When Will Disneyland Reopen?
“When will Disneyland and California Adventure reopen in 2021?” and “how much longer will the parks stay closed?” are common questions. This covers what Orange County’s improving metrics mean, why the closure will continue the next couple months, and more. (Updated March 9, 2021.)
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 fluid situation, which should be apparent by the fact that Disneyland was originally scheduled to open last July and now may not reopen until almost a full year later. New data emerges on a daily basis, and plans continue to change.
Moreover, Disneyland’s reopening has been incredibly contentious, a flashpoint between Governor Newsom 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…
After having its reopening pushed back three times, there’s another Reopening Update for the Grand Californian. The Villas at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa will reopen on May 2, 2021. During this initial phase, only the Disney Vacation Club villas–and not the hotel side–of Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa will reopen.
In the nearer term, the only thing open right now at Disneyland Resort is the Downtown Disney District. There, restaurants are operating with outdoor seating and physical distancing, face masks, etc. Note that on some weekends, Downtown Disney fills to capacity. We have full details about all of this in our Guide to Downtown Disney at Disneyland.
For now, Downtown Disney has been expanded inside Disney California Adventure onto Buena Vista Street to help with capacity. A Touch of Disney at Disneyland Resort, a new ticketed event, begins on March 18, 2021 throughout the entirety of Disney California Adventure and runs through April 2021. This is the first step towards DCA and Disneyland reopening as theme parks, which is not be too far away…
The latest development is that California has released new reopening rules that mean Disneyland and Disney California Adventure can reopen as early as April 2021! These and other theme parks will be able to open with rides and attractions next month if Orange County improves to the red tier of the state’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy reopening rules.
Here are the new reopening rules for California theme parks:
Purple Tier – Closed
Red Tier
- Max 15%
- Small Groups – Max 10 people or 3 household groups with no intergroup mixing
- Indoor capacity max 15% with time restrictions
- No indoor dining
- Weekly worker testing program
- In-state visitors only, check for current CDPH Travel Advisory in effect
- Online ticket purchases only
Orange Tier
- Max 25%
- Indoor capacity max 25% with time restrictions
- Weekly worker testing program
- With other modifications
- In-state visitors only, check for current CDPH Travel Advisory in effect
Yellow Tier
- Max 35%
- Indoor capacity max 25% with time restrictions
- Weekly worker testing program
- With other modifications
- In-state visitors only, check for current CDPH Travel Advisory in effect
Note that the “in-state visitors” restriction is to keep the theme park reopening rules consistent with California’s existing travel restrictions. It’s worth noting that California had no such quarantine or travel advisory until November 13 of last year–right as cases started to spike.
Our expectation is that the state will lift this travel advisory sooner rather than later. It could possibly be gone by the start of April, but if not, almost certainly by Memorial Day weekend when California’s summer tourism season begins. Expect it to be lifted for theme parks, irrespective of tier status, when it’s lifted for the state as a whole.
This is great news, but it’s not the end of the saga. Of course, the first step is for Orange County, California to improve from the purple tier to the red tier.
The good news there is that all of California’s key metrics–new cases, positivity rate, and hospitalizations–have plummeted since peaking on January 13. The regional stay at home order was already lifted over a month ago, and now we’re seeing some counties make reopening progress.
To that point, new cases are down by over 90% statewide is only 2.1% as of March 9, 2021. (The Los Angeles Times has a good data tracker.) These numbers are projected to continue improving in the coming weeks with vaccine rollout improving. This is great news for California, and for Disneyland’s reopening prospects.
More specific to Disneyland, Orange County remains in the most-restrictive purple tier of California’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy reopening plan, but has made significant strides towards the red tier. These numbers are updated every Tuesday, and for the March 9, 2021 update, Orange County qualified for the red tier. (Per the rules, a county must meet the next tier’s criteria for two consecutive weeks to move to a less restrictive tier.)
Regardless, Orange County’s pace of improvements has been impressive and its trajectory is promising. If current trends hold, Orange County will be in the red tier on March 16, 2021. It’s also very likely Orange County will enter the moderate or orange tier on April 6, 2021. (Counties must remain in a tier for at least 3 weeks before moving to a less restrictive tier.)
Accordingly, Disneyland and Disney California Adventure will almost certainly be eligible to open by April 1, 2021 pursuant to the revised California Blueprint for a Safer Economy.
So…what happens next? When will Disneyland reopen?
To give you the short answer, Disney CEO Bob Chapek said during the Walt Disney Company’s 2021 Annual Meeting of Shareholders (on March 9, 2021) that Disneyland and Disney California Adventure will reopen in “late April 2021.” He indicated that Disney would announce a specific date very soon.
This makes sense, as it allows the hard ticket “Touch of Disney” event to occur as scheduled at Disney California Adventure, and also for Orange County to move all the way up to the moderate tier, which would allow the parks to open at 25% capacity on day one.
With that said, there’s still a lot to figure out in terms of logistics to get Disneyland and Disney California Adventure operational in only a few short weeks. This includes but is not limited to ironing out agreements with unions, calling back Cast Members, re-training said CMs on attractions that haven’t operated with guests (they’ve been cycling throughout the closure) for a full year, placing food & beverage orders, and more. We’ll keep you posted as to an official reopening date once Disney makes an announcement!
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 April 2021, or do you think that’ll be delayed or pushed back? What’s your predicted date? Are you expecting reduced entertainment and offerings, or think the parks will pretty much reopen with everything firing on all cylinders? 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!
I notice one person said that the 2021 opening is wrong and that it will be before that. But now all the things I’ve read say 2021 is the soonest it will reopen.
Ok here is my thought. Disneyland and the other theme parks are businesses. They provide income to family’s. They also provide entertainment to people. This virus as bad as it is. But it’s only as bad as we make it. It’s up to the people to be smart and to protect themselves. These businesses have given us the tools and guidelines to follow and if we don’t and we get sick that’s on us no them. The businesses have posted and Made sure each person does not have a fever, they are wearing mask and following social distancing. They should not be penalized because some people don’t follow the guidelines and they get sick. I say they need to open back up and just hope the people have learned and are taking this virus seriously that they will follow the guidelines. We need these business back open.
Summer, 2021 is looking like the earliest. For some reason Newsom doesn’t like theme parks. We went to a big basketball tournament for elite level high schools kids a couple of weeks ago in SoCal where our niece who is a div 1 recruit was playing. There were eight courts in a huge hall with no open windows, fans in bleachers not distanced and also roaming around, and players of course wearing no masks. My husband and I were a bit panicked walking in there and didn’t stay very long! But why is that allowed and not a basically outdoor venue like the Disneyland Resort?
Disney should just tell Noisome they are reopening with similar measures as WDW and if he doesn’t like it then they’ll gladly not pay the state any taxes. I’d already be telling them we weren’t going to be paying any property taxes during the closure mandates.
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.
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?
I made a similar comment on another post of Tom’s so please forgive me if this sounds redundant, but as you say, Ernest, you are living quite comfortably. Have you considered that everyone is not as lucky as you are? Many people are most definitely not surviving this lockdown anywhere near comfortable due to loss of jobs, bad living situations, etc. And while I’m very glad you are comfortable, perhaps you should take a moment and think about those who aren’t in your situation. I understand you consider Disney non essential, but I’m assuming you have ordered takeout, ordered from Amazon, gone to Starbucks, the grocery store, the doctor, used your utilities (gas, power, water, garbage, etc). You do understand all those things require people to go out to work and risk getting this virus, right? If the sole focus should be on possible death from this virus and no life is worth the risk, then how can you justify anyone leaving home and going to any kind of job? Are the lives of the pizza guy, the grocery store checker, the Amazon worker, your doctor, etc, not worth saving as well? As Tom commented previously, unless you have been living in complete isolation, on your farm, completely off the grid, then you do not own the moral high ground here.
I’m sure some would say that the Disney fans wanting to eat a churro or pretzel on Main Street are being irresponsible, but the guy selling churros and the lady selling pretzels need to make a living too. What makes their livelihood any less worthy than the barista who made the Starbucks in your hand or the slice of pizza from the local pizza place? If you think all non essential businesses need to be shut down then ALL non essential businesses should be shut down, not just a select few. Starbucks and takeout are not essential to life. I know many Starbucks devotees will disagree with me on that one 😉
I have lived in California my entire life, and I am incredibly disappointed in how newsom is dealing with this. He seems to be forgetting he should be serving the people of California, not ruling us. I question many of his executive decisions during this crisis. If he is completely focused on saving lives, why did HIS winery stay open yet all others were not allowed to? If a winery isn’t safe, shouldn’t he lead by example and close his? Why are large sporting events allowed to be open but not amusement parks? For me, the rules seem very arbitrary. I can eat inside a restaurant and go to my gym, but not walk down Main Street? That doesn’t sound like science and data, it sounds like a personal preference. Especially when many large amusement parks across the world have been safely open for months.
I understand we all come from different circumstances and all have different risk tolerances. No one is forcing Disney employees or any other employees back to work. Perhaps those sitting comfortably at home with everything they need should consider that, just like the local mom and pop pizza place you are supporting to be a good neighbor, we should support Disney employees who WANT to work to take care of themselves and their families.
I completely respect your fear of this virus and that going to somewhere like Disney is not within your risk tolerance. I would respectfully suggest you respect other people’s comfort levels and desires to earn a living again.
Nicki, so true! I can think of absolutely nothing that is LESS essential than Starsucks!
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!
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.
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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 â€â™€ï¸
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?