The unprecedented closure of Disney World has continued for more than two months now and we are missing the parks.
Magic Kingdom Has Had an Interesting 2020 So Far!
Disney has never had to contend with a global crisis such as this one. In the past, closures have been extremely limited and the largest singular change to daily operations came in the wake of the 9/11 attacks with added security measures. Now, we’re looking at a Disney World that could be VERY different when we return. So, when will Disney World be normal again?
That’s a big question, and it’s one that no one really has the answers to quite yet. Still, we can take a look at what some of the experts are saying to get an idea of when Disney will feel like what we’re all used to.
What Disney Executives are Saying
Attendance levels are definitely a defining aspect of “normal” at the Disney parks but added health measures could certainly make things feel a little abnormal for a while. Disney executives have made comments on the current situation and confirmed the possibility of permanent changes in the wake of the crisis.
Bob Iger ©Disney
According to Barrons, Disney Executive Chairman Bob Iger asserted that we could see some permanent restrictions in the long-term as a result of the global health crisis. He explained that the future could see temperature checks that are as ubiquitous as bag checks as Disney looks to protect guests’ health as well as security. The world adjusted after 9/11, and as Iger commented, it made need to adjust again.
Bob Chapek
And Iger isn’t the only exec with concerns about the return to normalcy at the Disney parks. Disney CEO Bob Chapek spoke on the number of health measures that Disney is instituting. He explained that the company can only do so much and that guests also have a role in getting the parks back to full capacity — and moving towards a semblance of normal.
Click here to read Iger’s comments on the future of the parks!
What the Florida Government is Saying
The Florida government has a vested interest in returning Disney World to regular attendance levels. After all, tourism (and, by extension, Disney), is a major pillar of the Florida economy. As the state heads into what may be a major recession, they are looking to reopen the theme parks and at least start working towards normal.
Welcome to Orlando!
As of now, many Florida theme parks — including Disney World — have gotten state approval on their proposed reopening plans. Universal Orlando reopens to the general public on June 5th and Disney World is following by opening beginning July 11th. Of course, a reopening of the parks does not mean that they will feel normal once more, but it is an important step in working towards that feeling.
Want to know more about the financial impact on Disney World? Click here.
What the CDC and Health Officials are Saying
Finally, we’ll examine what some of the primary health officials have said about returning to normal. These agencies have not commented on Disney or theme parks officially, but their statements about the general crisis may be telling.
Cast Member with required face mask
According to NPR, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) believe that things should remain closed until there are systems for aggressive contact tracing and testing in place. Beyond that, they explain that “normal” may not be a thing again until there is a vaccine and 95% cure rate for the virus, which could take years.
Disney Springs
According to Click Orlando, Dr. Raul Pino from the Florida Department of Health has commented that it is still unclear whether health measures will be enough as things reopen. If they are not it could elongate the process and put us a step back in returning to that state of normalcy.
To learn about all the times that Disney has closed in the past, click here.
What Wall Street Analysts are Saying
With the park closures making such a significant financial impact on the Walt Disney Company, Wall Street analysts have been expressing their fair share of comments about the state of the parks. Beyond the billion-dollar loss that Disney reported in their earnings call (partially attributed to theme park closures), analysts are concerned with how long it will take for normal attendance levels to return to the parks.
Magic Kingdom
Alexa Quadrani, an analyst from J.P. Morgan, has one of the most optimistic views when it comes to when the Disney parks will reopen. However, despite the fact that she projected an opening in June, she still agreed that Disney will not return quickly to normal attendance levels after the parks reopen.
Some analysts predict that it could take two years for Disney to reach pre-crisis attendance levels. Wells Fargo analyst Steven Cahall cites added health measures (such as capacity limits and physical distancing) and lowered demand as two of the main reasons that Disney could maintain these lower crowds.
Toy Story Land crowds
Even further, theme park expert Dennis Spiegel has been quoted saying, “The way people visit theme parks may never be the same.” Some believe that Disney may never return to the old experience. We’ll instead have to carve out a different feel as we move forward.
To read more comments from analysts, click here.
So, when will Disney World be normal again?
So, based on those comments from the experts, what can we ascertain about when Disney will return to normal? It’s possible that the parks won’t ever return to exactly what they were pre-2020. But will there be a time that we walk the streets of Disney World without the global crisis hanging over us everywhere we look? The experts agree that time WILL come.
Mickey Waffle at Magic Kingdom
Some kind of normal could return in months if health measures are sufficiently effective and guests can get used to them. After all, folks may acclimate to health measures quickly, making the parks feel normal even if they are still quite different from before the crisis.
On the other hand, if guests can’t find comfort with the health measures, it could be a year or more until a vaccine is developed and the parks feel a little closer to the way they did pre-crisis. Someday though, it’s possible the only remainder of the health crisis may be a temperature check at the park gate. If Bob Iger is right, these checks could be as expected as a bag check when you arrive.
Magic Kingdom
Keep up with DFB in the coming weeks and months to find out what the changes to Disney will look like and how guests are reacting to them. Things will assuredly be different when the Disney parks reopen, but that doesn’t mean that a new normal can’t flourish under the new conditions.
Click here for more information on Disney World’s reopening
Disney Park Reopening Details and Info
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Click HERE To See FULL LISTS of the Rides, Attractions, Shopping, Entertainment, and Restaurants Opening in Disney World!
TUTORIAL: How To Use Disney World's NEW Park Pass Reservation System
ALL Disney World Reopening Procedures
Disney World Hotel and Ticket Booking Information
We’re Visiting ALL the Reopened Disney World Hotels and Have All the Need-to-Know Details
We’re LIVE in Disney World's Magic Kingdom For the FIRST Time Since the Closures
We’re LIVE in Disney’s Animal Kingdom For the FIRST Time Since the Closures
We Got a FIRST LOOK at Disney World’s New Character Cavalcades and Entertainment!
Everything You NEED To Know About Wearing Masks in Disney World
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When do YOU think Disney World will feel normal again? Tell us in the comments!
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This comment isn’t against Disney taking temperatures. But I don’t think it will really work & I can understand why some people are upset by it.
98.6 F is a baseline, but not very accurate. I tend to be almost a degree lower so I have wiggle room.
Meaning I could enter the park and be running a fever.
My half brother on the other hand tends to be almost a degree warmer. So he would have a very hard time getting into the park. Just being in the Florida heat will raise his temp to the limit.
So people with low temperatures won’t say anything even if they know they are running a temperature and people that tend to run warmer will take it out on the poor cast members when they have to sit in the cooling tent and/or denied entry.
Just a thought I had.
Personally, I don’t mind temperature checks or having to wear a mask all day. I’ve stocked up on masks and have enough for at least 2 per day, if not 3. What I do care about, and have cancelled my December trip over, is the cancelling of my Dining plan, as well as this new Park Reservation system. I paid for a DDP and a Park Hopper option to my tickets. They cancelled both on me. Even though I got a refund for those, the fact that I was told that Counter Service restaurants will need reservations was just a bridge too far, so I cancelled the whole trip. I’ll rebook in 2021 or 2022when things start getting back to normal.
Justin, to my knowledge Quick Service restaurants will not require Advance Dining Reservations. Guests are being encouraged to use Mobile Order to avoid long Standby lines, though.
Does Disney have a plan as to how they will attend to/treat all of the mask related fainting /sickness that will occur?
The Magic is gone.
As long as masks and in social distancing persists, we won’t be back. We went there times last year, and love Disney, but what Disney is proposing is NOT the Disney I want to pay thousands of dollars for.
This is all just way too much. I just cancelled my trip for August 🙁 Until no masks are required and fireworks are back I just can’t justify spending the money to go to Disney World. Prices would have to be discounted 50% or greater to call it worth it.
From a public health standpoint temperature checks are a complete waste of time. Disney is clearly implementing them to make people feel better but I am pretty sure everyone knows by now that you can be asymptomatic for up to 14 days and still be contagious. I had COVID-19 in March and my temperature dropped to 96.5 instead of rose. Just saw my primary care physician today and he mentioned that he has heard similar things from other patients that tested positive. So…As mentioned by Tiana temp check are a joke!
Absolutely no way will I be returning to Disney World if I have to wear a mask all day. I can barely tolerate one in a store for 30 minutes. If I can’t get the entire experience like parades, fireworks, characters, etc. it is just not worth the money to me and my family. This make me really sad, because we love all things Disney. I’m happy for the folks that don’t mind the mask, but for me it is just too uncomfortable and hot. I guess we will just have to be happy with the memories of our past trips to Disney World.
Like the mask policy, except even dumber, the temp policy is fairly pointless. No one would spend the $ it takes to go to WDW and take the chance of your entire part being turned away due to one person having a slight fever. Take one tylenol and one advil one hour prior to arrival. Problem solved. So why bother Disney?
We had wanted to go to Disney next year; but I will not visit if I have to wear a mask in 90+ degree temperatures!
I’ll pick another vacation.
The reality is that no place will be regular until C-19 is under control. That means a vaccine and treatment is available for the public.
A vaccine will likely not be ready for the public until 2021, and that assumes a best-case scenario where everything goes right the first time, including every single phase of testing. Depending on what part of the world you live in, the death rate could be as low as 1% or as high as 10%. People will make choices and either take risks or not.
The bottom line is if you are worried about going because of “health reasons” then stay home. For the majority of us who feel everyone is going overboard on this corona mess let us enjoy a normal vacation at WDW!!! There’s no reason to not go back to pre 2020 conditions!
I just want to be able to take pictures with the characters and not wear a mask in the heat all day!
It is sad, my family and I planed for a Disney vacation for December, but with each passing day it seems more unlikely that we will not come. Like most everyone else, I can’t see how it is worth forking out thousands of dollars for none of the magic, and the possibility of not being able to use a park hopper, is a huge buzz kill for us especially since we want to eat at EPCOT almost every day. We will see how things play out before we cancel. But we both feel like that the one thing we have been looking forward to get us through this terrible year is being stripped away from us. Just wish Disney would publish what their phases look like verses changing things each and every day.
Can someone tell me why my posts NEVER get posted. One was as simple as asking what Disneys plans are for those that will faint due to masking rules. Yep. That question did not get posted
I also know of someone whose temperature decreased . People take Tylenol all the time to lower their temp. I thought CDC and WHO said it wasn’t a for sure symptom.
Wearing a mask is a deal breaker. We vacation at Disney at least 4 times a year but we absolutely will not return if mask are required. Already cancelled one Disney trip for the beach. Now we’re looking at other vacation destinations for the next year.
DFB..Why do you always take information pieces from of old stories and put them together in a “Breaking News” format ?! I spend more time reading the same information over and over….it’s bad enough that your daily newsletter has 50 stories…ready to hit That button 👇🏻
Based on the latest info from the WHO, I would assume the mask no sense will go away quickly. Per WHO, it is rare that asymptomatic individuals spread COVID! So no need for those people to wear a mask.
Theme parks will cautiously proceed to return to normal. Of course they are concerned about a safe environment for guests but they also have to pay the bills. As in any business, you have certain costs that continue regardless of the number of customers. And as with any business, you can’t continue indefinitely if there aren’t enough customers to cover your costs. There are diehard fans that will be at WDW on opening day of each park. There are many more that will question why should they go when park tickets, room rates and restaurant prices are the same but a large amount of the attractions, rides and events are not available. Why pay the same or more for less? As strange as it seems, less visitors might actually increase the likelihood that a return to normalcy might be achieved faster.
Spending thousands of dollars for having to wear a mask in extreme heat no parades no fireworks no park hopper the list goes on and on I’ll take my money elsewhere that’s not a vacation
All of the masks and temp checks business is nonsense. People in Florida heat & humidity will touch their faces a thousand times more than they would without wearing one.
I have an October Orlando trip planned, mainly focused at Universal, but stopping at Disney Springs. We were also planning a WDW trip next year that got pushed to 2022 because our 2020 vacation had to be delayed. We go to Disneyland every year. We WILL NOT return if masks are required. I will not spend thousands upon thousands of dollars to spend vacation trying to get my kids to wear masks (and not touch their faces), while sweating profusely, and getting nagged by cast members and employees to put my mask on or have my kid put their mask on, while entertainment, fireworks are cut & capacity makes wait times insanely long. No, no, no.
Also, my comments never leave pending state on DFB. I wonder how many others are like that.
Oh and this doomsday, things will never be the same, we have to adjust like we did after 9/11 stuff? This is what makes me want to unsubscribe. Just STOP.
Have to Agree with what Bill says, ” They also have to pay the bills ” I think you’re spot on, once that initial “Got to Be There” people come and go, they may be lucky to get 25% of what they normally see in summer. And that may be a generous estimate. Nobody can sustain running on or about 25%
just cancelleed my 6000 trip today there is no way im wearing a mask in a hot theme park with my family and getting ill just from that paying all that money im going to go somewhere else that does not have these requirements and losing the fireworks parades temp checks social distancing this isnt a vacation sorry mickey we wont be back til things go back to normal
We were dupposed to go this June and I canceled back in March when my kids school shut down here in NC. Hoping to go June 2021 but want to see what things look like. Not taking pics in a mask. Love coming to Disney for my Foodie experiences California Grill, Flying Fish, Citricos). Certainly, not interested in mobile ordering all my meals. Want my fireworks, parades and Character hugs! It’s old Disney or No Disney !!!!!