After three months of stay-at-home orders and closed businesses throughout California, the state has slowly begun to loosen restrictions in recent weeks. Just as Los Angeles County has announced plans to reopen gyms, museums and hotels this week, Anaheim, California’s Disneyland has released its official reopen dates for its Downtown Disney District, theme parks and hotels this July.
Disneyland and Disney’s California Adventure is set to invite guests back in on the original Walt Disney-owned park on its 65th anniversary, July 17. The Wednesday press release outlined state and local government approval are “pending.” The Downtown Disney District will open first on July 9, and Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa and Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel are expected to resume operations on July 23.
The popular theme park has been closed for a record three months, has been losing millions a day and leaving its cast members scrambling for unemployment checks from the state whilst being furloughed. California just received an all-time high in new COVID-19 cases on May 30, and has surpassed 133,000 cases and 4,600 deaths overall.
Once Disneyland and Disneyland California Adventure open next month, it won’t be its business as usual crowd-wise. The company is adopting a number of ”enhanced health and safety measures” for employees and guests, and capacity will be limited. Full details about Disney’s plans for the theme parks have not yet been disclosed, but all guests (including Annual Passholders) will have to reserve an advanced reservation to enter.
The Disney Parks press release also says there will be a “temporary pause” on new ticket sales, along with holding off on admitting fans to obtain new Annual passes or renew year-long admission. Additionally, parades, nighttime spectaculars (such as the nightly firework show) and character meet and greets will not presently continue. Disney characters will reportedly be present in the park in “new ways.”
The California Disney Parks plan follows Florida’s announcement to reopen as well in July. Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom will go public on July 11, while Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios will wait until July 15. In late May, the company started its first phase of reopening by bringing back its major marketplace Disney Springs. Lines immediately flooded the location, but guests were spotted adhering to face mask guidelines.
This initial announcement did not include any mention of face masks, but we’ll keep a close eye on more detailed announcements from the Walt Disney Company regarding how it plans on making its theme parks safe amidst health concerns. Other parks around the world are also setting the stage to reopen, including Hong Kong Disneyland this weekend.
Universal’s Orlando Resort returned last Friday and Universal Studios Hollywood has partially reopened as of today Stay up to date here on CinemaBlend as more theme park news comes our way.
