Cruise and Theme Park Operational Updates due to Coronavirus

[RamblingMad]

Is this as low as you can go? I regret this question already.

Would it be so bad to be trapped in your resort with your kids at WDW?

 

[SaintsManiac]

From a DVC thread. People will not be able to book 2021 park reservations on Monday.
https://www.disboards.com/threads/new-disney-theme-park-reservation-system.3802866/post-62029052

And yet, CMs are saying otherwise...

 

[LSUmiss]

From a DVC thread. People will not be able to book 2021 park reservations on Monday.
https://www.disboards.com/threads/new-disney-theme-park-reservation-system.3802866/post-62029052

I just can’t understand why Disney can’t get this kinda stuff right. It seems like once the decision was made, they should have sent out an email with the exact dates to all TAs, CMs, and if they really wanna get nuts, guests. Why is this so hard??!

 

[Jjbbllfrg]

What do you guys think they’ll do with rider switch for parents with kids? Anything at all?

 

[ryanpatricksmom]

Correct. The original statement said that you have to make all your park reservations on your ticket at once. And that nothing is held while you're picking. Until you get to the confirmation screen, it's all roll of the dice. So there's really no benefit to jumping around on the calendar.

But you don't have to make them all at once, right? I read the instructions as you can go thru the process multiple times....if you don't keep getting kicked out of course.

 

[Welsh_Dragon]

I have multiple ticket issues that are impacted by the operational changes. My wife and I have activated annual passes, which now expire in March 2021. We bought seven day park hoppers for the kids. Normally, we buy annual passes for all of us, but their college schedule didn't allow for multiple trips this time.

We originally had reservations for May 12; those were cancelled, of course. So I guessed an opening date and picked a July 10 arrival. "Missed it by that much," as Maxwell Smart would say. We are DVC members staying at the GF.

Because no parks will be open on our arrival day, I would like to reduce the kids' tickets by a day. The park hopper option that I paid for is also no good. One potential problem is that I bought the kids' tickets from UT.

As APs, my wife and I could get into a park on July 10, but the kids would be unable to do so. That's unfair to them.

I'll probably end up on hold for two hours, only to be told that there's no way to modify the tickets.

Maybe not modify but perhaps they will give you a refund or a stand alone one day ticket. Maybe you would be better off asking at guest services when you arrive.

 

[Anthony Vito]

I am shocked about the new virtual ques. You would think that would be the way to get people in and out the fastest. The problem now is even though you will have spacing on the que, there is still the potential for backups and people not obeying that 6 feet. should be interesting to see....

I wonder if the system couldnt handle all the attractions being a virtual que. Maybe they should of made the popular rides virtual que.

Other thing with using standby queues is that is more space for people to be.b if everything was virtual queues then you need space for people to go while waiting for their next virtual queue time

And some of the most popular rides have very long queue space, so even with social distancing I think some can hold hundreds if not thousands of people just in the queue space

I think this is it exactly - and also why I never understood the idea that they would substantially use virtual queues. The queues absorb a lot of crowds. Without people in the queues, the park would still seem crowded in most other areas. At, say, 25% capacity, if few people are in line for rides, you might have 15-20k people wondering about the hub and Main Street and other common areas. While it's certainly worrisome that people won't abide by distancing in the queues (and even more worrisome, use that time out of sight of more of the CMs to not follow mask rules), for better or worse, Disney seems to be trusting people to follow the distancing markers in the queues so as not to have a lot of crowds throughout the park where it's harder for people to follow distancing because everyone's just milling about and going different ways. Think about Main Street and the Hub with crowds, it's a bit chaotic.

 

[Sandisw]

I just can’t understand why Disney can’t get this kinda stuff right. It seems like once the decision was made, they should have sent out an email with the exact dates to all TAs, CMs, and if they really wanna get nuts, guests. Why is this so hard??!

I agree it’s not clear and then you have different things being told.

So at 7:00 am Monday we will know I guess when the first person who tries 2021 either can’t or gets dates.

 

[Welsh_Dragon]

Would it be so bad to be trapped in your resort with your kids at WDW?

If they were using my credit card most definitely yes. They are 26 and 22 and rather partial to those expensive WDW cocktails.

 

[Anthony Vito]

What do you guys think they’ll do with rider switch for parents with kids? Anything at all?

Interesting question - go back to paper tickets maybe? So they only utilize FP+ line for rider switch returns? They could also do like I saw happen with someone one time on Space Mountain, where they make the whole family go through the queue, then have parent and kids stand aside, then swap out after one has completed their ride.

 

[A2DisneyMom]

That is what the WDW website says:
If you have a room-only reservation at a Disney Resort or other select hotel for a stay in 2021, please call the Disney Reservation Center or call your travel professional beginning on June 24 to upgrade to a vacation package with tickets—and then make your theme park reservations.
Want to Book a New Vacation?
By June 28, all Guests will be able to purchase new Disney Resort hotel packages and theme park tickets and make their park reservations for arrivals starting in 2021 as our phased reopening continues. Guests will be able to view park reservation availability online prior to purchasing their tickets.

Well, okay then! I guess I didn’t read that quite closely enough, lol.

 

[pplmover4]

So question, and it may have been brought up already but...
With no fast pass, single rider lines, virtual queues, everyone will be waiting in the same line... has there been anything said on rider switch passes? We are coming down with three kiddos, one of them a toddler. Would be inconvenient to wait in an hour+ long line twice for every height requirement ride...

 

[LSUmiss]

What do you guys think they’ll do with rider switch for parents with kids? Anything at all?

Will they still have DAS? If so, maybe they’ll do it similar to however they do that.

 

[Jjbbllfrg]

Interesting question - go back to paper tickets maybe? So they only utilize FP+ line for rider switch returns? They could also do like I saw happen with someone one time on Space Mountain, where they make the whole family go through the queue, then have parent and kids stand aside, then swap out after one has completed their ride.

I’m good with either of those.!! I hope you’re right. Maybe they’ll have the second party go through the exit possibly?

 

[hereforthechurros]

People who booked through Tickets at Work, are you able to link the annual pass to MDE? Does it work like a voucher? Sorry to bring it up here but since a few people have mentioned TAW I thought I'd check. @CastAStone any idea? Thanks!

 

[Ninjagrrl]

But you don't have to make them all at once, right? I read the instructions as you can go thru the process multiple times....if you don't keep getting kicked out of course.

Disney is so slippery with this. Deliberately I suspect. I took it to mean that you have to do them all at once, but I see why others may interpret it differently.

But here's a thought - what if every time you finalize a reservation, it kicks you back out to the queue again?
I'm doing all mine in one shot. I have each date and park I want written down. If what I want isn't there, I'll grab anything and modify later. Not taking a chance on having to requeue for every reservation.

 

[RWinNOLA]

Edit: meant to quote the message about the timeframe that park reservations will be available on Monday.

Right. This is a very important detail to communicate when you roll out something like this.

I can’t believe that nobody at Disney realized the communication lacked that detail. As written, it seems that reservations will be open on Monday thru Sept 2021. Surely that has been brought to their attention in the last 24 hours by somebody so if that is not their intent, why not just send a simple follow-up.

They really seem totally disorganized and less aware of their own systems than their customers.

 

[Bibbobboo2u]

Sorry I read some of the posts in this thread but not all because I can't keep up! Anyway....have we figured out if you book a 2021 package for any 2021 date that you can start making park reservations on June 28 or are they going to open the reservation system for later dates on a rolling system? They have said that you can book park hopping again in 2021...how would that work with the reservation system?

No park hopping dates announced yet. As of 6/28/20, you can book new resort packages for 2021 through 9/26/21 (and from my understanding also just tickets or just rooms). You will also be able to book park reservations at that time if you have both a valid room reservation and ticket/AP.
Many have posted here (including myself) that we have received info from TAs and CMs that on June 22 everyone with room and ticket/AP can book park reservations (for all dates through 9/26/21). That is why we're all saying we expect an IT nightmare! Sitch eating page, Big Thunder Mt rolling around the tracks, Donald ducking out, etc!!!
ETA: TAs have also been told that only guests with room and ticket/AP for dates in 2020 can book on Monday 6/22. We won't really know about 2021 trips until Monday, unless Disney issues clarification. (Did I really just say that was a possibility? )

 

[LSUmiss]

I agree it’s not clear and then you have different things being told.

So at 7:00 am Monday we will know I guess when the first person who tries 2021 either can’t or gets dates.

Or not if system is delayed or crashes

 

[Welsh_Dragon]

But here's a thought - what if every time you finalize a reservation, it kicks you back out to the queue again?

Stop!!!!!