Cruise and Theme Park Operational Updates due to Coronavirus

[e_yerger]

How will the parks and the Disney stores be able to sell merchandise ? Mickey plushies, corona virus can live for days....Vacuum pack everything ?

You can buy the plush, put it in a bag, then wash or sanitize your hands. The big thing is not putting your hands in your face after they’ve touched a surface that possibly has the virus.

 

[jamescanuck2001]

I agree with this, but I think the trouble is...the where of it. To me, the obvious answer would be at the airport prior to boarding DME. BUT...what if people were exposed on the airplane, but still too early to test positive? Then, they will be exposing an entire bus full of people. Who would then be exposing an entire lobby full of people at a resort. And so on and so forth.

If airlines require tests before boarding, that would take away the need to do it at the DME counter. BUT, what if someone is exposed at their departing airport? And, the test was too early to catch it before they board the plane. Then, they have exposed those people on the plane....who could then expose other people on the plane, or the people in line at DME, or the people on the DME bus....or someone in the bathroom who would then go on to the DME counter. And so on and so forth.

Not only that, but even if they get on and off the plane scot free, between the gate and the DME counter, there are so many people and/or surfaces they could interact with. The escalator railing, elevator buttons, restroom surfaces, etc etc. And if you are exposed 5 minutes before you report to be tested, then it could be a few days into it, conceivably your whole vacation even, before you would even test positive.

So...ultimately, what's the point. Yes, you would likely catch a lot of people before they get on the DME buses, but if even 1 or 2 people are missed, or have a false negative...then the chain reaction from that could be hugely damaging.

In a scenario where cheap, fast testing for coronavirus is widely available and a negative test gives you a certification, mandatory regular re-testing, and Disney implements testing on arrival as a prerequisite to enter the property out of an abundance of caution, with that scale of testing I think the risk associated with your scenarios would be low, maybe not nuclear plant disaster risk low, and maybe on par with the risk of death by lightning strike, and acceptably low for liability purposes. Which is the cover Disney needs to re-open.

 

[e_yerger]

Yeah the problem is, as a society, this is not something that can be beaten on an individual level. Because the inconsiderate 22 year old at Disney who doesn’t care and touches his face and doesn’t get that sick will go ont o infect a 60 year old, a 70 year old, etc. etc. So everyone talking about “personal freedom” is really talking about the freedom to get a lot of other older people or people with pre-existing conditions, or random people who are just plain unlucky, killed. So we can’t just say “personal responsibility,” we have to design systems that minimize the risk as much as possible.

I completely agree, BUT I also know that businesses need to start opening soon and need to find ways to do it as safe as possible.

edit: by soon i mean in the next 30+ days.

 

[e_yerger]

In a scenario where cheap, fast testing for coronavirus is widely available and a negative test gives you a certification, regular re-testing is required, and Disney implements this testing as a prerequisite to enter the property out of an abundance of caution, with that scale of testing I think the risk associated with your scenarios would be low, maybe not nuclear plant disaster risk low, and maybe on par with the risk of death by lightning strike, and acceptably low for liability purposes. Which is the cover Disney needs to re-open.

This is exactly what they’re doing in China - everyone is being tested and getting a pass that says they are healthy & clear to move. And they have to show their status when entering places like malls & stores.

 

[jlwhitney]

But then there will be a big spike and the hospitals will be overrun and then we will be locked down again. The virus will not care that you will not stand for it. I wish and hope that isn't so.

but we also have more knowledge of it. We did nothing basically for up to 2 months based on coast. Now there is more awareness of it and testing, which once we can test easily will help a lot.

bottom line is what we are doing now isnt sustainable.

 

[TomServo27]

Let me ask you this (all y'all)

How do YOU propose tens of thousands of people in a Disney park maintain social distancing of 6 feet?
I've actually thought about it, and can't imagine a scenario even with virtual queue.

Really curious what you guys think would work.

Len Testa mentioned on today’s Disney Dish that he believes that with social distancing you could fit 15,000 to 30,000 people in the MK.

 

[e_yerger]

Len Testa mentioned on today’s Disney Dish that he believes that with social distancing you could fit 15,000 to 30,000 people in the MK.

This just made me smile so much!!!! To the other poster, here are some numbers!!

 

[Remy is Up]

but we also have more knowledge of it. We did nothing basically for up to 2 months based on coast. Now there is more awareness of it and testing, which once we can test easily will help a lot.

bottom line is what we are doing now isnt sustainable.

And opening things up too soon will cause more deaths and make it worse.

 

[Fido Chuckwagon]

And opening things up too soon will cause more deaths and make it worse.

Yeah, I think this is why the decision to open or not open disney world is a false dichotomy. Like, what do people think would happen if they lifted social distancing and re-opened disney tomorrow? Because it would be just as bad, f not worse, for businesses, if even more people died and then we end up with people cowering in their homes not because they are ordered to, but because nobody is paying to go to a place like disney world when there is a real chance you can catch a lethal bug and die. The economic damage from uncontrolled spread of this disease is way worse to businesses, including disney, then the economic damage of shutting down.

 

[DGsAtBLT]

My thing throughout this entire ordeal has been if it’s so easy to prevent much of this with personal responsibility over things like standing away from people, washing hands, not touching faces, that is all it would have taken to slow/stop this in the first place. There are not thousands and thousands of deaths because people just didn’t do this right. It’s ignorant to think that IMO. And then as people have touched on, it’s not a risk individuals are choosing whether or not to take on themselves when they go to a crowded place. This is exactly why we’re in this mess in the first place. Thousands and thousands of people whose decisions impacted more than just themselves.

How on one hand can we say Disney just needs to be able to keep people 6 feet apart and people need to wash their hands, but then also understand why they needed to shut down what may end up being all their parks worldwide for months? Why would this not have been done already, if that’s all it took? Why as a society did we not all do this instead of shutting down nearly everything? It is way harder than it sounds to do everything right. It is way easier to slip up (despite being responsible) than people make it seem.

Like people have pointed out, before this kind of thing can really work we need accurate numbers. Preventative measures are great but they need to go hand in hand with the vast majority of people who are infected staying home, even the vast majority of the infected people knowing to stay home (whether or not they actually do it) would be a start. I think Disney will open up with some form of new preventative measures in place, if for nothing else PR, whenever they open. But it’s way more complicated than just being able to keep people apart, if that’s even possible.

 

[JPM4]

Len Testa mentioned on today’s Disney Dish that he believes that with social distancing you could fit 15,000 to 30,000 people in the MK.

Yeah I did the math way earlier in this thread. With 36K rooms on property and all of the filled with an average of 4 people per room its 144000 people. Which divides down to 36k per park per day. If they keep it on property guests only to start. Firstly they are not going to fill the rooms right away obviously. If Len thinks they can do it that way you’re prob looking at a cap of about 25K at MK and maybe 15-20 at the other 3.

 

[Remy is Up]

Yeah I did the math way earlier in this thread. With 36K rooms on property and all of the filled with an average of 4 people per room its 144000 people. Which divides down to 36k per park per day. If they keep it on property guests only to start. Firstly they are not going to fill the rooms right away obviously. If Len thinks they can do it that way you’re prob looking at a cap of about 25K at MK and maybe 15-20 at the other 3.

But from a financial standpoint it may not be feasible and you still have to consider. If the county or state says no gatherings over 50 or even 100 people, they still can't open.

 

[e_yerger]

I don't think any of us are saying that the parks should open before June 1st.

 

[yankeesfan123]

I want to ask this question to you and others who think the opening will be later. Why?

If we're at least a year from any vaccine, and if the death rates in the country are dropping, why do you think Disney would/should wait? I'm not being sarcastic -- do you not think the models that show the death rate at almost zero by mid June are accurate? The disease apparently cycles through the body in 14 days or so, so if we've all been social distancing for a month or two, why do you think it makes a difference for WDW to wait until the fall instead of the summer? If you think the disease isn't spreading because of social distancing, then why would returning anytime before a cure be better than any other?

Not trying to be snarky, it's just a line of reasoning I don't understand. I know people are adamant about delaying opening things up. I just don't understand why. What is the theory you're putting your faith in?

The be fair, I actually think August is on the early scale.

I think the answer is quit simple (although I don’t put faith in anything): “reopening” our country is going to be a slow rollout. That’s almost unanimous amongst absolutely everyone, either on the medical side or the economic side. It’s going to be slow.

Mass gatherings, especially for purely entertainment purposes, will be the absolute last part of our existence to get back to normal. You’ll see restaurants and churches slowly open (with restrictions), local parks reopening, playgrounds reopening, movie theaters, office buildings, clothing stores... all of that will reopen, slowly, with restrictions. All those restrictions will slowly get loosened, allowing more and more people enter.

And finally... sports venues and theme parks.

And all this depends on rapid testing, available in a snap to anyone who needs or wants it, and accurate and allowed tracing.

I don’t think just have a lot of purell stations and minimizing parking capacity to 15,000 is going to do the trick.

 

[Pucks104]

Iv told the wife to get used to it, we wont be able to afford to eat out any time soon!

I hope you are sharing in the cooking duties.

 

[LSUmiss]

In other words, Disney, Universal, and Sea World all better prepare for bankruptcy.

Idk money talks & I’m sure Disney & Universal are well connected politically to whomever they need to be in each state & will have significant influence on what local governments decide to do. I think whenever Disney feels it’s safe PR wise to open, they will & local governments will suddenly be on board.

 

[yankeesfan123]

I completely agree, BUT I also know that businesses need to start opening soon and need to find ways to do it as safe as possible.

edit: by soon i mean in the next 30+ days.

Yea. Not Disney parks. They can go bring back Robert Downey Jr and make a bunch more avenger movies if they need more money. On top of that, they can start charging more, charge for magical express, charge for fast passes, add more beer to the MK...

Opening soon to make money is not smart.

 

[Remy is Up]

I don't think any of us are saying that the parks should open before

Idk money talks & I’m sure Disney & Universal are well connected politically to whomever they need to be in each state & will have significant influence on what local governments decide to do. I think whenever Disney feels it’s safe PR wise to open, they will & local governments will suddenly be on board.

Disney doesn't control local government or state government safety standards. Their business will have no bearing on public safety. Nor do they want the appearance of that in the case things open up too soon and there is a second wave and then how do you think people will respond? They will be very careful with this. And at the moment, July or August appears to be the window.

 

[e_yerger]

Disney doesn't control local government or state government safety standards. Their business will have no bearing on public safety. Nor do they want the appearance of that in the case things open up too soon and there is a second wave and then how do you think people will respond? They will be very careful with this. And at the moment, July or August appears to be the window.

Let me rephrase, I don't think any of us think disney are go against local & state governments to open their parks.

They will absolutely work with the officials in Anaheim & Orlando to make the best decisions. But I think this is going to happen sooner than end of Summer.

 

[Remy is Up]

I completely agree, BUT I also know that businesses need to start opening soon and need to find ways to do it as safe as possible.

edit: by soon i mean in the next 30+ days.

Business can WANT all they want. But if there is any relaxing of restrictions and the second breakout begins. Who will we blame then? The businesses, the politicians, or those who keep.pushing for it when the scientific community has said any reopening in may will cause a secondary wave or spike and create more death. Who is going to explain that to the loved ones of those who die? Who is accountable? Life is more important than business and a lot of people still don't get the gravity of this situation and how it progresses, how the virus morphs, reactivated, etc. You are putting business before life so you can go to a park. I'm glad management at Disney doesn't see it that way.