cause you can't even sit there.
They've got a bunch of these Healthy Hands
stand here hand sanitizer things throughout the park,
but these leave something to be desired.
About half of the ones that I tried to use
I guess were either empty or out of batteries.
Another noticeable thing around the park,
they have a lot more cast members
standing around to help with social distancing.
They call them their Social Distancing Squad.
Now just outside World of Disney, this area
is usually where the trams would run
to the Mickey & Friends structure.
Since that structure is closed there are no trams.
This has turned into the hangout without your mask area.
Just next to the tram stop is the Naples Pizzeria
restaurant which is open for outdoor dining.
I will point out the only dining currently open
in Downtown Disney is outdoor dining
because Orange County currently
has a ban on indoor dining.
So if you're gonna eat at Downtown Disney
it's gonna be outside right now.
Now while the Naples pizza restaurant is open,
the little fast food Napolini
right next to it currently closed.
Just across from the Naples Pizzeria restaurant
is Starbucks which is open.
This is one of two Starbucks in Downtown Disney.
They usually have a big line inside.
They hold the line outside.
If you're doing mobile order pickup you'll find that inside.
Most of the shops in Downtown Disney are open.
Sunglass Hut, Curl Surf, Pandora.
The really busy ones institute
some sort of line where you have to wait outside
before you go in, or in the case of Curl Surf
you enter on one side and exit from the other.
Pandora's social distancing is no more than one guest
per associate in the store at any time.
Now Sephora's one store that had no line.
In fact they had a couple employees outside
waving at guests welcoming to come inside.
All of the Disneyland hotels are currently closed,
so the entrance to Disney's Grand California Hotel
is for cast members only.
If you wanna get some fancy
Disney dresses this shop is open.
You'll see a staff member there holding a line outside.
Marceline's Confectionery, which is really popular
for their carmel or chocolate apples, is another
store that's implemented the virtual queue.
You sign up here on this side with your phone number
if they're busy and then return to the front.
Salt & Straw which has some really delicious
ice cream allows you to pre-order your items online.
And you can also order right here
by scanning your QR code.
You order from ChowNow and you can tell them
your name and they'll bring your order right to you.
I'd do that instead of standing in this line.
Wetzel's Pretzels is open.
You can get your pretzel fix.
Also has a pretty good line.
If you're expecting a theme here
there's lines for almost everything
in Downtown Disney, but if you come to Disneyland
a lot you're probably used to lines.
Above it Ballast Point Brewery & Kitchen.
Not yet open.
The Uva Bar with the cool yellows umbrellas
is open 'cause it's all outdoor seating.
When you wait to be seated they've got
this little plexiglass thing by the host stand.
And this is interesting, at the Uva Bar
they've got plexiglass to social distance
the employees from the employees.
The bartender from the servers.
Its associated restaurant Catal, which is up
on the second floor here, not yet open.
Right next to that Sprinkles Cupcakes.
Currently closed.
And The Void: Step Beyond Reality,
the VR experience, I understand this is actually
permanently closed and will not be coming back at all.
If you can't get into the World of Disney
but you still want some Disney themed stuff
you can check out Disney Home.
There's no virtual queue here.
There is a separate entrance and exit
which of course they're holding a line,
but you can get some neat Disney plates,
cups, and things like that for your home.
The restaurant with the longest line
at Downtown Disney when I was here
was Black Tap Craft Burgers & Shakes.
Indoor dining's closed.
You order through the window here
which is usually where you order the shakes.
And to make room for dining they used to have
a pretty small patio out here, but they've
expanded that patio to include
the area in front of Splitsville
which was the bowling alley and grill.
Bowling and the grill at Splitsville currently closed.
As is, Tortilla Joe's right across
the way, we've basically come to
the closed section of Downtown Disney.
This little area has a lot of closed things.
Also Ralph Brennan's Jazz Kitchen, the big restaurant,
and Little Express both currently closed.
But if you wanna get some really expensive art
at the Wonderground Gallery, that is open.
Now from Ralph Brennan's Jazz Kitchen
we cross this bridge that most people
don't know is a bridge, but it's actually
a bridge where one of the roads
at Disneyland goes underneath.
Here there's usually a ton of shopping carts.
Right now there are just two on this side
that are Sunglass Hut carts and a churro cart.
Just next to the monorail, which is currently not running,
is the Pin Traders which is an outdoor stand.
Pins are very popular and so they've implemented
a line to wait to see pins as well.
Probably another one of the most popular
stores here is the Lego Store.
Lego Store, line out front that wraps around
to the bathroom, but really neat
was I was seeing some staff members
wiping the handles, wiping the railings.
They're doing a really good job
keeping downtown Disney clean and sanitary.
When I mentioned they do a good job wiping
they're really wiping everything down.
I saw some guy here wiping the map.
That is a thing people touch.
They often touch the map to be like
hey look, we're right here.
Well rest assured, it's clean.
Oh, and sometimes people say Chris,
it'd be really helpful if you included a map.
Well I started this walk over here.
This is where the theme park entrances are.
We walked this way and now we are
right here by the monorail, and we're gonna
end over here at the Earl of Sandwich.
Speaking of the Earl of Sandwich,
I think I'm getting hungry, but we're not there yet.
There's the second Starbucks here.
This one has mobile order pickup outside.
This one's less busy than the other one,
so if you're looking for Starbucks
I would check this one out.
This shop, probably one of the least busy shops,
Sugarboo & Company Dealer in Whimsy
Just has some whimsical home items.
In front of what used to be the Rainforest Cafe
is a new Asian Street Eats eatery.
You order at this little stand and then
you pick up your food just over there.
They've got a few tables in front of it,
but they've also got a whole bunch
more tables that are over here
in front of what used to be the movie theater.
And then the long line that you see here,
that's the line to eat at the Earl of Sandwich
which is my favorite restaurant in Downtown Disney.
If you're looking for something to eat
I would check out Earl of Sandwich.
That's where I ate today.
I had an Earl's club and a holiday turkey sandwich.
Yes, I'm a glutton and I got two sandwich,
but I've not eaten here since February
and so I was really hankering for some Earl of Sandwich.
Just beyond the Earl of Sandwich,
this is the security checkpoint.
If you parked in the Simba lot
next to the Disneyland Hotel, currently closed,
what used to be the ESPN Zone
or Pop-Up Disney, also currently closed.
There's also a Disney stage here
where they usually have live music.
Currently no live music.
And in case you're wondering how Disneyland closure
has affected the rest of the area,
the rest of the area is super closed, boarded up.
Hotels are closed, businesses are closed.
They're super closed.
They've got paper in the window
to let you know that they are really closed.
There's really no life in the Disneyland area
other than at Downtown Disney right now.
Two days ago, would be no life anywhere.
So with all these changes you might
be wondering to yourself Chris, is it still
fun to go to Downtown Disney?
Is it still enjoyable?
Well you know what, don't listen to me.
I ran into a couple of Yellow Productions fans
from Washington DC, so let's hear from Molly.
- Yeah, so it's been a lot of fun so far.
Of course the masks are a little restricting,
but it's not too bad.
The only thing that was a little disappointing,
it's our first time here so the parks are closed,
but being in Downtown Disney is still really fun.
- Well I think Molly said it pretty well.
Still pretty fun, not as fun as if you could
actually go into the theme parks, but still
an interesting attraction in Southern California.
There's one more thing you should know
before you come to Downtown Disney.
Their hours have changed due to the pandemic.
They are currently open from 10 AM to 8 PM.
Some of the shops do close a little earlier.
Now if you're planning a trip to Disneyland
once it reopens you might enjoy watching
some of my videos about inside the Disneyland theme park.
And actually, since I'm Yoda today,
I won't say you might enjoy watching them,
I will say these are the videos you're looking for.
I will see you over there.