Disneyland tickets are on sale, and people say they're waiting over 8 hours in virtual lines to buy them

• After Disneyland reopened ticket sales, the website to reserve slots saw huge traffic.
• Some would-be customers said on Twitter that they waited over eight hours for a reservation.
• The park will reopen on April 30 after closing due to the coronavirus.

Tickets for Disneyland went back on sale on Thursday, but would-be buyers are having trouble getting through the automated queue on Disneyland's website in order to snag them.

Fast Company reported on Thursday that users were experiencing long wait times and that some had been kicked out of the digital queue to get tickets to the California theme park. The park, located in Anaheim, California, includes Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park.

California state law now allows theme parks to reopen as long as they have between 15 to 35% occupancy. The stiff competition for tickets after more than a year resulted in wait times that some Twitter users said were as long as eight hours.

-Next Stop: Disneyland (@NextStopDisney) April 15, 2021

-Mrs. Wood (@peachypie618) April 16, 2021

-Final_b0ss (@Final_B0ss1120) April 15, 2021

When Insider attempted to access the website for ticket sales, the page did not load.

The Disneyland website states that the park will open its doors again on April 30, more than a year after it shut down in March. One hotel on the premises - the Disney Grand Californian Hotel and Spa - will reopen the day before the park does, on April 29. However, the other two hotels in the park will stay closed.

In an emailed statement to Insider, a Disney spokesperson wrote: "We are experiencing high demand given the historic nature of the Disneyland Resort's reopening. To deliver a strong Guest experience, we are deliberately pulsing Guests through the system. Wait times may be several hours or more depending on when you joined the queue. We still have plenty of reservation availability, and we plan to keep the system open to accommodate the demand. Please don't refresh and we will get you through the queue as soon as we can. We know you are just as excited to return to the Disneyland Resort as we are to welcome you back, and we thank you for your patience as we work to accommodate as many Guests as possible."

The process for getting tickets, however, has changed. Users must reserve a spot in the park as well as getting tickets. The park reservation system allows the park to limit capacity. Disneyland also warns that "an inherent risk of exposure to COVID-19 exists in any public place where people are present." And under the state's reopening guidelines, only California residents are able to enter the park.

Disney World, located in Florida, reopened on July 22, 2020, despite pushback by some people worried about the potential for coronavirus infections tied to the park.