Happy Star Wars Day, everyone! Today’s Disneyland Update examines the reopening of the theme parks, which may not be so very far, far, away. . . and it all starts with a chicken. Stick with me, it will all make sense in a moment. Whether you think it’s too soon or too far away, this disturbance in the Force is leading toward change . . .
Not When, But How . . .
We still don’t know exactly when the theme parks will reopen, but thanks to a coalition of theme parks in San Diego, we do know what that reopening may look like. Theme parks in San Diego plan to reopen when the state of California reaches Stage 3 of the 4 phase plan to get the economy going again.
Stage 1 is what we are in right now, with only essential businesses open and most of us sheltering at home. Stage 2 will allow lower-risk businesses to reopen, but strict social distancing will be maintained. Stage 3 will allow most businesses to reopen with safety practices still in place, except for large events, concerts, conventions, etc. Stage 4 won’t come until reliable therapeutics are available.
We had been unclear if the Disney parks would fall into Stage 3 or 4 until the San Diego parks clearly stated that they would reopen in Stage 3.
But that reopening won’t look like the parks you know. Attendance will be extremely limited, you’ll be subjected to masks and other safety procedures, and the parks themselves will be altered to keep guests at as much distance as possible.
The guidelines agreed upon by the San Diego parks, including masks, wellness checks, distancing, cleaning, and capacity restrictions are linked in the article below:
Six Flags Reopening Plans
It’s not just the San Diego parks looking to open. Some Six Flags parks could be reopened by mid-May or as soon thereafter as possible according to CEO Michael Spanos. He expects that it will take two to three weeks for those first parks to be be prepared for guests. Like the San Diego plans, when customers return, they’ll be expected to wear face masks and submit to temperature checks. The parks will reduce their attendance capacity, implement virtual queueing & mobile ordering, have guests pay via cashless transactions, and the ubiquitous social distancing and sanitation procedures will be in force everywhere.
Of course, Six Flags will take its guidance from the states and local officials for the areas their parks are located. That makes it much more likely that parks in states which are reopening their economies will be the first to open their gates. Don’t expect Six Flags Magic Mountain to open in the next few weeks but parks like Six Flags in St. Louis might.
Florida Theme Park Guidelines
In Orange County Florida, the Economic Recovery Task Force has come up with some guidelines for reopening large theme parks. Their recommendations are less defined than the San Diego plans but outline the basics of what must be done. You can expect both Disney and Universal to fill in the blanks with extensive additional procedures designed to keep you and their employees safe:
- There must be tape marking off six feet of distance in attraction lines.
- Staff will be required to regularly sanitize surfaces.
- Staff who are 65 or older are encouraged to stay at home.
- All employees are required to wear face masks
- There must be touchless hand sanitizer at each ticketing and ride entry/exit
- Staff will have required temperature checks prior to their shift. If a staff member has a temperature of 100.4 or higher, they will not be allowed to enter the park.
- All railings and surfaces must be wiped down after every use.
Phase one for reopening the parks has been recommended at 50% capacity, which is consistent with guidelines that other parks and travel associations have outlined.
We’d like to note that neither the Orange County Florida guidelines, nor the San Diego guidelines have been approved by their states, but final state-approved plans are very likely to fall along these lines.
Today also brings the reopening of some attractions in Florida as well:
Entertainment Reopenings at Holiday World and Orlando Pave the Way for New Normal
Which Came First, The Chicken or the Egg?
The very first theme park openings are nearly upon us. But the early signs of opening are already here, even in Southern California. Knott’s Berry Farm will reopen it’s Chicken-To-Go and Bakery in the Marketplace shops area just outside the park tomorrow (May 5th). The table-service Mrs. Knott’s Chicken dinner restaurant remains closed, but we still think it’s a hopeful sign that SoCal’s first theme park offering to return is something so delicious.
You can read all about what’s on the menu and how to place an order at this link:
Knott’s From Above
As long as we are on the topic of Knott’s, we have some amazing photos of the park. Our friend and photographer, Mike Kindrich (find him on Facebook HERE), has shared images with us that show that the park is still hard at work.
Knott’s continues to work on their park. You can see work trucks in the pathways.
And scaffolds are up on the facade of the Voyage to the Iron Reef as it is transformed into a Bear-y Tales homage for the park’s 100th anniversary this summer.
Nearby, the bumper car building is being re-roofed. You can see the roofers working in the image below (photo taken just a week ago).
There’s even some construction going on for a new Halloween maze behind Xcelerator. This was previously the spot for Shadowlands, which was announced to be in its final season in 2019. We are looking forward to hearing what the new maze will be . . . and confirmation that the Haunt will even return in 2020.
Knott’s Soak City was captured as well. Nothing really new here.
But it looks like the Wave Pool could use a paint job to hide those nasty rust stains.
Let’s Face It . . .
Disney began selling protective face masks this past week. It was just a blip in the news, but it foretells a period of time to come when guests will be asked to wear face masks in the theme parks. Disney offering their own masks allows them to put a less scary facade on a park filled with mask-wearing guests. We applaud the effort, even if we know it will be an uncomfortable experience.
Checking On The Horses
Disneyland President, Rebecca Campbell, checked up on the park’s horses this week at Circle D Ranch.
When Galaxy’s Edge displaced Disneyland’s backstage ranch, the park built a new one out in Norco, CA. In 2018 they gave a tour of the ranch to some local senior citizens. You might enjoy seeing the new digs of the happiest horses on earth:
Fantasmic Fun
Have you seen the video of the young man who recreated a scene from Fantasmic in his backyard? (If you haven’t, press play below and wait for the end)
Our own junior reporter, Lindalee Rose, interviews the Disney Fantasmic Family:
Celebrating Star Wars Day – MiceChat Reader Photos
Although the calendar may read May 4, all Star Wars fans know it’s really Star Wars day (but somehow still unofficial). To celebrate the love of Disney and Star Wars, we asked our MiceChat Facebook group to share their favorite photos of Star Wars at Disneyland. We had an overwhelming response this week, and there were a lot of great ones we’re excited to show you. Some of the photos featured here are from a long, long time ago from a galaxy not so far away, and others are reminders of what is waiting for us when Disneyland reopens.
Season of the Force and Tomorrowland
When Star Wars Episode VII – The Force Awakens premiered in 2015, Disneyland planned a huge celebration across the resort called Season of the Force. It unveiled the rethemed Star Wars Launch Bay and the Hyperspace Mountain overlay, along with a slew of other Star Wars-themed offerings.
Hyperspace Mountain was a highlight of the celebration.
Star Tours
It’s no surprise we love Star Tours. It’s been entertaining guests since 1987 for good reason!
Galaxy’s Edge
We can’t celebrate Star Wars Day without taking a trip through Batuu. It’s crazy to believe that Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge opened last year! We’ve got a few shots of the chaos of the land’s opening day, as well as some showcasing how beautiful the land can be.
As much as we love watching fireworks from Sleeping Beauty Castle, watching them from Galaxy’s Edge is as close to them as you can possibly get. Although there’s no music piped in for the show, the dazzling display of lights certainly makes up for it.
Finally, it’s not a real MiceChat Disneyland Update unless there’s a castle photo. This particular photo was taken during the 2018 Disneyland After Dark Star Wars Nite. Disneyland jumps to hyperspace!
Thank you all for sharing your photos with us! We’re very grateful to our readers for helping make the magic. We’ve got a special theme lined up for next week for our reader photo section, so be sure to keep your eyes open for the announcement in our MiceChat Facebook group!
Time For Some Hope
All this talk of reopenings has us wanting to make some plans. Special comeback rates are now available at some of your favorite Anaheim hotels, which are discounted up to $100 off their regular nightly rates.
Our travel partners at Get Away Today are here to help you with your theme park shutdown concerns and rescheduling plans. We know you’re as uncertain about the future as we are. That’s why Get Away Today is offering the most flexible Disney travel options available:
Price Protection – If a better special comes out after you have booked, you’ll get the better deal.
Peace of Mind – Make hotel changes, reschedule dates, drop nights, change ticket vouchers and more, as many times as you’d like for a small, one-time fee.
Layaway Plan – Lock in your 2020 or 2021 Disneyland Resort vacation for just $175 down. By booking early, you secure your availability and have the flexibility to pay as you go. Make as many interest-free payments as you’d like, whenever you’d like, with final payment due just seven days prior to travel.
Give your family something to look forward to:
Visit Get Away Today HERE Or fill out a request form and they’ll call you back: Vacation Information Request Form HERE
Let’s Hear From You
How do you feel about the more or less consistent approach several parks and organizations are taking toward theme park reopening procedures? Would you wear a mask, even if it has a goofy mouse nose on it? Glad to see the horses of Circle D Ranch are being well cared for? Which parks do you think will open first, and how much of a challenge will it be to visit them?
And THANK YOU to all of you who shared photos for Star Wars Day! You really helped make this update out of this world!
Looking For A Little More Theme Park Fun?
We have a number of other articles you might enjoy. If you’ve got a few more minutes, please enjoy the following.
Let’s start with the fascinating story about Disneyland’s famous dinosaurs, where they came from, and who they inspired . . .
Disneyland Revealed: The Amazing Story Behind Disneyland’s Dinosaurs
The MiceChat crew chats with theme park professor Bill Zanetti about the current state of affairs for the parks . . .
And if you need a little something to commemorate Star Wars Day, there’s likely a thing or two in this article that will fit the bill . . .
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