Lifestyle Travel Disney World Reveals Plans to Reopen One Water Park in March After Year-Long Covid-19 Closure The Orlando resort officially began it's phased reopening on July 11 after shutting down completely in mid-March 2020 By Nicholas Rice Nicholas Rice Instagram Twitter Nicholas Rice is a Staff Editor for PEOPLE Magazine. He began working with the brand as an Editorial Intern in early 2020, before later transitioning to a freelance role, and then staff positions soon after. Nicholas writes and edits anywhere between 7 to 9 stories per day on average for PEOPLE, spanning across each vertical the brand covers. Nicholas has previous work experience with Billboard, POPSUGAR, Bustle and Elite Daily. When not working, Nicholas can be found playing with his 5 dogs, listening to pop music or eating mozzarella sticks. People Editorial Guidelines Published on September 18, 2020 03:08 PM Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: Disney Walt Disney World is continuing its phased reopening — with plans for 2021! The Orlando resort has tentative plans to reopen one of its two water parks — either Disney’s Blizzard Beach or Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon — in March 2021, according to a change spotted by fans on the "Know Before You Go" page of the company's website. Both water parks had previously closed in mid-March amid the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. "While Disney’s Blizzard Beach water park and Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon water park remain closed at this time, pending government approvals, we currently plan to reopen one of the two Disney water parks on March 7, 2021," the statement reads. However, they have not yet decided which of the parks will get to reopen at that time. Disney World Will Still Be Magical This Christmas — but 2 Major Events Are Canceled Wikimedia "We will provide more details on our phased reopening plan, including a decision on the specific water park that will be reopening first, at a later time," the statement continues. "This reopening date may change and if it does, we will let Guests know what to expect in a future update. The update also notes that like other areas of the parks that have already been reopened, Disney hopes to "welcome back Guests and Cast Members to our water parks in a responsible way," with a plan "focused on health and well-being." Wikimedia Typhoon Lagoon, which opened in 1989, is themed around a mythical storm that ravaged a tropical island, notably leaving a ship speared on the peak of the fictional Mount Mayday. It features a massive wave pool and numerous "waterfall slides." Blizzard Beach opened in 1995 with an origin story about a freak Florida snowstorm. It centers around Mount Gushmore's vertical freefall slide, Summit Plummet, and features a ski resort-style chair lift. The first water park to open at Disney World, the swimming hole-inspired River Country, closed in 2001. RELATED VIDEO: Toddler Walks Through Disney for the First Time Universal Orlando's Volcano Bay water park and SeaWorld Orlando's Aquatica water park both reopened in June at the same time as those resorts' theme parks, according to the Orlando Sentinel. Disney World officially reopened on July 11 after shutting down all operations in mid-March due to COVID-19. According to USA Today, the Walt Disney Co. lost nearly $5 billion throughout April, May and June due to the closures. It also cost them a total of $4.5 billion just to close the parks. Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel/Tribune News Service via Getty With their reopening, Disney announced numerous new health and safety protocols that guests and staff are required to adhere to. Disney is asking all guests ages 2 and older to wear a face mask at all times while inside their parks — except for when drinking and eating or visiting one of the parks’ “relaxation zones.” This includes while riding on any of the attractions. Disney Other changes include requiring visitors to make reservations for each park online prior to admission, significantly lowering the number of guests allowed in, and reducing capacity on rides, various modes of transportation and in restaurants and retail stores. As information about the coronavirus pandemic rapidly changes, PEOPLE is committed to providing the most recent data in our coverage. Some of the information in this story may have changed after publication. For the latest on COVID-19, readers are encouraged to use online resources from CDC, WHO, and local public health departments. PEOPLE has partnered with GoFundMe to raise money for the COVID-19 Relief Fund, a GoFundMe.org fundraiser to support everything from frontline responders to families in need, as well as organizations helping communities. For more information or to donate, click here.