On April 30th, 2021, Disneyland began its phased reopening after being closed since March of 2020 due to covid-19. Both Disneyland and Disney California Adventure opened their gates at the end of April, but a number of rides and restaurants remained shuttered for a number of reasons. Some remained closed due to staffing shortages, some remained closed for preplanned refurbishments, and some didn’t open because the design of the ride was such that it was not safe to reopen in the early days of the recovery due to tight quarters and closed spaces.
If you know Disneyland well, then the first ride that likely pops into your head when you hear ‘tight quarters’ and ‘close spaces’ is Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage. For this reason the ride did not reopen with the rest of the resort and has remained closed for the past two and a half months. It appears we will still have to wait a bit longer before we can take a ride with Nemo and friends, but at least we have some sense of a reopening time.
According to new signage posted outside of the ride within Disneyland, the new ride is planned to reopen in winter of 2021, more specifically, the sign reads “Resurfacing Winter 2021.” This marks the last big ride that has remained closed due to public health concerns to reopen. Let’s hope we continue to recover and we do not see a new significant surge in southern California with the new Delta variant devastating unvaccinated communities. If all goes as planned, come this winter, the park will be fully reopened.
