This week The Walt Disney Company hosted its quarterly earnings call and some updates were shared about the status of Disneyland’s reopening. First off, it won’t be happening anytime this quarter. Second, that doesn’t mean it will be opening as soon as this quarter is over at the end of March or beginning of April.
“Our current expectation is that Disneyland and Disneyland Paris will be closed for the entirety of the second quarter,” Disney Chief Financial Officer Christine McCarthy said on the call.
“It’s hard to believe nearly a year has passed since the start of the pandemic, which continues to negatively impact the operations of our company,” Disney CEO Bob Chapek commented. This comes as the Disneyland Resort parks continue to remain closed and will have been closed for over a year before they reopen. With the current health and safety COVID-19 guidelines from the state, it isn’t expected that the Disneyland Resort will be reopening until later this spring or sometime in the summer.
One spot of hope Chapek offered for reopening and returning to the parks regarded the acceleration of the vaccine distribution. “I believe that Dr. Fauci said earlier today that he hopes that there are vaccines for everyone that wants them by April of this year — and if that happens, that is a game changer and could accelerate our expectations and give people the confidence that they need to come back to the parks.”
Since opening in February, over 100,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered at the point of distribution at Disneyland, Chapek said.
At this point, there is no reopening date for the Disneyland Resort parks. There will be a “food experience” coming to Disney California Adventure in March. The Downtown Disney District and Buena Vista Street extension continue to remain open for guests to shop, dine, and get a dose of Disney magic at.
What do you think about the Disneyland Resort parts remaining closed for over a year? Share your thoughts and opinions in the comments below.
