Cruise and Theme Park Operational Updates due to Coronavirus

[0FF TO NEVERLAND]

Atlantis Bahamas is opening up July 7th and masks are “encouraged” except for a few situations where you can’t stand 6ft apart from someone.

That basically how it is out in the towns. I assume the parks themselves want them on at all times since its very hard to stay away from people in parks

 

[0FF TO NEVERLAND]

I don’t think true “post-covid” will happen for a long time. I think they will use the reservation system to manage capacity (and staff accordingly) until covid is no longer a threat. Which could be quite some time. I think they see managing capacity as a need for a while (not at 20/30% - graduating up to higher percentages.) I don’t think we will see NYE-size crowds for a very very long time.

If they are limiting capacity longer term, the reservation gives people peace of mind that they will get into a park that day, rather than everyone crowding at rope drop to be let in before the park hits the max.

There never will be a post-covid period. There will be a live with Covid period while getting completely back to normal. If they allowed maximum capacity for NYE this year, believe me, it would be maximum

 

[Marionnette]

Nowhere in that UK based FloridaTix article did it say anything about the reservation system running into 2021, unless i'm going mad! I've just read it numerous times because we've just rescheduled our December 2020 trip to April 2021 and were hoping things would be a bit more normal by then!

Quoting the article:

It has since been communicated to us that this reservation system will also be in use for 2021, so this will impact you if you have either purchased a ticket in full, or have made a booking by making a deposit payment.​

 

[yulilin3]

Can anyone walk me through the logic on the need for a reservation system pre-covid and why they’d want to keep it post-covid? MK is really the only park that ever hits capacity and that like a handful of days a year. So why create a solution to a problem that doesn’t exist?

like I've said several times. The number one complaint for the past 5-10 years is that the parks are crowded. This would give them a solution. They will cap attendance to where they can still make money but hopefully offer a better guest experience.
It will also help with appropriate staffing. They will cut CM to the bare minimum to serve whatever number of guests they are allowing in any specific day
At least that's my take

 

[MickeyWaffles]

There never will be a post-covid period. There will be a live with Covid period while getting completely back to normal. If they allowed maximum capacity for NYE this year, believe me, it would be maximum

I don’t think we will see “back to normal” crowds for a very very long time because I think Disney will be managing capacity long term. Not at 20/30%, but at higher percentages as time goes on. I don’t think we will see a crowd like NYE anytime soon, because I expect Disney to manage park capacity much differently going forward. My point is, I don’t think we will see a NYE-type crowd for a very long time, if ever again. Even when the demand is there.

 

[SaintsManiac]

Just remember that those of us on these boards have an advantage over everyone else! We always know before the general public does. We are the planners! I have full confidence in my abilities for anything WDW throws at me next year.

 

[RamblingMad]

Can anyone walk me through the logic on the need for a reservation system pre-covid and why they’d want to keep it post-covid? MK is really the only park that ever hits capacity and that like a handful of days a year. So why create a solution to a problem that doesn’t exist?

The old system had you pick out FPs in advance. You basically reserved yourself for where you got your FP. This isn’t a whole lot different.

While people may park hop, the end destination is usually EPCOT with its later hours and better dining options. You can walk to it from HS, and you can take a monorail over from MK. I don’t imagine a lot of hopping to and from AK given its location.

At the end of the day, your FP was pretty much a park reservation.

 

[JayhawkCruiser]

like I've said several times. The number one complaint for the past 5-10 years is that the parks are crowded. This would give them a solution. They will cap attendance to where they can still make money but hopefully offer a better guest experience.
It will also help with appropriate staffing. They will cut CM to the bare minimum to serve whatever number of guests they are allowing in any specific day
At least that's my take

That makes sense if they plan on raising ticket prices enough to make up for fewer guests. Which i’d expect. But I see a couple issues with that. 1) your daily loss in concessions and merchandise which can’t be made up as easily (people will only pay so much for a hot dog or pretzel, you can’t raise them all by $3 to make up for lost sales opportunities). And second while we may complain about crowd size, it certainly isn’t hurting demand. If park attendance was slipping it might make sense but why destroy value when your consumers are still willing to put up with crowded parks?

 

[hereforthechurros]

Quick reminder - can you still purchase APs at the moment?

 

[Krandor]

I don’t think we will see “back to normal” crowds for a very very long time because I think Disney will be managing capacity long term. Not at 20/30%, but at higher percentages as time goes on. I don’t think we will see a crowd like NYE anytime soon, because I expect Disney to manage park capacity much differently going forward. My point is, I don’t think we will see a NYE-type crowd for a very long time, if ever again. Even when the demand is there.

And the reservation system gives them the ability to adjust those if need be. That is why once they open I don't think they will close BUT if things get worse they will dial back the knobs on number of reservations allowed. This gives them a lot of flexibility to adjust things as needed

 

[yulilin3]

Quick reminder - can you still purchase APs at the moment?

it looks like it
https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/passes/

 

[MickeyWaffles]

And the reservation system gives them the ability to adjust those if need be. That is why once they open I don't think they will close BUT if things get worse they will dial back the knobs on number of reservations allowed. This gives them a lot of flexibility to adjust things as needed

Exactly.

 

[Krandor]

The old system had you pick out FPs in advance. You basically reserved yourself for where you got your FP. This isn’t a whole lot different.

While people may park hop, the end destination is usually EPCOT with its later hours and better dining options. You can walk to it from HS, and you can take a monorail over from MK. I don’t imagine a lot of hopping to and from AK given its location.

I have sometimes. Back before toy story land and SWGE, HS was basically a half day park and AK can kinda be too so I had days I would do DHS in the morning, go back and rest, then hit AK in the afternoon.

Once I use my 3 FPs and done "must do rides" for the day at a park, I'll sometimes can what FPs i can get at other parrks. Have no issues doing rides at 2 parks in a day.

 

[Farro]

Just remember that those of us on these boards have an advantage over everyone else! We always know before the general public does. We are the planners! I have full confidence in my abilities for anything WDW throws at me next year.

Yes!

But I do hope there is still some kind of perk for resort guests. That we (as long as we have tickets) can reserve parks before non-resort guests, like fast pass is (was!).

 

[RamblingMad]

Yes!

But I do hope there is still some kind of perk for resort guests. That we (as long as we have tickets) can reserve parks before non-resort guests, like fast pass is (was!).

This is why I prefer DL over WDW. I don’t want to pay up for a WDW resort room. It’s cheaper for me to stay at the Fairmont in Maui than it is to stay at the Poly. That makes no sense to me.

 

[chicagoshannon]

like I've said several times. The number one complaint for the past 5-10 years is that the parks are crowded. This would give them a solution. They will cap attendance to where they can still make money but hopefully offer a better guest experience.
It will also help with appropriate staffing. They will cut CM to the bare minimum to serve whatever number of guests they are allowing in any specific day
At least that's my take

One could argue that by reducing staff you're also reducing the experience. That has also been a huge complaint since FP+ has come online. They reduced staff and ride capacity so tight that the experience has suffered. They really need to increase staffing and ride capacity to ensure a good experience.

For example: Sea World has reduced the number of trains running for Mako. They have also reduced the capacity of each train (every other row etc.) This causes longer wait times and more problems with social distancing. What they need to do is make sure every train/ride vehicle is on the system so that even though each vehicle is loaded less they still get a good number of people through the ride. If Disney goes the same route as Sea World and Universal have there are going to be problems. They need to do the opposite of their first impulse to cheap out/diminish the experience. If they can show that they are doing well with it people will come back and quickly. If they consistently have extraordinary waits people will not come back and pay the high ticket price.

 

[wdwoutsider]

I was speaking with a TA and they said the travel restriction is for the New York Tri State Area only, not the entire three states? Would that make any sense? She people throughout the states not in the direct area have been given the green light to not quarantine.

Travel agents are wrong all the time and I mean they probably want it to be that way. It's the states not a region within them. Sounds like a travel agent who has customers they are just praying don't cancel and will say anything

 

[AmberMV]

Due to theme park capacity limits what's our over-under on whether the "good neighbor" hotels will no longer be extended WDW resort perks anymore?

 

[hereforthechurros]

Can anyone walk me through the logic on the need for a reservation system pre-covid and why they’d want to keep it post-covid? MK is really the only park that ever hits capacity and that like a handful of days a year. So why create a solution to a problem that doesn’t exist?

It is being rushed because of COVID and a need to watch capacity, but for long term use it will help spread crowds across parks more evenly and a better way for WDW to staff CMs accordingly. It lets WDW know exactly what they're getting into in terms of crowds and resources every day.

 

[hereforthechurros]

it looks like it
https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/passes/

We played with it last night and it let us add them to our cart and continue on to the next page, but wasn't sure if it will be blocked once we hit purchase. Hoping someone who purchased recently can weigh in!