Disneyland Emptied as California Proclaims State of Emergency

Disneyland Resort has seen declining crowd levels amid the state of emergency in California following the recent devastating wildfires. The Disney parks weren’t directly affected by the blaze, unlike competitors, including Universal Studios Hollywood, which temporarily closed for the safety of guests and team members.

California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency in California last week as the Los Angeles area faced some of the worst wildfires in history. The fires have killed at least 25 people and destroyed more than 12,000 structures.

Wind conditions improved this week, giving firefighters a brief respite. But the National Weather Service warned that dangerous conditions could return next week, worsening the remaining blazes. Tens of thousands of people in Los Angeles County remain under evacuation orders, and curfews remain in place in the Palisades and Eaton fire zones from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m.

sCredit: Los Angeles Fire Department, FlickrThe fires remained far from Anaheim, but their effects rippled through the Southern California Disney parks. The Disneyland Hotel offered emergency housing to hundreds of cast members, at least 64 of whom lost their homes.

Disneyland Resort guests on Reddit recently discussed crowd levels at Disneyland Park, Disney California Adventure Park, and the Downtown Disney District. The conversation began when u/kvsnake said, “It’s unfortunate that this is actually the best time to be at Disney.”

“Out of all our trips in the past year, this was the best,” the Magic Key Pass holder wrote. “We got in at 11am. No lines to the garage, no lines at security, no lines to get in. Half off lightning passes. We never waited more than a minute to get in a ride. We got sat down at a restaurant instantly. There was people but not once I have felt like before. Where it’s just nut to butt with people with no room to maneuver.”

“I’m actually sad we’re not going again until next month,” they added. “I would’ve gone again tomorrow.”

Other Disney Park guests shared similar experiences.

“We are doing the parks now. 13-16 and then heading home,” u/The_Nice_Marmot commented.

“We have been checking the posted standby times to see if they’re accurate and a lot of the time they are 100% inflated. Indy was posted as 30, and it was 15. It sort of looks like they are lining people up outside the rides and posting longer times to make the people who paid for Lightning Lane not be annoyed. Yesterday we did 22 rides in Disneyland.”

“I was there today and yesterday,” u/Head-Thought6153 added. “Posted wait times were definitely on the side of overestimate and deliver earlier times for all the rides I went on, bar one. Food and drinks were almost no wait at all. As a first timer, it’s been ace. Rode Smugglers Run 3 times in a row and Radiator Springs 4 times in one day. Absolutely brilliant.”

Have you visited Disneyland Park, Disney California Adventure Park, or Downtown Disney this week? Share your experience with Inside the Magic in the comments.