At today’s Orange County Economic Recovery Task Force Meeting, Disney proposed a reopening dates of July 11 and July 15. In this post, we’re going to discuss what we know of the plans so far (and we’ll have updates and new posts as details come out).
While the plan is just a proposal at this point, these proposals have moved swiftly through the various levels of Florida government and there’s no reason to think Disney will encounter any resistance.
Details of the Disney World Reopening Plan
As always, we expect more details to be released, but here’s what we know so far:
Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom will reopen July 11
Hollywood Studios and Epcot will reopen July 15
Preview periods (presumably for Cast and APs) are expected (details to come)
Reservations will be required to enter the parks (details on the system still to come)
Capacity in the parks and within specific elements (transportation, attractions, stores, restaurants) will be greatly reduced
Increased sanitation
Various measures to reduce guest/CM contact (e.g. cashless payment)
Playgrounds closed
Parades, fireworks, and other crowd-creating events suspended
Character meet and greets suspended
Face coverings required, temperature screenings at entry
“Relaxation zones” to allow people a break from their facial coverings
What about hotels?
There’s no word on hotels yet, but this is an issue we’re watching closely since we’re out-of-towners. I’m a little surprised to see so little said about hotels so far, as I’d assume Disney hotels would be significantly safer than other accommodation options, and the last thing Disney wants is someone bringing virus from an unsanitary Airbnb into the parks (I love Airbnb, by the way, it just wouldn’t be my top choice right now).
If I’m guessing, Disney will open a select set of hotels by the July dates in order to accomodate guests, but that’s completely a guess.
Recalling Universal’s Plan
Last week, Universal Orlando Resort announced that its parks would reopen to the public on June 5 after a few days of soft reopening for select groups. Universal is not expecting to implement a park reservation system at this point, suggesting they think demand will be manageably low.
While I’m surprised to see Disney give Universal over a month of lead time, it might work to Disney’s advantage. One of the perks to reopening parks way early with way low crowds is that people will become more comfortable with the idea of going to a theme park.
Universal is presumably not going to be making money for the first few weeks, but they’ll be giving theme parks positive PR and testing what safety and sanitation protocols work and which don’t—setting Disney up for a smoother reopening in July.
This isn’t to say things will be totally smooth for Disney, but they’re at least going to bypass some hiccups by allowing Universal a head start.
What Do We Expect?
While demand for Disney Springs as a whole has been pretty low, the first Disney-operated stores began reopening today, and Disney Springs hit capacity before noon. Relatedly, we saw that Shanghai Disneyland reservations for the first week sold out quickly.
It’s clear there is some pent up Disney demand, and we expect that demand to keep the first few days as Disney will allow them to be. As we discuss more below, the first few days are unlikely to reflect the next few weeks and months—particularly as Florida gets even hotter in August.
Will We be going?
I don’t find this to be a particularly easy question (and obviously the reservation system will have its own impact). My job is to cover things like this, but I went through the complicated weighing of factors in last week’s post when Universal announced their reopening date.
I refer you to that post for most of the analysis, but I want to supplement it with an extra point here. When the parks reopen, the first few days will not be representative of the following weeks or months.
In general, any time a big change happens at Disney World, you can be sure it will take a few days for crowd patterns and park operations to settle. This is no different, in fact it’s much more extreme.
We expect crowds to gradually increase over the next few weeks and months, whether it’s because Disney increases capacity or because demand increases. We expect procedures to be tweaked as Disney learns what works and what doesn’t.
So while day one will be a huge attention-getter, if you’re planning a vacation you’ll need to keep an eye on the situation.
Since we run a website that focuses on helping you plan, day one isn’t particularly valuable to us. It will be important to get a first look at all the procedures, but it will take time for touring strategies to really develop.
In any case, we’ll do our best to direct people to the resources with the latest information. I suspect some of you will be visiting in the coming weeks, and I want to help you make the best predictions you can in preparation for your trip, even if this is a particularly challenging time.
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.