Disneyland officially closed as of Friday, March 13th, and though the initial closure announcement said that the resort would be closed at least two weeks, through the end of the month, it seems unlikely at this point that Disney will make this deadline as current CDC guidelines are recommending an 8-week ban on public gatherings, and California Governor Gavin Newsom has issued a state-wide order for all Californians to shelter in place in an effort to slow the spread of the COVID-19 virus.
However, even though all of this is happening at alarming speed, a new discount was quietly released earlier this week that would seem to indicate the Disneyland could be trying to get back to business sooner rather than later…
A new room-only discount that is only valid from April – May
According to the official Disneyland website, a new room-only discount is now being offered for guests staying at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa, the Disneyland Hotel and Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel, and this discount is available for stays between April 19 through June 18, 2020. And interestingly, Disney is only giving potential guests until May 31, 2020 to take advantage of this discount (which ranges from 10%-20% off a hotel stay, depending on which property you chose and your travel dates)
This is interesting because it assumes that Disneyland Resort will be open by April 19th, which seems really soon given the current state of affairs regarding the spread of COVID-19, specifically in California. And thinking long term, this deal also assumes that potential guests are even able to make travel plans right now, as CNN reports that idea of grounding many or all domestic flights is currently under consideration at the White House.
However, Disneyland may be trying to mitigate some of these challenges with some interesting new methods that could open the theme parks a lot earlier than expected.
Keeping social distancing inside theme parks
Yesterday, it was reported that Walt Disney World is considering adopting several social distancing tactics when it reopens to help continue to slow the spread of COVID-19. And while we don’t know for sure if these measures will come to Walt Disney World, we do know that Disneyland could be preparing for at least one of these tactics, as the Disneyland app has recently been updated with an interesting new feature.
If you tap through the menus of the Disneyland App, you’ll find that most mentions of Boarding Groups have been changed to the broader “virtual queue” term, and a whole new section has been introduced called “My Queues”, which appears to have slots for multiple virtual queues. Though the app doesn’t provide any information about what kinds of attractions will offer virtual queues when Disneyland does reopen, which would be in line with the wider rollout of the virtual queue system at Walt Disney World that was reported yesterday.
Though it seems like Disney is planning to reopen in mid-April, right now that seems like an extremely optimistic reopening date for Disneyland. However, as we learn more, we’ll update you as the situation changes. 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.
