News: Reopened Theme Parks Will Look "Drastically Different" According to Florida's Orange County Mayor

Yesterday, Disney World shared that they plan to reopen Magic Kingdom and Disney’s Animal Kingdom July 11th followed by Epcot and Hollywood Studios on July 15th.

Palm Trees

Today, in a press conference, Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings provided updates on the reopening of businesses and theme parks.

Mayor Demings began the conference by addressing the fact that hurricane season begins this Monday, June 1st. He acknowledged that this could cause further complexities to other health and reopening initiatives in the future.

Rainy Day in Disney World

See why Hurricane Season could be EXTRA active this year here!

Demings also noted that both SeaWorld and Disney World submitted reopening proposals yesterday. He has submitted letters of endorsement for both and is awaiting a response from Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.

Walt Disney World

Mayor Demings said that in the last hour, he has heard that 12 smaller theme park reopening plans had been approved, and he suspects Governor DeSantis will get back to him “soon” regarding the larger theme parks.

Cinderella Castle and Main Street USA in Disney World

Mayor Demings also addressed a question about how they will balance safety with the need for business in an economy dependent on tourism. He said that tourist attractions will reopen with reduced capacity and increased sanitation measures, and noted that the theme parks will “look drastically different.”

See what Disney has said about their new reopening procedures here!

He also said that multiple organizations could be involved in maintaining compliance, including the Department of Health, Department of Business Regulations, local law enforcement, and more.

Animal Kingdom Entrance

We’ll continue to keep a close eye out for any updates from Florida Governor Ron DeSantis regarding approval of the reopening proposals put forth by Disney World and SeaWorld. And we will keep sharing news and information regarding new Disney World processes and regulations as they are released.

Click here to learn more about Disney World’s reopening proposal!

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