Disney Parks Closed Until Further Notice
A few weeks ago the nostalgic and hopeful sounds of Disney came to a halt. For the first time ever, all of the world’s Disney parks were closed. Walt’s original Disneyland was shuttered to guests as was the company’s expansive Walt Disney World resort. Resorts in Tokyo, Paris, Hong Kong and Shanghai have also been closed due to COVID-19.
Walt Disney World & Disneyland Closure
When the Walt Disney Company first announced the closures of Disneyland and Walt Disney World they indicated the parks would be closed through the end of March. As things have progressed it has become fairly evident they wouldn’t reopen April 1, however it has taken Disney awhile to announce what is happening.
Today they finally made that announcement and I think some fans and cast members will be disappointed. Both the Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resorts will remain closed until further notice. There is no date set for reopening and the company will monitor current events to determine when to open the parks.
Here is the text of their announcement:
While there is still much uncertainty with respect to the impacts of COVID-19, the safety and well-being of our guests and employees remains The Walt Disney Company’s top priority.
As a result of this unprecedented pandemic and in line with direction provided by health experts and government officials, Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resort will remain closed until further notice.
The Walt Disney Company has been paying its cast members since the closure of the parks, and in light of this ongoing and increasingly complex crisis, we have made the decision to extend paying hourly parks and resorts cast members through April 18.
Cast Members Paid Through April 18, 2020
It appears the company will continue to pay hourly cast members through April 18 after which my guess is those cast members will go without pay if the parks have to remain closed for an extended period of time. I expect Disney to further update cast members as that date approaches.
You can see the Walt Disney Company’s original statement below.
— Disney Parks News (@DisneyParksNews) March 27, 2020
Bottom Line
It isn’t a surprise that the Walt Disney World and Disneyland Resorts are not going to reopen on April 1. It was pretty evident that neither location is ready for large crowds yet and it might be some time before the magic returns to Anaheim and/or Orlando.
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