Shanghai Disneyland Sells Out Reopening Tickets In Minutes; 24,000 Visitors Expected

KEY POINTS

Shanghai Disneyland started selling tickets again on May 8, which were sold-out in minutes
It will reopen on May 11 to 30% capacity
Other Disney theme parks in the U.S., Japan, Paris and Hong Kong are still closed

Shanghai Disneyland is set to welcome a deluge of visitors to its theme park Monday (May 11) after it quickly sold out the tickets for its reopening day.

Earlier, the company announced it will start selling theme park tickets again on May 8. The first two days have completely sold out as booking facilities, including third-party vendors like Fliggy and MeiTuan, opened online at 8:00 a.m. local time.

Shanghai Disneyland shut down on Jan. 25 as the coronavirus outbreak was escalating. It will be one of the first major theme parks to reopen since pandemic.

29586946736_69447e5f3f_b — Shanghai Disneyland is expecting 24,000 guests on its reopening day on May 11, four months after the coronavirus shutdown. Flickr

According to CNBC, Shanghai Disneyland averages 80,000 visitors a day, but it will be resuming with 30% capacity for the next several weeks. This means that there will be 24,000 visitors to the theme park every day.

Workers and guests alike, however, are expected to observe a few necessary health and safety protocols to lessen the risks of spread and infection of COVID-19.

"During this initial reopening phase, the park will institute new measures and procedures,” the company press release stated.

Shanghai Disneyland guests will have to practice physical distancing as they wait in lines for the rides and restaurants. All visitors are also expected to wear masks, except when they have to eat.

Disney in China will also use a government-issued Shanghai Health QR code for early detection and contract tracing. The park management will be increasing the number of times the staff sanitizes and disinfects the premises and facilities.

Monday's reopening, however, will not be 100% operational. The theater area and the children's play area will remain off-limits. There will also be no parades and nighttime events. The management said these will be organized at a later date.

Meanwhile, other Disney parks in the U.S., Japan, Paris, and Hong Kong are still closed. However, a number of shops and restaurants at the Disney Springs mall in Orlando, Florida, will reopen to limited capacity beginning May 20.