On March 14 of last year, as the presence of COVID-19 grew in the United States, the unthinkable happened. Disneyland closed its gates. According to The Washington Post, this was only the third time in over sixty-five years that the beloved theme park closed, indicating just how dire the pandemic might be.
But now, after over a year, the Happiest Place on Earth will finally be welcoming guests back on April 30.
The Walt Disney Company was greatly affected by the pandemic. Its two main commodities are movies and theme parks, and neither were able to make much revenue for several months.
However, in July, Disney began a tentative reopening of their parks in the United States. Walt Disney World in Florida was able to reopen all four of its parks by mid-July with limited capacity. However, Disneyland was only able to reopen its Downtown District.
In February, Disneyland announced a Touch of Disney, which, according to an article written for Variety, will be “ticketed food events” that will serve as a sort of stepping stone for reopening. Just as Walt Disney World has done, Disneyland will put many safety measures into place in order to keep any mass spreading from occurring.
According to the Disneyland official site, this will include required face coverings, temperature screening, social distancing and enhanced cleanliness procedures. In addition, only California residents will be welcomed initially, and even then, the two parks will only be operating at 15% capacity.
However, according to Len Testa, a notable figure in the Disney Parks community, with only 15% capacity, Disneyland will actually be operating at a loss.
It takes many, many cast members to keep these theme parks running smoothly, and with the revenue from only a fraction of the guests these parks usually host, it simply won’t be enough to break even. This knowledge has caused some people to wonder if reopening right now is even worth it.
Winthrop student Jacob Klingensmith, a senior mass communication major, thinks that this can be welcomed as “a trial run, to see how it goes and make sure all the health protocols are in place, and in time raise the capacity. In that regard, I think they’ll be fine.”
Aside from the safety precautions, there are sure to be other aspects of the Disney experience that will be affected by reopening in this manner.
Walt Disney World has not held any parades, firework shows or other performances that may draw a large crowd. They have, however, been doing Cavalcades, which are shortened parades that happen spontaneously throughout the day to give guests a chance to see their favorite
characters. Although it hasn’t been officially announced, Disneyland may try something similar.
There are also other events that will surely have to be postponed or even canceled. There has been no word if Avengers Campus, the new themed area in California Adventure that was supposed to open in summer of 2020, will open anytime
soon.
Klingensmith says that he doesn’t “see it opening with everything else; there’s really no reason. If you’re not witnessing it with the full crowd, the attraction loses its energy.”
Another event that may have been celebrated on a much larger scale is Walt Disney World’s 50th birthday, which will occur on Oct. 1 of this year.
When Disneyland turned 50 back in 2005, Disney Parks around the world took part in the celebration with new attractions and special decor. While Disney has announced some of the special events that will happen in Disney World, there has been no word about the participation of other parks.
There are many different points of view that can be taken when it comes to the Disney Parks reopening. On the one hand, it does put guests at risk; on the other, it allows many cast members who lost their jobs back in March to go back to work.
Hopefully, Disney will continue to handle these unprecedented times with as much consideration as possible for the multitudes that find joy in the magical experiences that the parks provide.
Photo by Kaily Paddie
