Cruise and Theme Park Operational Updates due to Coronavirus

[fla4fun]

Does anyone else feel like they are riding the home edition of the Mad Tea Party?

I wonder if they will first open the park reservations to those who have both a hotel booking and tickets, then open to those who have booked a hotel, but don’t show tickets yet, then open to AP who don’t have a resort stay booked, and then everyone else. I can’t believe they wouldn’t give some sort of edge to everyone who has a resort stay booked before opening the reservations up to the general public. But stranger things have happened . . .

 

[andyman8]

It won't be resuming anytime soon. The closure was extended into June, and currently it's fully anticipated to extend in July. Trudeau wants the border kept closed as long as possible. So the reality here is, even if Trump forces it open, Canadians will be required to quarentine for 14 days after visiting the US for a long time to come. Which will prohibit most people from visiting.

So let me ask you this (genuine question): how would you feel if Disney went ahead and canceled your resort reservation (if you don’t have one, pretend like you do) for late July today (even though the official extension has not been announced) with what you’re saying in mind? What about for August or September? At what point do you feel it would be too early for them to cancel your reservation?

 

[sullivan.kscott]

Let's also wait until next week until we judge how great those plans actually are. I don't think there will be major issues, but we're giving Universal a free pass before anything actually happens. They might know demand will be greatly reduced, but what if their decision to not do a reservation system WAS a mistake?

Very true and valid. For example, we are there for 8 nights with a 4 day, all 3 parks ticket. Having us make reservations for which 4 days we’ll be where makes sense. And allows them 4 “slots” on my family’s free days to open up to other guests. Multiply that by all of the families on site and they can plan much better instead of turning away locals and AP.
At a minimum, which hours do we plan on VB before heading to IOA or whatever scenario comes up in a visitor’s head. This is definitely a hairline fracture in their plan that could break the levee as the initial weeks roll on and tourists start showing up again.
The main draw for at least tourists is the Wizarding World, essentially forcing park hopping. A great way to force an up sell in normal times will be a nightmare potentially if guests can’t get on Hogwarts Express and visit the whole experience after being told “come on in!”

 

[chasgoose]

but they aren't allowing anyone to buy tickets, that's the thing, and they won't open up new ticket sales until people who are eligible make their park reservations. At that point it's a race against time to get the tickets and make a reservation


Yes, but if they keep ticket sales blocked for a certain window I'm still out of luck unless I can get in and buy them an AP before that window opens (who knows if they will even allow that). My husband has tickets for November so no problem, but won't have his AP until about the 30 day mark before our December trip, so he won't have a ticket to make reservations with until a month out. It is incrediby frustrating to think about. If they don't open up for buying tickets until after those who already have tickets can book a reservation then I might be SOL for our trip.

They aren't going to stop ticket sales for 6 months. Based on everything we have seen the proposed park reservation system and priority booking windows are probably just going to be tied to the opening since that's going to be a lot harder and they won't know how it works until they start doing it so they need to be cautious. Even if they continue the park reservation model/keep capacity down going forward, they will likely tweak the system to accommodate people in your circumstances. For example, I could see them move to a system where so long as someone in a party has a ticket they can make advance park reservations for any other people linked to their MDE profile so long as those people buy a ticket at some shorter window prior to their park reservation date. So if you could make park reservations 60 days out, so long as everyone else had tickets two weeks out or something you would be good.

This is why Disney is being somewhat non-committal on details because they know things are going to change going forward on a weekly or even daily basis. It's hard for those of us used to planning so far in advance, but that's just going to be how it is for awhile.

 

[Brianstl]

I don’t now how people can keep comparing Universal and Disney’s opening process.

Universal can basically just say, here’s the plan for inside the parks. We’re opening on X date. They have a small enough number of rooms that they can apparently guarantee entry, they don’t have the dining reservation problem, and they don’t have pre-booked fast passes. They very clearly have a lot less to worry about modifying and figuring out. They don’t have the same level of expectations from guests, and that’s not a slight against Universal, they are just not the same kind of dedicated vacation that Disney is for a lot of people.

Yeah it’s nice they can give all the answers, open faster, have things be seemingly less complex, but that isn’t because Disney is just sucking and falling behind Universal.

True, but many of Disney's problems are of their own making. They decided to make everything as complicated as it became and in turn as hard to wind it all down.

 

[Tjddis]

I don’t now how people can keep comparing Universal and Disney’s opening process.

Universal can basically just say, here’s the plan for inside the parks. We’re opening on X date. They have a small enough number of rooms that they can apparently guarantee entry, they don’t have the dining reservation problem, and they don’t have pre-booked fast passes. They very clearly have a lot less to worry about modifying and figuring out. They don’t have the same level of expectations from guests, and that’s not a slight against Universal, they are just not the same kind of dedicated vacation that Disney is for a lot of people.

Yeah it’s nice they can give all the answers, open faster, have things be seemingly less complex, but that isn’t because Disney is just sucking and falling behind Universal.

I think you are right. They are really different entities. But I also think Disney’s poor communication and lack of forward thinking made it really easy to see UO as a valid back up and a better bet. UO might not be as vast, but it is a viable alternate and the way Disney worked it turned a lot of people in that direction.

 

[princesscinderella]

You have a Universal AP and didn't get an email to register for the early access?

Same here, I’m a preferred AP at universal and was supposed to be able to register at 1pm but didn’t get my e-mail til 2pm We weren’t planning on going anyway because we are back to work and can’t go during the week. However it just goes to show that Universal doesn’t have it together any better than Disney right now.

 

[tlmadden73]

True, but many of Disney's problems are of their own making. They decided to make everything as complicated as it became and in turn as hard to wind it all down.

Right .. when you let guests make dining reservations at 180 days .. and reservations to skip rides at 60 days out . .and reservations for all sorts of special paid events ... and have a ticketing system equally as complicated with X days, having to be used by a certain date with all sorts of special add-ons (like hoppers) .. throw in their very ill-conceived "Let's have everyone who got cancelled in March/April rebook with free dining in the summer). Their own complications make unwinding this equally as complicated. They really had no choice but to hit the reset button. Frankly, I am surprised they just didn't hit the reset button on hotel reservations too .. but imagine the uproar then because of all sorts of "lost" discounts and the like.

 

[Pickle Rick]

Halloween parties won't be canceled (according to Caryle's previous tweet).

For now at least. Looks like they are monitoring the situation.

 

[AmberMV]

Any guesses on when the "soft openings" start before July 11 public opening?

 

[TheMaxRebo]

I’m booked this summer and I just got mine. I think right now I am just hyper critical of all things WDW...lol

I think everyone is on edge about everything now - a lot built up over time and a lot just going on right now (in the theme park world and the world world)

 

[Betty Rohrer]

I can’t imagine he denies Disney.

But then I couldn’t have imagined much about 2020
[/QUOTE
I agree if he denies Disney looks like they would be opening later not earlier. do not see anything that can make them open earlier

 

[fla4fun]

I thought about the peeing analogy with the 2 yr old requirement. If my 33.5 inch 2 yr old pees with no diaper, it wouldn’t go nearly as as high up as if an adult peed. By the same token, his droplets MIGHT reach your knee (if you were standing too close) which last I checked isn’t a way that we can get Covid. This is why so many ppl are upset about the masks b/c it’s reached a level of obsession, hysteria, and overall unreasonableness.

I agree with you so long as your child is walking or in a stroller. But if you pick them up, carry them, or put them on your shoulders, that changes the picture completely. I don’t envy any parent trying to get their child to comply though. I know my sister would have been a handful at that age if she had to wear one.

 

[Pickle Rick]

Any guesses on when the "soft openings" start before July 11 public opening?

I have no idea, but since two parks are opening four days before the other two, I wonder if the "soft openings" will be on different dates. Maybe MK/AK four days before the 11th, and EC and DHS four days before the 15th?

I guess we'll find out soon enough.

 

[SmittS]

I just got the email stating because I have valid tickets I will get priority access, and the only tickets I have on my account are unactivated APs. So they are definitely counting those as valid tickets. I currently have split stay reservations for July and one in October.

Same situation here.

Same. My question remains - once activated, will the clock start while we're in this reservation period? Need to find this out as it will be the yay or no if we'll visit anytime soon.

 

[atricks]

Just announced: All but two of the Universal Hotels are opening up on June 2nd.

The phased reopening of the hotels will include Hard Rock Hotel, Loews Royal Pacific Resort, Loews Sapphire Falls Resort, Universal’s Cabana Bay Beach Resort, Universal’s Aventura Hotel and Universal’s Endless Summer Resort – Surfside Inn and Suites.

The only ones not opening is the Dockside which stopped shut JUST before the grand opening in March and Portofino Bay Hotel

https://www.universalorlando.com/we...requently-asked-questions#hotels-and-packages

 

[cakebaker]

I think you are right. They are really different entities. But I also think Disney’s poor communication and lack of forward thinking made it really easy to see UO as a valid back up and a better bet. UO might not be as vast, but it is a viable alternate and the way Disney worked it turned a lot of people in that direction.

Without all the things that makes Disney different, they’re basically a park with rides and that’s how I look at Universal. If I were interested in just a park with rides, Universal would definitely be a viable, if not better option. I’m not, but I recognize I’m probably in the minority on that.

 

[andyman8]

Any guesses on when the "soft openings" start before July 11 public opening?

My personal speculation: no earlier than July 5.

 

[Pickle Rick]

All the Universal Hotels are opening up on June 2nd.

The phased reopening of the hotels will include Hard Rock Hotel, Loews Royal Pacific Resort, Loews Sapphire Falls Resort, Universal’s Cabana Bay Beach Resort, Universal’s Aventura Hotel and Universal’s Endless Summer Resort – Surfside Inn and Suites.

The only one not opening is the Dockside which stopped shut JUST before the grand opening in March.

https://www.universalorlando.com/we...requently-asked-questions#hotels-and-packages

Universal hotels are third party, so it looks like Loews hotels made the decision to open.

 

[andyman8]

Just announced: All the Universal Hotels are opening up on June 2nd.

The phased reopening of the hotels will include Hard Rock Hotel, Loews Royal Pacific Resort, Loews Sapphire Falls Resort, Universal’s Cabana Bay Beach Resort, Universal’s Aventura Hotel and Universal’s Endless Summer Resort – Surfside Inn and Suites.

The only one not opening is the Dockside which stopped shut JUST before the grand opening in March.

https://www.universalorlando.com/we...requently-asked-questions#hotels-and-packages

PBH will also not be reopening initially.