Cruise and Theme Park Operational Updates due to Coronavirus

[hertamaniac]

Living in central Florida and seeing the local news reports, I feel confident that WDW won't be reopening for months. The trickle down effect on I-Drive businesses is brutal and seeing the interviews for those folks effected is staggering.

 

[CastAStone]

I wanted to read reviews on Yacht Club so I've been scouring the internet. I found it interesting that Tripadvisor has a banner across the top of the page that says...Message from Tripadvisor: This business is temporarily closed until 04/30/2020.

I just searched hotel availability on Expedia and all the WDW O&O hotels say they’re sold out for all of April.

 

[meremac]

I just searched hotel availability on Expedia and all the WDW O&O hotels say they’re sold out for all of April.

Yet as a TA, I can go on the TA portal right now and book a trip for a client from April 1-8 if I wanted to. Clearly I wouldn't do that because I know that there's no way that they will be open. The uncertainty is so incredibly stressful though. How exactly should I advise my clients? Will they be covering our commission for PIF reservations like our other suppliers are? For how long? The answers will be very impactful to my business and my family. Once I know (whatever the answers may be), I can process it and figure out how best to move forward. But every hour this is dragged out adds an exponential amount of stress, especially during this already uncertain time. I am not an outwardly emotional person, but I was in tears this morning when I woke up to STILL no information. And I know there are tens of thousands of others in my position: other TAs, CMs, secondary suppliers, etc. I am simply dumbfounded by the way that WDTC has strung everyone along. They are standing out here for all of the wrong reasons.

 

[mshanson3121]

I'd expect monday on communication from them.

Omg. If they wait til Monday... It's pathetic enough they've waited this long.

 

[OnceUponATime15]

Closure of Tokyo Parks extended again - hotels now being closed as well

 

[Remy is Up]

Omg. If they wait til Monday... It's pathetic enough they've waited this long.

Let me clarify. I was responding to the person who asked about her later trip and CL extra FPS.
I have several people close to me who work for Disney or Universal, in management and in other positions, 3 are relatives.

As far as an announcement from Disney on reopening or extending the closure, from the 2 people in management I speak to regularly, as of yesterday one of them had no communication from those above her other than they had been told they would receive further information today. One of them has been involved in discussions on plans as to what to do moving forward but what he told me I cannot relay because that would be inappropriate.

As far as call centers, my daughter works in one of the centers and they were given Thursday-Sunday off and will be working from home starting Monday. They had to do some extra training and find enough hardware to allow the CMs to work from home. There is a HUGE backlog of emails they will be going through and the phone qeue is crazy 2 minutes after lines open so you have to be patient. Waits have been up to an hour. It is not they dont have enough people, but, noone couldve prepared for this and the mass amounts of calls are overwhelming. Yes it is frustrating but they cant just move other people into those positions because A. Not enough hardware and B. the training for the call center varies by department and can be up to 8-12 weeks before they are even allowed on the floor.

And lastly my reasoning for believing this goes into June/July is having a several friends in the healthcare industry, inclusive of a spouse, who KNOWS what the hospital and social situation is in Florida right now and having a brother higher up in Universal management who has already been told not to expect any reopening until Memorial Day or afterwards. They are playing it by ear and are hoping for sooner, but, based on the environment here in Florida, they are preparing for longer.

Hope that clarifies my statement

 

[D.morrow0084]

I know everyone has their own issues going on with trips. I really hate not knowing because we are supposed to get married at paddlefish with a week at fort wilderness campsites on memorial day. And everything is mostly paid for.

 

[mshanson3121]

Let me clarify. I was responding to the person who asked about her later trip and CL extra FPS.
I have several people close to me who work for Disney or Universal, in management and in other positions, 3 are relatives.

As far as an announcement from Disney on reopening or extending the closure, from the 2 people in management I speak to regularly, as of yesterday one of them had no communication from those above her other than they had been told they would receive further information today. One of them has been involved in discussions on plans as to what to do moving forward but what he told me I cannot relay because that would be inappropriate.

As far as call centers, my daughter works in one of the centers and they were given Thursday-Sunday off and will be working from home starting Monday. They had to do some extra training and find enough hardware to allow the CMs to work from home. There is a HUGE backlog of emails they will be going through and the phone qeue is crazy 2 minutes after lines open so you have to be patient. Waits have been up to an hour. It is not they dont have enough people, but, noone couldve prepared for this and the mass amounts of calls are overwhelming. Yes it is frustrating but they cant just move other people into those positions because A. Not enough hardware and B. the training for the call center varies by department and can be up to 8-12 weeks before they are even allowed on the floor.

And lastly my reasoning for believing this goes into June/July is having a several friends in the healthcare industry, inclusive of a spouse, who KNOWS what the hospital and social situation is in Florida right now and having a brother higher up in Universal management who has already been told not to expect any reopening until Memorial Day or afterwards. They are playing it by ear and are hoping for sooner, but, based on the environment here in Florida, they are preparing for longer.

Hope that clarifies my statement

Sorry, I thought you meant Monday before they publicly announce their plans. That was what I was referring to.

 

[xuxa777]

Let me clarify. I was responding to the person who asked about her later trip and CL extra FPS.
I have several people close to me who work for Disney or Universal, in management and in other positions, 3 are relatives.

As far as an announcement from Disney on reopening or extending the closure, from the 2 people in management I speak to regularly, as of yesterday one of them had no communication from those above her other than they had been told they would receive further information today. One of them has been involved in discussions on plans as to what to do moving forward but what he told me I cannot relay because that would be inappropriate.

As far as call centers, my daughter works in one of the centers and they were given Thursday-Sunday off and will be working from home starting Monday. They had to do some extra training and find enough hardware to allow the CMs to work from home. There is a HUGE backlog of emails they will be going through and the phone qeue is crazy 2 minutes after lines open so you have to be patient. Waits have been up to an hour. It is not they dont have enough people, but, noone couldve prepared for this and the mass amounts of calls are overwhelming. Yes it is frustrating but they cant just move other people into those positions because A. Not enough hardware and B. the training for the call center varies by department and can be up to 8-12 weeks before they are even allowed on the floor.

And lastly my reasoning for believing this goes into June/July is having a several friends in the healthcare industry, inclusive of a spouse, who KNOWS what the hospital and social situation is in Florida right now and having a brother higher up in Universal management who has already been told not to expect any reopening until Memorial Day or afterwards. They are playing it by ear and are hoping for sooner, but, based on the environment here in Florida, they are preparing for longer.

Hope that clarifies my statement

This.

The logistics involved here is massive. We are looking at mid June at the earliest and that is if all goes well. Realize that they are going to cancel everything in April and may and refund money. Whether it is announced Monday or Friday of next week really won’t make a difference in the big picture of what is going on in the world.

The cast members were slammed when the closed for two weeks and that was with full staffing in their offices. Now everyone is WFH with a limited staff, I can only imagine the call wait times Once they announce

 

[Welsh_Dragon]

I know everyone has their own issues going on with trips. I really hate not knowing because we are supposed to get married at paddlefish with a week at fort wilderness campsites on memorial day. And everything is mostly paid for.

Oh my goodness. I am sorry to hear about this extra pressure that you are under. Wedding planning should be a joyous time. I can’t imagine what you are feeling.

 

[charmed59]

For what it’s worth, I was watching the local Orlando NBC affiliate last night and the screen crawl said Disney, as well what looked like all the other Orlando attractions, would be closed indefinitely.

 

[meremac]

This.

Whether it is announced Monday or Friday of next week really won’t make a difference in the big picture of what is going on in the world.

That's 100% true. When you think about the physical suffering and grief that is happening across the world right now, this does all pale in comparison. But for the people whose livelihood depends on Disney's announcement (CM's and TA's in particular), this inexplicable delay really is a big deal. It's much more than a vacation. We were actually supposed to go to WDW next week too as a family, but I can handle the delay in information from that perspective. Clearly we're not going, and I don't think that anybody booked for next week really believes that their trip is happening. At the end of the day, it's just a vacation. There will be others. What is destroying me right now is the uncertainty of how my livelihood will be impacted by Disney's decisions. I don't even care what the decisions are. I would just like to know something so I can process it and figure out how to move forward for my family. We have heard from just about all of our other suppliers, but WDTC is the vast majority of my business. The more time that passes with absolutely zero communication, the more stressful this is. Anxiety is through the roof.

 

[PamNC]

INDEFINITELY!!!!!!!?????? Don't say that. Scares me to death. Although I do think it'll be closed until 6/1. that's my best guess. And then I would suspect partial openings.

 

[DynamicDisneyDuo]

INDEFINITELY!!!!!!!?????? Don't say that. Scares me to death. Although I do think it'll be closed until 6/1. that's my best guess. And then I would suspect partial openings.

Might have been referring to the stay-home/shelter in place/whatever they are calling them for the counties WDW is located in.

 

[mshanson3121]

INDEFINITELY!!!!!!!?????? Don't say that. Scares me to death. Although I do think it'll be closed until 6/1. that's my best guess. And then I would suspect partial openings.

Indefinitely just means they don't have an end date. It doesn't mean forever!

 

[xuxa777]

That's 100% true. When you think about the physical suffering and grief that is happening across the world right now, this does all pale in comparison. But for the people whose livelihood depends on Disney's announcement (CM's and TA's in particular), this inexplicable delay really is a big deal. It's much more than a vacation. We were actually supposed to go to WDW next week too as a family, but I can handle the delay in information from that perspective. Clearly we're not going, and I don't think that anybody booked for next week really believes that their trip is happening. At the end of the day, it's just a vacation. There will be others. What is destroying me right now is the uncertainty of how my livelihood will be impacted by Disney's decisions. I don't even care what the decisions are. I would just like to know something so I can process it and figure out how to move forward for my family. We have heard from just about all of our other suppliers, but WDTC is the vast majority of my business. The more time that passes with absolutely zero communication, the more stressful this is. Anxiety is through the roof.

Completely understand the stress on your livelihood, but perspective is important. This virus is bad, it is effecting everyone's livelihood. Personally know many restaurants and business that already are going out of business due to this and will not be able to come back, many will follow. Everyone has uncertainty in the livelihood, except amazon delivery drivers I guess

I honestly believe Disney is trying to do the best they can in unprecedented scenario. Best thing in uncertain times is plan for the "worst" closure until mid summer/fall then limited openings, and hope for the best. Getting worried over dates, announcements not occurring frequently etc. is not good for anyone's mental state.

Disney will get the info out when they determine is best and will refund everyone but it might take time. We will get through this but it is going to hurt for a while.

edit to add - please don't take this as preaching to you, not my intention at all, I understand this is a really stressful time for everyone and hopefully we can get through it sooner than later

 

[xuxa777]

INDEFINITELY!!!!!!!?????? Don't say that. Scares me to death. Although I do think it'll be closed until 6/1. that's my best guess. And then I would suspect partial openings.

That is the news channel language and is correct but Disney will probably mirror what they did for Tokyo Disney today and say closure till 6/1 (or some other date) or beyond.

 

[Spaceguy55]

I'm also thinking the delay also might have to do with the call centers. They need time time to get CM's up to speed for working from home "connected into the reservation system"
I don't know about anybody else but telemarketing calls I get each day from call centers have really dropped off to almost none.

 

[meremac]

I honestly believe Disney is trying to do the best they can in unprecedented scenario. Best thing in uncertain times is plan for the "worst" closure until mid summer/fall then limited openings, and hope for the best. Getting worried over dates, announcements not occurring frequently etc. is not good for anyone's mental state.

Totally agree. It's just somewhat of a bitter pill to swallow when our other suppliers have communicated with us. We haven't even gotten a "thanks for your support over the years wanted to let you know we're working on this but we just don't have answers for you yet" e-mail. There very well may be a good reason for this, but it's hard to understand.

 

[xuxa777]

Totally agree. It's just somewhat of a bitter pill to swallow when our other suppliers have communicated with us. We haven't even gotten a "thanks for your support over the years wanted to let you know we're working on this but we just don't have answers for you yet" e-mail. There very well may be a good reason for this, but it's hard to understand.

Been too many bitter pills lately, I am ready for some good news.

It is just Disney is the biggest, takes a while to turn a big cruise ship

They also want to get it right, when they announce, it is worldwide headline news and will somewhat effect the mental state and moral of millions. Disney is about hope and dreams, they have to get it right, especially in these times.