The park may reopen in phases

Disney World, when closed in March, was done in phases. The park was shut-down first, then the resorts and last came the closure of the Disney Springs shopping and dining area. It is being assumed that the park would reopen in the reserve order of its closing; like the Shanghai Disneyland, that was one of the firsts to close down, is reopening in phases starting with resorts, shopping and dining. Following the patterns we have noticed, it is only logical to assume that the parks from around the world would also follow the same pattern. Some Springs and Resorts may open before the theme parks do. 

The reopening of Disney parks and the resorts is not going to be easy, as before opening, the resorts would have to be stocked with food and other basic supplies like turkey legs, toilet paper and drinks. Restarting the rides would also be a challenge. Getting back the staff and crew back and training them the new procedures would also take some time.

Temperature checks of visitors

To ensure the stop of spread of COVID-19, the Disney parks will check the temperature of the visitors just as they check the bags before letting the visitors in. It could be a slowdown in the entry of the park, but it's not impossible for Disney to pull off something like this, as it has already been put into action in Shanghai Disneyland. Before being suspended in March, touchless temperature check was going on during the weeks before the shutdown on the Disney Cruise.

Elimination of fingerprint scans

As the fingerprint scanner can be a host to a number of germs, eliminating it from the entry area would be a thoughtful idea for the safety of the visitors. In fact, at Disneyland photos are being filed to stop the fraudulent use of tickets, the fingerprint scans weren't used even before the closing of the park. It could be either eliminated or there might be an easier way to opt out than before, which included filling forms and showing IDs.

Requirement of masks

In the Shanghai Disneyland, all the visitors are expected to wear masks in the resorts and the dining and shopping area, wearing masks is compulsory except when dining. Social distancing is also a must within these areas. The staff of the hotel is also supposed to be wearing masks. So the same is being expected from the rest of the Disney parks around the world. Especially if they open up the parks sooner.

Virtual queues

Disney already has the tech of virtual queues, it is a facility being popularly utilised for the Rise of the Resistance ride ever since it was introduced in December 2019, a ride that is a major tourist attraction of the Disney World. The guests have to get the My Disney Experience app and join the virtual queue and it will inform them when to physically join the line. This would eliminate the need of a large number of guests standing in a queue for hours.

Skipping the Preshow experience

Many popular tourist attractions offer a preshow, telling the story, with the large crowd of visitors packed together watching these shows. So to avoid such packed gatherings and tourists coming in close contact with each other, there's a possibility that these preshows might be cancelled for some period of time.

Parades and shows may be suspended too

Not just the preshows but parades and fireworks also compels visitors to overcrowd the place to witness these iconic events. It can be a problem when the main focus the world these days is on social distancing. So when the Disney parks reopen the parades and fireworks may not reappear that soon or in the same way they used to be before the pandemic.

Capacity might be reduced

It has rarely happened that Disney parks have hit their maximum capacity and closed gates on additional guests. But in the light of recent events there might be a change in this tradition. The officials of the park may decide a limited number of people that will be allowed to enter the park each day to reduce the chance of overcrowding. It is also possible that opening hours would be reduced to increase the time for the cleaning and sanitisation of the park. It might not just be the park but the restaurant as well.

Stations with hand sanitizers

When the US parks closed, a lot of hand sanitising and hand washing mobiles were noticed near the park. This practice might continue when the park reopens. These stations could be close to places with a higher number of touch spots like major attractions, restaurants, snack carts and the entrance.

When will the Disney parks reopen?

This is the major question coming to the minds of a large number of people reading this article. Well as mentioned in the beginning, it is not yet confirmed as to when this might happen but according to the media, the chances of the parks opening before June are low. The reservations till then are also unavailable. But this doesn't mean the park will open in the start of June. As the Shanghai Disneyland was shut down in late January and still does not have a reopening date for the theme park. 

The COVID-19 is a deadly pandemic and has taken a huge number of lives so to protect ourselves let's stay at home and pray that the situation comes back to normal soon so we can visit our favourite theme park really soon.