Cruise and Theme Park Operational Updates due to Coronavirus

[tinkerhon]

This is an excellent point. People choose resorts for very specific reasons, and some of those reasons have nothing to do with cost. Proximity to parks, dining options, transportation options, bed configurations, overall feel/vibe of the resort, etc. Whether it's a move within category or an "upgrade" there are some people who won't be happy with the move regardless. So I do hope that Disney makes the resort decisions sooner rather than later and gives people enough time to cancel if they choose.

Agree, and might add - some pick certain resorts due to sentimental value, which might sound crazy to some, but to each, their own -

 

[woody337]

The website does say that things will be canceled within 7 days of check in if your resort is closed during your trip, and Disney did make sure to remove the language about other resorts opening the 11th.

So, you certainly have time to wait it out!

To me that sounds like if your resort is closed they wont relocate you? Will they not give the option of moving to an open resort?

 

[kverdon]

It's because it hasn't been figured out yet. It takes a lot to redo the operations of a massive machine like WDW. Be patient and know that you'll have your answers before they reopen. And since no one knows how it'll work, no one has an advantage. We're all on a level playing field. I'd like to know these answers too, but I don't, and as long as I do before I need to do anything, I really don't care.

Exactly, though it seems like a few months, it's only been a week since we got the announcement about WDW reopening and the situation has to stabilize a bit before they can sort it all out. I'm sure they are working on the attraction list as we speak and probably have been for months. It will probably be a week or 2 before reservations settle down. You have to believe a lot of people are cancelling or moving their reservations right now to get past July. I'm as frustrated as everyone else but am accepting that Disney is really in a "No Win" scenario. If they under promise what will be open they risk more people cancelling, it they over promise they'll have people with pitchforks and torches at Guest relations saying that they were PROMISED that such and such attraction or resort was going to be open. We'll get the info, I just don't think Disney has all of it yet.

 

[cmmelzer]

**My opinion is coming next...no i don't feel like arguing over it**

Maybe everyone should hold off on all the COVID panicking and see if any more spikes come in the next 7-10 days with all the riots. If there arent any spikes then lets be honest here things need to/should go back to more normal. Now if there are spikes in these cities then yes place like Disney and such should still be on the more careful end. But with how fast new deaths/new cases are trending downward and if no major spikes come from all of these riots where people are all over one another then i would hope all of these extreme measures taken by Disney would go away fairly quickly

 

[Sandisw]

To me that sounds like if your resort is closed they wont relocate you?

I think it is consistent with what has been done so far and also allows any proposed plan to move people to be scrapped.

 

[Wood Nymph]

Maybe everyone should hold off on all the COVID panicking and see if any more spikes come in the next 7-10 days with all the riots. If there arent any spikes then lets be honest here things need to/should go back to more normal.

That is exactly what I had been thinking, or at least hoping for.

 

[casaya95]

That is exactly what I had been thinking, or at least hoping for.

The main issue with this is that the unions are requiring masks, so loosening those kinds of restrictions would have to go through the union.

 

[Lord Fantasius]

It's because it hasn't been figured out yet. It takes a lot to redo the operations of a massive machine like WDW. Be patient and know that you'll have your answers before they reopen. And since no one knows how it'll work, no one has an advantage. We're all on a level playing field. I'd like to know these answers too, but I don't, and as long as I do before I need to do anything, I really don't care.

I agree in some sense, evino, but people's timeline for needing to know varies quite significantly. In my case, there will be airfares to rearrange, dog-sitters to reschedule, "virtual" summer school to work around, friends/family we were planning on visiting while in the area to reschedule and work around depending on their schedule, etc.; and if we do decide not to go, then our parents need to find other people to help them move, etc., and that's hard to do at the last minute (especially in this environment).

I understand to some people it's merely a "do I drive down tomorrow or this weekend" sort of decision, but to many of us, it's not. Additionally, most airlines are eliminating their "free" change allowance at the end of June so not hearing before then IS a big deal even though it will be right at the 7-day window before our reservation is supposed to begin.

As someone said in an earlier post, people on the Boards here tend to be more "Planners"...and some of us over-planners ...so the lack of information from Disney is REALLY frustrating to a lot of us!

 

[woody337]

I think it is consistent with what has been done so far and also allows any proposed plan to move people to be scrapped.

So even though they will be open, certain people cant go because they chose the wrong resort to book? With no options of changing it?

 

[yankeesfan123]

That is exactly what I had been thinking, or at least hoping for.

So if some young people gathering in a handful of cities don’t cause a spike, everything goes back to normal....? Ummmm

(sorry way off topic, all these posts replying to this comment will probably be deleted).

 

[yankeesfan123]

So even though they will be open, certain people cant go because they chose the wrong resort to book? With no options of changing it?

I think Disney doesn’t care right now.. fair or not... they don’t care at this moment.

But who knows.

 

[MusicalAstronaut]

I agree in some sense, evino, but people's timeline for needing to know varies quite significantly. In my case, there will be airfares to rearrange, dog-sitters to reschedule, "virtual" summer school to work around, friends/family we were planning on visiting while in the area to reschedule and work around depending on their schedule, etc.; and if we do decide not to go, then our parents need to find other people to help them move, etc., and that's hard to do at the last minute (especially in this environment).

I understand to some people it's merely a "do I drive down tomorrow or this weekend" sort of decision, but to many of us, it's not. Additionally, most airlines are eliminating their "free" change allowance at the end of June so not hearing before then IS a big deal even though it will be right at the 7-day window before our reservation is supposed to begin.

As someone said in an earlier post, people on the Boards here tend to be more "Planners"...and some of us over-planners ...so the lack of information from Disney is REALLY frustrating to a lot of us!

Definitely this. I called Delta to move my flight yet again, and the lady on the phone told me I wouldn't be able to move it after this because now I'm "booking" the flight outside of the window that allowed changes (for them it ended May 31st I guess). So even though my flight was purchased earlier, now I'm technically booking a new one, and won't be able to change it from here on out. So now I'll be in Orlando on July 17th, regardless of what Disney does, haha.

 

[Bibbobboo2u]

I think it is consistent with what has been done so far and also allows any proposed plan to move people to be scrapped.

Not sure I follow - can you explain? Thanks!

 

[Sandisw]

Not sure I follow - can you explain? Thanks!

Since the shut down, Disney policy has been that we will cancel your reservation if the resort remains closed,

Nothing officially confirmed, but Disney has been considering a plan to move people to open resorts vs. canceling,

So, if they change their mind, they can because the official policy as posted is cancel.

 

[hereforthechurros]

Am I wrong or was the 35% discount offered with the possibility to rebook for a later date with the discount as well? I assumed it was mostly offered to encourage people to rebook their trips with the comfort that they wouldn't lose the value of the free dining discount (well, depending on room occupancy and resort class since a fully occupied room at a value would likely see a bigger benefit from free dining than 35% off). I don't think that Disney wants people to keep their trips intact for a bit.

The 35% room discount is to replace the free dining plan on your currently booked trip and is being automatically applied. Since no one can book anything new we don't have an answer if it can be used on a future trip instead. I would like to know though since we would rather use it for our December trip and cancel the August trip they applied it too.

 

[Bibbobboo2u]

Since the shut down, Disney policy has been that we will cancel your reservation if the resort remains closed,

Nothing officially confirmed, but Disney has been considering a plan to move people to open resorts vs. canceling,

So, if they change their mind, they can because the official policy as posted is cancel.

Thanks for explaining

 

[mhautz]

It's because it hasn't been figured out yet. It takes a lot to redo the operations of a massive machine like WDW. Be patient and know that you'll have your answers before they reopen. And since no one knows how it'll work, no one has an advantage. We're all on a level playing field. I'd like to know these answers too, but I don't, and as long as I do before I need to do anything, I really don't care.

I guess my point is that Disney needs more information as well. We are in a stalemate where we wait for info before deciding what we're going to do and Disney doesn't want to make plans/release info until they have a better idea of their guests intend to do. Maybe they hope and fully expect a certain percentage will cancel, but it's just not happening. Forcing people to essentially re-book will allow them to weed out those who were probably gonna drop their reservations.

 

[Krandor]

Question: which do you think is a bigger concern, potential covid lawsuits or the really bad optics/pr/impact to attendance that would come with any perception of WDW contributing to an outbreak? As has been pointed out, would be really hard to prove you got it at Disney. I think they have a legal obligation to protect their workers, hence the contract with the union laying out mask requirements etc. At the same time they have been pretty explicit in saying if you come here you are assuming the risks associated with covid. Any lawyers in the crowd, is that warning enough to protect them?
BUT if an outbreak starts, and people start to blame it on WDW and people avoid WDW in droves or the company gets bad PR isnt that harder to recover from? I think that’s what all the stringent safety measures are for. It’s “health theater” at a point but needed for appearances sake

Not a lawyer but a disclaimer like that is not a blanket waiver. You can still get sued if negligence can be proved. Now yes for something like that it is going to be harder to prove but it has been done (an outbreak in GA was traced back to a specific funeral).

Now as for the disclaimer not covering everything as an example I do obstacle course races and we sign "death waivers" at the start Of every race. One race (Tough Mudder) did get sued over bad safety procedures that led to a death and ultimately settled. This isn't that case but a good example of what would and wouldn't be covered. Let's say there is an obstacle to climb up a cargo net. If I slip and fall and am injured the waviver protects them since I assumed the risks. On the other hand if they didn't attach the net properly at the top and it comes loose and falls down and I'm injured then the waiver isn't likely to apply because the accident was a result of their being negligent in not building the obstacle properly and safely.

 

[Tjddis]

But I completely agree...majority of what they are doing is for "health theatre," though if it does reduce/eliminate even one case of COVID-19 that leads to death (morbid thought, I admit) due to everyone taking extra precautions, it probably is worth it all-around at this point. But in the end, people have to assess the risks and take responsibility for their own lives at some point.

We are on the same page. I am in favor of both taking precautions as well as letting people make their own decisions based on personal risk

 

[Lord Fantasius]

I guess my point is that Disney needs more information as well. We are in a stalemate where we wait for info before deciding what we're going to do and Disney doesn't want to make plans/release info until they have a better idea of their guests intend to do. Maybe they hope and fully expect a certain percentage will cancel, but it's just not happening. Forcing people to essentially re-book will allow them to weed out those who were probably gonna drop their reservations.

True...like a very slow moving chess game where both players have their hands on multiple pieces at the same time just waiting for the other one to start moving a piece. The problem is, many of us that are booked in that early July window were doing so to catch the tail end of the free dining offered back in January. We're all waiting for Disney to take the next step and see what they are offering to offset their loyal guests from "losing" the offer we capitalized on. Truthfully, Disney could play hard-ball and say, "Sorry, you're SOL, better luck next year," but they would lose a ton of PR points in the process (and future revenue). On the other hand, they are being very judicious in offering it (in lieu of just sending out a blanket offer) to keep from offering it to anyone that would cancel anyways. So yes, it's a very slow moving post/repost counter-play.