How Disneyland Could Reopen Sooner Than Expected

Opening Disneyland sooner than expected after the coronavirus outbreak will likely require the Anaheim theme parks to scan temperatures, employ virtual queues, bring back E-tickets, limit capacity, direct foot traffic, shorten visits, reduce riders, alter parades and a whole lot more.

While many hurdles lay ahead, Disneyland has every tool necessary to tackle the daunting challenge of reopening the park after the COVID-19 crisis.

Disney theme park operators are masters of crowd management. The post-coronavirus plans established by Disney theme parks could serve as best practices for other industries adapting to our forever-changed world. 

Disney’s U.S. theme parks remain closed until further notice amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Government officials won’t let Disney reopen the parks until they can be certain doing so won’t spread the virus. And Disney won’t reopen the gates until guests feel safe to return.

When the parks will reopen remains the great unknown. But how the parks will reopen is a question Disney’s operations teams are busy contemplating. (Though we can see a light at the end of the tunnel, we wrote yesterday about the potential reopening of Shanghai Disneyland very soon)

Disney’s theme parks face no shortage of problems. But instead of dwelling on the negative, let’s focus on some solutions. The good news is Disney has already dealt with nearly every one of the issues it will face in the post-COVID-19 era and has a toolbox full of time-tested solutions to address them.

Using Disneyland as an example, let’s take a closer look at the issues Disney theme parks will face in the post-coronavirus era and how to tackle them.

The Disneyland resort will almost certainly open in phases. Expect the shops and restaurants in Downtown Disney to reopen first, followed by the hotels and then the theme parks. It would make sense to open one of the Anaheim theme parks before the other. And for that first theme park to open in phases with limited attractions at first and new additions introduced as restrictions ease over time.

Who will come to Disneyland after the COVID-19 crisis begins to wane? There will be some people who want to be the first back in the reopened park. Others who won’t want to go anywhere near Disneyland until there is a coronavirus treatment or vaccine. And a range of people in between. The choice will be up to each person and vary depending on their individual circumstances.

Disneyland won’t be able to simply swing open its gates when the park reopens. After being closed for weeks or months, there’s no telling how many visitors might show up in the first days or weeks. Disneyland is expected to reduce its daily capacity when the park initially reopens to help maintain social distancing, much like restaurants and movie theaters did prior to the coronavirus closure of non-essential businesses in the U.S.

But like any business, reducing capacity will hurt Disney’s bottom line — negatively impacting the company’s ability to pay employees, cover costs and invest in future projects. Running a theme park is complex and expensive. Disney’s U.S. theme parks and resorts are losing an estimated $13 to $30 million per day during the coronavirus closures, according to financial analysts. 

So how can Disney make it financially feasible to reopen Disneyland during the initial phase of the post-COVID-19 era?

Disneyland attracts an estimated 51,000 visitors per day, according to the Themed Entertainment Association. Capping attendance at 15,000 visitors could help reduce crowding, shorten queues and allow for social distancing. 

While 15,000 visitors still sounds like a lot of people, keep in mind Disneyland is a big place spread out over more than 100 acres. The park could admit between 15,000 and 30,000 visitors while accommodating for 6 feet of social distancing per person, according to Touring Plans, which uses big data and statistical analysis to calculate daily theme park crowd sizes.

Limiting attendance to 15,000 visitors a day likely would not warrant reopening Disneyland from a financial standpoint. But there is a way to increase attendance without increasing crowding: Dayparting. The notion of dayparting is a familiar one in the restaurant industry — think breakfast, lunch and dinner. And Disney already has a model in place for just such an idea: After-hours special events.

Anyone who has ever been to a Disneyland After Dark or Oogie Boogie Bash event knows the capped crowds are lighter and the attractions queues are shorter — a perfect formula for post-coronavirus Disneyland. After-hours special events are extremely profitable in part because they let Disneyland charge twice for admission — once during the day and again at night. 

Each of the separate-admission Disneyland After Dark events begin at 5 or 6 p.m. and run until midnight or 1 a.m. Fans who attend the events typically pay more than $100 to visit a less crowded park for approximately 6 hours.

Limiting visitors to a 5- or 6-hour stay when the park reopens could allow Disneyland to create three sessions per day — morning, afternoon and evening. The morning session could run from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. with an afternoon session from 1 to 6 p.m. and an evening session from 6 to 11 p.m. Stretching the stays to 6 hours would require an hour overlap between sessions. Disney employed this strategy during the Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge previews. Graveyard shifts would still have time to deep clean the park each night after the three daily sessions.

Disney already uses dayparting. Tokyo Disney resort charges less for a “Starlight” ticket after 3 p.m. and an “Evening” ticket after 6 p.m. than a regular all-day ticket.

How much would guests be willing to pay to visit Disneyland for only part of the day? The Disneyland After Dark events run $109 — slightly more than the lowest-priced $104 all-day Disneyland ticket. Whether that’s worth it would be up to the customer to decide.

Temporarily moving to a special event model would require Disneyland to make the park reservation only when it first reopens. Disneyland did something similar when it limited guests with reservations to a 4-hour time limit during the soft opening of Galaxy’s Edge.

It would make sense to open the park in a dayparting mode first to annual passholders and then Southern California locals — especially if travel restrictions are in place. Disney could extend annual passes until the parks returned to normal operating hours. 

The first visitors returning to Disneyland after the COVID-19 pandemic wanes will be in for a completely different experience.

The priority in Disneyland’s post-coronavirus era will be to reduce lines, crowds and touchpoints. Signs will help mark off 6 feet of social distancing in queues — whether for attractions, food or bathrooms. Individuals, couples, families and small groups of friends will be encouraged to move through the resort with a cushion of space around them.

Temperature checks could be added to the metal detectors and bag inspections at security checkpoints. Proof of a coronavirus test via a contact tracing mobile app could potentially be necessary to enter the resort. Guests and cast members may need to wear protective masks and/or gloves. Disney executive chairman Bob Iger has mentioned all these potential precautions in press interviews.

Passengers traveling from the Disneyland parking areas would likely have to leave empty seats on the trams and buses to allow for social distancing or be asked to walk. The Disneyland monorail might be suspended until a later phase of the reopening when social distancing requirements become more relaxed.

Ticket booths could remain closed, or at least severely reduced, if all visits are scheduled and purchased in advance online. Virtual ticketing could be required during the first phase of Disneyland’s reopening.

Disney will almost certainly streamline the front gate entrance experience to make it as contactless and efficient as possible. Taking photos of ticket holders to reduce fraud could be suspended. Instead, guests could be instructed to attach a photo of themselves when they buy tickets online. Similarly, Disney World could suspend the front gate fingerprint scans in favor of briefer, touchless interactions.

Fortunately, Disney has a long history of crowd management expertise. From directing crowds during and after Fantasmic to allowing cross-traffic during parades to rerouting guests during crowded fireworks shows.

Traffic flow in the park will be a paramount concern for Disney in the post-Covid-19 era. Arriving Disneyland visitors could be directed to enter through the right portal under the train tracks. Exiting visitors could use the left portal. 

Main Street U.S.A. could operate like a real street with a division down the middle — either virtually or with tape on the ground or a rope line. The cinema side of the street could be reserved for northbound traffic heading toward Sleeping Beauty Castle. The arcade side of the street could be for southbound traffic bound for the exit. Disney could keep the backstage routes behind the shops open at all times to allow visitors to bypass Main Street U.S.A. traffic. 

The individual lands could be divided in similar ways. Dividing Tomorrowland for two-way traffic would be fairly easy. Fantasyland could be trickier. 

The central hub and town square could serve as one way roundabouts. Merging around the hub to and from the spokes would require exit lanes and onramps. Cast members could serve as traffic cops at busy intersections. It might make more sense for some lands like Galaxy’s Edge to have a single entry portal — just like the park did during previews for the land. 

Regardless of the traffic model, the goal would remain the same: Avoid mixing parties while maintaining social distancing.

Ride operators and guests will have to prepare for attractions accommodating fewer riders and having longer load times in the post-coronavirus era. Cast members could be tasked with cleaning the touchpoints on ride vehicles between each ride cycle — from the lapbars to the seats to the seatbelts. Attractions with 3D glasses might switch to 2D versions — if possible — as guests become more cautious about the spread of germs.

When it comes to attractions, the Disneyland app could become even more essential in the post-COVID-19 era. Disney experimented with app-based virtual queues with the opening of Galaxy’s Edge and Rise of the Resistance. Virtual queues could become necessary for virtually every attraction after the coronavirus crisis. 

Guests could be required to make advanced reservations for attractions before arriving at Disneyland. Disney World visitors already book FastPasses months in advance. The same model could be used at Disneyland, perhaps as part of booking a ticket in advance (or reserving a day in advance for passholders). 

Guests could select the attractions they would like to experience when they purchase tickets online. Each guest might be limited to 5 attractions — one each from a tiered A to E ticket-like menu.

Rather than scheduled ride times, push notifications via the Disneyland app could let visitors know when it is time to head over to the attraction. Disneyland has used similar untimed boarding groups for Rise of the Resistance.

Physical ride queues would need to be much longer while holding far fewer people. The goal would be to have enough riders in each attraction queue to allow for a steady dispatch of ride vehicles while maintaining social distancing. Markings on the ground could advise guests where to stand to maintain 6-foot spacing. Some queues could be extended without impeding pedestrian traffic. Disneyland utilized backstage space for the Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run queue when the attraction first debuted. Some attractions like Indiana Jones Adventure and It’s a Small World already have long queues that could be fully utilized.

Disneyland would need to make sure riders maintained 6 foot spacing while they were on the attractions as well. But when it comes to social distancing, all rides aren’t created equal. The doom buggies on the Haunted Mansion naturally allow for 6 feet of separation. The tightly-spaced troop transport vehicles on Indy might require riders to sit in every other row. The confined space of the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage could shutter the ride during the first phase of the Disneyland reopening.

Shows that draw large crowds could be shelved until later phases when social distancing rules are relaxed. Parades, fireworks and Fantasmic could take different forms during the first phase of reopening. Expect show times to disappear in favor of unscheduled entertainment. The perfect example: Kylo Ren’s seemingly impromptu entrance beneath the imposing Tie Fighter followed by a tour of Galaxy’s Edge.

Parades could be replaced with character cavalcades aboard Main Street U.S.A. vehicles. The Dapper Dans could sing on the Main Street trolley. Bands could play on barges plying the Rivers of America. The Fantasmic stage could play host to unscheduled live performances featuring set pieces from the nighttime spectacular. A brief and spontaneous burst of fireworks could paint the night sky as an abbreviated kiss goodnight.

Theater-based shows would likely need to restrict seating to every other row with 3 to 4 seats left empty between each group. The Fantasyland theater could serve as a home to any type of entertainment that might attract a modest-sized crowd — sufficiently spaced out in the outdoor venue’s seating area.

Character meet-and-greet would likely be put on hold initially. Character interactions could be more atmospheric: Princess Tiana leading a brass band through New Orleans Square, the Evil Queen dishing disdain as she parades through Fantasyland, Rey surreptitiously evading stormtroopers in Galaxy’s Edge.

Dining could also require a reservation via Disneyland’s mobile app — much the way Disney World restaurants book reservations months in advance. Restaurants would follow all the new guidelines laid out by local authorities — with changes like disposable silverware, single-use menus and fewer tables.

Shopping could also be restricted — with limits on the number of people allowed in a store at the same time.

The potential health and safety precautions outlined here would certainly change the Disneyland experience in the short term. Some of the restrictions would likely become permanent changes to the park. 

Deciding whether you want to visit Disneyland after the coronavirus outbreak will be based on a number of risk and safety factors that will be different for each person. But ultimately, deciding when to return to Disneyland will come down to whether you want to proclaim “I was there” or choose to say “I can wait.”

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