Right now, there is no official reopening for Disney parks in the US, and though there seems to be a “soft target” of June 1st (Disney is not taking reservations for any resort stays before that date), recent events seem to have cast some doubt on that idea, even if its not ruled out entirely. However, it looks like Disney is still trying to plan for a reopening, and has taken some actions that seem to indicate they are trying to get ready by raising prices on food items and preparing to take on additional cast in late summer.
Prices go up on food and beverage
Though there’s no way to get into the theme parks and check out menu boards, if you browse around the menu listings on Disney’s website, you’ll find that food and beverage prices are up at several locations around the resort. Dining locations that serve alcohol (like the Ale and Compass Lounge and Hollywood Brown Derby) are seeing price increases between $2 – $4 on handcrafted cocktails, as well as some food items. In addition, several quick service locations have raised the cost of “meals” (which typically include an entree and a side) up by $1 – $3 at locations all across the theme parks.
While it might seem a little shocking to see price increases happening before the theme parks even have a chance to reopen, the forecast for Disney’s earnings are particularly grim right now, especially since experts are predicting it could be years before Disney recovers from the major losses they’ve incurred in 2020, not only from shuttered theme parks, but also cancelled movie premieres and closed retail locations.
Late summer applications for Cultural Representative program now being accepted
Several days ago, Disney announced that all Disney Internships & Programs were being cancelled, and the next wave of the Disney College Program was officially cancelled. However, it looks like applications are now being accepted for the fall iterations of both the Norway Cultural Representative Program and Germany Cultural Representative Program at Epcot’s World Showcase. These positions are scheduled to start between August and November 2020, so if Disney is indeed planning on reopening this summer, these positions will of course need to be filled, by the time August rolls around.
Avengers Campus officially delayed
Over at the Disneyland Resort, one new area that won’t be ready for primetime this summer when Disney California Adventure reopens is the Avengers Campus. Though this Marvel-themed land was supposed to open this summer along with the new WEB SLINGERS: A Spider-Man Adventure ride, now that work has been completely halted mere months before its grand opening, this new land, which was previously set to open on July 18th, 2020, has been officially delayed, and Disney has updated all of their websites related to this to show a “Coming Soon” notice, instead of the original opening date.
If all goes as planned with a summer reopening of the Disney family of theme parks in the United States, it seems plausible that we could see this new area still opening before the end of the year, but right now it’s too soon to know exactly what kind of adjusted opening timeframe Disney may find themselves working with in regards to this new area, and with the inevitable budget cuts that will happen due to the extended closure, Disney may not be wanting to debut a new land right away to a half empty park.
As always, while this situation is evolving, all travelers should check out the CDC’s official site here, which has information on the virus and how to prevent its spread.
