HOW CAN THIS BE?

[Can_Dannn]

Trip planned Aug 9-14
On verge of cancelling
Original plans was Moonlight Magic, Halloween Party, water parks and pool hopping.


So far- everything above cancelled

How can they not announce water park dates yet? It’s summer- prime time water parks. Outdoors. Safe. How can there be no date yet?
HOW?!??!

 

[Upatnoon]

Volcano Bay and Aquatica are open so you have an alternative.

 

[AndyCapable]

Hi Can_Dann,

I’ll be honest.

It is going to take time for Disney to get up and running again but there are options if you do go. I was at the OKW starting June 22 and stayed for a few days. The parks were not open which I accepted. I go to WDW quite a lot and wanted to get out of the house for a bit. Rather than repeat, you can read my experiences in the completed trip report section of the boards.

What I saw was that the CMs are trying hard but there is only so much they can do. With this being troubling times, the reality Is that it’s a going to be a limited magic experience for quite some time.

If you are expecting Disney Level Perfection, you are going to be upset. This is probably going to be the case until some time after the pandemic gets under control. My view is that if you are someone who only goes a few years or this is the one, big trip, consider waiting at least a year and a half or even longer.

If you don’t mind mixing in other parks, like Upatnoon mentions, along with the new rules and reduced experiences... and seriously, the risk of being exposed or infected with a potentially deadly virus, you could have an enjoyable time.

Like I mentioned above, I go a lot through the year. With everything I saw along with the state of the world and the pandemic, I altered my plans drastically.

I hope it helps. I would like everyone that goes to WDW to have an incredible experience but now is a time to be a bit more cautious.

 

[wishicouldgomoreofte]

Trip planned Aug 9-14
On verge of cancelling
Original plans was Moonlight Magic, Halloween Party, water parks and pool hopping.


So far- everything above cancelled

How can they not announce water park dates yet? It’s summer- prime time water parks. Outdoors. Safe. How can there be no date yet?
HOW?!??!

Sounds like you should cancel. You will not be happy, you won't be able to do anything you had planned, and covid is increasing.

 

[Can_Dannn]

@wishicouldgomoreofte
@AndyCapable

Cancelled last friday
Our next planned trip is for MVMC party in November so hoping things are most smooth then, and the party goes at planned (has not yet been cancelled) Keep your fingers crossed

 

[wishicouldgomoreofte]

@wishicouldgomoreofte
@AndyCapable

Cancelled last friday
Our next planned trip is for MVMC party in November so hoping things are most smooth then, and the party goes at planned (has not yet been cancelled) Keep your fingers crossed

Yes, I hope it is better then, but afraid it will not be. I have a trip planned for Dec 8-20, but have time to cancel when it is closer. If they cancel Candlelight Processionals, I will cancel. It is my favorite thing there at Christmas. I can go Christmas 2021, hopefully, if I can get a reservation. (Christmas AND WDW 50th! getting res could be a problem.)
Good luck with Nov. It is great to be at Bay Lake and walk home from the MVMCP.

 

[Allison]

Yes, I hope it is better then, but afraid it will not be. I have a trip planned for Dec 8-20, but have time to cancel when it is closer. If they cancel Candlelight Processionals, I will cancel. It is my favorite thing there at Christmas. I can go Christmas 2021, hopefully, if I can get a reservation. (Christmas AND WDW 50th! getting res could be a problem.)
Good luck with Nov. It is great to be at Bay Lake and walk home from the MVMCP.

Choirs participating in Candlelight Processional have received notice of cancellation per posts on Facebook.

 

[wishicouldgomoreofte]

Choirs participating in Candlelight Processional have received notice of cancellation per posts on Facebook.

Thank you. I thought they would make that decision soon. With choirs singing----virus spreads like crazy.

 

[jpolak]

I would cancel but you have to do what’s best for your family. We are supposed to go in December and are probably going to cancel that trip

 

[Can_Dannn]

I would cancel but you have to do what’s best for your family. We are supposed to go in December and are probably going to cancel that trip

We cancelled a few weeks ago
Still hoping for our Nov Trip to go as planned as much as it can be
Hoping christmas party is on! Fingers Crossed!

 

[TiggerBouncy]

While I am the first one to claim that things are a bit out of proportion and masks for example outdoors in relative social distancing is not supported by the science....

It’s summer- prime time water parks. Outdoors. Safe.

Explain the logic underlying this conclusion. I have seen little to no science on R naught in and around water parks. I personally have gotten the flu probably more often from the water parks than any other Disney Park.

Although I am not an infectious disease expert, I did find this:

Water park illnesses

The chlorine in the water that turns your hair green means the pool is clean, right? Wrong. Contrary to popular belief, chlorine does not kill all germs instantly, says the CDC. Many germs take days for chlorine to kill them - and swallowing just a little of dirty water can make you sick.

According to a poll conducted by the University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children's Hospital, more than 10,000 people in the U.S. get sick every year from infections picked up at water parks. These illnesses are spread by swallowing or breathing in mists of contaminated water,


While I do not believe there is science yet concluding that water parks are any more dangerous than other activities, I am certainly not aware of any science concluding it's safe.

 

[Chuck S]

Water parks are going to take a LOT of CMs to operate, enforcing social distancing, facemasks, and so forth. And with facemasks required to be in queue, then you need some way to keep it dry while in the water, when you're not wearing it. It will likely require adding the water parks to the park reservation system. That is what Schlitterbahn in New Braunfels is doing, a reservation system. If it isn't run properly, it will make things far worse than they already are. Everything spiked here in Texas, partly due to unregulated tubing on the rivers and bars being open. Tubing companies are now closed, as well as bars in Texas. Water parks are by appointment.

I hope Disney water parks aren't a repeat of what happened here.

 

[Anthony12345]

Water Parks probably cost a fortune to run, so it wont be financially viable to open them until the them parks are at capacity.

That said, the easiest way to allow reopening of the water parks would be.

1-virtual lines. Id be amazed if this wasnt being set up already as its already being used on some rides in the Disney theme parks. This also applies for entry into the gift shop as per some of the in park shops.

2-Mobile food order only.

3-Reduced sunbeds and therefore more spaced out sunbeds. This would effectively represent a reduction in water park capacity which would in turn probably require booking a day at the water parks as per the main parks (although there would surely have to be some way of people booking a limited number of waterpark AND theme park days, as thats what people do quite often.)

4-no changing rooms. Much like most public swimming pools in the UK and id imagine elsewhere, whilst the virus is around you are pretty much expected to come changed. Outdoor showers exist and people will have to just accept having a quick rinse in the cold water outdoor showers at the end of the day.

Fortunately, the virus cant survive in chlorinated water, so one of the safest places to spend your day is probably bobbing around in the lazy rivers and wave pools.

 

[TiggerBouncy]

(although there would surely have to be some way of people booking a limited number of waterpark AND theme park days, as thats what people do quite often.)

I think this is going to be one of the biggest issues. Most people do not go to the water park all day. Scheduling is going to be difficult. They can't really enforce that you have a 3 hour window, cause getting you to leave will be difficult to track you down. But water parks do not generally work on an all day schedule. If they plan for - say - 2000 people for the day, all 2000 could show up at once when they really need them to spread out.

Fortunately, the virus cant survive in chlorinated water, so one of the safest places to spend your day is probably bobbing around in the lazy rivers and wave pools.

Here is the problem. Although there is no evidence (lets be careful in our phrasing) that the virus can survive in chlorinated water, there are a lot of surfaces in and around that water. The problem is not you bobbing around in water. The problem is the intertube you are bobbing in. The walls around the area you are bobbing in. The surfaces you bounce off of. The hand rail you grasp to get into the tube. The other people bobbing around in their tube. The person who - although 10 feet in front of you - not wearing a mask coughs and that virus hangs in the air long enough for you to bob along right into it.

Pools are in many ways MORE dangerous than the parks - because in the parks, you will at least have a mask to prevent most of these, while that's difficult to enforce in a water park.

My prediction is that water parks will not open this season until we have a treatment or a vaccine, and failing that - they will require you to wear masks made of swimming material (they are actually quite comfortable) or other face coverings that work in and around water.

 

[Mousewerks]

Pools are in many ways MORE dangerous than the parks - because in the parks, you will at least have a mask to prevent most of these, while that's difficult to enforce in a water park.

This is just an outright lie. Masks do not prevent transmission. Do a modicum of research.

 

[Sandisw]

Reminder... no debates about masks here....take it to the Community Board....thank you.

 

[TiggerBouncy]

This is just an outright lie. Masks do not prevent transmission. Do a modicum of research.

Keeping in mind Sandi's comment and without debating the usefulness of masks, I will rephrase my comment:

My prediction is that water parks will not open this season until we have a treatment or a vaccine, and failing that - they will require you to wear masks made of swimming material (they are actually quite comfortable) or other face coverings that work in and around water as long as public opinion is such that masks are highly recommended as a method of perceived safety.

better?

 

[Can_Dannn]

Reminder... no debates about masks here....take it to the Community Board....thank you.

Thanks for the reminder - please keep these reminders going - some people clearly need to regularly see them!

 

[Anthony12345]

I think this is going to be one of the biggest issues. Most people do not go to the water park all day. Scheduling is going to be difficult. They can't really enforce that you have a 3 hour window, cause getting you to leave will be difficult to track you down. But water parks do not generally work on an all day schedule. If they plan for - say - 2000 people for the day, all 2000 could show up at once when they really need them to spread out.

Well, consider the way some public swimming pools work, you are given a coloured arm band and if you are seen in the pool after a given time, you are told your time is up and you have to leave.

Disney could do something like that-give people an arm band at time of entry and as soon as that coloured arm band time slot is over, shops and food locations cant serve you, and you cant get on the slides or in the wave pool.
Also, If you rock up somewhere without an arm band at all, in an attempt to bend the rules, same response-no service.

Kind of like how at Extra Magic hours, you have to scan your magic band to get on rides, or how before magic bands you had to present your room key card.

Sure, there would always be some people who try bending the rules, but it would be a largely self policing policy-people generally wont stay if they cant do anything (except possibly if they anchored themselves to a sunbed all day, in which case cast members will need to do periodic sweeps of the area much like at the resort pools).

The water park could have maybe two `admissions` a day-a morning admission between 10-2, and an afternoon one between say 1-5. At rope drop in the water parks they could also offer a small number of all day arm bands. All first come, first serve.

 

[TiggerBouncy]

Well, consider the way some public swimming pools work, you are given a coloured arm band and if you are seen in the pool after a given time, you are told your time is up and you have to leave.

Disney could do something like that-give people an arm band at time of entry and as soon as that coloured arm band time slot is over, shops and food locations cant serve you, and you cant get on the slides or in the wave pool.
Also, If you rock up somewhere without an arm band at all, in an attempt to bend the rules, same response-no service.

Kind of like how at Extra Magic hours, you have to scan your magic band to get on rides, or how before magic bands you had to present your room key card.

I could see something like that maybe working. It looks like the park reservation system may even be built with that in mind - since it asked you to choose a time for the park (although there was only one time available) made it sound like they could in theory offer multiple entry times.