It’s been three weeks since we poked our head into Downtown Disney District at Disneyland Resort, so we thought today would be a good opportunity to head back into the outdoor shopping and dining and explore any recent changes or additions. Below you’ll find a photo gallery and a quick live-stream video documenting my trip. Enjoy!
Upon arriving at Disneyland Resort this morning, I found that the Simba parking lot adjacent to Downtown Disney was far less full than it was when I last visited on reopening day. Guests who did not come prepared with proper facial coverings were being provided with Disneyland envelopes containing standard blue medical masks outside the screening checkpoints. And once inside the shopping area, I found that the crowd level was very manageable, even quiet for that time of day.
My first stop was the LEGO Store, where despite the lower crowd level, there was still a little bit of a wait to get in. Thankfully, once I got into the store I was told that they had just received a new shipment of product that morning and thus had many more recently released LEGO sets than they did during my last visit. It was cool to check out the new Haunted House, D-O droid, buildable Star Wars helmets, BrickHeadz The Mandalorian and The Child AKA Baby Yoda, and Avengers Tower sets in person.
Last week the Downtown Disney restaurants Ballast Point Brewery and Tortilla Jo’s reopened for outdoor seating only, so I stopped by to take a look at the check-in-procedures.
Paying a visit to Wonderground Gallery, I couldn’t help but pick up this terrific Three Caballeros t-shirt from the Ink & Paint Collection. I also noted that this shop carries the Disney Parks-exclusive Funko Pop! Vinyl figures, since you can’t very well get them in the Southern California parks these days.
Downtown Disney’s brand-new footwear store is called California Sole, replacing the former Sanuk location. I particularly liked the shimmering mosaic above the checkout counter and the rotating flip-flop in the shop’s signage.
I also stopped in the Disney Dress Shop and took a handful of photos of stuff I found interesting, like the somewhat recently released Jungle Cruise Dress and other items inspired by Disney properties.
Of course the main attraction at Downtown Disney is always the World of Disney flagship merchandise shop, and this morning was no exception. I lined up for 15 minutes to get into the store just before noon, which wasn’t too bad, but I imagine the crowds continued to build as the afternoon went on.
The most exciting find during my visit to World of Disney today were these attraction- or land-specific face masks. I bought the adult-sized Enchanted Tiki Room and Tomorrowland ones, but the Haunted Mansion version was only available in child sizes today. Hopefully they’ll get more in soon.
While in World of Disney, I also broadcast a live stream to the Laughing Place YouTube channel as I strolled through the aisles of Disneyland Resort souvenirs.
Watch Live from Downtown Disney:
And last but definitely not least, I had to take a peek inside the Happiest Place On Earth while I walked through the Disneyland Resort esplanade. Both Disneyland and its sister theme park Disney California Adventure wait patiently to receive guests again, though there’s no way to predict when that might be. Hopefully someday soon…
