After closing for more than two months due to the coronavirus pandemic, theme parks are getting ready to open up again. But as their plans…
After closing for more than two months due to the coronavirus pandemic, theme parks are getting ready to open up again. But as their plans have revealed, they will be a very different experience for visitors.
Disney World and SeaWorld Orlando on Wednesday became the latest to announce their plans. Friday, they received approval to reopen to the public July 11 and June 11, respectively, Jerry Demings, Mayor of Orange County, said in a tweet Friday.
Disney World plans to reopen the Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom on July 11, followed by Epcot and Disney Hollywood Studios on July 15.
Universal Orlando is set to open June 5.
State and local officials in Florida have approved Universal’s plan to reopen June 5 and Legoland’s plan to reopen June 1.
Ahead of the theme parks reopening, Universal Orlando will open its hotels to guests June 2. The hotel openings will be managed in phases, with a range of best practice and hygiene procedures, the company said in a statement Friday.
In Oklahoma City, Six Flags Frontier City will reopen June 5.
That leaves a number of other theme parks across the country that will need to prepare – and potentially follow their lead on reopening plans full of restrictions and safety precautions.
California theme parks, including Disneyland, may be among the last to come back, with that state’s stricter criteria for mass gatherings. Last month, California Gov. Gavin Newsom outlined a phased reopening plan that appears to put theme parks in a higher-risk category of business that would open later.
Just about any theme park visit will prove to be a different experience for visitors. They’ll probably get a temperature check. They’ll be encouraged, if not required, to wear a face mask. They’ll see fewer people in the park and they’ll have to social distance from them. Some attractions may remain closed, and parking, dining, hotels and retail will all change in some way.
Disney World will even enforce social distancing and face mask requirements with a «social-distancing squad,» consisting of Disney cast members.
The reopening of attractions such as theme parks is a needed precursor to the resumption of nonessential travel, which has plummeted since much of the U. S. economy went into sleep mode in March. Southwest Airlines CEO Gary Kelly told CNBC last month that theme parks would play a role in getting travelers back on commercial flights.
