Cruise and Theme Park Operational Updates due to Coronavirus

[rpb718]

Like someone said earlier. Chapek addressed the masks with the summer heat, They might be inclined to push the opening to the fall

If I remember correctly, there was not much lack of heat last October.

 

[courtney1188]

Well what happens when guests don't sit down on a roller coaster? Do the CMs just shrug and say nothing? Of course not. So they ARE empowered when safety is at risk. If Disney previously allowed guests to bully CMs in other contexts, then that is a major flaw in Disney policy which they would need to fix if they want to open safely. Which was my point. Obviously.

Really not a fair comparison. Following roller coaster safety rules is a social norm in the US. Wearing masks is not. Doubt anyone has ever shot and killed someone over being told to sit down on a roller coaster.

 

[UOAP]

I know you are dead set on this point but your example is different than enforcing mask wearing and social distancing
If a guest is sitting down to ride an attraction a) they have been in line for an xx amount of time b) want to ride this ride. IF they decide they don't want to use the safety belt/lapbar/restraint the entire ride has to stop. Socially this person will feel the pressure to buckle up or leave. This scenario has happened but is very, very rare
Obvious pregnant person goes to ride an attraction that is clearly marked as not suitable for women who are pregnant, CM cannot ask this person not to ride, they (CM) are told that the warning sign is there and it's at the risk of the pregnant lady. She's not endangering anyone else but herself.
The mask/social distancing will be see as scenario 2, endangering yourself more than endangering others, unfortunately. IF Disney decides to impose the rule it'll be up to Disney security and OC Sheriff to have the final word.

I think if Disney decides they won't enforce the rule, that will keep a lot of other guests away. Thousands of pictures of maskless guests is a terrible look for Disney. The masks are not to protect the wearer, they are to protect the public from the wearer.

 

[gottalovepluto]

Really not a fair comparison. Following roller coaster safety rules is a social norm in the US. Wearing masks is not. Doubt anyone has ever shot and killed someone over being told to sit down on a roller coaster.

At least physical altercations inside a Disney park will be limited to a punch or two ...geez, that makes Disney sound safer than the outside world!

 

[rpb718]

Obvious pregnant person goes to ride an attraction that is clearly marked as not suitable for women who are pregnant, CM cannot ask this person not to ride, they (CM) are told that the warning sign is there and it's at the risk of the pregnant lady. She's not endangering anyone else but herself.

Well, maybe at least one other...

 

[yulilin3]

I think if Disney decides they won't enforce the rule, that will keep a lot of other guests away. Thousands of pictures of maskless guests is a terrible look for Disney. The masks are not to protect the wearer, they are to protect the public from the wearer.

if you take a look at the survey on the mask thread you can see that it's pretty 50/50 right now, like I've said many times, Disney is in a lose/lose situation, whatever they do, someone will be upset about the decision.

 

[JaNelson38]

If he refuses to give a time, and he's stating masks are likely to be required while acknowledging they'll be trying during the summer, I almost think that points more to a fall opening.

Mask policy is not going to keep WDW closed until the fall.

As I've said a bunch of times, Disney is not going to keep losing $20-30 million per day for some indefinite period of time. Universal won't stay closed. Neither will SeaWorld. Neither will the state of Florida or the city of Orlando, as they need tourism to start back up just to be able to survive economically. With DS now phasing opening on 5/20, it suggests to me WDW will be open at some point in June, whether its a "soft" opening or a phased-in opening of some sort, or a full-blown opening. People need to be coming to the realization that WDW will be reopening. Soon.

The bottom line is people are simply going to have to decide for themselves whether to come or not once the policies are put in place, whatever those policies end up being. I think the one thing Disney is torn on right now regarding the masks for guests in the US is that they know it will affect their bottom line negatively....it will be a deal breaker for many folks. It just will. And from a CM standpoint...imagine being a CM and having your job be on a daily basis to walk around and tell people ON VACATION to put their masks on if they are made mandatory. Yeesh. Not only that, but from swimming to eating to many attractions, wearing masks are simply not possible. You can't compare people wearing masks in Asia - where they are more commonplace in daily life - to wearing masks in this country. One of the biggest reasons WDW sent that survey out about what people will accept and not accept is so they can figure out how FEW restrictions they can have while still maintaining the balance between health and people having a good time on their vacation, all the while being able to take in a good amount of revenue. They're finding out what the true deal-breakers are for people. I believe masks will be one of the more polarizing answers, and the biggest deal-breakers amongst many people, especially families with young kids.

One thing they may try is having masks mandatory for theatre-style attractions where you may be sitting close to someone. Masks may be required for Disney transport. Some retailers may require masks to visit shops at DS. Masks will almost certainly be mandatory for employees. But I still find it next to impossible to make it mandatory for guests to wear masks in the parks.

 

[anthony2k7]

This will most likely happen, it will take longer for the mask police to fade away though

This will most likely not happen.

 

[Jroceagles]

If I remember correctly, there was not much lack of heat last October.

yes I have been there in October to February and many days in the 95 range.

 

[ScubaCat]

Like someone said earlier. Chapek addressed the masks with the summer heat, They might be inclined to push the opening to the fall

Right, but problem is Summer lasts approximately 355½ days a year in Florida, so that doesn't leave much wiggle room.

 

[anthony2k7]

Won't go away, but the threat level for the overwhelming majority of people will be understood better

So it will suddenly become no longer dangerous/as contagious just around the time wdw wants to open?

 

[KayMichigan]

So what are they going to do when people are riding the roller coasters and the masks fly off and land on the tracks? Nobody's even going to see that until the next train comes along and by then it's too late. They're not going to want masks getting tangled in the wheels.

Not to mention all the masks they'll be fishing out of the water rides from little kids taking them off and throwing them into the water or onto the tracks of rides like Haunted Mansion. Remember last year when HM shut down for three days and they said it was because they found a hat from a Woody doll lodged in one of the wheels of the Doom Buggies that jammed up the whole works? That'll be happening a lot when little kids have to wear masks they don't want to wear.

 

[xuxa777]

I think if Disney decides they won't enforce the rule, that will keep a lot of other guests away. Thousands of pictures of maskless guests is a terrible look for Disney. The masks are not to protect the wearer, they are to protect the public from the wearer.

Guess you haven't been in Home Depot or Lowe's lately, lack of masks haven't slowed them down one bit.

 

[UOAP]

Really not a fair comparison. Following roller coaster safety rules is a social norm in the US. Wearing masks is not. Doubt anyone has ever shot and killed someone over being told to sit down on a roller coaster.

It's the norm for now as businesses reopen. That's the point. Countries relaxing distancing are having additional spikes. If Disney wants to open any time soon, they will have to have safety measures in place and they will have to actually enforce them or they could end up being forced to close for much longer.
As for that shooting, someone was shot in a movie theater for not turning off his phone about a year ago, so formulating public health policy out of fear of random murderers is really not sensible.

 

[xuxa777]

So it will suddenly become no longer dangerous/as contagious just around the time wdw wants to open?

Exactly

 

[Krandor]

I know you are dead set on this point but your example is different than enforcing mask wearing and social distancing
If a guest is sitting down to ride an attraction a) they have been in line for an xx amount of time b) want to ride this ride. IF they decide they don't want to use the safety belt/lapbar/restraint the entire ride has to stop. Socially this person will feel the pressure to buckle up or leave. This scenario has happened but is very, very rare
Obvious pregnant person goes to ride an attraction that is clearly marked as not suitable for women who are pregnant, CM cannot ask this person not to ride, they (CM) are told that the warning sign is there and it's at the risk of the pregnant lady. She's not endangering anyone else but herself.
The mask/social distancing will be see as scenario 2, endangering yourself more than endangering others, unfortunately. IF Disney decides to impose the rule it'll be up to Disney security and OC Sheriff to have the final word.
Unfortunately is the way it is and CM already know that if masks are going to be mandatory they have to buckle up for the complaints and the fights, they go into work every day thinking, who is going to yell at me today? it's sad, but that is the mentality of the front of the line CM because people have become extremely entitled

If masks are required I don't see them saying things to people just walking around but I do see them enforcing it when you go to enter a queue, restaurant, store, etc. Becuase at that place it is easier to have a CM outside who denies entry to people not complying. That is a lot easier to do then trying to police people on main street.

 

[JaNelson38]

I think if Disney decides they won't enforce the rule, that will keep a lot of other guests away. Thousands of pictures of maskless guests is a terrible look for Disney. The masks are not to protect the wearer, they are to protect the public from the wearer.

Why is it a terrible look? Hundreds of people stroll their local Wal-Mart and grocery store on a daily basis without them, and nobody really cares. I shopped yesterday and I would venture to say 7 out of 10 customers didn't wear a mask, and the great majority that did have masks on were older folks who are the type of people who need to take precautions anyway.

Gotta remember that other than the indoor attractions and the eating places, WDW is pretty much an all-outdoor experience. You're not breathing recycled air. You're usually not right next to someone you don't know for an extended period of time. The people that would be "outraged" at folks at WDW walking around without masks probably wouldn't visit WDW anyway.

 

[UOAP]

if you take a look at the survey on the mask thread you can see that it's pretty 50/50 right now, like I've said many times, Disney is in a lose/lose situation, whatever they do, someone will be upset about the decision.

True. However, if a COVID cluster comes from Disney and Disney knowingly didn't enforce safety rules, they are in a much worse situation than upsetting people who didn't want to wear a mask.

 

[UOAP]

Yeah that's the typical spiel to guilt everyone into compliance.

It's also the science behind a basic cloth or paper mask.

 

[Sandiz08]

I think Disney will take some precautions but I believe they won’t go full out as many stores are just not requiring masks.