Everyone wants to go to Disneyland, at least judging from the subsequent long waits for access on the Disney Parks website today, the first day for tickets and reservations in advance of the park’s April 30 reopening.
Tickets went on sale at 8 AM. Soon after, a message attempted to soothe any frustration at the sluggish site response.
“The wait is almost over,” said a page on DisneyParks.com. “Thank you for your continued patience! Due to high demand, this is taking longer than expected. We have a lot of Guests accessing our system, so you are now in a waiting room to plan your park visit.”
Later in the day, the approximate wait time was listed as “more than an hour.”
A Disney spokesperson acknowledged the demand, and said the site tried to limit the number of people accessing it in order to avoid any impact on the transactions.
“We are experiencing high demand, given the historic nature of the Disneyland Resort’s reopening,” said a company statement. “To deliver a strong guest experience, we are deliberately pulsing guests through the system and, therefore, wait times may be several hours or more depending on when you joined the queue. We still have plenty of reservation availability and we plan to keep the system open through the night to accommodate the demand.
The statement added, “Please don’t refresh and we will get you through the queue as soon as we can. We know you are just as excited to return to the Disneyland Resort as we are to welcome you back, and we thank you for your patience as we work to accommodate as many guests as possible.”
Disneyland and Disney California Adventure’s rides and attractions have been closed for more than a year because of the pandemic. For the reopening, ticket sales are limited to California residents, and health and social distancing guidelines will be enforced when the gates finally swing open.
Disneyland will also open its new Avengers Campus on June 4, a project also delayed by the pandemic. The new section of the park was originally set to open last July.