food IS a theme park
We’re reporting live from CityWalk in Universal Orlando now that some of the entertainment district’s restaurants and shops have started to reopen after being closed since mid-March.
CityWalk
So far, we’ve had our temperatures taken and we’ve seen face masks and hand sanitizer being sold at numerous retail locations, but here’s something we DIDN’T expect to see!
By now, you’ve probably heard the big news about Shanghai Disneyland’s official reopening date.
Shanghai Disneyland
But you might be wondering where that leaves us here in the United States. Just how far away are our major theme parks from reopening?
While we’re growing more used to our new normal with every passing day at home, we’re still having trouble imagining what the parks will be like when they reopen.
Magic Kingdom
We’ve already explored which new protocols Disney might use to ensure only healthy guests are allowed entry, and we recently got more information about how Shanghai Disneyland will handle their reopening on May 11th.
Armed with information about how other theme parks and vacation destinations are handling reopenings, we may finally be getting a few answers to our questions about what Disney World will be like when it reopens.
In the wake of Governor Ron DeSantis’ big announcement yesterday regarding the gradual reopening of parts of Florida starting May 4th, Universal Orlando Resort officials have just released new guidelines for its employees.
Universal Orlando!
Although no reopening date has been cited, Universal Studios says it will require employees to have their temperatures checked before starting work.
Since the theme parks have been closed for almost a month, we’ve been daydreaming about the next time we’ll be able to hop on our favorite rides in Disney World!
Epcot
While Orlando has recently implemented a curfew and stay-at-home order to keep everyone safe, Disney World has also decided to keep its gates closed “until further notice.” And, the Orange County mayor recently commented on how long he thinks local businesses could be closed.
As the temporary theme park closures continue further into 2020, many companies have had to make the difficult decision to furlough some of their employees. Today, we learned that Universal has extended their temporary closure by over a month from their previously projected reopening date.
Universal Orlando!
In addition to extending their closure, Universal has also announced that they will be furloughing many of their employees.
Universal Orlando Resort closed their theme parks around the same time as Disney with the closures beginning on March 15th. Since then, the closures have already been extended once through April 19th.
Universal Studios
Now, as we near the previous reopening date, Universal has made a pretty significant extension to closures in Orlando. The closure is extended through at least May 31st as the resort continues to monitor the current health situation.
With the current closures in Walt Disney World, the property is primarily empty — even most Cast Members are having to stay away.
Contemporary Resort Heart Message
But some essential Cast Members remain in Disney World to keep things in working order, and last night they had a sweet and visible message to send out to their fellow Cast.
Even though we were pretty bummed when Disney World and Disneyland recently extended their temporary closures, we were hoping maybe some good news might come out of it for Annual Passholders.
Main Street, U.S.A.
You see, recently Universal Studios also announced they were postponing their reopening, but they told their Annual Passholders monthly payments were being deferred. We were wondering if something similar would happen for Disney’s Annual Passholders, too!
The last few weeks have brought about tremendous change to the theme park industry in Orlando. Universal Studios in Orlando and Hollywood, in addition to Disney World, temporarily closed their gates with the safety of their employees and guests in mind.
Universal Orlando!
Universal Orlando Resort has recently taken further steps to extend this temporary closure out of an abundance of caution.
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