Many of you commented on my last post that you are interested in what is going on with the Disney Parks in relation to the Corona Virus, so in my post today I hope to explain just that!
In mid-March, the Disney Company finally announced the closure of Disneyland, in Anaheim, CA, and Walt Disney World, in Orlando, FL. The closure of these two parks marked the official closing of all Disney theme parks, worldwide. Prior to this announcement, all international theme parks were closed due to the pandemic, however, the US parks remained open. Disney also suspended all Cruise Lines, and on March 17th, all Disney-owned stores in North America (including those in shopping malls) closed due to the virus.
The original plan was for the US parks to remain closed until March 30th, however, Disney recently announced that the parks will now be closing indefinitely.
If you have any questions regarding travel concerns or about canceling/rescheduling your Disney vacation you can call the guest service lines which, for Disneyland is (714) 520-5050, or go online to their websites.
Disney has automatically refunded all pre-paid dining, they have given guests who have park-tickets an extension on those tickets which will now expire on December 15th, 2020. If the tickets can’t be used before then, guests will get a reduction on tickets the next time they buy them. Disney World Annual Pass-holders will also get an extension on their passes by the amount of days the parks are closed for.
The closures are really hurting the Disney company as the theme parks are a HUGE revenue stream for them.
The only Disney resort property that has begun to open back up is Shanghai Disneyland Park. The park itself is not open, however, the on-property resort hotel, the shopping center (Disneytown), and Wishing Star Park are now open. Also, there is a limited number of “shopping, dining, and recreational experiences available in Disneytown.” They are having a phased re-opening, and re-opening these parts of the resort are the first step. They have been taking guests’ temperatures and requiring them to wear masks during their visit.
People are now speculating what this phased re-opening means for the rest of the theme parks, as well as how else the corona virus could change the Disney Park operations forever. It is near impossible for any of the Disney Parks to guarantee that guests will remain 6-feet apart, especially with the typical park experience. However, some possible steps Disney could take to help keep these safety measures is through limiting capacity, having a ride cue similar to that of the current Ride of the Resistance online cue. All guests may also get their temperature’s taken and may be required to wear masks.
For more detailed answers to all your Disney-Corona Virus questions, I would 10/10 recommend Disney Food Blog’s YouTube and website as they are monitoring the situation very carefully. (I would also recommend following them in general!)
If you have any other questions about how Disney World is handling the corona virus, please leave a comment below and I will try to respond!
Until next time, I’ll see ya real soon!
It seems like the parks are being very proactive in refunding all of their guests, which I’m sure is very important to maintaining a demand for the park. I wonder how closure will affect all those employed at the park, and if they will suffer economically from the closure.
My aunt, uncle and cousins had booked a trip to Disney from the end of March to beginning of April. Disney did give them an extended time for which they could use their tickets. I am not sure what their hotel did. I find it really interesting that before everything really blew up and no one was taking corona that seriously my uncle joked about being the only ones crazy enough to go to Disney. It never crossed any of our minds that the park would be shut down so soon.
Before even reading this and seeing the title, I was curious about Disney’s decision. I was at Dinsey the Monday before they decided to close the parks. I can only imagine how much they are losing. I’m curious once all of the restrictions are lifted, and people are safe to go out and about again if there will be a massive rush to Disney. Once Disney Land closed, I knew Disney World was soon to follow.
It’s really sad that Disney theme parks had to shut down across the world, but it’s great that they’re keeping everyone’s health and safety in mind. I have friends who were in the Disney College Program this semester and they were heartbroken that they had to leave early.