Disneyland reopened to the public yesterday, April 30, and Disney came prepared with a themed merchandise collection created just for the occasion. But these new items aren’t the only new additions in the parks. Both Disneyland and Disney California Adventure have new safety procedures in place. Join me as we take a look at shopping in the newly reopened theme park stores!
The Magic is Back Collection Welcomes You Home
This merchandise collection consists of five different pieces. The motif centers around Sorcerer Mickey, Sleeping Beauty Castle, the original Disneyland sign, or some combination thereof.
The majority of the items are shirts. Let’s talk about those first. In my opinion, the most appealing one is the aqua women’s tee. It is the least busy-looking of the shirts, only featuring the Disneyland sign and Sorcerer Mickey’s face with the phrase “The Magic is Back!”
Next is the unisex adult shirt. This one has Sleeping Beauty Castle and the original Disneyland sign beneath it. Up at the top is that wonderful phrase “The Magic is Back!”
Then there is the kids shirt. This is far and away the shirt with the most going on. This one not only has the collection’s tag line, Sorcerer Mickey, Sleeping Beauty Castle, and the original Disneyland sign, it also has four icons representing landmarks from all over the resort. You’ll spot Carthay Circle, the Collector’s Warehouse, the Pixar Pal-a-Round, Space Mountain, and Black Spire Outpost. You have to squeeze Pixar, Marvel, and Star Wars in there somewhere, right?
There are also two non-shirt items. The first being this steel travel tumbler. Sorcerer Mickey is the star of this piece with a smaller Disneyland sign on the opposite side, accompanied by the merchandise collection’s tag line.
And the last piece in this pixie-dusted collection is a face mask. It has essentially the same design as the travel tumbler, featuring art of Sorcerer Mickey and the Disneyland sign.
“The Magic is Back” Collection is sold at the Emporium and Pioneer Mercantile in Disneyland and Elias and Co. and the Disneyland Resort Backlot Premiere Shop in Disney California Adventure.
What’s Shopping Like After Reopening?
Much like what you would see if you paid a visit to stores at Downtown Disney, stores inside the parks have new fixtures to decrease contact and aid in social distancing.
All stores have a clearly marked entrance and exit, each manned by a cast member to ensure that the traffic is one way and to help monitor how many guests are currently in the store.
Leading up to the entrance are social distancing markers that wrap outside of the store. I will say that in the morning and early afternoon of reopening day, I did not have to wait a single time to enter a store, although it’s a different experience at the end of the day, where lines are extremely long on Main Street. Our recommendation is to shop the Main Street stores early in the day!
The stores also have what appears to be a bulletin at the entrance that has all sorts of official papers from the state of California regarding safety codes and includes a certificate saying that store is following Industry-Specific Guidelines for health and safety.
Once inside, you’ll notice more social distancing markers, this time snaking along the cash register line.
The registers now have the ubiquitous plexiglass barrier, separating guests from the Cast Member ringing them up.
Additionally, scattered throughout stores are safety reminder signs.
Additional Shopping Changes
Hoping to build a lightsaber over at The Star Trader in Tomorrowland? The activity is still available to enjoy but is not entirely as guests will remember it.
Those hoping to take part are required to make use of the hand sanitizer, stationed at the entrance of the now-roped off area. After which, guests are asked to wait at the little themed dot on the floor until it is their turn. There can be a maximum of two parties at a time, one for each side of the station.
If you are hungry for a more “authentic” Star Wars experience, over in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, Savi’s Workshop and the Droid Factory have both reopened. But one of these things has also seen some operational changes. Can you guess which one?
If your guess was Savi’s Workshop, you were correct! While the Droid Factory is the same as ever, those looking to build your own lightsaber will notice a few key differences from the Savi’s Workshop experience of the before-times. Initially, selecting the lightsaber remains the same. Participants will select the theme and view sample parts of the lightsaber outside the workshop. The sample parts are periodically sanitized throughout the day. But once you’re inside the workshop, perhaps the most important change is that the length of the lightsaber-building “ceremony” has been cut in half to reduce guests’ time in the closed environment of the workshop. During this time, the parts you selected are sanitized first before being brought to you on a tray.
Fantasyland’s popular magical makeover establishment, Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, is strictly retail for the time being. Parents seeking to purchase princess or prince outfits for their children will still find the actual costumes at the location but the areas where the “transformations” took place are now blocked off by curtains or displays.
Disney Ticket & Travel Deals
(Discount Theme Park Tickets and Travel Packages)
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Let’s Hear from You
Are you heading to the Disneyland Resort in the near future? If so, do you plan on shopping while you are there? And what do you think of “The Magic is Back” Collection? Let us know in the comments below!
More Disneyland Reading
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Disneyland is Back! — FIRST LOOK at New Magic and Big Changes
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