Walt Disney World Resort updated their mask policy to clarify that guests who have received the COVID-19 vaccine must continue to wear masks at the parks and around the resort hotels.
Two young guests stop to take a photo at Magic Kingdom Park, July 11, 2020, at Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., on the first day of the theme park’s phased reopening. (Olga Thompson, photographer)
“Face coverings are required for all Guests (ages 2 and up) and Cast Members, including those who have received a COVID-19 vaccine. Please bring your own face coverings and wear them at all times, except when dining or swimming. You may remove your face covering while actively eating or drinking, but you must be stationary and maintain appropriate physical distancing.”
So far there has been no update in the policy on the Disneyland Resort website. In California the stay-at-home order was recently lifted, allowing guests to once again eat and drink on company property.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Disneyland Resort has been closed since March 2020. With no definite schedule to reopen, Disney Parks announced the suspension of its Annual Pass program earlier this month. A new Annual Pass “membership” program is expected to launch upon the reopening of the resort. However, as the global pandemic is unpredictable and complex, so is the answer to the question of when Disneyland will roll out its new Annual Pass program.
The four factors that will determine the timeline for the program are:
When Disneyland reopens
When COVID-19 vaccines are widely distributed
How quickly the state loosens theme park attendance capacity limits
How long pent-up visitor demand lasts
Disneyland and Disney California Adventure are unlikely to fully operate until the spring or summer under COVID-19 health and safety reopening guidelines issued by the state.
Disneyland and DCA can’t reopen until Orange County reaches the most-restrictive yellow/minimal tier 4 of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s four-tier Blueprint for a Safer Economy— which isn’t expected to happen until spring at the earliest. That makes a reopening date for Disneyland uncertain — and the launch of the new Disneyland membership program even more uncertain.
Disneyland Resort president Ken Potrock hopes to launch the new membership program when Disneyland reopens.
“Our hope is to be ready for this whenever we’re allowed to open. That is our hope,” Potrock said. “It’s hard to pinpoint that because I don’t know what the direction from the state will be. But we are working all hands on deck to develop this as rapidly as we possibly can… The rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine offers a light at the end of the tunnel…That will allow us to pick those capacity limitations up faster and faster and fulfill the desire of our fan base to come back to the park.”
The Disneyland Resort is currently being used as a COVID-19 vaccination “Super POD Site” to assist in the large-scale vaccination of Orange County’s residents.
Dennis Speigel, an industry expert with International Theme Park Services, expects there to be tremendous pent-up demand once California theme parks reopen:
“When we return and things reopen it’s going to be like the Roaring ‘20s. The dam is going to break…Everybody is going to be at capacity — Disney, Universal, SeaWorld, Magic Mountain, and Knott’s Berry Farm. They’re all going to be at capacity because we certainly know there are enough people to fill them up.”
Speigel added that ending the old Passholder program will allow Disneyland to add reservation requirements to the new membership program.
Disney has yet to make any follow-up announcements as to when the new Passholder program will launch. However, it was announced today that Disneyland Passholders who had an active pass upon park closure will now be known as “Legacy Passholders.”
Interestingly enough, Florida is petitioning for the Tokyo Olympics to be moved to the Sunshine State. Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Jimmy Patronis issued a letter to the International Olympic Committee encouraging them to consider relocating the 2021 Olympics from Tokyo, Japan to the United States of America, and more specifically to Florida. In the letter, Patronis cites Walt Disney World’s success amidst COVID-19.
Disney cast members welcome guests to Magic Kingdom Park, July 11, 2020, at Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., on the first day of the theme park’s phased reopening. (Kent Phillips, Photographer)
According to a letter by CFO Jimmy Patronis, “media reports of leaders in Japan “privately” concluding that they are too concerned about the pandemic for the 2021 Olympics to take place, there is still time to deploy a site selection team to Florida to meet with statewide and local officials on holding the Olympics in the Sunshine State. I would welcome the opportunity to pitch Florida and help you make the right contacts to get this done.”
Jimmy Patronis continues stating: “The State of Florida has successfully allowed sports to take place during the pandemic. When most states shut down their sporting events, the city of Jacksonville hosted the Ultimate Fighting Championship (the UFC) and the National Basketball Association (NBA) setup the “bubble” to hold games in Orlando. Moreover, during football season the National Football League (NFL) and college teams were able to compete on Florida soil. Additionally, our international tourist destinations, like Disney parks have been open and operating safely in Florida for some time. In fact, Disney serves as an incredible model for how to run a complex organization in the midst of COVID-19.”
The Happiest Place on Earth will soon become the Biggest COVID-19 Vaccination Site in Orange County as new plans for vaccine distribution have been established for California in hopes of lowering transmission rates.
Disneyland Resort in Anaheim will become the Super first Point-of-Dispensing site for COVID-19 vaccines for residents of Orange County, set to vaccinate thousands of residents daily. The site is expected to begin operations later this week alongside other large venues such as Dodger Stadium, which is switching from a COVID-19 testing site to a vaccination site.
Currently, only residents in Phase 1a can receive the vaccine—that is, residents age 75 or older.
With COVID-19 cases increasing, Orlando International Airport (OIA) is making adjustments as needed, along with other international airports. The latest news is that OIA is adding two new COVID testing sites at the airport. If you have plans to fly to or from the OIA, you’ll want to stay in the loop on what this may mean for your flights.
As shared by OrlandoSentinel: Orlando International Airport will begin to provide COVID tests this month for travelers and for people who aren’t flying, including airport workers, but has yet to work out many details, including how to handle positive results.
“We need to be available to help manage those consequences,” said airport director Phil Brown, which could include assistance in rebooking flights and finding accommodations. “That is a critical element of making this successful.”
“Many people will have a difficult time if they test positive and they have to isolate,” said Kidd, who lauded Orlando’s airport for recognizing that challenge. “Many of them are going to have limited resources.”
There will be no Orlando International Airport requirement for any departing passengers to be tested. Brown said the testing service is generally for travelers destined for locations that require a test result, including some states, such as Hawaii, and to other countries.
For a pilot program through July, Orlando’s airport will contract with AdventHealth’s Centra Care clinic service and Orlando Health. The testing clinics will occupy vacant space in the main terminal outside of the TSA secure areas, and passengers will be tested before making their way to departure gates.
