Californians were able to find Mickey and his friends with the reopening of the Disneyland theme park
“Wow! I’ve never felt so good! ”Exults Momi Young-Wilkins, Mickey ears on her head, like thousands of other Californians to celebrate Friday morning the reopening to the public of the legendary Disneyland amusement park more than one year after the confinement decreed in the face of the pandemic.
“We were here exactly 415 days ago, March 13, when it closed. And I promised my daughters that we would be back on reopening day. Promise kept, ”says Momi, 55 years old.
Anaheim Amusement Park, south of Los Angeles, is closely associated with the life of the dynamic 50-year-old: she first came there at the age of ten while still living in Hawaii, including spent her honeymoon and even claims to have “fallen pregnant in this park, on an attraction”.
Her daughter took her first odd job when she was only 14 so she could buy the $ 1,500 annual pass. “She has come over 300 times since June 2018,” says Momi, comparing Disneyland to “a family memory”.
Reserved for Californians
The joy of reuniting with Mickey, however, was reserved for visitors residing in California, the only ones allowed at this point. Groups are also limited to members of no more than three households and all, visitors and employees alike, must be masked. The tail is systematically done in the open air.
You still have to have the chance to get a reservation. When the first tickets went online on April 15, the virtual queue reached several hours. To get the precious sesame, “I spent literally eleven hours on several laptops, working and going to see patients,” says Rebecca Fischer.
On Friday morning, the park was nearly full for the next seven weeks, with the only places still available in May and June requiring a special ticket that also grants access to neighboring Disney California Adventure Park.
The second most visited amusement park in the world behind Disney World in Florida, Disneyland closed as a precaution on March 14 when the coronavirus was just starting to be detected in the United States.
Despite intense pressure from professionals and the many companies revolving around leisure parks, the California authorities did not give Disneyland and its counterparts the green light to resume their activities until April 1.
Contained pandemic
After an outbreak of Covid-19 cases this winter, California has significantly reduced the presence of the virus in recent weeks, thanks in particular to an intense vaccination campaign, and now has the lowest Covid-19 contamination rate per capita the United States.
If its competitor Universal Studio Hollywood reopened on April 15, Disneyland had wanted to take the time to recall more than 10,000 employees placed on technical unemployment since the start of the pandemic and train them in the new health requirements.
Carla and Jasmine, two sisters aged 23 and 17, found the time long. Neighbors of Disneyland, they came there almost daily since childhood thanks to an annual pass. “We would go after school, after work, just for a few attractions even if it was for an hour or two,” says Carla.
What did Jasmine miss the most during these thirteen long months? “No doubt seeing all the Disney characters and hugs,” she replies.
Limited gauge
Bad luck for her: despite the health improvement in California, the emblematic characters are no longer kissing for the moment but are held on balconies or platforms allowing the regulatory safety distance to be met.
At Disneyland, the gauge is also limited to 25% of the usual capacity, or a little more than 20,000 visitors per day according to the estimates of professionals in the sector.
Most attractions are operational, according to Disneyland, which took advantage of the closure to renovate some and fit out others in accordance with health recommendations (neutralized seats, plexiglass dividers, etc.).
Some, however, remain closed to the public because they are incompatible with Covid-19, such as the very confined space of the “Nemo’s World” submarine.
Momi will be able to find her favorite merry-go-round, taken from the universe of the cartoon “Cars”. “The last time, on closing day, I did 49 laps. My goal is to always beat my record so I will do it at least 50 times, ”she says.
–
