Due to the outbreak of COVID-19 in China, Shanghai Disney Resort has been closed since late January. During today’s Walt Disney Company Q2 earnings call, it was announced that Shanghai Disneyland park will reopen on May 11. The reopening will take into account guest capacity for social distancing, as well as health and prevention procedures that comply with local guidelines.
Over the span of the last few weeks, we’ve seen various forms of testing going on at the resort, from the return of character dining, to new seating guidelines at shows and theaters, plus newly-installed temporary queues with floor markings to establish social distancing. Shanghai Disneyland is also where we’ve seen the expanded use of Health QR and temperature checks; with only those showing normal temperatures and a green QR code allowed in. All of these procedures will remain throughout the reopening.
Visitors will also need to make reservations to visit in order for the resort to limit and control the number of guests in the park. No further details are available at this time regarding how the booking process will work.
During the Q&A segment of the earnings call, Chapek pointed out that Shanghai Disneyland has a max capacity of 80,000 guests a day. The local government has indicated that the park is to run at 30% of the maximum capacity, meaning that the park must operate at a maximum of 24,000 guests until those restrictions are lifted. Their goal is to make sure no lines are backing up at the entrance to the park and throughout the park.
Shanghai Disneyland’s reopening is generally seen as a test of sorts for the other Disney Parks around the world to follow. CEO Bob Chapek indicated that similar social distancing measures to attend parks and within attractions, restaurants, and shows will be taken at other Disney theme parks around the world as they return to service.
I wonder what that is going to look like stateside. I’m sure we will see resort guests getting first reservations, but what about annual pass holders? What of those who just buy regular tickets and stay off site? Perhaps they will block those out. Who knows. But looks like we are going to be waking up early for dates we are interested in.
I’m thinking it’s going start off with local Passholders, then opening to Onsite resort guests, then all Passholders, and once park capacity limits allow off property guests with daily tickets.
I’m curious why folks think “local” passholders will get first opening. They would most likely not be staying on property and would be coming and going out into the Great Covid Cloud in Florida every day, plus who can predict how many or how few will want in. Seems like if they open up for only AP (Florida and out-of-state) and DVC members who are staying on resort they can control their numbers much easier as well as doing temps at check-in. Of course, I’m biased since I’m an AP from out of state who always stays at one of the resorts! I think it will be impossible to just buy a daily ticket for a while, but I’ve been wrong about a lot of the responses to this virus.
Onsite resort guests would literally include 75% of everyone who’s not local, though. At that point, they might as well allow all passholders too.
I am encouraged by Disney being proactive and making positive steps to start reopening their parks.
In Shanghai Passholders have to make a reservation for the day they plan to visit. I’m guessing it will be the same here. That’s the only way they can track and limit the amount of Passholders specifically as there’s no telling how many will show up on a given day. My guess is resort guests will be the only ones guaranteed admission.