Galaxy’s Edge Reopening Planned for July 15th

Today, the Walt Disney Company presented its plan for reopening Walt Disney World to the Orange County Economic Recovery Task Force. The plan reveals multiple opening dates for the Disney theme parks, with Hollywood Studios, home of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge tentatively scheduled for July 15th.

Major Changes Coming to Galaxy’s Edge Reopening

While the park itself will be (tentatively) reopening to guests on July 15th, there will be several changes brought on by the increased safety measures. Some things like more hand sanitizer locations and hand washing stations, some of which were already in place prior to the park’s closure, were expected, and won’t impact guest experiences at all. Others, however, will.

Events that draw crowds, such as parades and fireworks shows are canceled at this time. This means the nightly Star Wars laser and projection show on the Chinese Theater won’t be making a return any time soon. It also likely means Kylo Ren’s arrival and departure show near First Order Cargo is not expected to run either.

Masks will be required for all cast members and guests. This is already in place at Disney Springs and has seemingly worked well so far.

Characters On Hold

More upsetting for fans will be the cancellation of character encounters. The character encounters make Galaxy’s Edge a unique Disney experience. Losing out on them is disappointing, but certainly understandable given the necessary safety precautions.

Reduced Ride Capacity

Those hoping the likely reduced crowds will improve your chance at getting on Rise of the Resistance may find that isn’t the case. The park will be operating at a reduced guest capacity, but will also be limiting ride capacity. Exactly how this works remains to be seen, but other local parks have talked about limiting or eliminating entirely guest group intermingling. No more being grouped with strangers, something that will only make it harder to keep Rise up and running anywhere near its optimal capacity.

Not Set In Stone

The reopening plan must be approved by the local and state government before becoming official. While this is expected, as the state has yet to deny a theme park reopening, it’s not 100% yet.

For a full breakdown of all the new safety measures and additional park reopening dates, check out our friends at Florida Sun Adventures.