Disneyland should be weeks—if not days—away from a long-awaited announcement!
All signs point to a mid-July reopening of Disneyland and Disney California Adventure, predicted by cast members who are starting to return to work after a near-two-month furlough.
Since the start of May, the talk had been that Disney was targeting a July 1 restart. But the pace of both the activity inside the berm and the state of California’s easing of restrictions, as well as the cautious timeline set for Walt Disney World all suggest opening at least two weeks later. The several cast members I contacted have all pointed to July 17—Disneyland’s 65th anniversary—as a logical (and fitting) possibility. (Members of the park’s first-year Club 55 share that in recent days they’ve been contacted for interviews, but not for any in-person celebrations, as they traditionally have been.)
As well, Disney—which had been accepting reservations at its Anaheim hotels for stays beginning July 1—has just pushed back its earliest reservations to July 16.
Last week, WDW issued a 45-day advance notice that it would reopen two of its Florida theme parks on July 11 and the other two four days later.
Disney World Update: Everything We Know About the Reopening of the Parks
It makes sense that WDW would need a longer lead time, being so much larger than Disneyland, with triple the workforce, 25 hotels, nine Disney Vacation Club properties, a clientele skewed to out-of-towners, and a state government disposed to reopening more quickly.
In sizing up the condition of the locked-down Disneyland Resort, returning cast members estimate it will take the company closer to 30 days to open the gates once they pin down a date. Remember, there are areas in Disneyland that for over a month didn’t even have a human walk through them. I’d wager that facilities like the Emporium—pre-lockdown—had not enjoyed a single uninhabited day in their entire 65-year existence.
As one insider shared with me days before the troops started returning from furlough: “The park is filthy. The kitchens, restaurants, stores and attractions are covered in a thin layer of dust. The kitchens and restaurants will have to be thoroughly cleaned before accepting any food deliveries.”
Everything will be sanitized. New systems and safety procedures will be installed. Markers will be placed throughout every queue for social distancing. Mothballed machinery will have to be tested. Returning workers will have to be trained.
The Disneyland Resort officially employs 23,000. For more than six weeks, it had scaled back to an on-site workforce of about 300. A bare-bones Custodial crew kept the backstage trashcans and cast member restrooms clean. Landscaping workers watered the grass and trimmed overgrown trees. All flower beds were dug up and left bare.
A skeleton Maintenance staff checked in on certain attractions, making sure the electricity and water were running, even if vehicles weren’t cycling through. In Foods, a few chefs monitored the temperatures of the freezers and refrigerators. A small number of Security officers patrolled the property to make sure everything was secure and keep out unwanted visitors. The Fire Department continued to monitor any fire alarms on property. A few cast members opened up the Costuming Building each morning, to supply fresh costumes and accept deliveries.
The numbers have finally begun to change. About two weeks ago, construction workers were back at work on Mickey’s Runaway Railway and Avengers Campus.
Rehab work on the Haunted Mansion is expected to resume this week.
Early last week, Horticulture returned to replanting flowers around the Hub. Cast members in Tomorrowland were spotted trying to figure out how to reorganize the queues. Merchandise managers were checking all the stores in both parks. Maintenance began cycling some of the rides.
Work has yet to resume on rebuilding the Frontierland entrance bridge. That project will take about a week to complete, so when that restarts, assume we’re getting close.
Internally, the countdown to Disneyland’s comeback has begun.
I cannot wait.
Make Future Magic
Theme parks will reopen, and there’s no better time to lock in low rates on future travel. Special comeback rates are now available at some of your favorite theme park hotels – 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!
Have you forgotten what a Dole Whip tastes like? Are you ready to Yo Ho, come out to socialize, and find your laughing place? What do you miss most about Disneyland, and what do you hope they can get done in time for reopening?
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