The Latest Updates On Disneyland’s April 30th Reopening
We are officially one month away from Disneyland Resort’s official reopening and to mark the occasion we here at MickeyBlog thought we’d share with you a quick rundown of what we now so far about these reopening plans!
Image Credit; Disney
What Are Disneyland’s Re-Opening Plans?
Both of Disneyland’s two Californian theme parks will remain open on April 30th. The announcement was made on March 17th. Similar to what we’ve seen at Walt Disney World, guests will need a park pass reservation IN ADDITION TO a ticket for the days you intend to visit the parks. However, Disneyland HAS YET to unveil the new system.
We do know that cast members are back at work at the moment and are test rides this month ahead of the reopening in 30-days time.
Why Now?
After a year of waiting, Disneyland was finally given the green light (of sorts) to reopen by the Governors office in California on March 5th. This was due to Southern California shifting to the “red tier” of reopening plans which go into effect tomorrow (April 1st.) As long as Orange County stays in this tier or below (no more than 7 new daily cases per 100,000 people and positive test rates no higher than 8%.) According to the piece in CNET as of today, Orange County is sitting at 2.8 new coronavirus cases per day per 100,000 people with 1.7% positive rates on testing.
If you’ve been following along with MickeyBlog, you’ll know that Disneyland first announced plans to reopen last year (on July 17, 2020) to celebrate its 65th Anniversary. However, due to a surge in COVID-19 cases, Disney needed to backtrack on plans.
California Residents Only
But as CNET points out, don’t go booking those flights to Los Angeles just yet. Disney has said that upon reopening Disneyland attendance will be capped and initially restricted to California residents only. No news yet on how this will be enforced.
A Touch of Disney – A Soft Opening
Disney California Adventure is currently having a soft opening of sorts with its A Touch of Disney event. This limited capacity ticketed event will take place on select dates until April 19th at California Adventure and runs from noon until 8pm. The event, which sold out within hours of tickets going on sale costs $75 a person and includes unlimited PhotoPass and a $25 dining card toward food and nonalcoholic drinks.
The event includes special food & drinks, character encounters, merchandise and photo ops. Around 1,000 cast members were able to come back to work as a result of Disney holding the event. However, it should be noted that no rides or attractions are open during A Touch of Disney.
Some of the reopened restaurants include:
- Smokejumpers Grill
- Adorable Showman Frosted Treats
- Award Wieners
- Cocina Cucamonga
- Carthay Circle Lounge
- Lamplight Lounge
In addition, there are six marketplaces serving up special snacks created especially for this exclusive event!
Characters to be on the lookout for during your visit include:
- Mickey Mouse
- Goofy
- Max Goof
- Chip and Dale
- Lightning McQueen
- Joy
- Sadness
Image Credit: Disney
Downtown Disney is Open
For those without tickets to A Touch of Disney, it should be noted that Downtown Disney, Disneyland’s shopping and dining district remains open and has been since July 9th. As of going to print, ALL shopping and dining locations at Downtown Disney are open with the exception of Disneyland’s three onsite hotels. A new Star Wars Trading Post has also opened up in the former home of the Rainforest cafe.
For parking, guests should got to the Simba parking lot and must meet health & safety precautions including temperature screening and mandatory use of facemask. Downtown Disney remains open to guests from 10 am – 8 pm on weekdays and 9pm on weeknights.
Disneyland cancels and refunds annual passes
We announced at the start of 2021 that Disney will be cancelling annual passes and will be giving the entire passholder scheme a “rethink.” Disney President Ken Potrock said earlier this year, “Due to the continued uncertainty of the pandemic and limitations around the reopening of our California theme parks, we will be issuing appropriate refunds for eligible Disneyland Resort Annual Passports and sunsetting the current program.”
We’re told that Disney is developing new membership offerings and that those that had annual passes that were active on March 14, 2020 are called “Legacy Passholders” and will be offered special discounts at Disney shopping and dining destinations.
(Disney)
Why was Disney World allowed to reopen in 2020?
Disney was permitted to reopen the Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Epcot and Hollywood Studios in July last year due to Florida’s less-strict state and local guidelines.
The Orlando Disney parks have social distancing and wellness measures, including temperature screenings, wearing masks, keeping guests six feet apart while lining up for attractions and a guest reservation system to limit capacity. Fireworks have also been suspended.
Disney Springs shopping and dining area reopened on May 20 with limited parking, fewer entrances, temperature screening before entry, masks required, physically distanced lines and barriers, reduced hours, no entertainment and more sanitization and disinfectant. Disney-owned stores and restaurants in Disney Springs began reopening May 27.
Image Credit: Disney
Layoffs across the US theme parks business
Vacationers aren’t the only ones affected by Disneyland’s continuing closure. Disney announced on Sept. 29 that it would lay off 28,000 US employees, citing reduced capacity at its theme parks due to social distancing requirements, as well as California’s “unwillingness to lift restrictions that would allow Disneyland to reopen.”
In an SEC filing on Nov. 26, Disney revealed it would be laying off an additional 4,000 employees, for 32,000 total.
Disneyland reached an agreement with 11 unions representing its workers as of Oct. 14, according to the Orange County Register, so that it’s ready to open immediately as soon as permitted. The California Health and Human Services Agency reportedly sent state health officials to assess Disney World in Florida during the
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Source: CNET
