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As Walt Disney World reopened all of the Parks not all attractions, dining locations, and retail stores were reopened. Today we have news of another great reopening for Animal Kingdom.
Phased Reopening
Walt Disney World first shared that they would have a phased reopening of the the Walt Disney World Parks.
This would include limited dining locations that would offer limited menu options, not all retail locations and services would be available, and certain entertatainment offerings would not be available.
As Disney shared their reopening plans with Guests and Cast Members they continued to reiterate that this is a “very fluid situation,” meaning that changes can continue to be made to their existing reopening plans.
We have seen this with stricter guidelines with wearing of facial coverings, but we have also been pleasantly delighted that they have introduced additional magical experiences.
We shared a complete list of Character Cavalcade experiences with the additional of fun pop-up characters. This week Guests were delighted to find additional pop-up characters located in Magic Kingdom.
Also this week, Guests were excited to learn that the Disney Junior Dance Party would be returning to Hollywood Studios.
Read all about how Disney created a great interactive experience while also maintaining social distancing guidelines for both Guests and Cast Members.
Island Mercantile
Tomorrow, August 2nd, Disney’s Animal Kingdom will reopen one of their most popular retail locations, the Island Mercantile.
This store is located on Discovery Island and Guests can find “animal influences for today’s fiercest fashions.”
The Island Mercantile offers apparel, accessories, and adorable headwear so your family will be ready to take on a day of adventure as you explore Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
In order to eliminate large groups before and after Park hours, this location will reopen with modified hours from 1:00pm-6:00pm.
It appears that they are trying to decrease the need to arrive early at other Disney Parks as well. For example, Guests visiting Hollywood Studios have new virtual queue times for the Rise of the Resistance. Read all about this HERE.
Island Mercantile will reopen on August 2, 2020 with modified hours from 1:00pm-6:00pm
What do you think of the modified hours and reopenings of certain retail and dining locations? How long do you think it maybe before the majority of dining and retail experiences will be reopened? Share your thoughts with us on our Facebook Page.
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Kim
Saturday 1st of August 2020
Since guests are restricted to one park per day Disney needed this location opened. It's a large, key store for the park. I think their biggest issue is staffing the location. No College Program kids until 2021 and even then, they may not be back right away.
Lucy
Saturday 1st of August 2020
Sounds like they are getting lax trying to draw more people in. Its way roo soon to be reopening things considering the high covid counts there right now but we all know Disney is driven by money. If they do it too fast everything is just gonna have to shut back down again.
kennythepirate
Saturday 1st of August 2020
I've not seen anything lax in Walt Disney World. Actually, I've seen more people hired to enforce the rules. They limit the number of guests who can enter a store and everyone is required to wear a mask.