Walt Disney World has submitted a phased reopening plan for its theme parks, with the aim to reopen on 11 July. Pending approval from the Orange County Economic Recovery Task Force in Florida, the Disney magic will be back in business for summertime in the Northern Hemisphere.
‘Pending Orange County and state approval, our Walt Disney World Resort proposal plans for Magic Kingdom Park and Disney’s Animal Kingdom to begin a phased reopening to the general public on July 11, followed by EPCOT and Disney’s Hollywood Studios on July 15. In preparing to reopen during this unusual time, we have to manage our theme parks in a very different way from what we’ve known before.
‘As we begin to reach out to our cast members and call them back to work, they will be focused on operating our parks in a responsible way that continues to give our guests opportunities to create magical Disney memories,’ said the company in a statement.
The plans for reopening include a limit on the number of visitors and social distancing rules will be encouraged. Parades and nighttime shows will come back at a later stage, so as to prevent large groups from gathering.
‘High-touch’ experiences, such as character meets, playgrounds and princess makeovers will also be temporarily unavailable. Disney said that the characters will still be present to keep guests entertained and delighted.
‘Because theme park capacity will be significantly limited as we welcome guests back to the magic, we will manage attendance through a new theme park reservation system that will require all guests to obtain a reservation for park entry in advance,’ the company added.
‘At this time, we are temporarily pausing new ticket sales and Disney Resort hotel reservations so we can focus on guests with existing tickets and reservations (Disney Vacation Club members can still make new reservations).
‘Existing ticket holders and Annual Passholders will be able to make reservation requests in phases before new tickets are sold; we’ll be reaching out to these guests soon to provide additional details.
‘We will resume new ticket sales and hotel reservations after that period of time. Theme park reservations will be limited due to attendance limitations and will be subject to availability. More details about this new reservation system will be available soon.’
Shanghai Disney was closed for three months and has reopened with strict social distancing rules. Boxes on the floor are indicators for where visitors must stand and members of staff are quick to tell guests to get back to the box if they accidentally step out of them, according to the LA Times.
The park has allowed only 30% of its 80,000 visitor capacity per day and masks have to be worn at all times.
To read the full statement, click here.
Image credit: Unsplash
