Cruise and Theme Park Operational Updates due to Coronavirus

[SaintsManiac]

When dessert parties come back they will sell out, imo.

 

[tlmadden73]

I think Disney has probably been wanting to cut fireworks for a long time and replace them with the laser-light shows like they do a Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom.

It will also give DIsney an idea of how much people really come to WDW for. Is it for the fireworks? If they just cut fireworks would people still come or is that "essential" to the WDW experience for most people?

I mean . .they got rid of the night parade at WDW. Cutting that probably saved them a ton of money and crowds get coming in droves despite that.

 

[IceSkatingPrincess]

When dessert parties come back they will sell out, imo.

I'm already hoping there will be some sort of upcharge event when things first open (thankfully, if there is one thing I can rely on Disney to do it is find a way to upcharge me). This has really complicated every plan and backup plan I had for my Mom's birthday gift while at the parks I'd be more specific but she creeps on here sometimes sooo ...

Adult mother/daughter trips are hard. I guess I could just take her to dinner but that is so boring. Mom - if you are reading this - you'll never see it coming. Mostly because I don't even know what it is yet.

 

[SaintsManiac]

I think Disney has probably been wanting to cut fireworks for a long time and replace them with the laser-light shows like they do a Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom.

It will also give DIsney an idea of how much people really come to WDW for. Is it for the fireworks? If they just cut fireworks would people still come or is that "essential" to the WDW experience for most people?

I mean . .they got rid of the night parade at WDW. Cutting that probably saved them a ton of money and crowds get coming in droves despite that.

And it’s been said many times, how can they do a night parade AND HEA?

 

[SaintsManiac]

I'm already hoping there will be some sort of upcharge event when things first open (thankfully, if there is one thing I can rely on Disney to do it is find a way to upcharge me). This has really complicated every plan and backup plan I had for my Mom's birthday gift while at the parks I'd be more specific but she creeps on here sometimes sooo ...

Adult mother/daughter trips are hard. I guess I could just take her to dinner but that is so boring. Mom - if you are reading this - you'll never see it coming. Mostly because I don't even know what it is yet.

I love upcharge events. I will book as many as I can!!!

 

[Spridell]

I think it's certainly possible we'll see fireworks before the end of the year; it just depends on the course this pandemic takes, especially in the fall. I think fireworks before year's end is more likely than MNSSHP and F&W happening as planned, oddly enough.

I can't imagine them completely scrapping F&W. It brings in tons of money for them and is big with locals and people who live in Florida in general.

Some watered down version I would guess they will have.

 

[0FF TO NEVERLAND]

I think Disney has probably been wanting to cut fireworks for a long time and replace them with the laser-light shows like they do a Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom.

It will also give DIsney an idea of how much people really come to WDW for. Is it for the fireworks? If they just cut fireworks would people still come or is that "essential" to the WDW experience for most people?

I mean . .they got rid of the night parade at WDW. Cutting that probably saved them a ton of money and crowds get coming in droves despite that.

If that was the case they would have drastically cut down on the fireworks when making happily ever after, not add a bunch more

I don't see why people think fireworks won't happen soon. You just distance where people can stand based on reservation amount allowed. Like I said before, I see them happening by October, or sooner. Not to mention they all will have masks on anyway if somewhat near close to each other, which is what they always tell us to do.

 

[Eric Smith]

I think Disney has probably been wanting to cut fireworks for a long time and replace them with the laser-light shows like they do a Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom.

It will also give DIsney an idea of how much people really come to WDW for. Is it for the fireworks? If they just cut fireworks would people still come or is that "essential" to the WDW experience for most people?

I mean . .they got rid of the night parade at WDW. Cutting that probably saved them a ton of money and crowds get coming in droves despite that.

I wasn't around at the time of the night parade (or if I was, my family didn't stop to watch it), but I'd be very shocked if it drew the kind of crowds that the fireworks do.

I think there is zero chance that Disney will get rid of fireworks because of COVID, they are way too popular.

 

[gottalovepluto]

And it’s been said many times, how can they do a night parade AND HEA?

Disneyland ran PTN and 60th Anniversary Fireworks show just fine. Both were very popular. If DLR can figure it out WDW certainly can. One run of PTN was before fireworks, a break while setting up for fireworks and then the 2nd run of PTN after the fireworks crowd cleared out.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

I can't imagine them completely scrapping F&W. It brings in tons of money for them and is big with locals and people who live in Florida in general.

Some watered down version I would guess they will have.

I don't see why they can't do F&W - they just need to be able to enforce social distancing so will need more space for queues for the booths and stuff. But the overall reduced park capacity should help with that ... I mean, enve now, mid-week there are usually minimal lines at the booths. So if they just cap the capacity to typical weekday crowd levels they can make it work - and will bring in extra $

The seminars and stuff might be harder as will they cover their expenses if they can only sell 30% of the tickets or something - so maybe it is few/higher priced events

 

[BebopBaloo]

Seems feasible to have fireworks in Epcot, but not something that would feature lasers/or specific focused areas. Wouldn't the lay out of Epcot provide for distancing (esp. at reduced capacity) for viewing centralized fireworks from all over the park? You can see Epcot fireworks from many of the resorts, as well. That's just me hypothesizing a scenario in which it could work. One of the main complaints about the currents shows in all the parks is that you really miss out on a lot if you aren't in the area of the projections. Seems like a good time to fix that problem.

 

[Jacq7414]

Seems feasible to have fireworks in Epcot, but not something that would feature lasers/or specific focused areas. Wouldn't the lay out of Epcot provide for distancing (esp. at reduced capacity) for viewing centralized fireworks from all over the park? You can see Epcot fireworks from many of the resorts, as well. That's just me hypothesizing a scenario in which it could work. One of the main complaints about the currents shows in all the parks is that you really miss out on a lot if you aren't in the area of the projections. Seems like a good time to fix that problem.

I think Epcot is definitely feasible for socially distanced fireworks. We went last year during Easter week and it wasn’t crowded at all. People weren’t on top of us like they were during HEA

 

[jlwhitney]

leisure travel will not fully recover until the mask requirement goes away.

I agree, that is the biggest thing stopping people, especially during the hot summer.

 

[Devil13]

I love upcharge events. I will book as many as I can!!!

Maybe this is the long term plan. All parks close at 6 every night, and have 6-9 be an upcharge event every night in every park.

You'll need a $9K Parkhopper+Nighthopper AP to get back to that old 2019 feeling at Disney again!

 

[chicagoshannon]

If that was the case they would have drastically cut down on the fireworks when making happily ever after, not add a bunch more

I don't see why people think fireworks won't happen soon. You just distance where people can stand based on reservation amount allowed. Like I said before, I see them happening by October, or sooner.

I would think a parade would come back first. There is a lot more room to spread out on the parade route. Also hard to do fireworks when they close at 5pm!

 

[Krandor]

Which is why I think it is a bit too early to say no Fireworks for the rest of this year. Big parties coming up, and F&W so I would be hesitant to say that right now.

I think everything at this point for good and bad is "subject to change without notice". Whenever they do start back any parades or fireworks or anything I doubt there will be much notice. Simply once they thinik they can they will.

 

[andyman8]

I can't imagine them completely scrapping F&W. It brings in tons of money for them and is big with locals and people who live in Florida in general.

Some watered down version I would guess they will have.

I don't see why they can't do F&W - they just need to be able to enforce social distancing so will need more space for queues for the booths and stuff. But the overall reduced park capacity should help with that ... I mean, enve now, mid-week there are usually minimal lines at the booths. So if they just cap the capacity to typical weekday crowd levels they can make it work - and will bring in extra $

The seminars and stuff might be harder as will they cover their expenses if they can only sell 30% of the tickets or something - so maybe it is few/higher priced events

It's more a question of labor than anything else. Given that that whole section of the park will be seriously understaffed and require CMs from other areas to come in and work those roles in general, it would be tough to find the labor within their existing CM pool to staff F&W booths, especially when many CMs are already temporarily re-assigned to other locations. Could they do it? Absolutely, but it will really depend on what capacity and demand look like for the parks at that time. If they're still capping capacity below a third of max capacity at that point, there may not be much of a need to "fill" the park or "bring in" more people. If they don't have to spend the extra money, extra effort on logistics, and take the extra risk of holding a festival when most every other festival in the country has been cancelled, they won't.

If they do have a F&W this year, it will be very watered down and shortened. F&W requires a lot of planning, and they won't start that planning until they know they're going ahead with it. Finally, as a reminder to everyone, Disney hasn't officially announced the 2020 F&W dates for this year.

 

[gottalovepluto]

It's more a question of labor than anything else. Given that that whole section of the park will be seriously understaffed and require CMs from other areas to come in and work those roles in general, it would be tough to find the labor within their existing CM pool to staff F&W booths, especially when many CMs are already temporarily re-assigned to other locations. Could they do it? Absolutely, but it will really depend on what capacity and demand look like for the parks at that time. If they're still capping capacity below a third of max capacity at that point, there may not be much of a need to "fill" the park or "bring in" more people. If they don't have to spend the extra money, extra effort on logistics, and take the extra risk of holding a festival when most every other festival in the country has been cancelled, they won't.

If they do have a F&W this year, it will be very watered down and shortened. F&W requires a lot of planning, and they won't start that planning until they know they're going ahead with it. Finally, as a reminder to everyone, Disney hasn't officially announced the 2020 F&W dates for this year.

F&W also requires many CMs... Both out front and behind the scenes...

 

[andyman8]

F&W also requires many CMs... Both out front and behind the scenes...

That's exactly what I'm saying.

 

[pixieprincess925]

One of the main complaints about the currents shows in all the parks is that you really miss out on a lot if you aren't in the area of the projections. Seems like a good time to fix that problem.

This. The social distancing during MK fireworks problem goes away if you stop making the show about projecting things on the castle. Make it more about fireworks instead and make best viewing NOT in front of the castle.