Disneyland Says They’re Ready To Reopen But Governor Keeping Them In Limbo
If you’ve been following along with MickeyBlog then you’ll know that yesterday we reported on a new Room Only discount available for October – December visits to two of Disneyland’s onsite hotels – Disney’s Grand Californian and Disney’s Paradise Pier. Guests can currently save up to 35% on select dates. We were also told yesterday that Disneyland was looking to start offering ticket packages this week for stays beginning on October 16th by the beginning of next week. However, have these plans come to a screeching halt.
Maybe.
According to a recent piece in the Orange County Register, Disneyland is raring to go and reopen both theme parks. However, the company is still waiting on a promised reopening plan from Governor Gavin Newsom. And patience is definitely wearing thin considering that the the parks have been closed for six months now.
The more time passes, the more vocal Disneyland Resort President Ken Potrock has become about frustrations while Disney plays a waiting game with the state. Recent he said, “Without those guidelines, we’re quite honestly in limbo.” Potrock continues, “We are ready to open responsibly, it is the time to open responsibly and it’s important to open responsibly.”
As the Orange County Register tells us, Potrock was vocal about his frustrations during a recent planning meeting with the Southern California News Group editorial board especially when it comes to the lack of a reopening plan.
Disneyland and Disney California Adventure have been closed since mid-March due to the COVID-19 pandemic and they will remain shuttered until they get the go-ahead from the state. As we’ve previously reported here at MickeyBlog, the adjacent Downtown Disney shopping and dining area reopened back in July!
Anaheim is still struggling in the wake of COVID-19 with a $100 million budget deficit and an historically high unemployment rate of 15% since Disneyland closed. Potrock had this to say regarding to the state of affairs in the city“I was walking the streets of Anaheim earlier this week and unfortunately it’s a ghost town.” The Disneyland president added, “The same thing could be said for many of the surrounding towns as well. There’s just no one there. It’s just so incredibly heart wrenching.”
Following Disney’s successful reopening of its other theme parks around the globe including Disney World (pictured above) the company does have a tested COVID-19 health and safety program that can be put into place at Disneyland that includes mandatory use of face coverings, temperature screenings, social distancing, contactless payments and enhanced sanitization.
“We’ve been waiting for guidelines from the governor’s office,” Potrock said. “We’ve made many, many, many recommendations as to what those protocols should be. We’ve offered to help with guidance so that we can get to a place that would be reasonable for us to open. Unfortunately we haven’t received that guidance.”
Governor Gavin Newsom said last week that a theme park reopening plan was coming “very, very shortly.” However, nothing has materialized as of yet. Poltrock said, “We continue to read things from the governor’s office and press clippings that talk about guidance is imminent and coming soon and we’re really, really close.” He adds “I hope that’s true.”
According to OC Register, Potrock has been vocal about his disappointment with the State when it comes to issuing COVID-19 guidelines for safely reopening theme parks. He added, “The governor used the term ‘negotiating’ with the amusement park industry in one of his quotes and I hope it’s not a negotiation.” Potrock continued, “I hope it’s a good collaboration and that’s what we’re attempting to achieve.”
Potrock makes that case that Disney is well positioned to reopen saying that measures can be taken like those at Downtown Disney to cap attendance at the theme parks to eliminate overcrowding. “We can diffuse density throughout the property,” Potrock said. “We’re trying to get that across to the state government to look at it from that perspective. I’m hopeful that they’re beginning to understand that. It’s just been a long journey.”
This is a story that we’ll continue to follow closely here at MickeyBlog. Readers are encouraged to keep following along with us for further news and updates!
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