Cruise and Theme Park Operational Updates due to Coronavirus

[SaintsManiac]

And what constitutes a poll.....3 people?

I've taken a few polls on Twitter and they have pretty decent amounts of people responding.

 

[Disneyfan754321]

For the way we tour, I fear that 8 hours in the park is going to make us feel rushed. That’s probably weird since we don’t even do every attraction and spend a ton of time just moseying around, but last year we easily spent a full day- 8 am EMH until past 10 pm in Epcot. I don’t even know how we filled all of that time, only had one TS meal and waited 30 min for Soarin’. Everything else was FP or minimal wait. We looked in a couple of shops, watched the concert, visited some F&G booths... But my point is, an 8 hour park day doesn’t “feel” like it will leave much time for the proverbial rose-smelling, which is my favorite aspect of Epcot.

Well I am thinking that in prior trips we would average a ride an hour. With the shorter lines at most we will ride about the same... it does feel rushed through

 

[yulilin3]

How are the buses running at Pop now? Are the wait times still long for rope drop arrival and at close? I’m mostly interested in MK and DHS.

There's no Pop bus to DHS or Epcot unless the skyliner is not running. People have been lining up at the skyliner to make dhs rope drop around 8:30am

I think when it came to the reduction in EPCOT hours, they would have cut the hours off the front end of day and maybe even added an hour or two the back end of the day. If you want to drive business with food and wine, you want to be operating in the evening. Locals are not going to decide to do an evening out when it is going to end at 7.

I was at epcot in the evening this past week and there were maybe 100 people around world showcase after 7:30pm. Super empty, cannot even think how much food is being tossed at the end of the night.

 

[Brianstl]

There's no Pop bus to DHS or Epcot unless the skyliner is not running. People have been lining up at the skyliner to make dhs rope drop around 8:30am


I was at epcot in the evening this past week and there were maybe 100 around world showcase after 7:30pm. Super empty, cannot even think how much food is being tossed at the end of the night.

Because locals aren’t going to come out for a food and wine festival night out with friends that is going to end before 10:00. If you are going to drop money to park and pay Disney prices you aren’t going to it for a night out that ends before it ever gets to start.

 

[Farro]

Just read Teppan Edo is reopening in a couple weeks?

 

[New Mouse]

Because locals aren’t going to come out for a food and wine festival night out with friends that is going to end before 10:00. If you are going to drop money to park and pay Disney prices you aren’t going to it for a night out that ends before it ever gets to start.

True...its odd how Disney is missing some logical connections like this in their decisions recently.

 

[DGsAtBLT]

I think rather than Disney missing something obvious that we see, they know doing said thing doesn’t meet their goals, whether it’s knowing what food and merch sales look like in those later hours of parks being open and how total sales differ with different, to knowing whether the right kinds of people come out to make being open worth their while in general, I think if they’re not open longer or not open during certain times of day it’s almost without a doubt because they’re ahead financially not doing it.

 

[charmed59]

If Epcot closes at 7 what is the latest time for a dinner reservation there?

 

[Vern60]

Just read Teppan Edo is reopening in a couple weeks?

Finally, a check on the pros side. We enjoy Teppan Edo and try to eat there when we visit.

 

[hertamaniac]

I think rather than Disney missing something obvious that we see, they know doing said thing doesn’t meet their goals, whether it’s knowing what food and merch sales look like in those later hours of parks being open and how total sales differ with different, to knowing whether the right kinds of people come out to make being open worth their while in general, I think if they’re not open longer or not open during certain times of day it’s almost without a doubt because they’re ahead financially not doing it.

This might be the single longest sentence ever on these boards. I had trouble understanding what you are trying to state. Can you summarize please?

 

[TwoMisfits]

Because locals aren’t going to come out for a food and wine festival night out with friends that is going to end before 10:00. If you are going to drop money to park and pay Disney prices you aren’t going to it for a night out that ends before it ever gets to start.

But, in virus land, they don't want the "late night party" atmosphere at Epcot.

The hours they've posted are going for the daytime senior tasters and the families...

They make them less money, but also have less issues from a PR and health standpoint...

 

[yulilin3]

Because locals aren’t going to come out for a food and wine festival night out with friends that is going to end before 10:00. If you are going to drop money to park and pay Disney prices you aren’t going to it for a night out that ends before it ever gets to start.

Not sure i understand your point. Epcot usually closes at 9pm anyways. They have been open for a month with 9pm and it's obviously not getting people visiting in the evening. I think the biggest problem with epcot is the lack of park hopping. Not a lot of people want to commit to a day at epcot with how the parks looks like right now. Not only all the walls but lack of entertainment. This is why I was surprised that they opened at all.

 

[DGsAtBLT]

This might be the single longest sentence ever on these boards. I had trouble understanding what you are trying to state. Can you summarize please?

My bad.

In summary - they’re smarter than we are and know what they’re doing.

 

[Farro]

Not sure i understand your point. Epcot usually closes at 9pm anyways. They have been open for a month with 9pm and it's obviously not getting people visiting in the evening. I think the biggest problem with epcot is the lack of park hopping. Not a lot of people want to commit to a day at epcot with how the parks looks like right now. Not only all the walls but lack of entertainment. This is why I was surprised that they opened at all.

But, maybe if they opened later in the day and then closed later, people would be more apt to book a day there, knowing they will at least have one night in the parks on their trip.

this in reference to the new hrs, not how it's been.

 

[Mit88]

This might be the single longest sentence ever on these boards. I had trouble understanding what you are trying to state. Can you summarize please?

I think she means that it doesn’t make sense to figure out who is going to stay in the parks longer than others, buy more merch and food than others, etc. its just easier to reduce the hours and get what they get from the guests that come. That’s what I read from it

 

[yulilin3]

But, maybe if they opened later in the day and then closed later, people would be more apt to book a day there, knowing they will at least have one night in the parks on their trip.

this in reference to the new hrs, not how it's been.

That would definitely make more sense. Or they could fo FW from 11am to 7pm and then WS from 4pm to 10pm. The only cast that would need to be there the whole time is security and temp check, also transportation.
Obviously they are checking their numbers and rn this is what makes sense to them.

 

[mouselovenfamily]

It seems like MK numbers are higher today for wait times. I guess it is a Saturday though.

 

[Farro]

That would definitely make more sense. Or they could fo FW from 11am to 7pm and then WS from 4pm to 10pm. The only cast that would need to be there the whole time is security and temp check, also transportation.
Obviously they are checking their numbers and rn this is what makes sense to them.

I have no idea why they aren't calling us to ask for our advice.

 

[DGsAtBLT]

Basically what I was trying to say, if they’re not open from 7-9 they know it doesn’t benefit them financially to do it. They didnt forget to account for spending between those hours they just are privy to info we aren’t to know it’s not worth it to do it.

Insert same logic for any “but why aren’t they doing ______” question. Money. They know better than we do in that regard.

 

[SMRT-1]

I agree.
Epcot could have opened at noon and closed at 9. Or something like that.
And perhaps they could rotate the hrs for parks, some open early/close early, other days they open later/close later - so every day a different park is open until 9.

Give the people at least one park at night, geez.

And to try to increase resort revenue, they could offer these rotating early/late hours as a perk for on-property resort guests only, and maybe come up with some catchy marketing name for the whole thing like "Magicially Extended Hours."