When it comes to the reopening of the Disney Parks, in this unprecedented time it’s hard to predict anything without an official word from Disney.
However, several analysts have weighed in with their own thoughts on when Disney World could reopen, along with what attendance numbers could look like when it does.
Earlier this week, an analyst from Wells Fargo wrote that it could take up to two years for the Disney Parks to return to a sense of normalcy. In an article for Barrons, J.P. Morgan media analyst Alexia Quadrani spoke on her thoughts on a potential reopening, along with what crowds could look like when it does open.
Quadrani spoke on the assumption that Disney World would reopen June 1st, as she stated that “If you call up and you want to book a hotel at Disney World, that’s the first date you can book.” She continued that she thought attendance for the parks could be “weak upon reopening”, specifically due to the potential that many international guests that would usually be visiting will not be immediately coming back.
While Disney World has “between 18% and 22%, on any given year, of its visitors coming from outside the U.S.”, Quadrani also noted that she does think there’s “tremendous pent-up demand”, specifically looking at the large crowd levels that still went to the parks days before their closures.
While Quadrani has some differences in her outlook for the Disney Parks in comparison to the Wells Fargo analyst, one note does stay the same. While Quadrani acknowledges that there is plenty of interest in guests coming back to the parks, she does say that, “You can’t assume it goes back to normalized capacity for quite some time.”
On the subject of a potential reopening, we have also seen comments from former CEO Bob Iger on what the “new normal” could potentially include, with the idea of temperature screening prior to entering the parks being discussed.
We will continue to keep you updated as we learn more, including any official word from Disney on a potential reopening date or procedures.
Want to learn more about the Disney Parks closures?
- The Disney Parks Closures: Here's Everything We Know
- Here's Everything That Disney World is Refunding Due to the Temporary Closure
- Here's Everything That Disneyland is Refunding Due to the Temporary Closures
- Here's Everything That the Disney Cruise Line is Refunding Due to Suspended Itineraries
- Should I Cancel My Disney Trip? Taking a Closer Look at Our Most FAQ
- Flattening the Curve: Why Disney is Closing Everything
- All the Times That Disney World and Disneyland Have Closed Throughout History
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As bad as I want to see WDW reopen, I can’t realistically see ANY regional attraction reopening until we as a country can get the bare essentials of health safety in place. How can we pretend to be ready to reopen anything when we still haven’t even managed to get an abundant supply of hand sanitizer available, much less mask and other PPE? Lines are long at grocery stores with people trying to find basic essentials like toilet tissue, fresh meats, etc. As I stated, I’m anxious to get back to the park (I have a trip booked for 5/2/2020 that I still hesitate to rebook even though I know it’s not realistic to go even if the park did open) but common sense dictates that we forget about having fun until the necessities of life, and saving lives, are taken care of.
Pro sports, schools and yes, even WDW & DL will not open until a vaccine has been approved and distributed…and even then people will have to prove they’ve been vaccinated. The Disney brand is hemorrhaging money from tremendous losses in the parks, at sea and on screens. College and foreign CMs are gone and irreplaceable for quite some time. Supply lines will take time to get up and running. Attractions will need to be reinspected.
And we have yet to consider the Great Depression-era levels of unemployment and soon-to-be widespread poverty.
Cherish your memories. At best, a scaled-down WDW might be reopening no sooner than a year from now. Embrace the new reality.
OMG, if the Disney Parks were closed for a year they’d never reopen. They are way too large and expensive to maintain to leave idle for a year or more with no income coming in. Even Disney’s resources aren’t unlimited. They’d likely be bankrupt in fact. The parks are a sizeable part of their empire.
I don’t expect things to get back to ‘normal’ until a vaccine is developed. But the parks will be open in some capacity I think by June or July at the latest. We have a trip planned for September and I figure they’ll be open by then. Though I don’t expect it to be business as usual. I’m sure there will be some sort of screening for the time being and some of the things they were doing before they closed they may very well still be doing.
I am going to book before the end of April a trip for my family the lest week of August to Labor Day.