The gates of Disneyland and Disney California Adventure Park with the first wave of visitors clapping, cheering and waving as they entered for the first time in more than a year of being shut because of the pandemic, Yahoo! Entertainment reported Saturday.
The park opened Friday at 25% capacity to California residents with proof of residency, entry ticket and a reservation, and in groups no larger than three households.
Many guests had camped out at the park entrance since 4 a.m., five hours before Disneyland opened for business, then chanted a "3-2-1" countdown as the gates finally swung open.
Health protocols require visitors to undergo a temperature check before they are allowed to enter the park. Guests are also required to wear a face covering and must remain 6 feet apart from other people.
"I can remember the day it closed, thinking it was just going to be a couple of weeks and that is going to be odd... almost 14 months later, and those couple of weeks seem like a lifetime ago," NPR quoted one of the guests as saying.
Disneyland Resort President Ken Potrock called the first hours of the park's opening day as "remarkably smooth."
The changes don't seem to be discouraging Disneyland's avid fans. Tickets to the Disney park were already sold out for the first seven weeks, Disneyland's Online Reservation page shows.
Most Disney park rides are open, but some are closed for safety reasons, including the Monorail, Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage and Sailing Ship Columbia. Disney California Adventure's Golden Zephyr and Red Car Trolley are also shut.
Mingling in the excited crowd was Disney executive chairman Bob Iger, who said on Twitter from Main Street: "A truly happy day at the happiest place on earth," YE said.
