Cruise and Theme Park Operational Updates due to Coronavirus

[Mit88]

I agree with your substantive point, but it's unfair to put Rteetz in the position of having to figure out what is fake and what is not...it's also unfair to expect him to be able to delete every "possibly fake" post--as he notes, he has a life, too.

Which is why the data should stay out of this thread. Stops arguments and aggressive opinions, and makes Rteetz job at least a little bit easier.

 

[Searc]

There are actually a TON of uninformed TAs and agencies. I decided to use one back in April when our March res. got messed up from closures and I've consistently been the one telling her what new info has come out. Originally I was going to book another trip with her this Fall because I felt bad for her but tbh a booking through a TA has been such a huge hassle that I'm not using a TA again.

I know there are, unfortunately. That's why I prefer to do all my trips myself.

 

[Heigh-Ho]

There are actually a TON of uninformed TAs and agencies. I decided to use one back in April when our March res. got messed up from closures and I've consistently been the one telling her what new info has come out. Originally I was going to book another trip with her this Fall because I felt bad for her but tbh a booking through a TA has been such a huge hassle that I'm not using a TA again.

TAs can be great but yeah sometimes they aren't up and up on everything. During this whole mess though I might give them more of a pass than when it's under normal circumstances. The DIS is truly a place where so much information can be found out well before others even have the chance for it to be given to them and the information right now is so rapidly changing it's hard for many of us to keep up.

I'm a person who likes to have that control so I doubt I'd use a TA though I know people post from time to time about really good deals that can be had at times.

 

[Dulcee]

You should find a different TA to use.

They fixed it shortly there after, just an error!

 

[musika]

The biggest problem most of us international visitors would have is the quarantine requirement, not the actual parks protocol. Like most people I can't afford to be home in our house for 14 days straight after a 7 day vacation. (Canada has a minimum 14 day quarantine, and some provinces even still have this requirement for intra provincial travel depending on province of origin).

Someone upthread posted about going to the grocery store during "quarantine" and I can't believe that is really an allowed thing. Totally defeats the purpose IMO.

 

[musika]

TAs can be great but yeah sometimes they aren't up and up on everything. During this whole mess though I might give them more of a pass than when it's under normal circumstances. The DIS is truly a place where so much information can be found out well before others even have the chance for it to be given to them and the information right now is so rapidly changing it's hard for many of us to keep up.

I'm a person who likes to have that control so I doubt I'd use a TA though I know people post from time to time about really good deals that can be had at times.

I have yet to find a TA that knows as much as I do about the ins and outs of the park, and I wouldn't consider myself an expert by a longshot compared to some people on this board. That and I'm just a little too type A to let someone else handle it for me.

 

[Dentam]

The CDC did NOT change the quarantine time from 14 days down to 10. That is ONLY when you have tested positive or have symptoms. I've seen this misconception. Please do the 14 days if you're going to do it. You can still develop symptoms up to 14 days. The 10 days is regarding being contagious and most of the time the issue was the time it took to get back to work or to leave isolation and needed that additional test that showed negative to do so but is not related to when you may have had exposure and have yet to develop symptoms yet.

Definitely check with your boss regarding all of this prior to travel

Hmm, I misunderstood then - thanks! From what I understand, you are most likely to develop symptoms in the first 3-5 days after exposure. I will talk to my boss today and also plan to get tested within 3-5 days of returning home if I do end up going.

 

[jenjersnap]

Well, the Poly hotel side was supposed to open midway through our stay there...there go my hopes for ‘Ohana, Tambu and Tiki Terrace. But good for the pools, I guess, since I have read they are having major crowding issues there just with DVC side open.

 

[osufeth24]

My understanding is that the rationale has to do with labor. Even though they’re not in public-facing roles right now, the YC CMs are still back at work. If there were to be a sizable gap between the time the NBA left and when the resort reopened for Guests, they’d either have to pay those CMs for the period they weren’t working or re-furlough them, neither of which Disney wants to do at the moment. Though not available for the general public, think of YC, GF, and CSR as all open right now. If they need to delay some resort reopenings, it makes more sense to delay ones that (the hotel-sides) aren’t even open. Even going from DVC-only to hotel-side and DVC open, there’s a large increase in labor capital needed that most guests wouldn’t realize. That large increase doesn’t exist over at YC since the hotel has basically already been open and those CMs are back. When you look at the changes, the only dates that didn’t budge were the three NBA resorts (plus CBR but that’s likely because it’s reopening was too soon to be cancelled; CMs already back at work).

I’m not even sure if pet-friendly options are currently available. I know the dog parks aren’t. Anyone have any info on this? If not, I can try to find out.
The reopening changes have more to do with staffing and demand though.

My understanding is that the current plan is for most of those facilities to reopen (Yachtsman, Ale & Compass, Market at A&C), but we’ll see. I mean the original plan was for Sebastians at CBR to reopen too and that was scrapped relatively quickly. The fate of SAB also remains unknown. If I had to guess, I’d say they’ll reopen SAB since they know what a draw it is and YC can’t rely on DVC members who have a greater incentive to stay there. But again, all of that could change. I can tell you Disney didn’t anticipate these resort reopening delays even on 7/11.

It’s not just demand for YC/BC but for most of WDW at the moment. Apparently, weekends are doing okay (not great) but the concern is weekdays, some of which are just too slow. Remember also that even if wait times seem high at times, most of these attractions are operating anywhere from 1/4 to 1/3 of their regular capacity. Wait times are more indicative of what percentage capacity they’re operating at (and in some cases have been exacerbated by lots of downtime) than crowd levels in the park. Disney expected heavier crowds at this point. If the FL Resident 2-Day Ticket special didn’t indicate that (I cannot emphasize to you how much of a warning signal that is, as it has forever since WDW offered a FL resident discount on a 2 day), CMs being unblocked this week, more spots going to the AP bucket, and the resort delays should make it crystal clear. Disney didn’t want to do any of things (all don’t generate a ton of revenue), but they desperately need more people in the parks right now. I had been told they, even before reopening, they were concerned about September. There’s a lot of uncertainty at the moment regarding what schools may do so parents may be even less enthusiastic about post-summer travel. Likewise, bookings are already very “soft” (not really sure what that means in this moment) and there are concerns about an active hurricane season. WDW has had its operations impacted in some way three of the last four years by a named storm. That doesn’t even begin to factor in where FL COVID-19 cases could go. Who knows?

As a result, for lack of a better term, things seem to kind of be frozen in place at the moment. There’s some small movement here and there with a few things (like the Germany shops) coming back, but for the most part, what you see is what you’re going to get at least until we’re on the other side of September. Remember, the original plan was to take a look at things 4-6 weeks after the initial reopenings and start making major changes. That can’t happen right now. While we’ve seen some glimmers of hope regarding the case count, Disney just isn’t making the money they thought they would and can’t get a firm idea when cases will be at a more manageable level. So when it comes to things like PH, fireworks, etc..., we’re likely going to have to wait until at least October for those things to even be considered, assuming nothing changes which is always possible.

Makes me wonder, if they need people in the parks, why still limit APs to a rolling 3 days? I'd go a lot more often if it was higher. But I have 3 days saved for HS in Sept for when friends are coming into town

 

[IceSkatingPrincess]

& so it begins.
--------
‌
Walt Disney World Logo
Cinderella's Castle
We hope you’re looking forward to your upcoming vacation as much as we’re looking forward to having you here. Unfortunately, Disney's Polynesian Village Resort is no longer planned to be open on the dates of your visit. We understand the inconvenience this may cause––especially if your plans had already been changed before.

‌

Please accept our sincerest apologies and know how much we appreciate you choosing to stay with us. We’re happy to reaccommodate you at one of the Disney Resort hotels that will be open during your stay. We’ll reach out within four weeks of your arrival date to discuss the Resort and room type options available to you and to assist with modifying your Disney Resort hotel. Of course, this will happen at no additional charge and no action on your part is required at this time. In addition, this modification will have no impact on other vacation experiences you may have booked, such as Theme Park reservations or dining.

‌

Thanks for your patience as we all learn to navigate these times together.

‌

To view the latest list of Disney Resort hotels currently open and all experience updates, click here.

 

[anthony2k7]

There is a new Survey pop up on Disney’s website. This question was of particular interest
View attachment 513857

They didn't include a option for which would reflect my current opinion - only when cases are down significantly worldwide to a level I feel comfortable with.

 

[anthony2k7]

Someone upthread posted about going to the grocery store during "quarantine" and I can't believe that is really an allowed thing. Totally defeats the purpose IMO.

Thats not a quarantine!!!

 

[kylenne]

& so it begins.
--------
‌
Walt Disney World Logo
Cinderella's Castle
We hope you’re looking forward to your upcoming vacation as much as we’re looking forward to having you here. Unfortunately, Disney's Polynesian Village Resort is no longer planned to be open on the dates of your visit. We understand the inconvenience this may cause––especially if your plans had already been changed before.

‌

Please accept our sincerest apologies and know how much we appreciate you choosing to stay with us. We’re happy to reaccommodate you at one of the Disney Resort hotels that will be open during your stay. We’ll reach out within four weeks of your arrival date to discuss the Resort and room type options available to you and to assist with modifying your Disney Resort hotel. Of course, this will happen at no additional charge and no action on your part is required at this time. In addition, this modification will have no impact on other vacation experiences you may have booked, such as Theme Park reservations or dining.

‌

Thanks for your patience as we all learn to navigate these times together.

‌

To view the latest list of Disney Resort hotels currently open and all experience updates, click here.

I haven’t gotten anything about my end of sept trip at the Poly yet but it’s always 50/50 on emails from Disney and I’m booked through my TA so idk.

 

[MrsBooch]

Hold on....If disney is worried about the lack of attendance problem they're currently facing - and by the way, I find it really hard to believe they wouldn't anticipate current levels - then they need to work on the image they have created of extremely reduced capacity and handcuffed AP attendance.
I'm that crazy person watching all of the YouTube vloggers (who are also AP's for the most part) and it's not easy to get into the parks based on their feedback - both literally and park pass wise. Or if you do, it's definitely not all parks. If i'm a regular joe shmoe who doesn't know anything about what we've been discussing in these 2000+ pages, trying to figure out if we can take the family to Disney - I wouldn't label today's experience as "easy". Not to mention there are some people on Disney facebook groups still asking when they can buy 2020 tickets because, remember, they were blocked out until not too long ago - and AP purchases are still blocked I believe.

I was under the impression that Disney purposefully did not open the spigot so to speak, to avoid having too many people crowd in??
So many resorts are primarily closed - capacity is purposefully reduced - lots of intentional choices which I actually think are great - led them to this place. I'm really struggling with the notion that they are being surprised by anything or that they thought park capacity would be more increased by this point? This type of intentional capacity planning and the lower resulting capacity can't be a surprise to a company like Disney. I'm not discounting any insider information but it's confounding to me to think that this is a shock.

 

[hereforthechurros]

My understanding is that the rationale has to do with labor. Even though they’re not in public-facing roles right now, the YC CMs are still back at work. If there were to be a sizable gap between the time the NBA left and when the resort reopened for Guests, they’d either have to pay those CMs for the period they weren’t working or re-furlough them, neither of which Disney wants to do at the moment. Though not available for the general public, think of YC, GF, and CSR as all open right now. If they need to delay some resort reopenings, it makes more sense to delay ones that (the hotel-sides) aren’t even open. Even going from DVC-only to hotel-side and DVC open, there’s a large increase in labor capital needed that most guests wouldn’t realize. That large increase doesn’t exist over at YC since the hotel has basically already been open and those CMs are back. When you look at the changes, the only dates that didn’t budge were the three NBA resorts (plus CBR but that’s likely because it’s reopening was too soon to be cancelled; CMs already back at work).

I’m not even sure if pet-friendly options are currently available. I know the dog parks aren’t. Anyone have any info on this? If not, I can try to find out.
The reopening changes have more to do with staffing and demand though.

My understanding is that the current plan is for most of those facilities to reopen (Yachtsman, Ale & Compass, Market at A&C), but we’ll see. I mean the original plan was for Sebastians at CBR to reopen too and that was scrapped relatively quickly. The fate of SAB also remains unknown. If I had to guess, I’d say they’ll reopen SAB since they know what a draw it is and YC can’t rely on DVC members who have a greater incentive to stay there. But again, all of that could change. I can tell you Disney didn’t anticipate these resort reopening delays even on 7/11.

It’s not just demand for YC/BC but for most of WDW at the moment. Apparently, weekends are doing okay (not great) but the concern is weekdays, some of which are just too slow. Remember also that even if wait times seem high at times, most of these attractions are operating anywhere from 1/4 to 1/3 of their regular capacity. Wait times are more indicative of what percentage capacity they’re operating at (and in some cases have been exacerbated by lots of downtime) than crowd levels in the park. Disney expected heavier crowds at this point. If the FL Resident 2-Day Ticket special didn’t indicate that (I cannot emphasize to you how much of a warning signal that is, as it has forever since WDW offered a FL resident discount on a 2 day), CMs being unblocked this week, more spots going to the AP bucket, and the resort delays should make it crystal clear. Disney didn’t want to do any of things (all don’t generate a ton of revenue), but they desperately need more people in the parks right now. I had been told they, even before reopening, they were concerned about September. There’s a lot of uncertainty at the moment regarding what schools may do so parents may be even less enthusiastic about post-summer travel. Likewise, bookings are already very “soft” (not really sure what that means in this moment) and there are concerns about an active hurricane season. WDW has had its operations impacted in some way three of the last four years by a named storm. That doesn’t even begin to factor in where FL COVID-19 cases could go. Who knows?

As a result, for lack of a better term, things seem to kind of be frozen in place at the moment. There’s some small movement here and there with a few things (like the Germany shops) coming back, but for the most part, what you see is what you’re going to get at least until we’re on the other side of September. Remember, the original plan was to take a look at things 4-6 weeks after the initial reopenings and start making major changes. That can’t happen right now. While we’ve seen some glimmers of hope regarding the case count, Disney just isn’t making the money they thought they would and can’t get a firm idea when cases will be at a more manageable level. So when it comes to things like PH, fireworks, etc..., we’re likely going to have to wait until at least October for those things to even be considered, assuming nothing changes which is always possible.

This is great information, thank you. As far as adding more things when they can afford to, it's sort of chicken and egg. Many aren't going because the lack of fireworks, parades, M&Gs, dining... but those things can't restart until things are safer and more profitable. Tough spot to be in to say the least. I can see September being extremely low but hopefully October-December will surprise them. Especially if we can make headway on the virus.

 

[anthony2k7]

Hold on....If disney is worried about the lack of attendance problem they're currently facing - and by the way, I find it really hard to believe they wouldn't anticipate current levels - then they need to work on the image they have created of extremely reduced capacity and handcuffed AP attendance.
I'm that crazy person watching all of the YouTube vloggers (who are also AP's for the most part) and it's not easy to get into the parks based on their feedback - both literally and park pass wise. Or if you do, it's definitely not all parks. If i'm a regular joe shmoe who doesn't know anything about what we've been discussing in these 2000+ pages, trying to figure out if we can take the family to Disney - I wouldn't label today's experience as "easy". Not to mention there are some people on Disney facebook groups still asking when they can buy 2020 tickets because, remember, they were blocked out until not too long ago - and AP purchases are still blocked I believe.

I was under the impression that Disney purposefully did not open the spigot so to speak, to avoid having too many people crowd in??
So many resorts are primarily closed - capacity is purposefully reduced - lots of intentional choices which I actually think are great - led them to this place. I'm really struggling with the notion that they are being surprised by anything or that they thought park capacity would be more increased by this point? This type of intentional capacity planning and the lower resulting capacity can't be a surprise to a company like Disney. I'm not discounting any insider information but it's confounding to me to think that this is a shock.

Its pretty easy to see through this thread that all of us had a very wide range of expectations as to how popular wdw would be after reopening, from those who thought all resorts would reopen on day 1 and parks would be at 100% of the gov approved capacity daily, through to others who were doubtful disney would manage to hit their "positive contribution" self imposed condition.

With so many variables involved, including floridas cases rocketing up almost straight after disney announced reopening its surely not that surprising that reality is towards the more pessimistic end of predictions. Where as it seems disney was expecting something more middle to positive on the range of expectations.

 

[Chrissy-Mickey]

There is a new Survey pop up on Disney’s website. This question was of particular interest
View attachment 513857

I went onto the website and after 10 minutes, I received the survey. Thanks for telling us about it.

 

[DGsAtBLT]

More difficult AP access doesn’t make lower demand than expected hard to believe, IMO.

APs can go really easily if they booked an on-site stay. When we talk about demand being less than expected, what I think that really means is spending being lower than expected. What good does it do to Disney to pack the parks full (full to limited capacity that is) with APs who are not staying on property? They’ve got their tickets, they don’t need lodging, and they may spend less time in the parks (and less money on food).

I think demand for captive spend-y guests is way lower than anticipated. So many things have pointed to this.

 

[Jrb1979]

Its pretty easy to see through this thread that all of us had a very wide range of expectations as to how popular wdw would be after reopening, from those who thought all resorts would reopen on day 1 and parks would be at 100% of the gov approved capacity daily, through to others who were doubtful disney would manage to hit their "positive contribution" self imposed condition.

With so many variables involved, including floridas cases rocketing up almost straight after disney announced reopening its surely not that surprising that reality is towards the more pessimistic end of predictions. Where as it seems disney was expecting something more middle to positive on the range of expectations.

To add to that I think they were hoping for more people staying at the resorts. Judging by the fact they are delaying opening other resorts says a lot.

 

[hereforthechurros]

Hold on....If disney is worried about the lack of attendance problem they're currently facing - and by the way, I find it really hard to believe they wouldn't anticipate current levels - then they need to work on the image they have created of extremely reduced capacity and handcuffed AP attendance.
I'm that crazy person watching all of the YouTube vloggers (who are also AP's for the most part) and it's not easy to get into the parks based on their feedback - both literally and park pass wise. Or if you do, it's definitely not all parks. If i'm a regular joe shmoe who doesn't know anything about what we've been discussing in these 2000+ pages, trying to figure out if we can take the family to Disney - I wouldn't label today's experience as "easy". Not to mention there are some people on Disney facebook groups still asking when they can buy 2020 tickets because, remember, they were blocked out until not too long ago - and AP purchases are still blocked I believe.

I was under the impression that Disney purposefully did not open the spigot so to speak, to avoid having too many people crowd in??
So many resorts are primarily closed - capacity is purposefully reduced - lots of intentional choices which I actually think are great - led them to this place. I'm really struggling with the notion that they are being surprised by anything or that they thought park capacity would be more increased by this point? This type of intentional capacity planning and the lower resulting capacity can't be a surprise to a company like Disney. I'm not discounting any insider information but it's confounding to me to think that this is a shock.

Good point about WDW not being surprised. I mean, for months we all talked about how they were doing everything they could to get people to cancel and down to the capacity they felt comfortable. Then all ticketed guests made reservations. They should have had pretty close to exact numbers at least for the first 4-6 weeks before reevaluating. Unless they've already opened up capacity behind the scenes but aren't seeing a demand now? Or maybe there have been whole new buckets of people canceling as they see FL numbers?

I very much get limiting local APs. Florida is worse off than most other states so that may play a role, local APs don't typically spend what others guests do, and if things pick up and they have to limit days again people will be angry.