Though the Disneyland theme parks and hotels have been closed for almost a year, it looks like a reopening plan could be coming together as Disney has announced that The Villas at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa are currently scheduled to reopen in just a few months on May 2, 2021 for Disney Vacation Club members and guests. Right now it looks like non-DVC rooms at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel will remain closed, and the Disneyland Hotel and Paradise Pier Hotel will also remain shuttered for the time being. 

This may seem like a fairly small step, but it is still an important one as we work towards an eventual reopening of Disneyland Resort later this year. Right now Downtown Disney and parts of the Buena Vista Street area of Disney California Adventure are open (with limited capacity) for shopping and dining, and next month more of Disney California Adventure will be opening as part of a new hard-ticket food and beverage event that will allow guests to roam around the park while attractions are closed. Right now this event doesn't have a name or price point, but Disney has promised that more information will be released in the coming weeks while plans for this upcoming event are finalized.

Disney has not released any additional reopening plans right now, but according to the OC Register, a new bill is being introduced that would require the state to allow all theme parks regardless of size to reopen in the same tier of Newsom’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy. Currently, small theme parks (capacity less than 15,000) can reopen in the orange/moderate tier 3, while large theme parks, such as Disneyland, can only reopen in the yellow/minimal tier 4.

If local officials can come to an agreement, California theme parks could potentially return to full operation in late spring or summer under COVID-19 health and safety reopening guidelines issued by the state, which would make the May reopening of part of the Grand Californian Hotel a perfect kickoff for reopening later this year.