The day has finally come, Thursday, July 8th! It is the first day that Downtown Disney is open to the public. There are some people who must have thought I was nuts for going in the middle of a second surge of the coronavirus, but I can’t stay away. I made sure to take precautions, like donning a mask at all times, being aware of my distance towards others and not touching my face.

Simba Parking Lot was Free for the Day

The line at 7:30 am

The line in the morning was backed up all the way through the Ball exit. If you got there too early, they shoo’ed you off and told you to come back at 9:45 am when the lot was open. We had to go around and got back in line around 9 am. Which by that point, everything was backed up and they started letting people in around 9:30 ish-am. So don’t plan on arriving until the lot opens to avoid going around in circles.

COVID Exposure Warnings

  • Blurry picture but that was the sign

Signs were up everywhere and upon entry to the parking lot, COVID-Warning disclaimers were set up before you enter the lot. There were also safety signs scattered all throughout Downtown Disney.

Social Distancing Markers in Place in Certain Areas

These were in stores and anywhere where you had to wait in line outside. Which was pretty much everywhere.

Temperature Checks Before Entry

These were the only two spots that I have seen were near what used to be the old theaters. The water was empty for the sink when I got there. It was about 12:45 pm. Honestly, with the number of people there, I think there could have been more sanitization and handwashing stations.

Simba Lot Sometimes Shuts Down

WORLD OF DISNEY INFO

First thing in the morning, the line wrapped all the way around past California Adventure. The Cast Members were very helpful, nice, welcoming, and mindful of reminding everyone to socially distance.

  • Someone from your party gives a phone number and they will give you a text when it’s time to come back.
  • You will tell them how many people are in your party.
  • They will not give you an ETA – but for us, it took about 1.5-2 hours.
  • Once inside, you are not limited on time inside the store. You can stay in there as long as you please.
  • There is no time limit on when you have to come back to World of Disney once you get a text. It doesn’t work like a FastPass, so once you get a text, you can come back anytime.
  • Each cashier has hand sanitizer.
  • Be mindful as most people did not socially distance themselves.

If you want to see a little bit more, check out when I went live on Instagram.