It’s Official! Disney World Is Less Than A Week Away From Reopening
The time has come Disney friends! Walt Disney World will be reopening at the end of this week and as you can expect it is a bustle of activity. We’ve got the NBA coming, Major League Soccer in the works, not to mention two theme parks reopening and more!
That’s why we here at MickeyBlog thought we’d do a quick recap of what’s going on this week to keep you in the know!
The NBA Comes To Disney World
July 7th: This is a date for the calendars as the National Basketball Association (NBA) players will start to arrive to restart the 2019-2020 season at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. Players will be staying across a variety of Disney properties including the Grand Floridian, Coronado Springs and more. However, fans will be kept away from players as Disney and the NBA work to create a BUBBLE to keep players COVID-19 free.
Major League Soccer Comes To Disney World
July 8th – This Wednesday, Disney World makes way for even more athletes as Major League Soccer Players resume the 25th Season. The MLS is Back tournament will happen at Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex between July 8 – August 11th.
Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom Re-Open
July 11th – After a closure spanning four months Disney will be reopening Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom on Saturday, July 11th. Under Disney’s new phased reopening plan, Park Pass reservation must be made for ALL ticket holders. Guests WILL NOT be allowed into either of the parks without a valid reservation. Special health and safety requirements also need to be met by ALL guests. We’ll talk more about those down below.
Hollywood Studios & EPCOT Re-open
July 15: A week from Wednesday, Disney will open its two other theme parks EPCOT and the Hollywood Studios marking the first time all four Walt Disney World theme parks have been open since March. This means guests can once again visit Toy Story Land and Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge and also marks the start of a VERY scaled-back version of the EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival.
Again, guests visiting both theme parks can only gain entry with a Park Pass reservation in addition to having a valid theme park ticket.
MickeyBlog at the Parks
MickeyBlog will be coming to you from the theme parks all week long with live-broadcasts, news, updates, planning tips and tricks and more! Be sure to keep following along with our website as well as on our Facebook page to keep up to speed on how reopening is going. Here’s a quick look at where we’ll be when:
- July 9th – Magic Kingdom for AP Preview
- July 11th – Magic Kingdom (first day)
- July 12th – Animal Kingdom
- July 15th – EPCOT (first day)
- July 16th – Hollywood Studios
Health and Safety Procedures
With such a big week ahead, we here at MickeyBlog thought it would be a good idea to re-cap some of the Health & Safety procedures that are going to be put into place for this week with some help from Fox35.
- Mandatory temperature checks: Guests and cast members will all have to undergo temperature checks before they are allowed into any park. They are also asked to check their temperatures before leaving home to make sure they are not running a fever.
- Face masks required: Face coverings will be required to be worn while in the parks by all guests ages 2 and older. It will also be mandatory for cast members. No word on if they will sell face masks in the parks.
- Social Distancing Squad: Select cast members will be a part of the ‘Social Distancing Squad’ who will joyfully remind guests to practice social distancing. Signs will be on display throughout the parks.
- Reservations required for entry: In order to control capacity, guests wishing to attend the theme parks must have a valid Park Pass reservation. New ticket sales and resort reservations for 2021 have also been suspended.
- Contactless food purchases/cashless pay system: In addition to Plexiglass barriers, Disney says they are taking extra steps when it comes to foodservice to ensure that the least amount of contact is made while dining in the parks. Cash will be accepted,but Disney is pushing using contactless forms of payment as much as possible during your visit.
- No meet-and-greets: Disney characters will still be present at the parks, but meet-and-greets are cancelled for the time being.
- No parades or fireworks shows: To keep people from gathering in large crowds, Disney will not be holding any parades or the nightly fireworks shows until further notice.
- Reduced capacity around parks: In addition to reducing the number of people allowed into the theme parks, capacity will also be managed at retail stores and restaurants to ensure social distancing.
- Water effects will be limited or eliminated: Water splash pad/cooling off areas will remain closed in order to avoid drawing crowds of spectators.
- Interactive play areas will remain closed: Children who love to run around and play in Disney’s interactive kid areas will not be able to do so — at least not for now. Disney says they are keeping those play areas closed to avoid putting their tiny guests at risk.
This is a time of HUGE change at Walt Disney World which is something we expect to continue in the weeks ahead. Keep following along with us to stay up-to-date on the latest news and developments.
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Source: Fox 35