6/24 Update: Anaheim's Downtown Disney will reopen on July 9 as planned, but as of this afternoon, Disneyland and California Adventure will return later than expected. Earlier this month Disney officials shared a proposed timeline that would reopen its California operation in phases, beginning with its shopping district on July 9, with the theme parks following on July 17.
In an announcement this afternoon Disney Parks shared that its Anaheim parks will reopen later, citing delay on approvals from state government.
"The State of California has now indicated that it will not issue theme park reopening guidelines until sometime after July 4. Given the time required for us to bring thousands of cast members back to work and restart our business, we have no choice but to delay the reopening of our theme parks and resort hotels until we receive approval from government officials," says an official Disney Parks news release. "Once we have a clearer understanding of when guidelines will be released, we expect to be able to communicate a reopening date."
6/16 Update: Disneyland’s July return is still pending, awaiting approval from state and local authorities, but this afternoon Disney unveiled a new set of guidelines visitors will need to follow whenever its Anaheim parks do reopen.
Throughout Disneyland, California Adventure and Downtown Disney, we can expect a few major—temporary—changes, including mandatory face masks, cashless transactions, reservation-only visits to the parks, and temperature checks prior to entry, among other new rules intended to help stop the spread. Here’s a glimpse of what we can all expect at Disneyland as early as next month, as posted on the theme park’s website:
– Enhanced Protective Measures: We will require mandatory face coverings for both Cast Members and Guests, with the addition of hand-washing stations and physical barriers, where appropriate.
– Physical Distancing: We will reduce theme park capacity to enable physical distancing and add appropriate signs to help Guests move responsibly throughout the property.
– Temperature Checks: All Guests will undergo temperature screenings prior to entering the Downtown Disney District or the theme parks; in addition, health screenings and temperature checks will be required daily for Cast Members.
– Limited-Contact Enhancements: We are recommending cashless transactions and we will reduce Cast Member and Guest interactions with helpful technology, including the expansion of Mobile Order in our Disneyland app, Apple Pay and more.
–Enhanced Cleaning and Sanitation: We will build upon our existing standards of cleaning with heightened protocols.
You can read more about Disneyland's new health and safety requirements here.
Our original 6/10 story: Ready your Mickey ears: Those looking to revisit the happiest place on Earth should be able to do so in July, pending approval, thanks to a new set of reopening dates and a new plan for Disneyland.
Anaheim’s Disney parks temporarily closed on March 14, and while other California theme parks released reopening timelines and hints, the House of Mouse remained oddly silent through the last few months. This afternoon, the official Disney Parks Blog shared that Disney has submitted plans for a phased reopening, beginning with Downtown Disney’s return on July 9.
If approved by state and county officials, both Disneyland and California Adventure will follow suit on July 17—which just so happens to be the 65th anniversary for the opening of the original Disneyland park. The last piece of the puzzle would fall into place on July 23, when the Grand Californian Hotel & Spa and Paradise Pier Hotel would reopen.
While there are no set guidelines released for Disneyland’s return just yet, we can look to Shanghai Disneyland and Walt Disney World to see what practices we might need to follow here in Anaheim. One thing is certain: When Disneyland reopens, the parks’ capacities will be “significantly limited” to promote social distancing, and to manage this, Disneyland will install a new reservation system for every visitor, including passholders—and we can expect more details on the reservations in the coming month, most likely via this page. For now, the park will not be selling new tickets; reservations will be limited to passholders and existing ticketholders.
Additionally, expect to see new “Guest Experience Teams” around Downtown Disney and the Parks; these teams can answer any questions you might have about the new regulations we’ll all need to follow for the foreseeable future. And as with the Orlando parks, large gatherings—including parades and character meet-and-greets—will be put on pause.
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