Last Night, Shanghai Disneyland made history by becoming the first Disney Park to reopen after the unprecedented COVID-19 closures. You can watch a livestream of the reopening via The Paper, the official Twitter account of Pengpai News 澎湃新闻. As we’ve covered extensively, the reopening of Shanghai Disneyland will implement a number of new health and safety protocols, including limited capacity and social distancing for all guests. All guests present today had to secure advance reservations in order to attend the grand reopening, and advance reservations will be required throughout the phased reopening.
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.
Shanghai Disneyland is the first Disney Park scheduled for phased reopening beginning Monday, May 11. Ticket reservations for the day sold out within minutes of availability. New China TV has shared a YouTube video featuring Andrew Bolstein, Vice President of Operations at Shanghai Disney Resort. Bolstein walks the media through several areas of precautionary measures being taken to keep social distancing top priority.
On May 6, Shanghai Disneyland released detailed operation measures and ticketing information as we shared here.
While no reopening date is scheduled for Walt Disney World or Disneyland, we are eager to see how Shanghai’s procedures play out on their opening day of May 11.
We recently shared the news that Disneyland Resort Hotels are no longer taking new reservations until July. We have learned that Walt Disney World Resort Hotels are following suit. Walt Disney World has announced an official update on their website. Travel agents also received notification from Walt Disney World that they are no longer accepting new reservations until July 1. We too have checked the My Disney Experience App and yes, find that no rooms are available until July.
The main entrance to the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. (Photo courtesy, Walt Disney World)
Need to Adjust Your Travel Plans? Walt Disney World theme parks and Disney Resort hotels are currently closed and a reopening date has not been identified. For Guests who are interested in modifying their existing travel dates or making a new reservation for a future vacation, reservations are currently available for travel dates July 1 and later. As always, Guests are able to modify these bookings if Walt Disney World Resort opens before or after that time.
To read more from the Walt Disney World website click here.
Here is the update from Disney as received by travel agents as shared by WDWNT.com:
Reservation Availability: We’ve announced a phased reopening of Disney Springs area at Walt Disney World Resort, starting May 20. As a reminder, the rest of Walt Disney World and Disneyland theme parks and resort hotels, as well as the Downtown Disney District at Disneyland Resort, are currently closed, and a reopening date has not been identified. For guests who are interested in modifying their existing travel dates or making a new reservation for a future vacation, reservations are currently available for arrival dates July 1, 2020, and later. As always, Guests are able to modify these bookings subject to availability if Walt Disney World or Disneyland theme parks and resort hotels open before or after that time.
Cancellations Due to Closures: Disney has been regularly notifying Guests whose Walt Disney World or Disneyland Resort hotel bookings are being impacted by our temporary closures, letting them know they may modify or cancel their Disney Resort hotel reservations or Walt Disney Travel Company packages. Disney is asking Guests who didn’t book directly with Disney to call their Travel Professional. We expect that this notification process will continue one week at a time, including any potential reservations cancelled in June 2020.
Offers and Tickets: For guests who are interested in modifying their existing travel dates or making a new reservation for a future vacation, reservations are currently available for arrival dates July 1, 2020 and later. At Walt Disney World Resort, guests wishing to make new reservations can save up to 25% on rooms at select Disney Resort hotels for stays most nights through August 31, 2020, when they book through August 31, 2020.
Please know that no new bookings are being taken on the Walt Disney World summer recovery offer. The Florida Resident Discover Disney ticket is no longer available for purchase. For Guests who have this ticket, the usage window has been extended through September 30, 2020.
We will continue to keep you posted as the news comes forward. Keep in mind, the July 1 date does not mean the parks will open by that date. No official reopening date has been set except for Disney Springs which begins phased reopening on May 20.
We just learned some exciting news from Disney! Disney Springs in the Walt Disney World Resort area will begin phased reopening on May 20. See the details below as shared by DisneyParksBlog:
A phased reopening of Disney Springs will begin on May 20. Following the guidance of government and health officials, a limited number of shopping and dining experiences that are owned by third-party operating participants will begin to open during this initial phase. The rest of Walt Disney World Resort will remain closed, including theme parks and resort hotels.
As we continue to monitor conditions, and with the health of guests and Disney cast members at the forefront of our planning, we are making several operational changes. Disney Springs will begin to reopen in a way that incorporates enhanced safety measures, including increased cleaning procedures, the use of appropriate face coverings by both cast members and guests, limited-contact guest services and additional safety training for cast members.
We will apply learnings and ideas from leaders in the health and travel industries, and we’re also talking to our unions as we prepare for some cast members to return to work.
During the initial opening phase, Disney Springs will have limitations on capacity, parking and operating hours. Given this unprecedented situation, we appreciate everyone’s patience and understanding as we navigate through this process as responsibly as we can. Additional protocols and procedures may be announced closer to the opening date. Please check DisneySprings.com as we get closer to May 20 for the most current information on operating hours, locations and safety procedures.
