August 2020 Reservations-still going?

[Cattrip]

Is anyone else having issues looking the Park Pass Availability Calendar? I keep looking at the page and I just see that it is either blank or greyed out. I haven't been able to see a normal schedule. Is there a preferred internet browser? I am just confused?

My calendar was never colorful- just white, but it still let me book for Aug.

 

[2vets]

Well the lack of fireworks, closed stores in Epcot, and cancelled Halloween party didn't manage to deter me. But the infections in Florida are ridiculously high, and I literally feel like an idiot for still considering this trip. I feel like the Disney bubble is safer than many other choices, but its not impenetrable. Coming from Boston, my family and friends have been wearing masks and not seeing each other since March! It was bad up here for a while. Even people that I worried would scoff at mask wearing and social distancing, did a great job. I assumed that the rest of the country was the same and we would be able to hopefully try and enjoy a little bit of summer. This is highly disappointing but that seems to be the theme of 2020, so not sure what I expected.

This. All of this. I'm meeting my sister and her daughter (who live in Tampa - although I can tell she's wavering as well) - I have to fly over from So Cal (the flight is a whole other thing that worries me). Our area did so well - I have coworkers in Andover, and they told me how bad it was out your way - it was tame here by comparison due to early closure. I did nothing at all from March until June and - other than once weekly grocery runs, pretty much - am still not doing much of anything. We have matching Disney-themed masks, and in addition to trusting Disney, I also trust myself to do the right thing, distance, sanitize, quarantine upon return home, and be as safe as possible. I am (was?) so ready to enjoy a slower-paced trip, but OMG, those numbers. I have to say, I don't even want to tell anyone that we're still booked to go to WDW because it seems so reckless. All that said, we have a nearby county that recently soared in case numbers - and since it's summer, we're starting to see a huge increase in (largely unmasked unless confronted) tourists from adjacent states locally - if our county consistently starts ticking up again, they're likely to reinstate stay-at-home orders, so this may be moot.

 

[fla4fun]

I got the email from Disney this week to confirm my stay for the end of August, which I did. If the hotel is open, I plan to go. I have done park free stays in the past, even though I have an AP, and if the numbers are still high, I would not be against doing that again. Disney is part of my local community and I want to support my local community wherever I can. At this point, I figure it is still 50/50 as to whether even my hotel (Pop) will be open, let alone the parks, so I don’t see the trip as a slam dunk. I have already had three vacations cancelled due to the virus, so I don’t have high hopes for the next one either.

 

[ClapYourHands]

I have reservations at UO in August, but I’m holding off on airfare right now. I want to keep everything completely refundable. If this trip doesn’t happen, I want my money back, not credits. At UO I can cancel right up until 24 hours before my reservation, so I can afford to wait and see.

 

[koquinn]

With 44 days to go, we continue to debate. We are in Illinois, which is in excellent shape compared to other states. We have done all the things we were supposed to do (I personally went NOWHERE from March 15 to June 7), saw no one, did all the things. The mental health toll was getting heavy, but we did it. So I feel I’ve earned the right to travel responsibly. But where I want to responsibly travel to (Florida) is going in the opposite direction and I’m so mad! We simply don’t know how we can make a good decision at this point, because of course we are trying to find a way to justify going despite rising numbers there. I just want to contribute to the economy!

Us too, we've been great about staying home other than work (we're both physicians), and we already had to miss our Disney cruise in March. Our kids all have different breaks after this summer and our vacation abilities as docs are always difficult. It's just so depressing, I wish FL would get its act together and reverse course on this. I just am not sure what we'll do, we leave 8/7 from WI. We have a ton of money tied up in rewards dollars and such that are burning a hole in my pocket! And my kids are getting old enough where we have very few family vacations left with them, and with our schedules that time is so precious. So hard to know if we can escape this thing and still have a meaningful vacation together.

 

[JenAshrafi]

Us too, we've been great about staying home other than work (we're both physicians), and we already had to miss our Disney cruise in March. Our kids all have different breaks after this summer and our vacation abilities as docs are always difficult. It's just so depressing, I wish FL would get its act together and reverse course on this. I just am not sure what we'll do, we leave 8/7 from WI. We have a ton of money tied up in rewards dollars and such that are burning a hole in my pocket! And my kids are getting old enough where we have very few family vacations left with them, and with our schedules that time is so precious. So hard to know if we can escape this thing and still have a meaningful vacation together.

I feel you on this. So much to consider.

 

[figmentfinesse]

The fear of cancellation has struck my heart big time today, and it's driving me crazy that we likely won't know if they won't be opening until much closer. I thought we were done with the unknowns!! That's 2020 I guess.

 

[imjustafatkid]

I don't understand why everyone is so concerned about the increase in cases. Deaths aren't spiking. Cases are going to spike when things reopen. That's never not going to be the case. The virus is not going to be eradicated.

 

[koquinn]

I don't understand why everyone is so concerned about the increase in cases. Deaths aren't spiking. Cases are going to spike when things reopen. That's never not going to be the case. The virus is not going to be eradicated.

Hospitalizations lag behind cases by about 2-3 weeks, and since many patients are hospitalized a long time (often weeks or more) before they actually die, deaths also lag. The rise in positive cases is indicative of all the rest coming later, ie within the next 3-6 weeks.

 

[parasail_of_congress]

I don't understand why everyone is so concerned about the increase in cases. Deaths aren't spiking. Cases are going to spike when things reopen. That's never not going to be the case. The virus is not going to be eradicated.

There are at least two reasons:

1. Death numbers will presumably rise after case numbers rise, probably 1-2 weeks later. That's what happened before. True, they may not rise as much, but that depends on who is getting it, whether they are being treated and whether hospitals have enough beds/capacity to treat.
2. With respect to Florida, it's apparent there has been some misleading data/number fudging already, so it's tough to even know what's going on. Florida stopped reporting hospitalizations, unlike other states. There's really only one reason why they would do that ...

 

[roomthreeseventeen]

I don't understand why everyone is so concerned about the increase in cases. Deaths aren't spiking. Cases are going to spike when things reopen. That's never not going to be the case. The virus is not going to be eradicated.

I have a friend who is a marathon runner who can't climb the stairs. Deaths aren't everything.

 

[imjustafatkid]

I have a friend who is a marathon runner who can't climb the stairs. Deaths aren't everything.

In terms of if we should be staying home for this virus, deaths are everything. There is never going to be a time when coronavirus does not exist as something you can contract when leaving your house. If you don't believe me, just take a few seconds and look up how many viruses mankind has defeated throughout history.

 

[roomthreeseventeen]

In terms of if we should be staying home for this virus, deaths are everything. There is never going to be a time when coronavirus does not exist as something you can contract when leaving your house. If you don't believe me, just take a few seconds and look up how many viruses mankind has defeated throughout history.

If there's a vaccine in six or nine months, there will certainly be a time where it's much safer.

 

[imjustafatkid]

If there's a vaccine in six or nine months, there will certainly be a time where it's much safer.

This is also not a given. We have vaccines for the flu, but those often do not make it much safer. In some years, the flu vaccine affects people worse than catching that year's strain.

 

[roomthreeseventeen]

This is also not a given. We have vaccines for the flu, but those often do not make it much safer. In some years, the flu vaccine affects people worse than catching that year's strain.

Yikes, OK.

 

[imjustafatkid]

Yikes, OK.

You don't have to believe me. Just this last year the flu vaccine was not very effective. It's not like you have to do much searching to find a year where what I just said was true.

2014 was another year where that was the case. Here's an article about why that year's vaccine wasn't effective: https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2015/06/why-last-year-s-flu-vaccine-didnt-work-so-well

ETA: We're not going to be sitting at home every time coronavirus cases spike forever until the end of time. At some point we, collectively, have to come to that understanding.

 

[deanimal]

There are at least two reasons:

1. Death numbers will presumably rise after case numbers rise, probably 1-2 weeks later. That's what happened before. True, they may not rise as much, but that depends on who is getting it, whether they are being treated and whether hospitals have enough beds/capacity to treat.
2. With respect to Florida, it's apparent there has been some misleading data/number fudging already, so it's tough to even know what's going on. Florida stopped reporting hospitalizations, unlike other states. There's really only one reason why they would do that ...

I agree with all this, but could add number 3: the latest numbers show an increase in young people testing positive in the most recent spikes. People in their 20s and 30s will have a much lower death rate overall than when it's spreading through nursing homes. That doesn't make it any less deadly if you bring it home to your grandparents.

 

[imjustafatkid]

I agree with all this, but could add number 3: the latest numbers show an increase in young people testing positive in the most recent spikes. People in their 20s and 30s will have a much lower death rate overall than when it's spreading through nursing homes. That doesn't make it any less deadly if you bring it home to your grandparents.

This is why Florida stopped alcohol sales at bars.

 

[parasail_of_congress]

In terms of if we should be staying home for this virus, deaths are everything. There is never going to be a time when coronavirus does not exist as something you can contract when leaving your house. If you don't believe me, just take a few seconds and look up how many viruses mankind has defeated throughout history.

This is ridiculous. There's a difference between preventable deaths and inevitable deaths.

 

[DanielNYC]

Just made my park pass reservations for the week of 8/10, so unless some COVID-related event blocks us, it looks like we're going.