Cruise and Theme Park Operational Updates due to Coronavirus

[lorilclevelandrn]

Times are tough and lots of companies are making difficult financial decisions but what a lousy, lousy way to treat a group of longtime employees/performers. Bringing them back from furlough, asking them to adjust their repertoire to suit a different venue and then giving them not very much notice that they are being let go after all is really disappointing. Also with the holidays coming up and Disney’s push to attract people for that time period you’d think they want to have as many entertainment options available as possible.

I agree, very distastefully done. I have read on several FB groups and blogs big disappointment from this decision. Many are promoting sending emails verbalizing Disney reconsider their decision.

 

[Vern60]

Looks like Disney is sending out a lot surveys this week. I've gotten a few and I see others online (on social media and various blogs) are reporting receiving surveys as well. They're mostly centered around the usual health and safety questions (similar to those asked back in mid/late July) but there are also some questions about experiences and entertainment in particular. They definitely seem to be trying to gage the Guest effects of bringing back some entertainment in the new fiscal year. Remember that with more theater seats, capacity goes up (and suddenly, that 30% of "capacity" is a higher number).

I think that's great news and I agree that they're probably trying to gauge guest perceptions like you say. Just this past week, it seems to me, there have been quite a few new things opening so I'm very optimistic that things are on the way back to a relative normal.
Just today there was a very positive article in the Tallahassee Reports which could help the reopening plans, (hoping folks might read this before answering survey! )

 

[mi*vida*loca]

I agree that we’ll get beyond masks and enforced distancing. I don’t know how long it will take people to get to the point where they’re ok with packing in to a queue in a theme park or on to a cruise ship.

I know plenty of people who are ready for that now. You see it on the news too. People packed into bars and clubs in states that allow it. I think it’s much more than some think.

 

[Grumpy by Birth]

I dont think I agree on this.

We'll get close to pre covid normal eventually but never back 100% to how it was either regarding safety or especially with business.

Pre covid, some people already carried hand sanitizer around and used it regularly. In the east many already used masks. Years from now i think many more people will do those things than there were pre covid. Most will not though, but there will be more than before.

But the biggest noticable impact will be with businesses. Businesses won't be forgetting the last year and going back 100% to how they were. They've all been gathering a lot of data from this. They know what services that have been cut for now that customers didn't really miss. Same with products. Same with teams. Many of those things are gone forever.

There are a lot of things that customers DO miss, but we just didn't have a choice in the matter. The big question is whether those things will eventually come back or, because they provide cost savings, we'll have to just keep missing them.

 

[hereforthechurros]

I’ve been openly critical of WDW (assumingly) raising capacity, or at least the demand now meeting capacity without opening additional offerings, but it seems they are working on it which is very reassuring. I did fear they would ignore growing crowds for an uneasy amount of time, but they’re slowly and steadily adding more. Wonder when ride capacity will follow? Can’t imagine the lines can get any longer into walkways after pics I saw from this weekend, yikes.

 

[gottalovepluto]

I just saw pictures of people being ok with packing it in at Epcot. I was surprised. Strollers crammed together like the old days too. Long lines for food vendors and crowded too. I feel like the Governors announcement has caused people to slack. It is unfortunate because if crowds are up and they don't offer fastpass by Thanksgiving we are going to be waiting in long lines.

At this point we have to rely on peoples good nature to comply with Disney guidelines.

Reports are EP has been like that every weekend, nothing to do with the governors announcement.

 

[gottalovepluto]

Times are tough and lots of companies are making difficult financial decisions but what a lousy, lousy way to treat a group of longtime employees/performers. Bringing them back from furlough, asking them to adjust their repertoire to suit a different venue and then giving them not very much notice that they are being let go after all is really disappointing. Also with the holidays coming up and Disney’s push to attract people for that time period you’d think they want to have as many entertainment options available as possible.

Asking them to adjust their repertoire? Look, it’s sad to see anyone lose their jobs. When the people are old it’s even sadder as their prospects aren’t great. But it was a job, Disney paid them to “adjust their repertoire” they didn’t do it as a favor to the company. It bites to be let go but they were lucky enough to be employed while many other disney employees/contractors were not. And what else should Disney do with them when they’ve decided they don’t need their skill set right now? Offer them other positions? Positions other Disney employees are more qualified for and have been waiting to be brought back for? That’s not right. Pay them anyway? That’s not responsible when the money can be better deployed elsewhere, they are not a charity they are a business.

I hope someday Disney will be ready to have them back in the Grand Floridian and they can have their jobs back, but that’s just not where the company is right now. I think they have a few bucks they can throw at entertainment and they’ve decided the orchestra is no longer the best use of those dollars.

 

[skeeter31]

I know plenty of people who are ready for that now. You see it on the news too. People packed into bars and clubs in states that allow it. I think it’s much more than some think.

Yes, there are a bunch of people who are ready for it, but there are also a bunch of people that aren’t ready for that. And Disney won‘t want to alienate the people that won’t feel comfortable in packed spaces again. They’d rather err on the side of caution. People who are comfortable being in packed spaces will come regardless, but they’re going to want to cater to the more cautious otherwise they’ll alienate them completely.

 

[gottalovepluto]

Yes, there are a bunch of people who are ready for it, but there are also a bunch of people that aren’t ready for that. And Disney won‘t want to alienate the people that won’t feel comfortable in packed spaces again. They’d rather err on the side of caution. People who are comfortable being in packed spaces will come regardless, but they’re going to want to cater to the more cautious otherwise they’ll alienate them completely.

I’m excited to go back to WDW. I’m not ok with 100% indoor dining or no mask rules and so far Disney has not done either. I was ok spending the money on hotels and tickets because crowds were lower despite the lack of entertainment. But if I start seeing consistent reports weekdays are as miserable as weekends I’m going to reevaluate the whole thing

 

[LSUmiss]

I just saw pictures of people being ok with packing it in at Epcot. I was surprised. Strollers crammed together like the old days too. Long lines for food vendors and crowded too. I feel like the Governors announcement has caused people to slack. It is unfortunate because if crowds are up and they don't offer fastpass by Thanksgiving we are going to be waiting in long lines.

At this point we have to rely on peoples good nature to comply with Disney guidelines.

Yeah that’s my concern about crowds being back to normal is long waits!

 

[mi*vida*loca]

Yes, there are a bunch of people who are ready for it, but there are also a bunch of people that aren’t ready for that. And Disney won‘t want to alienate the people that won’t feel comfortable in packed spaces again. They’d rather err on the side of caution. People who are comfortable being in packed spaces will come regardless, but they’re going to want to cater to the more cautious otherwise they’ll alienate them completely.

when they’re ready to raise their limits there will be plenty there to fill up the parks. And Disney is fine alienating people. They do it with their prices alone. I think they’ll keep capacity low for now so they can give off a good public perception. But I believe they are dying to raise capacity and make more money.

 

[LSUmiss]

Yes, there are a bunch of people who are ready for it, but there are also a bunch of people that aren’t ready for that. And Disney won‘t want to alienate the people that won’t feel comfortable in packed spaces again. They’d rather err on the side of caution. People who are comfortable being in packed spaces will come regardless, but they’re going to want to cater to the more cautious otherwise they’ll alienate them completely.

I think Disney will do whatever they think is best for them so if they have reason to believe that more ppl are ready to move on & that gets more ppl in the parks, I believe they will do that.

 

[KBoopaloo]

Asking them to adjust their repertoire? Look, it’s sad to see anyone lose their jobs. When the people are old it’s even sadder as their prospects aren’t great. But it was a job, Disney paid them to “adjust their repertoire” they didn’t do it as a favor to the company. It bites to be let go but they were lucky enough to be employed while many other disney employees/contractors were not. And what else should Disney do with them when they’ve decided they don’t need their skill set right now? Offer them other positions? Positions other Disney employees are more qualified for and have been waiting to be brought back for? That’s not right. Pay them anyway? That’s not responsible when the money can be better deployed elsewhere, they are not a charity they are a business.

I hope someday Disney will be ready to have them back in the Grand Floridian and they can have their jobs back, but that’s just not where the company is right now. I think they have a few bucks they can throw at entertainment and they’ve decided the orchestra is no longer the best use of those dollars.

They were professional musicians who had a particular style of performance and just not trained monkeys so yeah, I do think it is lousy that Disney said “your old job is not available, can you do this instead?” and they agreed and adjusted accordingly because I am sure they WERE feeling lucky to have a job at all only to be let go a month or so later through no fault of their own. It sucks, I feel bad for them and saying “lots of people have lost their jobs” doesn’t make it suck less for them. Of course it sucks that lots of people have lost their jobs. Everything sucks. It also makes me think less of Disney, sorry if you think that is ridiculous.

And for what it is worth I work for an organization that is still paying a significant number of workers who are still at home unable to do their jobs. They’ve been getting paid fully since March. So save me the “what do you want Disney to do- pay people to stay home?” arguments because there are some places doing exactly that.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

when they’re ready to raise their limits there will be plenty there to fill up the parks. And Disney is fine alienating people. They do it with their prices alone. I think they’ll keep capacity low for now so they can give off a good public perception. But I believe they are dying to raise capacity and make more money.

I think they are dying to have more guests come and stay in the resorts and do the full WDW experience (and paying the full WDW cost). They could get more passholders in the parks today if they wanted and could add (limited) park hoping if they wanted more people in the different parks

I think they are ok with the park levels right now until more people are willing to / able to travel and spend that vacation $

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Asking them to adjust their repertoire? Look, it’s sad to see anyone lose their jobs. When the people are old it’s even sadder as their prospects aren’t great. But it was a job, Disney paid them to “adjust their repertoire” they didn’t do it as a favor to the company. It bites to be let go but they were lucky enough to be employed while many other disney employees/contractors were not. And what else should Disney do with them when they’ve decided they don’t need their skill set right now? Offer them other positions? Positions other Disney employees are more qualified for and have been waiting to be brought back for? That’s not right. Pay them anyway? That’s not responsible when the money can be better deployed elsewhere, they are not a charity they are a business.

I hope someday Disney will be ready to have them back in the Grand Floridian and they can have their jobs back, but that’s just not where the company is right now. I think they have a few bucks they can throw at entertainment and they’ve decided the orchestra is no longer the best use of those dollars.

I will wait and see if they are brought back when things (meaning resort capacity levels) are closer to "normal"

I thought they added a ton of ambiance to the GF lobby but I see tons of reports about how the resort lobbies are empty so of all the things for Disney to spend $ on now, that seems like not the best use of funds

 

[one_cat]

We are at Epcot today. It is crowded. Feels like a normal weekday last September. The good news is the Yorkshire Fish and Chips is open. I was not expecting that.

 

[TXAKDisneyFan]

I dont think I agree on this.

We'll get close to pre covid normal eventually but never back 100% to how it was either regarding safety or especially with business.

Pre covid, some people already carried hand sanitizer around and used it regularly. In the east many already used masks. Years from now i think many more people will do those things than there were pre covid. Most will not though, but there will be more than before.

But the biggest noticable impact will be with businesses. Businesses won't be forgetting the last year and going back 100% to how they were. They've all been gathering a lot of data from this. They know what services that have been cut for now that customers didn't really miss. Same with products. Same with teams. Many of those things are gone forever.

I'm one of those people who always carried hand sanitizer, wiped down airplane seats/tray tables, etc, before any of this happened. I certainly hope that businesses keep up with the increased focus on cleanliness.

Specifically Re: Disney: Pre-COVID, I'd seen many complaints of dirty bathrooms at the parks and of areas that hadn't been kept as clean as in years past. I don't know if it's my rose colored glasses of the past, but I remember the parks being very clean in the early 2000s, certainly moreso than in recent years. If that's the case, then Disney is capable of keeping the parks clean.

We were at the parks up until the day before closing, and noticed CMs wiping everything down (trash cans by the JC, hand rails on the second floor of the Poly,...). There was a definite increase in CMs wiping down surfaces from the beginning of our March trip to the end.

I also know parks were much less busy than normal in July/Aug, but we never encountered dirty bathrooms that trip (no overflowing trash, no stopped up toilets, no soaking wet/paper covered floors). I'd love it if Disney has learned that they can't skimp on janitorial services, even if for no other reason on their end than optics.

I also think some of the strategies businesses have come up with to help maintain sales will stick around. As the parent of 4 young kids, we tend to prefer to get take out rather than sit in restaurants. Most restaurants in our area have really streamlined their to-go services, from now offering online ordering (or revamping their website) to better packaging foods to-go, to also doing a much better job with curbside. I'm excited that Disney is starting to offer to-go as well. Over the years I've read countless posts asking if Disney restaurants even have to-go containers - that shouldn't be an issue now for the restaurants that offer that service. I also personally don't have a problem with the room service pizza, but I know many do, and it will be nice to have the option to pick up the Sana'a bread service to eat in our room instead, for instance.

Cuts are heartbreaking, whether it's Disney or outside businesses. I wrote to Disney yesterday to complain about cutting the GF orchestra, but I also mentioned the cuts to entertainment that've been happening for years across property. I don't know if all of the cuts we're seeing at Disney (like to entertainment) are a direct result of the pandemic or if they're cuts they've wanted to make and now have an excuse for or think they can do quietly. Either way, there are Disney details that make the parks and resorts special, and cuts are noticed.

I agree with others that things like masks and distancing will go away somewhat quickly. Like I said, I hope on the business side, companies (like Disney) continue with their cleaning efforts.

I also think now that so many businesses have gotten onboard with working remotely, that will be an option moving forward for more employees - which is mostly a good thing. I've had a few family members/friends who have worked remotely for years and love it. It's baffled me that more companies weren't doing it before, especially as part of efforts to alleviate problems with childcare, decrease environmental impacts of traffic, etc. There is remote work being done in DH's industry that we very much hope is allowed to continue as it would be a good thing for everyone.

Obviously there have been many cuts to employees, businesses have closed altogether - it's terrible. Many businesses have also gotten more savvy with ways to increase sales and still bring in money, and I don't see those strategies going away.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

I'm one of those people who always carried hand sanitizer, wiped down airplane seats/tray tables, etc, before any of this happened. I certainly hope that businesses keep up with the increased focus on cleanliness.

Specifically Re: Disney: Pre-COVID, I'd seen many complaints of dirty bathrooms at the parks and of areas that hadn't been kept as clean as in years past. I don't know if it's my rose colored glasses of the past, but I remember the parks being very clean in the early 2000s, certainly moreso than in recent years. If that's the case, then Disney is capable of keeping the parks clean.

We were at the parks up until the day before closing, and noticed CMs wiping everything down (trash cans by the JC, hand rails on the second floor of the Poly,...). There was a definite increase in CMs wiping down surfaces from the beginning of our March trip to the end.

I also know parks were much less busy than normal in July/Aug, but we never encountered dirty bathrooms that trip (no overflowing trash, no stopped up toilets, no soaking wet/paper covered floors). I'd love it if Disney has learned that they can't skimp on janitorial services, even if for no other reason on their end than optics.

I also think some of the strategies businesses have come up with to help maintain sales will stick around. As the parent of 4 young kids, we tend to prefer to get take out rather than sit in restaurants. Most restaurants in our area have really streamlined their to-go services, from now offering online ordering (or revamping their website) to better packaging foods to-go, to also doing a much better job with curbside. I'm excited that Disney is starting to offer to-go as well. Over the years I've read countless posts asking if Disney restaurants even have to-go containers - that shouldn't be an issue now for the restaurants that offer that service. I also personally don't have a problem with the room service pizza, but I know many do, and it will be nice to have the option to pick up the Sana'a bread service to eat in our room instead, for instance.

Cuts are heartbreaking, whether it's Disney or outside businesses. I wrote to Disney yesterday to complain about cutting the GF orchestra, but I also mentioned the cuts to entertainment that've been happening for years across property. I don't know if all of the cuts we're seeing at Disney (like to entertainment) are a direct result of the pandemic or if they're cuts they've wanted to make and now have an excuse for or think they can do quietly. Either way, there are Disney details that make the parks and resorts special, and cuts are noticed.

I agree with others that things like masks and distancing will go away somewhat quickly. Like I said, I hope on the business side, companies (like Disney) continue with their cleaning efforts.

I also think now that so many businesses have gotten onboard with working remotely, that will be an option moving forward for more employees - which is mostly a good thing. I've had a few family members/friends who have worked remotely for years and love it. It's baffled me that more companies weren't doing it before, especially as part of efforts to alleviate problems with childcare, decrease environmental impacts of traffic, etc. There is remote work being done in DH's industry that we very much hope is allowed to continue as it would be a good thing for everyone.

Obviously there have been many cuts to employees, businesses have closed altogether - it's terrible. Many businesses have also gotten more savvy with ways to increase sales and still bring in money, and I don't see those strategies going away.

I just hope restaurants being allowed to offer alcohol to go is here to stay


I do agree about the working remotely - both companies allowing it and people being open to it. In the past I rarely worked from home (only if like weather or my wife had something necessitated me staying home, etc) and now I am pretty sure I will work the majority of time from home going forward as I am getting used to it and see the benefits.

 

[gottalovepluto]

And for what it is worth I work for an organization that is still paying a significant number of workers who are still at home unable to do their jobs. They’ve been getting paid fully since March. So save me the “what do you want Disney to do- pay people to stay home?” arguments because there are some places doing exactly that.

That’s great your company is paying people to do nothing. But it’s not the path Disney has chosen and it would be absolutely wrong to pay them despite not using them essentially saying “the orchestra is more important than the thousands of other CMs we aren’t paying right now either”.

 

[TwoMisfits]

To note...it seems Disney is opening up a lot more of the snack/dining spots this weekend and over the next few days...it probably is a sign Disney is willing to keep those employees on b/c they are revenue-generating, even if they lose revenue for now, vs having the long term layoff and potentially losing them (now that unemployment has run out)...

The same could be said for the Frozen sing along - the popularity of that attraction in pre-Covid-time probably means Disney finds those folks the most needed and difficult to replace, even if it seems counterintuitive to bring them back as the 1st big group now...

Both signs of the petering out of Covid help, with businesses now turning to fending for themselves long term...