A drumbeat of social media posts suggests the Shanghai Disneyland theme park is preparing to reopen after a three month closure due to the world health crisis.

Social media posts from China show snaking queues, social distancing signs and simulated entry gate test runs at the Shanghai Disney resort.

 

The Shanghai Disney Resort was the first of Disney’s six global resorts to close in late January amid the coronavirus outbreak that has crippled business and forced millions to shelter in place around the world.

The Shanghai Disneyland Hotel and Disneytown shopping mall reopened March 9th with limited capacity and reduced hours. The Shanghai Disneyland theme park remains closed.

, Is Shanghai Disneyland Preparing to Reopen?!

Twitter user @gourmetdyy has posted a series of tweets since Monday that show a host of incremental steps taken by Shanghai Disneyland as the theme park prepares to reopen.

On Monday, @gourmetdyy tweeted that internal testing had begun on Shanghai Disneyland’s indoor theaters with cast members playing the role of visitors. Guests were seated in every other row with groups separated by several seats.

On Tuesday, @gourmetdyy tweeted that Shanghai Disneyland was testing parade performances and the nighttime castle light show.

On Wednesday, @gourmetdyy tweeted photos of simulated visitors taking part in a test of an updated ticket-taking process at the Shanghai Disneyland theme park front gate.

Later on Wednesday, @gourmetdyy tweeted photos of snaking queues erected from steel crowd control barricades at Shanghai Disneyland security checkpoints. Signs and black and yellow tape on the ground indicated where waiting visitors should not stand in order to maintain social distancing.

, Is Shanghai Disneyland Preparing to Reopen?!

None of the details in the tweets have yet been confirmed by Disney.

What could the possible reopening of Shanghai Disneyland mean for Disney’s U.S. theme parks?

The Shanghai Disney and Hong Kong Disney resorts have been closed for three months. The possible three-month timetable for a reopening of the Shanghai Disneyland theme park would suggest that Disney’s U.S. theme parks might begin preparing to reopen in mid-June. Disney parks in California and Florida have been closed for nearly six weeks due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Disney theme parks are expected to reopen in June following an extended coronavirus shutdown, according to an analysts report from J.P.Morgan.

Disney’s three Anaheim hotels have stopped accepting reservations before June 1 due to the coronavirus outbreak. 

The Disneyland app shows Disney’s two Anaheim parks “closed” through May 16 and as “schedule unavailable” through June 4.

The shuttering of Disneyland and Disney California Adventure on March 14 was preceded by closures of Disney parks in Shanghai, Hong Kong and Japan and followed by closures of Disney resorts in Florida and France.

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Opportunity Knocks! 

Special comeback rates are now available at some of your favorite Anaheim hotels and are discounted up to $100 off their regular nightly rates. 

, Is Shanghai Disneyland Preparing to Reopen?!

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Give your family something to look forward to: 
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Let’s Hear From You!

Does it look to you like Shanghai Disneyland is about to reopen? What do you think that means for the timetable for Disneyland and Walt Disney World to reopen? 

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Brady MacDonald
Brady MacDonald
Brady MacDonald is a freelance writer based in California. He wrote the Funland theme park blog for the Los Angeles Times for a decade. His work has appeared in the Chicago Tribune, New York Newsday, Philadelphia Inquirer, Seattle Times, Orlando Sentinel and Orange County Register.