Cruise and Theme Park Operational Updates due to Coronavirus

[Searc]

See I would be happy to wait if I knew waiting didn’t cause me to miss out on the partial refund. I have been waiting for more information to come, but with the pass extensions and some saying refunds will have to be requested before that that I am now pushing the issue further.

Not coming with pitchforks here, just protecting my own interests.

Being proactive is good, until Disney tells you "sorry, we can't do anything with that until xx date, so you'll have to wait until then". Do you trust them or believe it is the typical clueless phone CM?

 

[dina444444]

FYI to premier passholders, my pass just updated in MDE (no update on the Disneyland app yet). It added 125 days, which is long Disneyland will have been closed for. I did my premier pass upgrade at a Disneyland ticket booth for reference.

 

[Mit88]

I think we are assuming this is it. They may have decided only to do the 4 months because they don’t anticipate there being the issue when things open up...or, they want to see if there is before giving more.

Until people actually have an issue, I think we need to wait. Yes, when things roll out and there are a lot of limits and Disney takes a hard line then, people should complain.

Too early, IMO.

But it’s always good to prepare for worst case scenarios, as we’ve seen for the last few months, not even with just Disney.

It was apparently “Too early” to prepare for COVID in January as well.

If Disney does well by their AP holders, great. But what have we honestly seen from decision making that is better than what was expected?

 

[Krandor]

I agree. And have they actually said there won’t be any park hopping during the entire reservation system? If I get to EPCOT at 11am, I’m probably going to leave at 5pm at the latest. That would free up a spot if they’ll allow people with park hopper tickets to make same day reservations while they’re in another park. All Disney will need to do is ask me on my way out if I’m planning to renter that day (just like they used to when they had to stamp your hand for reentry).

They actually haven't even said there won't be park hopping. I think it's unlikely there will be but it wasn't been stated at all

 

[lovethesun12]

It takes a long time to build a reputation but takes moments to lose it! They've removed DDP, they've removed menu items, they've increased food prices, they've removed the 21 day pass for UK guests (we stay for 21 days) I never ever thought id feel bad towards Disney as all my happiest family memories are tied up there, but i really feel they are taking our loyalty to the limit. I know Universal inst as big but they've managed their reopening quietly,efficiently and safely.

I know that's all true, but what I'm saying is, while that will cause people to complain, will it actually stop people from going? I don't think it will because they have so effectively marketed the brand to our emotions. We might complain about it but just like every single thing everyone ever complains about with Disney - crowds still just keep increasing.

It's entirely possible their crowds will be lower when they reopen but I think that will be a result of worry about covid-19, not that people are mad with Disney. Once there's a vaccination or we forget about covid crowds will return to normal and probably start to increase again.

 

[Eric Smith]

See I would be happy to wait if I knew waiting didn’t cause me to miss out on the partial refund. I have been waiting for more information to come, but with the pass extensions and some saying refunds will have to be requested before that that I am now pushing the issue further.

Not coming with pitchforks here, just protecting my own interests.

Oh, I'm not saying anything like that. If I was in your situation, I would be calling to request the refund.

I'm just saying that there's no point in getting too upset about what the policy may be (and probably the worst case of what it could be) before the policy is actually released. All we know is that some passes were extended by the exact amount of the closure days in MDE. It's not beneficial to get angry until we know what the policy is.

That last part is for the previous poster, not you.

 

[woody337]

This is probably going to sound snotty and I really don't mean it that way, at all, but what is there to plan besides dining? There are currently no fastpasses, most special events have been canceled, no parades or fireworks and some places will be closed. Other than knowing where you'll be staying, there isn't anything TO plan right now.

Uhh yeah there is......you know actually getting into a park.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Ah but did they specific WHICH Thursday?

clearly a Thursday that is SOON!

 

[Moliphino]

This is probably going to sound snotty and I really don't mean it that way, at all, but what is there to plan besides dining? There are currently no fastpasses, most special events have been canceled, no parades or fireworks and some places will be closed. Other than knowing where you'll be staying, there isn't anything TO plan right now.

I agree. It does feel super weird to not have anything to plan, though.

 

[koszmok]

They actually haven't even said there won't be park hopping. I think it's unlikely there will be but it wasn't been stated at all

I do think they will allow it but you won`t be able to book it in advance. If on the given day there`s still availability in another park you would be able to make same day reservation. Maybe only allow it after 4pm or so... but you`d be in another park (probably) longer and you`d spend more money...

 

[AmberMV]

Today as of 18/06/2020

Why are we not collectively speculating on this possible SOON being NOW???

 

[Magical Courtney]

This is probably going to sound snotty and I really don't mean it that way, at all, but what is there to plan besides dining? There are currently no fastpasses, most special events have been canceled, no parades or fireworks and some places will be closed. Other than knowing where you'll be staying, there isn't anything TO plan right now.

Well for me, I’m already expecting to not be able to get 6 park reservation days (that’s the length of my trip) so I was going to do a few days at Universal. I would like to get those tickets in advance and know where I’ll be during my trip. I think I also want to know how many park days I’ll get because if I can only get 1 or 2 it’s a waste for me to drive down.

 

[Eric Smith]

But it’s always good to prepare for worst case scenarios, as we’ve seen for the last few months, not even with just Disney.

It was apparently “Too early” to prepare for COVID in January as well.

If Disney does well by their AP holders, great. But what have we honestly seen from decision making that is better than what was expected?

There's a difference in being prepared for the worst and getting angry over what the worst could be. If I was in the situation where I had a stay in mid-July, I probably would have cancelled/postponed in this situation because of all the uncertainty. We actually cancelled our April trip before the parks closed because we saw the way the COVID situation was heading, although I wouldn't have predicted that I would end up working from home for the past four months with no end in sight.

I don't think there's much point in being angry about this situation. This is a disaster that the world hasn't seen the likes of in the last century. It's not a permanent situation. I haven't seen an organization that has handled all of the change perfectly. There are going to be mis-steps. We all should just try to stay informed and make the best decision for our situations based on the information available.

Once Disney actually makes announcements of what they are doing, then it makes sense to get upset if their policies are bad. It's not helpful or healthy to get upset based on rumors and conjecture.

 

[Mit88]

Oh, I'm not saying anything like that. If I was in your situation, I would be calling to request the refund.

I'm just saying that there's no point in getting too upset about what the policy may be (and probably the worst case of what it could be) before the policy is actually released. All we know is that some passes were extended by the exact amount of the closure days in MDE. It's not beneficial to get angry until we know what the policy is.

That last part is for the previous poster, not you.

Why would anyone call to request a refund when you dont know what the refund is? There is no standard they legally have to meet for a refund. They could send you a $5 Disney gift card and call it a refund if they choose to. Going in blind when making a decision of Refund vs Extension is the issue for myself and DGsAtBLT. I’m able to get the Gold card with my DVC, so its not a huge deal for me. But I’m fully understanding of people that have the Platinuim pass that costs 1,200 dollars per person and are now rumored to lose out on many of the perks that had them buying those passes in the first place.

We can keep saying “stop complaining until things are official” but then they become official and you’ll say “stop complaining, at least theres still a park to go to”. This is a rumor thread on a page dedicated to a vacationing spot that costs ALOT of money. I think people are as entitled to being upset as they are the people saying they’re not upset

 

[Searc]

Uhh yeah there is......you know actually getting into a park.

Except you can't do that right now.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

I think you're attitude is exactly the attitude Disney has, and that's the problem.

I've been on this board a very, very long time. Not once have I even hinted I might not go back. I've always thought it was foolish to make a grand announcement that you are quitting Disney and I still do. If I end up not going back, there won't be a post like that from me. I'll just quit going and stop reading here.

But it's not just those who swear off Disney that can hurt them. Those who are opting to try other things in the Orlando area can be damaging as well. Disney has always been our exclusive vacation. Once on property we don't leave and we don't go anywhere else after that but home. I am now fully willing to try what else there is out there. What I definitely know, is Disney won't be the only place I visit. I still have the same amount of vacation money I allot, so instead of Disney getting it all, they'll have to share. They may or may not have lost me entirely, but they have definitely lost my loyalty to them exclusively.

They used to fight to keep guests like me, maybe they don' care anymore. But then, neither do I.

Plus if the people who are basically their biggest advocates are now, at a minimum, less of an advocate, it hurts word of mouth advertising, etc.

Now, maybe Disney doesn't care about that as they figure they want to reduce # of guests for a while and then before long will have the draw of the 50th anniversary stuff - but at some point they will want more guests to come than are coming and then they will go back to the passholders with incentives to come back and "get those Disney feels" again and go back to being advocate ... but once you loose someone it is harder to get them back

 

[woody337]

Except you can't do that right now.

Plan for alternatives. I really think there are some people here that look for arguments

 

[Jenchills]

They’re not required to do anything, especially if they’re going to be giving your money back if you decline the move (most likely with a discount on a future booking).

And that price quoted for the NBA is from a Yahoo article, mistaking the price of GDT with a picture of Poly. No one knows for sure what the NBA is actually paying for rooms.

For me, the issue is the tickets. It's more than the hotel anyway. If they refund my tickets too I would be ok with it. But I will be stuck with the tickets, upset and not wanting to give disney my money at a later time. Personally, it's the first time we have stayed at a value. We are super lucky our employment hasn't been affected to this point, but given the economic ramifications of this will be lasting, there is a chance that that can change even after the pandemic is controlled (if it ever is....). Given that uncertainty, we chose to try to get out of our house and do it in a more financially responsible way, but still do something fun and special. Sucks.

 

[Eric Smith]

Why would anyone call to request a refund when you dont know what the refund is? There is no standard they legally have to meet for a refund. They could send you a $5 Disney gift card and call it a refund if they choose to. Going in blind when making a decision of Refund vs Extension is the issue for myself and DGsAtBLT. I’m able to get the Gold card with my DVC, so its not a huge deal for me. But I’m fully understanding of people that have the Platinuim pass that costs 1,200 dollars per person and are now rumored to lose out on many of the perks that had them buying those passes in the first place.

We can keep saying “stop complaining until things are official” but then they become official and you’ll say “stop complaining, at least theres still a park to go to”. This is a rumor thread on a page dedicated to a vacationing spot that costs ALOT of money. I think people are as entitled to being upset as they are the people saying they’re not upset

They announced that AP holders had the option of getting a 1:1 extension of the annual pass based on the number of days that the parks are closed or request a prorated refund for the amount of time that the parks are closed. I think the latter is what the previous poster is talking about.

You're making a bunch of assumptions and getting yourself angry.

 

[LSUmiss]

8am on a Thursday 450ish people in queue seems like a lot to me lol

With no parks open. Which to me confirms they are overbooked for July capacity & they’re trying to get ppl to cancel as we have suspected.