Soon, there will be a new way to enjoy a visit to the theme park in Walt Disneyin (NYSE: DIS) original resort and, although far from ideal, will have to serve for now. Disneyland President Ken Potrock announced on Monday that Disney California Adventure will expand its outdoor dining and indoor shopping opportunities in mid-March for a limited-time ticket experience. He made the announcement when the Golden State theme park celebrated its 20th birthday. A similar event is reportedly underway for the adjacent Disneyland park.
It won’t be just another day at the park. The tours will be closed. The only available internal experiences will be selected stores with records avid for masked guests. However, for a media giant that prides itself on monetizing nostalgia, it is a smart thing to do within the limitations of what it can currently accomplish in the state of California.
Image source: Walt Disney.
It’s been a long year
The goal of a mid-March debut for the new experience is probably not a coincidence. It was on March 14 of last year when Disneyland and Disney California Adventure opened as complete theme parks for the last time. The latter began opening for indoor shopping and outdoor dining in November last year, but was quickly closed when the COVID-19 case count began to increase during the California vacation. With cases on the decline and vaccination rates going up, it’s best to try again – and this time as a premium experience that will be offered over several days during the week.
There is no information on actual dates and prices, but it is fair to say that it will probably run out even at Disney’s premium price. There is a pent-up demand in Southern California to return to its iconic theme parks and popular regional amusement attractions. With Disney canceling its Disneyland annual pass program last month, everyone will pay retail prices for the experience.
The partial reopening of Disney California Adventure will allow the company to bring about 1,000 employees back to work, according to The Hollywood Reporter. This is a far cry from the tens of thousands of cast members in their pre-pandemic state, but it’s all about the small steps now.
The good news is expected to continue after next month’s unique event, as long as efforts to win the pandemic are successful. There is already a legislative effort underway to speed up when the state’s theme parks can be reopened.
We can get some more details about the limited reopening of the closed attractions in California, when Disney reports its quarterly results on Thursday afternoon. The thermometer among media stocks is likely to be talking more about its thriving Disney + streaming platform than its theme parks, but it’s fair to predict that an analyst will bring about the reopening of your original resort if it’s not part of the observations prepared by the House of Mouse. It’s a small step – a mouse step, if you prefer – but it’s a step in the right direction to put one of Disney’s biggest revenue and operating revenue drivers behind the wheel again.