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Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has announced that the Sunshine State will begin Phase 3 of its reopening plan today.
While the most talked-about news has been DeSantis’s decision to lift all restaurant capacity restrictions and protect them from other regulations enforced by local governments, Phase 3 also has essential information regarding theme parks.
Under Phase 3 of the state’s reopening plan, theme parks such as those at the Walt Disney World Resort and Universal Orlando Resort will be allowed to increase capacity.
The exact language in Phase 3 states: “Theme parks may return to normal operations with limited social distancing protocols.”
This news was shared on Twitter by reporter @ScottGustin.
With Florida beginning its “Phase 3” reopening, here’s what the state says about theme parks:
"Theme parks may return to normal operations with limited social distancing
protocols." pic.twitter.com/ctLWpEYGW9— Scott Gustin (@ScottGustin) September 25, 2020
Will Walt Disney World Increase Capacity?
Related : Disney Park Closes Multiple Hours Early for Exclusive Event
While Florida’s government allows theme parks to increase capacity and resume normal operations, the question remains whether Walt Disney World will change anything.
The mega-resort already announced plans to continue these new protocols for the rest of the year, canceling events like Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party and Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party at the Magic Kingdom and the Candlelight Processional at EPCOT. It should also be noted that Governor DeSantis only wants to put the choice to increase capacity in Disney’s hands.
However, Disney recently sent out a survey to Walt Disney World Resort Guests with capacity-related questions. And Park officials have stated that they hope to welcome more Guests back to the Disney World theme parks in the future.
During this week’s presentation on Disney theme Park operations during a pandemic, Djuan Rivers, Vice President of Disney’s Animal Kingdom Park, said, “We’ve been delighted to welcome back a great number of Annual Passholders and folks from our local community and across the state.” He confirmed that Disney’s current focus is on the Florida locals and Annual Passholders, but they hope to expand soon.
Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of the Walt Disney Company, Christie McCarthy, also previously mentioned in a Bank of America Securities webcast that Walt Disney World Resort will reopen “a little over 50%” of its hotels and resorts by the end of the fiscal year.
However, remember that Disney has not announced that Park capacity will increase.
Since this article’s original publication, Walt Disney World released a response to DeSantis’ decision, saying the following:
“We received the Governor’s executive order and are evaluating it to determine what it may mean for our business. We are not making any immediate changes. As a reminder, face coverings are still required at Walt Disney World Resort.”
Official statement from Disney about Phase 3:
"We received the Governor’s executive order and are evaluating it to determine what it may mean for our business. We are not making any immediate changes. As a reminder, face coverings are still required at Walt Disney World Resort."
— Scott Gustin (@ScottGustin) September 25, 2020
We at Inside the Magic will update our readers as more official word regarding any changes comes from The Walt Disney Company.
Will Universal Orlando Resort Increase Capacity?
The Walt Disney World Resort’s theme parks are not the only ones whose capacity restrictions are now in question. Recently, we reported that Universal Orlando Resort has two theme parks, Universal Studios Florida and Universal’s Islands of Adventure, which include parts of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, and its water Park Volcano Bay is operating at only 25% average capacity.
We will also watch for any word from Universal or its parent company Comcast Corp. for more official information.
Can you see Universal or Disney increasing capacity now that Florida is moving into Phase 3? Would this be a good or bad idea? Let us know in the comments!
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