Disneyland Could "Comfortably" Operate at 50% Capacity Upon Reopening, According to Analysts

While we wait for Disneyland to announce reopening plans, analysts are starting to imagine a world where the Happiest Place on Earth is open, and what that may look like.

Main Street U.S.A. in Disneyland

While the resort surpassed the six month mark of being closed this week, Orange County Register reported on Thinkwell Group’s estimations on at what capacity level Disneyland could safely practice social distancing…and the number may surprise you!

According to the analyst group, Disneyland could “comfortably” operate at up to 50% capacity while allowing for social distancing. This number is largely based on how much square footage each guest would need, and how many people Disney could accommodate per acre in order to provide proper physical distancing.

Galaxy’s Edge in Disneyland

Thinkwell Group looked at the amount of space each guest typically needs under normal circumstances, which came out to approximately 10 to 15 square feet per visitor. When accounting for physical distancing, parks would now need roughly 140 square feet per person, or 200 square feet for a group of three.

Crowds at Disneyland for Rise of the Resistance Opening

With those numbers in mind, Thinkwell Group predicts that Disneyland would need to limit their capacity between 25,000 to 30,000 guests daily in order to provide each guest a proper amount of space across the park’s 110 acres.

Disneyland

This estimation is much higher than the initial capacity limits set at Shanghai Disneyland, which was the first global park to reopen. When Shanghai Disneyland reopened, it was reported that the capacity was limited to less than 30%.

Shanghai Disneyland
Photo Credit: Walt Disney Imagineering Instagram

Disney’s CEO Bob Chapek noted that they intended to open the park at a much lower capacity than 30%, which was the number set by the Chinese government. More recently, the resort has increased their capacity from 30% to 50% just this past month.

Photo Credit: Shanghai Disneyland Instagram

Even if Disneyland is able to operate at 50% capacity, they would still need to account for various instances where significant crowds may form. 50% may work in some areas of the park, but crowds are not evenly spread out all day. For example, Main Street U.S.A. is likely to be more crowded first thing in the morning or last thing in the evening. Likewise, certain areas in the parks are prone to bottlenecking.

Sleeping Beauty Caslte

One thing is all but certain: once Disneyland does announce a reopening, capacity limitations of some kind will be in place, and guests will need to make reservations ahead of time, as indicated by a sign we spotted just the other day!