Right now, there are a lot of questions regarding the future of theme parks around the world in the wake of the COVID-19 Pandemic. And while there are no easy answers right now, there have been several developments at Disney parks regarding the extended shutdown that guests may want to know about! 

Walt Disney World shutdown quietly extends into May

Though Disney has never offered a hard reopening date for its theme parks in the United States, the official park calendar only showed the closure lasting through to the end of April, and guests with reservations next month could still view their hotel, dining, and FastPass+ reservations. However, Disney has started extending their shutdown on their official calendar and those with reservations up through the end of the first week in May are getting official cancellation notices this week. 

Though not official, Disney right now is only accepting hotel reservations for June 1 and beyond , which appears to be a soft target for a reopening for Disney theme parks in the United States. And while we don't know if Disney will make this date (even with some social distancing changes) if you've got Disney reservations in the next month or two, expect to see an official cancellation notice soon.

Analysts issue dire prediction for Disney Parks in 2020 and 2021

This extended closure is especially bad, as Wells Fargo analyst Steven Cahall said in a recent article for The Hollywood Reporter that Disney Parks will likely take at least two years to return to 2019's attendance levels in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, as guests won't feel confident going to crowded places until testing and/or vaccines are "more ubiquitous.” saying Disney can expect almost no park attendance for the latter half of fiscal 2020 and only 50% capacity over the course of 2021