ORLANDO, Fla. — People in Central Florida and around the country are waiting to find out when Disney’s theme parks will reopen, but reservations can now be made online for the resorts starting July 1, which is a great sign for the thousands of Disney and tourism workers.
Disney’s Orlando area parks have been closed since March, but taking reservations at resorts can only be considered a good sign.
Read: From salons to theme parks and shopping malls: What’s reopening in Central Florida and when?
“I think they want to give some hope to their customer base, but not to mislead them at the same time,” said Dr. Rick Foglesong of Rollins College.
Foglesong said he sees hope with the reopening of Shanghai Disneyland, even though the reopening is only at a 30 percent capacity.
If Shanghai Disneyland is a test for reopening, it might also be a template for when to reopen, as it was closed for three months and July is just about three months from closures here.
Coronavirus: Shanghai Disneyland opens after COVID-19 shutdown
Online, parks like Magic Kingdom list “no hours available” on May 30, but starting May 31, that park shows its grounds to be open from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Online reservation systems are rescheduling and booking new resort and ticket packages about a month later on July 1.
Disney said that taking reservations doesn’t necessarily mean things will be open by then.