How Disney Parks Will Create Social Distancing

Disney Parks will have new social distancing measures using several methods within its parks. Shanghai Disneyland is the first to implement these on May 11.

Disney recently released images showing how it plans to enforce social distancing in guest queues. The above and below photos show decal blocks placed on the floor to keep guests apart. The red-yellow color palette you see here is typical for China. However, we expect blues and other colors that appeal more to Western cultures in the U.S. parks.

Additionally, virtual boarding passes for popular rides will be used via free mobile applications. Guests can reserve a virtual place in line, similar to the Disney FastPass selection. The biggest difference between FastPass and virtual boarding passes is that you don’t receive a set time with a boarding pass. Instead, your number is called and you have a certain window of time to return to the attraction.

Once on the ride, we anticipate that guests will spread out in ride vehicles. For example, on Pirates of the Caribbean, Disney may only have one party per boat. This will drastically lower the number of guests experiencing the ride throughout the day, but shouldn’t be too big of an issue because the number of guests in the park will also be very low.

Since hosting typical parades, fireworks, and character greets invites crowding, Disney has come up with another measure to keep the magic alive. Throughout the day, Disney characters will have processions in the Shanghai park, giving guests opportunity to snap photos. The “Mickey and Friends Express” will likely have some type of moving train or float that gives guests the exciting opportunity to see their favorite characters in a new way.

At night, Shanghai Disneyland will host “Evening Magical Moments” with projections and music on the Castle. This is something that Disney’s Animal Kingdom does during the peak season with The Tree of Life, and we can easily see this being a magical-feeling replacement when crowds are low.

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To make all of this possible, Shanghai Disneyland won’t exceed 30% of its park’s capacity. Since all tickets must be purchased or reserved in advanced, large crowds are not expected. We’ve seen this similar method used with the opening of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disneyland and the crowds were incredibly low.

As for face masks, Disney hasn’t announced the measure for its U.S. theme parks yet. For now, Shanghai is enforcing masks around the parks except when dining. However, dining venue options are expected to be very limited.

While all of these updates are being tested first in Shanghai, many of the ideas could likely make their way to the U.S. Disney parks. To get updates on Walt Disney World and Disneyland reopening, sign up for our free e-mail newsletter! You can also follow us on Instagram and Twitter.