Cruise and Theme Park Operational Updates due to Coronavirus

[Krandor]

How in the world did ever shrinking EMH and FP ever justify $1000 rack rates? Those choosing to stay at some of the most expensive rooms on property were likely not doing so just to get onsite benefits that can be had for the price of an All Star Resort.

For me transportation is the main reason I stay on-property especially when I come down for rundisney races. At 2-3am in the morning I want to get up, stumble to the bus stop and get on a bus to the start line. I just don't want to deal with driving. Even if not for a race knowing i can go to epcot, drink around the world and be fine to get back to the resort matters a lot too. I also don't pay $1000/night. I'm normally all-stars or pop.

 

[gottalovepluto]

Someone asked if they are cancelling resort reservations for those without tickets to the end of the year?

That's not happening, right? That would be madness!!! So much can change by then (meaning restrictions loosening).

Not happening right now. Latest cancellation we’ve seen is a one off in July before park opening. Officially cancellations are for arrivals through 6/21 right now.

 

[Bibbobboo2u]

Someone asked if they are cancelling resort reservations for those without tickets to the end of the year?

That's not happening, right? That would be madness!!! So much can change by then (meaning restrictions loosening).

It was me. I asked Yullilin her thoughts about a possible time period after her post about resort reservations without tickets probably being among the first that WDW would cancel if it comes to that. You can see her response to my question above....basically - who knows??

 

[gottalovepluto]

For me transportation is the main reason I stay on-property especially when I come down for rundisney races. At 2-3am in the morning I want to get up, stumble to the bus stop and get on a bus to the start line. I just don't want to deal with driving. Even if not for a race knowing i can go to epcot, drink around the world and be fine to get back to the resort matters a lot too. I also don't pay $1000/night. I'm normally all-stars or pop.

Now change your choice to FW or DVC. And you have the only real shot at going to the parks, getting a park reservation, by staying on site. For kicks FW is booked out for your dates. Demand is high so DVC is rack rate. Do you book DVC and go?

Imho that’s a scenario a lot of people will be looking at...

 

[Krandor]

Now change your choice to FW or DVC. And you have the only real shot at going to the parks, getting a park reservation, by staying on site. For kicks FW is booked out for your dates. Demand is high so DVC is rack rate. Do you book DVC and go?

No.

EDIT : if there was a rundisney weekend I might do off-property for races then go straight back home (I nomally say a few days aferwards to have fun) or look at universal/seaworld

 

[tlmadden73]

So for those saying EMH and FP may be gone...how do you justify a $1000 room, other than the "magic" of Disney.

I'm sure they will add other incentives: discounts on extra packages (dessert parties, early morning magic, memory maker, etc.), the ability to "reserve" your park days before other people, etc. For a lot of people EMH was so limited it wasn't even an incentive anymore and the FP 60 day perk wasn't much of a perk anymore either since they gave it to all those partner hotels and unless you have a really long resort stay, getting certain FPs was still impossible.

 

[Bibbobboo2u]

Just when I thought they couldn't do any worse......I think this is one they're going to have to do for me to believe it.

I bet someone at WDW just said "challenge accepted"

 

[Marionnette]

Well, that would settle the issue of being walked, wouldn't it? Of course, this only involves dates up to June 21, but I can sure see that applying to anyone with a reservation at a closed resort. It would certainly help them in reducing resort capacity as well. Just when I thought they couldn't do any worse......I think this is one they're going to have to do for me to believe it.

Guests already being walked from moderates to DVC resorts in the first week of park opening...with no upcharge. There are random posts on FB and on the resorts forum here that CSR and CBR guests have been notified that their reservation is being moved to a DVC resort, not of their choice.

 

[Spaceguy55]

Only thing we know is during phased opening some benefits for APs won’t be active and APs will be limited in park visits. No details.

Might be wishful thinking but with reduced benefits for AP's they might not start the clock until things are near normal, at least for park hopping. So sort of a free time for the lucky ones that can get in.
I thought that's what they were doing at Shanghai DL.. but I'm not sure.

 

[cakebaker]

Guests already being walked from moderates to DVC resorts in the first week of park opening...with no upcharge. There are random posts on FB and on the resorts forum here that CSR and CBR guests have been notified that their reservation is being moved to a DVC resort, not of their choice.

I honestly haven't seen any that have been notified they were being moved. There's a lot to filter through, do you have a link to those posts? I tend not to pay a lot of attention to FB posts- but here would be significant I would think.

 

[DGsAtBLT]

For me transportation is the main reason I stay on-property especially when I come down for rundisney races. At 2-3am in the morning I want to get up, stumble to the bus stop and get on a bus to the start line. I just don't want to deal with driving. Even if not for a race knowing i can go to epcot, drink around the world and be fine to get back to the resort matters a lot too. I also don't pay $1000/night. I'm normally all-stars or pop.

Location advantage (and the ease and feel of staying on property) is the primary reason we pay a premium to stay where we stay. And not $1000 a night even at the deluxes lol.

The FP window was a relatively recent incentive to stay onsite. EMH less recent (and also a shell of what it once was), but still people act like there’s no reason to stay onsite without them. I don’t think eliminating FP+ and EMH as we know them (and likely adding some other perk in their place) is going to impact onsite booking.

 

[Bjn10]

The rumor mill is in full effect

 

[threeboyzdad]

I honestly haven't seen any that have been notified they were being moved. There's a lot to filter through, do you have a link to those posts? I tend not to pay a lot of attention to FB posts- but here would be significant I would think.

Correct. I have arrival on 7/11 at CBR and have heard nothing about being moved.

 

[Sandiz08]

There have been two second hand reports about movement to AKL on these boards.

 

[Farro]

There has been two second hand reports about movement to AKL on these boards.

Yes and I saw the firsthand report on Facebook. CSR to AKL (I'm assuming the DVC part?) Their travel agent alerted them first.

 

[cakebaker]

There has been two second hand reports about movement to AKL on these boards.

So nothing official by someone who was directly notified? If they're doing it though, we should know for sure soon enough. I would certainly hope that's what they're doing.

 

[Welsh_Dragon]

I honestly haven't seen any that have been notified they were being moved. There's a lot to filter through, do you have a link to those posts? I tend not to pay a lot of attention to FB posts- but here would be significant I would think.

Even though WDW have walked me off the plank , I really hope that lots of people get walked to upgrades. Good luck everyone.

 

[Marthasor]

All respect to you, as I don't question the truth you are experiencing, but I spoke with a Disney CM this morning on the reservation line and asked if there were restrictions on when people could re-book for and she said no, up to 500 days out. I asked if there were RESORT restrictions and she said not that she has seen. Granted, I did not re-book as my dates still aren't allowed. Her info seems suspicious based on what we know about resort closures... and it was barely after 7:00am. I just sharing this to say TRY AGAIN, as ypu may get a different answer and allow the 2021 dates??? Who knows!? Worth a try...

My TA is reporting the same thing. As of this morning, guests with check-ins from June 5 - June 21 can modify, but only to dates from July 11 - December 31, 2020 and only DVC or Ft. W. No 2021 reservations at this time.

 

[DGsAtBLT]

Unpopular opinion apparently, I think it makes total sense to require people to pay the difference to move their reservation to different dates from the time before parks are open. Sounds like they would be giving those people the courtesy of moving from closed dates to open dates. They aren’t walking them from a closed resort to an open one on the same dates.

There are tons and tons of people who have been cancelled on from mid March until now. Why would they start upgrading people for free just because they’re at the tail end of the closure?

 

[Sandiz08]

So nothing official by someone who was directly notified? If they're doing it though, we should know for sure soon enough.

Nope, nothing official, but two different people reporting a TA notified them friends client got moved, and one who has a friend who got moved. They were CBR and CSR moved to AKL.