Cruise and Theme Park Operational Updates due to Coronavirus

[osufeth24]

I think there’s definitely some truth to this. Universal seems to slide under the radar much easier. I was surprised to read on their website you can remove masks on water rides or for character photos.. simply just because I’ve never even heard anyone mention that! Now if that were Disney I could see the headlines now.. “Maskless riders on Splash Mountain!” or something.

Off topic but.. is it true they let you take off masks for outdoor character photos? I mean it must be if it’s on the website but I don’t remember seeing it mentioned often on here. It’d be great to have a mask free family picture.

no, you cant

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Thank you for this honest and insightful take.

I still hope and dream that all of this crap is just temporary. Maybe that “temporary” is just significantly longer than we all thought.

That is sort of where I am at. I am still hopefully *most* things come back - maybe not at the same level as before (e.g., streetmosphere) and some things may now have added costs. But over the long term I still have faith Disney knows what separates them from other parks

Just coming to terms with "temporary" is 3-5 years not 12-18 months

 

[mshanson3121]

Getting caught up, I'm a few pages behind....

Feel bad for international travelers. What a roller coaster they’re going through

As an “international” guest (in quotes because I feel like people think overseas not Canada when talking international), I can tell you most of us do not feel like we’re on a roller coaster ride in terms of waiting for travel rules to let up. I haven’t seen super recent polling, but the last number I saw was I believe close to 80 percent want the borders to remain how they are and the quarantines and whatnot to stay in place.

Here in Canada at least in my province people are much more focused on the roller coaster of local restrictions (we can be fined for having people over from outside our household, and even giants like Walmart can only sell essential items in store), people miss travel, and you will always have those who push boundaries and don’t care about Covid who are willing to go now, but the majority are not eager for it to open back up. That seems much more like a US thing right now.

Sorry I meant travel within the US by Americans as the US thing I was referring to. Up here we are being urged to stay in our own provinces at this point, with quarantines in some places if you are entering from another. The biggest group of Canadians traveling seems to be the politicians .

On travel centered forums like this there has been an idea perpetuated that many outside the US are eagerly anticipating the day when we are no longer restricted (actually restricted or effectively restricted with inconvenient policies), the post I responded to specifically mentioned international guests being on a roller coaster due to restrictions put in place by our own countries. Very different concerns right now up here, most are not bothered by restricted travel even within the country.

To speak a bit on this... as an "International" traveler (another Canadian), with my own perspective...

Do I feel it's a roller coaster? Yes. Though not solely due to the travel issues, but they are definitely part of it. I am anxiously waiting the day that we can travel again. We're one of the "border town" people - as the crow flies our house is 1 mile from the US border. We spent time in Maine almost every week - getting my mail, grocery shopping, getting gas, golfing, skiing, our orthodontist is over there. The shut down had a very big impact on our lives - from having to find a new orthodontist, which was really sad since he was my orthodontist growing up, so he has basically been "in my life" for 25 years; to having a financial impact - as a homeschooler, we always shipped our curriculum stateside since it was a fraction of the cost of trying to buy in/ship to Canada, and also, our daughter's medications were far cheaper in the US than Canada, and some aren't even available in Canada, so we had to try and find replacements, and gluten free products were much more plentiful and affordable so we bought a lot of groceries over across; to just having an impact on our general life in the loss of family recreation etc... Both the golf course and ski hill we used were in Maine. They were 15 minutes from our house. The closest ski hill now is almost 1.5 hours away. What's more they were insanely affordable - both places charge a fraction of what our Canadian counterparts do. They were the difference between us being able to afford to go and not being able to. And yes, vacation - we love traveling state-side, and would travel to New Hampshire almost every summer (and Disney every 3-4 years it seems, lol). It truly feels like home to us, and is a special place for our family. Why not travel in Canada? Because it costs too bloody much to travel outside of our local Atlantic Canada (which we already have traveled/continue to travel extensively). I mean, quite literally, we can go to Florida/Disney cheaper than we can fly to Alberta for a week's vacation in our own country. It's sad, honestly. Anyways, the shutdown cost us all of that. So... every Canadian feels differently about the shutdown, and has been impacted in different ways - some weren't impacted at all, and many Canadians could care less if they ever step foot on American soil. We're not one of them. Heck, we're the ones who want to become snowbirds some day, LOL.

But, all of that said - I still support the shutdown and feel it's absolutely the right move. Unfortunately, things are just way too out of control in the US and it's too big of a risk. But, just because you know it's the right thing, doesn't make it easy.

Ah 2019.. back when we were naive about what was to come. Feels like a decade ago.

I knew from the day I first heard about Covid in China.... what was that, in December 2019... that it was going to come to North America and impact us. But I was thinking it would be like SARS - not that big of a deal. It would impact the big city areas, but not everywhere. At that point I never imagined it would be like this. However, by the time February rolled around and it was spreading globally (course now we know it was spreading well before that), and China was in full lockdown... I was stunned by the amount of people who were in absolute denial and couldn't see the writing on the wall.

I also pressed a bit on the "benefits" of staying at a Disney Resort hotel without DME and EMH (and FP+). I think this might have been mentioned here, but the way to look at "Resort Guest Early Entry" (yes, that's the official magical name of this new perk) is not from the perspective of a Disney Resort Guest but rather from the perspective of an offsite Guest who now will never be able to avoid a park with EMH. Every day of an offsite Guest's vacation, they'll be 30 minutes behind Resort Guests. Especially with high-demand attractions like SDD or FoP, that means there's no way they can feasibly "rope drop" those rides to avoid waiting in a long line. In a way, it's more of penalty for offsite Guests than a perk for onsite Guests.

It is absolutely a penalty for off-site guests. We have special needs/health issues kids. Yes, we have DAS, but DAS on it's own isn't as big of a help as people might think. To make Disney "doable" for our family, it involves combining DAS with other strategies such as rope dropping to take advantage of the low crowds AND FP+. So to lose that rope drop strategy is definitely a kick in the gut, and as much as I hate to say it, will absolutely make us consider whether we'll be able to stay off-site or not. If FP+ comes back, then I can see us still staying off-site. But if it doesn't (or comes back as a paid option), this will basically force us to stay on-site. Or... it will just force us not to return. The next 6 months of news will probably make the decision for us.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

It is absolutely a penalty for off-site guests. We have special needs/health issues kids. Yes, we have DAS, but DAS on it's own isn't as big of a help as people might think. To make Disney "doable" for our family, it involves combining DAS with other strategies such as rope dropping to take advantage of the low crowds AND FP+. So to lose that rope drop strategy is definitely a kick in the gut, and as much as I hate to say it, will absolutely make us consider whether we'll be able to stay off-site or not. If FP+ comes back, then I can see us still staying off-site. But if it doesn't (or comes back as a paid option), this will basically force us to stay on-site. Or... it will just force us not to return. The next 6 months of news will probably make the decision for us.

I do think the details of what the replacement for FP+ is will be a huge factor. I could see a scenario where there is a paid option for FP and it actually be better for offsite guests vs the old system and staying on property. If, as an off site guest, I can pay for FP and be guaranteed some of the headliners, that is better than the old system where they would generally be gone by the time it got to 30 days out. And, depending on the price, coudl still be an overall cost savings vs paying to stay on site.

 

[mshanson3121]

That is sort of where I am at. I am still hopefully *most* things come back - maybe not at the same level as before (e.g., streetmosphere) and some things may now have added costs. But over the long term I still have faith Disney knows what separates them from other parks

Just coming to terms with "temporary" is 3-5 years not 12-18 months

I think this is the key. We all wanted things to go back to normal asap. I think at this point most of us were hoping for 2022. But the idea that it could be 2025 or 2028 before things are "normal" again at Disney, is a bit disheartening. But even then, the reality is - Disney will NEVER again look like it did before Covid, we've lost that, for better or worse - and I imagine it'll be a bit of both. And we just have to accept that Disney as we knew it is gone, and then figure out if we can accept what Disney will be moving forward.

 

[mshanson3121]

I do think the details of what the replacement for FP+ is will be a huge factor. I could see a scenario where there is a paid option for FP and it actually be better for offsite guests vs the old system and staying on property. If, as an off site guest, I can pay for FP and be guaranteed some of the headliners, that is better than the old system where they would generally be gone by the time it got to 30 days out. And, depending on the price, coudl still be an overall cost savings vs paying to stay on site.

Good point. I hadn't thought of it this way. It really will be interesting to see what they come up with. I hope they come up with it sooner than later. I would be surprised if they don't have something in place for the 50th. And yet at the same time, I could also see it not returning at this point until 2022, since so mny people have already booked trips for the 50th, which this would impact.

 

[danissmart]

Good point. I hadn't thought of it this way. It really will be interesting to see what they come up with. I hope they come up with it sooner than later. I would be surprised if they don't have something in place for the 50th. And yet at the same time, I could also see it not returning at this point until 2022, since so mny people have already booked trips for the 50th, which this would impact.

There is no 50th. Mark it down. A few decorations and some pins for sale. That's it.

 

[yulilin3]

There is no 50th. Mark it down. A few decorations and some pins for sale. That's it.

don't forget the cupcake that will sell out b 9:30am

 

[Eric Smith]

There is no 50th. Mark it down. A few decorations and some pins for sale. That's it.

They're running festivals at EPCOT. The Festival of the Arts is fairly close to the normal festival. Why do you think they can't run the 50th celebration in October?

 

[bookbabe626]

They're running festivals at EPCOT. The Festival of the Arts is fairly close to the normal festival. Why do you think they can't run the 50th celebration in October?

Epcot festivals are money-makers...mostly food/drinks/stuff to buy, with experiences that are either relatively cheap to run or are paid for by the participants.

I think the expectation was that the original MK 50th would have more elaborate experiences (ie. not cheap) and nicer free stuff for attendees. The fear is likely that the 50th will drop down to “festival level” with just food/drinks/stuff to buy and some photo ops, with maybe a free button (the “we’re celebrating” style) for attendees.

 

[emilymad]

I think this is the key. We all wanted things to go back to normal asap. I think at this point most of us were hoping for 2022. But the idea that it could be 2025 or 2028 before things are "normal" again at Disney, is a bit disheartening. But even then, the reality is - Disney will NEVER again look like it did before Covid, we've lost that, for better or worse - and I imagine it'll be a bit of both. And we just have to accept that Disney as we knew it is gone, and then figure out if we can accept what Disney will be moving forward.

This is excellent while painful point. It really makes us having to decide if our Disney trips are "worth it". I can't stomach paying for park tickets next month which is very sad. Even more depressing is that our next trip we will be faced with this same decision. After having an AP for many years it is hard reality to face.

 

[scrappinginontario]

Feel bad for international travelers. What a roller coaster they’re going through

Personally, not a roller coaster at all. Many are just choosing not to travel right now and are okay with that.

The Dreams Unlimited Travel show this week was talking to a few of their agents about traveling to Disney during Covid/with the restriction/etc. One of them, Tracey, lives in Canada and flat out said that while she went once and is planning to come again she would go more often if not having to deal with the hassle/regulations/etc of traveling from (and really back to) Canada

She's about as die hard as you can get so if if the hassle is impacting her willingness to travel, I am sure it will just be a deal breaker for many, even if they are technically able to travel here

As a Canadian we have always been allowed to fly into the US but many of us are choosing not to travel to WDW due to the difference in how the pandemic is being handled in general. I know many who are DVC with points or had trips booked and personally don't know a single person who has visited WDW since March.

We'll travel again but for now we're just doing what we need to do now (staying home) until the numbers are more under control. For me it has nothing at all to do with the 'hassle' of travel but my feeling of personal safety. And yes, while many will say, 'I feel safer at Disney than I do at our local grocery store', many of us are on lockdown and going to the grocery store rarely also. I go about every 10 days to pick up what's needed for myself and my parents and that's all. I still have almost half a tank of gas in my car and the last time I filled up was 4 weeks ago.

While I love Disney and normally visit 2-3 times a year, it's just not high on my priority list right now. High on my wish list but those wishes are on hold for now.

 

[Eric Smith]

Epcot festivals are money-makers...mostly food/drinks/stuff to buy, with experiences that are either relatively cheap to run or are paid for by the participants.

I think the expectation was that the original MK 50th would have more elaborate experiences (ie. not cheap) and nicer free stuff for attendees. The fear is likely that the 50th will drop down to “festival level” with just food/drinks/stuff to buy and some photo ops, with maybe a free button (the “we’re celebrating” style) for attendees.

I don't know why anyone would expect Disney to give out free things to attendees for the 50th. I think that would only happen if it was a special ticketed event (which really wouldn't be free then). I've looked back for info on the 40th anniversary. It looks like there were a lot of meet and greets and signings with artists of special limited edition merchandise (not free of course). As long as the virus situation allows for it, I definitely expect some kind of celebration. It won't just be "cupcakes and pins" as the previous poster suggested.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

I don't know why anyone would expect Disney to give out free things to attendees for the 50th. I think that would only happen if it was a special ticketed event (which really wouldn't be free then). I've looked back for info on the 40th anniversary. It looks like there were a lot of meet and greets and signings with artists of special limited edition merchandise (not free of course). As long as the virus situation allows for it, I definitely expect some kind of celebration. It won't just be "cupcakes and pins" as the previous poster suggested.

well, for the year of a million dreams promotion they did give out free things (I got a pair of the special ears they were giving out, for example) so it isn't unprecidented. I wouldn't count on it (or at least anything beyond a button on the actual day or something like that) but it could happen

 

[TheMaxRebo]

As a Canadian we have always been allowed to fly into the US but many of us are choosing not to travel to WDW due to the difference in how the pandemic is being handled in general. I know many who are DVC with points or had trips booked and personally don't know a single person who has visited WDW since March.

We'll travel again but for now we're just doing what we need to do now (staying home) until the numbers are more under control. For me it has nothing at all to do with the 'hassle' of travel but my feeling of personal safety. And yes, while many will say, 'I feel safer at Disney than I do at our local grocery store', many of us are on lockdown and going to the grocery store rarely also. I go about every 10 days to pick up what's needed for myself and my parents and that's all. I still have almost half a tank of gas in my car and the last time I filled up was 4 weeks ago.

While I love Disney and normally visit 2-3 times a year, it's just not high on my priority list right now. High on my wish list but those wishes are on hold for now.

Some of us in the U.S. are acting the same (at least I know we are - we've cancelled our upcoming trip and only going to the grocery store, not traveling out of state, etc) - just pointing out one anecdotal example of someone international who does have extra hoops to go through and it is those extra hoops that are reducing how often that individual is traveling to Disney

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Epcot festivals are money-makers...mostly food/drinks/stuff to buy, with experiences that are either relatively cheap to run or are paid for by the participants.

I think the expectation was that the original MK 50th would have more elaborate experiences (ie. not cheap) and nicer free stuff for attendees. The fear is likely that the 50th will drop down to “festival level” with just food/drinks/stuff to buy and some photo ops, with maybe a free button (the “we’re celebrating” style) for attendees.

The other part of the 50th that was originalyl put out there was all these updates or new things that were to come - I think it was specifically promoted as 50 new things/changes for the 50th .... and most/all of those are now off the table

At least personally that is more of what my focus is on / wondering what we will or won't get ... what was talked about was a new night time parade, a new fireworks show, updated to Big Thunder, opening of Tron and Guardians, etc. - is any of that still going to happen? or is it going to be basically the same park with some decorations on the newly painted Castle and that is it?

 

[yulilin3]

The other part of the 50th that was originalyl put out there was all these updates or new things that were to come - I think it was specifically promoted as 50 new things/changes for the 50th .... and most/all of those are now off the table

At least personally that is more of what my focus is on / wondering what we will or won't get ... what was talked about was a new night time parade, a new fireworks show, updated to Big Thunder, opening of Tron and Guardians, etc. - is any of that still going to happen? or is it going to be basically the same park with some decorations on the newly painted Castle and that is it?

Yeah for me the 50 th was not about any special things that day but more about everything opening starting the celebration year, like a new WDW era. Of course now almost everything is on hold

 

[mattpeto]

It sure seems like we're all down about WDW, but I think we should temper it in a bit.

The parks and the resorts are still there. The entertainment venues and closed restaurants didn't get demolished. Entertainment will return. The WS barges are eyesores, but it's reminder that nighttime spectaculars are planned comebacks.

They are still moving forward with projects (Remy, GoTG, Epcot Spine, Tron), even if it's slower pace.

We caught a glimpse of what's ahead a little bit for 2022 (no DME) but it doesn't mean the other stuff won't be back.

EDIT: Also when social distancing protocols are gone, who is to say that EMH won't make a comeback?

 

[figmentfinesse]

Does anyone know why Splash hasn't been opening with the park the last few days?

 

[hertamaniac]

It sure seems like we're all down about WDW, but I think we should temper it in a bit.

The parks and the resorts are still there. The entertainment venues and closed restaurants didn't get demolished. Entertainment will return. The WS barges are eyesores, but it's reminder that nighttime spectaculars are planned comebacks.

They are still moving forward with projects (Remy, GoTG, Epcot Spine, Tron), even if it's slower pace.

We caught a glimpse of what's ahead a little bit for 2022 (no DME) but it doesn't mean the other stuff won't be back.

I am anticipating that more resorts at WDW will announce openings further into this year. That, in itself, would be a huge indicator of a recovery and open the "normal" door a bit.