ANAHEIM, Calif. — Magical news for Disneyland fans!
The Magical Kingdom on Wednesday announced it will begin a phased reopening of Disneyland Resort, beginning July 9.
July 9, 2020
Downtown Disney District
July 17
Disneyland Park and Disney California's Adventure Park
July 23
Disney's Grand California Hotel & Spa, and Disney's Paradise Pier Hotel.
Disneyland Resort will manage attendance through a new theme park reservation system that will require all guests, including Annual Passholders, to obtain a reservation for park entry in advance.
Disneyland Resort will release details about this new reservation system at a later date.
The reopening dates provided by Disneyland Resort are subject to state and local government approvals.
Select attractions that draw large gatherings, such as parades and evening light shows and fireworks displays, will also be suspended at least temporarily. There also won't be any individual character meet-and-greets -- so no selfies with Mickey and no chances to for kids to collect autographs.
The theme parks -- along with Disney attractions worldwide -- closed in mid-March, causing a major financial hit to Disney, which was forced to eventually furlough non-essential park employees.
The closure also represented a financial blow to the city of Anaheim. City officials estimate a $75 million deficit in this fiscal year's budget because of a drop in sales tax revenue from the shutdown of major tourist attractions such as Disneyland, the Honda Center, Angel Stadium and the Anaheim Convention Center, said Mike Lyster, a city spokesman.
"So we welcome this," Lyster said. "This will be a gradual return but we need to start somewhere and this is a start. It's also a significant morale boost for everyone in our recovery. For many people, Disney represents the hope, optimism and ability of America."
City officials "have every confidence they have the ability to" reopen safely, Lyster said.
Disney is "great at operations, at managing attendance, and we know they will be able to do this well," Lyster said.
Mayor Harry Sidhu called it "a great day for Anaheim."
"We could see the reopening of Disneyland 65 years to the day from when Walt Disney opened his first theme park in our city," Sidhu said. "This is a major milestone in the recovery of Anaheim, California and our nation. We know Disney will be able to meet the challenge of reopening safely, and Anaheim stands ready to see that happen."
Knott's Berry Farm's California Marketplace opened on Monday, which includes the Buena Park theme park's restaurants and stores.
Other restaurants and stores will reopen later this month. It's not clear if Knott's has a planned reopening date for its theme park.
