food IS a theme park
Thinking of heading to Orlando for Thanksgiving or the holiday season?
Magic Kingdom
You may be thinking that the parks will be totally empty given the global pandemic and recommendations that some states have made to limit non-essential travel, but Disney has reported that Thanksgiving week capacity is almost at 100% and now Orange County Mayor Jerry L. Demings has also indicated that, despite travel warnings, people are still traveling to Orlando.
Wow! Disney news has been off the charts recently!
Cinderella Castle
We learned a lot of important updates from Josh D’Amaro, the Disney Parks, Experiences, and Products Chairman, at the IAAPA Expo, Imagineers and teams at the D23 Fantastic Worlds event, and from Disney announcements. We’re here to review ALL of the big news updates from this week!
We’ve been eagerly awaiting any update about a possible reopening of the theme parks at Disneyland Resort.
Red Car Trolley behind the Gates at Disney California Adventure Park
Under the current California theme park reopening guidelines, Orange County — where Disneyland is located — must reach the lowest (yellow) tier in California’s system. Most recently, the county had remained in the red (3rd) tier, but today that has changed.
Although the Disneyland Resort Backlot Premiere Shop has opened and Buena Vista Street is set to reopen soon for shopping and dining, Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park currently remain closed under California’s theme park reopening guidelines.
Red Car Trolley
Today, we received an update as to whether there has been any change in the tier status of Orange County, where Disneyland Resort is located, which would move the parks closer to an eventual reopening.
The state of California released the long-awaited theme park reopening guidelines yesterday, which calls into question when large theme parks like the Disneyland Resort and Universal Studios Hollywood can actually reopen. The guidelines dictate that larger theme parks with capacities of above 15,000 may not reopen until the county in which it resides enters the Yellow “Minimal” tier.
Disneyland Gate
But what does that actually MEAN in terms of a reopening timeline? And how is that timeline affected when you take into consideration what health experts are saying about a rise in cases? We’re breaking it down for you.
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Disney World has been open for a few months and we’ve seen the health and safety measures change and evolve.
Magic Kingdom
Now, the Florida Orange County government is turning attention to the theme parks to ensure that they are following Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines. The county-wide effort to ensure health and safety will send strike teams in to make sure that things are going well.
Whether your own kids or the kids in your area are still completing school from home, are going in person, or are doing a hybrid approach, school this year is certainly different due to the pandemic.
Toy Story Kit
Disney, through its partnership with A Gift For Teaching, recently helped local teachers in Florida with the supplies they’ll need to welcome students back into their classrooms.
California Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly once again held his weekly news video conference which provided an update on the current tier status of the state’s counties.
Disneyland Park — Health and Safety Reminders
We learned during the update that Orange County, where Disneyland resides, is still in the red reopening tier, also known as “Substantial,” and will NOT advance to the Orange reopening tier at this time. Despite the lack of progress in Orange County, reporters continue to inquire on updates regarding theme park reopening guidelines, which are required in order for places like the Disneyland Resort to reopen.
Over the past few weeks, there has been a lot of back and forth happening between Disneyland Resort and the state of California.
Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland
Disney executives continue to make their case for Disneyland to reopen soon, but California Governor Gavin Newson has stated he is in “no hurry” to release theme park guidelines. That statement came after Disney Chairman Bob Iger stepped down from the California Economy Recovery Task Force.
Today, Orange County in California hosted a news conference to provide an update on the county’s reopening initiatives in the wake of the global pandemic. The news conference follows what has been several rocky days between the state of California and the Disneyland Resort, after Governor Gavin Newsom noted that he is in “no hurry” to release theme park guidelines. Disney promptly issued a response to the governor’s remarks later that evening.
©California Governor Gavin Newsom
During a question and answer session with reporters, Dr. Clayton Chau, County Health Officer, was asked about the reopening of theme parks and if there was any concern that the parks could become a “super-spreader site.” His response highlights the work that he and Dr. Mark Zahn, Dr. Mark Zahn, Medical Director of the Division of Epidemiology at the County Health Care Agency have done with Disneyland over the past several weeks and months.
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