Global Disney Parks and Resorts Opening Status: June 5th

Walt Disney World’s theme parks are coming back in a few weeks. Meanwhile, Disney Vacation Club members can visit the parks even sooner.

So, Disney’s ramping up its behind-the-scenes activity to account for the impending reopening. And Walt Disney World will even host a couple of major sports soon.

Here’s the global parks and resorts status update for June 5, 2020.

Disney Park Status:

Walt Disney World Updates

Okay, plenty is going on at Walt Disney World right now. Some of it directly impacts DVC owners, too.

For starters, Disney has recalled some of its furloughed cast members. Eric Clinton, the head of Union Local 362, announced that thousands of people will return to their jobs soon.

Some of them will come back as soon as June 14. You may wonder why they’re needed so soon since the parks don’t reopen until July 11.

Well, you should remember that DVC resorts reopen on June 22. So, Disney will need cast members to staff these locations. And we have a better idea of what you can do on your vacation, too.

The Restaurants Where You Can Eat

According to Eric Clinton, the following restaurants will reopen:

• Artist’s Palette – Saratoga Springs
• Beach Club Marketplace – Beach Club
• Beaches & Cream – Beach Club
• Boardwalk Pizza Window – The Boardwalk
• BW Bakery – The Boardwalk
• Cook’s – The Polynesian
• Contempo Café – The Contemporary
• Gasparilla – Grand Floridian
• Goods to Go – Old Key West
• Grand Floridian Café – Grand Floridian
• Kona Café – The Polynesian
• Le Petit Café – The Riviera
• The Maji – Animal Kingdom Villas
• The Mara – Animal Kingdom Villas
• Meadows Snack Bar – Fort Wilderness Campgrounds
• Olivia’s – Old Key West
• P & J’s Takeout – Fort Wilderness Campgrounds
• Paddock – Saratoga Springs
• Pineapple Lanai – The Polynesian
• Primo Piatto – The Riviera
• Roaring Fork – Wilderness Lodge
• Sanaa – Animal Kingdom Villas
• Topolino’s Terrace – The Riviera
• Trattoria al Forno – The BoardWalk
• The Wave… of American Flavors – The Contemporary
• Whispering Canyon Café – Wilderness Lodge

Photo Courtesy of DisneyTouristBlog.com

So, that’s a lot to take in. What I take from this information is that Disney wants its guests to eat well during the second half of June. However, the company won’t open every restaurant.

Instead, Disney will reopen two or three eateries at each resort, presuming that’s more than enough to satisfy guest demand. However, long-time DVC members may face some disappointment.

Wildly popular restaurants like ‘Ohana, California Grill, and Chef Mickey’s aren’t available. And I sincerely hope that Boardwalk guests like pizza and other Italian food. At Beach Club, the most elegant dining option is a 1950s burger joint.

Also, no character dining experiences are open, even the new Snow White offering at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge.

Still, I must commend Disney for doing what it can in impossible circumstances. I presume that other restaurants will become available as we get closer to July 11/July 15.

Until then, people staying at DVC resorts will have some options but less than we’re used to getting. If anything, it’ll make us appreciate standard Disney amenities that much more.

Other Walt Disney World News

DVC members won’t be the only park guests this summer. Major League Soccer (MLS) will complete its 2020 season at Walt Disney World. The plan is to hold a World Cup-style tournament.

The idea is that 26 teams will participate in a series of preliminary rounds followed by a seeded single-elimination tournament. And all of this will happen in a bubble environment wherein the players and league officials are at Walt Disney World. However, they’re walled off from other guests.

Clearly, this idea appeals to team owners and athletes alike, as the NBA will follow suit. On Thursday, the players and owners ratified an agreement to restart the doomed 2019-2020 season.

You may remember that an NBA player, Rudy Gobert, infamously triggered a horrible chain of events when he touched a bunch of microphones and then tested positive for COVID-19. He even infected a teammate and some opponents for good measure.

Well, Gobert will have a chance to redeem himself as his team will be one of 22 NBA franchises participating in a shortened season. These teams will play a few regular-season games to get back into game shape. Then, the NBA playoffs will start.

All of this will happen at Walt Disney World in a different bubble. The belief is that the NBA contingent will stay at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort, although that’s not confirmed yet.

Photo Courtesy of DisneyTouristBlog.com

However, if you’re hoping to see LeBron James or James Hardin, you’re probably out of luck. The idea is that MLS and NBA players will never see each other, much less outsiders. Otherwise, they’d break bubble containment and risk coronavirus infection…and the NBA’s already had enough of that this year.

Still, DVC members must be excited to know that they’ll be staying near some of the most famous athletes on the planet. It’s exceptionally cool of Disney to set this up and allow people to watch some real sports again.

Quick Disneyland Update

I have nothing concrete to offer about Disneyland this week. Several California counties are ready to enter Stage 3 of the state’s reopening plan.

The governor has indicated that this could happen at some point in June, presumably early. However, we still don’t have a firm date.

Despite this fact, outside observers believe that Downtown Disney could return at some point this summer, either later this month or in July. Similarly, rumors persist that Disneyland will return soon after Walt Disney World, possibly even in July.

As a comparison, LEGOLAND California and SeaWorld San Diego officials want to reopen their parks by the end of June. If Disneyland follows the same pattern as Walt Disney World, the Happiest Place on Earth will return four to six weeks after its competitors.

California reported 2,548 new COVID-19 cases yesterday. So, we’re still putting the cart before the horse a bit here. Since Disney has erred on the side of caution throughout the pandemic, I view all these rumors as nebulous for now.

Once the governor of California moves the state into Stage 3, we can start speculating more accurately.

International Updates — China

Let’s start with the status quo. Hong Kong Disneyland remains in a holding pattern. I’ve watched several rumored return dates come and go, which tells me that nobody’s quite sure what will happen next.

The park is totally ready to reopen whenever Disney wants. Hong Kong has had fewer total coronavirus cases (1,100) than Florida had yesterday (1,419). So, it’s not the pandemic keeping the park closed.

At Shanghai Disneyland, everything continues to run according to plan. In fact, I have an exciting update for you. The park is currently testing the Disney Standby Pass, a virtual queuing system that could revolutionize visits.

Under this system, you can hold a spot in a virtual line akin to FastPass. Then, the app notifies you when it’s your turn to ride. It looks like a slightly modified version of MaxPass. However, I’ll have to watch in action more before deciding which is better.

Since Walt Disney World parks will employ virtual queuing, it’s entirely likely that park planners are testing the Orlando system right now in Shanghai.

International Updates – Japan and France

The news at Tokyo Disneyland is a bit muddled. Disney’s primary competitor in the country is Universal Studios Japan, which has nearly the same attendance numbers as Tokyo DisneySea.

Universal’s park is in Osaka, and officials have decided to reopen on June 8, which is Monday. Meanwhile, the Oriental Land Company hasn’t announced a return date for Tokyo Disneyland.

The official website published the following:

“Although the government’s state of emergency declaration regarding the new coronavirus (COVID-19) has been lifted, Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea will temporarily remain closed.

The reopening of the Parks will be determined when external and internal conditions have been readied, including the phased easing of closure requests from the government and local municipalities, as well as preparations for Park operations. The reopening date will be announced once it has been decided.”

The most recent update to this page is from June 4, so it’s as current as possible.

I have better news about Disneyland Paris. Rumors abound that this park will return around the same time as Walt Disney World. In fact, one Disney fansite has suggested that it will come back on July 11.

In this scenario, Disneyland Paris would open six hours before Walt Disney World. Again, that’s speculation, though. It’s a similar situation to Hong Kong Disneyland wherein everyone’s guessing based on any information they can find.