Cruise and Theme Park Operational Updates due to Coronavirus

[Mit88]

I would think WDW could help keep guests at Epcot by opening Rat sooner than later in 2021. No doubt it would help draw guests to EPCOT for more time (considering that queue would become the longest in Epcot overnight).

But .. at the same time, I can see them just holding it in their back pocket for more 'normal' capacity times.

I’m not sure Rat is the type of attraction that makes people stay at Epcot all day, especially with PH being available when it opens. It should help spread crowds out between the parks, but I think Epcot stays a daytime park for the general park goers until Harmonius starts and possibly not until Guardians opens. When Epcot is “complete” people are going to yearn for the days where the park emptied at night

 

[TheMaxRebo]

I think that will change with the addition of Rat, CosmicRewind and Harmonius. But yeah, EF was never marketed great to keep in the crowds for dinner and watch the fireworks. If Harmonius is as good as it’s hyped to be, I think we’ll see these restaurants get booked up for late reservations again.

though if EF was available now as the only night time show and the first back after 6+ month absense I suspect the reception would be more positive

(and personally, as an admitted EPCOT fanboy - particulaly of the old attractions - I loved EF)

 

[TheMaxRebo]

I’m not sure Rat is the type of attraction that makes people stay at Epcot all day, especially with PH being available when it opens. It should help spread crowds out between the parks, but I think Epcot stays a daytime park for the general park goers until Harmonius starts and possibly not until Guardians opens. When Epcot is “complete” people are going to yearn for the days where the park emptied at night

yup .....


People about DHS 5 years ago: gosh, there is nothing to do here, such a half day park, they really need new rides and stuff

People about DHS 8 months ago: it is too darn crowded, what a disaster!

 

[RamblingRabbit]

Adjusted park hours for Magic Kingdom Park:

• 6, 11-13, 18-19: 8 a.m.-9 p.m.
• 7-10, 14-17: 8 a.m.-8 p.m.

Adjusted park hours for Disney’s Hollywood Studios:

• 6-19: 9 a.m.-7 p.m.

Adjusted park hours for Disney’s Animal Kingdom:

• 4-6, 11-13, 18-19: 8 a.m.-8 p.m.
• 7-10, 14-17: 8 a.m.-5 p.m.

Guess I'm not gonna see the Holliday tree of life

 

[tlmadden73]

They really have no other option. Absence makes the heart grow fonder. If the vaccine holds, and Disneyland can open in June/July, the demand there from locals alone is going to be crazy.

At the same time -- there is the saying - "out of sight, out of mind" -- there will be many things in our culture (for some, not all) .. that we will realize we don't need back in our lives since we've gone so long (almost a year) without them -- live sporting events, concerts, sports, going to the movies, cruises, going to giant theme parks.

So .. for some things .. there probably won't be a "rush" to go back .. it will still take time for demand to get back to normal for a LOT of things once all restrictions are lifted everywhere.

 

[rteetz]

Guess I'm not gonna see the Holliday tree of life

You may not see it very long but it gets dark fairly early now that you should be able to see some of it.

 

[Mit88]

though if EF was available now as the only night time show and the first back after 6+ month absense I suspect the reception would be more positive

(and personally, as an admitted EPCOT fanboy - particulaly of the old attractions - I loved EF)

I more meant that Disney themselves didn’t market EF very well. I haven’t seen it, but the premise seems like it would appeal to the Epcot fanboys. But from the start Disney basically told people it was just a holdover show between Illuminations and Harmonious and it wasn’t important enough for people to make a trip to see, just wait for Harmonius.

And yeah, Epcot would definitely get a lot more reservations immediately if they said EF was coming back tomorrow. People flocked to MK to see “A Taste of Fireworks Spectacular” to fill the empty fireworksless void in their heart, so without a doubt Epcot would see an uptick of guests if they announced EF was coming back before HEA.

 

[Mit88]

At the same time -- there is the saying - "out of sight, out of mind" -- there will be many things in our culture (for some, not all) .. that we will realize we don't need back in our lives since we've gone so long (almost a year) without them -- live sporting events, concerts, sports, going to the movies, cruises, going to giant theme parks.

So .. for some things .. there probably won't be a "rush" to go back .. it will still take time for demand to get back to normal for a LOT of things once all restrictions are lifted everywhere.

Eh, maybe if you’ve always been lukewarm on those things to begin with. I for one cannot wait until I can go to a Yankee game again, go to Bethel, or SPAC for concerts, and go see a big blockbuster in the theaters (I’m seeing WW84 in IMAX on Christmas Day even if I have to drive to Connecticut to see it). The locals in SoCal that go to Disneyland are the type of fanatics that won’t think of it as Out of Sight, Out of Mind, and you see that with the crowds DTD sees every weekend

 

[tlmadden73]

Eh, maybe if you’ve always been lukewarm on those things to begin with. I for one cannot wait until I can go to a Yankee game again, go to Bethel, or SPAC for concerts, and go see a big blockbuster in the theaters (I’m seeing WW84 in IMAX on Christmas Day even if I have to drive to Connecticut to see it). The locals in SoCal that go to Disneyland are the type of fanatics that won’t think of it as Out of Sight, Out of Mind, and you see that with the crowds DTD sees every weekend

Good point -- there are definitely uber fans in every category, but I just feel that uber fan demand won't make up for the lukewarm fans that may not return ever or take years before returning in the numbers from before.

I mean with WW84 being shown on HBOMax on the same day as theaters-- that WILL start to shift consumer habits (of the lukewarm fans) toward wanting and expecting new movies to release on streaming services.

Hopefully I am wrong -- as a lot of industries (like hotels and cruises and theme parks) need that demand to return in full force sooner than later as they just aren't built (in their current forms) to run on low capacity.

 

[Mit88]

Good point -- there are definitely uber fans in every category, but I just feel that uber fan demand won't make up for the lukewarm fans that may not return ever or take years before returning in the numbers from before.

I mean with WW84 being shown on HBOMax on the same day as theaters-- that WILL start to shift consumer habits (of the lukewarm fans) toward wanting and expecting new movies to release on streaming services.

Hopefully I am wrong -- as a lot of industries (like hotels and cruises and theme parks) need that demand to return in full force sooner than later as they just aren't built (in their current forms) to run on low capacity.

You’re definitely right that the hardcore fans can’t make up for the demand that something like Disney needs/expects, we see that happening with WDW right now. But with DLR, they depend more on the local hardcore fanbase than WDW does, so when they reopen, the demand will be there right from the get go and allow them time for the general public to become comfortable with returning, which will definitely take time for a lot of people. They also only have 3 resorts, so it won’t look as jarring if they’re not selling hotel rooms as it is at WDW with many of theirs still empty, and some that aren’t even open yet.

Yes, there are many people that have already shifted to the comfort of the option of streaming, but there are still plenty of people that are only OK with streaming being a temporary option for new releases. If Disney holds out on Black Widow and it comes out in May, and a vaccine works and is widely distributed, I wouldn’t be remotely surprised if the movie comes close to 1B worldwide. We’re seeing with the Mandalorian that people HATE these things being spoiled on social media, so if Black Widow opens in theaters and not day and date on Disney+, people WILL go if there are theaters open for them to see it. Movies, Concerts, Theme Parks, etc are eventually going to have to force people out of their comfort zones of being homebody’s in order to survive. Now is not the time, but the time is quickly approaching before we lose them forever

 

[PrincessV]

they are still struggling to keep guests at Epcot until closing, it's been the problem since reopening

Twice in COVID times I've gone to EP in late afternoon with the express intent of staying until closing... and twice I left an hour or more before that because I'd truly done all I wanted. It's a beautiful treat for me, but probably not so much for WDW!

 

[hereforthechurros]

they are still struggling to keep guests at Epcot until closing, it's been the problem since reopening

I mean only for some people, at some booths, at specific times. Could it be any more targeted?

We're (for now at least) planning to spend Christmas Eve from 6 pm to close at Epcot so low-ish crowds and discounted food sounds awesome.

 

[Clockwork]

Speaking of theaters Warner’s just announced they are streaming all their films for the next year day of release in theaters, i wonder if Disney will follow.

 

[Mit88]

Speaking of theaters Warner’s just announced they are streaming all their films for the next year day of release in theaters, i wonder if Disney will follow.

Maybe, but doubtful. Disney doesn’t release as many movies a year as the other studios so they’re not AS backed up. They’re also not going to streaming only, they’re day and date like WW84 is and will only be available on streaming for 30 days

 

[Clockwork]

Maybe, but doubtful. Disney doesn’t release as many movies a year as the other studios so they’re not AS backed up. They’re also not going to streaming only, they’re day and date like WW84 is and will only be available on streaming for 30 days

I said they were streaming day of release, I don’t know they did with Mulan and are going streaming only with Soul.

 

[Mit88]

I said they were streaming day of release, I don’t know they did with Milan and are going streaming only with Soul.

thats 2 releases, potentially 3 if the Black Widow rumors are true. WB/ATT are reacting to the subscriber number that Disney+ has. Disney would like to get even more subscribers to Disney+, but they’re not in as desperate as a position as AT&T is to gain subscribers. Disney’s theatrical model is far more intricate than other studios, they’ve built it where almost all of their theatrical releases are big profit makers. Going straight to streaming with a full slate of 200M dollar movies would lose Disney a lot, a lot, a lot of money. Now, if we’re in March/April/May and things are still bad, they might have to do it just to get the movies out, but I’d bet Disney will be the last to hold on to theatrical dates for most of their movies. Maybe I’m wrong. But this current model is not a good one.

 

[Clockwork]

thats 2 releases, potentially 3 if the Black Widow rumors are true. WB/ATT are reacting to the subscriber number that Disney+ has. Disney would like to get even more subscribers to Disney+, but they’re not in as desperate as a position as AT&T is to gain subscribers. Disney’s theatrical model is far more intricate than other studios, they’ve built it where almost all of their theatrical releases are big profit makers. Going straight to streaming with a full slate of 200M dollar movies would lose Disney a lot, a lot, a lot of money. Now, if we’re in March/April/May and things are still bad, they might have to do it just to get the movies out, but I’d bet Disney will be the last to hold on to theatrical dates for most of their movies. Maybe I’m wrong. But this current model is not a good one.

At this point they all are probably thinking some profit is better than no profit. They probably are all trying to think of new ways to package their releases.

 

[rteetz]

Maybe, but doubtful. Disney doesn’t release as many movies a year as the other studios so they’re not AS backed up. They’re also not going to streaming only, they’re day and date like WW84 is and will only be available on streaming for 30 days

I don’t expect Disney to do this. I think they’ll be more deliberate. Some moves to Disney+ but not all.

 

[Spridell]

Twice in COVID times I've gone to EP in late afternoon with the express intent of staying until closing... and twice I left an hour or more before that because I'd truly done all I wanted. It's a beautiful treat for me, but probably not so much for WDW!

Agree. I have purposely made some dining reservations closer to park closing just so I can be the only one around. I did it last month ands its def a relaxing feeling walking around WS being the only people there.

but yeah not good for WDW

 

[Mit88]

At this point they all are probably thinking some profit is better than no profit. They probably are all trying to think of new ways to package their releases.

And what if the vaccine works and we’re back to normal in June. Warner brothers easily loses Dune and Suicide Squad, 2 movies that would probably make a billion worldwide. The profit is also in hopes that people stay subscribed month to month, and people aren’t sharing accounts. They’re not profiting unless they acquire more subscribers in the next year than Netflix currently has