Cruise and Theme Park Operational Updates due to Coronavirus

[orangetree]

They'll likely turn some of the current buffet spaces into "all you care to enjoy" at your table, like Garden Grill, with a limited menu. That would allow them to maintain the same sort of value (get as much as you want) while avoiding the issues with buffets.

 

[mmackeymouse]

Family style wouldn't work for the Buffet's with large menu's. You could easily have culinary CM's serving food in different stations.

No...and there is a reason the large menus are so popular. Look at places like Boma and Tusker House...their charm (other than characters for TH) is in the fact that there is a wide variety of foods for a wide variety of palates. And people can sample and try things out of their comfort zone.

The buffets ARE Disney World. If they’re not going to have buffets they might as well not even open. We eat at buffets for every dinner - I have a standing reservation at my local Golden Corral, and while on vacation we eat at buffets for both lunch AND dinner. This move disgusts me. I will be keeping my family far from Disney until they bring back our beloved buffets, which is the most magical part of the trip that surely Walt would want us to enjoy. Maybe Universal will be a better spot to spend our money if they’re going to be sensible and give we the people what we want - which is buffets!

Your snideness is noted.

I don't eat pork products, red meat, or seafood. My mom doesn't eat chicken. My dad is on a low-fat and low-salt diet. They both have very bland palates. My sister and brother-in-law by contrast have much more adventurous palates. I am somewhere in the middle. Then, there are the kiddos. There is no family-style menu on property that is going to work for all of us, except for maybe Hoop dee doo. I'd LOVE to do Garden Grill someday, but the fact is there is only 1 or 2 things on the platter that I will eat. This is why a buffet works for so many people. So, for those of you talking like buffets are gross and the people who go to them are gross...I just wanted to explain why we are "buffet people."

So maybe instead of turning your nose down at people who prefer buffets and thinking less of them, you should maybe try to be a bit more understanding.

Bringing it back to park operations, I know that mobile order only has been a large rumor, and it makes total sense. BUT...what do they do about people with no phones, or maybe their phone died? Or what do they do about maybe older people who don't have the smart phone and don't have the app? It seems there would have to be a backup plan. Thoughts?

 

[SwirlTheCitrus]

No...and there is a reason the large menus are so popular. Look at places like Boma and Tusker House...their charm (other than characters for TH) is in the fact that there is a wide variety of foods for a wide variety of palates. And people can sample and try things out of their comfort zone.




Your snideness is noted.

I don't eat pork products, red meat, or seafood. My mom doesn't eat chicken. My dad is on a low-fat and low-salt diet. They both have very bland palates. My sister and brother-in-law by contrast have much more adventurous palates. I am somewhere in the middle. Then, there are the kiddos. There is no family-style menu on property that is going to work for all of us, except for maybe Hoop dee doo. I'd LOVE to do Garden Grill someday, but the fact is there is only 1 or 2 things on the platter that I will eat. This is why a buffet works for so many people. So, for those of you talking like buffets are gross and the people who go to them are gross...I just wanted to explain why we are "buffet people."

So maybe instead of turning your nose down at people who prefer buffets and thinking less of them, you should maybe try to be a bit more understanding.

Bringing it back to park operations, I know that mobile order only has been a large rumor, and it makes total sense. BUT...what do they do about people with no phones, or maybe their phone died? Or what do they do about maybe older people who don't have the smart phone and don't have the app? It seems there would have to be a backup plan. Thoughts?

...and this is why we cannot make light of things online, or have nice things.

 

[e_yerger]

No...and there is a reason the large menus are so popular. Look at places like Boma and Tusker House...their charm (other than characters for TH) is in the fact that there is a wide variety of foods for a wide variety of palates. And people can sample and try things out of their comfort zone.




Your snideness is noted.

I don't eat pork products, red meat, or seafood. My mom doesn't eat chicken. My dad is on a low-fat and low-salt diet. They both have very bland palates. My sister and brother-in-law by contrast have much more adventurous palates. I am somewhere in the middle. Then, there are the kiddos. There is no family-style menu on property that is going to work for all of us, except for maybe Hoop dee doo. I'd LOVE to do Garden Grill someday, but the fact is there is only 1 or 2 things on the platter that I will eat. This is why a buffet works for so many people. So, for those of you talking like buffets are gross and the people who go to them are gross...I just wanted to explain why we are "buffet people."

So maybe instead of turning your nose down at people who prefer buffets and thinking less of them, you should maybe try to be a bit more understanding.

Bringing it back to park operations, I know that mobile order only has been a large rumor, and it makes total sense. BUT...what do they do about people with no phones, or maybe their phone died? Or what do they do about maybe older people who don't have the smart phone and don't have the app? It seems there would have to be a backup plan. Thoughts?

I think the OP original comment was more so directed to the 4+ pages of discussions about buffets.

We're bored ya'll - it's been a quiet Sunday.

 

[mmackeymouse]

...and this is why we cannot make light of things online, or have nice things.

Not at all. Here is the thing. I sit by and watch poster after poster after poster talk about how gross buffets are. Fine. I haven't said a peep. People are entitled to their opinion.

The other poster's comment struck me much more as making fun of the people. The reference to Golden Corral, and what not. When it comes across as mocking people, that's sort of where I draw the line.

Anyway, you can take or leave my comment. I don't want the thread to get locked so...I said my piece and I am done with that.

 

[Pickle Rick]

No...and there is a reason the large menus are so popular. Look at places like Boma and Tusker House...their charm (other than characters for TH) is in the fact that there is a wide variety of foods for a wide variety of palates. And people can sample and try things out of their comfort zone.




Your snideness is noted.

I don't eat pork products, red meat, or seafood. My mom doesn't eat chicken. My dad is on a low-fat and low-salt diet. They both have very bland palates. My sister and brother-in-law by contrast have much more adventurous palates. I am somewhere in the middle. Then, there are the kiddos. There is no family-style menu on property that is going to work for all of us, except for maybe Hoop dee doo. I'd LOVE to do Garden Grill someday, but the fact is there is only 1 or 2 things on the platter that I will eat. This is why a buffet works for so many people. So, for those of you talking like buffets are gross and the people who go to them are gross...I just wanted to explain why we are "buffet people."

So maybe instead of turning your nose down at people who prefer buffets and thinking less of them, you should maybe try to be a bit more understanding.

Bringing it back to park operations, I know that mobile order only has been a large rumor, and it makes total sense. BUT...what do they do about people with no phones, or maybe their phone died? Or what do they do about maybe older people who don't have the smart phone and don't have the app? It seems there would have to be a backup plan. Thoughts?

Love Boma and Tusker House. Would rather eat at those places than any of the "signature" restaurants, IMO. More bang for your buck.

 

[DGsAtBLT]

No...and there is a reason the large menus are so popular. Look at places like Boma and Tusker House...their charm (other than characters for TH) is in the fact that there is a wide variety of foods for a wide variety of palates. And people can sample and try things out of their comfort zone.




Your snideness is noted.

I don't eat pork products, red meat, or seafood. My mom doesn't eat chicken. My dad is on a low-fat and low-salt diet. They both have very bland palates. My sister and brother-in-law by contrast have much more adventurous palates. I am somewhere in the middle. Then, there are the kiddos. There is no family-style menu on property that is going to work for all of us, except for maybe Hoop dee doo. I'd LOVE to do Garden Grill someday, but the fact is there is only 1 or 2 things on the platter that I will eat. This is why a buffet works for so many people. So, for those of you talking like buffets are gross and the people who go to them are gross...I just wanted to explain why we are "buffet people."

So maybe instead of turning your nose down at people who prefer buffets and thinking less of them, you should maybe try to be a bit more understanding.

Bringing it back to park operations, I know that mobile order only has been a large rumor, and it makes total sense. BUT...what do they do about people with no phones, or maybe their phone died? Or what do they do about maybe older people who don't have the smart phone and don't have the app? It seems there would have to be a backup plan. Thoughts?

We do a lot of buffets too. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with them (but that post was funny ).

I think it’s no coincidence that the most expensive ones are not the ones with the best or most interesting food options, or the largest variety, but the ones with the big character or location draws. If they want to scale back on variety for whatever reason, I think people will still pay $$$ if they can manage to have the character experience largely unaffected.

I have no insider in my ear, but I think Disney is creative enough they could transition the buffets temporarily to family style if they wanted to. Whispering Canyon already operates with multiple platter options.

 

[mmackeymouse]

Back to buffets...

If the parks run at reduced capacity, and transportation runs at reduced capacity, couldn't a buffet theoretically run at reduced capacity? I don't know what Tusker House's capacity is, but let's say 300.

Going by the assumption that the parks might have a 20% capacity allowed...this is just a random shot in the dark guess, but 20%....why couldn't they do 20% at the buffets? Say 50 people in the restaurant at any one time. Maybe they only let one family up to the buffet at a time. You have to wear masks when you go up there. Hand sanitizer before and after you go through the line.

Yes, it might sound crazy, but at this point, everything sounds crazy anymore.

 

[RWinNOLA]

Obviously he's being sarcastic, but I'd argue that character Buffet dining are some of the most popular things at WDW.

my apologies to Jayhawkcruiser.

I’m not a regular but very interested in the news recently as we have a Polynesian Bungalow/Riviera 2 BR reserved in late June. So I’ve been following pretty intently the last couple of weeks looking for news.

In hindsight, I should have picked up on the sarcasm. But, as someone that is not so familiar with the regulars on this board, I’ve read enough posts in the last couple of weeks that the idea of someone being serious about not attending Disney if buffets were not available didn’t really seem to be that far fetched, lol.

 

[DGsAtBLT]

Back to buffets...

If the parks run at reduced capacity, and transportation runs at reduced capacity, couldn't a buffet theoretically run at reduced capacity? I don't know what Tusker House's capacity is, but let's say 300.

Going by the assumption that the parks might have a 20% capacity allowed...this is just a random shot in the dark guess, but 20%....why couldn't they do 20% at the buffets? Say 50 people in the restaurant at any one time. Maybe they only let one family up to the buffet at a time. You have to wear masks when you go up there. Hand sanitizer before and after you go through the line.

Yes, it might sound crazy, but at this point, everything sounds crazy anymore.

I don’t think it sounds crazy. Anything is possible IMO.

There‘s a ton of options when it comes to how they choose to open dining locations (some more likely than others obviously), they could open them all with little to no changes, they could put social distancing measures in place like capacity limits and controlled queues, they could leave certain locations/types of dining completely closed at the beginning, they could transition locations to seasonal, they could alter menus, etc. There’s a lot of wiggle room to make it work in some way or another if the old normal is no longer feasible.

I feel like I’m watching Big Brother all the time now. Expect the unexpected is my new motto, I think .

 

[JayhawkCruiser]

Not at all. Here is the thing. I sit by and watch poster after poster after poster talk about how gross buffets are. Fine. I haven't said a peep. People are entitled to their opinion.

The other poster's comment struck me much more as making fun of the people. The reference to Golden Corral, and what not. When it comes across as mocking people, that's sort of where I draw the line.

Anyway, you can take or leave my comment. I don't want the thread to get locked so...I said my piece and I am done with that.

The GC reference was because it’s the only real notable buffet off the tip of my tongue, but I could have easily said Shoneys or something like that. The poster above was correct, the satire was prompted after 4+ pages of buffet battles. Obviously I added nothing of value to the discussion, but it at least gave you an opening to explain to others why buffets can be important to some guests while visiting Disney World - completely unrelated to volume of food which is what we typically associate with buffets - and I know I for one never would have seen that perspective if it hadn’t been for you.

 

[hereforthechurros]

No...and there is a reason the large menus are so popular. Look at places like Boma and Tusker House...their charm (other than characters for TH) is in the fact that there is a wide variety of foods for a wide variety of palates. And people can sample and try things out of their comfort zone.




Your snideness is noted.

I don't eat pork products, red meat, or seafood. My mom doesn't eat chicken. My dad is on a low-fat and low-salt diet. They both have very bland palates. My sister and brother-in-law by contrast have much more adventurous palates. I am somewhere in the middle. Then, there are the kiddos. There is no family-style menu on property that is going to work for all of us, except for maybe Hoop dee doo. I'd LOVE to do Garden Grill someday, but the fact is there is only 1 or 2 things on the platter that I will eat. This is why a buffet works for so many people. So, for those of you talking like buffets are gross and the people who go to them are gross...I just wanted to explain why we are "buffet people."

So maybe instead of turning your nose down at people who prefer buffets and thinking less of them, you should maybe try to be a bit more understanding.

Bringing it back to park operations, I know that mobile order only has been a large rumor, and it makes total sense. BUT...what do they do about people with no phones, or maybe their phone died? Or what do they do about maybe older people who don't have the smart phone and don't have the app? It seems there would have to be a backup plan. Thoughts?

These are talks of temporary modifications WDW may have to make to reopen. Of course buffets are a favorite but we are trying to be realistic about what that looks like when/if social distancing is being enforced. If the option is to change over to family style for a few months to get things open safely then we’ll just all have to deal. Another option is employing a lot more CMs to dish out food although with a lean reopening this may not prove worth it to Disney. Guess we’ll see.

There will be changes and some sacrifices when the parks first reopen. They most likely won’t stay that way.

 

[mshanson3121]

I'm just getting caught up. Went fishing with the fam, slipped on rocks, fell in a freezing cold river... I thought that was pretty interesting! But man... look what I missed while away! We've progressed to arguing about buffets - AND the thread is still open!

 

[mmackeymouse]

The GC reference was because it’s the only real notable buffet off the tip of my tongue, but I could have easily said Shoneys or something like that. The poster above was correct, the satire was prompted after 4+ pages of buffet battles. Obviously I added nothing of value to the discussion, but it at least gave you an opening to explain to others why buffets can be important to some guests while visiting Disney World - completely unrelated to volume of food which is what we typically associate with buffets - and I know I for one never would have seen that perspective if it hadn’t been for you.

I appreciate the response. I may have been a tad oversensitive. See, y'all? We can get along around here.

Trust me, I know that the image a lot of people have of buffet-dwellers are...somewhat like the floating people in Wall-E. Honestly, I get it. And, I am also fully aware that my family's situation is probably more the exception than the rule.

There will be changes and some sacrifices when the parks first reopen. They most likely won’t stay that way.

This is where I reluctantly disagree....or at least worry. It's hard, especially when it comes to Disney, to put the toothpaste back in the tube, you know? If they know they can get the same amount of money, with no characters, with less food options....why WOULD they want to go back to the buffet model?

 

[DGsAtBLT]

This is where I reluctantly disagree....or at least worry. It's hard, especially when it comes to Disney, to put the toothpaste back in the tube, you know? If they know they can get the same amount of money, with no characters, with less food options....why WOULD they want to go back to the buffet model?

I think this is a concern with a lot of the measures they may take here. It may or may not end up being something dining related, but I think there’s almost no chance we come out of this without some temporary cutback or change becoming permanent.

Some attraction goes “seasonal” and then becomes permanently closed, nighttime entertainment is scaled way down either the show itself or the frequency, service cutbacks in the name of safety stick around, character meet changes become permanent (remember that “test” where they gave out already autographed cards I believe instead of signing), perfect time to roll out unsavoury automated things in the name of safety (welcome back, photo pass boxes), the options are endless.

 

[Eric Smith]

Not quite sure how Disney could stop Uber and Lyft from operating. They don’t have any management over those. Those are completely separate from Disney and Disney uses the Lyft platform for Minnie Vans.

They just wouldn’t let them through the gates at the resorts. That would put an end to it really quick.

 

[Jimmy Mouse]

If Disney wanted the info leaked, they would do it on their terms

 

[vinotinto]

I think this is a concern with a lot of the measures they may take here. It may or may not end up being something dining related, but I think there’s almost no chance we come out of this without some temporary cutback or change becoming permanent.

Some attraction goes “seasonal” and then becomes permanently closed, nighttime entertainment is scaled way down either the show itself or the frequency, service cutbacks in the name of safety stick around, character meet changes become permanent (remember that “test” where they gave out already autographed cards I believe instead of signing), perfect time to roll out unsavoury automated things in the name of safety (welcome back, photo pass boxes), the options are endless.

You just voiced exactly what I’m most concerned about - that at least some of the cut backs and modifications will become the new normal, way after the reopening under COVID is done - because they will represent huge cost savings. I’m still sad that the nighttime parade at MK went bye bye. And ya’ll remember when fireworks and Fantasmic were not nightly? They have already reduced the street entertainers and laid off some of the bands and entertainment at Epcot and AK. I can see them maintaining some of these cut backs, maybe some additional entertainment is cut back, maybe the fireworks or parades don’t take place every day/night, etc.

There is a lot everyone should be concerned about more than temperature checks or masks. And some think this won’t affect them because their trip is not until 2021, but if WDW looks for cost cutting after all the millions lost, this will affect everyone’s trips.

 

[jlwhitney]

You just voiced exactly what I’m most concerned about - that at least some of the cut backs and modifications will become the new normal, way after the reopening under COVID is done - because they will represent huge cost savings. I’m still sad that the nighttime parade at MK went bye bye. And ya’ll remember when fireworks and Fantasmic were not nightly? They have already reduced the street entertainers and laid off some of the bands and entertainment at Epcot and AK. I can see them maintaining some of these cut backs, maybe some additional entertainment is cut back, maybe the fireworks or parades don’t take place every day/night, etc.

There is a lot everyone should be concerned about more than temperature checks or masks. And some think this won’t affect them because their trip is not until 2021, but if WDW looks for cost cutting after all the millions lost, this will affect everyone’s trips.

And some of those things will come back as travel comes back more and more. It will take time a few years probably, but in time the parks will be slammed packed again till they are not, its all a cycle.

 

[EveDallas]

With all due respect, I think you are in the minority in saying that the “Buffets are Disney World”.
Disney offers so much and dining is a big part of it but I doubt that many would refuse to go to WDW without buffets.
My family always plans several dining reservations in advance and we always try to get Tusker House which is a buffet. But I would be fine with some altered version of the Tusker House experience if the food was similar (but perhaps limited).
With all the other modifications being discussed, buffers are wayyyyy down on the list for me.

That post was screaming "sarcasm".