Disneyland Delays Reservations Another Month
Disneyland’s potential reopening has been pushed back for at least another month, given new booking options for hotel and dining reservations. In this post, we’ll share details and how this squares with recent announcements by Disney, California’s four-stage reopening plan, plus info about San Diego’s Attractions Reopening Plan.
Via the Disneyland app and website, the earliest date resort and restaurant reservations may now be booked is July 1, 2020. This new date also is now reflected in the revised “Temporary Closure of Disneyland Resort” bulletin. Previously, guests could book new hotel stays and dining beginning June 1, 2020.
While this is not an official announcement that Disneyland and Disney California Adventure won’t reopen in June, it strongly suggests that. With that said, it should not be construed as definitive confirmation that Disneyland and DCA will open on July 1, 2020. As we’ve noted, all booking timeframes are tentative and based upon internal targets. In our view, July 1 represents the best-case potential opening date, which squares with updates coming out of California…
This also comes a day after the Disney Parks Chief Medical Officer Announced Health Considerations to Reopen Disney World & Disneyland. As we noted there, that plan was likely detailed because of Shanghai Disneyland, and should not be construed as a sign that the United States theme parks’ opening is imminent.
Speaking of Shanghai, Disney also officially announced that Shanghai Disneyland Will Reopen Next Week With Limited Capacity & Health Measures. Even if you have zero plans or desire to ever visit mainland China, that article is worth checking out because it contains protocol particulars, as well as reductions in entertainment, nighttime spectaculars, and more.
Again, it’s almost certain that procedures used there will need to be “localized” for the predominantly American audiences at Walt Disney World and Disneyland, but it’s still a fascinating window into what’s happening elsewhere. Some of those policies will likely be identically replicated at the US Disney Parks. Others almost certainly will not.
Back to California, Governor Gavin Newsom announced during a recent press conference that the state will move into Stage 2 of the state’s four-phase reopening plan by the end of this week, per the Los Angeles Times.
Stage 2 will allow for the reopening of retail, manufacturing, and other “low-risk” businesses, including an array of pickup options and other retailers can start reopening Friday if new physical-distancing measures are implemented. (New guidelines are expected to be released soon.)
Additionally, California has announced that some stay-at-home rules will be modestly eased later this week. Other rules will remain, including the requirement to wear a face mask or other covering while on trails and when running errands, wash hands throughout the day, and stay six feet away from people who don’t live with you.
As part of the process, localities will have more autonomy in deciding the speed of their reopening. The Bay Area has decided to reopen slowly, as a faster approach there could cause new outbreaks and exacerbate issues. By contrast, rural counties with few or no cases will be empowered to reopen more quickly.
There is no established timeline for when California will move on to Stages 3 and 4. The next stage will encompass “higher risk” businesses and gatherings that include close contact. These businesses would need to make adaptations to operate, while also imposing limits on the size of gatherings.
Stage 4 is when the “highest risk” venues such as concerts, conventions, and live-audience sports would reopen. In his recent comments, Governor Newsom has not offered a revised timeline for subsequent stages. Previously, he indicated Stage 3 was months away, and Stage 4 would “require therapeutics.”
It remains unclear where Disneyland and Disney California Adventure fit into the state’s reopening plan, and Newsom has not clarified thus far. Although less so than in Florida, Disney is still crucial to California’s economy, and is one of the state’s 5 largest employers.
For a few hours prior to Disneyland announcing the parks would close, Governor Newsom controversially called Disneyland “a nation-state,” and exempted the theme park operator from closure requirements. It should go without saying, but a lot has changed since then.
A plain reading of California’s reopening plan would suggest Disneyland’s parks fall into the final phase, which could occur in 2021. To avoid this fate, other California attractions are taking precautionary measures and making adjustments to pave the way for reopening in Stage 3.
The San Diego Tourism Authority has released its own Attractions Re-Opening Plan for Legoland California, SeaWorld San Diego, San Diego Zoo & Safari Park, and more. We highly recommend giving that document a read. It almost certainly offers insight into some of the plans Disneyland will implement to reopen. Unlike Shanghai Disneyland, San Diego is located not just in the United States, but in California…so these measures should be very similar to what’s done at Disneyland.
In its summary section, the San Diego Attractions Re-Opening Plan states that it was developed in coordination with expert epidemiologists and is designed to protect guests and employees.
The plan is a “living document” that will be adjusted as needed based on the implementation of new programs, guidance from the CDC or mandates from federal, state and local government agencies.
As you can see from the screenshots, there are a lot of commonalities between San Diego’s plan and the one Disney will be utilizing at Shanghai Disneyland. In addition to it being unclear whether Disneyland will implement the same or substantially similar policies, it remains to be seen whether California will deem these measures satisfactory for theme parks to reopen in Stage 3.
Ultimately, this still doesn’t offer certainty about when Disneyland and Disney California Adventure will reopen. It probably does rule out June 2020, so there’s that. It’s also promising (we think) that California is moving in Stage 2 this week. Likewise, that San Diego’s Tourism Authority has set forth a plan that would allow its parks to reopen in Stage 3. This at least opens the door for Disneyland Resort to reopen at some point this summer…even though that happening is still pretty far from a sure thing at this point. Incremental progress, but progress nonetheless!
If you’re preparing for a Disneyland trip, check out our other planning posts, including how to save money on Disneyland tickets, our Disney packing tips, tips for booking a hotel (off-site or on-site), where to dine, and a number of other things, check out our comprehensive Disneyland Vacation Planning Guide!
YOUR THOUGHTS
Do you think Disneyland Resort will reopen on July 1, 2020 or at some point this summer? If not, what’s your predicted timeframe? Halloween? Christmas? Do you think the measures set out in the San Diego Attractions Re-Opening Plan will be utilized at Disneyland and Disney California Adventure? Any questions we can help you answer? Keep comments respectful, apolitical, and on topic. Anything not following these requirements will be removed, as will excessive back and forth arguments.
We were planning on a birthday trip to Disneyland in October for several days. We have not bought tickets. We will have to travel to get there. Can someone clarify for me: can you buy park tickets for specific dates? Is that how Disney will maintain capacity control? I’m confused by the talk about reservations. Thanks!
My concern is making my family wear masks most of us are disabled and the masks over heat us way to fast , so then what are we not aloud to go because we can’t wear masks without being in danger of passing out
Let us know is stage 4
Do you think they will start limiting crowd count throughout the rest of the year when they do open? If so, could they possibly move people out based on when the booked to control crowds? I am booked dor 7 days in October.
I called today about our Disneyland checkin of June 30th. I was told by the CM that the resorts were already to capacity for June and therefore they could not take any more reservations. She told me to hold on to my June 30th check in until we get another announcement. I think it is optimistic to think that it will be open by then but it’s something to consider.
Changed our dates from mid june to mid August, hope it works as everything is paid for
We rescheduled our June 13th to August 13th, 2020 hoping it will work as we are taking our 9yr old granddaughter & hopefully it will happen.
Is it reasonable to imply that WDW will be opening in June? We have a package beginning on the 8th for my little one’s 8th birthday…..just completed final payment and the cast member just kept repeating, “We have no information at this time, please check the WDW site.”
Sorry for all of those with Cali Disneyland trips!
“Is it reasonable to imply that WDW will be opening in June?”
I would say that it’s not unreasonable…which is to say maybe, but maybe not. It’s now appearing more likely that Walt Disney World will reopen before Disneyland, but that doesn’t necessarily mean June at this point. It just isn’t out of the question yet.
We have already rescheduled our trip from June to October. I hope it happens, if not we have plan B. We were hoping for the Oogie Boogie Bash since we didn’t go to it last year when we were there, but if not, it’s not a big deal. I’m not big into the parades and fireworks, so for me, that is not a deal breaker. But no character meet n greet???? No way. It’s not worth the money just to ride some rides. Granted, there are some really cool rides, but we were wanting to ride RofR in Star Wars land that we missed out on last year and The Avengers Land, which may or may not be open by then. So to spend all that money??? Maybe Plan B to Alaska would be better!!
My hope would be that by the fall, Disney will be able to find a meet & greet workaround. Something like the elevated “selfie spots” that runDisney has used might be a good work-around to ensure social distancing.
With that said, if Alaska is on your bucket list and it’s this year or next for Disney…I’d probably play it safe and pick next year. Alaska sounds about perfect for our present circumstances.
Yes, it does. And, it is also cheaper for a week in Alaska than Disney???!!!
There’s no way to be sure about this, but if I had to place a bet, I’d place it on August. I’d bet as well (without having been forced to), however, that the number of new cases then will still be substantial (more than 1000 a day), and so I’m sadly probably going to have to cancel my trip scheduled for early September.
This virus is known to be highly transmissible and can pass even with safe distancing, wearing of masks, and regular washing of hands. The experience in Asia has clearly shown this.
Having said that, the above measures help substantially – especially stay-home orders – but with much lower rates of compliance in the US, there has been no clearly discernible trend of reduction in new cases for the past month already. At best, there is consistency. As more and more states reopen nonetheless, it is difficult to believe that the numbers will go down.
Whatever the case, I hope that Disney will require the wearing of masks by guests even in the Anaheim parks. This may turn away some guests – but will be in the interest of the broader public health, and Disney’s business in the sustained long run. Disneyland should not be a place with a higher-than-necessary risk of contracting a highly infectious and more than proportionately fatal disease. Disney should, furthermore, be a place for loving, considerate, and community-minded people.
Just to add – more than 1000/day in California.
I’d also bet on August, perhaps even going more specific with whenever Los Angeles and Orange County schools go back into session.
Unlike Walt Disney World, which I don’t think will have a problem keeping demand below capacity restrictions, that could be a real issue in California. Waiting until local schools are back in session and it’s the off-season would help with that. That’s a complete guess, though.
We have both hotel and dining reservations toward the end of June for Dapper Days. I’m not ready to pull the plug yet just in case Disneyland reopens in June to much smaller crowds and that’s why there are no “NEW” reservations being accepted at this time. We already rescheduled our planned April trip so we’ll see how this goes. I figure that Disney will cancel and refund us when they know for sure and, as of today, they have not canceled any of our reservations. Of course, this is probably a pipe dream. Our next reservation is in September for the Disney Wonder (also iffy at this point) and then Disneyland again in November. I’m pretty confident in the November dates, but really, it’s all up in the air at this point.
I wouldn’t count on low crowds when Disneyland reopens (it’s a very different story as compared to Walt Disney World), even if they’re not accepting hotel reservations.
The majority of attendance upon reopening at Disneyland will be driven by locals–there are a ton in LA and OC who will be looking for something to do after being stuck inside for so long. The 3 on-site hotels are a drop in the bucket.
Disneyland also has a huge annual pass holder population they need to manage. I would imagine they have to find a way to ensure they can get out of town guests in the parks while still maintaining their commitment to APs with reduced capacity. This could be figured out when they have an advanced reservation system in place.
Not sure why any out of town guest would risk getting COVID-19 (flying, travel in general), risk spending a lot of money during economic uncertainty on a vacation, and risk being turned away at the DL gate due to capacity limits, all for a diluted DL experience.
I understand what you’re saying. We’re APs in Sacramento (hence, the hotel reservations) and we are itching to go. I’m sure that’s the same feeling with APs all over SoCal. I was just thinking if DL followed Shanghai’s lead with reduced capacity and required reservations, we might see less crowds. Though you’re right in thinking it would be really difficult for DL to pull off. I have no idea how they would manage to do that. So in the meantime, I guess it’s just a wait and see for all of us. Thanks for keeping us updated. I’ve been watching the situation closely. Your blog posts help.
DLaw, my husband and I are both in the medical field. I’ve jokingly said that we run less of a risk contracting COVID-19 going to Disneyland than we do going go work everyday. Of course, we’ll only travel when it’s deemed safe by our governor. Only time will tell at this point.
We live in Canada and have a trip booked for DL in mid-September For our family of 4 with the hope of attending our first Oogie Boogie Bash. But honestly, I can’t see ourselves going, even IF the border opens, IF there are flights, and IF DL opens.
I don’t know how you would be able to maintain social distancing and maintain high infection controls. I also would think the lines would be horrendous to get in the park, especially if they’re limiting capacity. And not getting close to the characters? That just sucks. Would you pay the extra $100/ halloween party ticket if you can’t even interact with the characters?
I know our tickets are good until May 2021 so hoping things get better this year and we can go in the spring.
I have the exact same trip planned, sept. 20 to 24th. As soon as my 11th month booking opens (dvc member), I’m moving our trip to Memorial day next year.
There is no way that Disney will be able to offer the full disney experience in the US this year. Why spend so much money for so much uncertainty?
Even more risky, they open mid Summer, only to have to close again due to uptickin infections. Then it will be even more difficult to reschedule a future trip.
I can’t imagine that, even if they do reopen by Halloween, they will go ahead with the Halloween parties (or Christmas ones, for that matter). The major part of the parties is always the special entertainment – the parade, fireworks, shows, character meet-and-greets – but with those suspended as precautionary measures, what would be left as the draw to these events: shorter queues for rides? If the park is already operating at 30% capacity during regular opening hours, I’m not sure there would be much of an advantage in that regard during the party. So you’re left with the generic trick-or-treat candy … I don’t think even the most talented marketeers could spin that as a Disneyland exclusive!
My family planned a Disneyland trip during the Halloween season – it would be our first Halloween celebration at a Disney park, as well as our first experience of Galaxy’s Edge and Avengers’ Campus (back when it was still expected to debut in July). But as international travelers who don’t even know if we will be allowed into the country, and looking at the trajectory of the pandemic in the US (the number of cases, deaths, and protests against measures to limit the spread), we are coming to the sad realization that our trip most likely won’t happen this October.