Cruise and Theme Park Operational Updates due to Coronavirus

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Just came back from a full tour of all the skyliner resorts, not sure about the parks but all the resorts seemed empty. Noticed the pools closed at 6pm, I'm assuming it was because of the weather
Yes, this seems to be a very big concern right now (and one that is only likely to grow after the New Year). Clearly, the discounts (which don't deviate *that* drastically from what they normally offer to FL Residents and APs) are not working.

People are talking about the EWP, but at this point, Disney could put on a whole nighttime show at the resorts on weeknights and not have to worry about distancing at all.
 
Yes, this seems to be a very big concern right now (and one that is only likely to grow after the New Year). Clearly, the discounts (which don't deviate *that* drastically from what they normally offer to FL Residents and APs) are not working.

People are talking about the EWP, but at this point, Disney could put on a whole nighttime show at the resorts on weeknights and not have to worry about distancing at all.
On that same note, I have to take 192 to 27 to get back home passing a lot of condos that are vacation homes, traffic has been kinda crazy the past couple of weeks, i wonder if many are coming but staying at these vacation homes over Disney
 
On that same note, I have to take 192 to 27 to get back home passing a lot of condos that are vacation homes, traffic has been kinda crazy the past couple of weeks, i wonder if many are coming but staying at these vacation homes over Disney
It's funny you mention that because this thought occurred to me as well. I've seen a lot of ads for VRBO and similar services recently and, anecdotally, have talked to a lot of people (particularly families) who have gone the vacation home route this year for the first time, rather than staying at a hotel.

Disney's only real answer to that are the Deluxe Villas (which there are a surplus of at the moment) but these rooms inarguably have the highest "Disney premium" attached to them relative to their competition. For a villa with a full kitchen, you're talking at least $600 or $700 a night even with one of the current discounts. There are much less expensive (and much more flexible) options available nearby offsite (some of which with their own perks). Then again, I'm still amazed that Disney thinks they'll get away with charging $1,700 a night for a BCV 2-bedroom villa over NYE this year.
 
It's funny you mention that because this thought occurred to me as well. I've seen a lot of ads for VRBO and similar services recently and, anecdotally, have talked to a lot of people (particularly families) who have gone the vacation home route this year for the first time, rather than staying at a hotel.

Disney's only real answer to that are the Deluxe Villas (which there are a surplus of at the moment) but these rooms inarguably have the highest "Disney premium" attached to them relative to their competition. For a villa with a full kitchen, you're talking at least $600 or $700 a night even with one of the current discounts. There are much less expensive (and much more flexible) options available nearby offsite (some of which with their own perks). Then again, I'm still amazed that Disney thinks they'll get away with charging $1,700 a night for a BCV 2-bedroom villa over NYE this year.
Many of us have been saying for months that the typical hotel discounts + non-discounted tickets weren’t going to drive much new traffic in this current, trampled economic climate. The stubbornness about lowering prices or thinking outside the box for discounts is disappointing.
 
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We are happy to stay onsite often (we've been staying every 3-4 weeks here lately) but I think the hotel costs are still too high for the return. The discounts are not any better than normal but without the perks (plus the parking fee on top of that!). The deals at hotels offsite - many of which are much nicer - are just too good to resist.

We have also been snatching up discounted confirmed DVC stays. I paid $120/night for a SSR studio over Thanksgiving. We stayed at SSR mid-Oct ($125/night and upgraded to a preferred, renovated 1 bedroom) and Boardwalk a few weeks before that ($110/night studio). And parking is included on all those!

Disney's "discounted" FL or AP rates just can't compete IMO.
 


I do have a feeling with the hours and cooler weather most folks were in the parks during the day rather than at the resorts. Just checked the Orlando weather now and saw it was in the 40s - not sure if even I would be out and about in those temps. Tomorrows high will be in the low 60s, so again not a pool day for sure.
 
We are happy to stay onsite often (we've been staying every 3-4 weeks here lately) but I think the hotel costs are still too high for the return. The discounts are not any better than normal but without the perks (plus the parking fee on top of that!). The deals at hotels offsite - many of which are much nicer - are just too good to resist.

We have also been snatching up discounted confirmed DVC stays. I paid $120/night for a SSR studio over Thanksgiving. We stayed at SSR mid-Oct ($125/night and upgraded to a preferred, renovated 1 bedroom) and Boardwalk a few weeks before that ($110/night studio). And parking is included on all those!

Disney's "discounted" FL or AP rates just can't compete IMO.

Yeah, during the week the Hilton brand hotels are really cheap. And then on weekends the Choice Brand hotels are really cheap.

I don't think think we'll ever seen those prices/for the quality again for those offsite hotels.
 
Many of us have been saying for months that the typical hotel discounts + non-discounted tickets weren’t going to drive much new traffic in this current, trampled economic climate. The stubbornness about lowering prices or thinking outside the box for discounts is disappointing.

Isn’t the next 2 weeks notoriously slow as well? I’m sure more than there are now, but the week after thanksgiving, 3 weeks before Christmas. I wouldn’t put much stock into room bookings this week or in January. They’ll be slower than usual, but they also probably know it’s slow and even discounts won’t get people to stay there
 
We’re about 2 hours out from our resort in Windsor Hills. We have APs and reservations for tomorrow, Thursday, and Friday. Unless something changes, there arent any spots for APs Saturday or Sunday. I guess we’ll be hanging at City Walk and going in UO one at a time since our kids don’t have UO passes. Hoping for a better trip than the one we had in October since we have midweek park days.
 
Many of us have been saying for months that the typical hotel discounts + non-discounted tickets weren’t going to drive much new traffic in this current, trampled economic climate. The stubbornness about lowering prices or thinking outside the box for discounts is disappointing.

The rack rates for November 2021 are STUPID. There are obviously many things that can come back/change to make onsite appealing again, but I’m really disappointed in how high they are now. Throwing a 30% room discount out on those rates is a joke. I booked a moderate because I can’t book AKL yet and the other deluxes were way too much for what they’re offering.
 
The rack rates for November 2021 are STUPID. There are obviously many things that can come back/change to make onsite appealing again, but I’m really disappointed in how high they are now. Throwing a 30% room discount out on those rates is a joke. I booked a moderate because I can’t book AKL yet and the other deluxes were way too much for what they’re offering.

You made me curious...

All Star Movies for June 2021 is $185/219. That is so much for such a small room. ☹️

To compare: Doubletree Suites is $130 and kids under 12 eat free.
 
You made me curious...

All Star Movies for June 2021 is $185/219. That is so much for such a small room. ☹

To compare: Doubletree Suites is $130 and kids under 12 eat free.

We are booked at Gran Destino for $400+ a night. I don’t care that it’s Thanksgiving. Not a good excuse when we are coming out of this recession/pandemic chaos. If they don’t bring back some onsite perks we will look offsite. We are driving, so no need for transportation.
 
Isn’t the next 2 weeks notoriously slow as well? I’m sure more than there are now, but the week after thanksgiving, 3 weeks before Christmas. I wouldn’t put much stock into room bookings this week or in January. They’ll be slower than usual, but they also probably know it’s slow and even discounts won’t get people to stay there
Yeah the point costs for rooms this week and next week are among the lowest for the entire year. The room we cancelled next week was a 1 bedroom at BLT and we pushed the reservation out to the first week on January and the room was 4 points less per night now than January (which is normally a slow time as well).
 
Many of us have been saying for months that the typical hotel discounts/non-discounted tickets weren’t going to drive much new traffic in this current, trampled economic climate. The stubbornness about lowering prices or thinking outside the box for discounts is disappointing.
While I'm hesitant to draw many comparisons between the 9/11 aftermath and this situation, history does seem to be repeating itself within Resort Operations and Walt Disney Travel. They'll continue to try to maintain "price integrity" and hold the current price point while reducing inventory through resort closures and shuttering parts of "open" resorts until the efficacy of even that starts to wane (which, given where the pandemic is headed, seems to be already happening). Then, you'll start seeing the unusual discounts that will spark some demand (which, had they offered months earlier, would've likely been just as effective). People forget that the DDP (and Free Dining) was created several years after 9/11 as a way to fill rooms that they just weren't able to fill. It's fascinating to me how much they've learned over the last 20 years but also how little they've learned at the same time.
 
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Isn’t the next 2 weeks notoriously slow as well? I’m sure more than there are now, but the week after thanksgiving, 3 weeks before Christmas. I wouldn’t put much stock into room bookings this week or in January. They’ll be slower than usual, but they also probably know it’s slow and even discounts won’t get people to stay there
I'd buy that if the week between Xmas and NYE wasn't wide open with availability (even as the parks start to fill up). By this time during a "normal" year, almost all of rooms on property would be sold out, but right now, you've got wide open available across their limited inventory. This is likely exacerbated by the fact that Disney is still insisting Guests pay NYE prices when NYE, for all intents and purposes, isn't really happening at WDW this year. That, to me, is a very bad signal.
 
Just a note on Parking. We had breakfast today at Trattoria al Forno at BW and once they confirmed we had an ADR were were allowed to park for as long as we wanted. With the hotel side of BW still closed, the parking lot was only 1/3 to 1/2 full. We ate breakfast, checked out BC and YC and then did our tour of the World Showcase.
 
The UK just authorized the Pfizer vaccine for use. Vaccinations begin next week.

That's the vaccine that the U.S. FDA has a meeting about on December 10th.

It really bothers me they took 2 weeks to meet about something they're going to approve (what I mean is the FDA announced a couple of weeks ago they are meeting on 12/10 to discuss approval)

oh, and..

OGC.49359af3ef580c1ac8a271d37b11806d
 
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