FP+ and ADR’s are much different than this situation. If they delay the opening, this is now the 3rd time that Disney has basically invited their guests down, and then said “Nope, Nevermind. Hope you can get your money back for those flights”. Sure, things have gotten worse since Monday, but wasnt that obvious because of what was happening last week? They weren’t going to go from 5 cases to 5,000 overnight. Its a gradual increase. Even if the numbers are intense to look at, if you were paying attention, you knew it was coming.
A Hurricane for instance. Let’s say the meteorologists say a Hurricane has its sights set on Florida and should touch down next week. People dont ignore that for the next week and then act surprised when you’re told to seek cover the day the Hurricane is about to hit. Some do. But those are the same people that I’m talking about that saw the increases last week and expected different results this week
This is the last I'll say about this. You may have been paying close attention (and I'm sure Disney has been too), but the vast majority of people weren't. Disney has always been cautious and very, very mindful of public perception (even when that upsets some fans). When you ask any Disney executive, "What do you think is your company's most valuable asset?," every one will always answer their brand. The brand "Disney" means something to many people and the company goes to great lengths to protect it and its integrity. That sometimes means upsetting people, reversing plans already in motion, and turning down money-making opportunities. Just look at all of the contracts they had to buy themselves out of to get Marvel characters off slot machines and other "vice" items. But that brand integrity is one of the reasons that the majority of the general public routinely rate Disney very high in favorability. The way the company sees it: their caution may lead to short-term losses but long-term (more valuable) gains. While there is certainly an argument to be made that WDW management has lost sight of some of that long-term thinking strategy, I do genuinely believe that the importance of brand integrity remains front-and-center in the minds of TWDC leaders.
I can tell you that there was Leadership (at relatively high levels) within WDW that were moving full speed ahead for an early June reopening (remember they had booked people with those packages), but ultimately, word came down likely from Burbank that that wasn't happening anymore. The decisions and work of thousands of people can be undone by the decision of one or two people in Burbank. That's just how the modern Walt Disney Company works, especially during these uncertain times. My *guess* is they're trying to wait it out to see where this goes and where public perception goes (which became a lot harder with the DL news), and then they'll make a decision. Just because they're proceeding with park reservations as planned doesn't mean top executives are certain they're opening on 7/11. To build on your hurricane example, even after a named storm is forecasted for Florida, they still take bookings, allow dated park ticket purchases, take FP+s and in-park dining reservations. They wait until they're absolutely certain that it will be a threat to safety to announce any park closures. That doesn't mean that they weren't monitoring the situation and considering it beforehand; they just wait until they know for almost certain that it won't be a good idea to be open those days. Again, I'm not saying they're not reopening on 7/11, just that anything is possible and we can't draw any extent of certainty away from anything until they're actually open.
I really do think Disney has a lot of measures put into place so they could remain open through a 2nd (3rd, continuous, whatever) wave.
Whether they expected it to explode like this before they opened, who knows, but I think they may be more prepared than we know for numbers to explode at some point.
I firmly believe that this is a PR problem -- not a public health one -- for Disney. As I've said, I'll be there 7/11 if they're open. I actually believe WDW will be amongst the safest places in Florida (face masks required and enforced, ridiculously frequent sanitation, capacity limits that ensure social distancing, etc...), but there will be a ridiculous amount of attention and pressure on Disney. If someone goes as far as to cough on WDW property, it'll get attention. Disney has always been very cautious, and if they feel like the public pressure continues to grow against them, they may feel like they have to postpone. Likewise, if they feel that pressure is withering away next week, they'll go forward with the reopening. And again, I want WDW to reopen as much as everyone else here. Like I said, I'll be there, and I have many CM friends who would be devastated to be told the closure has been extended. I'm not trying to be an alarmist; I'm trying to be realistic about how these decisions are made. The biggest hope now is that more FL counties get serious about masks and social distancing, enforce it, more people comply, and cases start to trend in a better direction.
(But I love it.)
I kid, I kid!!
that in 2 weeks things look better...hopefully...maybe...
