When Will Disneyland Reopen?
On July 11th, Magic Kingdom reopened at Walt Disney World, thereby bringing back joy to Disney fans’ hearts.
If all had gone according to plan, the Happiest Place on Earth would have followed less than a week later.
Disneyland had announced a reopening date of July 17th, an essential date in park history.
Alas, fate stood in the way of progress, and the park remains closed.
So, when will Disneyland reopen? Here’s what we know.
Delayed Gratification
On July 17th, Disneyland commemorated its 65th anniversary in virtual silence. For the first time ever, the park didn’t open for its birthday.
On June 10th, Disney indicated that it would reopen its first park. Executives provided a five-week window to give cast members a chance to train.
For Disneyland to open during a pandemic, its workers needed to understand the new safety measures in place at the park.
Also, Disney needed some clarity from the governor of California and other elected officials. These individuals had indicated some reopening requirements.
At the time, California averaged less than 2,700 new COVID-19 cases per day. So, the situation appeared stable enough for theme parks to return.
However, the governor firmly stated that plans could change in the event of an outbreak.
(Joshua Sudock/Disneyland Resort)
Sadly, you know what happened next. California suffered a massive spike in Coronavirus cases.
Two weeks later, California had reached an average of 4,000 new daily infections and was trending the wrong way.
State officials refused to provide guidelines for theme park reopenings.
Disneyland’s management team had no choice but to delay its plans.
After all, a theme park of this size cannot very well reopen immediately, especially not with new safety policies in place.
Disney canceled Disneyland’s reopening and never stated a return date. The company has maintained radio silence on the subject ever since.
But Part of Disneyland Resort Is Back
Park officials did leave one plan unchanged, though. Downtown Disney had scheduled to reopen on July 9th, and that’s precisely what happened.
Unfortunately, its first day caused plenty of PR headaches for Disney. Look at this tweet:
A quick look at the current line outside of the Disneyland Resort 🚶 Downtown Disney opens at 10 am! Are you waiting? #DowntownDisney #DisneylandResort pic.twitter.com/lcM8g2CSOE
— Disneyland News Today (@dlnt) July 9, 2020
In that image, you’ll notice that guests are practicing social distancing.
Frustratingly, other images and videos from that day paint a different picture:
https://twitter.com/tenorbuds/status/1281299977231200256
As with anything in life, some people ignore the rules and do what they want.
Some guests heard that exclusive commemorative merchandise was available…but in limited supply. So, they knocked people out of the way to get it.
Downtown Disney struggled so much with its initial perception that the company couldn’t advance any theme park plans.
The criticism would have been outrageous. As it was, union cast members had previously petitioned Disneyland against reopening.
The crowds at Downtown Disney indicated that guests wouldn’t behave themselves, and those were the California locals who visit the parks the most.
Park officials would have no control over guests traveling from out-of-state.
Photo: Disney
State legislators grew so frustrated that they introduced more restrictive Coronavirus-related rules.
Mere days after reopening, Downtown Disney had to close its bars and indoor restaurants again.
At this point, Disney toyed with the notion of shutting down the entertainment district for a while.
The State of California vs. Coronavirus
The massive Downtown Disney crowds reinforced the notion that Disneyland should remain closed for a while.
California’s Coronavirus numbers did the same.
On June 10th, the date executives announced Disneyland’s reopening, California listed 139,281 cases.
Credit: www.yelp.com
When Downtown Disney returned on July 9th, California infection totals had reached 304,297.
We’re talking about more than 165,000 new cases in 29 days, an average of almost 5,700 daily infections. What I’m describing is an outbreak.
California faced overwhelmed hospitals and ICU facilities plus ventilator shortages.
Photo: David McNew/Getty Images
During July, California broke its daily infections record several times.
From July 4th through August 4th, infections more than doubled from 260,155 to 524,722.
California is losing the Coronavirus war right now, as are several other states.
For this reason, the governor is unlikely to agree to theme park reopenings anytime soon.
Even if this happened, Disney would have second thoughts about Disneyland’s return.
Comments from the Boss
During Disney’s most recent earnings call on August 4th, CEO Bob Chapek relayed some eye-raising information.
Image Credit: Disney
When the company surveyed guests about returning to Walt Disney World, the early responses were decidedly positive.
Park officials expected crowds significant enough that cast members would need to tighten social distancing policies to maintain guest safety.
When Magic Kingdom and Disney’s Animal Kingdom returned on July 11th, the unexpected happened.
Photo: Disney
Guests did not show up in droves like the surveys had projected.
Instead, a high number of cancellations occurred due to the increase in COVID-19 cases in Florida.
As you probably know, Florida and California currently claim the largest number of infected people in the country.
Photo: Disneyland
These two states are also where Uncle Walt bought his land for Walt Disney World and Disneyland.
Disney caught a terrible break here because their primary bases of operation suffered the most from the pandemic.
Now, everything is relative here. Disney’s out some money, while people with the diseases are getting sick and dying.
So, let’s not overstate the company’s predicament.
However, Disney seems stuck in the middle right now.
Florida’s governor wants Walt Disney World open, while California’s governor feels the opposite about Disneyland.
Not coincidentally, that’s the current situation at the parks. The one in Orlando has reopened while the one in Anaheim remains closed.
Disney doesn’t have the financial incentive to bring back Disneyland, either. According to Chapek and his CFO, Walt Disney World is making money.
Unfortunately, Disney had projected quite a bit more money. Then, the cancellations happened.
Photo Credit: news.iheart.com/
Currently, half the guests at Walt Disney World come from out of state. At Disneyland, the percentage would be even smaller.
These customers represent the most lucrative per capita spenders. Without them, Disneyland may not be profitable.
When Will Disneyland Reopen?
You’re not going to like this answer.
Right now, Disneyland appears unlikely to open until such a time as the California outbreak dissipates.
Company executives have already tipped their hand on this matter. They felt comfortable reopening Disneyland when California listed 2,700 daily infections.
During the first four days of August, the average was roughly 6,100 cases. Believe it or not, that’s good news.
The Golden State experienced a savage period of 10,000+ daily infections during the second half of July. So, the state is trending downward.
In another two weeks, the numbers could feasibly dip down to the 3,000 range, a level where Disneyland’s reopening would make sense.
Still, remember what I said earlier. Cast members will need training, and the parks will require preparation time, too.
Photo : Disneyland Resort
So, Disneyland is maybe two weeks away from being four or five weeks away…and all that presumes that California doesn’t experience another outbreak.
I suspect that we’re looking at a September return, possibly even October, depending on how the next few weeks play out.
Feature Image Rights: Disney/Rebecca Campbell
