Disneyland Resort Targeting Late September for Reopening of Theme Parks

As with any kind of rumour, this information should be considered unofficial unless, and until, Disney officially confirms.

According to sources, via Blog Mickey, Disneyland is internally targeting a reopening of their theme parks on Monday 28^th September.

Disneyland’s theme parks have been closed since mid-March due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and while all of the other Disney theme parks around the world have reopened, Disneyland has remained closed due to the state of California’s regulations.

For the record, Hong Kong Disneyland was open for a month before being shut down again by government regulations.

Blog Mickey has learnt that Disneyland has been internally targeting a 28^th September reopening after failing to get the necessary government approval to meet their previously announced 17^th July reopening date.

Now that Orange County has been moved off the California Coronavirus monitoring list, Disneyland officials were feeling confident with their late-September date, however, Governor Gavin Newsom introduced another set of reopening guidelines this past Friday.

The new system was introduced to give the state a bit more power over the counties to thwart another premature reopening of certain business types, Newsom said.

Disneyland is said to be moving ahead with the 28^th September timeline, and in a press conference this past Friday Newsom said that the state is “actively” working with Disneyland and other theme parks in what is being called a “very dynamic conversation”.

The Governor said that discussions on reopening theme parks is forthcoming. Disneyland had recently announced the cancellation of reservations through the 12^th September as of writing this piece.

During the resorts’ closure, Disneyland had announced rolling cancellations of reservations on Thursdays. It’s worth nothing that Disney didn’t make an  announcement this past Thursday – with is a good sign.

Disney Parks Chairman Josh D’Amaro said in a recent interview that Disneyland is “ready to reopen” as soon as the state of California releases guidelines and sets a date for the theme parks to reopen.

Walt Disney World Chief Operating Officer Jim MacPhee said in a recent roundtable in Florida that Disneyland “has been ready to roll since July”. The Walt Disney Company has always put the burden on the state since the announcement that they wouldn’t hit the previously scheduled 17^th July reopening date.

It’s fair to say Disney has had experience with opening and operating theme parks in this new climate since they reopened Shanghai Disneyland on the 11^th May. The company’s toughest test to date has been the reopening of Walt Disney World where both state and local officials say there have been no COVID-19 outbreaks linked to Disney World theme parks or resorts – however, there have been cases.

There’s no doubt that Disney has shown that they can operate in a safe and responsible manner given that the U.S. is still dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic.

PLEASE NOTE: The 28^th September reopening date is rumoured and unofficial.

Again, until anything is officially announced, this information should be considered unofficial and a rumour. As always, stay tuned to Orlando Theme Park Zone for more.