History was made at Disney’s youngest park today as Shanghai Disneyland became the first Disney Park to reopen after a wave of closures in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. The park held a grand reopening ceremony led by Shanghai Disneyland President and General Manager Joe Schott. At the opening ceremony, Schott welcomed guests with the following message of hope:
“We hope that today’s reopening can serve as a beacon of light across the globe, providing hope and inspiration for everyone, and can demonstrate that we can overcome any challenge together.”
Characters like Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy, Goofy and Pluto shared the stage alongside Shanghai Disney Resort ambassadors. At the end of the presentation, the band started up once again and the park’s iconic Duffy and Friends marched out to join the show.
At the Shanghai Disneyland entrance, characters waved to guests from a safe distance. While guests are strongly encouraged to wear masks, face characters like the Disney Princesses do not wear masks in order to keep story integrity.
During this initial phased reopening, the park is limiting capacity to 30%, or under 24,000 guests, by order of the government. All guests must obtain an advance reservation in order to enter the park and undergo a series of temperature screenings and safety checks before being let into the park.
Despite strict new protocols, guests seemed overjoyed to be back at their happy place. Spring decor is still up throughout the park, and Cast Members are making sure to wipe down and sanitize railings and high-touch points.
