The Walt Disney World Resort has responded to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ executive order. The order put Florida into “Phase 3” reopening status, meaning that businesses can allow more guests to enter. It also eliminated public mask mandates, however there is still an active mask mandate within Orange County. The Walt Disney World Resort statement … Read more
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed an executive order today to removing all statewide restrictions. Though he said that this is “Phase 3” of the reopening process, “Phase 3” would technically still restrict businesses to operating at a maximum of 75% capacity. With the lifting of statewide restrictions, bars and restaurants may now operate at whatever … Read more
Today, Disney Parks and Resorts held a private press conference for media to discuss updates on operations during the COVID-19 pandemic. During the press conference, they announced that they would be opening COVID-19 testing sites for the Disneyland community. Disney previously opened a drive-thru testing site in Osceola County, Florida at the Disney Maingate Complex … Read more
Who’s ready for Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios Japan? We sure are! But it seems Universal Studios Japan isn’t. In an internal email to NBCUniversal employees, CEO Jeff Shell has revealed that Super Nintendo World is now delayed until “early next year.” Here’s an excerpt of the email: We’ve now reopened our theme parks … Read more
The Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort will be laying off 1,136 employees effective Nov. 13 due to low occupancy at both resorts and a number of cancelled events due to the ongoing detrimental effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on tourism. According to the Orlando Sentinel, among those impacted include 256 banquet servers, 41 … Read more
The Orange County Register reports that Anaheim is urging Gov. Gavin Newsom to allow Disneyland and Disney California Adventure to open soon. Naturally, the city wants the governor to provide the parks COVID-19 health and safety guidelines so that they can open safely, but Anaheim officials are concerned that waiting too long may make their … Read more
COVID-19 has hit the theme park industry around the world pretty hard. While attendance at Tokyo Disney Resort is rather high, its companion in Osaka has not seen the same success. Even on weekends, wait times at Universal Studios Japan remain low, and the crowds aren’t flocking back to theme parks in the same way … Read more
Following yesterday’s “One Goal, One Florida” theme park roundtable, Governor Ron DeSantis thanked both Universal Orlando Resort and the Vice President of Disney’s Hollywood Studios Jackie Swisher for their participation. Governor DeSantis said it was “great to be at” Universal Orlando, who hosted the roundtable. Universal provided a surprise appearance by Professor Doctor Penelope Tibeaux-Tinker … Read more
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to grip the world, The Walt Disney Company’s Executive Chairman Bob Iger has expressed his frustration with a recent guideline change from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, calling it “horrifying.” Yesterday, the CDC shocked many by reversing course on COVID-19 testing, claiming that people may not need to … Read more
Orange County in California has been moved off the watch list for COVID-19, following a downward trend of cases in the county. As the tweet from the City of Anaheim above states, being removed from the watchlist means: there’s a sign of progress, but no changes will be made right away the county must remain … Read more
In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, Walt Disney World Golf has instituted several changes to help keep golfers safe while they tee off. From Walt Disney World’s Sports Media Director, Darrell Fry on Disney Parks Blog: If you’re looking to get outside and hit the links at Walt Disney World Resort, I’m excited to share with … Read more
Face masks are the new norm at theme parks, and even the Most Magical Place on Earth is no exception to the rule, with guests required to keep their face masks on throughout their time in the Magic Kingdom—even for photographs. Earlier in the week, we heard the debut of a new audio reminder informing … Read more
With a reopening date still yet to be announced, Aulani, A Disney Resort & Spa has cancelled reservations through the month of September. Disney sent this message to guests, noting that their room reservation cancellation penalties would be waived for those affected. Aulani Resort remains closed and a reopening date has not been identified. We … Read more
While reopening their theme parks is a major step on the road to Disney’s economic recovery from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, there’s still a long road ahead. According to StreetInsider.com, Deutsche Bank reported that worldwide Disney Park attendance remains down 80% year-over-year from 2019 per their proprietary geolocation data. For months, parks around … Read more
Face masks are the new norm at theme parks, and even the Most Magical Place on Earth is no exception to the rule, with guests required to keep their face masks on throughout their time in the Magic Kingdom—even for photographs. New at the Magic Kingdom is an audio reminder played near the park’s icon, … Read more
A new research report from VISIT FLORIDA outlines how COVID-19 has heavily impacted travel to Florida during the second quarter of 2020. According to VISIT FLORIDA, Florida saw 12.8 million total visitors during 2020’s second quarter, which is a -60.5% decrease compared to last year. Domestic travelers accounted for 98.1%, or 12.6 million, of Florida’s … Read more