As excitement builds for the first Disney theme park to reopen after they all closed around the world due to COVID-19, Disney fans are wondering what visiting the parks will look like when they reopen.
Thanks to a news report, we have a look inside Shanghai Disneyland and the procedures and processes put in place to keep guests safe during their visit. Disney Executive Chairman Bob Iger said in an interview that Disney is “studying very carefully what China has been trying to do in terms of their return to normalcy” as it relates to reopening the domestic theme parks. While the following procedures aren’t a guarantee of what we’ll see at Walt Disney World or Disneyland, it’s a peek inside what The Walt Disney Company is already doing at one of their theme parks.
Temperature Checks
This is actually one of the procedures that Iger specifically called out as being a possibility when the parks reopen. Here’s a look at the procedure in place at Shanghai Disneyland.
The process looks to be simple and completely contactless, with a temperature reading displayed on a screen as a guest walks through.
Advanced Reservations
Guests wishing to visit the park will need to buy a date-based ticket or make advance reservations to visit if they’re Annual Passholders. This will ensure a limited capacity every day. Limiting park capacity is something that will be put in place at Walt Disney World when it reopens.
Social Distancing in Queues
Social Distancing has quickly become a common phrase thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, and is something that Shanghai Disneyland is taking seriously. As you can see in the following photos, social distancing will be prominent in queues. Stickers on the ground or even tape marks in the queue will designate a safe distance between groups.
In attraction queues, tape has been placed to designate safe distances and there will be space between switchback areas to ensure guest safety.
Characters and Performers at a Distance
Characters and performers will not interact with guests or even be close to them. They will stay on a parade float for a new character procession called Mickey and Friends Express.
Guests will only be able to see characters at a distance.
Social Distancing on Rides
Social Distancing will also be enforced on rides by either spacing guests apart on a ride like Voyage to the Crystal Grotto, or by leaving a row open between groups like on Pirates of the Caribbean Battle for the Sunken Treasure.
Limiting Restaurant Capacity
To encourage social distancing, restaurants will limit their capacity by closing some tables.
Social Distancing While Shopping
Guests will be reminded to keep space while shopping as well.
All of this is in addition to extra cleaning that Disney will be doing to all of the hard surfaces and more throughout the day.
Again, it’s worth noting that just because Shanghai Disneyland is implementing these measures, it doesn’t guarantee that Walt Disney World or Disneyland will be doing so. That said, Disney will surely be looking to learn from the Shanghai Disneyland opening to implement safety protocols when the domestic theme parks reopen.
If you’d like to view the report yourself, here’s a video uploaded to YouTube.
As always, keep checking back with us here at BlogMickey.com for the latest Disney Parks news and photos. We’ll continue to bring you news and photos, where possible, through the Disney Parks closure due to Coronavirus (COVID-19) and will resume our normal coverage once the parks reopen to guests on July 11th!