Disney World Is Primed For A Summer Reopening With Some Precautionary Measures

After select retailers at Disney Springs reopened to the public along with a number of precautionary measures on Wednesday, May 21, fans are wondering when Disney World will reopen. The park closed indefinitely on March 15 due to the coronavirus pandemic, but it could reopen to guests sooner than expected. On Wednesday, May 27, Disney Parks announced it had submitted a proposal to Florida officials which targets the opening of some parts of the theme park as early as Saturday, July 11, with some new policies in place. Here are all the details of the proposed reopening dates.

The Walt Disney World Resort theme parks' proposal details a plan to open the Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom Park as soon as July 11, 2020. If all goes to plan, Epcot and Hollywood Studios are slated to open a few days later on July 15, 2020. Resort hotels and Disney stores in the parks will also reopen during this time. According to the Disney Parks Blog, this decision comes after Disney was "encouraged by how [their] guests are responding at Shanghai Disney Resort and Disney Springs."

While the Orange County Economic Recovery Task Force of Orlando, Florida, approved the proposal on May 27, Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis will both need to sign off on the plan for Disney to move forward. Elite Daily reached out to the mayor's and governor's office for comment on a timeline of this process, but did not hear back by the time of publication.

Similar to the phased reopening of Disney Springs, the theme park will be putting a number of precautionary measures in place. In addition to cutting down on park capacity to help enact social distancing, Disney plans to pause any activities and events that draw large crowds, like its nightly fireworks shows and parades. Guest experiences which require close contact between guests or guests and cast members, such as character meet and greets, will also be temporarily shuttered.

The park will require visitors ages 3 and up to wear face coverings in highly populated areas of the park, and guests will have their temperature taken at check-in. Disney plans to enact additional entry requirements in light of reduced capacity. All guests will need to get a park entry reservation to get in. The theme park will also be temporarily halting all new ticket sales and hotel reservations (other than those from Disney Vacation Club members) so that people with existing ones can visit first. When they do open up ticket sales again, Annual Passholders and people with existing tickets will get first dibs before other people can purchase park passes and hotel stays.

If the proposal is approved, guests should keep in mind COVID-19 information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), such as that the elderly and those with underlying medical conditions are especially vulnerable to contracting coronavirus. In addition, all visitors should ensure they practice social distancing and proper hygiene practices, and anyone who is feeling sick should not visit the park.

Only time will tell if Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings and Gov. Ron DeSantis approve the proposed dates, but as of publication on May 27, Disney World could be opening up in just over a month-and-a-half with these new measures in place.

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