Cruise and Theme Park Operational Updates due to Coronavirus

[Jrb1979]

I don't know what's sadder. People only really use park hopping to go to Epcot or that Epcot has fallen that far that the only reason to go is to eat. Any Disney park should be known for their attractions not the food available. IMO I would love the festivals to go away and instead invest more money on attractions for each pavilion.

 

[gottalovepluto]

I have the say the schtick blaming this on CA is getting old.

I’ve been quite vocal (too vocal sometimes ) about how mad I am DLR isn’t allowed to open... but if that was the issue at hand here basically all the layoffs would be CA. And they are most definitely not.

 

[skeeter31]

I don't know what's sadder. People only really use park hopping to go to Epcot or that Epcot has fallen that far that the only reason to go is to eat. Any Disney park should be known for their attractions not the food available. IMO I would love the festivals to go away and instead invest more money on attractions for each pavilion.

Oh I love Epcot. It’s our favorite park. We just used to be there everyday during a normal trip. We would either be there in the morning or later at night. Next month we’re going for 3 nights and are planning 2 out of the 3 days at Epcot. Didn’t want my post to come off as I only like Epcot for hopping or eating.

 

[andyman8]

To oversimplify, would you say the new regime under Chapek is the reason?

edit: meaning his vision for Disney.

I think these changes have been a long-time coming. Chapek isn't the only one who emphasizes IP. I mean Iger was the one who executed the deals with Pixar, Marvel, Lucasfilm, and Fox.

 

[Disneylover99]

I don't know what's sadder. People only really use park hopping to go to Epcot or that Epcot has fallen that far that the only reason to go is to eat. Any Disney park should be known for their attractions not the food available. IMO I would love the festivals to go away and instead invest more money on attractions for each pavilion.

I love to hop and eat at Epcot. For me, and many others, that is the main attraction. It’s not necessarily a sad thing. It’s my favourite park.

 

[SaintsManiac]

I think these changes have been a long-time coming. Chapek isn't the only one who emphasizes IP. I mean Iger was the one who executed the deals with Pixar, Marvel, Lucasfilm, and Fox.

People like to make Chapek the villain.

 

[MickeyWaffles]

I don't know what's sadder. People only really use park hopping to go to Epcot or that Epcot has fallen that far that the only reason to go is to eat. Any Disney park should be known for their attractions not the food available. IMO I would love the festivals to go away and instead invest more money on attractions for each pavilion.

We hop all over the place, usually not dining related. We love bouncing back and forth between Epcot and HS, MK and Epcot, we usually do 2 half days at AK, splitting it with another park both days. Also if we stay at a resort in walking distance to a park or with quick monorail/boat access, it’s really nice to be able to just pop into the park close to your resort even if you were at another park earlier. People hop for all different reasons.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

I don't know what's sadder. People only really use park hopping to go to Epcot or that Epcot has fallen that far that the only reason to go is to eat. Any Disney park should be known for their attractions not the food available. IMO I would love the festivals to go away and instead invest more money on attractions for each pavilion.

Well, they have Ratatouille opening "soon" and then when Guardians comes I could see same issue there as DHS - the park with not much to do now being overbearing with crowds to try and get on the new Hotness.

 

[rteetz]

People like to make Chapek the villain.

He’s not innocent either though. He was made CEO for a reason. He’s good at bean counting. He’s not a people person like Iger but when it comes to helping turn this financial tide he is likely the best for the job.

 

[Farro]

Well, they have Ratatouille opening "soon" and then when Guardians comes I could see same issue there as DHS - the park with not much to do now be mean overbearing with crowds to try and get on the new Hotness.

Is Chris Hemsworth part of the ride?

(I'll show myself out)

 

[TheMaxRebo]

I’ve been quite vocal (too vocal sometimes ) about how mad I am DLR isn’t allowed to open... but if that was the issue at hand here basically all the layoffs would be CA. And they are most definitely not.

I don't think they ever tried to blame it entirely on DLR not opening - I believe the word they used in the note about the layoffs was that it was "exasperated" by DLR not being able to open. And I think that is fair - the cuts likely wouldn't have been as severe if DLR was open

Are they mentioning it a bit too often now? Maybe, but I take it as just one part of everything

 

[gottalovepluto]

Well, they have Ratatouille opening "soon" and then when Guardians comes I could see same issue there as DHS - the park with not much to do now be mean overbearing with crowds to try and get on the new Hotness.

Well if Guardians actually works half their battle with ROTR crowds will be solved right there.

 

[gottalovepluto]

Is Chris Hemsworth part of the ride?

(I'll show myself out)

WHAAAT?!!! GET OUT OF MY WAY WORLD I HAVE A LINE TO GET IN!!!!

 

[mattpeto]

I’m with you on this. I’m holding out hope that eventually we will be able to hug Mickey again. But it just doesn’t feel like it will be anytime soon and that makes me sad. The extras are what make Disney Disney. I know things will change and I’m generally okay and understanding but the talk today is depressing.

Disney was such a special place for me and my family growing up, taking trips about every other year. Something I wanted to do with my daughter who is now almost 2. We had planned a trip for January right after her birthday which we’ve already pushed back to the summer in hopes a few more things have returned.

If things like characters and parades don’t end up returning, we will still go but the frequency of our trips won’t be as often as we initially thought. We can go a lot of places for less than a week at Disney and if it’s just an amusement park with some rides, I can drive 2 hrs to either Cedar Point or Kings Island and come home for a heck of a lot less. Everyone says things will come back eventually, but if they get enough people to come without parades and character dining, will they really add those things back?

Agreed.

I think it’s easy to assume the crowds and demands are normal, they aren’t. This current state of the parks will only go so far.

They still don’t have some resorts scheduled for opening. What I’m getting it as, the people returning to Disney is good for all of us right now but it won’t have staying power for repeat visits.

The locals may keep flocking but without the entertainment options to keep the attraction waits at bay, and lack of fireworks and parades, character meet and greets, it’s just an another amusement park.

That’s why I’m confident we will get the big misses. It will take time and it will bring people back to work.

 

[rpb718]

Everyone says things will come back eventually, but if they get enough people to come without parades and character dining, will they really add those things back?

At the end of it all, this is the key question we are all asking ourselves.

For example: parades have been on their way out for about the past 20 years when there was a daytime and/or nighttime parade at every park. On the opposite end, years ago only MK & EPCOT really had nighttime shows but they eventually added nighttime shows to both AK & HS. There's a bunch of examples of changes over the years, something goes away and something else come online. This was done over a period of many years - which is much easier to tolerate. Now if you took someone who's last visit to WDW was back in the 1990's and brought them to the WDW in 2019, they would notice a LOT of changes - some they liked and some they may not like and chances are there would be items they remembered they would miss. (I still miss Tapestry of Nations but have gotten over it. Horizons anyone?)

What we are witnessing now could indicate a cosmic shift on park operations and entertainment that will effect how we experience WDW well into the future. It will be similar to what I described above - a LOT of changes. The issue as I see it is that we don't have the fog of time to dull the harsh effects of our new WDW reality. The wounds are too fresh, and there's so many. Entertainment with perceived low ROI has been shown the backdoor, and the parks are practically running on a skeleton crew.

The items that come back first will likely be those that have ROI associate with them - so I would guess character breakfasts are a safe bet. Nighttime shows have to come back, if only to fuel sales for dessert parties. Holiday parties will come back. The items I worry about most would be the ones of a more esoteric nature that could be perceived with low ROI like CoH or CoMS or nighttime games at Boardwalk or the GF orchestra or tons of different little things around the parks and resorts that make WDW what it was to us.

I really don't like even pondering the OP's question or even speculating here because I currently have little hope that most will return as we remember them. I'll just offer the following - once I hear that the Electric Water Pageant has started back up I will have hope for the future.

 

[DGsAtBLT]

At the end of it all, this is the key question we are all asking ourselves.

For example: parades have been on their way out for about the past 20 years - when there was a daytime and/or nighttime parade at every park. On the opposite end, years ago only MK & EPCOT really had nighttime shows but they eventually added nighttime shows to both AK & HS. There's a bunch of examples of changes over the years, something goes away and something else come online. This was done over a period of many years - which is much easier to tolerate. Now if you took someone who's last visit to WDW was back in the 1990's and brought them to the WDW in 2019, they would notice a LOT of changes - some they liked and some they may not like and chances are there would be items they remembered they would miss. (I still miss Tapestry of Nations but have gotten over it. Horizons anyone?)

What we are witnessing now could indicate a cosmic shift on park operations and entertainment that will effect how we experience WDW well into the future. It will be similar to what I described above - a LOT of changes. The issue as I see it is that we don't have the fog of time to dull the harsh effects of our new WDW reality. The wounds are too fresh, and there's so many. Entertainment with perceived low ROI has been shown the backdoor, and the parks are practically running on a skeleton crew.

The items that come back first will likely be those that have ROI associate with them - so I would guess character breakfasts are a safe bet. Nighttime shows have to come back, if only to fuel sales for dessert parties. Holiday parties will come back. The items I worry about most would be the ones of the more esoteric nature that could be perceived with low ROI like CoH or CoMS or nighttime games at Boardwalk or the GF orchestra or tons of different little things around the parks and resorts that make WDW what it is to us.

I really don't like even pondering the OP's question or even speculating here because I currently have little hope that most will return, so I'll just offer the following - once I hear that the Electric Water Pageant has started back up I will have hope for the future.

Really good post!

To kind of build off of that, this is often compared to 9/11 and the return of things that were closed or cut afterwards, but a major major difference is 9/11 did not see huge losses in revenue associated with months of closure as well as the decrease in travel afterwards, it was just decreased travel/attendance for the most part. 9/11’s effect on Disney would have been more isolated to parks than COVID’s effect that is also notably majorly disrupting the new releases in theatres.

There is a lot of bleeding that went on here for months, it’s not just a matter of riding out a slow period and bringing things back when they pick up.

 

[Disney Bobby]

Well if Guardians actually works half their battle with ROTR crowds will be solved right there.

I agree. It should be renamed Rise of the Repairman.

 

[rpb718]

Really good post!

To kind of build off of that, this is often compared to 9/11 and the return of things that were closed or cut afterwards, but a major major difference is 9/11 did not see huge losses in revenue associated with months of closure as well as the decrease in travel afterwards, it was just decreased travel/attendance for the most part. 9/11’s effect on Disney would have been more isolated to parks than COVID’s effect that is also notably majorly disrupting the new releases in theatres.

There is a lot of bleeding that went on here for months, it’s not just a matter of riding out a slow period and bringing things back when they pick up.

I never quite understood comparing to 9/11, but that is the only point of reference everyone here has. Also, we really have no idea what the actual effects of just COVID would have been to WDW all by itself. We don't know what the future vision of WDW that Iger and/or Chapek have but indications are that they chose this time to make other non-COVID related changes to WDW as well.

 

[hereforthechurros]

People like to make Chapek the villain.

Not my goal. Andyman was saying something beyond Covid was the catalyst for this, so I was looking for his take. Obviously each CEO brings their own vision to the table, right or wrong. Imagineering Story does a great job outlining the different goals and feel the CEOs have brought to the company and specifically the parks over the years. It’s fascinating.

 

[Mit88]

I never quite understood comparing to 9/11, but that is the only point of reference everyone here has. Also, we really have no idea what the actual effects of just COVID would have been to WDW all by itself. We don't know what the future vision of WDW that Iger and/or Chapek have but indications are that they chose this time to make other non-COVID related changes to WDW as well.

There was an economic fallout and fear of traveling. Moreso the latter than the former when it came to 9/11. There are comparisons between now and then, just on different levels and different reasons behind the same reasons