Disney World’s Disney Springs Complex Reopens To Long Lines
After just over two months of closure due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida has slowly begun to reopen its doors this morning. The first section of the park to allow guests is the Disney Springs shopping and dining complex. As the stay-at-home orders on Florida residents loosen, Disney fans are wasting no time in returning to the small portion of the resort that is officially open for business. As many Twitter users observed, Disney Springs opened up to lines of people waiting to get inside.
However, the new Disney experience is radically different than pre-pandemic. Guests are required to wear face masks, and have to pass through a temperature check to assure that they are healthy. Similar to your local grocery store, Disney has put directional signage on portions of the ground to help visitors maintain social distance. Here, you can get a sense of what it’s like to walk around Disney Springs with the new regulations in effect:
And here’s another video that presents the recorded safety message that will play throughout the complex throughout the day:
As of now, only sub-contracted stores are allowed to open inside Disney Springs. Next week, Disney will reopen its eateries and the World of Disney retail store. There’s still no reopening date for any of the Walt Disney World theme parks, but Disney CEO Bob Chapek predicts it will be sooner rather than later. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Chapek said during an earnings call, “We want to open up as soon as we can across the world, but we are going to do so in a responsible way. We want to get our cast back to work as soon as possible.”
Gallery — Amusement Park Rides That Were Never Built: