Universal Orlando benefits from geography. It can open open both USF and IOA because guest scanning is centralized at the entrance to CityWalk. WDW's parks are spread across the property. It makes me wonder not just WHEN Disney will open, but also WHAT will Disney open?
Tweet
What is this "four" parks thing now, TH? Have you demoted Disney Springs? ;^)
I meant the four remaining parks, Robert. DSTP is already open.
I had thought the Studios would be first as smaller size, plus hotter rides like Galaxy's Edge.
But I figure Magic Kingdom better bet as they would want the flagship park to be leading the way.
From what I've heard, originally it was supposed to go DHS, DAK, MK, Epcot, with a reliance largely on locals throughout the summer and expectation that tourists wouldn't return in large numbers until the fall. However, Universal is opening a month sooner than Disney expected them to and they don't feel many tourists would include WDW in their travel plans without Magic Kingdom, so they've altered the plan to capture some of the summer tourist market. Therefore, the latest I've heard is to open in this order:
1. Magic Kingdom - tentatively late June/early July
2. Hollywood Studios & Epcot World Showcase only (dining and shopping, no rides or shows) - tentatively early August
3. Animal Kingdom & a waterpark (most likely Typhoon Lagoon, but TBD) - tentatively sometime in September
4. Epcot Future World (which will not reopen until the construction is done) - tentatively by the holiday season
Also, I've heard Food and Wine & Mickey's Halloween Party are still on for this year to boost revenue, though they likely will be less extensive than in past years. Of course, nothing is official, and plans could change rapidly based on conditions of both the virus and market, but I've been seeing corroboration several places for something similar to the above.
This discussion has been archived and is no longer accepting responses.
Obviously nobody who is posting online knows for sure, but what I've generally heard discussed is that only Magic Kingdom and the surrounding resorts will be opening at first, with a target of late June/early July to get that open. If demand warrants, the rest of the resort will slowly reopen area by area over the following months, but it is not expected to be at what most would consider semi-normal operation (all four parks, at least one waterpark, and a majority of hotels) until sometime in the fall. While Disney can support a single park on the local audience, there isn't enough to support the whole resort, so how much is in operation will be directly related to how many guests are booking stays at the property, and it's likely to be a year or more before demand returns to the levels seen previously.