Amusement Parks Reopen After an Unprecedented Year of Closure

Photo taken from USA today

Disney welcomes their visitors back to their park. Visitors at Disney will be required to wear their masks properly and to try to maintain social distance. Many Disney-related parks will open in late April.

Tomiris Gumar, Staff Reporter
May 10, 2021

March 2020 was a month filled with unexpected closures. The pandemic led to the full closure of many public events and industries, including sports, concerts, and amusement parks. COVID-19 cases rose and restriction rules increased.

A year ago, all U.S. amusement parks shut down. 

Many states, such as Florida, re-opened their amusement parks in July 2020, while California continued to limit the amusement park industry. 

On March 9, Disney Parks News announced on Twitter that they will reopen sometime in April. As it’s planned, cast members and other workers will return to their jobs at Disney with new requirements and instructions on how to enforce COVID-19 safety rules. Statements were announced at the annual meeting of shareholders.

However, on Friday, March 5, it was announced that amusement parks in California including Magic Mountain, Universal Studios, and Disneyland would reopen on April 1. California officials stated that only people from the state of CA will be allowed to visit them. 

“I trust places like Disney to [open safely]. Disney will not break any laws; it is way too big of a company and a corporation. They will operate as they were instructed to operate and I believe that the state has science in mind,” biology teacher,  Courtney Goode, who is a big fan of Disney said. “I don’t think that [reopening] is a rash decision by any means. They’re making well-informed science-based decisions.”

Many people trust big companies like Disney since those companies work hard to not stain their reputation and to maintain confidence from their customers. Reopening is also profitable.

In order for visitors to enjoy and stay safe in their amusement parks, administrators will try their best to please visitors and make their trip safe. Being safe is a priority for amusement parks that are reopening, so restriction rules may change the park experience.

“I’m a little worried that people’s emotions are going to run high,” Goode said, “people will start to get a little annoyed towards the end of the day [after waiting] in long lines that they did not… anticipate.”

 Visiting Disneyland at 15% capacity is Goode’s dream, but if there are still long lines due to the restrictions and cleanings, she wouldn’t be as thrilled.

The formal announcement released by Disney stated that “Downtown Disney District is now open, Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa will open on April 29, 2021, Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park will open on April 30, 2021, and The Disneyland Hotel and Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel will reopen at a later date.”

As many fans of amusement parks are getting excited about the news, their expectations might be higher than the reality of the reopening experience. Even though the percentage of visitors will be restricted, visitors still have to follow COVID-19 guidelines including wearing a mask.

The informative desk in front of the Legoland states that visitors will not be allowed into the partially opened parts of Legoland if they have COVID-19 symptoms or they have traveled in the last 14 days. Legoland will reopen on April 1 with a limited capacity for visitors. Rides that will be open include Driving School, Lego Technic Coaster, Fairy Tale Brook, and Coastersaurus. (Photo Taken by Tomiris Gumar)

With the onset of these restrictions, there is fear that the magic of these places will be lost.   

Furthermore, even though fans assume that amusement parks like Disney will keep everything safe, complete safety is not guaranteed. 

“Who wants to go to Disneyland and be told to put your mask on and be yelled at all day by the cast members?  I’m worried that people will not follow the rules. The magic is gone,” Goode expressed. “There are so many kids at Disneyland [who] don’t understand social distancing.” 

The reopening news still holds some excitement for Goode though. She explains that she misses all the scents of Disney, the smell of the water from Pirates of Caribbean, and the aroma of all the delicious foods. This is what makes Disneyland so magical for her. 

Many people, especially kids, are excited about the reopening of our local amusement park, Legoland. This smaller park will also have new restrictions that visitors should be aware of before their visit. 

“[At] Legoland they have a lot of hands-on stuff; they might restrict that. Play areas might restrict the amount of children that [can] be there or they might close it off completely,” Isaiah Felix-Chan, a former Legoland employee and current SCHS student, said. 

“With relaxing guidelines for now I think that it mostly be social distancing and wearing masks and you can’t take a mask off unless you are [in] eating area.” Felix- Chan said. 

Overall it is important to consider and follow new Covid-19 guidelines in California amusement parks in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and move the state to the yellow tier, which would allow for nearly all businesses to reopen indoor operations (as long as visitors maintain distance and mask.)