NEWS: Florida's Orange County Mayor Says Disney World and Other Theme Parks Will Look "Drastically Different" Upon Reopening

Today, Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings gave a news conference to update the community on the various goals and procedures in place to bring Central Florida back up and running.

Disney Springs

Part of his press conference today was a brief update on bringing back tourism, and he mentioned how the larger theme parks like Disney will change drastically when they reopen.

When asked about the parks’ preparedness to reopen, Demings said that theme parks like Disney World and Universal Orlando “will look drastically different” from what they looked like before the temporary closures. He gave examples of the many procedures that will be in place, from guests and employees wearing face masks to the parks operating at “drastically reduced capacity.”

CityWalk

Demings was also asked by a reporter if he had heard back from Governor Ron DeSantis in regards to approving Disney World and SeaWorld’s presentations. Demings said that he had not heard from DeSantis yet, but pointed out that he handed the plans over to him at the “close of business” yesterday, May 27th, and that DeSantis only had the plans for less than 24 hours. Demings did say that he expects to hear back from DeSantis “sometime soon.”

Hand Sanitizer at World of Disney

Demings was quick to point out that there is a balancing act between allowing the tourism industry in Orange County to reopen while protecting its residents. When asked about compliance, Demings noted that if they see a failure on the part of the parks, then they will have to make adjustments. As Demings said, “It’s just that simple.”

This is a developing story and we will continue to provide updates as they occur.

Are you planning on visiting Disney World or any other large theme park when they reopen? Let us know in the comments!