Disneyland Still Doesn’t Have An Opening Date So Let’s Just Engage in Rank Speculation About It Instead

Hi everyone, you may recall that the last time we tried to glance at the crystal ball to see when Disneyland might reopen, Disney was accepting reservations starting on June 1, 2020. As we approach that date, there is a new cutoff for new reservations per Disneyland’s site (as of the most recent update as this goes to press of May 8) — July 1, 2020. Does this mean that Disneyland will be opening on July 1?  Does that mean that it definitely won’t be open before July 1? Officially, it doesn’t mean anything until Disney announces a reopening date, and the only thing certain right now is uncertainty, and any reservations made or held at the moment should be considered tentative until we hear something official from Disney one way or the other.

For those of you with Annual Passes, you can check out our last article on this topic for details on your options during the closure. For additional details on how other aspects of Disney travel are impacted, including the myriad different individual tickets, group tickets, special events and dining, please check Disney’s COVID-19 impact site.

So, we obviously don’t know when the park is going to open, but we can play soothsayer and have fun trying to guess, right? Well, I’m not going to wade into that minefield, but you’re free to do so. Here’s some info to help fuel your rampant guesswork, including some information that might, emphasis on might, offer some insight on what a COVID-19-era Disneyland Resort will look like:

• A survey apparently sent by Disney about Disneyland posted to reddit suggests some options Disney is considering for how to deal with the situation, positing things like enhanced cleaning procedures, health screenings, masks, and operational changes to promote social distancing. Options presented are here, here, and here. To the extent that it may be instructive on operational issues because, you know, same company, a similar survey with respect to Disney World is included here. Note that local requirements may ultimately result in different practices being implemented, however.
• In an interview with CNBC, Disney CEO Bob Chapek suggested that masks may be required, but also noted that getting guests to wear masks in US parks may be difficult.
• Cnet weighs in on the topic by opining that Disneyland falls into the category of California businesses that will open, “once therapeutics [for COVID-19] have been developed.” That would suggest that Disneyland would not reopen unless there is either a vaccine or a viable treatment option, whichever comes first.
• Here’s a detailed breakdown of California Governor Gavin Newsom’s 4 phase plan for reopening the state in which Disneyland operates.
• On Monday, Newsom announced that some counties may be able to open faster than his plan would otherwise dictate under certain circumstances.
• Orange County, Disneyland’s home county, has been petitioning to accelerate its reopening.
• It does not, however, currently meet the criteria to move to Phase 2 and is not one of the counties that have attested to doing so. Even under Phase 2, theme parks are not allowed to operate.
• Finally, here’s the OCRegister’s take on Orange County’s readiness to start opening things back up.

So, once again, we really don’t know when Disneyland will reopen, but hopefully this gives you something to needle over in the interim while we wait for an announcement. As soon as we know, we’ll be sure to let you know!