It’s been just nine days since we said farewell to our beloved Disneyland. So much has changed in the world since that time. There’s so much pain and uncertainty out in the world right now. Which is why we are going to continue bringing you Disney news, fun, and entertainment throughout the day, every day, for as long as you need us. We’re here for you and we’re going to keep helping you scratch that Disneyland itch.
Today, we’ll recap what we know about park shutdowns and why Disney hasn’t announced extensions to their closures. We’ll explore what life is like in Anaheim and what has happened to all the businesses in Downtown Disney and around the Disneyland Resort. And we’ll leave you with a virtual spring visit to Disneyland. It’s not exactly like being there, but it’s better than nothing under the circumstances!
How Much Longer Will Disneyland Remain Closed?
When they initially announced that the Disneyland Resort would be closing, Disney gave an optimistic reopening date of April 1st. But we’d all be April Fools if we believed that was even remotely possible. So, why did Disney get so many hopes up, and why haven’t they announced an extension to the closure even though California will likely be on lockdown for quite some time?
The simple answer is that Disney was in a rush to get the parks closed, reschedule vacations, deal with a million logistical concerns, and announcing a longer closure would have overwhelmed their limited ability to manage guest, cast, and vendor concerns. They will have to make some announcements this week due to contract stipulations regarding cast member scheduling, and to allow those booked for the 1st and beyond some time to reschedule their plans. But they are just as likely to kick the can down the road for another two weeks to a month, rather than making the closure “Indefinite.” Each time the closure is extended, there will be another wave of vacations that will need to be canceled or rescheduled, and Disney doesn’t want to scare off all of their upcoming travelers, nor do they want to overwhelm their ability to help those needing vacation assistance.
Normally, cast schedules for many departments would have been posted last Friday. Many were waiting to see if Disney would either post schedules for April 1st or announce a delay. But Disney missed that posting, leaving the cast and Union confused as to what Disney’s plans are. Disney did tell Union reps that they had not yet made a decision. For Local 50 castmembers, the last day Disney can get away with posting their schedule would be this coming Wednesday. We hope to hear more from Disney by that date so the cast and guests with vacations scheduled aren’t left twisting in the wind.
However, it would be highly unlikely that Disney would be allowed to reopen the parks on the 1st. Cases are just starting to balloon in Los Angeles and Orange County areas. With an incubation period of up to 2 weeks, it would take a miracle for Disney to reopen as early as April 1st, the state will likely still be under stay at home orders for quite some time.
Knott’s Berry Farm recently announced an extension to their closure through “mid-May.” That sounds a lot more reasonable, but even that date was left with a question mark by Knott’s: “or as soon thereafter as possible.” That seems like a reasonable and prudent statement to us and perhaps a model for Disney to emulate. Give a suggested reopening date, but without a promise.
For a general idea about how long Disneyland may remain closed, we could look at Shanghai Disneyland. They were forced to close at the end of January. While Shanghai is still closed, they have begun to reopen their hotel and shopping district. If that holds, we could possibly see a similarly phased reopening of Disneyland in about two months, if it’s safe to do so.
What is Happening With Cast Members?
The flip side of canceled guest vacations is disrupted cast member schedules. While Disney’s employees will be paid through the end of March, tipped cast members are not being paid an average of their normal tips. Which leaves some of Disney’s best employees hurting for rent money. And College Program (and other special program) cast members have been terminated entirely.
Only essential staff are scheduled at the resort with a few more on call in case they are needed. But construction and refurbishments all appear to be halted.
Disney is a publicly-traded company that is bleeding money from nearly all of its business units right now. Unless something changes fast, it’s highly likely that they’ll have no choice but to cut costs, freeze spending and hiring, and begin aggressive layoffs.
Meanwhile, Disney has announced plans to raise up to 6 BILLION dollars in a new debt offering. They intend to use the funds raised to pay for general business expenses, including paying off other debt. That’s a bit like getting a new high-limit credit card to pay your bills and make payments on your other credit cards.
Disney explained the need for the offering in its Securities and Exchange Commission filing:
“We have closed our theme parks; suspended our cruises and theatrical shows; delayed theatrical distribution of films both domestically and internationally; and experienced supply chain disruption and ad sales impacts. In addition there has been a disruption in creation and availability of content we rely on for our various distribution paths, including most significantly the cancellation of certain sports events and the shutting down of production of most film and television content.”
Will the intake of debt be enough to keep the wolves at bay? The prospects of Disney having to seek a deep pocket suitor or allow itself to be bought outgrow with its falling stock price. Disney is currently trading at about half its 52 week high.
Could this make Disney an attractive takeover target? There are several companies we can think of who might be interested in such a deeply discounted prize. We recently wrote about a possible Apple takeover of Disney. Disney has fallen even further in price since:
Apple-Disney? Massive Stock Drop Could Open Door For Acquisition
Is the Anaheim Resort District Still Operating?
For the most part, the resort district is a ghost town. Not just the Disneyland Resort, but the whole area around it. Last week, there were a few hold-out hotels near Disneyland with a guest or two each. But the cost of running a large hotel with front desk, housekeeping, management, and bookkeepers, is overwhelming. With Californian’s ordered to stay home and not travel except for urgent matters, there’s sadly no need for open hotels near the theme parks for the time being.
We’ve been watching the HoJo Mattercam just for a glimpse of the parks now that we are safely nestled away in bio-Chamber of the MiceChat secret lair.
We did catch this sweet message on the cam late last week that someone wanted the world to see:
MiceChat Podcast
Don’t miss our hour+ long Disney Podcast from Doug, Chloé, Logan, and myself! We discuss the closure of the parks, what it means, and how we think it might change the theme park experience in the future.
The Good News Corner
Shortly after Disneyland announced that they would be closing, they revealed that they would be donating perishable food items to a local food bank. It turns out that they had 58,090 pounds of food to give, that’s 38,726 meals! Second Harvest and Disney produced a short video about the donation:
See how @DisneyParks are supporting local communities by donating surplus food to Second Harvest Food Banks during temporary closures: https://t.co/PJDvKaOMWx pic.twitter.com/eFwAdim8lp
— Disneyland Resort (@Disneyland) March 17, 2020
This is What Spring is SUPPOSED to Look Like at Disneyland!
What’s particularly difficult for me is that I won’t get to experience spring at the Disneyland Resort this year. No egg hunt, no time to enjoy the Pink Lapacho trees around the hub, no hand-crafted chocolate Easter Eggs. But, we are blessed with years of memories. I’ve pulled a few images to remind us of the season. It’s no replacement for the real thing, but it sure does spark the memory, doesn’t it?!
Think pink . . . when I think of Disneyland at this time of year, this is the color that springs to mind. . .
Sadly, no egg hunt this year . . .
The bromeliads and anthuriums in full bloom around Tarzan’s Treehouse.
Even Splash Mountain in full bloom. . .
No flowers for Space Mountain, but I love it, so here it is anyway . . .
The Monorails were wrapped for Mickey’s 90th, and stayed that way.
Final Walkthrough of Disneyland
Missing the parks? We know you are. Join me on my final walkthrough of Disneyland. There’s over an hour of video here, so I hope it helps keep you company for a while:
We were just about the last people to leave the park on the final day. We imagine that the park looks a lot like this right now . . . but probably with fewer lights on . . .
We’ve Got This!
SUPPORT SMALL BUSINESS. Our travel partners at Get Away Today are here to help you with your theme park shutdown concerns and rescheduling plans. We’ll get through this together. And when this difficult time subsides, you’ll have earned a nice vacation. Give your family something to look forward to and put a vacation on layaway (and lock in current low rates) today with Get Away Today- HERE
Let’s Hear From You
After nearly 20 years of doing this, it feels so strange to be sitting on the couch at home. I can almost hear the call of the Mark Twain whistle . . . Dusty . . . when are you coming back? Don’t worry, old friend. I’ll see you soon.
We’d like your help. Next week, we’ll bring you a news update as usual, but we’d like to feature favorite YOUR favorite Disneyland photos. The theme of next week will be the best on-ride photos. If you’ve taken a great photo on a Disneyland Resort attraction, please send to: [email protected] (Be sure to include what name to credit for the photo and let us know if there’s any special info we should include about the circumstances of the photo). We look forward to seeing what you come up with and thank you for your help!
Thank you for continuing to read the site and for interacting with us in the comments and on our social accounts. Our staff has been meeting daily to come up with new ideas to help keep you informed and entertained through this crisis. Keep us bookmarked and let us know if you have special requests, ideas, or want to help!
Stay safe everyone.
“Even miracles take a little time.” – Fairy Godmother from “Cinderella”
You must be logged in to post a comment.