Earlier today, Walt Disney Company CEO Bob Chapek announced on CNBC that both of Disney’s theme parks at the Disneyland Resort will re-open April 30th.
According to the new guidelines issued by the State of California, theme parks will be able to operate at between 15% and 35% capacity depending on levels of COVID in the area . For reference, Walt Disney World re-opened in last July at a 25% capacity.
In the announcement Chapek stated –
We’ve seen the enthusiasm, the craving for people to return to our parks around the world. We’ve been operating at Walt Disney World for about nine months, and there certainly is no shortage of demand.
I think as people become vaccinated, they become a little bit more confident in the fact that they can travel, and stay Covid-free,” he added. “Consumers trust Disney to do the right thing and we’ve certainly proven that we can [open] responsibly whether it’s temperature checks, masks, social distancing, [or] improved hygiene around the parks.
Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel and Spa will re-open April 29th with limited capacity ahead of the parks. The Vacation Club Villa at the Grand Californian will re-open on May 2 and Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel and the Disneyland Hotel will re-open at a later date.
Disneyland Resort will manage attendance through a theme park reservation system that requires all guests to obtain a reservation for park entry in advance. In order to enter a park, both a park reservation and valid admission for the same park on the same date are required for guests ages 3 and up. Theme park reservations will be limited and subject to availability and, until further notice, only California residents may visit the parks in line with current state guidelines. Disney says that more details about this new reservation system will be available soon.
Prior to the full public opening on April 30, Disneyland Resort will invite cast members and members of the local community as part of a soft opening.
Re-opening Disneyland will return more than 10,000 Cast Members back to work.
“The day all of us have long been waiting for is almost here,” said Ken Potrock, president of the Disneyland Resort. “We’re excited to have more than 10,000 cast members returning to work as we get ready to welcome our guests back to this happy place.”
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