WDW COVID-19 Operational Changes- Reservation System-Rope Drop Procedures

[PCFriar80]

This could seriously be the final straw on the camel’s back.

They removed straws a while ago! Just a little levity as
we get over this "hump".

 

[yulilin3]

So supposedly DeSantis is supposed to be announcing his reopening plans today, anyone know what time it is?

they haven't announced that yet

 

[cakebaker]

So supposedly DeSantis is supposed to be announcing his reopening plans today, anyone know what time it is?

The time hasn't been announced yet, as far as I could find.

 

[osufeth24]

they haven't announced that yet

Thanks, anxious to know as my job depends on it as well. We're hoping we can reopen June 1

Btw, to bring it around, I live in Orlando, working in a sports complex. If we're allowed to open 6/1 to the public, I don't think Disney will be too far behind.

 

[Minnie824]

I have not read this whole thread so I apologize if this was covered. Any speculation on what makes up that 50% or 75%? I'm sure there are more reservations for hotels, dining, etc than those guidelines already. Wondering who will have priority.

 

[leeniewdw]

Yea, believe they just mentioned the distancing - we go in July as well and must have a pool !

I feel like one of the Q&A's with a medical person on some network (or newspaper) said that pools (in general) could actually be safe. I've been curious as it pertains to our neighborhood pool (which is a big deal to us). I'm not sure why an entire theme park could be open with 10s of 1000s and then a pool would be closed. I feel like visitors would have way more freedom to space out at a resort pool than in the parks (or in a queue).

 

[GADisneyDad14]

A quick recap of various things for the benefit of newcomers and those that don't follow message boards by the minute:

1) Yesterday, the Orange County Economic Recovery Task Force met to discuss initial "guidelines" for reopening businesses, including theme parks such as WDW and Universal. It is important to note that these were just preliminary/conceptual task force guidelines and do not constitute an official announcement from WDW about future resort/park operations. A summary of the initial guidelines and a video to the task force meeting can be found here:

https://www.wdwinfo.com/news-storie...-for-reopening-businesses-in-central-florida/
2) This thread is still primarily for official WDW announcements and related theme park planning implications/questions/discussion. The preliminary guidelines from the Task Force are useful and interesting, but obviously much (well, pretty much everything) is still unknown about how Disney will operate going forward. There are some lively discussions on the Rumors and News Forum for those that like to speculate based on what little is known/rumored to date.

3) Hopefully over the coming days/weeks Disney will start to release some real information so those with planned trips can adjust/plan accordingly - and we can actually have something to talk about around here! For a company that doesn't often 'say a lot,' IMO Disney was relatively proactive with their communications and guest recovery as they wound down operations, and I 'hope' they continue with the same level of transparency when things turn the corner towards reopening.

4) WDW has now been closed for 45 days.

Our little trip planning corner of the DIS (the TPAS forum) has been so quiet these days, understandably so. Hope everyone is well out there.

Thanks all.

 

[yulilin3]

A quick recap of various things for the benefit of newcomers and those that don't follow message boards by the minute:

1) Yesterday, the Orange County Economic Recovery Task Force met to discuss initial "guidelines" for reopening businesses, including theme parks such as WDW and Universal. It is important to note that these were just preliminary/conceptual task force guidelines and do not constitute an official announcement from WDW about future resort/park operations. A summary of the initial guidelines and a video to the task force meeting can be found here:

https://www.wdwinfo.com/news-storie...-for-reopening-businesses-in-central-florida/
2) This thread is still primarily for official WDW announcements and related theme park planning implications/questions/discussion. The preliminary guidelines from the Task Force are useful and interesting, but obviously much (well, pretty much everything) is still unknown about how Disney will operate going forward. There are some lively discussions on the Rumors and News Forum for those that like to speculate based on what little is known/rumored to date.

3) Hopefully over the coming days/weeks Disney will start to release some real information so those with planned trips can adjust/plan accordingly - and we can actually have something to talk about around here! For a company that doesn't often 'say a lot,' IMO Disney was relatively proactive with their communications and guest recovery as they wound down operations, and I 'hope' they continue with the same level of transparency when things turn the corner towards reopening.

4) WDW has now been closed for 45 days.

Our little trip planning corner of the DIS (the TPAS forum) has been so quiet these days, understandably so. Hope everyone is well out there.

Thanks all.

And just to tag along @GADisneyDad14 just said, once we get actual procedures from WDW this board will become the place to plan, discuss and report back on these new procedures
BUT
I will remind everyone to keep it civil and argument free. You can post your opinions of course and someone might refute them, no need for any back and forth
ALSO
No name calling on the people that chose to come to WDW right away or those that chose to wait it out a bit more. Any name calling or the slightest hint of an argument against these posters and your post will be deleted and points given

 

[ChipnDaleRule]

Im someone from the UK and think we will be way down the order of people to return back to WDW. We are waiting patiently to hear about a free dining offer which historically has been announced by now but obviously hasn't yet! Im crossing everything hoping Disney let us Brits now what their plan for us is

 

[pepperandchips]

I know this is speculation but I would think that any of the rides that have a pre-show will skip those until further notice. I would think Disneyland wouldn't open a ride like the Haunted Mansion (when they open) until social distancing guidelines are reduced, or just have the room filled at a much lower capacity than typical.

I would hope that for the time being Disney drops the fees for on-site parking as well and allow folks to take their own transportation instead of hopping on the Disney Buses at the resorts. Also curious how things like the Magical Express and the overall transportation system will operate once things are announced.

There are a lot of folks with the same questions you have. You can join in the discussion over on the thread for rumors about modified operating procedures: https://www.disboards.com/threads/r...ntial-modifications-being-considered.3797114/

 

[HokieRaven5]

There are a lot of folks with the same questions you have. You can join in the discussion over on the thread for rumors about modified operating procedures: https://www.disboards.com/threads/rumor-about-“modified-experiences”-when-disney-reopens-read-1st-post-for-potential-modifications-being-considered.3797114/

Thanks for this!

 

[Davey Jones II]

There are a lot of possible safety policies on the table, but let's not forget personal responsibility, too. Disney will do what they can, but all guests will have to do their part. For example, something as simple as washing your hands after every ride will go a LONG way toward cutting risk of infection -- and soap and water is a lot better than hand sanitizer, btw.

 

[kelsum01]

There are a lot of possible safety policies on the table, but let's not forget personal responsibility, too. Disney will do what they can, but all guests will have to do their part. For example, something as simple as washing your hands after every ride will go a LONG way toward cutting risk of infection -- and soap and water is a lot better than hand sanitizer, btw.

Totally agree with this. We are SO cautious when we are in public, especially theme parks, about washing our hands regularly, carrying hand sanitizer, etc., but I'm still floored about how many people don't wash their hands leaving the bathrooms or fail to encourage their young children to practice good hygiene. Every time I get on a ride and put my hands on a safety bar, I cringe. I have a feeling Cast Members will be borderline militant in enforcing this, just like they do on the Disney cruises when you walk into the restaurants.

 

[Davey Jones II]

Totally agree with this. We are SO cautious when we are in public, especially theme parks, about washing our hands regularly, carrying hand sanitizer, etc., but I'm still floored about how many people don't wash their hands leaving the bathrooms or fail to encourage their young children to practice good hygiene. Every time I get on a ride and put my hands on a safety bar, I cringe. I have a feeling Cast Members will be borderline militant in enforcing this, just like they do on the Disney cruises when you walk into the restaurants.

Of course there will always be unsanitary twits out there, but I do think the current health crisis will result in more ingrained sanitary habits from a large majority. And, if you're careful not to touch your face during or immediately after a ride, washing your hands afterwards (for a minimum of 20 seconds) means that it's difficult to catch anything, even if one of those aforementioned twits was in the ride vehicle before you got in.

 

[lovethattink]

DeSantis’ press conference is scheduled for 5pm today.

ALERTFL: Governor DeSantis press conference at 5pm to announce SAFE. SMART. STEP-BY-STEP. Plan to Re-Open FL. Watch: https://thefloridachannel.org/

 

[thanxfornoticin]

Sorry, it might have been discussed already in this thread, but does it surprise others that only cast members appear to be wearing masks with these guidelines? I would have thought for a period of time when they first opened, guests would, too. Seems like if there's a ratio of 10-1 or 20-1 (or more) guests to cast members, having guests not wearing masks almost makes the cast member masks insignificant. Guests not wearing masks means a greater chance of spread. The data seems pretty clear on that - my mask protects others. Guess we'll see how that issue plays out.

 

[leeniewdw]

There are a lot of possible safety policies on the table, but let's not forget personal responsibility, too. Disney will do what they can, but all guests will have to do their part. For example, something as simple as washing your hands after every ride will go a LONG way toward cutting risk of infection -- and soap and water is a lot better than hand sanitizer, btw.

I agree, but this will never ever happen. I was there 2 days before it closed and while I was crazy obsessed with washing hands and finding every sanitizing gel station, there were plenty of people who did not have a care in the world. I realize things have changed to some extent since that time, but I truly did not once touch a single railing in a queue the entire trip, but everyone around us did. I used a napkin or wipe to press our PIN after using magic bands at vendors or at soda machines but never saw anyone else doing so.

I have a feeling Cast Members will be borderline militant in enforcing this, just like they do on the Disney cruises when you walk into the restaurants.

Let's hope so. Step one is to have 100s (1000s) more sanitizing stations. They were extremely hit/miss in March. Certainly not at each ride or restaurant, let alone at all entrance and exits.

 

[yulilin3]

We (the mods) would appreciate if we keep this thread on topic.
As of today we have no official announcement from Disney. Any discussion now should be done on the news and rumors board
Once we get an actual announcement discussion of confirmed operational impacts can be done here.

 

[kelsum01]

Sorry, it might have been discussed already in this thread, but does it surprise others that only cast members appear to be wearing masks with these guidelines? I would have thought for a period of time when they first opened, guests would, too. Seems like if there's a ratio of 10-1 or 20-1 (or more) guests to cast members, having guests not wearing masks almost makes the cast member masks insignificant. Guests not wearing masks means a greater chance of spread. The data seems pretty clear on that - my mask protects others. Guess we'll see how that issue plays out.

I wondered about this, too, but I'm speculating that they will do everything in their power to avoid making guests wear masks. Let's face it, wearing a face mask when it's 95 degrees is not exactly pleasant. They would rather make their employees uncomfortable than the guests. It's all a part of trying to give guests as "normal" an experience as possible during a very abnormal time.

 

[AmishGuy91]

I wondered about this, too, but I'm speculating that they will do everything in their power to avoid making guests wear masks. Let's face it, wearing a face mask when it's 95 degrees is not exactly pleasant. They would rather make their employees uncomfortable than the guests. It's all a part of trying to give guests as "normal" an experience as possible during a very abnormal time.

And I can't imagine everyone sharing pictures with all the attendees wearing masks is something Disney would enjoy