Though Disney has only officially cancelled Walt Disney World and Disneyland vacations booked through the end of this month, May 31, 2020, both the East Coast and West Coast resorts have quietly stopped taking reservations from now through July 1, 2020, which many are thinking may be a potential reopening target for Disney parks in the United States. However, it is looking more and more like a summer reopening may not happen at all in the US as the situation with the COVID-19 Pandemic continues to develop.
Walt Disney World executive hints at longer shutdown
Though many are hoping that the July 1 reservation date may indicate a potential reopening window Walt Disney World Senior VP Thomas Mazloum recently cast doubt on this idea, telling the Orange County Economic Recovery Task Force recently that Disney does not have an opening date or anything further to report at this time, saying that though the resort is taking bookings for July 1, it does not mean that Walt Disney World will be open at that time.
Of course, July 1 is still some time away and things can change rapidly, but right now its looking like Disney is preparing for a much longer extended closure, which could go on until the end of the summer at Walt Disney World, but potentially even longer at Disneyland…
Disneyland still unable to open indefinitely
Earlier this month California moved into “stage 2” of the state’s reopening plan, which allows certain non-essential businesses to reopen on a modified basis. However, the guidelines are too restrictive for Disneyland Resort to reopen at this time, and with nearby Los Angeles County extending its own lockdown for a whopping three more months, it seems like Disneyland Resort won’t realistically be able to reopen until August at the earliest, and even then, while California Governor Gavin Newsom’s current guidelines are in place (which include some very strict social distancing guidelines for the stat and bans large gatherings like those you would see at a theme park until there is a reliable treatment or vaccine for COVID-19) a reopening simply won’t be possible any time soon.
A lot will depend on the openings of Universal CityWalk and Disney Springs
This week Universal Orlando Resort has begin opening CityWalk and next week select locations at Disney Springs will be reopening as well. And while allowing guests in to shopping and dining areas is a lot different than running a full-scale theme park, we’d guess that Disney and Universal will be looking closely to see how guests react to social distancing measures, as well as using masks and submitting to temperature checks.
If guests can follow the rules without much involvement from Cast/Team Members, it may give Disney and Universal confidence about eventually opening up their theme parks as soon as it is safe to do so. However, if guests don’t remember to wear masks, or don’t adhere to social distancing inside these shopping and dining areas, it may make it harder to open the theme parks eventually.
Right now, it is looking like July 1 is still a “best case” scenario for a US Disney parks reopening, but at this point things are not looking great for guests wanting a summer visit to Walt Disney World or Disneyland Resort.
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.
Theme Park Tourist COVID-19 Complete Coverage: Universal CityWalk Opening This Week With Limited Hours, Required Masks, and Temperature Checks I The 13 Major Theme Park Project Now Officially Cancelled, Delayed or Slimmed Down (May 12, 2020) I 4 Interesting Things Happening Now Inside Shanghai Disneyland I Disney Pushes Back Reservation Dates and Cancels Dining Deal I SeaWorld Offers Free Upgrades as Plans Come Together for Theme Park Reopening I Disney Quietly Pushes Back “Best Case” Reopening Dates for Theme Parks Around the World I Disney Releases Statement Outlining Reopening Plans in the United States I Shanghai Disneyland Officially Reopening May 11
