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BREAKING NEWS! Universal Orlando Resort Proposes Reopening Date

Walt Disney World Resort, Universal Orlando Resort, and SeaWorld have been closed since March due to the current global health situation.

Universal

The state of Florida is currently in “Full Phase One” of reopening its economy. It’s within this phase that both Universal Orlando’s CityWalk and Disney Springs have started a phased reopening while the theme parks have remained closed until further notice. Today, however, in a meeting of the Orange County Economic Recovery Task Force, Universal Orlando Resort has presented a plan for its reopening, including a proposed reopening date.

Universal Orlando Resort has proposed a reopening date of June 5th, 2020 to the general public. John Sprouls proposed a gradual capacity reopening for team members beginning June 1st and 2nd and to AP’s June 3rd and 4th. The proposed June 5th opening would be for the rest of the public.

Details about what a reopening would look like are being shared at this time and will be updating you with all the info — stay tuned! 

Universal Orlando

The task force approved the proposal. Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings must sign off on Universal’s proposed plans before they will be presented to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. Demings has said that he will need 24-48 hours to review the plans before submitting them to DeSantis.

Islands of Adventure Main Entrance

Walt Disney World and SeaWorld have not yet presented reopening plans to the Orange County Economic Recovery Task Force. Amanda Dukes, a reporter at WESH TV, NBC Orlando, said that Disney World is “not submitting a plan to the Orange County Economic Recover Taskforce yet and does not have a date to do so.” When they do, they will be required to submit a proposed reopening date within their plans.

Walt Disney World

We will continue to keep you posted on this story as it develops. For more information about the current status of Disney Resorts and destinations around the world, you can click here or visit any of the links below.

Are you following the reopening of the Orlando area theme parks? Please let us know with a comment. 

From our friends at www.disneyfoodblog.com
Filed Under: Featured, News, disney springs, reopening, reopening date, requested reopening dates, seaworld, Universal CityWalk, Universal Orlando, universal orlando reopening, Universal Orlando Resort, Walt Disney World, walt disney world resort

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Disney News Disney Parks

NEWS: Legoland Florida Has Initial Approval for June 1st Reopening

We have been following the status of the major theme parks in Orlando including Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando Resort, and SeaWorld as they are all currently closed until further notice in light of the current global situation.

©Legoland

We are also watching other area attractions to follow their plans for reopening, and today information has been shared for another popular theme park located in Winter Haven, Florida: Legoland.

According to wesh.com, Legoland has received permission from the Winter Haven City Commission to reopen on June 1, 2020. However, Legoland still needs permission from the state of Florida to move forward with that date.

Legoland General Manager Rex Jackson shared the guidelines the park would operate under with the Winter Haven City Commission. These include operating at a maximum 50% capacity (about 6,000 guests).The park would “highly recommend” the wearing of face masks by guests. Though not required, the park also noted plans to provide face coverings for guests who do not bring one. Additionally, guests with temperatures of 100.4 or higher would not be allowed to enter the park.

Florida Palm Trees

This process of local approval is in keeping with instruction from Florida Governor Ron DeSantis that theme parks should work alongside their local governments on their plans for reopening and that local government officials will need to endorse any potential plans prior to submitting them for state approval.

As a reminder, this is the process that Universal Orlando Resort is expected to begin this afternoon when it makes a presentation to the Orange County Economic Recovery Task Force. Presentations require a proposed reopening date. The presentation date for Walt Disney World’s reopening plan is not yet known at press time. We’ll be keeping you posted as this story develops, and you can learn more about the status of Disney Resorts and destinations around the world by visiting any of the links below.

Source: wesh.com

Have you ever visited Legoland Florida? Please let us know with a comment!

From our friends at www.disneyfoodblog.com
Filed Under: Featured, News, legoland, Legoland Florida, reopening, theme parks, Universal Orlando Resort, Walt Disney World

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NBA looking at Orlando/Disney World as ‘clear frontrunner’ to resume season

NBA resume season

The 2019-2020 NBA season came to an abrupt halt in mid-March this year. It seemed the season would not be finished given the pandemic. However, there’s renewed hope that a solution is at hand. Sources in the league have told The Athletic that the NBA is looking at Orlando to finish the 2020 basketball games at Walt Disney World.

The Athletic’s duo of Sam Amick and Shams Charania say that NBA sources tell them how Walt Disney World is the current frontrunner for the rest of the season. Although it hasn’t been confirmed, this would be an interesting development for the basketball league.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has previously mentioned his idea of seeking a “campus environment” to utilize for the remaining games. Their bubble-isolation plan would enable teams to gather in one place and help players follow safety protocols.

Of course, the league would have to decide whether they would continue with the same list of remaining games or if they would shorten it to get to playoff games. Several players have confirmed their interest in going forward, but it’s up to the league officials to reach a set date to return. Health and safety are the primary concerns, but it would be quite thrilling to see basketball resume at Disney World!

Source: Yahoo Sports

From our friends at chipandco.com
Filed Under: News, Parks & Resorts, Resorts, Universal, SeaWorld, Legoland and More, disney sports, ESPN, ESPN Sports Complex, nba, NBA Experience, Walt Disney World

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Margaritaville’s Island H2O Live! Water Park will reopen to Guests on Saturday, May 23rd

Margaritaville's Island H2O Live

It is with great anticipation that Margaritaville‘s Island H2O Live announces its reopening on select days beginning Saturday, May 23, 2020. As required, Island H2O Water Park submitted a reopening plan to the State of Florida that includes a proposed date for resumption of operations and proposed guidelines to ensure guest and staff safety, which was endorsed by the Osceola County Administrator.

“We are excited to reopen and provide an entertaining break from the day-to-day world,” states Island H2O Water Park General Manager Jim Kunau. “We look forward to providing wonderful memories for our guests and their families. Our entire team has been working hard to prepare the park and welcome our guests back.”

The park is raising their already demanding standards to an even higher level with new protocols and procedures. “The health, safety, and well-being of every guest and team member is our utmost priority,” states Kunau. “To ensure the safest experience for everyone, we also need our guests to help by adhering to social distancing practices, washing and sanitizing hands frequently, and following safety guidelines provided by our trained staff.”

Island H2O Water Park is implementing new Safe-Splash Guidelines to continue delivering a great guest experience while ensuring the park operates safely, responsibly and sustainably. Island H2O Water Park will:

  1. Manage Park Capacity: The number of guests admitted each day is limited. Guests who arrive after park capacity is reached are not guaranteed admittance to the park and may be asked to wait or visit on a different day.
  2. Implement Daily Wellness Checks: Team members and guests undergo a verbal screening upon arrival each day. Team members also receive a temperature check and are sent home if their temperature exceeds 100.4 °F.
  3. Require Face Masks: Team members are required to wear a face-covering in virtually every area of the park. Between rides and attractions, guests are recommended to wear face coverings. Due to safety constraints, face coverings are not permitted while in the water or on slides.
  4. Practice Social Distancing: Signs and ground markers are provided to assist guests with social distancing practices while in line at the park entrance, attractions, restrooms, food service locations, and more. Deck layouts are modified to ensure distancing in all lounging and dining areas.
  5. Promote Hand Hygiene & Respiratory Etiquette: Additional hand sanitizing stations are placed throughout the park, and signs are displayed to encourage all employees and guests to wash their hands often and cover their coughs and sneezes.
  6. Clean, Disinfect and Sanitize on a Continuous Basis: The CDC states, “disinfection with chlorine… should inactivate the virus in the water.” The water in all attractions at Island H2O Water Park is double treated with chlorination and ultraviolet light to maintain the healthiest water conditions. All water that circulates through the water park is exposed to UV light in the filtration process. UV light works by disrupting the DNA or RNA of specific organisms, such as viruses, which in turn, kills or inactivates the virus completely. Team members are assigned additional duties that support cleanliness throughout the park, including the disinfection of handrails, loungers, tabletops, tubes, mats, door handles, and other surfaces.
  7. Encourage Electronic Payments: Guests are encouraged to purchase admission tickets online prior to arriving at the park to minimize interactions during the park entry experience. Guests are also encouraged to use cashless payment methods while visiting.
  8. Manage Use of Indoor Areas & Communal Spaces: Homeland Security’s biodefense research laboratory states, “sunlight seems to be very detrimental to the virus,” and “within minutes, the majority of the virus is inactivated on surfaces and in the air in direct sunlight.” Our guests spend their entire day outdoors in the sunshine or in shaded areas, except for restroom buildings and other minor service areas which are disinfected regularly throughout the day.
  9. Provide a COVID-19 Response Team: A team of supervisors and managers is available to respond to COVID-19 concerns from guests or employees. The team trains staff on all safety protocols and ensures that they are socially distanced during meetings and training.
A complete list of all health and safety measures can be found at www.islandh2olive.com.
The park will continue to coordinate with local, state and federal agencies as well as public health officials and is prepared to make any and all adjustments as necessary, now and after re-opening, to maintain the highest standards of health and safety for all.
“We know the finances of several of our guests have been impacted, so we are extending a special discount on our season passes this summer,” commented Kunau. “A 2020 Season Pass is currently available for just $10 more than a one-day admission ticket, and guests can even split their purchase into 2-monthly payments when they buy online by May 31.”
For details on park hours, season passes, events and offers, please visit www.islandh2olive.com.

From our friends at chipandco.com
Filed Under: News, Island H2O Live!, Margaritaville Orlando, Margaritaville Resort, Margaritaville Resort Orlando, Margaritaville’s Island H2O Live

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NEWS: You May See Some NEW TSA Safety Measures the Next Time You Fly

With the global health crisis changing the way that people think about public safety, a lot of industries are changing the way they do things.

Orlando International Airport

One of the affected industries has been air travel. Now, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is reworking how it screens passengers.

According to Click Orlando, the TSA has implemented several changes to their security screening process to reduce any chance of contamination at the security checkpoints. Their goal is to have the new process rolled out in airports nationwide by mid-June.

Airline Check-In

The new procedures include the following:

  • Travelers will keep possession of their boarding passes. TSA agents will no longer handle boarding passes. Instead, travelers will place passes on the readers themselves and hold passes for agents to inspect.
  • Food will be separated for X-ray screening. Food often triggers an alarm during screening. By separating it, there is less of a chance that TSA agents will need to open a carry-on bag to inspect its contents.
  • Travelers are encouraged to pack smart. If passengers take care to remove liquids, gels, or aerosols in quantities greater than 3.4 oz, there is less of a chance that TSA agents will need to open their carry on bag. If a prohibited item is detected, passengers will be pulled aside to remove and discard the item themselves.
  • Agents will be wearing face coverings and travelers are encouraged to as well. Note that travelers may need to adjust their masks during the screening.

Star Wars United Airlines Plane ©United

These new changes are not the only ones that have been instituted in airports thus far. Prior instituted health measures include:

  • Reduced security lane usage.
  • Masks and gloves for TSA agents.
  • Frequent glove changes for TSA agents.
  • Plastic shielding installed at various locations.
  • Distancing measures.
  • Routine cleaning and disinfecting.

©Orlando International Airport

Of the changes, TSA Administrator David Pekoske said, “In the interest of TSA frontline workers and traveler health, TSA is committed to making prudent changes to our screening processes to limit physical contact and increase physical distance as much as possible. We continue to evaluate our security measures with an eye towards making smart, timely decisions benefiting health and safety, as well as the traveler experience.

We’ll be following along with more changes from the TSA so that we can keep you updated.

What do you think of the new TSA health measures? Tell us in the comments! 

From our friends at www.disneyfoodblog.com
Filed Under: Featured, News, Air Travel, Airline, airport, health measures, Transportation Security Administration, TSA