When Will Disneyland Reopen?
“When will Disneyland and California Adventure reopen?” and “how much longer will the parks stay closed?” have become increasingly common questions. This covers what Governor Newsom’s four-tier opening plan means for Disneyland Resort, why an end to the closure might happen this month, plus crowds & discount predictions. (Updated October 11, 2020.)
We’ll start by underscoring the reality that we don’t have a crystal ball, and no one knows for sure when Disneyland will reopen. This is a constantly changing and evolving situation. New information and data emerges on a daily basis, and public sentiment remains fluid. All of this impacts the decisions that will be made by California and Disney leadership.
All of this is highly speculative, and based not on our personal opinions of when Disneyland should reopen, but when we anticipate it likely will. Many readers have asked us to address the closure and potential reopening of Disneyland and Disney California Adventure, which we have not done with nearly the same frequency as Walt Disney World…
For those who have not been following the closure saga, here’s a quick recap. Disney actually announced an official reopening date for Disneyland over summer. However, California subsequently saw a spike in new cases, causing Governor Newsom to pause reopening plans.
That caused Disneyland to cancel those plans issued a somewhat bizarrely passive-aggressive statement blaming the state for not approving its plans, while praising local unions with whom Disney had been butting heads. Since then, an underlying animosity towards California has permeated multiple statements by Disney.
Nevertheless, Downtown Disney reopened as planned. Restaurants are operating with outdoor seating and physical distancing, the use of face masks by employees, increased cleaning procedures, and limited-contact. Some retail locations, including the World of Disney, use a mobile wait list system to manage the number of guests shopping.
On some weekends, parking at Downtown Disney has filled to capacity–although that’s deceptive given that only a small surface parking lot is open. We have full details about all of this in our Guide to Downtown Disney at Disneyland.
The good news is that the trajectory of cases in Southern California is generally trending downward, even taking into account a minor blip resulting from Labor Day. (The Los Angeles Times has a good tracker.) The statewide positivity rate is decreasing (to 2.6%) as are new cases and positivity rates–some great developments, all around.
Once California’s cases began decreasing, the state released its Blueprint for a Safer Economy, allowing more businesses to reopen and at higher capacities. Below are the requirements for each tier:
While this includes reopening guidelines and rules for a variety of businesses and activities, theme parks were conspicuously absent. In the month since, this has been incredibly contentious, a flashpoint between the state and…several groups/cities/businesses/etc.
We aren’t going to recap the whole saga here, but Disneyland’s Wild Reopening Ride is worth the read if you want the backstory of the drama. Hopefully someday we’ll get a DisneyWar sequel that covers some of this.
The only recent developments since then are Governor Newsom holding another press conference last week, during which he said: “There’s disagreements in terms of opening major theme parks. We’re going to let science and data make that determination. I understand the friction and frustration…but we’re going to be led by a health-first framework and we’re going to be stubborn about it…there’s no hurry putting out guidelines.”
Following that, Disneyland released the above statement. From that, it would seem that the state and theme park industry are at an impasse, and there’s no end in sight to the closure of Disneyland, Disney California Adventure, Universal Studios Hollywood, Knott’s Berry Farm, etc.
With all of that said, the industry is continuing its pressure campaign and an agreement will be reached at some point. As such, there’s a best-case scenario and a worst-case scenario going forward. Instead of assuming the worst, let’s start with some positivity and hypothetically say that the guidelines are released this coming week, and Disneyland qualifies to immediately reopen at 25% capacity, which would be consistent with other businesses of the same transmission risk profile in red-tier counties.
In that theoretical scenario, what would happen next? When will Disneyland reopen?
Once the guidelines are released and Disneyland qualifies to reopen, employee unions and Disney need to reach an agreement for Cast Members to return to work. It’s very likely that there are already tentative terms on the table here, and the unions and Disney will formalize those as soon as the state releases its rules.
Finally, Disneyland will need to call-back employees, who will then need to undergo training while the parks ramp back up for operations. It’s realistic to expect a two-week timeline for all of that. Since Disneyland has already prepared for reopening once, all of the safety modifications and theme park reservation system have been prepared, so there’s less prep work that needs to be done this go-round.
If all this happened tomorrow, that would put the earliest plausible reopening date for Disneyland and Disney California Adventure around the beginning of November. Of course, it’s assuming a number of best-case scenarios and is probably a faster timeline than can be expected.
With all of that in mind, it’s possible that Disneyland could reopen on November 5, 2020. This would be a logical target date for a couple of reasons. First, it’s at the start of what would normally be the lucrative Christmas season. It’s doubtful Disneyland will do much of anything for the holidays, but that’s still a big season for food & beverage and merchandise sales. Second, it would give a bit of a buffer for some hiccups before travel and crowds pick up leading into Thanksgiving and Christmas, which are more popular travel holidays.
That’s the best case scenario at this point, which at one point we honestly would’ve called the worst case scenario. In fact, earlier incarnations of this post did call a Christmas-time reopening the worst case scenario.
Now, that seems naively optimistic. Given the ongoing standoff and recent flippant statements by Governor Newsom, it seems increasingly likely that Disneyland will not reopen until 2021. If the final theme park guidelines end up mirroring the draft ones, it’s anyone’s guess when theme parks might be able to reopen.
Orange County will not enter the yellow tier anytime in November or December 2020. After a bit of recent regression, the county will be lucky to hit the orange/moderate tier by some point in the next month.
The problem is that entering the yellow/minimal tier requires significant improvement. The standards for that tier are almost insurmountable for Orange County. Only a handful of counties adjacent to California’s Oregon border are in or near the yellow tier. It’s impossible to forecast when Orange County might get there. It could be February 2021…or it might not occur until a vaccine has been widely distributed.
Speaking of weekday v. weekends, it’s worth addressing what reopening Disneyland looks like in terms of crowds, discounts, and more. With Walt Disney World reopening first, many fans will look at what happens in the Florida parks for insight into what Disneyland will be like when it reopens. We’d caution against this.
Due to divergent demographics and the nature of the California complex, things differ for Disneyland Resort. This is both good and bad for Disney, providing an easier path for bouncing back while also necessitating policies that can scale (and less learning on the fly).
For one, Disneyland Resort has a colossal local audience. There are huge populations in Los Angeles and Orange County, California, many of whom are Annual Passholders. While the scales have tipped a bit in recent years (especially over the summer months), there’s still a huge local AP-base and even larger potential audience within driving distance of Disneyland.
Whereas pent-up demand among Floridians might fizzle out in a week or so at WDW, the same thing in California could overwhelm the reduced-capacity parks for months. (Hopefully the Flex Pass has caught on by now, as Disneyland-by-appointment is undoubtedly the future.) Walt Disney World operating at 20-30% of normal capacity should be easier, as it’s likely demand will keep the parks well below half full.
In Florida, attendance will limit itself organically, as an overwhelming majority of tourists don’t want to fly or be in large venues right now. Even those who are comfortable traveling might be limited by economics–with consumer confidence plummeting and unemployment still high, fewer people will book expensive vacations. Then there’s the matter of lag between booking a trip and actually traveling.
The colossal crowds at Disneyland’s Downtown Disney District the last several weekends goes to show how much pent-up demand there is for all things Disney in Southern California–and that’s just a crumby outdoor mall. (Not even one of the top 10 malls in the area!)
Suffice to say, the crowd dynamics are different in California than in Florida. Rather than being a once in a lifetime vacation that requires months or years of planning, Disneyland Resort is more akin to the mall or beach for many locals.
There are far more people within driving distance of Disneyland Resort. Hundreds of thousands of locals have pre-paid admission in the form of Annual Passes or deeply-discounted Southern California Resident tickets that were sold in the off-season (but have since had their expirations extended). Many visitors used to decide the night before or day-of whether they were going to the parks.
Disneyland Resort also doesn’t have the same issues with discounts. As we’ve reiterated countless times, Walt Disney World’s discounts are all about keeping hotel occupancy high. With only 3 hotels, Disneyland Resort is far less dependent upon them. They’ll probably increase room-only deals by 5-10%, or maybe they’ll just reopen with lower occupancy numbers and eat the losses. The stakes are considerably lower.
With that said, most tourists to Disneyland Resort are booking off-site hotels, anyway. There has been a proliferation of these in the last ~5 years due to expansion to the parks and the Anaheim Convention Center. With no events on the horizon, these walking distance hotels are offering deep discounts for Christmas and beyond.
Suffice to say, it’ll be considerably easier for Disneyland to open the doors, get up and running, and back on its feet. Disneyland Resort lacks the complexity and demographics barriers that will be significant impediments and complicating factors for Walt Disney World.
However, that’s a double-edged sword. Walt Disney World has been able to ease back into operations due to reduced demand, which will allow for a greater degree of learning what works and doesn’t, doing test and adjust on the fly. Disneyland will need to get things right from day one.
Ultimately, those are our predictions and it’ll be interesting to see how this actually plays out. It appears that Disney is eager to reopen Disneyland Resort sooner rather than later, in which case the early November opening makes sense. On the other hand, the State of California might put up prohibitive road blocks that rule out the rest of the year, and make Spring 2021 more likely. We shall see what happens next…
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 in time for the Halloween season, or will Christmas be the target reopening? What’s your predicted timeframe? Are you expecting modified operations once the closure ends? Do you agree or disagree with our advice and assessment? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback—even when you disagree with us—is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
As of today, 219,674 dead Americans. No amount of pixie dust is going to bring them back for a fun time at a Disney park. Advocating for Disneyland to open with cases rising around the country is irresponsible and shows total denial of the reality of this pandemic. Governor Newsom is the only one in the room who actually cares about science and advice of medical experts, and the general welfare of Californians. There are those who hate California on this blog. Get a life and fix the problems in your home state! Cute name calling and ignorant attacks expose your ignorance and sad lives. You can’t go to Disneyland if you’re dead. Disneyland isn’t going anywhere. Obsessing about a trip to a Disney park is certainly not on the minds of the survivors of 219,674 dead Americans. That comment is also directed at Disney executives who quietly reinstated their salaries in August, unconscionable, and started a buy back of the company’s stock so that the amount of dividend payments to stockholders would be greatly reduced. Bob Iger, who I no longer have any respect for, had a temper tantrum for not getting his way and quit Governor Newsom’s task force. Oh Boo Hoo Bob. How about a new Pixar flick title Soulless? All about Bob. His behavior confirmed his membership in the disingenuous, rich guys club. I did, however, think the readers of this blog were capable of decency and empathy. Wrong on that account for the most part. Moderate all you want. Denial is a terrible thing.
If you’re truly seeking decency and empathy, perhaps the hostile tone and deriding others as ignorant and sad is not the best way to go about it.
Nothing wrong with his tone IMO Tom Bricker. Sometimes it is hard for people to hear the truth, like you Tom. Lives are not worth being lost by opening up Disneyland soon. Attention idiots: wear your mask, social distance, and this will get under control. I miss Disneyland more than anything. I go three times week as I live down the street. But, we cannot open up the park til the numbers go down! This post above is perfect!! You speak the truth! And CA haters as you said need to go away and stop crying like babies. Disney isn’t leaving. It will be here when this pandemic ends. But until certain people grow up and take this disease seriously, Disney will stay closed. And sadly, we will continue to yearn and miss it.
Oh, that’s rich. People don’t hate California, it’s a beautiful place. We should’ve made most of it a National Park decades ago. Sensible folks have a genuine problem with the way it’s been mismanaged by the likes of the current fool. Most of those dead would’ve likely died from the flu this season if they got a bad case. Not all, but many. My uncle probably would have. He needed a lung transplant 5 years ago.
Disneyland and WDW being open has zero effect on the numbers. Yes, it’s sad that people have died. There are over 25 times as many who are suffering gravely because of the ridiculous business shutdowns, which have sadly become a mere political stunt.
Thank you Mrnico and Tom for hopefully ending this political/social or whatever discussion that has been endlessly rehashed here and everywhere else. I was at Downtown Disney for an early lunch Saturday. We had a dining reservation made through Disney so we decided to persevere and drive around the resort waiting for the parking line to open back up. We finally were allowed in with proof of a reservation! The security and temperature check lines were really long. The virtual line for World of Disney was three hours just to enter a socially distanced line stretching to the tram drop off area. All this for people just to basically go to an outdoor mall for a little Disney happiness! I get it but how in the world are they going to manage reopening the parks? Disney can do it, but it will be interesting!
Wow, Beth, that’s insane! We rarely go to the big outdoor malls! I do like me some Jock Lindsay’s time or Raglan Road though. Haven’t been to DTD in many, many years. Last DL trip was about 5 years ago. Having been to WDW many, many times, our recent Labor Day trip was our first for the new bag screening system. In short, it’s ten generations better than the previous horrible line-causing nightmare hassle. I only had to open my bag once at MK where they were still just running metal detectors, even with cameras and dense lithium batteries, metal straws, etc.
They were still doing temp screening manually, which surprised me. I was at Seaworld San Antonio last Friday, and they are using a thermal camera system which is faster and better. They funnel you through a tent with a spaced out line and you just keep going unless you are an outlier, when they will pull you aside to check individually. Maybe Disney couldn’t buy enough thermal cameras in these crazy times.
The Disneyland Resort is still using manual temperature screening by local hospital techs and old school bag checks by CMs behind glass partitions. Guests were lined up under socially distanced umbrellas with ground markers winding their way around the Grand California self parking lot with cast members everywhere monitoring behavior. From everything we saw, Disney is doing a great job with safety and guests are being very compliant. At this point, people seem to be just looking for a little fun. Our waitress even told us she had guests at another table from New Mexico visiting for some Disney magic. And hopefully also to go to the beach!
Beth, that sounds about right I guess. But so stressful for everyone involved! I’m glad they are being thorough, but using thermal cameras and the newer bag check processes WDW has would alleviate a LOT of it. In some ways, Disney is right on the cutting edge of technology and others…not so much.
You have some really beautiful beaches there, but the water is too cold for me! Family was here last week, parents from NM, brother/SIL/nieces from AZ. We went to Padre Island Natl Seashore and it was nice. Not the clearest water, but the Gulf was pretty warm considering it’s October. We made our nieces each pick up a bag of trash before leaving. Is that mean?
Great post! I mean according to the experts in this blog, opening up WDW and then Disneyland, would have zero effect on numbers! Wow, why didn’t the experts think of that! Why close anything? I mean these two experts on the blog here, got it all figured out for us! So sit back folks, blog experts right here have kindly pointed out that shutting down spread the virus more, and financial loss is much worse than lives lost! Whew, I can now take my mask off and Can’t wait to stroll the streets of DL with others, as this will have zero effect on numbers!!
I’ve read the comments. Thank you Dr. Donald Moline for your support! There wasn’t much love otherwise. There ARE readers of this blog who have posted the stereotypical anti-California insults. There ARE readers of this blog who have been disrespectful when referring to the elected leadership in my home state. I am a native California who openly admits that California has problems that need to be solved. However, I love this state. I love its diversity, its beauty, and the opportunities to explore life freely and without the confines of government mandate. I love that California leads the nation, and frequently influences global actions, that will make the US and the world a better place to live. I am only critical of those who, in my opinion, are in denial of what is happening all around them. Disney has the resources to support their employees. It would be very Disney to actually do something other than to place blame on a governor who is doing his best to see that as many survive the pandemic as possible. Anyone can survive unemployment. I’ve lost a couple of jobs in my 64 years and I’m retired comfortably. I’m very fortunate. But comparing the suffering of the unemployed to those how have died and their loved ones that are left with grief and extreme loss is not a valid argument. The motivation should be to survive this tragedy. Had Americans accepted the fact that masks save lives, the effects of the virus would not have had as devastating. One year ago who would have imagined that 220,133 Americans would have lost their lives? I read this blog because I like Tom’s commentary, even after his insulting reply to my comment. No Tom, I was not hostile. You don’t know me and have no reason to judge me so harshly. Your reply was hostile. I was pointing out fact. Read your blog. Knowledge is power. Being informed will save lives. I long to return to normal. I would love to take my partner for his first trip to Walt Disney World, but risking our future is not a risk we are willing take right now no matter how many testimonials there are of how safe it to go now. Hospitalizations have risen to record levels in 14 states. The country hit a spike in new cases yesterday, the highest since July. And we are about to enter the winter months where the virus will thrive. I am informed and I offer no apologies for making the effort to protect myself or my loved ones. Challenge me all you want, label me hostile, etc., etc. This blog is for entertainment and I apologize for throwing some reality into the mix.
@Ernest – I’ve lived in California, love the state, and long to return. People on the internet insulting California’s leadership or using (unoriginal) derisive terms is nothing new. I personally don’t take it to heart, especially when it’s usually superficial and reliant on meaningless buzzwords. To each their own on that, though.
While I don’t agree with you entirely, I also don’t disagree with you entirely. As I’ve said in countless posts throughout this, I do not envy the politicians or business leaders tasked with making tough decisions right now. There are no “good” options, only “least bad” ones–and it’s hard to know what the best/right course of action is sometimes. Regardless, I respect your perspective and it was certainly not my intent to insult you, so my apologies for that.
Sure, Ernest, insulting Bob Iger, the man tasked with helming one of the world’s largest international conglomerates employing hundreds of thousands of people, then complaining about more astute observations of CA leadership [sic] makes lots of sense. I lived in CA, and never will again. One of the most beautiful states, with the LEAST freedom of all except maybe for IL or NY. No thanks.
It’s very easy for you to spout numbers of deceased, regardless of actual cause, and proclaim the sky is falling, but that’s not helpful to anyone. Disney’s continued operations directly impacts what, twenty times as many people? You lament about lack of empathy, while having none for those who are still here. Sure, people can file for unemployment, until those funds run out. What do you propose to do about millions who will continue to be out of work, and the cascade effects of small business failures, bankruptcies, etc? This will ripple through the world economy more than the 2008 market correction.
How can we work together in light of things? And no, raising taxes will not help.
You’re right about people wearing masks early. We should’ve done that and better hygiene in general, and kept most businesses open. Trying to blame inevitable deaths on government at any level though is absurd and asinine politicization of a natural phenomenon. I do believe that an infectious plague of some sort will come and kill a significant part of the human population worldwide, but this isn’t it. I sincerely hope that we have learned from our mistakes across the board and around the world about handling aspects of this one as a species regardless of politics. Maybe we can start eliminating more pointless, preventable deaths from hospital-acquired infections (over 75,000 annually in these USA alone) as part of this knowledge.
Again, how can we work together to help everyone?
Dear Disney Lovers,
I have had a very severe case of Covid 19 which I survived. My daughter is an RN and is a tier three which means she travels in a hospital from specialty floors like ICU, emergency, Cardiac, etc. She was put on a Covid floor and was not supplied the proper PPE to protect her and consequently she got the virus and brought it home to the whole family. I’m telling you this because most transformation of the virus is indoors and not outside. It makes no sense to not have Disney open. Precautions should be taken while on rides and such but life must go on. I was sick for five weeks and then very weak on the recovery cycle. I am 72 years old so it stands to reason I was hit so hard but people under sixty are much less likely to become severely ill and almost non existent for children. My two teenage grandchildren had a headache and slightly elevated temp but that was it and it was gone. My 25 year old grandson had vomiting, diarrhea, fever, headache and presented like a normal flu. After five or six days he was over it. Being inside in close proximity raises the chance of getting the virus not outside in the fresh air.
This will always be with us now as a virus always stays in our system which learns how to fight off and defend the body from harmful bacteria with immunity. I have total immunity now to the virus and will not get ill again but for minor incidents. We can’t live our life in a vacuum so pursue vacations and leisure at Disney and other places and protect with common sense and soap and water along with a cute mask and the young with all be happy and parents at ease for their future.
Mark: if it only affected you, then I’d say ‘go at it.” It doesn’t. It affects not only those who are in contact with them, but then others that will be in contact with the –“others.” Personal choice? Do you not understand what a Pandemic is? Until you get educated, you may want to refrain from posting as it just shows ignorance and insensitivity. Tom wrote “be devastating for Disneyland, Cast Members, and Anaheim.” You know what would really be devastating? DEATH. Get your priorities straight people.
First of all get your facts straight they already have said and we know people personally that work for them in higher levels they will not be opening until 2021. We as AP holders were given an option to either refund our tickets or just lose them all together we got our money back. As someone who’s father has personally meet and has a picture of Walt Disney the fact that people are using this as a political point is disgusting. My aunt had COVID and no one I mean no one is safe from this and as someone who was born and raised in California I am tired of tourists coming from other states wanting to add there sense about how our government runs things here. Don’t come to California then and clog up our parks and our beaches if you don’t like the fact people are making choices to keep us safe because at the end of the day you go back to wherever the heck you came from and we r left living here with whatever you brought in.
Spot on!! Finally someone whom understands! All these nay sayers that think this virus is a simple flu comparison and we can just open up and go back to normal, is the REASON we still have issues! Disney has plenty of reserves to help these cast members being laid off. If you don’t like our GOV whom is trying their best, stay in your own state or simply move out. Wear your mask, shut up, and let’s get this virus under control. Only then can we truly open Disney and feel safe too. Lives come first, not our enjoyment and more cash in a big fat corporation.
“People are making choices to keep us safe”.
Therein lies your problem.
Why can’t things open up and people make their own decisions? Why must government make choices (restrictions) to “keep people safe”.
Florida reopened. People have been safe at Walt Disney World for 3 months now. Safe at Universal Orland for 4 months now. Safe at my regional theme park for 5 months now.
What is not “safe” is people’s mental health, well being, livelihood, and personal financial circumstances when they cannot go back to work.
But that’s a discussion some people aren’t interested in having.
I’ve always found that Tom presents a factual account with any rumors or speculations labeled as such. The “facts” you suggest, on the other hand, are hearsay; neither the state nor Disney have stated they won’t be reopening until 2021. Tom has also been very supportive of the precautionary measures to prevent the spread of the virus and even erred on the side of caution when official guidelines do not (e.g. dining indoors in Florida).
Moreover, your assertion that “tourists” are the ones bringing disease to California is simply not borne out by the facts. As Tom also points out in his article, domestic travel is depressed and international travel is practically non-existent at this time. He also rightly points out the pent-up demand among AP holders and other Californians which have led to the crowding of Downtown Disney. And it is under these circumstances that California “boasts” one of the highest numbers of Covid infections in the country, and indeed the wider world.
@John Di Giorgio, nobody – certainly not this blog – has preached for things to “go back to normal” while the pandemic is ongoing. People are asking why the parks can’t reopen with the same, or more stringent, precautions than those which have allowed other states to operate theme parks without incident. Cut capacity if you must, ban indoor dining, insist on more physical distancing … the state government simply does not appear to be interested in providing a solution.
Your argument contains a contradiction. You want people to obey the state government, but at the same time you don’t expect the state to bear any responsibility for the impact of their closures. While they insist the parks remain closed, they – not Disney – should foot the bill for furloughed or retrenched workers. It’s their responsibility, and your tax dollars.
Excellent post!
As someone who is from Anaheim, CA, but no longer living there the “tourists” will not be bringing anything to CA (or any other state for that matter) that wasn’t already there. Try to cool your jets, be kind to others and stay safe, not only for yourself, but for all those around you – the elders and immuncompromised in particular. Wear your masks, keep social distancing and wash your hands…this is what will help us all get through this TOGETHER! 🙂
APs were given the option of a refund or to have their pass extended however many days the parks are closed, once they reopen again… get YOUR facts straight. People are susceptible but the mortality rate is 3% same as swine flu, CDCs numbers say so. Those who are high risk or live with high risk, stay home, the rest of the world needs to carry on unless you want to all die of starvation…
You really shouldn’t comment; you make little, if any, sense.
I called to inquire about the options should our November 1st – 5th Disneyland reservations be cancelled and was told that they are unable to schedule dates into 2021 but could reschedule for a later date in 2020 or they refund the entire package. They also said that they are targeting November 1st for re-opening. Crossing all fingers and toes now.
We went to WDW (we rented a DVC villa and there was no way of getting a refund, so we just went) Sept. 20 – 25. I’m an RN, and honest to god, Disney is doing it right (yet again). I was ready to leave the parks at any second if I felt unsafe. On the contrary, I was SO impressed. I guess people really want to be there, so they follow the rules. The compliance is unlike anything I have ever seen out in public anywhere else. After a few hours in the parks, all the tension I had built up about safety concerns went away. I truly felt safe there. I’m a native CA, live in N. CA, am an RN and have always erred on the side of following the recommendations by public health officials (making, distancing, etc.) with the exception of going to WDW! I acknowledge that no public safety health official would endorse that! After my experience, however, they should let DL open. People on here are absolutely right when they say it makes no sense to open indoor restaurants, etc but not let DL open. As long as people are compliant with Disney’s rules, as I observed in FL, it is low risk and absolutely the experience of Disney magic that people need right now!
Keep drinking the Kool-Aid.
It should be very easy for you to take the vaccination then when it comes out since you don’t do your own thinking and you do as the government tells you to do what a good little soldier you are. If you are so afraid to go out in public then please stay the hell home.
Just wanted to counteract Terrell and say you’re spot on and I appreciate your perspective as an RN. Thanks so much for your service and this comment.
Get it together Newsom! Focus on building California up instead of tearing it down.
2020 has been a hellish year made up of one disaster after another. New rules every day to replace yesterdays rules. Most of us have learned to follow the rules. Let all of these people get back to work and those who chose to go to theme parks follow the rules or leave! Win / win for everyone.
Most of us have the learned the rules? Your kidding right? Not sure where you live but NO MOST HAVE NOT learned the rules or we would be in the best spot. There are still idiots that are maskless and causing the spikes. It’s plain and simple people social distance, no parties, and wear your mask. This is way beyond Newsom sadly.. You cannot protect Disney‘s profit at the expense of people getting sick and possibly dying. Disney has plenty of money trust that to pay for all 28,000 of those people they want to lay off. And most important those figures are not going to return back to pre-Covid days which are gonna save all the small businesses around Disneyland and allow all of those 28,000 to continue working at a full-time basis. Look at the numbers Disney World suffered because they cannot be at 100% capacity. That is why Disney has billions and billions of dollars in reserve. So the governor open the Disneyland and thousands and thousands die that’s gonna fall back on him. This needs to be a very cautious approach it as much as I want Disney to open ASAP, the numbers have to consistently stay low.. There needs to be limit on who can come and go and I like the 120 mile radius factor to start things up and running. Our federal government and our state government is not doing enough to protect small businesses and layoffs. It’s time for us to be patient and allow Disney to step up and take care of its own instead of looking for a handout like many other major corporation. The city of Anaheim need to get together and take care of their small businesses that are going to hurt much longer even when Disney opens up.
Sorry Doc, but that’s not how it works. That’s not how any of this works. The government doesn’t have any money. The way to keep small businesses going and people employed is for them to be open and conducting business. The states causing more comprehensive shutdowns are killing the businesses.
We are at Downtown Disney right now. Disney has gone over top to make everything safe. There are CMs everywhere including the plaid vests enforcing and rules and welcoming everyone. There is a Backlot Premiere Shoppe in DCA with a Halloween theme too. The only problem is the parks aren’t open and after some shopping and eating there isn’t much to do! But it is nice to hear and see some Disney happiness on the west coast!
Waiting to see what the announcements are for today.
California issued a statement about an hour ago that the announcement has been postponed–per the request of Disney, Universal, and other members of a CA parks association–
Hmm, that makes it more interesting, to be sure!
I heard a rumor (which I didn’t believe at first) that the guidelines weren’t going to permit opening until yellow. Which is going to be much, much longer than November 6.
I didn’t believe it until the later news about the parks asking California not to issue the guidelines and Iger resigning from the task force. And then it seemed a lot more credible that that’s what he’s said and they aren’t happy about it.
That rumor about yellow is credible.
It had been going around earlier in the day, but I questioned its veracity (and whether that was a mistake in the draft). No parks will open in 2020 if it remains yellow.
Right. I know the purpose here isn’t to debate this … but I’m quite baffled at what is so different about riding an attraction vs shopping at world of Disney or eating. Truly don’t understand why the parks would be held to a completely different standard. In fact, since we don’t wear masks while eating, that seems less safe.
I agree with you 100%.
From a transmission perspective, theme parks are essentially a mix of restaurants, museums, and stores–none of which have the same heightened standards. It really doesn’t make sense.
Elisa, there is much nonsense in almost everything CA does. While I’m sure they are concerned about a mad rush of guests crowding the parks into oblivion, Disney will do a great job in controlling access and allowing plenty of space for people. They really need to just tell Noisome they are opening now and be done with it.
It’s just really sad. We know a Disneyland CM of 35 years who was terminated yesterday. I just hope the federal government is ready to bail out my beloved state of CA. Apologies to the rest of the country for our continuing bad management…
I too heard the yellow tier rumor today, along with that the state was going restrict attendance to individuals living within 125 miles of the theme park (no substantiation on this rumor, just what I heard the hosts of the talk radio station I listen to say).
125 mile radius? Never thought I’d need to make a fake ID to go to Disneyland… but I would.
Good updates. But just as a random aside, as someone who prefers DW, my reasons for not going are not that I don’t want to get on a plane or have any concerns about covid at all, really. It really is just that Disney is offering a reduced experience at the same price. And truthfully, I know it’s unpopular, but the thought of wearing a mask my entire vacation, which I despise with the passion of a thousand suns (and already have to do all day at work) is a huge deterrant. We opted for a hiking trip this year instead to avoid it as much as we could.
michaelnishida66@gmail.com
We really want Disneyland and DCA to reopen sooner so we can have a good time there.
I think they better prepare for thanksgiving and the Christmas Holiday ! Prep this Oct and re open first in Nov for economy purposes and it should be ready w/ proper protocols !
Stay home Wally
It’s time for Disney to just tell Noisome they are reopening, then do it.
Totally agree! Just returned from a fabulous week at WDW. Everything seems to be going great there! Plus the Orange County, CA and neighboring Riverside County restaurants are allowing indoor dining beginning this weekend. Newsom is not doing the right thing but he is busy right now setting new dates to eliminate gas powered cars!
I received an email yesterday from Disneyland cancelling my 10/10 reservation at the Disneyland Hotel. I was also told my reduced rate from when they closed is now expired. So maybe that is a sign they are hoping to reopen soon and can book much higher room rates???
I saw that crazy nonsense. Gasoline engines aren’t going away any time soon.
I bought tickets for my family in early February this year and it expires January of 2021. It supposedly was 2019 ticket price. What will happen if we can’t travel before the expiration date?
Hi Jay, Our family also bought tickets (in our case 5 day park hopper tickets) for this year and my understanding is that the expiration will be moved back an entire year. I read this on the Disneyland website and I believe it is true for any already sold 2020 tickets.
I heard that Disneyland has already decided there will be NO HALLOWEEN at the park ????
That comes from a very reliable source. IDK ♀️
I hadn’t heard that directly from anyone credible, but it’s pretty much a foregone conclusion at this point given the likely opening timeframe and its proximity to Halloween. Not much point in decorating for a week or two at most.
We have changed our plans twice for our family trip. We were going to go the middle of October. Decided to postpone until February. Now we have decided to wait until October 2021. We are going to wait a year for everything to play out.
Hi Tom
Just an interesting FYI – yesterday I received a cancellation email from the Hilton Anaheim for our reservations for 10/23-10/25 and 10/29-10/30 since the hotel will continue to be closed.
Do you think that they will release 2020 Disneyland tickets to be sold before the year is out?