When will Disney open

Okay!

Clarification here.

Does this qualify as the opening or is it when one of the parks and resorts open?

(I'm still hoping to win this going with June 4th)
 
Okay!

Clarification here.

Does this qualify as the opening or is it when one of the parks and resorts open?

(I'm still hoping to win this going with June 4th)

To me, tiggerdad, WDW "opening" is when you have to pay over $100/day on average (FL Annual Passes not withstanding) for a theme park ticket. So no this is not WDW Opening to me....

And although DS is a partial start, who's going to be the guests there walking around buying or eating if the parks are still closed? Orlando locals? Maybe. But is that enough?

Bama Ed
 
OP's request was a game. Guess the date and see who is right. I just realized I hadn't done that in my prior posts.

I'm going with June 14th.

I, too, lost focus on the OP purpose. Sorry to diverge.

I’m going with July 4th. And that includes at least one theme park and three resorts including FW...
 


Okay, this will be a long post and some will agree and others will not. I get that. But the ogfalconsr family is about fed up with the covid19 stuff. It might be cool if a few more letters and emails get to Chapek. The letter comes from the perspective of my son who currently serves in the Air Force but assisted by me in the formulation of the correspondence.

Mr. Chapek:
Sir, I hope this email makes it through your spam filters and email sorters. I'll do my absolute best not to waste your time, as I'm certain you are busier now than ever before.

My intent of this email message is to let Disney leadership know how valuable your parks are to the physical, mental, and emotional well-being of American families (not to mention the economic viability of Florida, various Airlines, and the United States). I'm sure you already know this, but Disney World is more than a simple place, vacation destination, amusement park, or series of hotels and restaurants; Disney World is an experience unlike any other. Disney World is an ideal that represents the best of America; based on Walt's motto to "Dream, Believe, Dare, and Do," Disney World gives Americans hope and brings joy to millions of families from around the world every year. Americans need Disney to stand strong; Americans need Disney to be a beacon of hope. Americans need Disney World to be the example for all others to follow, and to re-open soon.

All across the USA and the World, we're fighting many invisible enemies. In addition to, and arguably more severe than C19, we're trying to combat the invisible enemies of isolation, fear of the unknown, sadness, depression, economic hardship, and many other problems associated with stay-at-home orders and the closure of our favorite destination spots. Humans are social creatures; take away our ability to socialize, and we begin to crumble. Disney World helps defeat all of these invisible enemies. Disney World gives Americans the outlet we all need to cope with a crazy and unstable world around us; in short, it lets us escape the harsh realities we live in, by magically transporting us to a different world, altogether. Families from across the globe make unforgettable memories at Disney World. I still vividly remember my childhood memories from our countless Disney trips; and I now get to share those same memories with my children. Simply put, without the Wonderful World of Disney, millions of Americans are left without a healthy outlet in which to enjoy the magic of fantasy with our families.

We all know that C19 is scary. However, we've learned that initial models greatly overestimated the severity of the virus. Currently, 1.17 million Americans have contracted the Coronavirus, while, sadly, 68,279 have succumbed to its effects. Yet, in the US alone, 5% to 20% of the entire population of 328.2 million Americans (16.4 million Americans to 65.6 million Americans), get the flu every year. In 2017 and 2018, 79,000 Americans died from the flu...and this is WITH a vaccine. So far, we've only attacked C19 with proper sanitation techniques and social distancing, while we await a vaccine. And because of the American spirit, we're winning.

Let me be clear, though; I'm not downplaying the severity of C19. As I mentioned above, it is, indeed, an invisible enemy. And an enemy that we must continue to battle...but we can't battle it while sitting idle on the sidelines, and we can't have the cure be worse than the illness (I think about the pharmaceutical commercials, where the list of side-effects is far longer than the actual "cure" provided by the medicine.) We have to stand up, get back on the horse, and move forward. Walt always said to "keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths." We can't move forward if we don't actually move. We can't open new doors if the Disney Parks are closed. We have a new path right in front of us; we just need to walk down that path. Because if we don't walk down the path; if we let C19 get the better of us; we won't be able to defeat the more severe invisible enemies.

Truthfully, Disney World doesn't shut down every year during the flu season. That would be ridiculous. This practice would send shockwaves around the world; thousands of Disney workers would be out of jobs, and millions of families would be disappointed (not mention the billions in revenue lost). Why is the current situation any different? Why can we not open Disney World soon? Today? Next Week? Americans have done the right thing; we've stayed inside; we've teleworked; we've washed our hands' we've worn our masks. And now we're ready for Disney World! We can still combat C19 and be socially responsible inside WDW.

Mr. Chapek, Americans are curious. Walt knew this. Americans are ready to let that "curiosity lead us down new paths." Due to our own curiosity, my Dad and I have been talking non-stop about our upcoming trip to WDW. We thought of some ideas that may help to re-open the parks sooner. (You have folks WAY smarter than us, so feel free to skip ahead...you've probably thought about this ad nauseam). If you care to read on, here is what we developed:

1. As of today, Disney World could open the Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, and at least one water park at 25% capacity (with 50% capacity beginning on May 15th). [EPCOT would probably need to remain closed because of the international employees (but 14-day quarantines for workers before returning to work, could be an option)].
A. Only open the parks to those guests staying at Disney Resorts.
B. All Guests would utilize magic bands to avoid contact with credit cards or cash.
C. Have sanitation stations at all ride exits.
D. Maintain social distancing while in line (no problem with <50% capacity).
E. Masks would be required for WDW cast members (and possibly all guests, as well).
F. All WDW cast members are checked for symptoms before their shifts.
G. All guests are checked for symptoms as they enter the parks.
2. All Disney World Resorts could open immediately. Extra sanitation would be required.
3. Restaurants could open immediately, but only for guests with reservations (and will utilize social distancing.)
A. Buffets could remain open, but guests would be served by WDW staff.
4. Guests could sign releases of liability during check-in at each WDW Resort. (Since only guests of an on-property WDW resort would be allowed to enter a park, this should work)

In closing, I'd like to leave you with a personal story. As a family, we've visited WDW over 20 times. My parents took me there as a child, my wife and I had our Honeymoon there, and now we get to bring our own children to WDW, as well. The trip we have planned (with an arrival date of June 1st) will be our second trip where we will have three generations of Disney fanatics at the park at the same time. We've been planning this trip for well over 2 years (we started planning this trip, just after returning from our previous WDW trip in 2017), and it has been a constant source of discussion, hope, and excitement for that entire time. Based on the age of my parents, this may be our last opportunity to visit the parks, together. Frankly, we need this trip. Since January, we've lost my brother-in-law, my adopted grandfather and grandmother, and my father-in-law has been moved to hospice care. We've battled stay-at-home orders, cancelled school, an uncertain financial environment, and even a DOD Stop Movement Order (which I hope gets removed, or I can't travel with my family). We spent well over $15,000 dollars for this trip, and cannot move it to a later date, due to civilian vacation dates and our children's new school year. But we're not alone. As I read the Disney blogs, I see that there are thousands and thousands of families just like us. As Americans, we can and will defeat C19; but we can't surrender to our fears nor allow our entire way of life to change forever. That's easy for me to say; I'm not running a multi-billion dollar company; you got me there. But, you should know that the American people are with you, and will support you. I know the ogfalconsr family and our friends will.

Thanks for taking the time to read this email. From the 6 members of the ogfalconsr Family, we greatly appreciate your time and leadership through these tough times.
 
None of it would be that easy. I wish it was, but it isn't. Not going to derail this thread from the game it was intended to be.

Send letter to the Governor. Disney can't budge until the state in which it resides says it can.

I still say June 4th.
 
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From a park ranger at one of the state parks here in Florida, when we accidentally trespassed onto state park property during a sunrise walk on the beach.

I suppose he could have just meant they were opening for day use only. I should have made my question more specific. But, since many of our state parks have opened for day use, I assumed he meant for camping, but he definitely told me that was the date they were opening with phase 2. I was surprised it was so soon after phase 1.

I notice we still have many day use only parks still closed (mostly springs) so maybe camping will not be until a further phase? Not sure. Only thing I'm positive of is that particular park and others will be open on Monday the 11th for some activities. I'm sure the ranger knew what he was talking about.

Okay, I suppose it will have to be renamed Phase 1b, but we are getting more things opening Monday 11th here in Florida. We now have barber shops, salons, and nail places. Haven't heard any mention of state parks, so interested in what additional capacity some (or all) of them will open on Monday.
 


Looks like they pushed all new reservations to July 1 that put me in a tough spot cancel and go with back up plans or keep Disney plans and hope they open.
 
I can't recall my guess but I say MID June so that there ARE guests on 4th of July, which feels like a bit of American Normalcy.
I think they will watch Shanghai for 4-6 weeks to see what happens with spacing and PROFITS.
 
I am afraid wearing a mask in Florida in July and August is going to be so so hot.

Yep, when Disney opens and folks are wearing these masks it'll be an interesting situation. However, at least the masks might help cover the smell some.
 
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Our family continues to reach out on status of our reservations. Ours starts June 1 and as of 6pm et today our res,FPs, dining are all still intact with magic bands in our possession. We even reached out to our travel agent who says so far all is well. Being optimistic so we are still shooting for a June 1 open.::MickeyMo::MinnieMo
 

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