Disney Opens Buena Vista Street Thursday For Shopping, Dining
ANAHEIM (CBSLA) – Disney fans lined up Thursday morning for the much anticipated reopening of Buena Vista Street in California Adventure Park.
Even though Disneyland and California Adventure have been closed since March, stores and restaurants along Buena Vista Street, which is located inside California Adventure, reopened Thursday for the first time in more than eight months.
Disney opened stores including Elias & Co., Julius Katz & Sons, Trolley Treats, Carthay Circle Lounge and Smokejumpers Grill.
This will be an extension of sorts to the Downtown Disney District, which reopened back in July.
On Monday, Orange County was downgraded back to the purple tier of the state's coronavirus recovery roadmap, which means that all restaurants will have outdoor dining only.
All COVID-19 safety protocols will be in place, including mandatory face coverings and social distancing and temperature checks prior to entry. Some stores will also use a mobile waitlist in order to manage capacity.
Buena Vista Street will be open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. Entry is free. Visitors can park in the Simba Parking Lot for $10 per car.
Disney theme parks worldwide have struggled mightily since the coronavirus pandemic took hold in March. In September, Disney laid off about 28,000 employees. Approximately two-thirds of those were part-time employees at Disney's theme parks in Anaheim and Florida.