Cruise and Theme Park Operational Updates due to Coronavirus

[mshanson3121]

I also wonder if people are put off of booking because of which hotels are open and which are closed? Not much choice in the moderates or values.

Also I bet some people are assuming, correctly or not, that Disney will be offering resort discounts, so they are waiting to book.

I'm not talking of now, but later this year into next.

While I know I shouldn't be, I was/am really surprised they didn't offer better discounts considering how little you're getting right now - significantly cut hours, attractions, restaurants etc...

 

[Aimeedyan]

Well, we were crazy enough to visit a theme park right now (again...) and went to the MK today. It was busy, similar to the MK crowds a couple of weeks ago and not unlike Epcot last night.

We did a Capture Your Moment (or is it Memories?) photo session and it was FANTASTIC. We've never done one! It was for our baby, as I had no interest in capturing this moment in mask history, and they were wonderful with him and we have the most precious photos of him.

Yes - there were lots of children, ours included

Anyways. So so so so hot but the CM's were all amazing at both MK and Epcot this weekend. Across the board helpful, chatty, and very friendly.

 

[mshanson3121]

And yet the parks are open...

Not because it's a good idea. But because of poor leadership.

 

[SaintsManiac]

Not because it's a good idea. But because of poor leadership.

Sigh
But they are, indeed, open. I don’t understand continuous debate about how they shouldn’t be. Maybe it’s just not my thing to argue about things that like.

 

[WonderlandisReality]

I guess if you have organised a trip of 92 people you may be a little more determined to go ahead with it regardless of whatever is going on!

I think if you successfully organized a family reunion of 92 people in matching shirts at WDW in the mist of a global pandemic less than a month after reopening than you earn a night in Cinderella’s castle and some sort of national medal.
And if you are on these boards make yourself known because I bow down to your vacation planning skills.

 

[rteetz]

Not because it's a good idea. But because of poor leadership.

Here we go again...

Friendly reminder this entire thread is supposed to be about theme park operational updates.

 

[mshanson3121]

Okay let me ask this....have you been to a grocery store/superstore and seen them *say* there is a capacity and yet they never seem to reach said capacity? It always seems to be status quo in the store as far as crowds. So, I don't know what reduced capacity you are using, store whose name sounds like Dolltart, but it looks like a regular day in here.

Have you been in a restaurant that had the "limit" posted on the door, and then you walk in the door and clearly, clearly, they are exceeding said limit? (Side note: had one restaurant near me at 50%, but they actually shut down half their dining room, and crammed their 50% capacity in 50% of the restaurant, so it was essentially wall-to-wall in there. Morons.)

My point is...it's nothing against Disney. But, you can see why I would not be at all surprised for a major corporation with much, much, much more money on the line to do what many of the lower level businesses have been doing nationwide. (Fudging/ignoring capacity)

But do they really have more to lose than say the small, independent businesses? I look at our local area. The large corporate chains are definitely the ones fudging numbers and letting things slide. Yet, for the most part, the small places are being very compliant. To me, I would see the little guys as have the most to lose and the most to gain by fudging things, because they don't have the reserves that Disney does. Does it perhaps boil down to reputation, and just knowing they're big enough to survive? I mean if a small independent business gets a reputation of not taking Covid protocols seriously, that could quickly put them out of business. Whereas, the large chain stores, or a place like Disney, they might get a small slap on the wrist and told to do better, they might even lose some business over it, but they're large enough they can manage that loss.

This whole thread is about theme park operations on a Disney forum with mega Disney fans? What exactly do you expect? This is bordering on trolling at this point.

Probably that they still maintain touch with reality? Or still be capable of seeing beyond their ... oie, I don't want to say it but... bubbles? See beyond their infatuation and understand that they are the exception, not the rule?

Sigh
But they are, indeed, open. I don’t understand continuous debate about how they shouldn’t be. Maybe it’s just not my thing to argue about things that like.

They just had their Q3 meetings a few days ago and announced they fell short of projections because the demand isn't there. They then announced that they're already going to be cutting back hours, again. The demand isn't there because many people are not comfortable going to the parks right now. Why? Because they feel it's unsafe. Many are going to feel the parks shouldn't be open right now. I don't see how anyone could think it wouldn't be a topic of discussion.

 

[butterscotchcollins]

Where’s my Ratatouille update they put some new screws in a work fence and INEEDAERIALPHOTOS

 

[rteetz]

They just had their Q3 meetings a few days ago and announced they fell short of projections because the demand isn't there; that they're already going to be cutting back hours, again. The demand isn't there because many people are not comfortable going to the parks right now. Why? Because they feel it's unsafe. Many are going to feel the parks shouldn't be open right now. I don't see how anyone could think it wouldn't be a topic of discussion.

Q3 did not include any time that the parks were open. The parks were closed for the entirety of Q3.

 

[mmackeymouse]

It’s a Saturday in the summer. Locals are there and some can only get Epcot as their park for a weekend day. School in Orange County starts tomorrow, so this was a last hurrah weekend for a lot of people. But again I ask, what does the actual number matter? If you knew the cap number for each park would that make you feel better? Would you know how close to that cap the parks are on any given day? It wouldn’t make any difference. You’d still have to trust Disney that they were abiding by the cap even if you had that magical number.

Okay....but the point of the matter is....if the park was within the allowed capacity, and the result was "very busy," then maybe their capacity is just too high. If "last hurrah" created a crowd to the point of seeming like a normal day...then maybe they overestimated the limits.

And yes, it would make me feel better; because even if I don't know the exact numbers every day, I would at least know the *possible* maximum.

 

[AmberMV]

I know this link was posted but was this part of the link discussed? Pretty interesting that MK was a 2/10 crowd yesterday but Universal was a 9/10 crowd

 

[rteetz]

I know this link was posted but was this part of the link discussed? Pretty interesting that MK was a 2/10 crowd yesterday but Universal was a 9/10 crowd
View attachment 517015

Yes @CastAStone posted it.

 

[mshanson3121]

Q3 did not include any time that the parks were open. The parks were closed for the entirety of Q3.

Attendance projections for re-opening (what I am referencing) were discussed at the Q3 meetings.

 

[AmberMV]

Yes @CastAStone posted it.

My bad. I didn't see the bottom part where he talked about UO's crowd. But TP is saying that we should expect holidays to be busier than other days..which we would think would be common sense but there will be countless photos of crowds and shocked people come the next holiday I would bet on it.

 

[Brianstl]

Yup wait times are high at all 4 parks today. 40 min wait for Tomorrowland Speedway

Until

It’s a Saturday in the summer. Locals are there and some can only get Epcot as their park for a weekend day. School in Orange County starts tomorrow, so this was a last hurrah weekend for a lot of people. But again I ask, what does the actual number matter? If you knew the cap number for each park would that make you feel better? Would you know how close to that cap the parks are on any given day? It wouldn’t make any difference. You’d still have to trust Disney that they were abiding by the cap even if you had that magical number.

Epcot picks up on weekends because locals who want to hit food and wine can do it for more than two- three hours. You get off work at 5 Monday-Friday you aren’t going to waste your time trying to go to food and wine with Epcot closing early. You wait until Saturday and Sunday.

 

[rteetz]

My bad. I didn't see the bottom part where he talked about UO's crowd. But TP is saying that we should expect holidays to be busier than other days..which we would think would be common sense but there will be countless photos of crowds and shocked people come the next holiday I would bet on it.

Yeah I think any sort of holiday weekend is going to be busier than other days. Universal also doesn’t have a reservation system. We also don’t have insight to if they have changed their capacity at all since starting.

 

[CastAStone]

Touring Plans is based on wait times, not attendance. Universal’s wait times have a substantially wider range than MKs.

You could go to USF some days in precovid and not wait more than 10 minutes for anything but Minions and Gringotts. That’s a 1/10 at Universal.

At MK a 1/10 is still 1 hour+ midday waits at Space, Splash, Big Thunder, Peter Pan, and 90+ at 7DMT, with 30+ minute waits at POTC, JC, and HM.

The scales are not comparable and should not be compared.

Also remember TP is measuring wait times not crowds. Given the extensive social distancing measures both parks have in place, I just don’t think you can translate that into an attendance estimate. I’d bet real money that MK had more visitors today than USF.

 

[Mit88]

Sigh
But they are, indeed, open. I don’t understand continuous debate about how they shouldn’t be. Maybe it’s just not my thing to argue about things that like.

100% this

No amount of wishing and praying on DISboards is going to shut them back down. So the “should they, shouldnt they” argument is completely irrelevant now. They are open. They’re not going to close because some members on a message board want them to. If you dont like that they’re open, I’m sorry? I dont know what to tell you. They’re providing jobs to CMs and entertainment/joy to people that were held up in their homes for months. For all intents and purposes they’ve done very well with their safety measures. They made it through a spike and decline without any outbreak. Disney was never going to shut WDW down until a vaccine was ready and available for the masses, that was always purely wishful thinking from people that dont want them to be open.

 

[Dentam]

My bad. I didn't see the bottom part where he talked about UO's crowd. But TP is saying that we should expect holidays to be busier than other days..which we would think would be common sense but there will be countless photos of crowds and shocked people come the next holiday I would bet on it.

Well, for me there is shock seeing crowds because that is what should be avoided right now and what Disney had to agree to basically in order to reopen. Holiday or not.

 

[KBoopaloo]

Okay let me ask this....have you been to a grocery store/superstore and seen them *say* there is a capacity and yet they never seem to reach said capacity? It always seems to be status quo in the store as far as crowds. So, I don't know what reduced capacity you are using, store whose name sounds like Dolltart, but it looks like a regular day in here.

Have you been in a restaurant that had the "limit" posted on the door, and then you walk in the door and clearly, clearly, they are exceeding said limit? (Side note: had one restaurant near me at 50%, but they actually shut down half their dining room, and crammed their 50% capacity in 50% of the restaurant, so it was essentially wall-to-wall in there. Morons.)

My point is...it's nothing against Disney. But, you can see why I would not be at all surprised for a major corporation with much, much, much more money on the line to do what many of the lower level businesses have been doing nationwide. (Fudging/ignoring capacity)

The grocery store I go to has increased their capacity once since we moved from one phase to the next and the crowd inside always seems to match accordingly. There are more people in there when I go now than when I went in March but there is never as many people as pre-COVID days. But I also go to the grocery store at what is a decidedly less busy time - every two weeks on a Saturday night - because I want to avoid crowds as much as possible. And I have not been inside a restaurant since the first week of March because I personally don’t feel indoor dining is safe at this time so I can’t speak to that. But that is exactly my point - I am doing and not doing the things I feel comfortable with using the information I have. If I was nervous that Disney was fudging their numbers and crowding too many people into the parks then I wouldn’t go. That is the nature of every decision we all make these days.