Cruise and Theme Park Operational Updates due to Coronavirus

[Eric Smith]

2nd week of November hours released, stays the same as October and first week of Nov

Are these hours set in stone or could they be modified in the future?

 

[CastAStone]

Are these hours set in stone or could they be modified in the future?

For November? In normal times you see them modify park hours the for the upcoming month late in the month prior, with occasionally minor one off extensions beyond that. So you never know.

 

[CastAStone]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1299461729626226690

Aren't they keeping Hard Rock and Cabana open?

 

[rteetz]

Aren't they keeping Hard Rock and Cabana open?

Yes

 

[Wreckem]

Aren't they keeping Hard Rock and Cabana open?

Endless Summer
Cabana Bay
Royal Pacific
Hard Rock

Are the only hotels open through the remainder of the year.

Hard Rock can be had for less than $200 a night the week of Xmas if you have a UOAP. That tells you their bookings are terrible. Last year said rooms were full rack the last two weeks of a December.

If Universal is discounting this much I wonder if Disney will follow suit. I am now longer staying on property at Disney for my Xmas trip.

Over $270 a night for Pop or over $400 a night Gran Destino and less than $200 a night for Hard Rock. The choice is easy and a no brainer.

 

[Mit88]

I typically sanitize my hands often at home, but I think I’ve already exceeded the amount of sanitizing in the last 2 days at the parks than I have in the last 5 months combined. They’re not obnoxiously everywhere in the parks, but they’re perfectly placed where your mind just says “oh, let me sanitize real quick”. Very impressed.

 

[MrsBooch]

I’m sure they will extend the hours for Thanksgiving week and the two weeks at Xmas and New Years. Will they be the crazy extended hours they use to be? No, but I bet they open earlier and close later than they are currently slated for.

yes I think the same way Labor Day hours were extended - other “holiday” weeks will follow suite

 

[princesscinderella]

https://apple.news/Aq_Akvu2pTdOfLM9evfe7fw
This is a nice surprise for all going to magic kingdom during Halloween. I loved seeing all the creative costumes when we went to a Halloween party. Here’s hoping it’s not so hot.

 

[gottalovepluto]

Welp. Not proud of it after the AP crap but with DLR closed to infinity and beyond I’ve got a Fall trip to *gulp* WDW booked... I just can’t say no guys!

 

[Mit88]

Was pretty crowded at DHS today. Not like it’ll be next weekend, but still pretty busy. Probably the most crowded I’ve seen it since my trip right after TSL opened. But not so much as you’d assume with 2 full buckets. They’re absolutely ready to expand capacity. Any time I saw a nose poking, a CM was right there to ninja ask them to pull it up.

Security was a breeze with the new scanners. Ive heard how fantastic they are, but I was blown away by how quick and easy it is. And having done the old scanners at the Poly yesterday and the new ones today, its just a night and day difference. Circumstances that brought changes like this to the forefront are tragic and unfortunate, but this change is something thats going to make a huge impact, in a good way, for when the parks get back to normal and how quick they’ll be able to funnel guests in.

Lines were pretty steady throughout the day. 30-60 for RnrC and ToT. Slinky 30-55. MMRR 45-65. Never dropped below 35 that I saw, but it was 15 min when I hoped on a 2nd time at night. MF35-45. TSM 10-20. Star Tours 10-15.

I got on everything at least once and took a 2.5 hour break from around 230-5. It rained as soon as I got on ToT but was done about 2 min after I got off. They were very vigilant in the gift shop making sure everyone was keeping distant while they were waiting out the rain.

it’s hard to make that comparison you keep hearing “it’s safer than a grocery store” because it’s apples and oranges. But I have felt more safe in the 2 parks thus far than I have in bigbrick and mortar stores. For example, no one follows the directions on the floor at any store where I live. “Please stand here” or “one way” aisles. I even found myself crossing the “please stand here” sticker in the Haunted Mansion queue at first. I was still 6 feet away from the people in front of me, but I didn’t realize they were placed with the people going the other way of the switchback in mind. Then I saw how everyone else was standing and scooted back to where I was supposed to be. If people were an inch ahead of the stickers, that’s all they were, and it was seldom. No was ever within 5’11 from me either behind, nor in front. The only issue, and its not really something that’s Disney’s fault is on some rides, in some queues (I noticed this on Pirates, and RotR) there are some corners where you cant see if the person is the next spot up and you can move up.

And as I stated above, hand sanitizing stations arent just piled up everywhere destroying the theming of the parks, though I did get a good laugh from one of the First Order officers in the rise queue when he said “and use some of the galactic hand sanitizer, if you’d like”. Its almost like they know when people are going to feel they need to re-up on the sanitizer instead of making guests feel like they’re being bombarded with it, or that they have to go out of their way to search for one. Hand washing stations are a little scarce, but they still have them around.

. Rise of the Resistance, with all of its technological flaws of not being able to be running all day without a hitch is a real problem, but theres no denying that its an impeccable attraction. Hopefully in a few years they’ll let you ride it more than once in a day. Mickey and Minnie Runaway Railway, while not anything spectacular, is a very fun attraction, and suitable replacement for GMR. Sorry, even as a gigantic movie fan, the ride was dated and it was only widely popular when they announced its closure. We all knew it was eventually gonna go, and I’m not sure if they updated it it would even fit into the aesthetic of the current feel of the park. MMRR was worth the 55 min wait this afternoon, and 15 min wait at park close, but I probably wouldn’t wait 55 minutes for it once I’ve ridden it a few more times. Its something I’d wait 25-30 min for, max.

But all in all, for my first full day in the parks, it was a very smooth from start to finish. Hope it keeps up for MK tomorrow, AK Sunday, Islands of Adventure on Monday, and Epcot on Tuesday.

 

[one_cat]

Was pretty crowded at DHS today. Not like it’ll be next weekend, but still pretty busy. Probably the most crowded I’ve seen it since my trip right after TSL opened. But not so much as you’d assume with 2 full buckets. They’re absolutely ready to expand capacity. Any time I saw a nose poking, a CM was right there to ninja ask them to pull it up.

Security was a breeze with the new scanners. Ive heard how fantastic they are, but I was blown away by how quick and easy it is. And having done the old scanners at the Poly yesterday and the new ones today, its just a night and day difference. Circumstances that brought changes like this to the forefront are tragic and unfortunate, but this change is something thats going to make a huge impact, in a good way, for when the parks get back to normal and how quick they’ll be able to funnel guests in.

Lines were pretty steady throughout the day. 30-60 for RnrC and ToT. Slinky 30-55. MMRR 45-65. Never dropped below 35 that I saw, but it was 15 min when I hoped on a 2nd time at night. MF35-45. TSM 10-20. Star Tours 10-15.

I got on everything at least once and took a 2.5 hour break from around 230-5. It rained as soon as I got on ToT but was done about 2 min after I got off. They were very vigilant in the gift shop making sure everyone was keeping distant while they were waiting out the rain.

it’s hard to make that comparison you keep hearing “it’s safer than a grocery store” because it’s apples and oranges. But I have felt more safe in the 2 parks thus far than I have in bigbrick and mortar stores. For example, no one follows the directions on the floor at any store where I live. “Please stand here” or “one way” aisles. I even found myself crossing the “please stand here” sticker in the Haunted Mansion queue at first. I was still 6 feet away from the people in front of me, but I didn’t realize they were placed with the people going the other way of the switchback in mind. Then I saw how everyone else was standing and scooted back to where I was supposed to be. If people were an inch ahead of the stickers, that’s all they were, and it was seldom. No was ever within 5’11 from me either behind, nor in front. The only issue, and its not really something that’s Disney’s fault is on some rides, in some queues (I noticed this on Pirates, and RotR) there are some corners where you cant see if the person is the next spot up and you can move up.

And as I stated above, hand sanitizing stations arent just piled up everywhere destroying the theming of the parks, though I did get a good laugh from one of the First Order officers in the rise queue when he said “and use some of the galactic hand sanitizer, if you’d like”. Its almost like they know when people are going to feel they need to re-up on the sanitizer instead of making guests feel like they’re being bombarded with it, or that they have to go out of their way to search for one. Hand washing stations are a little scarce, but they still have them around.

. Rise of the Resistance, with all of its technological flaws of not being able to be running all day without a hitch is a real problem, but theres no denying that its an impeccable attraction. Hopefully in a few years they’ll let you ride it more than once in a day. Mickey and Minnie Runaway Railway, while not anything spectacular, is a very fun attraction, and suitable replacement for GMR. Sorry, even as a gigantic movie fan, the ride was dated and it was only widely popular when they announced its closure. We all knew it was eventually gonna go, and I’m not sure if they updated it it would even fit into the aesthetic of the current feel of the park. MMRR was worth the 55 min wait this afternoon, and 15 min wait at park close, but I probably wouldn’t wait 55 minutes for it once I’ve ridden it a few more times. Its something I’d wait 25-30 min for, max.

But all in all, for my first full day in the parks, it was a very smooth from start to finish. Hope it keeps up for MK tomorrow, AK Sunday, Islands of Adventure on Monday, and Epcot on Tuesday.

Thanks for the great report. I am getting concerned about crowd levels when we get there in late September.

 

[Dentam]

Went ahead and swapped our first two park days for our LD week trip after seeing that all buckets are now full for AK on Sunday. Switched to Epcot on Sunday and AK on LD. We'll just deal with whatever crowds we encounter the best that we can and leave if it's too bad. Hopefully it won't come to that.

 

[Mit88]

Thanks for the great report. I am getting concerned about crowd levels when we get there in late September.

Dont be. I have every bit of confidence that they will be able to adjust and continue to make it a special experience. I’d be lying if I said I wasnt concerned about what I was walking into, even if I tried to talk with absolute optimism, there was still a piece in the back of my mind that wondered if these glowing reports were just a mirage. They truly aren’t. Things havent been perfect, but they’re damn near close enough. After seeing how the CMs have been handling crowds, and how well in line guest have been, even with an increase in guests, I truly believe they wouldn’t do it if they didnt know they were capable of keeping up with it.

 

[JaxDad]

I found this interesting, and a bit ironic...

https://www.wsj.com/articles/chinas...om-as-tourists-have-nowhere-to-go-11598693400

 

[pixieprincess925]

I was just looking at my plans for late September. I have ADR at liberty tree tavern at 6:25 which I got at 60 days out. Now park hours changed and MK closes at 6. Will the restaurant still be open at 6:25? Or will that ADR be " magically" cancelled before my trip? Anybody know?

 

[Marionnette]

I was just looking at my plans for late September. I have ADR at liberty tree tavern at 6:25 which I got at 60 days out. Now park hours changed and MK closes at 6. Will the restaurant still be open at 6:25? Or will that ADR be " magically" cancelled before my trip? Anybody know?

I know that when I made my ADRs for October this week, many of the MK restaurants still had times available for after the park closes. I’m talking an hour or more after closing. I don’t know if it was an IT mistake that they haven’t updated the times but I wasn’t taking any chances. My ADRs are for just prior to the park closing.

 

[Ariel 1715]

I know that when I made my ADRs for October this week, many of the MK restaurants still had times available for after the park closes. I’m talking an hour or more after closing. I don’t know if it was an IT mistake that they haven’t updated the times but I wasn’t taking any chances. My ADRs are for just prior to the park closing.

I was told by a cast member that some of the restaurants were going to be open up to 1 hour after park closing. Here is the list of the ones that will NOT be open according to the cast member...
At this time these are the locations that will NOT be staying open late. · Jungle Navigation Co. LTD Skipper Canteen
· The Plaza Restaurant
· Tony's Town Square Restaurant
· Biergarten Restaurant
· Coral Reef Restaurant
· Garden Grill Restaurant
· La Hacienda de San Angel
· Le Cellier Steakhouse
· Rose & Crown Dining Room
· San Angel Inn Restaurante
· Spice Road Table
· Tutto Italia Ristorante
· Via Napoli Ristorante e Pizzeria
· Mama Melrose's Ristorante Italiano
· The Hollywood Brown Derby
· Rainforest Cafe at Disney's Animal Kingdom
· Tiffins Restaurant
Yak & Yeti

 

[IceSkatingPrincess]

Final thoughts now vs Week 2 post - EPCOT on a Friday night

We got to Epcot around 4 and did rides first in an attempt to beat the heat. First we did Spaceship Earth (5 - walk on, walk on in July) Test track (20 - actual 10, a total walk on in July), then Soarin (10 - actual 10, walk on in July), then finished out with Frozen (40 - but a walk on, 20min in July). Frozen was only a walk on because we hid from torrential rain in the covering outside of Kringla then made a dash for it when the rain lightened. The line was back way behind Akershus when we exited, just as it was before the storm. Also there is no social distancing during extreme rain in small spaces so if that will bother you - plan in advance! The rain was heavy and everyone was just seeking shelter where they could. Everyone was super nice as we all tried to not get drenched.

World showcase food lines were pretty long compared to earlier this week and definitely in July. There were almost no people in line anywhere during my earlier two experiences and yesterday there were at least 5 or 6 parties in line at each booth. Luckily we ate around the world on a weekday so we didn't need to mess with it on a Friday night. Overall Friday night is just an entirely different EPCOT than during the week, I would say try for a weekday for the best experience!

I can't believe our magical week has come to an end. The 1 bedroom in bay lake has forever spoiled me, the reduced hours and heat forced me to take it slow, and it was just a much needed break from the world. We are scheduled to be back for the 50th for a land and sea, but I know deep down I'll find my way back before then. I can't go without my fix for that long After conquering pandemic Disney twice though, hopefully during my next visit things will be a little more normal... or at least come with cooler weather!

I am writing this from my balcony, but it is time to go hop on the tragical express now. What an awesome week!!

 

[runningstitch]

What are the guesses about Remy's Ratatouille Adventure? I'm really hoping it's up and running by my December birthday trip. Photos of progress in France pavilion have me hopeful...

 

[Mit88]

What are the guesses about Remy's Ratatouille Adventure? I'm really hoping it's up and running by my December birthday trip. Photos of progress in France pavilion have me hopeful...

if it’s not open by December then it’s because they’re holding it for a certain time in 2021. It should be done by the end of October, but that doesn’t mean they’re opening it as soon as it’s done.