Cruise and Theme Park Operational Updates due to Coronavirus

[cakebaker]

If they truly thought June 1st was the opening date, that's on them. They'll get over it if their trips are cancelled. Rescheduling for that date was risky and foolish of them, especially considering how the last 3-4 weeks have gone in regards to data and knowledge.

I agree with most of what you said, except I don't think it was foolish to book June 1- as long as you realize you're taking a chance they won't be open. We had our June trip already booked long before the closure. We got our mid March trip cancelled. I didn't change the June trip except to add on more days at the end. I thought at the time, there was no way they'd still be closed at the end of June. Back then people were talking a few weeks. But, I still knew it was a possibility and as time went by, became more of one. I'll be terribly disappointed, but I won't be angry. There's no one to blame. Not even me.

 

[Sarahslay]

I think you'll hear something tomorrow one way or the other.

I honestly don't think we'll know anything past tomorrow, I'm sure they are waiting to see how Florida responds to the phased openings and what the numbers say. They don't want to say they're opening June 1 and then all hell breaks loose and they have to retract. I just think his wording is depressing, usually they give a little hope when they make statements like "we're doing everything we can to assure we can open safely when the time is right" instead of "we're taking reservations but that doesn't mean we'll be open". What they should have done is give people affected by the closures a coupon code or something they could use in the future once the parks are back open, not date specific. I am still holding out hope that they open at some point in June, but I honestly doubt that tomorrow will give us any insight at all.

 

[rteetz]

WDW discussion begins at 30:00 mark.. for those not wanting to listen to the entire conversation

I thought I had the link set to auto start at that mark but maybe I didn't.

 

[Searc]

I agree with most of what you said, except I don't think it was foolish to book June 1- as long as you realize you're taking a chance they won't be open. We had our June trip already booked long before the closure. We got our mid March trip cancelled. I didn't change the June trip except to add on more days at the end. I thought at the time, there was no way they'd still be closed at the end of June. Back then people were talking a few weeks. But, I still knew it was a possibility and as time went by, became more of one. I'll be terribly disappointed, but I won't be angry. There's no one to blame. Not even me.

Let me clarify that a bit ~ I am talking about people that rescheduled to June 1st, not people like yourself that had plans in place long before any of this happened.

 

[Krandor]

There are a lot more people in the this is stupid just open up camp than is represented on these boards IMO.

Unfortunatly agree. There are things people can do to reduce their risk of getting it but there are also a lot of people that won't/don't that will then put others at risk. That's why I'm a bit concerned about reopening now but the die is cast and all we can do now is just hope it is going to all work out and hope there are a lot less people in that group then I expect there are.

 

[OnceUponATime15]

With the shareholder call scheduled for tomorrow, that is where we are likely to get a sense of how Disney plans to move forward.

I thought I had the link set to auto start at that mark but maybe I didn't.

It didn’t for me . That’s why I posted the time stamp

 

[Pickle Rick]

Unfortunatly agree. There are things people can do to reduce their risk of getting it but there are also a lot of people that won't/don't that will then put others at risk. That's why I'm a bit concerned about reopening now but the die is cast and all we can do now is just hope it is going to all work out and hope there are a lot less people in that group then I expect there are.

I always said if there ever was an outbreak at Disney, it wouldn't be because WDW didn't have strict enough guidelines and measure put into place, but because of guests there who didn't follow them, or don't believe the virus is serious and not care in general.

 

[Krandor]

Let me clarify that a bit ~ I am talking about people that rescheduled to June 1st, not people like yourself that had plans in place long before any of this happened.

Anybody who booked June 1st after the parks were closed should have known that was not guaranteed. Yeah some may get upset but my synpatthy is low since you knew the sitation at the time. I had an april trip. Orginzally wasn't going to rebook but when free dining came out I did rebook but to september to give as much time as possible and I still consider the trip 50/50 because we have no clue what things will look like in september. I always looked at it is "i'll decide at the 30 day cancellation deadline"

 

[rpb718]

The opening date will be June 1 until the last possible moment to prevent the stock price from taking more of a hit. If they are planning to change the date, why have the stock price go down now when you can wait until the last possible moment. In the grand scheme of things, stock price outweighs goodwill.

 

[DisneyElite4]

If Disney has to cancel all of those June people who already were cancelled and rebooked on the special offer, one of the consequences to the company will be that all guests will most likely be hesitant to book anything with them for a long time.

 

[Sandiz08]

Looks like Disney has some target dates, they just aren’t ready for it to be anyone’s business yet .

 

[Pickle Rick]

If Disney has to cancel all of those June people who already were cancelled and rebooked on the special offer, one of the consequences to the company will be that all guests will most likely be hesitant to book anything with them for a long time.

Nah, people will book again, easily.

 

[cakebaker]

Let me clarify that a bit ~ I am talking about people that rescheduled to June 1st, not people like yourself that had plans in place long before any of this happened.

Had we not already had plans in place, I would have booked it anyway and probably for that time frame. I wouldn't have booked June 1, that's just too close a call for me. But remember at the time, when that offer was put out, I don't think anyone thought it was going to last this long. I certainly didn't. I have chats where I was discussing the time frame back in late March and the general consensus was a few weeks- they'll clean up, add some safety measures and we'll be back in business. That sounds silly now, it wasn't then. Even on our cancelled trip, just days before closing, we had no clue they'd close. It all happened very quickly. This country went from eh, no big deal to we're all going to die in a matter of days. If I were booking a few weeks ago, I would've moved into mid July- just to be safe. But in the end, even that's not a guarantee. So I don't think anyone was foolish for booking as soon as they could, but they sure needed to realize it wasn't a sure thing. I still think we'll see a June 1 opening, at the lastest mid-June. But what do I know, I didn't think they'd ever close. lol

 

[Minnie368]

If they truly thought June 1st was the opening date, that's on them. They'll get over it if their trips are cancelled. Rescheduling for that date was risky and foolish of them, especially considering how the last 3-4 weeks have gone in regards to data and knowledge.

Let me clarify that a bit ~ I am talking about people that rescheduled to June 1st, not people like yourself that had plans in place long before any of this happened.

Let me just say that I rebooked for June and I am in no way a fool. Our March trip was cancelled so I rescheduled for the only other possible time this year we could go. I knew full well that it may get cancelled but it was worth taking the chance. In the end if it’s open I’ll be glad I did. If it’s closed I’ll look to the future. Please don’t throw everyone who rebooked for June into your foolish category.

 

[cakebaker]

If Disney has to cancel all of those June people who already were cancelled and rebooked on the special offer, one of the consequences to the company will be that all guests will most likely be hesitant to book anything with them for a long time.

Not me. We've been cancelled before, not our first time at the rodeo. We'll just book again. One day, it'll actually happen.

 

[midnight star]

Dumb question: is the shareholder meeting just for WDW or does in include DL as well?

 

[DGsAtBLT]

I still think that free dining offer should have gone until at least the end of the year. They kind of forced peoples hands with it. If you wanted the special offer they were giving they were basically saying you had to deal with possible COVID-19 issues, Florida summer, hurricane season, or (hopefully!) the beginning of the school year.

Again, not saying it gives people a right to riot on June 1 if they don’t get to go, but it would have been nice to give that option.

 

[Pickle Rick]

Let me just say that I rebooked for June and I am in no way a fool. Our March trip was cancelled so I rescheduled for the only other possible time this year we could go. I knew full well that it may get cancelled but it was worth taking the chance. In the end if it’s open I’ll be glad I did. If it’s closed I’ll look to the future. Please don’t throw everyone who rebooked for June into your foolish category.

I can't speak for that poster, but I'd argue it would be foolish to be upset at Disney for not opening June 1st considering this is a very fluid and unprecedented situation. I understand booking in June if that's the time you can go, but also understanding it can change. Not directing it at you, but others who seem to be upset about it.

 

[MickeyWaffles]

If Disney has to cancel all of those June people who already were cancelled and rebooked on the special offer, one of the consequences to the company will be that all guests will most likely be hesitant to book anything with them for a long time.

Really? Given the current uncertain state of the nation and world? I totally disagree. It’s easy to rebook for future. We’re in the middle of a pandemic! People should be cautious about absolutely anything they plan right now.

 

[woody337]

To that last sentence, I really don’t think so.

If they cannot open June 1st, get your popcorn out and join some Disney Facebook groups. There are going to be a lot of angry and upset people who genuinely thought accepting reservations meant it was a go. And before anyone says anything, please nobody interpret that as me wanting their trips to be cancelled. It really sucks.

NOBODY knows how to handle this situation, but the people that were allowed to book or reschedule trips have a partial right to be upset. Disney shouldnt have let anyone book a vacation if they didnt know when they would actually be open. Thats just bad optics. Come June 1st if they arent open, you couldnt pay me enough to be on the other end of those phone calls as a CM.