Late last week Disney confirmed that Disney Springs would not be opening immediately on May 4, 2020 as part of the state of Florida’s “phase 1” reopening plan, which allows restaurants to resume dine-in operation with reduced capacity of 25% of their indoor seating occupied and retail stores to reopen if they operate at no more than 25% of their building occupancy. And while we still haven’t heard anything official about any kind of reopening at this location (or Universal Orlando Resort’s CityWalk) it looks like preparations for some kind of reopening are being made right now at both resorts.
1. Disney Springs parking garages partially reopen for Cast Members, hinting at possible partial reopening soon
Image: Disney
Ever since Disney Springs closed to all guests back in March all parking garages and surface parking lots have been officially closed and barricaded to prevent anyone from getting in. However, it looks like as of this week the Grapefruit garage has been unblocked, and is now labeled Cast Member Parking Only, which could be a sign that Cast Members who work at Disney Springs could be called back in to work in the very near future to prepare for a reopening. We don’t know exactly when these staff members would be needed yet, but it looks like the beginning phases of making space for employees is at least taking place.
Of course, there’s not just staffing issues to consider when it comes to preparing for a reopening at Disney Springs, as many are wondered if mandatory face masks, temperature checks, or other safety measures previously discussed by the local reopening task force would need to be implemented in order to make ensure the well being of guests when Disney Springs opens again.
Image: Disney
Unfortunately, right now we don’t know which retailers or eateries will open, or if Disney-owned establishments like World of Disney, The Ganachery, etc. will also open along with third-party locations, but hopefully we’ll get an update about and reopenings in the near future very soon.
2. Select Universal CityWalk dining establishments set to open next week
Like Disney, Universal has not made an official statement about the status of Universal CityWalk, but it looks like employees at several CityWalk locations, including Starbucks and Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville have been notified that these locations, along with other CityWalk restaurants will be reopening on May 11, 2020.
Interestingly, we don’t know if this reopening will just be restaurants, or retail locations as well, but we do know for sure that all bars, clubs, and the Cinemark Movie Theater will all remain closed.
Though no official timeline for reopening has been released just yet, with employees returning to work very soon and a reopening rumored to be happening in just a few days, we’d expect some kind of official notice in the next day or two.
As always, while this situation is evolving, all theme park fans should check out the CDC’s official site here, which has information on the virus and how to prevent its spread.
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