Cruise and Theme Park Operational Updates due to Coronavirus

[rteetz]

Maybe MK needs to open all the quick service and food carts at this point?

Are most the shops open? Are any big people eater rides still closed?

No rides are closed at MK except Peoplemover. I don’t know of any shops closed either. Your shows and hours are the biggest things missing at MK. A parade takes a significant amount of people out of lines. Fireworks as well. Even something like the castle stage show. Rides like Pirates aren’t doing what they should either with lower capacity. There is no simple open this and things get better.

 

[runjulesrun]

That’s completely fair. I’m one of those snobs who doesn’t want to wait past like 20-30 minutes

We are self professed line snobs. If it says more than 20 minutes and we don't have a FP, we walk by and check back later. I am surprised to be saying this but now (with no Fastpasses), we just get in line and wait. Since the line moves and isn't stopped (unless it's a cleaning cycle), we aren't bothered by the longer looking lines since we know they will move without FPs cutting in all the time.

 

[Brianstl]

That’s completely fair. I’m one of those snobs who doesn’t want to wait past like 20-30 minutes

Even long waits for the rides and shows don’t bother me if when I don’t feel like waiting I can eat or shop. Today both of those required long waits, too. On September 25 when mobile ordering went down resulting in long lines for food and every ride after 11:30 had long waits, you could at least go into the stores with little to no waits.

 

[Farro]

I agree. If it’s still like this in March we will probably cancel. Crowds don’t bother me because of covid. Crowds bother me when there’s lines like that video. And a line just to shop or to go into pavilions at Epcot. That’s insane.

If they are still only at 25% capacity and still limiting how many people allowed in stores and on rides next spring, then I'm going to assume the entire country blew up/shut down again with Covid.

 

[andyman8]

Maybe MK needs to open all the quick service and food carts at this point?

Are most the shops open? Are any big people eater rides still closed?

People-eater rides? No, they're all open at MK. PeopleMover and Railroad do take some Guests off the streets but I don't think the problems discussed here would really be even remotely solved if both of those attractions reopened tomorrow. That said, certain shows/experiences like MILF "eat" way more Guests than one might think. Even character greetings put more Guests in lines than one might expect. The only shop I can think of that is closed is Big Top Souvenirs/Treats, which kind of surprises me at this point, given its size.

 

[LSUmiss]

I will admit, I winced when I read about people waiting in line just to get inside the Mexico Pavilion. To shop.
Not looking forward to that!

Yes the line just to get into the Emporium yesterday was absolutely ridiculous. It stretched around the corner past Casey’s almost to Crystal Palace. That resulted in me not buying anything even though I had planned to buy Halloween merch. But, I’m not going to stand in line just to enter a store.

 

[Farro]

No rides are closed at MK except Peoplemover. I don’t know of any shops closed either. Your shows and hours are the biggest things missing at MK. A parade takes a significant amount of people out of lines. Fireworks as well. Even something like the castle stage show. Rides like Pirates aren’t doing what they should either with lower capacity. There is no simple open this and things get better.

Well I haven't been there and didn't know.

Perhaps its time to start adding more capacity to the rides then. We are all wearing masks. Perhaps that could help.

Or else oh well, nothing to be done.

 

[KBoopaloo]

You have to figure that with the shorter hours lots of people are not opting for a midday break anymore either which likely adds to the crowding. In park hopping days I would generally do a morning at one park, a break at the resort and then evening at a different park. It was rare for me to spend an entire day in once place. And even if I didn’t go back to my own resort for a real break, I would often visit another resort for lunch or a drink and then head to another park. So all of that travel time back and forth and time back at my resort or another resort was time I was not in a park - often 3-4 hours worth of time. I wouldn’t do that now with the shorter hours and I’d bet lots of guests are the same. It’s risky to try to take a break at 2:00 pm if the park closes at 6 or 7.

 

[LSUmiss]

I don’t think many do. I don’t know that I do but at the same time they aren’t at 100%. We have to remember that lines are socially distanced, shows aren’t happening, and rides are operating at much lower capacities than normal.

Have they ever said exactly what 25% means? If not, my thought is it’s 25% of absolute max capacity which they may have never actually hit in the parks irl recently.

 

[rpb718]

That’s completely fair. I’m one of those snobs who doesn’t want to wait past like 20-30 minutes

To be fair, he didn't enter any line so we have no idea the elapsed time it takes. Sure a line can look long but if it keeps moving at a decent pace it could be under 20-30 minutes. I'm here up north - far away from WDW - hearing him saying "Gee I really wish I could go on a ride" and I'm thinking to myself "What is stopping you?".

I felt bad using the word "snob" in a previous post - but I have no other word.

 

[MrsBooch]

100% of 25% is a lot of people - but it’s not 100% of 100%.
I don’t think they are fibbing on 25% -
I’ve been hearing about the long lines and lines everywhere - but I’ve also been hearing that they are spaced out, not back to back, and that many times (not all times) posted waits are different than actual waits.
Look - when I pick a check out line at the grocery store I’m not just looking at the line - I’m also scoping how quickly the cashier is moving - and how many items everyone has in front of me. My point is - long lines don’t tell the full story but that is ALL I’ve been hearing about from vloggers.
Am I missing some downside here other than the optics & general annoyance of lines?
Was there an expectation of not having to wait for anything?

 

[LSUmiss]

Maybe MK needs to open all the quick service and food carts at this point?

Are most the shops open? Are any big people eater rides still closed?

Well things like IASW were running boats with ppl only in the first & last rows. That seems a little excessive. Skipping one row seems adequate imo.

 

[Shellbells]

We'll be there in 3 weeks and I'm not looking forward to it. I want to cancel but DH and DS13 still want to go. I'm going to show them this video and see what they think.
I don't care what the park capacity is. I don't want to spend the day in those lines. Disney needs to increase ride capacity or bring fast-passes back. Until things are back to normal we won't be going again.

 

[DGsAtBLT]

To be fair, he didn't enter any line so we have no idea the elapsed time it takes. Sure a line can look long but if it keeps moving at a decent pace it could be under 20-30 minutes. I'm here up north - far away from WDW - hearing him saying "Gee I really wish I could go on a ride" and I'm thinking to myself "What is stopping you?".

I felt bad using the word "snob" in a previous post - but I have no other word.

Don’t feel bad! It’s a badge of honour I wore before you said it lol, FP, walk on, or bust. Just means I know (knew ) how to efficiently tour. If the lines are too long it’s obviously a sign from above that it’s snack time.

I agree with you on the time, they look terrible until you notice they’re moving much steadier than they ever did before.

 

[hereforthechurros]

Well I haven't been there and didn't know.

Perhaps its time to start adding more capacity to the rides then. We are all wearing masks. Perhaps that could help.

Or else oh well, nothing to be done.

I believe this is the plan. @yulilin3 noted management was out studying the long queues and within a day or two the stricter mask messaging came out. If they’re going to increase ride capacity, and diminish some of the distancing, they need to be certain people will behave.

That, or they caught wind of Newsom’s errand boys and were doing what they could to make things appear as safe as possible.

 

[Farro]

Wasn't it just a few months ago we were all supposed to be applauding the vloggers for telling it like it is?

I have no clue what capacity is, I'm just reading and commenting with people.

I expect lines, but I'll admit I didn't expect huge waits just to enter a store.

 

[Brianstl]

We'll be there in 3 weeks and I'm not looking forward to it. I want to cancel but DH and DS13 still want to go. I'm going to show them this video and see what they think.
I don't care what the park capacity is. I don't want to spend the day in those lines. Disney needs to increase ride capacity or bring fast-passes back. Until things are back to normal we won't be going again.

I don’t think things need to be back to normal, but those lines with the reduced park experience at full ticket prices are a hard pill to swallow.

 

[DGsAtBLT]

Wasn't it just a few months ago we were all supposed to be applauding the vloggers for telling it like it is?

I have no clue what capacity is, I'm just reading and commenting with people.

I expect lines, but I'll admit I didn't expect huge waits just to enter a store.

I 100% don’t think vloggers should sugar coat, I just disagree with his assertion at this point that Disney is being dishonest about capacity and am Disney nerd enough to want to discuss it and pick apart the crowds.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

I don’t think they are lying about the 25%. I just don’t want to vacation at Disney when the Magic Kingdom has lines like that on a Tuesday limited capacity or not. That is why I schedule my trips away from peak seasons.

That is sort of how I fell - and not that the wait times are rediculous (I mean they are still a lot less than standby during normal times) but it just *feels* so crowded and too many pinch points where it feels like social distancing is/might be a challenge, etc

But I think the 25% figure can still be accurate - if they are only running at 50% capacity (between spacing on ride vehicles that are running and with what is not one) and then a normal busy day is 50-60% capacity, well, there is your 25% capacity right there

Plus, with shortened hours the people that are there are more likely there for the whole day vs taking breaks or arriving late, etc

 

[TheMaxRebo]

No rides are closed at MK except Peoplemover. I don’t know of any shops closed either. Your shows and hours are the biggest things missing at MK. A parade takes a significant amount of people out of lines. Fireworks as well. Even something like the castle stage show. Rides like Pirates aren’t doing what they should either with lower capacity. There is no simple open this and things get better.

And character meet and greets aren't open, that takes up people too