Disney World And Other Major Theme Parks Set Official Reopening Dates
Ever since the coronavirus pandemic began impacting the United States in March, all major theme parks have been indefinitely closed. Now, Disney, Universal, and other major theme parks around the country are gearing up to reopen as early as June. In Florida specifically, Disney recently presented a business plan to local government officials that would allow the Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom to open on July 11th, and have Hollywood Studios and Epcot open on July 15th.
The parks won’t be returning to normalcy, however, in fact they have a list of new health and safety measures to ensure that everyone remains as safe as possible while in the park. Things like character meet and greets, parades, and any other event that would attract a large crowd to gather in one area of the park will continue to remain cancelled.
Individuals who want to go to the parks also must reserve tickets for when they plan on making their trip, as park capacity will also be limited to ensure physical social distancing practices can still occur. Wearing masks and temperature checks will also be required for park entry. These policies have already been implemented in other locations like Disney Springs, which is a shopping and dining center near the park that began a loose reopening last week.
“As we all must work together to promote the health and safety of everyone, cast members as well as guests 3 years of age and older will be required to wear appropriate face coverings in theme parks and common areas of resort hotels. All guests will also undergo temperature screenings prior to entering a theme park; cast members will also have temperature checks. Cashless transactions are recommended, and cleaning and disinfection procedures will be increased in high-traffic areas,” Disney Parks’s Thomas Smith wrote Wednesday on the official Disney Parks Blog.
Disney’s plans haven’t been fully approved by local and state governments yet, although it’s expected that no one will have an issue with these new measures. There’s no solid opening date for Disneyland in Southern California, however, other major theme park names have also announced they’ll be reopening in the coming months under new Covid-19 safety guidelines.
Universal Studio Hollywood has had a “closed at least though May 31st” banner on their website since they initially closed down back in March. Now, the Orlando parks, which includes Islands of Adventure and Volcano Bay, announced their aiming to reopen on June 5th. Like Disney World, guests will have to abide by new guidelines that include wearing a mask, and temperature checks upon arrival. Everyone will also be asked to follow floor markings as they travel throughout the park to keep everyone six feet apart.
Legoland also announced this week that they’re aiming to reopen their San Diego location on July 1st.
“The plan is based on guidance from the CDC and gives details on personal protective equipment, social distancing measures, cleaning and sanitation protocols, work and sick policies, employee screenings, COVID training and customer communication including signage and website messaging. The safety and health of our employees and guests is the top priority for all San Diego attractions and we can’t wait to be back open,” a Legoland representative told a local San Diego paper.
The Florida Legoland resort is planning on reopening their waterpark attractions on June 1st, and will only require guests to wear masks. It will be interesting to see how many individuals actually take the time to go through all of these new measures in the coming months, however, like with every aspect of this pandemic only time will tell how things will change.
Eric Mastrota is a Contributing Editor at The National Digest based in New York. A graduate of SUNY New Paltz, he reports on world news, culture, and lifestyle. You can reach him at eric.mastrota@thenationaldigest.com.
