Traveling to Disney Parks during Covid-19: What you need to know before you go
CNN
CNN Staff
If you’re planning to travel to one of the Disney Parks & Resorts around the world, here’s what you’ll need to know and expect if you want to visit during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The basics
After being closed for over a year, Disneyland Resort in California reopened on April 30 with limited capacity at Disneyland park and Disney California Adventure park. The latter opened its brand new Avengers Campus, a new land based on the Marvel franchise, on June 4.
On June 15, Disneyland reopened to out-of-state visitors for the first time since March 2020, six weeks after the resort reopened to California residents.
Those wanting to visit need to purchase tickets in advance via a new reservation system.
All three of the California Disney resort’s hotels are open.
In Florida, all of Disney World’s parks are open with the exception of Typhoon Lagoon.
Disney World also requires visitors to make reservations in advance.
As for the Florida park’s hotels, many have already reopened. Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge is due to open on August 26.
Disney’s All-Star Music Resort will open on September 16. The following month, Disney’s Port Orleans Resort will open on October 14, followed by Disney’s Port Orleans Resort — French Quarter on October 28. Disney’s All-Star Sports Resort is due to reopen on December 9.
Hong Kong Disneyland and Shanghai Disneyland Park — including all hotels — are operating normally with enhanced health and safety measures in place. Guests need to reserve their tickets online before visiting.
Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea are open, along with their hotels. A new addition, the Toy Story Hotel, is due to open in the coming months.
Disneyland Paris fully reopened on June 17, while its new Disney’s Hotel New York: The Art of Marvel property opened on June 21. The Disneyland Hotel is currently closed for reservations.
What’s on offer
The original and, some might say, best, theme parks, Disney’s resorts remain a magical experience for all the family. From vertiginous rides to firework displays, and of course the chance to meet classic characters, a trip to a Disney Park makes memories that last a lifetime.
Who can go
Entry to each Disney Park is dependent on local travel restrictions.
The Paris location is subject to France’s entry rules. The country reopened to all EU citizens and some low-risk countries on June 9.
Only locals and returning citizens can access the Tokyo and Hong Kong Disney parks, while the Shanghai resort can only be accessed by locals or those who meet China’s strict entry requirements, including two negative test results taken within 48 hours of departures.
What are the restrictions?
Disney parks in the US revised their masking policies after the CDC updated its guidance. All guests ages 2 and up at Walt Disney World and Disneyland Resort will be required to wear face coverings indoors, starting July 30, regardless of vaccination status. They are optional for outdoor common areas.
Disneyland has eliminated on-site temperature checks and is allowing guests to “self-determine” social distancing since California has removed distancing requirements.
Some parks have reduced capacity and require temperature checks on entry.
Guests of Paris, Tokyo, Hong Kong and Shanghai parks do need to continue to wear masks.
What’s the Covid situation?
Exact numbers of cases linked to Disney Parks are unclear.
What can visitors expect?
Similar to other Disney parks around the world, Disneyland in California and Disney World in Florida have reopened with some restrictions; however these are now easing.
Parades and fireworks had been put on hold in a bid to keep guests safely apart. Disney World and Disneyland in California resumed their nightly fireworks shows in early July.
FASTPASS and Disney MaxPass services are suspended.
Some interactive games have been closed.
Capacity has also been cut in some parks, with numbers further limited in restaurants and in queues to prevent overcrowding.
Despite this, guests can still dine in at their favorite restaurants and enjoy the rides, though character meet-and-greets have been replaced by socially distanced character processions.
Several Disney World restaurants are allowing character dining.
At Disneyland in California, Mickey’s Tales of Adventure Breakfast at Storytellers Café at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa recently reopened for character dining experiences, while Minnie and Friends Breakfast at Plaza Inn at Disneyland Resort is scheduled to open on August 12.
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Joe Minihane, Julia Buckley, Karla Cripps, Frank Pallotta and Cheri Mossburg contributed to this report
