The Anaheim City Council has voted in favor of allowing large theme parks to open at the same time as their smaller counterparts.
Sleeping Beauty Castle – Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland is the centerpiece of Fantasyland, and one of the most recognizable structures in the world. Surrounded by beautiful flowers and whimsical topiary, the Disneyland landmark beckons park visitors to explore the different realms of the place “Where Dreams Come True.” Walt Disney wanted this castle to be a friendly and welcoming presence in his park so it was built on a smaller scale than its European counterparts. (Joshua Sudock/Disneyland Resort)
The Anaheim City Council voted 6-1 on Tuesday to support a state assembly bill that would alter the reopening guidelines for theme parks, The Voice of OC reports. The bill would allow large theme parks to reopen in the moderate tier instead of the minimal one.
This bill introduced by assembly member Sharon Quirk-Silva would put the opening of Disneyland Resort into tier 3 of Governor Gavin Newsom’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy, while it is currently in tier 4.
This would effectively speed up the opening of Disneyland Resort, as the resort would be allowed to open a tier earlier than currently scheduled. Smaller theme parks are currently allowed to reopen with a 25% capacity in tier 3. The passing of this bill would allow large theme parks like Disneyland to do the same.
Anaheim Mayor Harry Sidhu is also in favor of the bill.
“Nobody is saying we want to reopen Disneyland today,” Mayor Sidhu said. “This legislation does not seek to change the tiers. It only expresses that large theme parks with the bigger footprints and significantly greater resources to establish safety protocols should be able to open in the same tier as the small parks.”
The Anaheim City Council supported the bill in a 6-1 vote. Jose Moreno, the council member who voted no, stated he did so due to his worries about public health.
“If we urge legislation to allow theme parks to open of any size, we’re basically saying that COVID is in the same context at Adventure City in Stanton as it would be at Disneyland,” Moreno said.
As part of “The Wish Effect,” Disney has caught up with some amazing kids to see how their wishes continue to impact them to this day. Now, Disney is introducing Violet, whose wish was granted by Disney and Make-A-Wish in 2013. The words we love to hear – “I’m going to Disneyland!” For wish kid Violet, this life-changing wish trip was even more magical because it helped her find her passion for performance. Check out Violet’s sweet story below as shared by DisneyParksBlog.
Violet is a 10-year-old from Texas who loves everything about the Disneyland Resort – from the pineapple perfection of a Dole Whip, to the thrill of exploring Pixar Pier, to the spooky-sweet smell of the Gingerbread House in Haunted Mansion Holiday. When Violet was only 7 months old, she was diagnosed with retinoblastoma, a cancer of the eye. During her treatment, Make-A-Wish asked Violet for her one true wish, and she knew immediately she wanted to meet Mickey Mouse at Disneyland.
When Violet’s wish day arrived, it was all the sweeter because it came true on her 3rd birthday. The wish was an unforgettable experience for Violet and her family, but it was only the beginning. In Violet’s own words, “my wish pretty much changed my life.”
“A lot of things have evolved and happened from her wish,” Violet’s mom, Shenay, explained. “Violet was asked to host a Make-A-Wish gala. When she got on stage, she found her spot. She loved being up there, and helping.”
“Violet’s wish inspired her to give back even more. She started to make artwork to auction off at the Make-A-Wish galas,” Shenay remembered. “One piece went for $25,000. It’s amazing that something so difficult in our lives became an opportunity to give back. It made us feel like what we went through wasn’t for nothing. I’m so grateful for all of it.”
Violet’s vivacity charmed thousands, and she went on to co-host over a dozen Make-A-Wish galas all over the country, “where I helped raise millions of dollars,” explained Violet. “I’ve been so blessed to be in Disney and Make-A-Wish videos, TV shows, a film, and even voiceovers for radio and animation.”
One of Violet’s favorite experiences was getting to be a part of the video “It Stays With You,” which premiered at D23 Expo in 2019. You can spot Violet holding Mickey and Minnie’s hands and running through the castle, an Easter egg callback to her magical wish to meet Mickey a few years prior.
With such an impressive resume at 10 years old, you may wonder what is next for Violet? “When all of this is over, I’m so excited to go to Disneyland to see all of my friends again,” she enthused. And in another few years, “I really want to be a Disney cast member. I could be an Imagineer, or I could help dress the cast members, any job really. I would just love to be on the team!”
Violet still has a few years to decide her career path. But for now, she has some important advice: “as wish kids, we face challenges every day that most people don’t. We’re like superheroes because we’re so brave and strong. This is just another obstacle and we will get through this together. Never give up! I know having patience can be really hard, when you’re waiting for something you want so badly. But hold on to hope and always remember that you’re very, very loved.”
For all the parents of wish kids, Shenay shared that “it must be so hard to be waiting for the wish right now. Keep that faith in your heart and know that there is a light at the end of this tunnel.”
To learn more about how Disney is working with Make-A-Wish to provide magic to wish kids and their families when they need it most, and to see more episodes of “The Wish Effect” visit wish.org/Disney.
While Disneyland Resort remains officially closed for almost a full year now, we are hopeful today as we’re learning a recall of 1,000 Cast Members is in the works as Disneyland plans to offer a limited-time ticketed experience.
As reported by KTLA News: Hundreds of Disneyland Resort employees will return to work as a “limited-time ticketed experience” opens next month inside California Adventure, which has been closed for nearly a year now due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The cast members — Disney parlance for its employees — received notice of the new offering Monday in a letter from Disneyland Resort President Ken Potrock as DCA celebrated its 20th anniversary.” The experience will feature “world-famous food and beverage offerings from around the resort, the latest merchandise and unique, carefully crafted entertainment experiences,” according to a statement from the Disneyland Resort. It will take place multiple days per week.
While we will still have to wait to ride the California Adventure attractions, we’re thrilled for a chance to step foot in the park even if it’s for a dining experience. With Disneyland closed since last March, we’re so thankful to see small steps toward officially reopening and Cast Members returning to work!
Exciting news coming out of Disneyland Resort this evening! Disneyland Resort has placed a recall notification for 232 food and beverage Cast Members. The recall is in response to California’s lift of the regional stay-at-home orders across the state in response to improving coronavirus conditions. Restaurants are allowed to reopen once again with outdoor dining.
Exciting news coming out of Disneyland Resort this evening! Disneyland Resort has placed a recall notification for 232 food and beverage Cast Members. The recall is in response to California’s lift of the regional stay-at-home orders across the state in response to improving coronavirus conditions. Restaurants are allowed to reopen once again with outdoor dining.
Great news for Disneyland! Slowly but surely, we’re getting there. It’s hard to believe Disneyland Resort has almost been closed for a year now.
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.”
