Disney’s California Adventure Will Reopen Next Month with One Big Catch
Courtesy of movieweb.com:
Disney has announced that they will reopen California Adventure starting next month. However, there is a pretty big catch. The rides will remain closed and guests will only have access to the shops and restaurants on Buena Vista Street. The news comes after California Governor Gavin Newsom announced his regulations for opening up theme parks in the state. Disney, and the other parks, are not happy with his new set of guidelines, which they claim makes it impossible to reopen.
Disney says, “Only the shopping and dining experiences along Buena Vista Street will be accessible from the Downtown Disney District at this time, as Disney California Adventure park is currently closed.” The Downtown Disney area has been open to the public since July and it has continued to be a hotspot for Disney fans to visit. The district is often packed to capacity, which has angered visitors who were not allowed in. The new area of the park that’s open should allow for more guests, though it will only be open to 25% capacity.
It’s beginning to look like Disneyland and the other California parks are about to threaten Gavin Newsome with a lawsuit. Erin Guerrero, Executive Director of the California Attractions and Parks Association says, “I think that all options are open at this point. Our number one goal is to reopen responsibly.” Raffi Kaprelyan, Regional Vice President of Cedar Fair, which runs Knott’s Berry Farm, claims that state health officers came through for “just a show.” The state of California has set up a tier system and LA County is at the highest, while Orange County is at the second tier, which is where Disneyland and California Adventure are located.
According to Gavin Newsom and the state of California, Orange County would have to go down to a tier 4 in order for Disneyland and California Adventure to reopen. It’s impossible to tell when that could happen, but it definitely will not happen for quite some time. The news comes as the public health crisis rages on across the country and the world, with several states seeing severe spikes. Some European countries are going back on lockdown, which many fear is the future of the United States.
Disneyland Resort President Ken Potrock says, “We’re not getting a solution-oriented discussion… We’re getting: Here’s the rules and you have to live with it.” Disney has claimed that they have been ready to open their doors safely to the public since July. Walt Disney World in Florida has been open since July and has seemingly done well enforcing their new health and safety protocols to guests. Gavin Newsom sent a team out to Florida to see how the theme park was handling things, but it appears that it was not up to how he wants California to be opening at this time. The California Adventure news was first reported by the official Disney Parks Blog.
