Cruise and Theme Park Operational Updates due to Coronavirus

[Broncho52]

As the regular season plays out & teams are eliminated and leave - the resorts may be impacted for a week or two. No reason to close off parks, WWoS is a massive self contained entity, even the MLS players won’t cross paths with the NBA Teams...

Correct. The last month of the two months playoffs there would only be 4 teams and then down to two the last two weeks of that month. As it progresses it will become less and less cumbersome. The NBA hasn’t decided yet on going to straight to the playoffs or finishing the regular season. If they go straight to the playoffs it will be easier to pull off all of the logistics. as only 16 teams would need to be at WDW and half would leave every two weeks.

 

[rteetz]

How much will NBA pay Disney for this? I would assume a pretty penny

It’s a win win for both. Disney is able to get some sports content for ABC/ESPN as well as get paid for use of their facilities. NBA gets TV revenue and to finish their season.

 

[Broncho52]

How much will NBA pay Disney for this? I would assume a pretty penny

Disney would have to be highly motivated to finish the NBA season. ESPN has the TV rights to a lot of the Playoffs, one of the two conference finals and the Finals. They will want that revenue that comes with that.

 

[0FF TO NEVERLAND]

It’s a win win for both. Disney is able to get some sports content for ABC/ESPN as well as get paid for use of their facilities. NBA gets TV revenue and to finish their season.

Well then I personally think all NBA players should stay at the all star sports resort. Its only right

 

[bookwormde]

They’re being paid millions of dollars to play a game. I think they can handle what normal people have been doing for the last 70 days.

most families have been in their home, not 1 or 2 400 sqft hotel rooms,

 

[Jroceagles]

It’s a win win for both. Disney is able to get some sports content for ABC/ESPN as well as get paid for use of their facilities. NBA gets TV revenue and to finish their season.

Definitely! I don't think this impacts the resorts or parks opening up at all. Completely separate.

 

[LSUmiss]

Does park access not defeat or severely impact the point of a single site concept? I wonder if it could be thought of as a lesser of two evils, give em controlled park access at certain times (after hours) to stop players but mostly their families from getting antsy and going elsewhere.

Unless they have exclusive park access & it never opens to the public til after their season is over.

 

[Jrb1979]

Definitely! I don't think this impacts the resorts or parks opening up at all. Completely separate.

I do think it impacts the resorts though at least at the beginning when most of the teams are on property. Depending on what Resorts they use. Doubt it would it would be the All Stars.

 

[Sarahslay]

Good point. And that might be why VAH & all those extra ticket events have been canceled already.

but they haven't cancelled the two VAH in July.

 

[OnceUponATime15]

Well then I personally think all NBA players should stay at the all star sports resort. Its only right

from the AP guy’s twitter feed lol!! too funny...

https://twitter.com/x/status/1264245942544367617

 

[DisneyQueen1320]

I think Disney looking at this situation as a financial and PR issue. Disney rather have the recognition that they bought sports back. Let’s face it many families either cancelled or moved their vacation this summer. Right now there’s a backlash about mask. Everyone saying it’s so hot, it’s one thing to have to deal with it at Disney Springs but in a theme park, they know it’s a nightmare. If they open in Aug or Sept the weather will start to cool down. People love the fall at Disney, hey they can even sell Halloween mask to wear around. I think they thought about it and said why open at a reduced capacity when we can host the NBA for a month or two. Sure the Disney community will be upset, but the mainstream media will love them. I’m thinking they will open in August so they can charge for Halloween parties and Food & Wine events. Heck the other day the Disney Blog had some type of midway to Halloween. I really felt that was the way of saying things will be back to normal then.
If they do open in July it will be so ridiculous most people won’t want to go. DVC is something completely different, they may open for them.

 

[Jroceagles]

I do think it impacts the resorts though at least at the beginning when most of the teams are on property. Depending on what Resorts they use. Doubt it would it would be the All Stars.

Unless they stay off property at 1 of those bigger hotels....who knows.

If WDW delays opening for NBA I think the PR backlash would be unbelievable

 

[RWinNOLA]

most families have been in their home, not 1 or 2 400 sqft hotel rooms,

Maybe you need to look at this a little differently. If you were given the option to earn the balance of your multi million contract by having to suffer through staying in a resort for a couple of months, would you do it?

Also consider that wherever they stay will likely be an NBA only resort. I’m sure they will have access to the resort pools and restaurants. I’d also expect that Disney and the NBA would also plan plenty of private events for the players.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Saw this posted that multiple attractions at Universal are showing up now in the app with a "virtual line closed" tag - so could be sign of how things will operate there

https://twitter.com/x/status/1264268128420352000

 

[TDSAXX]

There will always be people that will do whatever they want, whenever they want.

You mean like driving from NY to MD to catch a flight to FL to avoid the 14 day mandatory quarantine.

 

[Cfiiitz]

We all love speaking in absolutes like “they would never” or “they have to” or “they won’t” but the reality is that things will change to adapt to this situation.
With regard to the NBA and finishing the regular season into the playoffs I think it is extremely likely that the normal format is extensively modified for time and space.
The NHL announced yesterday a potential format where they have games in four host cities. Instead of finishing the regular season they are going to have the top 24 teams compete, three teams from each conference are getting a bye and the remainder of the teams will play a three game series to get in. So yeah, they have switched it up a lot. Don’t be surprised if the NBA makes similar changes to make things go faster.
It could be more like March Madness than the NBA playoffs for sure.

 

[cakebaker]

If they open in Aug or Sept the weather will start to cool down.

Clearly you’ve never been to WDW in August.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Correct. The last month of the two months playoffs there would only be 4 teams and then down to two the last two weeks of that month. As it progresses it will become less and less cumbersome. The NBA hasn’t decided yet on going to straight to the playoffs or finishing the regular season. If they go straight to the playoffs it will be easier to pull off all of the logistics. as only 16 teams would need to be at WDW and half would leave every two weeks.

Sort of makes sense to just go straight to the playoffs. Right there you reduce the number of people involved by almost 50% and for the teams hopelessly out of it, what is the motivation to be quarantined, risk getting sick or even just a regular injury, etc.

If I was on the Lakers I would be way more open to this type is set up than if I was on the Knicks for example

 

[Sarahslay]

Just as an observation: I have been watching availability closely for weeks now, and when I went in yesterday and looked at my dates every resort showed availability. Upon going in today there are two resorts that show consistent unavailability for the whole of July : CSR and CR. No other resorts, just those two (with the exception of the GF villas who go on and off having availability), and all the other resorts have many room categories open. Last I check CR this week they looked like they still had a lot of room categories open so I doubt so many people moved their trips to CR that it's now booked for the whole month (I haven't looked at other months)

 

[andyman8]

I think Disney looking at this situation as a financial and PR issue. Disney rather have the recognition that they bought sports back. Let’s face it many families either cancelled or moved their vacation this summer. Right now there’s a backlash about mask. Everyone saying it’s so hot, it’s one thing to have to deal with it at Disney Springs but in a theme park, they know it’s a nightmare. If they open in Aug or Sept the weather will start to cool down. People love the fall at Disney, hey they can even sell Halloween mask to wear around. I think they thought about it and said why open at a reduced capacity when we can host the NBA for a month or two. Sure the Disney community will be upset, but the mainstream media will love them. I’m thinking they will open in August so they can charge for Halloween parties and Food & Wine events. Heck the other day the Disney Blog had some type of midway to Halloween. I really felt that was the way of saying things will be back to normal then.
If they do open in July it will be so ridiculous most people won’t want to go. DVC is something completely different, they may open for them.

The words “August,” “Disney,” and “cool down” don’t generally go together. Disney’s not going to wait until October to reopen. They’re not going to let UOR have three or four months of operation without them. They’re not going to let masks dictate whether they lose millions more dollars by keeping the parks closed.