Cruise and Theme Park Operational Updates due to Coronavirus

[rpb718]

1. I waited in line to get into Trader Joe’s yesterday, so I am not surprised about waiting to shop.

2. I totally believe the 25% number. Character lines are always long if you think about it. Those people have to go somewhere else now.

Yeah, there seemed to always be some entertainment somewhere - dance parties over in Tomorrowland, castle shows every hours or so, Muppets History shows (RIP), Monsters Inc LF, a parade, various character M&Gs all over, Pirates show (another RIP), various entertainment down main street, parties, fireworks, etc. etc.

Even if WDW were to run all rides full out at capacity, I don't see how they could support going to 50% capacity at MK without other non-ride options available. Just having cavalcades won't do it, and to make matters worse they may not have enough QS or CS places still left to reopen to allow doubling the current park capacity anytime soon.

 

[Farro]

Well things like IASW were running boats with ppl only in the first & last rows. That seems a little excessive. Skipping one row seems adequate imo.

I agree. They should start every other row on indoor rides with shared vehicle, longer boat rides, etc.

What are they doing for rides like Haunted Mansion and Peter Pan where you get your own vehicle?

And outside coasters, Dumbo type rides, just fill the cars normally (maybe they already are? I'm not sure). You are outside, wearing masks on a short ride.

My opinion anyways.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

As far as optics go- I don’t care what is and isn’t bad for Disney - I’m not towing that line.

I’m saying - I can show you long lines and say nothing and it looks bad. But is it really bad? I hear mixed things.

things I hear consistently-

it is hot.
lines are long.
Not enough places to eat.
Need more shows

But what i don’t hear consistently:

I waited in line for a very long time
Posted wait time is less than/same as actual

Until I start seeing constant correlation between long line and long wait - I’m saying that this is an optics issue

For me. For MY vacation in 40 days, the pics of long lines don’t matter until they mean something.

I agree - with the one additional scenario of when queues get so long that they are infringing on the pathways making it hard for people to walk while maintaining social distancing - that would get me a bit worried/ concerned

But the lines themselves, no matter how long (Distance) they are doesn't really bother me as long as they aren't that long (time wise)

 

[Farro]

I agree - with the one additional scenario of when queues get so long that they are infringing on the pathways making it hard for people to walk while maintaining social distancing - that would get me a bit worried/ concerned

But the lines themselves, no matter how long (Distance) they are doesn't really bother me as long as they aren't that long (time wise)

Those are the optics I'm talking about- and actually I would hope Disney isn't making decisions based on optics, but I've been told that on this board over and over.

Those videos/pics with the longlinesthatmightnothavelongwaittimes do make it seem like social distancing is pretty slim, even if not the case.

 

[LSUmiss]

I do think the super low crowds to start did set somewhat unrealistic expectations for a lot of people that are now coming.

They want those July crowds and that just wasn't going to last forever so in comparison it seems crazy now

But compared to this time last year people would kill for 40 min standby wait for Mine Train

I also think pics of those July crowds is part of why it is so much more crowded now. Ppl booked trips hoping to experience that.

 

[LSUmiss]

As far as optics go- I don’t care what is and isn’t bad for Disney - I’m not towing that line.

I’m saying - I can show you long lines and say nothing and it looks bad. But is it really bad? I hear mixed things.

things I hear consistently-

it is hot.
lines are long.
Not enough places to eat.
Need more shows

But what i don’t hear consistently:

I waited in line for a very long time
Posted wait time is less than/same as actual

Until I start seeing constant correlation between long line and long wait - I’m saying that this is an optics issue

For me. For MY vacation in 40 days, the pics of long lines don’t matter until they mean something.

I felt that way too until I did actually experience long waits this past weekend so it wasn’t just optics. Hope you have better luck. I’ll be back in 38 days too. Hoping for better luck too. Would actually think of cancelling but don’t want to back out on family.

 

[Cfiiitz]

But what i don’t hear consistently:

I waited in line for a very long time
Posted wait time is less than/same as actual

Until I start seeing constant correlation between long line and long wait - I’m saying that this is an optics issue
.

I totally agree with you here. I posted yesterday some information from brookegmcdonald who is in the parks with her family that showed the difference between posted wait times and actual.

Almost all of the wait times were SIGNIFICANTLY shorter. I think only one (Soarin’) was in line with the posted time. She is definitely not one to sugar coat and did point out where things were busy. Eg. She was not willing to wait to get into Mexico!

She was at MK today and noted that they didn’t do a ton of rides but they did do the following:
Walked on Space Mountain at open
Haunted Mansion posted 25 and waited 15

 

[LSUmiss]

I agree. They should start every other row on indoor rides with shared vehicle, longer boat rides, etc.

What are they doing for rides like Haunted Mansion and Peter Pan where you get your own vehicle?

And outside coasters, Dumbo type rides, just fill the cars normally (maybe they already are? I'm not sure). You are outside, wearing masks on a short ride.
They are filling the cars normally on the ones you mentioned. But, barnstormer was like iasw. From what I saw splash & thunder are like iasw too.

My opinion anyways.

 

[twinmom13]

What are they doing for rides like Haunted Mansion and Peter Pan where you get your own vehicle?

And outside coasters, Dumbo type rides, just fill the cars normally (maybe they already are? I'm not sure). You are outside, wearing masks on a short ride.

When we went in early September, they were filling every vehicle for HM, PP, and Buzz. They were doing one party per vehicle for Pooh and skipping a row between parties on BTMR and SDMT, even if you were in a separate car on the same train. They filled every vehicle on Dumbo and Barnstormer, like normal. Pirates and Splash were first and last rows only, or one party per boat if you had more than one row’s worth.

 

[DisMommyTX]

Long lines are not just optics, they really are long waits too. Our Sept trip lines were among the longest we've seen and posted wait times were accurate. 30 minutes for Philharmagic , 40 for Ariel, 25 for Goofy Barnstormer, 35 for Buzz, and they were all within 5 or 10 min of the posted time. Some rides handle the reduced capacity better than others. Tomorrowland Speedway and Teacups were our only dependably short lines. Without FP, those 60+ min waits for headliners quickly fill the shortened hours. Even the 5 min wait for Saludas Amigos is deceptive when there is a 45+ min line to get in to the Mexico pavillion!

I really hope they bring back FP in some form soon.

 

[DisMommyTX]

In late Sept they were skipping cars between parties on Buzz and Ariel as well.

 

[yulilin3]

Wasn't it just a few months ago we were all supposed to be applauding the vloggers for telling it like it is?

I have no clue what capacity is, I'm just reading and commenting with people.

I expect lines, but I'll admit I didn't expect huge waits just to enter a store.

I remember when some of us on here were discussing how reopening would look and kept saying we would see long queues for everything because of the measure. Then they opened, no one came and we were all pleasantly surprised
There's no way of knowing if Chapek is lying about the numbers or not so i chose to believe him, but doubting him or agreeing with him will really change nothing, I move on

 

[yulilin3]

I feel like the complaints are slowly changing from the lines just looking long to actually waiting in long lines for everything, not just rides. Food, stores, buses, ME.

Also, people always talking about optics...it doesn't matter if we on this board know waits won't be as bad as some people say, the general public will see the pictures and videos of lines hear the supposed wait times and somehow this will look bad on Disney.

Maybe things will relax again after this week.

There's nothing more impactful like seeing the MMRR queue at any point of day. It just winds back and forth through that entire courtyard and looks miserable in the heat. It's crazy the amount of people waiting for it. Optics are very important

 

[yulilin3]

Long lines are not just optics, they really are long waits too. Our Sept trip lines were among the longest we've seen and posted wait times were accurate. 30 minutes for Philharmagic , 40 for Ariel, 25 for Goofy Barnstormer, 35 for Buzz, and they were all within 5 or 10 min of the posted time. Some rides handle the reduced capacity better than others. Tomorrowland Speedway and Teacups were our only dependably short lines. Without FP, those 60+ min waits for headliners quickly fill the shortened hours. Even the 5 min wait for Saludas Amigos is deceptive when there is a 45+ min line to get in to the Mexico pavillion!

I really hope they bring back FP in some form soon.

Fp with the current measures will help few and exacerbate many, it just won't work now

 

[disneygirlsng]

We haven't had to wait in lines for stores in months now. Not sure why actually, maybe because mask required everywhere they stopped capacity limits? I dont even see people watching the door.

Again, I'm not concerned about my spring trip...so far.

I am curious to see how Thanksgiving and Christmas go as far as crowds. People may be more patient with the cooler weather.

I dont know why, but the store lines in the parks are more disturbing to me...

FWIW, when I was there in late August there were occasionally lines to get into stores. There was a line probably ~50 people deep at MK at park close time. And this was when the parks were completely dead and I walked on pretty much everything. Doesn't surprise me one bit that there are more consistent/longer lines to get into stores now.

 

[HikingFam]

Long lines are not just optics, they really are long waits too. Our Sept trip lines were among the longest we've seen and posted wait times were accurate. 30 minutes for Philharmagic , 40 for Ariel, 25 for Goofy Barnstormer, 35 for Buzz, and they were all within 5 or 10 min of the posted time. Some rides handle the reduced capacity better than others. Tomorrowland Speedway and Teacups were our only dependably short lines. Without FP, those 60+ min waits for headliners quickly fill the shortened hours. Even the 5 min wait for Saludas Amigos is deceptive when there is a 45+ min line to get in to the Mexico pavillion!

I really hope they bring back FP in some form soon.

Exactly! We waited over 30 minutes to ride the carousel, for goodness sakes (thanks, 4 year old kid!). The waits are real. And regardless, 40 “real” minutes instead of “posted” 60 minutes in a line doesn’t matter to our family— both are too long without FP, which at least would give us 3 “good” rides without any wait, and that makes all the difference for us. I’m their target audience who would rather pay for FP than stand in a line for anything over 15 min.

We were able to have a good trip, but only because we have APs and can justify going to the park for a few hours and doing a few things. I would not have enjoyed the trip as much if I was trying to get my money‘a worth each day from a daily ticket.

 

[yulilin3]

Exactly! We waited over 30 minutes to ride the carousel, for goodness sakes (thanks, 4 year old kid!). The waits are real. And regardless, 40 “real” minutes instead of “posted” 60 minutes in a line doesn’t matter to our family— both are too long without FP, which at least would give us 3 “good” rides without any wait, and that makes all the difference for us. I’m their target audience who would rather pay for FP than stand in a line for anything over 15 min.

We were able to have a good trip, but only because we have APs and can justify going to the park for a few hours and doing a few things. I would not have enjoyed the trip as much if I was trying to get my money‘a worth each day from a daily ticket.

it's been explained several times why fp right now wouldn't work. It would be an extremely limited get and then it would balloon standby wait time where now you see 60 minutes becomeing 90+

 

[jlwhitney]

I agree. They should start every other row on indoor rides with shared vehicle, longer boat rides, etc.

What are they doing for rides like Haunted Mansion and Peter Pan where you get your own vehicle?

And outside coasters, Dumbo type rides, just fill the cars normally (maybe they already are? I'm not sure). You are outside, wearing masks on a short ride.

My opinion anyways.

I agree about Pirates and such but I don't know I see Disney changing anything, other than maybe being more strict till they get Disneyland up and running, or at least make the best attempt at it.

 

[gottalovepluto]

I also think pics of those July crowds is part of why it is so much more crowded now. Ppl booked trips hoping to experience that.

But the crowds are rumored to be mostly APs. Personally I think it’s been a small increase in bookings but mainly redistribution of park reservation buckets. (Otherwise hotels pulled from re-opening would be getting added to the schedule.)

 

[HokieRaven5]

This whole crowd conversation just has me thinking of this: