The Disney Parks blog shared news many of us Californians have been waiting for: A proposed re-opening date for the parks!
Disney is proposing a phased re-opening. Both Disneyland and California Adventure hope to reopen on July 17. That date happens to mark the 65th anniversary of the original opening date for Disneyland, but hopefully this opening will be a little smoother. Along with the proposed opening date for the parks, Disney said that they hope to open Downtown Disney on July 9, and Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa and Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel reopening on July 23.
As with the other Disney park re-openings, Disneyland is going to be implementing a lot of changes. Capacity will be strictly limited, and guests will require reservations for the parks (even pass holders). Details about the reservation system haven’t been revealed yet, but my guess is it’ll be similar to the system used for Flex Passes. My experience so far with it for Flex Pass reservations has been super easy.
Certain events and attractions won’t be included. No parades, no fireworks or nighttime shows, no character meet-and-greets. Basically anything that gathers large bunched up crowds, or that requires close interaction with cast members. The park also plans to have a bunch of new safety measures. They haven’t released details yet, but I’d expect things like limited ride capacity, possibly virtual queues — they now have experience with that from Rise of the Resistance — and requirements for things like masks. Expect details on these new measures soon.
Disney California Adventure will also be opening July 17.
To be clear, the proposed re-openings are just that so far: proposed. The state announced that theme parks could open in “Phase 3” of its reopening guidelines. So far, not all of the state meets the requirements for that level of reopening (which include things like declining hospitalizations and increased testing capacity). Hopefully by July there won’t be any problem, but things could change if there are spikes in coronavirus cases.
We’ll let you know when the parks release more details on the re-opening plan, and when the state and county authorities approve the plan. For more information in the meantime, check out the Disney Parks Blog post about the proposal, and the Disneyland website. And, since you’re here and need theme park distractions, why not check out our on-going 15 to 15 series of posts and giveaways celebrating Coaster101’s own upcoming anniversary!
I thinks it’s suprising that California is taking steps to reopen. Considering all the tourism down there, it seems like a risky decision, but it also seems that they’re more worried about they’re economy than anything. Either way its awesome that the California parks are reopening.