Out of the Loop: Tokyo Disneyland reopens after earthquake

Column by Andy Guinigundo

Urayasu, Chiba Japan – Tokyo Disneyland Park reopened today (April 15, 2011). This marks the first opening of the park since the March 12, 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake. The Tokyo Disney Resort consists of two parks – Tokyo Disneyland Park and Tokyo DisneySea Park. At this time, Tokyo DisneySea Park is ready to open, but will remain closed with plans to reopen in the near future. The Cirque de Soleil Theater will reopen April 23. The Tokyo Disneyland Hotel and Disney Ambassador Hotel are open. Tokyo DisneySea Hotel MiraCosta is not open yet.

In a press release, Disney stated that unfortunately, operating conditions may change without prior notice due to the power supply. They are enacting several strategies to limit power use. These include limiting operating hours. Normally, they would be open until 10 p.m., but at least for now, they will close at 6 p.m. Some electrical equipment use will be limited, but in such a way as not to affect safety. For example, electric dryers in the bathrooms will be turned off. Certain fountains will not run and thermostats will be adjusted. The monorail operating schedule has also been reduced. Disney is even looking into the use of free-standing generators to make up for any shortfall in power.

A portion of gate ticket sales will be donated to the relief effort. A normal one day ticket for an adult is ¥5,800 or about $69. ¥300 of each ticket sold will go to the Japanese Red Cross Society. ¥1,000 of every night’s stay at resort hotel will go toward the relief efforts.

We at Orlando Attractions Magazine offer our best wishes to all the people of Japan. We have especially warm wishes to our colleagues in Japan who work at attractions like Disneyland. I think one Tokyo Disneyland cast member said it best, “I think this is a day for optimism and Disney Magic!”

Andy Guinigundo is the author of the Out of The Loop column in “Orlando Attractions Magazine”. Out of the Loop keeps you up-to-date with attraction news outside of Central Florida. Andy lives in Cincinnati, Ohio with his wife and three daughters. He grew up frequenting theme parks around Ohio and making trips to Orlando with his family. While for most of the year, he’s out of the Orlando loop, he tries to visit Florida at least once a year.

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