Disneyland and Disney California Adventure theme parks will reopen on July 17 – the same day the original park opened back in 1955, the company announced Wednesday.
Disney plans to welcome guests back to the so-called ‘Happiest Place on Earth’ in Anaheim, California, on the 65th anniversary of the original park opening, as the state enters the third phase of its four-stage coronavirus reopening plan.
Social distancing and health precautions will be in place, including operating at a ‘significantly limited’ capacity and parades and character meet and greets will not be available.
The announcement comes the same day that the city home to the resort reported a shocking spike in new cases and as fears are mounting that California is headed for a second wave of infections.
Disneyland Park (pictured) and Disney California Adventure theme parks will reopen on July 17 – the same day the original park opened back in 1955, the company announced Wednesday
Josh D’Amaro, chairman of Disney Parks, Experiences and Products, announced the resort’s reopening plan in a blog post, saying the company was ‘one more exciting step closer to reopening all of our Disney parks and experiences around the world.’
‘We are purposefully taking baby steps during this very intentional phased approach,’ he wrote.
‘As one of the first major theme parks to close our operations and the last to reopen, we have been deliberate about keeping the health and safety of our cast, guests and local communities top of mind. And as we look forward to bringing our cast members back to work, and welcoming you back as cherished guests – we know it will take all of us working together responsibly to recapture the magic.’
The company revealed its phased approach to reopening the Disneyland Resort, starting first with the Downtown Disney District shopping and dining complex on July 9, followed by Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park on July 17 and on-site hotels Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa and Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel on July 23.
Josh D’Amaro, chairman of Disney Parks, Experiences and Products, (picture with a visitor last year) announced the resort’s reopening plan in a blog post, saying the company was ‘one more exciting step closer to reopening all of our Disney parks and experiences around the world’
Downtown Disney District will open July 9, Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park (pictured) on July 17 and on-site hotels on July 23
All plans are pending state and local government approvals, and strict health and safety precautions will be put in place to limit the risk of spreading the virus, Disney said.
Such measures include reducing the number of guests allowed in the parks to comply with government requirements and ensure people can safely social distance.
Attendance will be managed through a new theme park reservation system that will require all guests to obtain a reservation for park entry in advance. There will be a hold on new ticket sales.
Parades and nighttime spectaculars, which usually draw in large crowds, will not be returning.
Character meet and greets will also not be available but Disney said characters will still be present to ‘delight guests’ in new ways.
The reopening of the California resort follows the announcement that Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, will also begin a phased reopening next month.
The Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom are scheduled to open July 11, followed by Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios on July 15.
The Florida parks publicly presented a reopening plan for local approval last month, including developing a new ‘social-distancing squad’ – some of them dressed as Star Wars Stormtroopers – to help keep patrons apart.
Shanghai Disneyland (above) is already back up and running, since it opened its doors in May
A worker wearing a face mask prepares social distancing markers at Shanghai Disney Resort
The reopening of the California resort follows the announcement that Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, will also begin a phased reopening next month
Visitors will have their temperatures taken upon arrival and will be required to wear face masks at all times.
Shanghai Disneyland is already back up and running, since it opened its doors in May.
All sites for the entertainment giant shuttered back in March as coronavirus cases and infections spread across the US and the world.
However, not everyone welcomed news of a return to the parks, with concerns that the entertainment giant is reopening sites too soon as cases continue to rise in some parts of the US.
California was the third-hardest hit state, with 136,191 confirmed cases and 4,776 deaths from the killer virus as of Tuesday.
Fears that the state is headed for a new outbreak are mounting as the toll of deaths and infections are growing again, with another 79 deaths and 2,702 cases Tuesday.
Hospitalizations due to COVID-19 have also been increasing in California since Memorial Day.
Not everyone welcomed news of a return to the parks on social media, with concerns that the entertainment giant is reopening sites too soon as cases continue to rise
Despite the worrying trend, Governor Gavin Newsom insists on plowing ahead with the phased reopening plan with the state expected to enter phase three on Thursday – which includes theme parks reopening.
‘As we phase in, in a responsible way, a reopening of the economy, we’ve made it abundantly clear that we anticipate an increase in the total number of positive cases,’ Newsom said Tuesday.
In Anaheim, the Orange County city where Disneyland is located, there have been 1,429 confirmed cases and two deaths.
But the city witnessed a worrying spike in cases the same day as Disney’s announcement, with another 79 infections reported Wednesday after three consecutive days of 20 or fewer new cases each day.
Some concerned members of the public have taken to social media to blast Disney’s decision to get back to business so soon.
‘Y’all celebrating the reopening clearly don’t know any cast members… they 100% should not have to put themselves at risk bc of others entitlement,’ one person tweeted.
Another slammed the entertainment firm for being ‘irresponsible’: ‘Disneyland can wait to open, it’s pretty irresponsible to try to reopen so soon.’
‘Soon to be the Most Contagious Place On Earth,’ another wrote.
A Change.org petition calling for the reopening date to be pushed back had reached 7,785 signatures by Thursday morning.
Competitor Universal Studios Hollywood has not announced when it will reopen its theme park, but its Florida park – Universal Studios Orlando – reopened to the public on June 5.