Cruise and Theme Park Operational Updates due to Coronavirus

[Racheldb]

Originally, I booked Raglan Road. Some reports made it sound less than safe. So, I switched it to Boathouse. Same. So now I’ve switched to Wine Bar George. Is it bad all over? At this rate we’ll be getting QS that night, LOL.

We actually ate at Boathouse tonight....and we had a very pleasant meal there. We felt very safe. But that is because we ate out on the patio. The tables were spaced out and there were very few people eating out there. Now, the inside of that restaurant was a different story. From what I saw, tables were not spaced "socially distant". They didn't seem to be seating tables every other one. It looked like a "regular" night prior to Covid. I was so disappointed. So, my recommendation....request patio seating. Also, we ate at Homecoming the other day and chose to eat on the patio....it felt safe as well.

 

[Racheldb]

I would guess part of it is locals going after work and part is resort guests who went to the parks closing the earliest. I haven’t gone back to DS yet, but I just spent two days at Epcot and felt much safer than I did at the grocery store Tuesday. I know it’s not perfect, but I feel like they are really trying to make the parks and resorts a success. DS is a different animal, since such a large part is third party and people tend to wander without a purpose there. I also wonder if they still have a set maximum occupancy since the resorts reopened. Before, it was limited to how many people would fit in one parking garage. Now they have no idea how many people will come on the buses and I can see where that could cause problems.

I agree. DS is a different animal than the parks and resorts. We were wondering if they are even trying to monitor capacity at DS...it sure didn't feel like it tonight. I definitely feel like safety precautions are being handled differently there

 

[fla4fun]

Can anyone who has been to the parks explain how social distancing is being handled in restrooms? I went to Costco today & there was plexiglass between sinks which I thought was a good idea.

I have only been in one park restroom and I did not see anything different as far as social distancing. However I was one of two people total in that restroom so it wasn’t an issue. It was the restroom behind the old Innoventions that faces the Land, so a sort of medium sized one. where they really need partitions are the big facilities near the entrance/exit of the park. Those get really busy at closing time. But I wasn’t in those.

 

[Racheldb]

Can anyone who has been to the parks explain how social distancing is being handled in restrooms? I went to Costco today & there was plexiglass between sinks which I thought was a good idea.

From what I've seen so far at AK and DHS, there are no dividers like that. No social distancing. There are some signs placed throughout reminding guests to social distance and wash their hands thoroughly. There are also social distance markers placed outside of the bathrooms in case there are lines....

 

[Clockwork]

Fun Fact: Ive never been on the peoplemover

Once you try peoplemover you’ll never want ride the carpets again. It’s a sophisticated persons COA. It reminds people of a simpler time, one were you simply didn’t need to go round and round for entertainment.

 

[Mit88]

Once you try peoplemover you’ll never want ride the carpets again. It’s a sophisticated persons COA. It reminds people of a simpler time, one were you simply didn’t need to go round and round for entertainment.

Reported for making insulting remarks.

 

[gatechfan99]

We just finished our first day and I wanted to vouch for how well Disney is doing this. Truly felt safer here all day long than anywhere else I’ve been in 4 months.

We got to Polynesian around 10:00 and got straight on the monorail with no wait. Got to MK and words can’t describe how light it is. Best description is like Early Morning Magic all day for the entire park. We road Space back to back at 2:00 with no wait.

I saw complete mask compliance everywhere I went. Not once did I feel crowded. Lines were well spaced and moved easily. I really don’t think I was within 6 feet of another guest the whole day. Constant cleaning and wiping of surfaces. The mask free zones are great and almost empty. We had Tomorrowland Terrace to ourselves for an afternoon break.

If you are at all on the fence about coming in the next few weeks, do it. You will never have crowds like this and it is so well organized and planned by Disney.

Also, forget all the clickbait stories about how mad workers are to be back. I talked to several and each one was very convincing in how excited they are to be back.

Now, time to stress for the night and get ready to try to get our VQ for RoTR tomorrow.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Now, time to stress for the night and get ready to try to get our VQ for RoTR tomorrow.

May the Force be with you

 

[vinotinto]

We just finished our first day and I wanted to vouch for how well Disney is doing this. Truly felt safer here all day long than anywhere else I’ve been in 4 months.

We got to Polynesian around 10:00 and got straight on the monorail with no wait. Got to MK and words can’t describe how light it is. Best description is like Early Morning Magic all day for the entire park. We road Space back to back at 2:00 with no wait.

I saw complete mask compliance everywhere I went. Not once did I feel crowded. Lines were well spaced and moved easily. I really don’t think I was within 6 feet of another guest the whole day. Constant cleaning and wiping of surfaces. The mask free zones are great and almost empty. We had Tomorrowland Terrace to ourselves for an afternoon break.

If you are at all on the fence about coming in the next few weeks, do it. You will never have crowds like this and it is so well organized and planned by Disney.

Also, forget all the clickbait stories about how mad workers are to be back. I talked to several and each one was very convincing in how excited they are to be back.

Now, time to stress for the night and get ready to try to get our VQ for RoTR tomorrow.

Can’t wait to hear Part 2 tomorrow!

 

[Mit88]

We just finished our first day and I wanted to vouch for how well Disney is doing this. Truly felt safer here all day long than anywhere else I’ve been in 4 months.

We got to Polynesian around 10:00 and got straight on the monorail with no wait. Got to MK and words can’t describe how light it is. Best description is like Early Morning Magic all day for the entire park. We road Space back to back at 2:00 with no wait.

I saw complete mask compliance everywhere I went. Not once did I feel crowded. Lines were well spaced and moved easily. I really don’t think I was within 6 feet of another guest the whole day. Constant cleaning and wiping of surfaces. The mask free zones are great and almost empty. We had Tomorrowland Terrace to ourselves for an afternoon break.

If you are at all on the fence about coming in the next few weeks, do it. You will never have crowds like this and it is so well organized and planned by Disney.

Also, forget all the clickbait stories about how mad workers are to be back. I talked to several and each one was very convincing in how excited they are to be back.

Now, time to stress for the night and get ready to try to get our VQ for RoTR tomorrow.

You (general) keep hearing that WDW is the safest place people have felt since everything shut down. While as an outsider, thats hard to believe, it seems like every day there’s a story about Karen’s and Chad’s getting in people’s faces, trying to incite a violent encounter over mask mandates, and those are at essential stores. And those are just the ones that are recorded. Yes, we heard about the story on the bus yesterday, it seems to be less likely of an issue on Disney property.

Grocery stores are essential, and people need to go to them, whether its you, or someone picking supplies up for you, someone has to go. These essential stores need to have higher compliance because they’re essential. Disney, while also needs to keep the compliance as close to perfect as they can, no one is being forced to go to Disney. That’s 100% a decision you (general) need to make. You have to go into Disney knowing the risk you’re about to take, and Disney has done a very good job at reminding people of that. Any site you go to while looking up any aspect of vacation planning, there’s a disclaimer warning every potential guest of the situation. There’s only so much Disney can do. They can set these protocols up, and enforce them as best they can, but at the end of the day, people do have to accept some responsibility, and have realistic expectations. Even before the pandemic, people seemed to do what they want, when they want without thinking of other people. So it was always hard to believe these same people would suddenly change from selfish to selfless.

Unfortunately CMs can’t follow around individual guests to supply you with an impenetrable bubble from other guests. You just have to keep yourself as safe as possible, first and foremost and be mindful of the people around you and your surroundings.

 

[yulilin3]

honestly not joking when I say I feel safer at the theme parks than at Publix. Had to go grocery shopping today. 2 people no masks at all, and 2 employees with the mask under their nose, got my stuff super quick and went to check out, one of the managers was bagging and I asked if they didn't have a mandatory mask policy, he said yes, while his And we can't afford to hire security
Needless to say I am now driving several extra miles to go shop somewhere else

 

[AmberMV]

honestly not joking when I say I feel safer at the theme parks than at Publix. Had to go grocery shopping today. 2 people no masks at all, and 2 employees with the mask under their nose, got my stuff super quick and went to check out, one of the managers was bagging and I asked if they didn't have a mandatory mask policy, he said yes, while his And we can't afford to hire security
Needless to say I am now driving several extra miles to go shop somewhere else

I heard that the "big 3" Walmart, Publix and Target (for FL at least) are now requiring masks. I find it odd that you are still seeing a lot of non compliance considering the mandatory mask policy for Orange county, unless you live in Osceola or Polk. I'm not sure how many counties in FL now have mandatory policies but I know it's quite a few-the really big ones at minimum. I live in a county that doesn't require it and see about 60% usage, but our cases are climbing pretty quickly. Hopefully we will see less non-compliance now, at least in those stores.

 

[osufeth24]

I heard that the "big 3" Walmart, Publix and Target (for FL at least) are now requiring masks. I find it odd that you are still seeing a lot of non compliance considering the mandatory mask policy for Orange county, unless you live in Osceola or Polk. I'm not sure how many counties in FL now have mandatory policies but I know it's quite a few-the really big ones at minimum. I live in a county that doesn't require it and see about 60% usage, but our cases are climbing pretty quickly. Hopefully we will see less non-compliance now, at least in those stores.

That's the thing with mandatory masks laws.. It means jack squat if no one is enforcing it. I still see people without masks everywhere I go and no one says a thing (live in orange county)

 

[parasail_of_congress]

honestly not joking when I say I feel safer at the theme parks than at Publix. Had to go grocery shopping today. 2 people no masks at all, and 2 employees with the mask under their nose, got my stuff super quick and went to check out, one of the managers was bagging and I asked if they didn't have a mandatory mask policy, he said yes, while his And we can't afford to hire security
Needless to say I am now driving several extra miles to go shop somewhere else

I suspect the safety comparison with Disney to other places is directly related to where you are in the US and/or world though. But just comparing the Magic Kingdom to a random grocery store, MK starts out with a lot of positives (safety compliance, mostly outside, open space), but that starts to break down when you consider the amount of time you are there at one time, the potentially exponentially higher number of people you will encounter and the places from where all of the people come.

 

[Mit88]

I heard that the "big 3" Walmart, Publix and Target (for FL at least) are now requiring masks. I find it odd that you are still seeing a lot of non compliance considering the mandatory mask policy for Orange county, unless you live in Osceola or Polk. I'm not sure how many counties in FL now have mandatory policies but I know it's quite a few-the really big ones at minimum. I live in a county that doesn't require it and see about 60% usage, but our cases are climbing pretty quickly. Hopefully we will see less non-compliance now, at least in those stores.

I find it crazy that they haven’t been mandated in those places in the first place. April 18th Walmart, Target, and our local grocery store made them mandated. Until today, I thought Target and Walmart had already made it a company wide. Maybe the compliance is so high up here in NY because they nailed it in our heads that they were required so early and now that its been so long without those mandates in Florida, those people are less likely to comply

 

[Mit88]

Don’t remember if it was posted earlier today, but the turrets have started to get painted

 

[yulilin3]

I suspect the safety comparison with Disney to other places is directly related to where you are in the US and/or world though. But just comparing the Magic Kingdom to a random grocery store, MK starts out with a lot of positives (safety compliance, mostly outside, open space), but that starts to break down when you consider the amount of time you are there at one time, the potentially exponentially higher number of people you will encounter and the places from where all of the people come.

you're right, the difference is that at Publix I HAVE TO either wait for people to move away or pass them, close by, quickly. At Disney I have had enough room to walk by at a larger distance than 6 ft or simply head in a different direction. I have not made any queues that are long other than RotR, which I was the las one to enter that queue when it broke down so was able to separate myself even more. What I'm saying is I have options at DIsney, even if I spend the entire day there I only come in close proximity with people very little. At Publix it's inevitable

 

[yulilin3]

Don’t remember if it was posted earlier today, but the turrets have started to get painted



View attachment 510978

either this is an old picture or they put that fencing back up. It was there for CM preview but not for AP preview. They were working on it the day of CM preview

 

[DGsAtBLT]

To be fair, I would think that traveling to Florida to spend 8 hours a day for a week in an Orlando grocery store would be a worse idea than spending that time in Disney.

 

[Mit88]

either this is an old picture or they put that fencing back up. It was there for CM preview but not for AP preview. They were working on it the day of CM preview

Was the gray as bold as it is in this picture? It might be old. I have really looked at the turrets before now, but I kind of remember them being much lighter in tone