Cruise and Theme Park Operational Updates due to Coronavirus

[gottalovepluto]

Could the big news be related to 50th anniversary room package release or something? Or are we pretty sure it's Genie related?

That would be one sad 50th anniversary room package at this point, gotta imagine they'd want most of their offerings back up otherwise what's the point?

 

[hereforthechurros]

Don't wait until then, the available rooms for the discount might be gone. Call Disney and they should be able to help you.

An hour and 15 minutes on hold as I type

 

[Brianstl]

Short wait times most of the day today outside of MMRR.

 

[gottalovepluto]

An hour and 15 minutes on hold as I type

Prayers you don't get the dreaded disconnect!!

 

[hereforthechurros]

Prayers you don't get the dreaded disconnect!!

Oh it's coming.

 

[butterscotchcollins]

Oh it's coming.

I had success calling the direct GS line this AM - 407-939-7866

 

[andyman8]

Is it really that much less busy now than after 9/11? I've never seen Epcot close before 9pm. It was one thing you could count on in this life!

They should also at least increase hours on Fri/Sat/Sun. I think it's so weird that they aren't.

My understanding, based on trade reporting, is that the travel industry as a whole is faring about how it fared right after 9/11, perhaps even a tiny bit better. That’s still not great news at all (things aren’t good), but it could be much worse

Disney, on the other hand, is in a unique situation. While they’re not alone in this situation (and could be in even worse shape, just look at cruising), their business appears to be hurting more than most other travel suppliers (I don’t consider airlines to be travel suppliers by the way). There are elements inherent to the Disney experience that give people a lot of pause at the moment. While Disney is doing everything they can to mitigate them, there’s a reputation and set of expectations that can’t be untaught from consumers overnight.

Unlike 9/11 where once you were in the parks, most felt safe (the biggest concern was around travel), this is a case where consumer anxieties spill into the parks themselves, and for a not insignificant group, their concerns about the parks supersede their concerns about, for example, driving or staying in a hotel. That presents an impossible challenge for Disney. Yes, there are people out there who still come, but the problem is that that’s a very limited audience and one that can not be relied on to operate the parks consistently throughout the week. If things continue to get better on the weekends, we might see them extend hours a bit later in the year during the weekends, but weekend visitation cannot entirely subsidize weekday operations. That’s not how their business model works. So, unfortunately, yes, the situation for WDW in particular is a bit grimmer than post-9/11. The hope is that the weekend trends continue to pick up steam, Florida starts to get off more quarantine lists, the situation stays under control in other states (as well as continues to improve in Florida), and as a result, visitation picks up in October. I think October is going to be the crucial month in telling us what the rest of 2020 and early 2021 will look like.

 

[mattpeto]

FWIW- Martin keeps posting “safety” angle on why fireworks and nighttime hours are limited. Disney apparently doesn’t trust people to keep their masks on.

 

[twinmom13]

An hour and 15 minutes on hold as I type

I was on hold for 2 hours when I finally gave up. Early in my call, I used the chat feature to ask if they could apply the discount through chat. They could not, but they did put in a callback request. I went ahead and kept holding, thinking I could pick up the call if they called back before they picked up the hold. My phone somehow missed the call, but they called again a couple minutes after I hung up. All of that is a long way of saying: you might want to request a callback through chat.

I ended up saving over $700 because they also removed my hoppers, so definitely worth the effort.

 

[one_cat]

I think too many people were burnt on renting when the virus started to be convinced to do it again. I always used to rent and I convinced my daughter to rent points for a one night stay before their cruise that was supposed to happen in two weeks. She lost her $$ for that one night with no settlement at all.

I still don’t understand that. If she had rented from me I would have given her money back.

 

[hereforthechurros]

I was on hold for 2 hours when I finally gave up. Early in my call, I used the chat feature to ask if they could apply the discount through chat. They could not, but they did put in a callback request. I went ahead and kept holding, thinking I could pick up the call if they called back before they picked up the hold. My phone somehow missed the call, but they called again a couple minutes after I hung up. All of that is a long way of saying: you might want to request a callback through chat.

I ended up saving over $700 because they also removed my hoppers, so definitely worth the effort.

I tried chat and it said all reps were busy. Just got off the phone though and Copper Creek Villas, where we are booked, isn't eligible for the 40% AP discount. Sharing here in case that affects anyone else!

 

[andyman8]

FWIW- Martin keeps posting “safety” angle on why fireworks and nighttime hours are limited. Disney apparently doesn’t trust people to keep their masks on.

I mean WDW right now is concerned both about Guest safety and the perception of safety. Look at the temperature screenings for example. It’s pretty apparent that this virus spreads mostly from pre-symptomatic and asymptomatic carriers. Obviously, one of those carriers wouldn’t register a temperature, and in a larger sense, chances are if you have a 101 degree temperature, you’re not going to have the energy to go to a theme park anyways (makes me wonder how many people they actually turn away). But it’s about creating a perception of saftefy.

While I do think that fireworks/parades could increase the risk, I’m sure that Disney right now is more concerned about appearing to play it safe and not do anything that could attract attention. Just look at how much attention that DFB photo got from the CM preview. This is especially true as Disney tries to “negotiate” with the State of California.

It is also about cost to an extent. At the moment, even if they wanted to do fireworks, not only would they incur the cost of the display itself but they’d also have to increase hours. That’s really the case until late October/early November. IF October bookings hold and attendance is strong - and acceptable for weekdays - I think you can expect some firework activity to start up in November. I think we’ve seen the last of HEA for 2020 but I’m not convinced we’ve seen the last of fireworks for the year. There’s still nothing firm (which means nothing soon). That’s all I’ll say.

 

[Mit88]

FWIW- Martin keeps posting “safety” angle on why fireworks and nighttime hours are limited. Disney apparently doesn’t trust people to keep their masks on.

I 100% agree. I’m sure they’ve figured out a way to distance people, which isn’t difficult with all the green circles throughout the park, they’d just add more, it’s that even people that are compliant during the day there’s bound to be some that would take advantage of the darkness and pull them down. Only way they could do it is if they had CMs walking down each aisle continuously checking, which is certainly possible, but probably not their ideal strategy for bringing back the fireworks.

 

[MrsBooch]

speaking of TP i just got an email about how park crowd levels changed and it was DRASTIC. like going from a 10 to a 2 in some parks.

Thanksgiving week.

 

[Mit88]

I mean WDW right now is concerned both about Guest safety and the perception of safety. Look at the temperature screenings for example. It’s pretty apparent that this virus spreads mostly from pre-symptomatic and asymptomatic carriers. Obviously, one of those carriers wouldn’t register a temperature, and in a larger sense, chances are if you have a 101 degree temperature, you’re not going to have the energy to go to a theme park anyways (makes me wonder how many people they actually turn away). But it’s about creating a perception of saftefy.

While I do think that fireworks/parades could increase the risk, I’m sure that Disney right now is more concerned about appearing to play it safe and not do anything that could attract attention. Just look at how much attention that DFB photo got from the CM preview. This is especially true as Disney tries to “negotiate” with the State of California.

It is also about cost to an extent. At the moment, even if they wanted to do fireworks, not only would they incur the cost of the display itself but they’d also have to increase hours. That’s really the case until late October/early November. IF October bookings hold and attendance is strong - and acceptable for weekdays - I think you can expect some firework activity to start up in November. I think we’ve seen the last of HEA for 2020 but I’m not convinced we’ve seen the last of fireworks for the year. There’s still nothing firm (which means nothing soon). That’s all I’ll say.

Just as I’ve stated, even if mask guidelines are relaxed country wide, Disney will likely days “Well, we’ll keep them around just a little longer”. They’re taking the absolute safest approach in everything. And I don’t blame them. It has made my trip all the more better because if their safety above experience approach. If I were an AP at Universal I probably would have left the parks much earlier than I did yesterday.Awareness is always key in the life we’re currently living but it seems like you can relax more in the Disney parks. I know a lot of people aren’t happy about the masks and some won’t come until they’re no longer mandatory, but as has been stated many times, Disney doesn’t have the luxury of hiding behind a larger theme park juggernaut the way SW/BG and Universal do. If you had 5 guests traced back to WDW and 100 traced to Universal, you’re going to hear about the 5 from Disney

 

[AmberMV]

Anyone who has visited since reopening with young children in strollers, do they let you roll the strollers in the Skyliner without folding them up? We haven't ridden in the Skyliners yet but I booked Riviera for November and it'd be nice to take the Skyliner to the parks instead of our truck but only if we don't have to fold our strollers up like the bus

 

[gottalovepluto]

FWIW- Martin keeps posting “safety” angle on why fireworks and nighttime hours are limited. Disney apparently doesn’t trust people to keep their masks on.

Let’s be real, it’s a nice excuse not to spend money on fireworks and longer park hours. If it was so dark they couldn’t enforce mask wearing that verges on a security threat in non-Covid times. People gotta see where they’re going, security has to be able to track someone if an altercation happens... and then there is the blatantly obvious argument that Disney deems it safe enough to operate Disney Springs during those hours.

 

[sullivan.kscott]

speaking of TP i just got an email about how park crowd levels changed and it was DRASTIC. like going from a 10 to a 2 in some parks.

Thanksgiving week.

Received the same email, same week

 

[Betty Rohrer]

Anyone who has visited since reopening with young children in strollers, do they let you roll the strollers in the Skyliner without folding them up? We haven't ridden in the Skyliners yet but I booked Riviera for November and it'd be nice to take the Skyliner to the parks instead of our truck but only if we don't have to fold our strollers up like the bus

cant say for now but used to be single strollers rolled on but doubles had to be folded

 

[DGsAtBLT]

Just as I’ve stated, even if mask guidelines are relaxed country wide, Disney will likely days “Well, we’ll keep them around just a little longer”. They’re taking the absolute safest approach in everything. And I don’t blame them. It has made my trip all the more better because if their safety above experience approach. If I were an AP at Universal I probably would have left the parks much earlier than I did yesterday.Awareness is always key in the life we’re currently living but it seems like you can relax more in the Disney parks. I know a lot of people aren’t happy about the masks and some won’t come until they’re no longer mandatory, but as has been stated many times, Disney doesn’t have the luxury of hiding behind a larger theme park juggernaut the way SW/BG and Universal do. If you had 5 guests traced back to WDW and 100 traced to Universal, you’re going to hear about the 5 from Disney

I would love so much if my province, city, and most importantly school division could adopt Disney’s precautions and compliance. My mask was actually cozy today outside because it’s cold and windy and yet people here still act like they’re suffocating and will die wearing their chin guard oops I mean mask. Josh D’amaro come save us please.

Regardless how I feel about travel during all this, I have been pleasantly surprised with overall how compliant Disney guests have been and credit for that has to be given to the guests of course but also a large part of that goes to the powers that be at Disney taking it so seriously, the culture surrounding COVID safety they’ve created, and of course the CMs who interact with guests keeping it all going.

Good on Disney for being “over the top” and strict. Wish it were everywhere.