As we get deeper into this crisis and planning for the recovery therefrom, we’re seeing more and more small updates on the parks reopening. While our “When Will Disneyland and Disney World Reopen?” post contains our core “predictions,” it’s become a bit unwieldy to update that post with all the updates each week. (More to the point, it’s annoying for readers to have to cut through a bunch of stuff they’ve read just to see the latest).
We’re also not fans of the “drop a one line story with a zippy headline” strategy. As we’ve written a few times, we don’t like the speculative posts and would prefer not to write them. We do it precisely because there’s a lot of zippy headlines out there and we want to balance it with some exhaustive (and yet still depressingly unproductive) analysis.
We also just like saving you the time and clicks by consolidating a week’s worth of updates into one update post. So for the remainder of this crisis, we expect to have weekly updates discussing what happened this week. Let’s talk about this week. We’ll start with Walt Disney World, then Disneyland, Disneyland Paris, and the other three resorts. (Read about all the worldwide Disney resorts in our ranking of every Disney park!)
I’m sparing you my tedious disclaimers about how I can’t predict the future any better than you. These are discussed exhaustively in the more predictive When Will Disneyland and Disney World Reopen? post, linked above.
Reminder About “Task Forces” Etc.
In California and Florida there are a variety of working groups / task forces / etc. in place to help the state plot the path to recovery. We’ll specify them as we discuss them, but I want to remind you that almost everything that’s going on right now specifically about theme parks is “preliminary” or “working” or some variation thereof.
These working groups or task forces are getting a lot of attention because (1) there’s little else to talk about in theme park circles and (2) they’re holding meetings online on video, instead of some conference room somewhere.
Along the way, the task forces are going to generate a lot of headlines that don’t necessarily reflect what will actually happen. Even if/when these task forces make formal recommendations, they may or may not be binding, and at the end of the day no one is going to tell Disney to reopen a park before they’re ready.
Like you, I look forward to one day getting hard facts from Disney. And once we have those, we will report them thusly and they will have more predictive weight than what we’re getting now.
May 1 Updates on Walt Disney World Reopening
We’ll start with a look back at this last week before explaining what updates to look forward to this coming week.
Orange County Economic Recovery Task Force
The Orange County Economic Recovery Task Force is the local task force which counts Walt Disney World’s Thomas Mazloum, Senior Vice President, Resort & Transportation Operations and Universal Orlando’s Rich Costales, Executive Vice President of Resort Operations among its members. The task force has regular meetings, as do the smaller working groups.
That link contains links to the resources and videos of meetings of the task force and its working groups. If you’d like to see more about what is actually said at these meetings, check out that link.
The first working group meeting of the week included discussion of some guidelines for protocols for reopening theme parks. You can read about these at BlogMickey, but they’re mostly what you’d expect (limited capacity, encouraging social distancing, cleaning things, face masks).
Those items serve as a reminder that the task force is (currently, at least) operating at a fairly broad level. While all of these changes will impact guest experience, tougher questions—like whether and how entertainment can continue, exactly how virtual queues might work, and how capacity and social distancing will be regulated—remain unanswered.
Both that meeting and the meeting the following day included discussion of the fact that ultimately the theme park companies themselves are going to have to figure out the best way to protect guests. (You can read the statement at BlogMickey).
I saw a lot of outrage on social media that this basically meant the working group / task force was handing over its responsibilities to the theme parks, but that seemed like an overreaction. Disney and Universal are going to tell the task force what’s best for theme parks, and the task force is going to listen. A statement or lack of statement doesn’t change that.
Yes, these decisions should be made working with medical experts, which Disney, Universal, and the task force all have. But if a medical expert on the task force has a strong case that Disney or Universal is planning a mistake, I don’t think this sentiment from the task force changes what the task force can or cannot do about it.
What I interpreted this working statement to mean is that when these task forces talk about hotels or restaurants or retail, we all should understand theme parks might not be tied to the recommendations for those businesses.
There are a lot of reasons that Disney and Universal don’t want to be tied to the specific items coming out of these task forces. For example, later in the week it was discussed that having temperature checks at every single restaurant is probably impractical. However, many people expect Disney and Universal to have temperature checks on entering the parks.
Given that, there’s no reason to think the set of rules that apply to restaurants in general should apply to restaurants in the parks. (As we’ve discussed before, this isn’t to say temperature checks are perfect.)
Acknowledging that theme parks are distinct entities also allows the task force to focus on, you know, everything else it’s supposed to focus on, like restaurants, hotels, and other businesses in their area. People developing plans for reopening local restaurants might not want Disney chiming in at every turn to ask how mobile ordering might impact policies, or how protocols might be different if your restaurants are connected by a vast network of underground tunnels.
And while I’m not in the “business reasons mean Disney will always put safety first” crowd (business decisions are made by people, people aren’t perfect decision-makers), we know Disney won’t open at entirely any cost. When California banned large gatherings, Disneyland was exempt and opted to close anyways. So we know Disney interprets the virus as a threat, regardless of whether local authorities tell them to.
governor DeSantis and Reopen Florida Task Force
Here are the official sources for this section:
On Wednesday, Florida Governor DeSantis outlined phases for reopening Florida. Phase 1 begins Monday, May 4.
Governor DeSantis’s Phase 1 is not particularly impactful for this discussion. Phase 1 will allow restaurants and retail to reopen at 25% capacity, which means we could see Disney Springs reopen in part.
Probably the most interesting thing we’ll see from this is whether Disney Springs rushes to reopen, and particularly whether Disney-operated stores and restaurants reopen on or shortly after May 4. But it’s hard to extrapolate them following the Governor’s cues on this limited issue to them reopening in lockstep with his decisions as the months go on.
DeSantis said nothing about theme parks specifically. He notably excluded movie theaters from Phase 1 and said that athletic events with fans might be possible in June or July.
I saw an earlier report from one of the task forces that theme parks might be able to reopen sooner than sporting events. That seemed…interesting…to me. But if you align theme parks more or less with those events, we’re left with the idea that theme parks might reopen in June or July if they’re handed similarly.
I saw a report that the Reopen Florida Task Force took the position that theme parks could reopen in Phase 2 of the Governor’s plan, but I haven’t been able to verify it. Phase 2 has not been detailed, except that the Governor’s presentation said the next steps “does not need to take months.”
What’s Up Next
Expect headlines to pop up out of these things, but we won’t update until next week unless there’s an official update from Disney.
Disney Earnings Call — Disney has a shareholder earnings call on Tuesday, May 5. It seems likely we’ll do a post on it, but it may or may not focus much on reopening prospects.
Orange County Economic Recovery Task Force — Meeting today (May 1) at 2PM; Working groups will continue to meet regularly.
Reopen Florida Task Force — Not on any set, public schedule best I can find.
Updates on Disneyland Reopening
The situation in California is less dynamic. It’s clear California is on a slower reopening trajectory than Florida. For our purposes, though, that just means less noise. The amount of signal—official word from Disney—is the same on both coasts: 0.
Governor Newsom on Tuesday unveiled an outline of how the state expects to proceed in reopening. Stage 1 is the current stage, Stage 2 is lower-risk businesses (like retail with curbside pickup), Stage 3 is higher-risk businesses, including gyms, movie theaters, and sports without live audiences. Stage 4 is when concerts, conventions, and sports with crowds will be able to begin.
While on its face Disneyland is obviously a Stage 4 business, it’s reasonable to expect they might get a head start on that group, perhaps opening sometime during Stage 3.
Recall that when the Governor initially banned large gatherings, Disneyland was exempted. It’s possible that given the economic role of Disneyland and the fact that they can regulate who enters their parks, they might be able to reopen before Stage 4 officially begins.
On that note, the Governor gave no hard timeline for these stages, except to say that Stage 2 was weeks away and Stages 3 and 4 were months away. This puts a Disneyland reopening likely “months” away.
Updates on Disneyland Paris Reopening
In Paris, gatherings of 5,000 or more people are now not expected to resume until September, which would likely mean that Disneyland Paris will remain closed until at least September.
I know even less about politics and economy in France than I do about Florida and California, so it would really be stretching things to speculate about whether Disney would get any special treatment in France.
At the very least, it’s fair to say Disneyland Paris specifically is not as integral to the local economy as the Disney parks in California or Florida. While Paris derives a lot of income from tourism, those tourists are not primarily theme park oriented.
Updates on Other Parks Reopening
Rumors have persisted for a few days now that Shanghai and Hong Kong are preparing to reopen. At the very least, we know they were testing firework shows at Shanghai, and there have been preparations for socially distanced queues outside the parks.
All Your Other Disney World Planning Questions Answered
Don't be overwhelmed by Disney World planning! Take a second to check out our most important content and you'll not only be an expert, but you'll save big $$$ along the way.
Just starting out? Check out our Walt Disney World planning guide! If you're still picking dates, we've got everything you need to know about Disney World crowd calendars. For picking your hotel, check out our Walt Disney World hotels guide.
When it comes time to book we’ll help you find discount Disney World tickets. Decide whether you need a dining plan in our Complete Guide to Disney World Dining Plans! And at 180 days out it's time to book those Disney World Advance Dining Reservations!
Don't forget to master your Disney World FastPass+ strategy a few months in advance. We'll keep you out of long lines so you can maximize the magical time in the parks! We've got park-specific guides as well: Magic Kingdom FastPass, Epcot FastPass, Animal Kingdom FastPass, and Hollywood Studios FastPass.
Know what to ride with our guides to: Magic Kingdom rides, Hollywood Studios rides, Epcot rides, and Animal Kingdom rides! Plus learn about the water parks with our guide to Blizzard Beach and our guide to Typhoon Lagoon! And for some some fun prep, check out our Ranking of Every Ride at Walt Disney World.
Finally, before you head out, be sure to check out our to-the-point packing list, 10 essentials you forget to pack for every Disney trip. And if you're interested in saving, there's no better list than our 53 Ways to Save on your Disney trip from start to finish.
All Your Other Disneyland Planning Questions Answered
Don't be overwhelmed by Disneyland planning! Take a second to check out our most important content and you'll not only be an expert, but you'll save big $$$ along the way.
Just starting out? Check out our Disneyland Planning Guide. If you're still picking dates, we've got everything you need to know about Disneyland crowd calendars.
When it comes to hotels, we’ve got reviews of all three Disney hotels: Disneyland Hotel, Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa, and Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel. As for tickets, check out where to find discount Disneyland tickets.
Know what to ride with our: Disneyland Rides Guide and Disney California Adventure Rides Guide. And just as important, know how to get on the best rides without the wait with our Disneyland and Disney California Adventure FASTPASS and MaxPass Strategy! For the complete guides to a day at the park, we have a One Day Disneyland Itinerary and a One Day Disney California Adventure Itinerary.
We always recommend arriving at the parks early. If you can get access to Extra Magic Hour at Disney California Adventure or Extra Magic Hour and Magic Morning at Disneyland, you’ll have the most time in the parks. Even without those bonus hours, you’ll need to know Rope Drop Strategy at Disneyland and Rope Drop Strategy at Disney California Adventure.
Finally, before you head out, be sure to check out our to-the-point packing list, 10 essentials you forget to pack for every Disney trip. And if you're interested in saving, there's no better list than our 53 Ways to Save on your Disney trip from start to finish.