Disney World Reopens With Masks and Without Lines -- Update
12 Julho 2020 - 05:19PM
Dow Jones News
By R.T. Watson
Fans willing to brave what is usually one of the most heavily
trafficked public spaces on earth are descending on Walt Disney
Co.'s Orlando theme park in hopes of escaping the dreary realities
of the coronavirus pandemic.
But reality isn't so easily set aside.
Hugging Mickey Mouse and Goofy is off limits; instead they wave
from afar. Other Disney characters moseyed through Walt Disney
World mounted on horses, guided by masked escorts on foot.
Disney World's two main parks, Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom,
officially reopened Saturday at a significantly reduced capacity
following a sneak peek for some annual passholders Thursday and
Friday. The company declined to say exactly how many people it was
allowing in.
Regular visitors said wait times for Splash Mountain, Peter
Pan's Flight and other rides were among the shortest they could
recall. Regular deep-cleaning of those rides and other strict
protocols led some visitors to guess that their theme-park visit
was safer than everyday shopping outings.
"It still feels like Disney, but it's a little sobering...it's
kind of a new era," said Jeff Harper, a 44-year-old high-school
band director from the Atlanta area. Accompanied by his husband and
6-year-old son, Mr. Harper visited Animal Kingdom on Saturday after
previewing the Magic Kingdom on Thursday. "Strangely to us,
[compared with] going into our neighborhood grocery store, it feels
safer here."
On Sunday, Florida officials reported a new record: more than
15,000 new coronavirus cases, surpassing a record set by New York
in April for the biggest one-day increase in infections for any
state since the pandemic began. The county that includes Walt
Disney World reported a single-day record in new cases, as well.
Disney representatives didn't respond to requests for comment on
whether the surge in cases would change its plans to keep the park
open and running as is.
Theme parks provide one of Disney's most lucrative revenue
streams. The company is reopening as the number of coronavirus
cases in surges in Florida and many other states. Florida Gov. Ron
DeSantis has been supportive of the plan to reopen Disney World,
which shut down in mid-March because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The company shelved plans to reopen Disneyland, in Southern
California, around the same time as Disney World. Workers there
protested the plan, citing safety concerns, and the state
government said guidelines for reopening theme parks wouldn't be
ready in time for Disneyland to reopen as initially planned.
Some say they are experiencing a Disney World that was barely
recognizable, in ways both enjoyable and unsettling.
"It's like a Twilight Zone dream, but it's also magical because
I've always dreamed of the park being empty," said 49-year-old
Karen Fernandez, a resident of nearby Davenport, Fla., who visited
on Thursday. She has been a regular visitor since she was in
preschool and can't recall a time when lines were so short. "I can
just walk on any ride and not have to wait an hour or hour and a
half."
It's uncertain for how long Disney will be willing or able to
operate its parks at such a reduced capacity. While the company
isn't saying how many people are being admitted into its Orlando
park this weekend, Disney World is capable of accommodating more
than 200,000 guests at a time and generating tens of millions of
dollars in revenue a day, according to a former executive at the
parks.
Disney Chief Executive Bob Chapek has said that the company
wouldn't reopen a park if covering at least its variable costs
wasn't possible. In May, the company opened Shanghai Disney at 30%
capacity.
"I don't think they should open it up to more people anytime
soon...slowly phasing it in is better," said frequent Disney World
visitor Maya Roherty. The 42-year-old travel agent from Janesville,
Wis., who was at Magic Kingdom on Saturday to celebrate her
daughter's 10th birthday, said she's taking advantage of the nearly
empty park while she can.
"If they start to let more people in at some point this will go
away, but right now, it's really something we'll never be able to
do again," she said.
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
July 12, 2020 16:04 ET (20:04 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2020 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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