Disney announced earlier today that Disneyland Resort, Walt Disney World Resort, Disneyland Paris and Disney Cruise Line will all shut down in the next few days and will remain closed through the end of March.

Obviously, there’s not much good news to offer here. People use Disney Parks as a place to escape hard times and, if it was safe to the public, visiting one of these places sounds just about perfect right now. Instead they are shutting down and, thankfully, proceeding with caution. That said, it doesn’t make any of us feel better to see the ‘happiest place on earth’ closed.

The silver lining to the news was that Disney also announced that Cast Members will be paid through the closure. I commend this move as the economic impact on this outbreak is far reaching. Disney taking care of their employees is a big deal and something that not every company is doing. As a small business owner who is trying to figure things out through all of this, seeing a big company make this move is heartwarming and a relief knowing that the other writer on this blog is a Cast Member. I’m critical of the company due to some theme park moves from time to time, but those moves are trivial compared to people’s lives. We don’t know yet in what way Disney will be taking care of Cast Members but I’m very happy that they are.

As of now, the parks are scheduled to open at the beginning of April. Frankly, and relative to other organizations, that seems optimistic. Of course, I hope it’s not. That said, it’s hard to know what the next few weeks will bring. Only time will tell and I’m sure Disney is eager to open their parks as soon as they have a safe plan in place.

There isn’t much commentary I have to add. For the first time in nearly 20 years both American Disney Resorts (along with every other Disney Park worldwide) will be closed on Monday, March 16th. I have no interest in getting political in this post but I do commend Disney for following the advice of their local governments. No matter if it’s the right thing to do or not, it’s a sad day.

From us here on Wandering in Disney, please take of yourselves. We wish you good health and hope that you’re staying safe. We’ll have plenty of content even with the parks closed down and will be sure to keep the site updated with recent news of when the parks will open.

What are your thoughts on the Disney Parks closures? Let us know, along with any questions you might have, in the comments below. Planning a trip to a Disney Resort? Check out our planning guides to help you along the way. If you enjoy what you’re reading please subscribe to the blog and like our social media pages which you can find on the right side of this page. Thank you for reading, we really appreciate it!