Cruise and Theme Park Operational Updates due to Coronavirus

[Krandor]

I’ve thought so too ever since there was suddenly no availability weeks ago. I just don’t think they’re going to make any kind of official announcements.

Agreed. All the publicity will just say "going to be at walt disney world complex"

 

[Eric Smith]

Hers the thing, rack rate at Pop is like $183 max. There is no way discounts or not to get a 1 bedroom villa at Boulder Ridge for that a night. So some ppl are going to get significant upgrades. I think ppl who are talking about this hypothetically would feel differently t if they paid significantly more & other ppl just got it for free.

I have a reservation at AKL in September. I don't care if someone gets upgraded from Pop Century to AKL when I am there. It doesn't affect me or my vacation.

 

[Eric Smith]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1267497338123272195

Maybe that rumor that Disney wanted to open WDW and Disneyland at the same time is turning out to be true.

 

[gottalovepluto]

...We want our future trips to be like our past trips...

Speak for yourself, I'm hoping 60 day ADRs at WDW are here to stay!!

...yeah, yeah. I know they aren't. But I can dream!

 

[amelia18]

Hers the thing, rack rate at Pop is like $183 max. There is no way discounts or not to get a 1 bedroom villa at Boulder Ridge for that a night. So some ppl are going to get significant upgrades. I think ppl who are talking about this hypothetically would feel differently t if they paid significantly more & other ppl just got it for free.

I'm staying at the Poly in December without a discount, as a YOLO because my DLR trip got cancelled for May and I got money back I didn't expect to have. If someone gets upgraded from ASM to the Poly next door to me while I'm there, great for them, no matter what the reason. It makes no difference to me and I'd have no way of knowing unless they literally said it to my face

 

[Sandisw]

Hey I heard from a friend in MK park ops something very interesting about the "Relaxation Zones." I want to preface by saying that masks are required for guests ages 2 and up, and discussing how to circumvent them is against this forum's rules. Additionally, there are other threads dedicated specifically to that discussion/debate, so please do not use this as a post to start arguing about masks in this thread.

Think of these "Relaxation Zones" more like the "D Zones" they tried with New Fantasyland and less like DSAs. These are spots not just to potentially take a break from your mask but also to give folks who may be dehydrated or overwhelmed by the heat a place to sit and relax. They are going to be spaced and operated much like dining venues/lounges (people in seats, chairs, tables with only their parties, and not standing around, ample spacing between each party, etc...). There may be some water available there as well. The two areas he said they were considering were the Tomorrowland Terrace area (since this area won't really have a use without HEA) and the Diamond Horseshoe (yep, they're going to do it indoors, but they seem to think it's safe if they space it like a restaurant and keep the doors open). They're still looking for one more spot in MK (potentially the old D Zone in Storybook Circus maybe?). Here are a few things he mentioned:

• Ample and enforced spacing/social distancing
• Everyone will be seated
• Entry will likely be controlled (capacity is reached, etc...)
• CMs ensuring every guest who leaves is wearing a mask
• Guests having "difficulty" complying with the requirement will be sent here

It seems each of the parks is devising their own strategies as to where these would be best placed and operated, but everything is still in flux, so this may or may not reflect what we actually see on July 11.

Thanks for sharing. I love getting info I’ll be at VGF on July 3rd and this helps as we were just talking this morning about these things!!!!!

God I need to be at the world!!!

ETA. Removed potential snarky comment

 

[20yBWDW]

Speak for yourself, I'm hoping 60 day ADRs at WDW are here to stay!!

...yeah, yeah. I know they aren't. But I can dream!

Ha! So maybe not exactly like past trips. But certainly back to the "full Disney experience."

 

[Eric Smith]

Speak for yourself, I'm hoping 60 day ADRs at WDW are here to stay!!

...yeah, yeah. I know they aren't. But I can dream!

If anything stays permanent for this, I really hope it is the 60 day ADR window. I feel like there are a lot of reservations being grabbed at 180 days that don't end up getting kept. I think the 180 day requirement adds a lot of chaos to the mix where people end up needing to use the Touring Plans reservation finder or something like it just to grab the harder to get reservations.

I realize WDW will never be like Disneyland but it is really nice to make reservations a week or two before your trip and not have to worry about it.

 

[Arguetafamily]

Im talking about the first part of it. Was it saying that nothing can be booked the rest of the year. Not DVC.

Oh, no not that I know. I believe they only stopped resort reservations on the Disney website until they get through all existing reservations. I do know you can book through some third parties, such as UT.

 

[LSUmiss]

Do you know what some DVC members pay broken down per night? Particularly people who bought in years ago? It’s in that same ballpark especially given the high rack rates at even the values these days. And someone who has a 30-40% off discount is paying hundreds less per night than rack rate at deluxe resorts.

All anyone is going to do giving this headspace is ruin their own fun.

They pay annual dues & paid a lot of money upfront to buy in which is part of the appeal. They weren’t given it for free.

 

[Eric Smith]

Thanks for sharing. I love getting info before we get if officially! I’ll be at VGF on July 3rd and this helps as we were just talking this morning about these things!!!!!

God I need to be at the world!!!

If not for a 14 day stay at home rule at my wife's work, we probably would have grabbed a DVC reservation for a few days in late June. We really just need to get away.

 

[Anthony Vito]

Yeah, that might be the case. My reservation hasn't been changed yet, but I noticed that's it's noted as a hotel package on the reservations that have been changed and that could complicate the situation. No harm in trying. If I can't get rid of the tickets I'll use the tickets in some way at a later date, but it would be nice to get rid of them now.

Yeah - we're undecided on whether we'd get rid of them, since we don't know if we'd renew our passes or not. Originally we were going to since we're going again the week after Thanksgiving, but now our passes may be good through then. I want to figure out the options though to be able to do the math in making the decision of whether to drop the tickets and save the money or not.

When the reservation system opens back up and you call to inquire about this, ask the CM if they can take the tickets off and make your reservation a "basic package" which is, essentially, a room-only reservation under package terms and conditions. It's a work-around so you don't have to cancel a package and re-book a room-only. If the CM doesn't know how to do this, ask to speak with someone in Guest Services. I don't know if they will allow you to take the tickets off and retain your discount, but it's worth a try. I really do hope Disney is flexible with guests who find themselves in this circumstance.

Thank you for that!! I didn't know that was possible and this is REALLY helpful. (Hey, we'd still get luggage tags that way too!)

thank you for sharing that! My trip is right before they open (6/26-7/3) so I don't have an actual reservation that they can change. We are hoping to reschedule for September.
I do think it is interesting that they (in your Disney email) list park hoppers when there have been rumors of no more hoppers? Probably means nothing but still interesting.

Although I immediately noticed that and took note of it, I didn't point it out since I agree that it probably means nothing at this point since we had the hoppers to begin with (had to for the Free Dining).

 

[Mom2Anna&Elsa]

Masks in parks and at resorts for 2 and over, but have they stated if they are required on walking paths. I am wondering specifically about the walkway from BWV to HS. Or would I be able to take it off of my 2 year old once we left the resort area, her sit in the stroller on the path, then put it back on before nearing the park?

I read it as you have to wear face coverings on Disney property unless swimming or eating. The walking path is still considered 'Walt Disney World Resort':

All Guests ages 2 and up—along with Cast Members—are required to wear face coverings when visiting Walt Disney World Resort. Please bring your own face coverings and wear them at all times, except when dining or swimming.

 

[BrianR]

Next time someone talks about CMs thinking certain categories of guests are full of entitled people I want everyone to remember this part of the thread.

I don't think you want to go down the road of labeling "categories" of people. Some individuals think spending $6 on a Mickey Bar entitles them to an everlasting non-melted bar, but I wouldn't put all ice cream lovers into a group that way.

 

[cakebaker]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1267497338123272195

Thanks for the update. Makes me a bit sad, I’ve turned my hopes west for a Disney fix. I think they’ll be able to open much easier. Only 2 parks and 3 resorts. And the GC is just amazing! I know that CA is more in the camp of not rushing openings and honestly, I think the local crowd will be more accepting of safety policies, so it may be more my cup of tea these days.

We wouldn’t be going until October or Christmas, so hopefully things will improve. But it’s like pulling teeth to get info about on the ground conditions. The DLR board seems much more relaxed, a kind of it’ll happen when it happens vibe. NO wild rumors much over there to hang my hopes on!

 

[rpb718]

I don't see why all of SWGE would be at risk. Falcon is no different than many other attractions. They likely won't combine parties in a cabin for that. So if you are a party of 2 you get the whole cabin.

The rest of the land is pretty expansive.

Ohh - Can I have DW bring a Chewie mask? Somehow I have a bad feeling about that.

 

[DGsAtBLT]

They pay annual dues & paid a lot of money upfront to buy in which is part of the appeal. They weren’t given it for free.

Yes of course. But broken down per night over the course of the entire contract it doesn’t differ that much. This is the reason the math appeals to so many. Anyone upgraded from a different resort to yours isn’t getting it for free either, they paid whatever they paid at that resort.

If you paid rack rate at a DVC resort it’s safe to assume a whole lot of people staying there are paying less than you. That’s something to accept whether or not Disney upgrades a single person.

 

[jcf8037]

With all the DVC talk, surprised nobody mentioned what seems obvious. Filling the 70% of undeclared riviera rooms with people moved from values and moderates is a bigger sales pitch than they could dream of at a time when selling DVC is about to get more difficult. That’s hundreds of possible DVC owners getting an extended tour by staying there for a few nights. That’s how I assume much of this possible “dvc upgrade” is going to shake out, not that they’ll fill in at random villas around the property.

 

[MusicalAstronaut]

Debating if this is worth a call to Disney or not - AFAIK, AP’s that expired during the shutdown will still be extended, right? Just for a shorter amount of time (the days left on your pass) vs the full shutdown time? I’m about to move my flights to July (booked Pop July 17-21) and my husband is like “What if they don’t extend your pass or open as planned?”. I feel like the opening should happen as scheduled & they haven’t given any official word that my pass wouldn’t be extended, but just asking in case I’ve missed something.

 

[Mom2Anna&Elsa]

Debating if this is worth a call to Disney or not - AFAIK, AP’s that expired during the shutdown will still be extended, right? Just for a shorter amount of time (the days left on your pass) vs the full shutdown time? I’m about to move my flights to July (booked Pop July 17-21) and my husband is like “What if they don’t extend your pass or open as planned?”. I feel like the opening should happen as scheduled & they haven’t given any official word that my pass wouldn’t be extended, but just asking in case I’ve missed something.

I read that they will be extending the dates, but if you have blockout dates on your AP, those dates are still not valid for entry (if that makes sense). That was posted by Yullin elsewhere.