Cruise and Theme Park Operational Updates due to Coronavirus

[Mit88]

You could barely slide a piece of paper between the 40-50 people in line for the water slide competition.

 

[KBoopaloo]

Completely agree with this. If anything I see some park hours being extended as we enter into the Thanksgiving - New Years period, and then reduced again come January. Adding park hopping would be amazing, but I don’t think Disney is currently ready on the IT side to make it a reality unfortunately.

As far as extra resorts opening...I really don’t see any of the indefinitely closed (All Stars, Port Orleans, WL, BW, BC, AKL) opening at all for the rest of 2020. They pretty much know at this point what the demand is for the rest of the year, and for a good portion of 2021, and if they don’t have opening dates for those resorts currently, they don’t see a need for them. DVC still has tons of availability for a lot of 2020, which is still mind boggling to me as people need to use their points but people aren’t. We just booked a 1 bedroom boardwalk view for Election Day week and we booked a BLT 1 bedroom for a 2 night getaway late September. These are pretty unheard of to have available this close. And all resorts still have tons of studio availability too, which usually are very rare to find. I can’t even remember the last time I routinely saw BWV availability for the next few months. So if Disney can’t even fill their point allocated rooms with people that need to go or else they lose an investment, they’re not going to open all the cash resorts.

Agree on the DVC availability. I had booked a trip at my home resort for the last week in February at the 11 month mark hoping to move it to an Epcot area at 7 months. I let the first day of my 7 month booking window go by having completely forgotten about it since the likelihood of this trip happening is now so small for me. When I remembered and logged in about 2 weeks after the first day of the 7 month booking window I was stunned to have so much availability to choose from at non-home resorts. Then I started poking around and was surprised by how much availability there is across the board over the next several months. I assumed DVC would be the one area with high occupancy because of the backlog of 3 months worth of time where points could not be used and the fact that points expire but I guess not.

 

[FrankieWinthrop]

I’m just hoping they switch up the character calvacades for the seasons. I really want to hear Boo to You in the middle of the day accompanied by a dressed up Mickey, Minnie, and friends in October!

 

[KBoopaloo]

This is pretty much the same message we got about a month ago about masks but Orange County mayor and Dr. Pino day they don’t expect the lift the mask mandate until a vaccine is available or spring of next year.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1298015407627022337

 

[skeeter31]

Agree on the DVC availability. I had booked a trip at my home resort for the last week in February at the 11 month mark hoping to move it to an Epcot area at 7 months. I let the first day of my 7 month booking window go by having completely forgotten about it since the likelihood of this trip happening is now so small for me. When I remembered and logged in about 2 weeks after the first day of the 7 month booking window I was stunned to have so much availability to choose from at non-home resorts. Then I started poking around and was surprised by how much availability there is across the board over the next several months. I assumed DVC would be the one area with high occupancy because of the backlog of 3 months worth of time where points could not be used and the fact that points expire but I guess not.

Exactly, and if people that HAVE to go, aren’t, then they’re not going to open resorts for people that just WANT to go.

 

[Douglas Dubh]

This is pretty much the same message we got about a month ago about masks but Orange County mayor and Dr. Pino day they don’t expect the lift the mask mandate until a vaccine is available or spring of next year.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1298015407627022337

Unless there’s another surge, people aren’t going to keep using masks that long. If cases keep going down, I don’t see the mandate lasting another month.

 

[TakesFaithTrust&PixieDust]

Unless there’s another surge, people aren’t going to keep using masks that long. If cases keep going down, I don’t see the mandate lasting another month.

I think it will go for quite awhile yet. Dr Pino and the mayor don’t want this to repeat. It doesn’t appear Disney has any desire to lift it in the near future from what cast has been told. We just need to wear them to keep safe. Another six months isn’t asking too much of the people. We can do this.

 

[KBoopaloo]

I think it will go for quite awhile yet. Dr Pino and the mayor don’t want this to repeat. It doesn’t appear Disney has any desire to lift it in the near future from what cast has been told. We just need to wear them to keep safe. Another six months isn’t asking too much of the people. We can do this.

Exactly. The mayor said today he thinks the much lower positivity rate can be at least partially credited to the mask mandate and he has no desire to reverse something that is working well.

 

[jlwhitney]

Unless there’s another surge, people aren’t going to keep using masks that long. If cases keep going down, I don’t see the mandate lasting another month.

I agree, probably longer than a month, but it won't make it to spring.

 

[rteetz]

I agree, probably longer than a month, but it won't make it to spring.

Several places including where I live have mask mandates but lower cases than Florida. Personally I think the hotspots need them more than anyone and especially tourist destinations like Orlando where there is a mix of people from all over.

 

[yulilin3]

Not sure if it was here that someone asked about the parasol stall at mk, but i was there today and it's open. Did 9 attractions in the last 3 hours

 

[Mit88]

0 chance the mask mandate is relaxed in the next month, imo. MAYBE by the holidays depending on the situation we’re in, but that’s the absolute earliest. We’re probably talking early next year, possibly the spring. And Disney will keep theirs in tact longer than necessary I’d bet. They’re airing on the side of caution with a lot of things, so I could see them having the mask mandate in place a little longer than state guidelines have them

 

[andyman8]

0 chance the mask mandate is relaxed in the next month, imo. MAYBE by the holidays depending on the situation we’re in, but that’s the absolute earliest. We’re probably talking early next year, possibly the spring. And Disney will keep theirs in tact longer than necessary I’d bet. They’re airing on the side of caution with a lot of things, so I could see them having the mask mandate in place a little longer than state guidelines have them

At the absolute earliest, best case scenario. I believe it was you who said last month that it is a possibility that at that time next year (so July 2021), we could still have a face covering requirement in place in WDW. I agree, and I happen to think the lifting of the face covering requirement will be one of the last parts of the WDW experience that will return to "normal." I also think the issue will be less heated (pardon the pun) as we start to head toward more mild weather in the months ahead. Come next summer, I think they'll revisit it only if conditions completely allow (and other places are lifting the requirement). Given that there is so much uncertainty between now and then, I don't think there is much point in speculating further on the topic.

 

[Mit88]

At the absolute earliest, best case scenario. I believe it was you who said last month that it is a possibility that at that time next year (so July 2021), we could still have a face covering requirement in place in WDW. I agree, and I happen to think the lifting of the face covering requirement will be one of the last parts of the WDW experience that will return to "normal." I also think the issue will be less heated (pardon the pun) as we start to head toward more mild weather in the months ahead. Come next summer, I think they'll revisit it only if conditions completely allow (and other places are lifting the requirement). Given that there is so much uncertainty between now and then, I don't think there is much point in speculating further on the topic.

Park Hopping, Fireworks, and Parades will bring more people back than no masks. There are some that simply won’t go while masks are mandatory, but I’d bet the majority want the Disney experience back (the 3 listed above, and M&Gs) enough that masks wouldn’t be a big deal. Maybe they’re all brought back at the same time, but as long as those top things are back, people have money to travel, and comfortable to travel, the people will come back in droves regardless of whether the mask mandate is still intact

 

[mattpeto]

Park Hopping, Fireworks, and Parades will bring more people back than no masks. There are some that simply won’t go while masks are mandatory, but I’d bet the majority want the Disney experience back (the 3 listed above, and M&Gs) enough that masks wouldn’t be a big deal. Maybe they’re all brought back at the same time, but as long as those top things are back, people have money to travel, and comfortable to travel, the people will come back in droves regardless of whether the mask mandate is still intact

Good points!

The cooler weather in the Fall will make mask wearing more bearable too. It’s the other things that will drive back people.

 

[hereforthechurros]

Unless there’s another surge, people aren’t going to keep using masks that long. If cases keep going down, I don’t see the mandate lasting another month.

... no masks would cause a surge very quickly. There’s no vaccine, no easy treatment yet. If we want to live life right now, masks have to be a part of it. I wouldn’t be shocked for masks to be part of our reality in some fashion for at least another year.

 

[Mit88]

Good points!

The cooler weather in the Fall will make mask wearing more bearable too. It’s the other things that will drive back people.

it’s honestly not even that bad in the heat. Would I choose to wear a mask if it was safe enough for that to be a person by person decision? Absolutely not. I’m neither excited to put my mask on, nor am I kicking and screaming that I have to wear one outdoors walking around the resorts. It is what it is, if I wanted it to be my choice, I’d have to stay home, and I was not passing on this vacation unless the parks were still closed

 

[gottalovepluto]

This is pretty much the same message we got about a month ago about masks but Orange County mayor and Dr. Pino day they don’t expect the lift the mask mandate until a vaccine is available or spring of next year.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1298015407627022337

I cannot imagine Disney lifting it prior to this being done no matter what the county does

 

[gottalovepluto]

Unless there’s another surge, people aren’t going to keep using masks that long. If cases keep going down, I don’t see the mandate lasting another month.

Two sides to everything, eh?

*I do not mean to engage in The Great M Debate. What happens happens.*

 

[gottalovepluto]

Anybody heard anything about shows the actors were in starting up again?