food IS a theme park
Walt Disney World has officially been reopened for a little over two months now.
Main Street, USA
Despite reduced park capacity, it hasn’t necessarily been any easier to get reservations at some of Disney World’s most popular dining spots, like Be Our Guest Restaurant, California Grill, or Topolino’s Terrace.
Disney World has been open for almost two months, but Florida continues to face the global health crisis.
Florida Palm Trees
The state was placed under a State of Emergency beginning March 9th. The State of Emergency order has been extended twice since its initial filing and was set to expire tomorrow. Now, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has filed a new executive order to extend the State of Emergency by another 60 days.
It’s a strange new world we’re living in, and the Florida theme parks are ready to reflect and look forward.
Disney World
Today, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis held a roundtable with representatives from several major central Florida theme parks to talk about their reopenings and the coming months. In attendance were representatives from Universal, Toothsome, Sea World, and Disney — and the discussion gave us an inside look at how the reopening is playing out in the Disney parks.
Well, here we are. All of the Disney World parks have reopened and we’ve been exploring the changes for over a week now.
Train Station
It certainly can be easy to want to settle back into “the parks are open” mode, but just because the parks are open doesn’t mean they’ll necessarily stay that way. Hong Kong Disneyland recently became the first park to RE-close due to the global health crisis…is it possible that Disney World could do the same?
Disney World opens this weekend, but that doesn’t mean it’s simple to travel there.
Florida Sunset
Florida is currently under a State of Emergency and has been since March 9th. Recently, a quarantine order was put in place that mandates all travelers from New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut must quarantine for 14 days upon arrival in Florida. As you can imagine, this can be an obstacle to heading to Disney World.
The State of Emergency and quarantine order were both set to expire today, but now Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has filed an executive order to extend the State of Emergency by 60 more days.
It’s like a whole new world has opened up at Disney World today since May 20th when only a few Disney Springs spots reopened.
Disney Springs
And while we’ve been waiting for stores like Ever After Jewelry Co. & Accessories as well as Goofy’s Candy Company to reopen, we weren’t quite expecting to see this spot resume its margarita-making business so quickly!
Disney has announced Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom will be reopening on July 11th followed by Epcot and Hollywood Studios on July 15th.
Magic Kingdom
Due to limited capacity, guests will be required to have valid theme park admission and a hotel booking to have priority access to the new reservation system before the parks reopen. But one of the biggest questions many would-be-guests are seeking clarity on is whether they’ll even be allowed to travel to Florida because of where they reside.
Moments ago, Governor Ron DeSantis spoke at Universal Orlando Resort which is currently hosting an Annual Passholder preview ahead of its June 5th reopening to the public.
Universal Orlando Resort
Governor DeSantis announced most of the state of Florida will enter Phase Two of his Safe. Smart. Step-by-Step. Plan for Florida’s Recovery, but he also shared a few comments on Universal Orlando’s reopening.
Disney World recently proposed a reopening plan to the Orange County Economic Recovery Task Force for approval.
Walt Disney World
The plan, which includes a soft reopening of July 11th for Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom and of July 15th for Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios, was approved by Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings and set to move on for review by the state government. Today, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis officially signed off on the proposal, which means the plan is approved for use.
Earlier this morning, we learned about Disney World’s proposed reopening dates and guidelines that will be in place when the parks reopen.
Disney World Monorail
Disney proposed a soft opening of July 11 for Magic Kingdom and Disney’s Animal Kingdom, and July 15 for Epcot and Hollywood Studios. The plans required the approval of the Orange County Task Force as well as the Orange County Mayor, followed by the Governor.
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