Walt Disney World to reduce visiting hours of theme parks
Amid the coronavirus pandemic, Walt Disney World has decided to reduce the visiting hours at its theme parks from September 8, again. This decision was taken after the authorities had reopened the parks in July with reduced working hours. Although the company has reported losses because of the shutdown, cutting down the operating hours of these parks seems like a logical trade-off.
Shorter duration applicable in four of Disney's parks
The authorities at Disney have reduced the working hours for four of its parks. Magic Kingdom will now operate from 9am to 6pm as opposed to closing at 7pm before. Hollywood Studios will be open at 10am and close at 7pm, while Animal Kingdom will crunch its opening and closing time by an hour each and welcome visitors from 9am to 5pm.
Disney Springs remains an exception, albeit with safety precautions
EPCOT will be open from 11am to 7pm, two hours earlier than its previous closing time of 9pm. However, Disney Springs will remain open from 10am to 10pm. Reopened on May 20, management officials of Disney Springs have told reporters about physical social distancing markers, portable hand-washing stations and reduced entrances that keep visitors safe and happy, at the same time.
Loss of revenue during pandemic; more losses to expect?
Meanwhile, Disney has suffered a major blow in business as theme parks were closed due to the pandemic. Officials reported a loss of about $2bn, a reduction of $3.5bn in operating income and a 40% drop in revenue to $11.7bn. The struggle further continues with new theme park rules of self-service gaming, no-assistance seating in rides and 6 feet distance between two people.
Virtual lines against physical queues? That's new theme-parks for you!
Evidently, it's a new world for theme park lovers. Universal Orlando reopened on June 3 with virtual lines instead of physical queues. With no crammed up queue, visitors are getting their turns to ride quicker, instead of the usual frustratingly 1-hour gap after booking a ticket. Other Disneyland visitors said how the place is sparsely populated with all Disney characters maintaining a safe distance.
